Outspoken Thai doctor gives up medical licence
(Photo: Doctorkatekate Facebook)A well-known Thai dermatologist and online personality has returned her medical licence to the Medical Council of Thailand, declaring she could no longer tolerate the “distorted system”. When asked whether surrendering her medical licence might create a ripple effect, Dr Khongkwan said that as she is just one doctor out of thousands, she does not believe it will lead to any significant change. Dr Khongkwan holds certificates in Acupuncture and Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine from Harvard, but her primary medical training was at Srinakharinwirot University in Thailand.) After surrendering her licence, Dr Khongkwan will no longer be allowed to perform medical procedures or treat patients. “I cannot inject, pierce or operate, but I can provide knowledge, host shows, advertise medicines and health products, and own a clinic under FDA regulations — without the ‘collar’ called the Medical Council.”
Source:Bangkok Post
February 28, 2026 09:09 UTC
Two killed after Milan tram derails
At least two people were killed and around 40 injured when a tram derailed in central Milan on Friday. According to the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, the possibility that the tram driver suffered a sudden illness could not be ruled out. "But there will be investigations," he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
February 28, 2026 09:07 UTC
US begins ‘major combat operations’ in Iran
(Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters)The United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, US and Israeli officials said, following weeks of threats by President Donald Trump to launch a major assault. President Donald Trump said the United States had begun “major combat operations” in Iran. The US and Israeli officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters. US and Iranian officials held a last-ditch round of mediated talks in Switzerland on Thursday over Tehran’s nuclear programme. Last year’s strikes: The United States bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities in June during a 12-day-war between Israel and Iran.
Source:Bangkok Post
February 28, 2026 09:07 UTC
1.3m speed pills seized on Mekong riverbank
Officers guard a Lao national who was detained after four sacks containing 1.3 million speed pills were seized along the Mekong River in Nong Khai province on Friday night. (Photo: Mekong Riverine Unit)A Lao drug smuggler has been arrested and more than 1.3 million speed pills seized during a navy patrol along the Mekong River in Sangkhom district of Nong Khai. When the officers moved in to investigate, they found four sacks containing 1.3 million speed pills on the riverbank. A Lao national, identified later as a Thao Longmuensi, 46, was arrested at the scene. The patrol team brought the suspect and the seized narcotics to the Sangkhom boat station to record the arrest before handing him over to investigators for legal proceedings.
Source:Bangkok Post
February 28, 2026 07:51 UTC
US fintech firm Block sheds 4,000 staff, cites AI
OAKLAND, California - Block, the parent company of the fintech firms Square and Cash App, is laying off 40% of its 10,000 employees, stating plainly that the decision was driven by artificial intelligence. Jack Dorsey, the company’s founder and chief executive, said on his X account that Block remains in a strong financial position, with solid profit growth. According to Dorsey, who also co-founded Twitter (now X), advances in AI tools mean the company no longer requires the same number of employees as before. He said the foundations of how businesses are built and operated have shifted significantly, prompting the need for decisive restructuring. Affected employees will receive a minimum of 20 weeks’ severance pay, with additional compensation based on length of service.
Source:Bangkok Post
February 28, 2026 07:43 UTC
Bangkok vendors: lives on the streetfront
For decades, street vendors have been Bangkok’s heartbeat — feeding office workers, day labourers and night wanderers alike. The Bangkok Post has been listening to street vendors around the city, hearing stories that are etched into quiet daily routines yet echo in the nation’s larger narrative. Koi, 53, moves her cart selling Isaan sausages around the Luk Luang area in Dusit district of Bangkok. “If I don’t die first, I don’t know if the country will ever get better.”A vendor's gear parked in an alley near Yaowarat Road in Bangkok. Thai street vendors are among more than 20 million informal workers in the country.
Source:Bangkok Post
February 28, 2026 07:02 UTC
Mantis shrimp eyed as Trat tourism booster
(Photos: Jakkrit Waewkraihong)Trat province plans to stage “World Mantis Shrimp Day” and make it an annual festival along with a river travel route, in order to stimulate the local economy and tourism in the eastern province. Mantis shrimp are available year-round in the eastern province, making them a sustainable attraction for visitors, according to Wipha Sunetr, president of the Trat Chamber of Commerce. Local children catch mantis shrimp along the muddy banks of the Trat River. The river route would offer boat trips to enjoy the scenery and riverside way of life, paired with local mantis shrimp dishes, said Ms Wipha. “With strong appeal and unique experiences, World Mantis Shrimp Day is expected to attract significant tourist interest, strengthen local businesses and become a signature annual event for Trat,” he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
February 28, 2026 06:13 UTC
Court orders Greenpeace to pay $345 million to US oil pipeline company
Court orders Greenpeace to pay $345 million to US oil pipeline companyAt the heart of the North Dakota case against Greenpeace was the Dakota Access Pipeline, where from 2016 to 2017 the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe led one of the largest anti-fossil fuel protests in US history. (Photo: AFP)WASHINGTON (UNITED STATES) - Greenpeace must pay US$345 million in damages to the operator of the US oil pipeline it protested, a North Dakota court ordered Friday. Judge James Gion of North Dakota cut those damages in half, determining some damages had been counted twice. "This legal fight is far from over," Kristin Casper, Greenpeace International general counsel, said in a statement to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Greenpeace International in 2025 announced plans to counter-sue ET in the Netherlands, where the non-governmental organisation's (NGO) international headquarters are, accusing the company of using nuisance lawsuits to suppress dissent.
