PHUKET — Residents in Rawai have raised concerns over foreign tourists sunbathing and swimming naked on a public beach, questioning whether the practice is appropriate and calling on authorities to investigate.
On 2 March 2026, the Facebook page “Phuket Info Center” posted four photos showing foreign visitors reportedly sunbathing nude at a beach in Rawai subdistrict, Muang district. The images triggered widespread debate online.
The post asked whether a so-called “nude beach” in Phuket was suitable, saying the use of a public beach for nudity could affect morality and the island’s tourism image.
According to local reports, the beach is located before Laem Phromthep and can be accessed via a narrow natural trail through an area known as “Soi Shadow”, requiring a 600–800 metre walk. The relatively secluded spot has become known among foreign visitors as “Shadow Beach”.
Most visitors are said to be Russian and European tourists, as well as expatriates living and working in Phuket and nearby provinces. The activity has reportedly continued for nearly a year, with both men and women sunbathing fully nude, while some wear bikinis. The beach is most frequented from afternoon until evening on an almost daily basis.
Although access is difficult, requiring a walk along a narrow coastal hillside path, no individual or company has claimed ownership or charged entry fees, indicating the area remains public land.
Community representatives in Rawai said they disagreed with the use of a public beach for nudity, arguing it was inappropriate and contrary to Thai cultural norms and laws. They said the practice had caused discomfort among local residents and should not be ignored.
Residents have called on relevant agencies — including the Rawai Municipality, Chalong Police Station, the Phuket Provincial Culture Office and the Tourism Authority of Thailand Phuket Office — as well as tourism operators to examine the issue and establish clear measures to protect Phuket’s image as a world-class resort destination.
They stressed they were not opposing personal freedom in private spaces such as hotel rooms or villas. However, they said behaviour on public beaches accessible to all must comply with Thai law and social norms.
Under Section 388 of the Criminal Code, public nudity may constitute an offence for committing an indecent act in public, punishable by a fine of up to 5,000 baht.
Online reactions have been mixed, with some users saying such behaviour had existed for years, while others called for better communication with tourists about Thai culture and customs.
The U.S. and Israel have continued to pound Iran since killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, while Tehran and its allies have hit back against Israel, neighboring Gulf states, and targets critical to the world’s production of oil and natural gas.
The intensity of the attacks and the lack of any apparent exit plan set the stage for a prolonged conflict with far-reaching consequences. Israel and the U.S. have given conflicting answers about what exactly the war’s objectives are or what the endgame might be.
At least 555 people have been killed in Iran so far by the U.S.-Israeli campaign, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said, and more than 130 cities across the country have come under attack. In Israel, 11 people have been killed, with 31 in Lebanon, according to authorities.
The U.S. military announced Monday that two previously unaccounted for service members were confirmed dead, bringing the total American casualties during the operations against Iran up to six.
Here is the latest:
Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut
Israeli airstrikes hit the Lebanese capital Tuesday morning.
The Israeli military said it was targeting “Hezbollah command centers and weapons storage facilities in Beirut.”
Hezbollah also said it launched drones targeting an Israeli air base.
The Israeli military said it downed two drones.
President Donald Trump speaks during a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Monday, March 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Japan tells its shipowners to steer clear of Persian Gulf
Tokyo has told Japanese shipowners to have their ships stay away from the Persian Gulf to ensure the safety of their crewmembers.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters Tuesday that the Transport Ministry has notified the Japanese Shipowners’ Association to do the utmost to protect crews on board the ships in the region.
Kihara said those already in the Gulf are urged to lie at anchor where it is safe to do so.
On Monday, Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met with Iranian ambassador to Japan Peiman Seadat and conveyed Japan’s consistent stance that Iran must stop attacks on neighboring countries and other actions destabilizing the region.
Motegi also noted the importance of ensuring safety in the Strait of Hormuz, which is key to Japan’s energy security.
Netanyahu claims Iran was rebuilding to make ‘atomic bomb program immune’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is defending the decision to go to war with Iran alongside the United States.
Netanyahu, speaking on Fox News Channel’s Hannity, contended that Iran was rebuilding “new sites, new places” that would make “their ballistic missile program and their atomic bomb program immune within months.”
He did not offer evidence to support his claim.
Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press showed limited activity at two nuclear sites in Iran before the war, with analysts saying it was likely Tehran was trying to assess damage from American strikes in June and possibly salvage what remained there.
“We had to take the action now and we did,” Netanyahu said. “Otherwise the Iranian mass murder regime would have immunity from future action.”
Echoing a Trump administration point, he repeated that the war would not be “endless” and that it would create the conditions for the Iranian people to form a democratic government.
However, there’s been no sign of any mass uprising against Iran’s theocracy since the war started.
Netanyahu said the conflict could be a “gateway for peace” between Israel and regional powers, including Saudi Arabia.
However, Saudi Arabia alongside other Arab nations remain furious over the treatment of Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Iranian foreign minister says US entered ‘war of choice on behalf of Israel’
Iran’s top diplomat early Tuesday sought to turn the tables on the United States, describing it as entering “a war of choice on behalf of Israel.”
After Trump urged Iranians to take over their government, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the same call to Americans.
