Watershed harm probedOfficials have confirmed extensive illegal logging and road construction inside a protected watershed area of the Mae Yuam Wildlife Sanctuary in Mae Hong Son province, following public allegations. The Mae Sariang branch of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) said patrol teams discovered four newly cut roads stretching a combined 6.6 kilometres through a Class 1A watershed zone -- the highest level of water-source protection. Authorities seized 329 logs, measuring 156.94 cubic metres, and estimated environmental damage at 2.84 million baht. The controversy erupted after a former park chief posted on Facebook, questioning whether the DNP was aware of the alleged felling of more than 500 trees. He suggested the roads could facilitate smuggling and asked who authorised the project and who benefited from it.

Lunar New Year lifts demand for flightsThe Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Ltd (Aerothai) says it is fully prepared to manage a surge in air traffic during the Chinese New Year holiday. Flights between China and Thailand are projected to average nearly 3,000 per day from Feb 17–26, up 8.3% from the same period last year. During the 10-day Chinese New Year peak period, Aerothai projects a total of 29,096 flights, averaging 2,910 per day. International routes between Thailand and China rank highest, averaging about 330 flights per day, reflecting significant recovery since January. Mr Surachai said Aerothai has implemented air traffic management measures, including slot allocation coordination in line with airport capacity and enhanced air traffic flow management procedures.

The National Health Security Office (NHSO) denies any data breach after some users on the communications platform Discord claimed they have NHSO data and application programming interfaces (APIs) for sale. Pratueang Paodit, assistant secretary-general of the NHSO, said on Tuesday the NHSO's cyber security team and the Computer Security Operations Centre (CSOC), along with external experts, conducted an urgent review and found no evidence of data leakage from the NHSO systems. Technical investigators believed the information may have been compiled from personal data obtained from various external sources and combined with data leaked elsewhere, and that the NHSO name then may have been used to make the posts appear credible, but the data did not originate from NHSO systems, said Mr Pratueang. In addition, connections involving high usage volumes or access to large amounts of personal data must also pass additional security measures, including IP whitelisting. Key measures include upgrading identity verification across all NHSO websites that access personal data, requiring at least two-factor authentication (2FA).

The meeting at the Crime Suppression Division, was chaired by Pol Maj Gen Phutthipong Musikul, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and sought to exchange intelligence in the fight to rein in complex and transnational online fraud operations. ACSC officials delivered a presentation outlining the centre's structure, operational framework and the current landscape of online scam activities in Thailand. EU representatives and officials from the European Affairs Division of the Foreign Ministry praised the ACSC's management model, noting Thailand's emerging leadership role in combating online fraud in the region. They underscored the need to deepen security cooperation with Thailand and Asean, as online scam cases continue to rise sharply in Europe. Pol Maj Gen Phutthipong said the EU delegation proposed new cooperation, including expanding intelligence-sharing networks to include law enforcement agencies in EU member states, sharing information on criminal syndicates' operational tactics, and exchanging data on foreign victims.

US says will match alleged Chinese low-yield nuclear testsThe massive "Ivy Mike" US nuclear test of November 1952 in Elugelab Island in the Marshall Islands, seen in a 2002 US Department of Energy photoWASHINGTON (UNITED STATES) - The United States is ready to carry out low-yield nuclear tests to match alleged secret explosions by China and Russia, ending a decades-old moratorium, a senior official said Tuesday. "As the president has said, the United States will return to testing on a -- quote -- 'equal basis,'" Yeaw said at the Hudson Institute, a think tank. China's nuclear arsenal remains far smaller than those of Russia and the United States but it has been growing quickly. The State Department in 2024 also alleged low-yield tests by Russia, which has issued veiled threats of using nuclear weapons in its invasion of Ukraine. The UN treaty -- which would ban all nuclear explosions -- has not come into force, with France and Britain the only nuclear weapons states to have ratified it.

Mr Chaichanok said Klatham had indicated it would impose no conditions for joining a coalition, while dismissing speculation that cabinet posts had already been discussed. There are also fears that appointing certain Klatham figures to cabinet posts could trigger petitions to the Constitutional Court on ethical grounds, potentially jeopardising the prime minister's position. Some within BJT fear that, if granted influential cabinet posts, Klatham could consolidate its position and emerge as a stronger rival in future contests, sources said. Capt Thamanat, however, said no substantive negotiations had yet occurred and that it was premature to discuss details, citing ongoing electoral procedures. Tensions were evident at Tuesday's cabinet meeting in the absence of Mr Anutin and Capt Thamanat.

