Police General Thatchai Pitaneelabutr, head of Thailand's Police Cyber Taskforce, and Police Lieutenant General Seang Sarid, Deputy Commissioner of the Cambodian National Police, hold a joint press conference announcing the results of their anti-scammer cooperation meeting at the Indochine Hotel in Sa Kaeo Province on September 16, 2025.
SA KAEO — Cambodia has agreed to cooperate with Thailand in dismantling scammer networks following a marathon 10-hour negotiation session held at the Indochine Hotel in Aranyaprathet, Sa Kaeo Province, that concluded at 8:00 p.m. on September 16.
Police General Thatchai Pitaneelabutr, head of Thailand’s Police Cyber Taskforce, reached the agreement with Police Lieutenant General Seang Sarid, Deputy Commissioner of the Cambodian National Police. Cambodia committed to presenting an action plan within one month.
Intelligence Sharing Leads to Breakthrough
The meeting addressed call center gangs operating in Cambodia that target Thai victims through technology-based scams and human trafficking operations. Thailand provided detailed intelligence revealing the locations of scammer bases within Cambodia.
“The discussions focused on scammer networks that have severely impacted Thai citizens on a widespread scale,” Police General Thatchai announced. Cambodia agreed to develop a comprehensive crackdown plan targeting the identified call centers.
The session was a follow-up to the September 10 GBC conference on Koh Kong island, which initially addressed cross-border criminal operations.
Extended Negotiations Necessary
The 10-hour duration reflected the complexity of the agreement details, requiring multiple revisions before both sides reached consensus. Thai authorities will closely monitor progress through online complaint tracking systems, with all results reported at the next GBC meeting.
Police Colonel Surawit Daengjan of the 1st Army Area confirmed ongoing cooperation beyond the scammer issue. On September 17, governors from Sa Kaeo and Banteay Meanchey provinces will establish district-level working groups to address border problems.
The colonel also debunked circulating misinformation claiming military action in the Ban Nong Jan area on September 26th, clarifying that manipulated clips referenced past July conflicts.
This agreement marks a significant step in Thai-Cambodian cooperation against transnational crime networks.
BANGKOK — The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) is preparing to propose an increase in fees for international flights from 15 baht to 25 baht ($0.50-0.80) , while introducing three other types of fees to increase revenue and cover security costs. Passenger service charges (PSC) are also set to increase by up to 100 baht from October 2025. Officials note that fees in Thailand remain lower than in neighboring countries.
Manat Chuanaprayoon, director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, said CAAT will submit the new fee structure to the Civil Aviation Board in October. This is to ensure that the fee revenue reflects the actual costs and to strengthen the authority’s financial capacity to maintain aviation safety and standards.
Previously, the CAAT was only able to collect one type of fee, namely fees for international flights, which were set at just 15 baht ($0.50) per passenger, while the actual cost is 23 baht ($0.75). This has led to a decrease in revenue despite increasing passenger numbers.
To address the issue, CAAT plans to increase the international travel fee to 25 baht ($0.80) per passenger and extend the levy to three new areas: Landing and take-off fees, air cargo fees and aviation fuel fees – all areas that were not previously levied.
Suvanarbhumi Airport, April 3, 2025
“CAAT’s annual revenue is around 1.2 billion baht ($38 million), but it is trending downwards while technology and security costs remain high. We need this adjustment to ensure that the organization can continue to operate effectively,” Manat said.
There is also a proposal to increase the Passenger Service Charges (PSC). For international passengers, the charge will increase from 730 to 830 baht ($23 to $26), while domestic passengers will be charged 230 baht ($7.2) instead of 130 baht ($4.1).
The new tariffs will come into effect in October 2025 and will be levied by the Airports of Thailand (AOT) and the Department of Airports.
CAAT emphasized that Thailand’s PSC fares will remain low compared to other countries even after the adjustment. Singapore, for example, charges around 1,400 baht ($44.5) per passenger per flight. The revised tariffs are therefore necessary to reflect the actual costs and to invest the revenue in improving infrastructure, services and airport security to meet international standards.
BANGKOK — Reviving the Kiha 40/48 from Japan, the State Railway of Thailand has upgraded the air conditioning system and enhanced engineering standards, preparing to launch service on the Don Mueang-Ayutthaya route this December to support public transportation and promote historical tourism in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province.
SRT is pressing ahead with the refurbishment of Japan’s Kiha 40 and Kiha 48 diesel railcars to enhance service quality for passengers. The first prototype is expected to be completed by September, followed by another in October, before the upgrades are gradually expanded across the fleet.
SRT Governor Veerith Amrapal said the overhaul included both technical systems and operational functions, with a particular focus on adapting the air conditioning systems. The Kiha trains were originally designed to operate in cold weather in Akita, Japan, and had to be significantly modified to cope with Thailand’s tropical climate.
SRT is pressing ahead with the refurbishment of Japan’s Kiha 40 and Kiha 48 diesel railcars to enhance service quality for passengers.
Upgrades include redesigned air outlets, improved compressors and new cooling and evaporator coils that provide more comfort for passengers. The SRT has also conducted performance tests, including braking distance, acceleration and vibration, to confirm safety and compliance with technical standards before entering passenger service.