“Shedding of both American and Iranian blood is thus on Israel Firsters,” Araghchi wrote on X. “American people deserve better and should take back their country.”
Sirens sound in Bahrain
Sirens have sounded in Bahrain early Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said.
The ministry has called for people to head to the nearest safe place.
Cairo-based Sunni institution calls for war’s halt
Al-Azhar al-Sharif, the Sunni Muslim world’s foremost seat of religious learning, has called for an immediate halt of the war in the Middle East.
The Cairo-based institution also denounced attacks on Arab countries, saying that “these aggressions are rejected … whatever the justifications, pretexts or explanations.”
Conflict escalates beyond regional confrontation, think tank says
“Iran’s deliberate targeting of the energy sector introduces a new and dangerous dimension to this war,” warned the New York-based think tank The Soufan Center.
“The conflict has escalated beyond merely a regional confrontation. By striking the energy arteries of the world, Tehran is signaling its capacity to impose global economic consequences and demonstrating to Israel and the United States that it is beyond their respective capabilities to keep the war contained.”
World heritage site in Tehran damaged after strike, UNESCO says
UNESCO has voiced concerns about the Golestan Palace, a world heritage site in the Iranian capital, which was reportedly damaged due to an airstrike in its vicinity.
Monday’s strike hit Tehran’s Arag Square in the buffer zone of the palace, the U.N. agency reported.
The palace was damaged by debris and shock waves from the strike, it said.
Fire at the US Embassy in Riyadh after attack
Saudi Arabia said early Tuesday that the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh came under attack from two drones, which caused a “limited fire” and minor damage.
Further details weren’t immediately available. Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry made the announcement via the kingdom’s state television.
In the early hours of Tuesday, in a post on X, the U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia asked American citizens in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran to immediately shelter in place.
A diplomatic quarter resident in the neighborhood of the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the security situation said there was light smoke coming from the embassy.
The attack comes after the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait was targeted Monday in an attack.
Australia says Iranian drones struck military facility in UAE
Iranian drones struck an Australian military facility in the United Arab Emirates but there were no injuries, Australia’s Defense Minister Richard Marles said.
The drones struck on the first night of the Iran war the Al Minhad Air Base, which is a logistics hub for Australia’s Middle East operations near Dubai, Marles said on Tuesday.
“We have a number of Australians who operate from a headquarters that we’ve had at Al Minhad now for many, many years,” Marles told Seven Network television.
“They are all accounted for, they are all safe. We’ve got north of 100 serving personnel actually across the Middle East in a range of countries, but most are in the UAE and that base is very important for us,” he added.
Associated Press journalists have heard multiple explosions near Al Minhad during the war, as well as many aerial interceptions.
Iran state TV airs aftermath of strikes on its premises
Iran-run state TV aired the aftermath of two explosions around the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting premises following US-Israeli strikes.
The head of the IRIB told Iranian media that no one was injured in the early Tuesday strikes. The state broadcast aired smoke from around what broadcasters called the “glass tower of IRIB” near the Evin area of Tehran.
IRIB offices and infrastructure have been hit before since the start of the US-Israeli strikes on Saturday.
The strikes followed an evacuation warning from the Israeli army to residents of the Evin district of Tehran, asking them to avoid the area around IRIB buildings. Shortly after, the Israeli Air Force said it struck what it described as a communication center used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Israeli strike hits Hezbollah-aligned media building in Beirut’s southern suburbs
Israeli military struck a building housing Al-Manar channel studios in Beirut’s southern suburbs following an evacuation warning, the channel said. Israeli military said it targeted “Hezbollah command centers and weapons storage facilities in Beirut.”
Plumes of smoke were seen billowing over the skyline. No immediate details on casualties were available.
The strike followed Hezbollah missile and drone attacks on northern Israel shortly after midnight Sunday, prompting waves of Israeli airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, which killed at least 52 people and wounded 154, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
In a statement early Tuesday, Hezbollah said “confrontation is a legitimate right,” describing its firing of rockets toward Israel as “a reaction to the aggression, and adding that it had repeatedly warned that Israeli attacks “could not continue without a response.”
A poster of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the ongoing joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign, and the late Iranian Revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, right, lays on a motorcycle amid debris left by a strike in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
US House Speaker says Israel’s determination to act left Trump with a ‘very difficult’ decision
A classified briefing at the Capitol left lawmakers with little clarity about the purpose, cost and next steps in the U.S. operation against Iran.
Republican Speaker Mike Johnson described the U.S. attack as a “defensive operation” because he said Israel was determined to act on their own against Iran, “with or without American support.”
Johnson said Trump had a “very difficult decision” to make, and determined that Iran would immediately retaliate against U.S. personnel and assets.
But Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said “there was no imminent threat to the United States of America by the Iranians. There was a threat to Israel.”
Rubio, Hegseth and others briefed the lawmakers, but Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he found their answers “completely and totally insufficient.”
The Trump administration will likely seek supplemental funds from Congress to pay for the operation, they said.
Number of wounded troops in Iran grows
The conflict has left 18 American service members seriously wounded, Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command said Monday.
The number has grown from the five troops initially reported as seriously wounded on Sunday morning.