Canada launches huge defence plan to curb reliance on USCanadian Prime Minister Mark Carney launching Canada's defence industrial strategy in MontrealMONTREAL - Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday launched a multi-billion dollar plan to strengthen the Canadian military and rely less on the United States. Carney's announcement of Canada's first defence industrial strategy built on themes he has emphasized throughout his 11-month tenure as President Donald Trump rips through traditional US alliances. The prime minister says Canada has not done nearly enough to defend itself in an increasingly dangerous world and counting on US protection is no longer viable. Carney, addressing reporters after giving a speech on the defence plan, pivoted to Rubio's speech without being asked about it. "There is a rivalry taking place between Canadian nationalism and other forms of nationalism," he added, speaking in French.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (left) meets with his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi in Geneva ahead of fresh negotiations with the United States on Tuesday. (Photo: AFP)GENEVA - Iran and the United States began fresh talks in Geneva on Tuesday, as President Donald Trump warned of consequences should Tehran fail to strike a deal. A previous attempt at diplomacy collapsed when Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran in June, beginning a 12-day war that Washington briefly joined to bomb Iranian nuclear sites. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi in Geneva to discuss his country’s position “regarding nuclear issues and sanctions relief”. The foreign minister also met in Geneva on Monday with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, “for deep technical discussion”.

Bangkok, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, is where the global fashion house chose to set up shop for one month. We are making way for conversations and discourse around fashion, creativity, and art. The classic cap, which retails for 2,900 baht, features the Mandarin Oriental font in front and "Bangkok, Thailand" on the back. It’s not just about expanding their global footprint; it's also about making big cultural bets and choosing Bangkok as a destination. It’s not just the high-brow things either, mega music festivals are making way to Thailand, Tomorrowland, anyone?

He weathered a spate of controversies but remained America’s ​preeminent civil rights figure for decades. Jackson founded the Chicago-based civil rights groups Operation PUSH and the National Rainbow Coalition and served as Democratic President Bill Clinton’s special envoy to Africa in the 1990s. In 1984, Jackson founded the National Rainbow Coalition, whose broader civil rights mission also included women’s rights and gay rights, and the two organisations merged in 1996. Jackson also had a daughter out of wedlock in 1999 with a woman who worked at his civil rights groups, which became a scandal. He lobbied the auto industry to increase opportunities for Black Americans among suppliers, dealers and in the companies’ management ranks.

The investigation into Shein is the first by the EU under its sweeping new Digital Services Act. (Photo: AFP)BRUSSELS - The European Union on Tuesday opened an investigation into the online retail giant Shein over the sale of childlike sex dolls and what it called the platform’s “addictive design”. Shein came under greater scrutiny in November after French authorities condemned the giant for featuring sex dolls resembling children. Following the uproar in France, Shein said it immediately removed the products and banned sex dolls from its site globally regardless of appearance. ‘Addictive features’The EU said its investigation would focus on the systems Shein has in place to prevent the sale of illegal products in the 27-country bloc.

China has slashed air pollution, but the 'war' isn't overFifteen years ago, Beijing's Liangma riverbanks would have been smog-choked and deserted in winter, but these days they are dotted with families. Particulate pollution fell 41% nationwide in the decade from 2014, and average life expectancy has increased 1.8 years, according to the University of Chicago's Air Quality Life Index (AQLI). For the first time, "quantitative air quality improvement goals for key regions within a clear time limit" were set, a 2016 study noted. The policy targeted several key regions, where PM2.5 levels fell rapidly between 2013 and 2017, and the approach was expanded nationwide afterwards. A top environment official last year said China aimed to "basically eliminate severe air pollution by 2025", but the government did not respond when AFP asked if that goal had been met.

Polling station staff count votes in Bang Kapi district of Bangkok on Feb 8. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)The Election Commission has ordered vote recounts at eight locations including one in Bangkok, and a fresh election at one polling station in Phayao. It will begin at the polling station at 10am on Sunday, Feb 22. A fresh election for constituency and list MPs has also been ordered at polling station No.6 (tambon Tha Wang Thong) of Constituency 1 in Muang district of Phayao province. The commission said the times and places for the list-MP vote recounts and the fresh election would be announced later.

France grants safe haven to anti-Kremlin couple detained by ICETens of thousands of Russians have applied for political asylum in the United States since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. (Photo: AFP)PARIS — France has granted safe haven to an anti-Kremlin Russian activist couple detained by ICE in the United States, but his wife was nowhere to be found after he landed in Paris on Monday. The couple left Russia in 2022 as the Kremlin ramped up a crackdown on opponents following the invasion of Ukraine. Tens of thousands of Russians have applied for political asylum in the United States since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. About 1,000 Russians, many of them asylum seekers, have been deported back to Russia from the United States since 2022.

Dutch drone pilot Ralph Hogenbirk holds an FPV (first-person view) drone, used for capturing action in the sliding centre, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. The biggest risk for the drone pilots ‌is that the footage is filmed live, meaning there’s no room for mistakes. Ahead of the Olympics, FPV drone pilots trained for weeks alongside the athletes, running the courses up to 60 times a day to avoid being intrusive or disturbing them while they race. Just moving forward and staying focused,” said Ralph Hogenbirk, the 35-year-old FPV pilot for luge, skeleton and bobsleigh in Cortina. Buzzing a distractionWhile the drone pilots have won praise for their skill in controlling the tiny, flying cameras at such speeds, some spectators and viewers have said the noise is distracting.