The People's Party is facing a petition seeking an investigation by the Election Commission (EC) over its decision to field a candidate who has now been convicted of rape, a development that could potentially lead to the party's dissolution. Political activist Srisuwan Janya, leader of the Love Nation Love People Organisation, yesterday submitted a complaint to the EC and the registrar of political parties, urging authorities to examine whether the party violated the Political Parties Act by endorsing the candidate despite prior warnings about his background. The petition follows a Supreme Court ruling read at Maha Sarakham provincial court on Wednesday. He said the EC should, if sufficient grounds are found, forward the case to the Constitutional Court under Section 92(3) to consider dissolving the party. In response, People's Party secretary-general Sarayut Jailak issued a public apology on Thursday, one day after the ruling was read.

SSO draft draws 1.24 million commentsDraft regulations governing the election of employer and insured representatives to the Social Security Board have attracted strong public engagement, with more than 1.24 million comments submitted during the consultation period, according to the Social Security Office (SSO). Kanchana Poolkaew, secretary-general of the SSO, said a total of 1,244,260 comments were received between Jan 15 and Feb 14, reflecting heightened awareness among social security subscribers. Among participants in the consultation, insured persons under Section 33 accounted for the largest share at 73.74%, followed by Section 39 insured persons at 10.99%, Section 40 insured persons at 3.89%, employers at 1.80%, organisations and networks at 0.15% and members of the public at 8.88%. Ms Kanchana said feedback was collected through three channels: www.law.go.th (56.21% of submissions), the SSO website (36.26%), and in-person submissions at Social Security offices (7.53%). The findings will be forwarded to the subcommittee tasked with revising the regulation on Social Security Board elections and subsequently to the board before submission to the labour minister for further consideration, she added.

Doubts mount over EC's poll handlingAlmost two weeks after the election, the embattled Election Commission (EC) has yet to endorse any winning candidates. Civil society groups and the People's Party have petitioned relevant agencies, seeking recounts or even a fresh election. The EC has been accused of mishandling the poll in favour of the Bhumjaithai Party (BJT), which secured 193 seats on Feb 8. Despite the doubts, it is unlikely the Constitutional Court will nullify the Feb 8 poll. The People's Party has accepted defeat, and nullification could create a prolonged power vacuum.

Origin ramps up non-residential pushMr Peerapong says Origin expects more recurring income from non-residential businesses. In 2026, the company predicts 25 billion baht in presales and 15 billion in transfer value, including a backlog of 11.7 billion baht. Total revenue is expected to reach 10 billion baht, with new launches worth a combined 19.4 billion baht. The company's non-residential pipeline comprises four hotels worth 5.9 billion baht, four commercial projects worth 3.1 billion baht, and five logistics and warehouse projects worth 3 billion. Origin expects to sell four hotels worth 4 billion baht and four warehouses worth 3.8 billion baht as part of its strategy to generate capital for reinvestment.

At its core is the creation of a national climate fund, designed to support Thailand's transition from a fossil-fuel economy to a low-carbon society. The Department of Climate Change and Environment (DCCE) is the central agency expected to steer the country's climate future. The bill mandates greenhouse gas reduction, adaptation measures, carbon pricing through taxes and trading, a climate fund and a national emissions inventory. The climate fund is a state body that will channel revenue from carbon-related tools into projects that support the low-carbon transition, he said. The climate fund receives an initial allocation of 200 million baht during its first two years.

Ignored security concerns fuel Ukraine conflictMembers of the UN Security Council gather for a meeting addressing the continuing conflict between Russia and Ukraine at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, on Aug 30, 2024. REUTERSDifficult negotiations on how to settle the conflict in and around Ukraine are continuing in Geneva, Switzerland, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. An attempt to halt the bloodshed in eastern Ukraine was made through the Minsk Agreements of 2014–2015, endorsed by the UN Security Council. They envisaged a ceasefire, direct dialogue between Kiev and Donbass and the granting of special status to the regions within Ukraine. By continuing to encourage confrontation and sustaining expectations of a military outcome, the EU risks prolonging the conflict and increasing its human cost.

After 66 years, Cuba's regime faces reckoningFidel Castro and his communist band of brothers have had a good long run in power (66 years), but they have run out of road. The ensuing "Special Period in Time of Peace" spanned the 1990s and brought great hardship to ordinary people -- rationing, blackouts, even severe food shortages -- but the economy stabilised (at a permanently lower level of prosperity) by 2000. At that point, 40% of the population would probably still have fought to defend the regime, at least if the enemy was the United States. A more likely outcome is a deal of the sort that Mr Trump likes, as close as possible to the Venezuelan template. Early in the Special Period, I took a large chunk of my extended family to Cuba.