Six service members also have been killed in Kuwait. All six were Army soldiers and part of the same logistics unit, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
When asked about the deaths Monday, Hegseth said an Iranian weapon made it past allied air defenses “and, in that particular case, happened to hit a tactical operations center that was fortified.”
— By Konstantin Toropin
Bahrain ambassador criticizes Iran for targeting his country, Gulf nations at UN meeting chaired by US first lady
Bahrain’s U.N. Ambassador Jamal Alrowaiei told the U.N. Security Council “the Iranian aggression is resulting in significant material and psychological damages that threaten the safety and security of residents and citizens.”
Alrowaiei, the Arab representative on the 15-member council, said the ongoing Iranian attacks on civilian facilities and residential areas in Bahrain, which hosts a major U.S. naval base, have forced schools to close temporarily to protect students and children.
In the broader region, he told the council Monday that according to the U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF, 30 million children in the Middle East and North Africa are out of school or not receiving formal education — “equivalent to one in every three children being deprived of education.”
State Department urges Americans to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries
The State Department urged Monday that all U.S. citizens leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries due to safety risks with the ongoing escalations that have slipped the region into significant chaos.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar posted on the social media site X that Americans in countries, including Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel, should “DEPART NOW” using any available commercial transportation.
The guidance comes as some major airlines have canceled flights to and from the region as the war that began when U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday. It has since grown into a wider regional conflict, touching nearly every country nearby.
Voters in Texas wonder why US attacked Iran
Several voters from Houston casting ballots in a Texas primary election said they’re worried about what will come next in Iran.
“I think that this could go on for years to come if they don’t have a clear exit strategy,” said Charles Padmore, a 45-year-old independent contractor. “I don’t even think they have a strategy. I think they just went in blind.”
He posits that Trump acted “by the whims of Israel.”
Nineteen-year-old college student Sophia Morales and her mother, Dina Morales, don’t feel like they’re getting a clear explanation from Trump about why he attacked Iran.
“I feel like Iran was in a war with Israel, but then all of a sudden, we’re in war too,” said Sophia Morales. She especially wants an explanation following reports that a girls school was bombed. Added her mother: “I don’t think I’ve heard of any clearer plans of what’s next after the bombing, just like what’s next in Venezuela.”
If Iran was a legitimate threat to the United States, Trump should have “gone the right way” and convinced Congress to authorize military action, said Alex Diaz, 31, a high school teacher.
“I’m just like, ‘Are you trying to kill us? Are you trying to cause a World War III?’” Diaz said.
Two Trump voters trust the president on Iran
Two Trump supporters in Texas say they’re confident the president is doing the right thing in Iran and don’t see a conflict with his campaign promises to pursue peace.
“I just expected him to do what needs to be done to protect America,” said Connie Stamps of Waco. “He wants to protect America first, and that’s what he’s doing. And he cares about the whole world. So he’s the peace president.”
Stamps said she’s thankful to have a president “who is brave enough to do what he says he’s going to do.”
Mollie Leutwyler Smith, who also lives near Waco in McLennan County, said she didn’t have war with Iran in mind when she cast her ballot for Trump, but she appreciates that he’s taking decisive action. She prefers his approach to the deal former President Barack Obama brokered with the Iranians.
“Did I vote for that in particular? I won’t say I voted for that, but, yes, I think as the president, he can make decisions,” she said.
Israel says it will reopen a Gaza border crossing closed since Iran war began
COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing civilian affairs in Gaza, announced one crossing into the territory would reopen on Tuesday “for the gradual entry of humanitarian aid.”
At the start of the war with Iran, Israel had said it couldn’t safely operate the Gaza crossings under fire. However, the U.N.’s humanitarian office monitoring Gaza warned Monday that a total closure would stretch stocks of food, water and fuel, as well as further inflate the price of basic goods in the devastated Palestinian territory.
In its announcement late Monday, COGAT said it would work in coordination with the American Civil Military Coordination Center and under some security restrictions to reopen the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
US Embassy in Jordan temporarily evacuates staff
Diplomatic staff at the U.S. Embassy in Jordan have left the embassy compound in Amman “due to a threat.”
The U.S. diplomatic mission did not disclose additional details, but the announcement comes not long after Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah threatened to attack American military bases in Jordan.
The announcement that embassy personnel had left the compound in Amman appeared to be a prelude to a potentially larger departure of diplomatic staff from Jordan.
Jordanian police meanwhile urged residents living near the embassy to stay indoors, close windows and take other “precautionary measures.”
Rubio warns ‘hardest hits’ are still to come on Iran
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters before his scheduled House and Senate Intelligence Committees briefing about Iran on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo)
Pressed on how long the U.S. military would remain focused on Iran, Rubio said as long as it takes.
“The hardest hits are yet to come from the U.S. military. The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now,” he told reporters at the U.S. Capitol.
“How long will it take? I don’t know how long it will take,” he said. “We have objectives. We will do this as long as it takes to achieve those objectives.”
Rubio says regime change is not the objective in Iran
“We would love for there to be an Iran that’s not governed by radical Shia clerics,” he said heading into a classified briefing on Capitol Hill. “That’s not the objective.”
