China says defence spending ‘entirely necessary’ after Putin backs mutual cuts
Beijing: Following Donald Trump’s suggestion that Russia, the US, and China all cut their defense budgets in half, Beijing declared on Tuesday ( Feb 25 ) that its defense spending was “entirely necessary.” Russia has significantly increased military spending since launching its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but as hostilitiesContinue Reading
PM commits to eliminating scam gangs preying on Thais
Nearby states cooperating, problem may be taken seriously, she says
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Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra stated on Tuesday that the government would continue to fight against fraud groups operating in neighboring nations that are ripping off Thai citizens until the issue is resolved.
” As long as this difficulty exists, we will not stop our work. It must be taken seriously”, she said after the regular government meet.
The prime minister also stated that she would go to Sa Kaeo county, near to Poipet, on Friday, to see the issue.  ,  ,
Ms Paetongtarn said Tuesday’s government appointment was briefed on the president’s latest goes against call-centre fraud criminals preying on Thai citizens.
Numerous people were arrested as a result of the government’s total cooperation with China and Myanmar, which had sealed the borders of 14 counties.
The Defense Ministry was collaborating closely with nations where people who had been detained while conducting raids on gangs in Myawaddy wanted to return them fast.
Thailand, China and Myanmar had even set up a mutual board for bilateral deals on dealing with cross-border violence, Ms Paetongtarn said.
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, which was working with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission ( NBTC ), Central Investigation Bureau ( CIB ), and state-owned National Telecom (NT ), briefed her on the removal of signal towers close to border areas, lowering the height and signal strength of others, and ensuring transmissions were only directed into Thailand.  ,
Communications from authorized SIM containers had also been checked for networking scams. Exceptionally high usage was more examined to see if it was from fraudulent sales.
The prime minister said the administrations of Thailand, China, Myanmar and Cambodia were taking the hoax problem seriously.  ,
She will travel to the border checkpoint in tambon Klong Luek, which is located directly contrary Poipet in Banteay Meanchey territory in Cambodia, close to Rong Kluea business.
She did closely examine the issue and make more aggressive efforts to eradicate the problem of scamming as soon as possible.
” As long as this difficulty exists, we will not stop our work. It must be taken seriously. We have received good responses to our efforts to solve the problem at this point, the primary minister said.
We can safely state that Thailand is taking the problem seriously and that its neighbors are also benefiting from it, Paetongtarn said.  ,
1MDB drops US$248 million suit against Wolf of Wall Street producer: Lawyer
The sovereign wealth fund of Malaysia, 1MDB, has withdrawn its US$ 24 million lawsuit against one of the manufacturers of The Wolf of Wall Street, who is also Hamid Razak’s son. When the multi-billion money economic scandal broke in the 2010s, Riza Aziz and his drama firms were charged withContinue Reading
Parliament to discuss recent MRT train disruptions, drug reoffending rate and terrorism threats
SINGAPORE: The , MRT train service disruptions , this month affecting three different rail lines, the continued rise in drug reoffending rates , and the threat of terrorism on the back of an assault case at a church , are  , expected to be raised when parliament next sits on Wednesday ( Feb 26Continue Reading
Telangana: Race to save eight Indian workers trapped inside tunnel
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Officials in Telangana, a state in southern India, are pressing ahead to save eight construction workers who have been stranded for more than 72 hours in a hole.
Around 50 workers had been working inside the 43km ( 26.7-mile ) -long tunnel, located in Nagarkurnool district, when a part of its roof caved in early Saturday morning.
Officials claim that 43 of them were able to leave the tunnel carefully, but attempts to reach the remaining eight men have encountered numerous setbacks as a result of free ground, mud, and mud inside.
Additionally, they have been unable to create email with the people who were being held hostage or to give them oxygen and other essentials.
The chances of their life are very remote, according to Jupally Krishna Rao, a express minister directing the evacuation effort.
On Monday an expert team of “rat-hole miners” – people trained in narrow tunnel navigation – arrived to clear the debris and get to the workers. The same team had sucessfully rescued 41 construction workers trapped in a tunnel after a landslide in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand in 2023.
According to officials, approximately 33 km of construction has been completed so far, and about 10 km of it still exists.
To reach a point where they need to walk on to a conveyor belt to eliminate the dust, volunteers are using a coach. According to reports, they also continue to pump out waters to provide the pipe with oxygen. However, the rugged terrain in the area has slowed them along.