Source:Bangkok Post
February 28, 2026 06:11 UTC
Free SIM scam hits schoolkids
Free SIM scam hits schoolkidsThe Personal Data Protection Committee (PDPC) has ordered mobile phone operators to clarify their role in a case in which schoolchildren were allegedly deceived into scanning their faces in exchange for free SIM cards. Officers raided eight locations in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Samut Prakan and Prachuap Khiri Khan, uncovering a scheme in which students were lured to join "free SIM giveaway" activities. Their personal data was then allegedly used to register so-called ghost SIM cards, which were later sold to scam networks. Police seized 2,160 SIM cards, two mobile phones and documents related to SIM distribution and advertising. The PDPC stated that facial data significantly affects the rights and freedoms of children, who are considered a vulnerable group under the Personal Data Protection Act.
Source:Bangkok Post
February 28, 2026 06:09 UTC
Panel targets gold bribe case
Panel targets gold bribe caseThe President of the Supreme Court has appointed a nine-member independent inquiry panel to investigate allegations of bribery with gold involving a commissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). The move follows a petition submitted by Pol Col Phakphum Pismai, a former close aide to Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, a former deputy national police chief widely known as "Big Joke". Pol Col Phakphum lodged a formal complaint with the Senate Speaker, requesting that the matter be referred to the Supreme Court for legal proceedings against Ekawit Watchawalaku, an NACC commissioner. According to the complaint, Mr Ekawit is alleged to have accepted gold bars weighing 246 baht worth 10 million baht in exchange for assisting Pol Gen Surachate in a case related to an online gambling network that remains under investigation. Following formal notification from the president of the Senate indicating reasonable grounds for suspicion, the Supreme Court president appointed a nine-member panel comprising senior judicial figures, prosecutors and legal scholars.
Source:Bangkok Post
February 28, 2026 06:09 UTC
The pink engine
Marriage equality is proof that we are not only the top exporter, but are open to everybody," she said. The event was held by Bangkok Pride to mark the first anniversary of marriage equality at Than Heritage, Nonthaburi, on Feb 14. Growing popularity of queer romance and marriage equality are seen as contributing factors of pink tourism. However, panellists said that media production and consumption, as well as legal protection for LGBTIs, could be further improved to attract international fans. When asked how to expand viewership, Anucha suggested that producers make BL and GL content more appealing to the mass audience.
Source:Bangkok Post
February 28, 2026 05:38 UTC
I'm well adjusted, but I'm also tired
Emotional literacy has shifted from a specialised skill to a social expectation, something quietly folded into the definition of adulthood. The language may feel clinical, but the shift it produces is intimate. Intimacy often involves moments that exceed the tidy perimeter of a boundary, moments of excessive emotion, reliance and unpolished honesty. Research on close relationships increasingly emphasises that emotion regulation is not purely an individual skill but a relational process. As emotional vocabulary continues to shape modern adulthood, the question is not whether it should remain central, but how it is held.
Source:Bangkok Post
February 28, 2026 05:17 UTC
Too soon to predict China tourism rebound
Too soon to predict China tourism reboundDespite early signs of a rebound in Chinese arrivals during the first two months, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is downplaying expectations for a strong recovery, preferring to wait until May to assess whether demand has stabilised. Chinese arrivals rose 0.3% to 991,718 as of Feb 23, up from 988,451 year-on-year. According to the Tourism and Sports Ministry, the total number of Chinese arrivals for the first two months is projected to tally 1.08 million, increasing 4.5% year-on-year. Of the 27.7 billion baht the tourism sector earned from seven Asian markets during the holiday, around 60.3% or 16.7 billion baht came from Chinese expenditure. For 2026, the TAT targets 4.5-4.6 million Chinese tourists, banking on seat capacity of 7.1 million for the year.
Source:Bangkok Post
February 28, 2026 05:02 UTC
15 dead as cash-packed plane crashes in Bolivia
The aircraft, a C-130 Hercules transport plane, veered off the runway at El Alto International Airport and crashed into an avenue, destroying multiple cars and damaging trucks, local media footage showed. Mangled parts of the aircraft were seen on the road where the plane came down. Colonel Pavel Tovar of the National Fire Department told reporters that “between 15 and 16 (dead) people have been counted” in the disaster. (Photo: Reuters)Money grab ‘a crime’Fatalities were recorded both at the airport and on the busy avenue where the plane crashed and struck several vehicles. The Ministry of Defense in a statement said that “the money transported in the crashed aircraft has no official serial number … therefore it has no legal or purchasing power”.
Source:Bangkok Post
February 28, 2026 03:52 UTC
Local action protects vulnerable parrots in Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani
A vulnerable species known as the white-shouldered ibis parrot has become surprisingly abundant in Nonthaburi and nearby Pathum Thani, thanks in part to grassroots conservation led by a local gas-strut specialist who began installing artificial nests around a Buddhist temple. Despite growing community support, the birds face threats from escaped pet parrots, loss of old nesting trees and shrinking green spaces, prompting calls to protect urban trees and habitat so the species can persist.
Source:Bangkok Post
February 28, 2026 03:23 UTC