The initial joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran killed the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Ayatollah Khamenei, along with many other top leaders.
“The objectives of this operation are to destroy their ballistic missile capability and make sure they can’t rebuild it, and make sure that they can’t hide behind that to have a nuclear program,” he said. “That’s the objective of the mission.”
Rubio, Hegseth and others are briefing the congressional leaders and the top lawmakers on the national security committees in Congress about the Iran operation.
US death toll rises to 6 troops
The U.S. military on Monday announced the deaths of two more American service members during the operations against Iran, bringing the total death toll to six people.
U.S. Central Command stated in a post on X that U.S. forces “recently recovered the remains of two previously unaccounted for service members from a facility that was struck during Iran’s initial attacks in the region.”
The post did not state where two service members were killed. Their identities are being withheld until 24 hours after their families are notified, the military said.
Iran’s top diplomat shares a photo of graves dug for girls killed in apparent airstrike
Iran’s foreign minister posted an aerial photo showing rows of freshly dug graves for more than 160 girls who he said were killed by an airstrike on an elementary school in the country’s south.
“Their bodies were torn to shreds,” Abbas Araghchi said in a post Monday on social media, adding, “This is how ‘rescue’ promised by Mr. Trump looks in reality.”
The photo shows mourners gathered among long, orderly rows of graves stretching across an open dirt lot. White chalk rectangles mark measured burial plots as yellow excavators dig into the earth.
Iranian state media has reported that the girls’ school was hit in an airstrike on Saturday, killing at least 165 people and wounding dozens more. The Israeli military said it was not aware of strikes in the area. The U.S. military said it was looking into the reports.
Senior UN official highlights impact of recent Middle East escalations on children
U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo briefed the U.N. Security Council on Monday during a session chaired by first lady Melania Trump on protecting children, education and technology in conflict.
Before making general statements about the impact of conflict on children worldwide, DiCarlo highlighted the immediate impact of the U.S.-Israel strikes and Iranian retaliation on the youngest citizens of regional countries.
“We have been reminded of this truth over the last two days. Schools in Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman have closed and moved to remote learning owing to the ongoing military operations in the region,” she said.
DiCarlo added that the world body was aware of the reports about the deaths at a girl’s school in southern Iran, which Iran said killed dozens of children. Both U.S. and Israel have said they are looking into it.
Mourners grieve Israeli teens killed in Iranian missile attack
Three young siblings killed in an Iranian missile strike in central Israel were buried Monday night at the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.
Yaakov, 16, Avigail, 15, and Sarah Biton, 13, were among nine people killed Sunday when a missile hit a shelter in a synagogue in Beit Shemesh, the deadliest attack on Israelis since the war began. Rescuers searched the rubble late into the night.
Israel’s rescue services said 65 people were hospitalized, including two seriously wounded.
President Isaac Herzog visited one of the injured, Penina Cohen, at Hadassah Hospital on Monday. She told him she lost her husband, Yosef, and her mother-in-law, Bruria, in the strike. She and her young son were sitting beside them in the shelter when the missile hit.
“I was right beneath the hole that was torn open, and I have no explanation for how we were not more seriously hurt. We experienced a great miracle,” she said. “Today my son turns 13, and he was meant to celebrate his bar mitzvah. Instead, we are burying my husband and mother-in-law.”
Iran accuses US of hypocrisy before Melania Trump’s UN meeting on protecting kids during conflict
Moments before U.S. first lady Melania Trump led a U.N. Security Council session Monday on protecting children in armed conflict, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iranian ambassador to the U.N., blasted the subject of the meeting, saying that it was in contrast to the reported deadly strikes on a girl’s school in Iran on Saturday.
“It is deeply shameful and hypocritical,” Iravani told reporters, “that on the very first day of its presidency of the Security Council, the United States convenes a high-level meeting on protecting children, technology, and education in armed conflict under the agenda item ‘Maintenance of international peace and security,’ while at the same time launching missile strikes against Iranian cities and bombing schools and killing children.”
He added, “For the United States, ‘protecting children’ and ‘maintaining international peace and security’ clearly mean something very different from what the UN Charter provides.”
US military says it’s taken out 11 Iranian warships in the Gulf of Oman
“Two days ago, the Iranian regime had 11 ships in the Gulf of Oman, today they have ZERO,” U.S. Central Command said in a post on X.
The statement follows President Donald Trump’s Truth Social post on Sunday that U.S. forces had “destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships.” The president said they would be “going after the rest” and had “largely destroyed their Naval Headquarters.”
UN says Israel’s Gaza closure causes fuel rationing and water shortages
The U.N.’s humanitarian office tracking Gaza said Monday that the Israeli closure of all crossings into Gaza was stretching stocks of food, inflating the prices of basic goods and halting municipal services like solid waste collection as humanitarian workers tried to ration fuel supply. It said that reduced water production in some parts of Gaza City had left people drinking as little as two liters of water a day.
COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing civilian affairs in Gaza, closed crossings into the territory at the start of the unfolding war and froze the entrance and exit of humanitarian workers. It said the crossings cannot not be safely operated under fire and that they would reopen as soon as the security situation allows.