As recovery efforts get going, the families of the buried workers, the majority of whom are regular salary workers, are eagerly awaiting news of their loved ones.
” I only hope my child comes up safe this time. I did not send him away to make again”, said Rampratap Sahu, a citizen of Jharkhand condition.
A portion of the under-construction Srisailam Left Bank Canal ( SLBC ) collapsed around 13km from its opening at 8: 30 local time ( 03: 00 GMT ) on Saturday.
A slab of concrete covering leakage on the roof slipped and fell, leading to the injury. In the conflict, at least ten workers suffered injuries.
The hole is part of the longest-running water job of the Telangana government. It passes through the largest Nagarjuna Sagar-Srisailam cat reserve in India, which is situated in a high wooded region.
Construction work was resumed just four days prior to the incident, according to officials, after nearly three years of delay.
Numerous relief organizations are present at the location, including members of the American army’s National Disaster Response Force and Indian troops firefighters.
A group of rescuers was the first to leave the building on Sunday, according to authorities.
” We covered 11km by coach, 2km by conveyor belt and the remaining distance on foot”, an official, who wanted to stay anonymous, said. ” But finally we hit a roadblock”.
” There were large mounds of dirt and soft earth. The staff ‘ “boredom equipment” was turned upside down, preventing any further travel.
The rescuers claimed that because they lacked the necessary tools and equipment to clean the ice, they were forced to come back after that point.
” We shouted and screamed, whistled and pointed lights, hoping for a reply but didn’t speak anything”.
Thai govt worries about influx of freed scam centre foreigners
Long lines of people waiting to purchase gasoline at Myawaddy crossing into Thailand
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Phumtham Wechayachai, the deputy prime minister, is concerned about a potential disaster of foreigners leaving Myawaddy’s shuttered con centers.  ,
He stated on Tuesday that the state may try to encircle them until their home countries agreed to send them back. Particularly concerning was the unlawful entry through normal border crossings.
” The number of individuals is building up in Myawaddy. We are considering this because we are concerned about overcrowding]of facilities]. There are many healthy border crossings, according to Mr. Phumtham, but if those in charge cannot control this and leave them, it will become our trouble.
He was responding to rumors that thousands of people had been detained for screening in Myawaddy,  , which is directly contrary Mae Sot borders region in Thailand’s Tak state.
Mr. Phumtham claimed that the government was attempting to arrange for these immigrants ‘ quick relocation with international officials. If their home countries had requested their quick relocation, Thailand refused to accept them.
The Taiwanese authorities was among those cooperating, he said. But, coordinating with African countries with no offices in Thailand was hard.
Mr Phumtham, even defence secretary, said there were similar issues over the reduction of fraud centres based in Cambodia. Between Cambodia and Thailand, there were numerous biological bridges.
The deputy prime minister said,” I firmly believe that they will not be permitted to enter Thailand without the appropriate functions ‘ consent.”
He stated that while urging the government to stop the government from preventing call fraud centers operating from it, the authorities would continue to deny cross-border electricity, oil, and digital supply to Myanmar towns bordering Thailand.
– Much quesues for energy - ,
Myanmar cars formed kilometres-long counters in Myawaddy on Tuesday, waiting to cross the border to Mae Sot to purchase gas.
The queues grew at the first Thai-Myanmar connection bridge.
Since energy supplies were suspended early this month, little gas stations in Myawaddy have closed, while large ones are still open for just one minute a day.
Petrol and diesel were apparently sold for 70 to 71 Rmb per gallon in Myawaddy.
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At least S$1.1 billion lost to scams in 2024; one victim had S$125 million stolen
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META Materials, TELEGRAM” PARTICULARLY CONCERNING”
Scammers frequently reach out to survivors through messaging systems, social media, telephone calls and online purchasing platforms, SPF found, with messaging platforms being the most popular method.  ,
Scammers contacted patients via messaging channels in 15, 145 cases next year- up from 12, 368 in 2023.
According to the authorities, WhatsApp and Telegram were the best two messaging systems used by swindlers.  ,
Around 95.7 % of Telegram scam cases were reported, which is an increase of about 95.7 %.
The number of instances where scammers contacted patients via social advertising increased to 14, 991 in 2024 from 13, 725 in 2023. In specific, 59.8 per cent were contacted through Facebook, 18 per cent through Instagram and 13.2 per share via TikTok.
