Mixed duo, Ratchanok fall in Malaysia Open quartersListen to this articleMixed doubles players Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran in action during their quarter-final match. (Badminton Photo)Mixed doubles pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran bowed out in the quarter-finals of the US$1,450,000 (approx 46,400,000 baht) BWF Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. The defending champions lost to Jesper Toft and Amalie Magelund of Denmark 12-21, 21-8, 19-21 in the day's huge upset. Women's singles hope Ratchanok Intanon also exited the tournament in the last-eight stage yesterday. Men's second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who beat Koki Watanabe of Japan 21-12, 21-14 on Thursday, was to face France's Alex Lanier in a late match on Friday.

Pheu Thai 'declares war on poverty'Listen to this articlePheu Thai prime ministerial candidate Yodchanan Wongsawat is warmly welcomed as he and key members of the party campaigned in Chiang Mai on Friday. (Photo: Pheu Thai Party)Pheu Thai has unveiled a flagship welfare policy pledging annual cash top-ups of up to 36,000 baht for low-income earners, aiming to lift an estimated 3.4 million people above the national poverty line. Deputy party leader Paopoom Rojanasakul said on Friday the "Thais Without Poverty" policy is based on the country's official poverty threshold of around 3,000 baht per month, or 36,000 baht a year. People earning 20,000 baht would get 16,000 baht, while those earning 30,000 baht would receive 6,000 baht. The subsidy would taper off until it reaches zero for those already earning 36,000 baht or more.

(Photo: Nutthawat Wichienbut)About 168 million ballot papers in three colours will be printed for constituency, party-list and referendum voting, the Election Commission (EC) said, based on voter numbers and contingency reserves. The EC recently issued a detailed clarification regarding the printing and allocation of three types of ballots for the upcoming general election. The printed materials include constituency ballots for MPs, party-list MP ballots and referendum voting cards. In total, 168.3 million ballots and voting cards will be printed: the party-list ballots in pink, the constituency ballots in green and referendum cards in yellow. Last month, the cabinet approved the allocation of the 8.978-billion-baht budget to the EC to support election and referendum operations.

Vets treat two white lions rescued near borderListen to this articleA veterinarian team from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) is seen with one of two confiscated white lions suffering from severe digestive illness at Khao Son Wildlife Breeding Station in Ratchaburi. (Photo: DNP)A team of veterinarians has been deployed to care for two confiscated white lions rescued near the Thai–Cambodian border in Trat province, with long-term rehabilitation plans now underway. The lions -- a female named Merry and a male named Christmas -- have been receiving treatment at the Khao Son Wildlife Breeding Station in Ratchaburi since Dec 25. They were rescued with assistance from Thai Marine Corps personnel during an operation near Ban Tha Sen in tambon Chamrak, Muang district. The two lions were among five wild animals abandoned inside a casino on the Cambodian side of the border.

Pita apologises to frontline soldiers over past remarksListen to this articlePita: Comments made in 2023Pita Limjaroenrat, former leader of the now-dissolved Move Forward Party (MFP), has apologised to frontline soldiers over past remarks, saying they were not intended to show disrespect toward those serving in conflict zones. During the discussion, Mr Pita addressed his controversial remark, "What are soldiers for? He said that at the time he had been referring to "golf-course soldiers", not those serving on the battlefield. "I would like to apologise to frontline soldiers, junior-ranking soldiers and true professional soldiers who sacrifice themselves to protect our country," Mr Pita said. "When I made that remark, it was in the context of soldiers with expensive watches, soldiers involved in coups, or so-called golf-course soldiers.

Minneapolis asks to join probe into woman's killing by immigration officerListen to this articleFederal agents monitor the scene as protesters gather near the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis. (Photo: AFP)MINNEAPOLIS - The mayor of Minneapolis on Friday called for state investigators to be allowed to join the federal probe into the killing of a US woman by immigration enforcement, accusing President Donald Trump's administration of prejudging the case. Minnesota officials have complained that their law enforcement agencies have been excluded from the investigation into the killing of motorist Renee Good by a federal immigration officer on Wednesday. Good's wife Becca Good told local media that they had gone to the scene of immigration enforcement activity to "support our neighbors." Federal immigration officers armed with pepperball guns and tear gas jostled with the noisy crowd.

Listen to this articleJacques and Jessica Moretti, the French owners of Le Constellation bar, attend a hearing at the office of the public prosecutor of Wallis canton in Switzerland on Friday. (Photo: AFP)CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland - A national day of mourning got under way on Friday in Switzerland for the 40 people killed, mostly teenagers, when fire ravaged a ski resort bar filled with New Year partygoers. Later Friday, Switzerland will come to a standstill for a minute of silence at 2pm local time. Most of those impacted by the inferno at Le Constellation were Swiss, but a total of 19 nationalities were among the dead and injured. ‘Staggering’This week Crans-Montana authorities acknowledged that no fire safety inspections had been conducted at Le Constellation since 2019, prompting outrage.

(Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)The Supreme Administrative Court on Friday dismissed a petition filed by former deputy national police chief Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, seeking to overturn an order dismissing him from the police force. In June 2024, the 12-member Police Commission, chaired by then prime minister Srettha Thavisin, voted unanimously to uphold the dismissal order. The former deputy chief argued that the order was unlawful and appealed to the police merit protection committee. In March last year, a police disciplinary committee recommended that Pol Gen Surachate be fired without a pension because of his alleged links to online gambling. Gold bribery casePol Gen Surachate is currently the subject of another investigation, this one related to alleged bribery.

Chinese scam suspects arrested in PattayaA Chinese suspect, right, is arrested during a police raid on a residence in Pattaya, Chon Buri province on Thursday. (Police photo/Wassayos Ngamkham)Two Chinese men were arrested in Pattaya on Thursday for their alleged involvement in a transnational call centre scam network linked to the death of a South Korean student. A third Chinese man was in the house along with Mr Ham and Mr Chen, though no offences were found against him. The arrests followed intelligence that found Mr Ham had fled to Thailand. The scam gang was also accused of using violence and of being involved in the deathof a South Korean university student in a neighbouring country.

Switzerland mourns Crans-Montana fire tragedyListen to this articleSwitzerland will hold a national day of mourning as it grieves the 40 people killed in a New Year's fire. Just over a week after the tragedy at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, which left 40 dead and 116 injured, the wealthy Alpine nation will come to a standstill for a minute of silence at 2pm (1300 GMT). Of those injured, 83 remain in hospital, with the most severely burned airlifted to specialist centres across Switzerland and abroad. Video footage which has emerged from the tragedy shows young people desperately trying to flee the scene, some breaking windows to try to force their way out. On Tuesday, municipal authorities acknowledged that no fire safety inspections had been conducted at Le Constellation since 2019, prompting outrage.

Grappling with an ageing population and a low fertility rate, Singapore has stepped up efforts to improve conditions facing its many low-paid migrant workers, also known as work permit holders. Who else is going to do the construction work in the hot sun?" asked Ethan Guo, executive director from Transient Workers Count Too, a nonprofit working to improve conditions of migrant workers. "The Singapore way of life and economy completely depends on access to large numbers of work permit holders. To cope with this boom in demand, in July Singapore removed a limit on the number of years work permit holders can work in the city-state.

Rybakina has little hope of change to tennis scheduleListen to this articleElena Rybakina hits a return in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo: AFP)BRISBANE — Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina said Friday she agreed with Aryna Sabalenka's description of the tennis schedule as "insane" -- but does not see it changing. Speaking after her surprise loss to Karolina Muchova in the Brisbane International, world number five Rybakina said Sabalenka's criticism of the packed WTA Tour calendar was correct. Rybakina, who beat Sabalenka to win last year's season-ending WTA Finals, said players should be able to choose their schedules more freely. "You don't need to force anyone to play so many tournaments since it's so tough on the body.

Truck smuggling 37 Cambodian migrants seized in Sa KaeoListen to this article(Photo: Sa Kaeo Public Relations Department)Police and army rangers in Sa Kaeo on Thursday intercepted a truck smuggling 37 Cambodian undocumented migrants hidden behind foam panels. Opening the back of the vehicle, officers found 37 concealing Cambodians — 17 men, 20 women and five children — hiding behind multiple layers of foam panels. All 37 migrants were taken into custody along with the seized truck and charged with illegal entry and staying in the kingdom without permission. The migrants told authorities they had entered Thailand in search of work, citing unemployment and severe hardship under the Cambodian government. They said they paid Cambodian brokers between 7,500 and 8,000 baht per person to facilitate their illegal entry.

Travel mayhem and power cuts in storm-tossed northern EuropeListen to this articleLondon escaped the brunt of this week’s storms, although dozens of flight cancellations affected thousands of passengers. (Photo: AFP)CHERBOURG, France - Gale-force winds and storms barrelled through northern Europe on Friday, disrupting air and rail travel and cutting power to hundreds of thousands in freezing temperatures. In France, Goretti cut power to some 380,000 homes, most of them in the northern Normandy region, the Enedis power provider said. It also issued an amber snow warning in Wales, central England and parts of northern England, predicting snow of up to 30 centimetres in some areas. Schools outSchools remained shut in parts of northern France, where weather alerts have been issued in 30 other regions.

‘All are in the streets’: Iranians’ anger with regime growingListen to this articleDemonstrators chanted “death to the dictator” as they marched in the Iranian capital Tehran. “At first, people dispersed, but they gathered again,” rallying in the streets until the early hours of the morning. The demonstrations sparked in late December by anger over the rising cost of living and a currency nosedive have spread nationwide, their numbers — and death toll — growing. “You can see 50-year-old women, I saw someone who used to collect garbage on the streets chanting slogans along with shopkeepers. The 43-year-old said he had taken part in every protest since 2009, when mass demonstrations flooded the streets after disputed elections.