Tense calm in Jerusalem during a lull in Iranian missile fire
A tense calm has settled over the central Jerusalem after an afternoon and evening with no sirens announcing incoming missiles from Iran. The streets are still quite empty in West Jerusalem, where most Israelis live.
NATO chief calls on European allies to support war against Iran
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in an interview that the United States’ and Israel’s war against Iran is crucial for security in Europe. He said the allies could support the effort even without direct involvement in military operations, through logistics and access.
Rutte, a former prime minister of the Netherlands, said he unreservedly approves of Trump’s decision to attack Iran and kill its supreme leader. Rutte cited the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.
“It would be a stranglehold on Israel. It could potentially mean Israel’s defeat,” Rutte told German public broadcaster ARD in its Brussels studio on Monday.
When asked about the possibility of NATO entering the war, Rutte said absolutely no one believed that NATO would be involved. “This is Iran, this is the Gulf, this is outside NATO territory,” he said.
NATO troops deployed for 20 years to Afghanistan, and its 2011 air campaign helped topple Libya’s late leader Moammar Gadhafi.
A plume of smoke rises after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohsen Ganji)
Iran says it shot down 20 drones since the war began
Iranian state-run IRNA news agency said the country’s military has shot down 20 “enemy drones” since the beginning of the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Saturday.
Iraqi militias threaten US military presence in Jordan
A prominent Iran-backed Iraqi militia has threatened to attack American military bases in neighboring Jordan.
Kataib Hezbollah has claimed attack on U.S. bases in northern Iraq in solidarity with Tehran.
Iran has been targeting American military assets in the Mideast in its ongoing war with Washington and Israel.
The Iraqi government for years has tried to keep a delicate balance maintaining strong ties with both Washington and Tehran.
Israel strikes a Hezbollah-linked financial institution in Lebanon
The military said it has completed a wave of strikes targeting branches of al-Qard al-Hasan, saying the quasi-banking system is being used to fund the militant group’s military wing.
The strikes come amid a day of successive Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and in its capital, following Hezbollah rocket fire on Israel.
Al-Qard al-Hasan is officially a nonprofit charity institution operating outside the Lebanese financial system, and one of the tools by which Hezbollah entrenches its support among the country’s Shiite population.
Israel targeted the institution also in 2024 during its monthslong conflict with Hezbollah.
More US adults oppose initial airstrikes on Iran, early polling suggests
Americans’ initial reactions to Trump ordering airstrikes against Iran over the weekend appear more negative than positive, according to a new snap poll from The Washington Post that was conducted via text message on Sunday.
About half those polled opposed the strikes, while 39% were in support. Roughly 1 in 10 were unsure. Democrats and independents drove much of the disapproval, with nearly 9 in 10 Democrats and about 6 in 10 independents opposed to the military strikes.
Republicans were much more supportive, with 81% backing the military action. About 1 in 10 Republicans were opposed, and a similar share were unsure.
Respondents were about twice as likely to say the U.S. should stop the military strikes as that time, rather than continue them.
Spain says joint US bases were not used in attack on Iran
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the U.S. attack an “unjustifiable” and “dangerous” military intervention.
Defense Minister Margarita Robles said “no assistance of any kind, absolutely none,” had been provided from the Rota and Morón bases in southern Spain, which are shared with the U.S. but remain under Spanish command.
“There is a deal with the U.S. over these bases, but our understanding of the deal is that operations have to comply with international legal frameworks and that there has to be international support for them,” Robles said.
The U.S. and Israel were acting “unilaterally without the support of an international resolution,” Robles said.
Flight map data from FlightRadar24 showed that several U.S. military aircraft had left the bases in southern Spain since the weekend attack, including nine tankers that departed Sunday from Morón for Germany.
Israel says it intercepted a drone from Lebanon
Israel’s military said the hostile aircraft was intercepted and it is reviewing the incident. The army’s social media post did not blame the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah or any other party.
Iran-backed Hezbollah did not immediately issue a statement. The group had fired rockets late Sunday into northern Israel, sparking Israeli strikes throughout Lebanon that killed at least 31 people and displaced thousands.
Drone hits at a fuel terminal in the UAE but fire is contained
Authorities in Abu Dhabi quickly responded to the drone attack on the Musaffah fuel terminal and got the fire under control. No injuries were reported and operations at the terminal were not affected, according to a statement by the Abu Dhabi Media Office posted on X.
BANGKOK — The Ministry of Tourism and Sports is preparing to provide financial assistance of 2,000 baht per day to foreign tourists stranded in Thailand due to flight cancellations linked to escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports Natthriya Thaweewong said on 2 March that the ministry has held urgent discussions with key tourism stakeholders, including the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Tourism Council of Thailand, the Thai Hotels Association, and other service-sector groups, to coordinate assistance for affected visitors.
The worsening regional conflict has led to airspace closures and widespread flight cancellations, leaving a number of tourists unable to return home.
Natthriya said many of the stranded visitors had arrived before the situation intensified and may now be facing financial constraints.
“Thailand should act as a good host. In cases of force majeure where tourists cannot travel home, the ministry has regulations allowing initial compensation of 2,000 baht per day,” she said, adding that officials will continue assessing the scope of assistance required.