Online shopping sites were also cited as a” contact process of problem,” according to the police. The number of fraud cases that took location via these channels increased to 5, 079 in 2024, away from 4, 893 in 2023.  ,
Of these, 75 per cent occurred on Carousell and 18.3 per share on Facebook Marketplace.  ,
” Three products from Meta ( Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram ) and Telegram remain particularly concerning, consistently being overrepresented among the platforms exploited by scammers to contact potential victims and conduct their scams”, said SPF.  ,
SCAM VICTIMS
Similar to previous years, it was discovered that younger people were more at risk of falling for frauds than older persons. In 2024, 70.9 % of fraud victims were those under 50 years old.  ,
On the other hand, while only a small percentage of fraud victims were old, the average loss per target was the highest among the different age groups.
Students aged 19 or under made up 6.3 per share of fraud subjects, while young people aged 20 to 29 accounted for 23.4 per share. People aged 30 to 49 made up 41.2 per share.
All three years teams tended to fall for e-commerce, work or phishing scams.
” Young elders”, such as those aged 50 to 64, formed 20.7 per share of fraud victims. This group mainly fell for spoofing, investment and false buddy call scams.  ,
This was also the situation for those aged 65 and over, making off 8.4 per share.  ,
Vaping schoolgirls remain in hospital
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BURI RAM- The municipal wellness chief said on Tuesday that three schoolgirls who have been hospitalized for a month after two years of improper vaping are still on nearby watch for lung problems.
The three students were enrolled in a class in the Satuk area, according to Dr. Pichit Puetkhunthod.
Because X-ray images showed light over large areas of their lungs, they remained on nearby watch in the clinic. Typically, these areas may be darker on the X-ray picture.
They continue to rely on antibiotics and medication to treat heart infection. They must be kept under close study, to see if there are any difficulties”, he said.
One was in Buriram Hospital, the other in Satuk Hospital, and the other in Buriram Hospital.
After vomiting, complaining of chest tightness, and having trouble breathing, the three individuals were taken to the hospital by their college next year. They had been drinking teak wine and smoking e-cigarettes for about two centuries.
In the midst of the discovery, local authorities are arresting e-cigarette suppliers throughout the state. The girls ‘ school’s location was where the buyers were detained, and their confinement was protracted.  ,
Dr. Pichit claimed that the female ‘ general health was improving.  ,
” Their breathing will recover after they are discharged from the hospital depending on their natural state. Long-term smoking does specifically , affect the respiratory system.
The Buri Ram health main warned that their families may stop them from smoking and consuming teak juice.
Indonesia, Apple agree on terms to lift iPhone 16 ban: Report
According to people with knowledge of the situation, Indonesia and Apple have come to terms to end the country’s ban on iPhone 16s. A deal could be signed as soon as this week, according to Bloomberg News on Tuesday ( Feb 25 ). After Apple broke the law that allContinue Reading
Accused Iranian groper arrested at airport departure
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An Egyptian gentleman who was detained at the Suvarnabhumi aircraft trying to leave the country early on Tuesday night was detained at the airport in Iran for allegedly groping a woman taxi-motorcyclist on Sunday while riding a motorcycle.  ,
The lady, who gave her name as Nampueng, 40, told authorities she picked up the man at the Queen Sirikit Convention Centre in Klong Toey, Bangkok, on Sunday night. He had used a mobile app to reserve her bicycle.
The customer started touching her body and trying to put his hand inside her pants during the trip, according to Ms. Nampuemg. She made the decision to travel to a local police station.
Otherwise, the person directed her to come back to where they came from. She headed up, thinking her traveler may cease his unexpected behaviour, but he did not.  ,
She went to a local police hall at Witthayu crossing, but it was unmanned, she said, but she called out to visitors for support.
The Egyptian offered to pay for the trip and told her to stop shouting. When she continued to call for aid, he ran away without paying. She claimed that some tried to catch him but were unsuccessful.
Eventually, she complained to the Lumpini officers, giving them the ride-app’s registered names and phone numbers. Therefore, researchers looked at recordings from security cameras and established the identity of the man.
The suspect was arrested at the Suvarnabhumi aircraft immigration table as he was about to depart Thailand around 1.47am on Tuesday, and was held for , legal action, authorities said.
Ms. Nampueng claimed to have used the software for about two centuries. This was the first day she experienced for misbehaviour. She had quit driving for a while, she said.