High risk as mercury risesOn Monday, Thailand will officially enter the hot, or summer, season. There were 212 heatstroke fatalities in Thailand during 2019–2024, with 61 of them happening in 2024 alone. BMA has introduced a four-level heat warning system: green (monitoring), yellow (warning), orange (danger), and red (extreme danger). For example, in orange zones, free cool water and shaded rest areas with fans will be provided. Labour laws have been revised in some areas to allow flexible work hours and require employers to provide cooling facilities.

Andrew crisis haunts monarchyThis photo from Thursday shows media coverage of the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsordent Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. nytFor centuries, the British monarchy has survived by carefully weaving a narrative of moral leadership and national service. That meticulously constructed image has been deeply undermined by the persistent shadow of the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Jeffrey Epstein scandal. That sense of entitlement was challenged on Thursday (Feb 19), when Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested for questioning on suspicion of misconduct. The arrest marks the latest fallout from the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Jeffrey Epstein scandal, which first erupted in early 2006 when his association with a convicted sex offender became public.

The barcodes and QR codes on ballots could violate secret voting rules. He is seeking a ruling to nullify the election, arguing that the constitution prohibits any identifying marks on ballot papers. By printing barcodes and QR codes, he alleges, the Election Commission (EC) breached the principle of secret voting guaranteed under Section 85 of the constitution. He presented ballot papers from the 2011 election as evidence, which he said contained no traceable markings. He further claimed to possess photographic documentation of ballot papers and their counterfoils taken after counting, arguing that, in theory, scanning the codes could link a ballot to its corresponding stub.

Trump's new Iran threats rattle marketsRECAP: Most Asian equities fell and oil prices rose yesterday after Donald Trump ratcheted up Middle East tensions by hinting at possible military strikes on Iran if it did not make a "meaningful deal" in nuclear talks. The remarks put the brakes on a rebound in markets following an AI-fuelled sell-off earlier. Retail investors were net sellers of 9.69 billion baht, followed by institutional investors at 4.08 billion. The US posted a record $1.24-trillion trade deficit in goods in 2025, up 2.1% from the previous year. The US trade deficit with China shrank in 2025 to the smallest in more than two decades at about $202 billion as Trump's sweeping tariffs reordered global trade.

Post-poll upswing continues on SETPhoto: 123RFThai shares rose for most of this week, with the SET index approaching the key psychological and technical resistance level of 1,500 points, before a dip prompted by profit-taking and geopolitical stress on Friday. We expect the SET index to stay rangebound between 1,480 and 1,500 points next week. POSITIVE FACTORSThe material change in transactions by investor groups continues to be a key supporting factor for the SET. If foreign players unload shares, domestic funds have the potential to absorb them. However, foreign investors remain net buyers and show no sign of imminent sales, reflecting a medium-term holding pattern rather than short-term speculation.

Tudor faces huge challenge in first match at TottenhamCroatian manager Igor Tudor. Spurs, on the other hand under new interim manager Igor Tudor, are battling with a possible relegation threat being in 16th place only five points above the bottom three. Whether the Croatian can halt the poor form that led to the departure of Thomas Frank remains to be seen. In his final months at Spurs, Frank had become used to hearing boos from the fans after disappointing performances. Tomorrow's game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium should be a belter and Arsenal will be hoping the hosts don't experience an immediate "new manager bounce".

Zelensky tells AFP that Ukraine is not losing the warUkrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky is coming under mounting pressure from Donald Trump to cede territory to Russia. (Photo: AFP)KYIV (UKRAINE) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told AFP on Friday that his country is not losing its war against Russia, has taken hundreds of square kilometres in a new counteroffensive, and that European troops should deploy right on the front line after any ceasefire. The question is whether we will win," Zelensky told AFP journalists at the presidential palace in the Ukrainian capital. Zelensky said Kyiv was taking advantage of the situation, but conceded to AFP that Ukrainian forces had also experienced interruptions due to the outages. And he told AFP on Friday that Kyiv wants European troops -- earmarked to be deployed in Ukraine in case of a halt in fighting -- to be positioned close to the front.

'Not the end': Small US firms wary but hopeful on tariff upheavalThe Supreme Court decision on tariffs does not mark an end to the difficult trade environment some businesses are dealing with. "It's certainly not the end of the difficult trade environment that we're trying to deal with," said Ben Knepler, co-founder of outdoor chair maker True Places. He was forced to radically scale back his Pennsylvania-based business last year after Trump imposed new tariffs on virtually all trading partners. Knepler had shifted his supply chain out of China to Cambodia at heavy cost after Trump's trade war with Beijing during his first presidency. He was "cautiously optimistic" over the Supreme Court ruling.