Hotels asked to offer discounts
The ministry has coordinated through the Thai Hotels Association to request discounted room rates for stranded tourists. Service operators are also being asked to provide special travel packages so visitors can continue traveling within Thailand at reduced prices while awaiting return flights.
Local TAT offices, provincial tourism and sports offices, and volunteer networks have been instructed to check on stranded tourists at hotels to assess immediate needs and provide support.
Natthriya described the situation as “an opportunity within a crisis” to reinforce Thailand’s reputation for hospitality.
“We want tourists to feel confident that if they travel to Thailand, they will be well taken care of and able to return home safely,” she said.
Focus on major tourist provinces
Officials have been directed to prioritize assistance in key destinations including Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Chiang Mai and Bangkok, where significant numbers of tourists — particularly from Arab countries — are reported to be stranded.
Authorities are also monitoring cases where tourist visas may be nearing expiration and will provide guidance and support as needed.
The ministry is working closely with private-sector partners, airlines and hotel operators, many of whom are already offering support through fare adjustments and reduced accommodation rates.
Natthriya said the proposal has received agreement in principle at a recent meeting, though authorities will continue monitoring the situation before considering broader relief measures.
“Taking good care of stranded tourists is crucial. It reflects Thailand’s image as a safe and welcoming country,” she said.
Released prisoners, in a bus, are welcomed by family members and colleagues after they left Insein Prison Monday, March 2, 2026, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)
BANGKOK (AP) — The head of Myanmar’s military government granted amnesty to thousands of prisoners, mostly political detainees, and activists being prosecuted or in hiding, state-run media reported Monday.
There was no sign former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was ousted in the military takeover in 2021 and has been held virtually incommunicado since then, would be freed. However, according to independent online media reports, those freed included former members of her government and her National League for Democracy party, including Myo Aung, a former mayor of the capital, Naypyitaw.
Family members and colleagues holding name cards wait to welcome the released prisoners from Insein Prison Monday, March 2, 2026, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)
The amnesty, which coincides with Peasants’ Day, a national holiday honoring farmers, comes two weeks before parliament is set to convene for its first session in more than five years, following the recent election that critics said was neither free nor fair.
About a dozen buses carrying prisoners were welcomed outside the gate of the Insein prison in the country’s largest city of Yangon at 11 a.m. by relatives and friends who had been waiting since the announcement earlier Monday.
Tinzar Aung, 30, who was freed from Insein prison, told The Associated Press: “I am very happy. I pray that all those who are still in prison will be released.” She was sentenced in 2022 to seven years in prison under a counterterrorism law, which carries a potential death penalty and was widely used to arrest and imprison political and armed opponents, journalists, and others involved in dissent since the army takeover five years ago.
State-run MRTV television reported that Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military government, pardoned 10,162 prisoners, including 7,337 convicted under the counterterrorism law. MRTV also said 12,487 others, who were either being prosecuted under that law or were in hiding, will receive amnesty and have their cases closed, as well as 10 foreigners.
Political Prisoners Network – Myanmar, an independent watchdog group that records human rights violations in Myanmar’s prisons, said in a statement that it has initially counted the release of 324 political prisoners from 10 prisons.
Released prisoners get off a bus as they are welcomed by family members and colleagues after they left Insein Prison Monday, March 2, 2026, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)
The identities of those released were not immediately available, but online reports said members of university student unions in Yangon were included in the first group freed.
The Democratic Voice of Burma reported that journalist Hmu Yadanar Khet Moh Moh Tun, sentenced to 13 years in prison in May 2023, was also released.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent organization that keeps detailed tallies of arrests and casualties linked to the nation’s political conflicts, more than 22,800 political detainees were incarcerated as of Feb. 27. They include the 80-year-old Suu Kyi, who is serving a 27-year sentence after being convicted in what supporters have called politically tinged prosecutions.
Mass amnesties to mark holidays are not unusual in the Southeast Asian nation.
The prisoners’ release began Monday but may take a few days.
KAMPHAENG PHET — A village headwoman in Kamphaeng Phet married her long-time partner, a local schoolteacher, in a traditional ceremony on 1 March, with dowry and gold worth more than 1.4 million baht drawing attention from the community.
The wedding took place at 09:30 at a house in Ban Nong Phak Nam, Khlong Sombun subdistrict, Khlong Khlung district, which was prepared as the couple’s new home.
The ceremony united Rungnapa Butsamran, 46, known as “Kru Rung”, a teacher at Ban Roi Rai School in Khlong Khlung, and Charinrat Numduea, 46, known locally as “Phuyaai Tuk”, the village headwoman of Moo 3, Ban Nong Phak Nam.
The same-sex marriage ceremony attracted widespread interest among residents, not only because it was a woman-to-woman union but also due to the substantial dowry presented by Charinrat to her bride.
During the engagement and wedding rites, the families counted 200,000 baht in cash along with gold jewellery and gold bars weighing a combined 18 baht weight, valued at more than 1.4 million baht.
The morning began with Buddhist merit-making rituals and alms-giving, similar to traditional Thai weddings. More than 200 Chinese banquet tables were prepared to host guests from both the local community and other provinces.
Later, a traditional khan mak procession was held, with Charinrat dressed in Thai attire leading the procession to formally ask for Rungnapa’s hand in marriage. The atmosphere was lively, with villagers — many of them residents under the headwoman’s jurisdiction — taking part in games and customary “silver and gold gate” ceremonies, with 10 gates set up in line with Thai wedding traditions.
The ceremony concluded with wrist-tying and water-pouring blessings, attended by local residents and guests from outside the province, who offered their congratulations and well wishes to the couple.
The newlyweds expressed their intention to care for one another and build a life together into old age.
A Thai couple were removed from a Taiwan-Bangkok flight after allegedly causing a disturbance before takeoff, in an incident that has drawn widespread attention online.
The episode surfaced after TikTok user @eatshit30678, a foreign passenger, posted a clip showing crew escorting two passengers off the aircraft.
According to the poster, the incident occurred on a flight from Taiwan to Thailand. The man seen in the clip reportedly began shouting as soon as he boarded, walking up and down the aisle and attempting to film other passengers with his mobile phone.
When crew members asked him to disembark, he allegedly continued causing trouble even on the jet bridge, prompting the captain to intervene.
Another social media user who claimed to be on the same flight commented that the couple had appeared to argue even before boarding. The pair were believed to have been working in Taiwan and were returning home. While waiting to board, the husband was described as agitated, repeatedly asking his wife whether money had been transferred or refunded.
The original poster replied that the account appeared consistent with what happened, adding that the flight eventually arrived safely in Thailand. However, the aircraft was delayed for around 40 minutes after the couple were removed before receiving clearance to depart.
Separately, TikTok user @wilaiwanchantabng shared another clip from the same incident, showing the man attempting to re-enter the plane and raising his phone to film crew members at close range.
The user praised the airline staff for handling the situation professionally, writing that such passengers should not have been allowed to board in the first place. She added that the couple had initially agreed to return home, but when the time came, the husband reportedly changed his mind, phoned family members to say he would not return, and argued loudly. When warned by staff, he allegedly protested that he had paid for his ticket and walked around the cabin filming several times.
Online commenters criticised the couple’s behaviour, particularly the man’s actions, saying it disrupted other passengers, caused delays and damaged the image of Thai travellers abroad.
AIS continues to set new standards for Thailand’s digital infrastructure, demonstrating comprehensive network excellence by winning top awards for both mobile and fixed broadband services from Ookla®, the global leader in network intelligence and performance analytics. The achievement reflects AIS’s true market leadership, with network quality spanning speed, consistency, and reliability.
Based on network performance results during the second half of the year, AIS was ranked as the “Best Mobile Network” and the “Best 5G Network,” excelling in both Speed and Consistency. At the same time, in the fixed broadband category, AIS also won the “Best Fixed Network” award, reinforcing the strength and robustness of its network infrastructure across all dimensions.
Mr. Kitti Ngarmchatetanarom Chief Technology Officer of AIS, stated: “Today, network infrastructure is no longer merely a communications system; it is a vital foundation of the National Digital Infrastructure that must deliver extensive coverage, high stability, and the highest level of security. Currently, AIS 5G coverage, reaching 95% of the nationwide population and has expanded its broadband network to reach over 20 million households across Thailand, alongside continued investments in Data Centers and Cloud services to support the growth of Thailand’s digital economy.
At the same time, we have been systematically enhancing our network development through spectrum efficiency optimization, advancing toward Autonomous Network capabilities, and integrating AI as the core of network management. This enables the network to automatically analyze, optimize, and self-manage, continuously improving customer experience. Our goal is to elevate the network into a national digital infrastructure that is fully capable of supporting all sectors at maximum potential.”
Recognition from Ookla®, a globally trusted provider of internet speed testing services, serves as further proof that AIS is the fastest 5G mobile network provider in Thailand, strengthening customer confidence that AIS is truly the best network in the country.
SUVARNABHUMI — 2 March 2026, Suvarnabhumi Airport said on 2 March 2026 that ongoing unrest in the Middle East has led eight airlines to cancel a total of 47 flights.
The cancelled services comprise 24 outbound and 23 inbound flights. The affected carriers are EL AL Israel Airlines, Air Arabia, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways and World2Fly.
Between 28 February and 2 March 2026, a total of 108 flights were cancelled, including 58 outbound and 50 inbound services, according to the airport.
Airport coordinating closely with airlines
Suvarnabhumi Airport said it is closely monitoring the situation and continuing to coordinate with affected airlines to ensure passengers are properly assisted.
At present, no departing passengers have been left stranded at the airport, as airlines have informed travellers in advance and managed the situation effectively. The airport has deployed staff to facilitate passengers and set up drinking water service points for those waiting to contact airlines until the situation eases.
The airport advised passengers planning to travel to countries in the Middle East or nearby areas to check flight statuses closely with their airlines via websites, mobile applications, airline counters at the airport or other direct contact channels.
Passengers can obtain further information on airport services from the AOT Contact Center by calling 1722, available 24 hours a day.
The Ministry of Culture, through the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture and the Contemporary Art Promotion Fund, expands its contemporary art network by partnering with the Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music and the Cheongju Craft Biennale. The collaboration has been formalized through an MOU to strengthen strategic cooperation, bringing together six key partners to elevate Thai contemporary art to the international stage. Between 2018 and 2026, the Fund allocated more than THB 116 million in grants to support 367 projects.
February 26, 2026, Bangkok — Mr. Prasop Riangngen, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, representing the Minister of Culture, presided over the press conference announcing the projects supported by the Contemporary Art Promotion Fund for Fiscal Year 2026, as well as the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the promotion and development of contemporary arts and culture between the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture (OCAC) and the Contemporary Art Promotion Fund, together with contemporary art network partners. The event, held at Gallery 2, G Floor, National Art Gallery Building, Ministry of Culture, Huai Khwang, Bangkok, was also attended by Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Contemporary Art Promotion Fund, who joined the press conference. Also present were Mrs. Kesorn Kumnerdpech, Director-General, Office of Contemporary Art and Culture; Ministry of Culture executives; members of the fund’s executive committee; grant recipients; representatives from contemporary art networks; distinguished guests; government officials; and OCAC staff.
Mr. Prasop Riangngen, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, representing the Minister of Culture, said: “The Ministry of Culture is mandated to promote initiatives related to arts, religion, and culture, as well as to further develop artistic works to ensure their contemporary relevance. The Office of Contemporary Art and Culture (OCAC) serves as the key organization responsible for promoting, supporting, publicizing creative activities, and advancing contemporary art. The implementation of this initiative has integrated proactive collaboration among the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture (OCAC), the Contemporary Art Promotion Fund, contemporary art networks, and various stakeholders to ensure ultimate impact in supporting artists and creative entrepreneurs. The objective is to transform cultural capital into tangible economic value, while preserving, creating, and advancing Thai culture sustainably into the future under the “Thai-ness (Tai Thai)” concept. Moreover, the strategy focuses on leveraging the roots of wisdom, culture, art, and local identity through creativity to create career opportunities and generate additional income for artists, people, and communities, thereby positioning Thai culture as a foundation for strong national economic growth while enhancing the quality of life of the Thai people.”
Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Contemporary Art Promotion Fund, stated: “The Contemporary Art Promotion Fund was established in 2008 under the Contemporary Art Promotion Act B.E. 2551 (2008). Over the past 18 years, the Fund has supported the work of artists and cultural organizations across all artistic fields. From 2018 to 2026, the Fund promoted a total of 367 projects, allocating more than THB 116 million in grants. In 2026, 44 projects have been supported, covering nine fields: visual arts, literature, music, performing arts, film, architecture, decorative arts, graphic arts, and fashion design. Each supported project demonstrates its own distinctiveness and creative identity. The Ministry of Culture, through the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture and the Contemporary Art Promotion Fund, together with artist networks, contemporary art networks, and stakeholders across sectors, takes great pride in contributing to the advancement of artists and the contemporary art network—enhancing knowledge development, expanding creative potential, and promoting Thai contemporary art at both national and international levels.”
Khunying Patama further added that the Contemporary Art Promotion Fund is committed to continuously driving the mission to promote and publicize knowledge across all nine contemporary art disciplines, with strong and valued collaboration from key leading partners, including ICONSIAM; UOB Thailand; Chat Lab; and the Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage. At the same time, the collaboration has been expanded to academic and international levels through partnerships between the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture (OCAC), the Contemporary Art Promotion Fund, and contemporary art networks, including the Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music and the Cheongju Craft Biennale, represented by the Cheongju Craft Biennale Organizing Committee. The signing of this MOU further strengthens integrated cooperation in promoting creativity, development, and the publication of contemporary art, enabling Thailand’s contemporary art sector to advance more robustly onto the international stage.
BANGKOK — The long-debated question of how much to put in a wedding envelope resurfaced this week after CK Cheong, CEO of Fastwork and a well-known online personality, said he has never given one.
In a post on 27 February 2026 via his Facebook page, CK Cheong, CPA, Cheong was asked how much he puts in an envelope when attending weddings. His reply was blunt: “I’ve never given one.”
He explained that at first he did not give envelopes because he was unaware of the custom, having grown up in the United States where the practice is uncommon. Even after learning about the tradition in Thailand, he said he still did not “get it”.
“If you’re not ready to treat me to fish maw soup, then I just won’t go. I’d rather spend my time working,” he wrote.
Cheong added that if anyone expects to invite him because they assume he is wealthy and would give a large envelope, they need not extend the invitation. “You can note it down — my envelope is 0 baht,” he said, insisting that it was not about being stingy but a matter of cultural difference.
“You invited me. I didn’t ask to come. Why do I have to pay?” he wrote.
He also clarified that his comments reflected his personal view and were not intended to encourage others to follow suit. “Whether you give or not give is not wrong. I’m not the social police. I’m just sharing my opinion. No drama,” he added.
The remarks sparked heated debate online. Some commenters said giving envelopes is a long-standing cultural practice in many countries and seen as a gesture of goodwill or support for the couple, rather than an obligation.
Others countered that if not giving an envelope in Thailand is considered “culture shock”, then tipping in the United States — where 20% or more is often expected — could be equally shocking for Thais.
At the same time, a number of users voiced support for Cheong, saying they also struggle to relate to the envelope tradition and agreed with his perspective