The current plan is for four refurbished Kiha 40/48 railcars to be operational by December 2025. The first line will run between Don Mueang and Ayutthaya to meet the demand of commuters while promoting cultural and historical tourism in Ayutthaya province.
The SRT emphasized that the project will increase passenger comfort, ensure safety and represent an important milestone in the sustainable modernization of Thailand’s rail transport.
The 20 Kiha railcars were donated to Thailand by JR East. These are nine Kiha 40s with double cabins (driver’s cabs at both ends), each of which can accommodate up to 65 passengers and are equipped with two toilets. Two of these coaches are equipped with longitudinal seats and seven with transverse seats.
The remaining eleven coaches are Kiha 48s with single cabins, each of which can accommodate up to 82 passengers and are equipped with longitudinal seats and a toilet throughout.
FILE - Robert Redford attends the premiere of Netflix's "Our Souls at Night" on Sept. 27, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)
Robert Redford, the Hollywood golden boy who became an Oscar-winning director, liberal activist and godfather for independent cinema under the name of one of his best-loved characters, died Tuesday at 89.
Redford died “at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah — the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved,” publicist Cindi Berger said in a statement. No cause of death was provided.
After rising to stardom in the 1960s, Redford was one of the biggest stars of the ’70s with such films as “The Candidate,” “All the President’s Men” and “The Way We Were,” capping that decade with the best director Oscar for 1980’s “Ordinary People,” which also won best picture in 1980.
His wavy blond hair and boyish grin made him the most desired of leading men, but he worked hard to transcend his looks — whether through his political advocacy, his willingness to take on unglamorous roles or his dedication to providing a platform for low-budget movies.
His roles ranged from Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward to a mountain man in “Jeremiah Johnson” to a double agent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and his co-stars included Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise. But his most famous screen partner was his old friend and fellow activist and practical joker Paul Newman, their films a variation of their warm, teasing relationship off screen.
FILE – Robert Redford holds the Oscar he won for best director “Ordinary People” at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 31, 1981. (AP Photo, File)
Redford played the wily outlaw opposite Newman in 1969’s “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” a box-office smash from which Redford’s Sundance Institute and festival got its name. He also teamed with Newman on 1973’s best picture Oscar winner, “The Sting,” which earned Redford a best-actor nomination as a young con artist in 1930s Chicago.
Film roles after the ’70s became more sporadic as Redford concentrated on directing and producing, and his new role as patriarch of the independent-film movement in the 1980s and ’90s through his Sundance Institute. But he starred in 1985’s best picture champion “Out of Africa” and in 2013 received some of the best reviews of his career as a shipwrecked sailor in “All is Lost,” in which he was the film’s only performer. In 2018, he was praised again in what he called his farewell movie, “The Old Man and the Gun.”
“I just figure that I’ve had a long career that I’m very pleased with. It’s been so long, ever since I was 21,” he told The Associated Press shortly before the film came out. “I figure now as I’m getting into my 80s, it’s maybe time to move toward retirement and spend more time with my wife and family.”
Sundance is born
Redford had watched Hollywood grow more cautious and controlling during the 1970s and wanted to recapture the creative spirit of the early part of the decade. Sundance was created to nurture new talent away from the pressures of Hollywood, the institute providing a training ground and the festival, based in Park City, Utah, where Redford had purchased land with the initial hope of opening a ski resort. Instead, Park City became a place of discovery for such previously unknown filmmakers as Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, Paul Thomas Anderson and Darren Aronofsky.
FILE – The exterior of the Egyptian Theatre appears on Main Street during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 22, 2015. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, File)
“For me, the word to be underscored is ‘independence,’” Redford told the AP in 2018. “I’ve always believed in that word. That’s what led to me eventually wanting to create a category that supported independent artists who weren’t given a chance to be heard.
“The industry was pretty well controlled by the mainstream, which I was a part of. But I saw other stories out there that weren’t having a chance to be told and I thought, ‘Well, maybe I can commit my energies to giving those people a chance.’ As I look back on it, I feel very good about that.”
Sundance was even criticized as buyers swarmed in looking for potential hits and celebrities overran the town each winter.
“We have never, ever changed our policies for how we program our festival. It’s always been built on diversity,” Redford told the AP in 2004. “The fact is that the diversity has become commercial. Because independent films have achieved their own success, Hollywood, being just a business, is going to grab them. So when Hollywood grabs your films, they go, ‘Oh, it’s gone Hollywood.’”
By 2025, the festival had become so prominent that organizers decided they had outgrown Park City and approved relocating to Boulder, Colorado, starting in 2027. Redford, who had attended the University of Colorado Boulder, issued a statement saying that “change is inevitable, we must always evolve and grow, which has been at the core of our survival.”
Redford’s affinity for the outdoors was well captured in “A River Runs Through It” and other films and through his decades of advocacy for the environment, inspired in part by witnessing the transformation of Los Angeles into a city of smog and freeways. His activities ranged from lobbying for such legislation as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act to pushing for land conservation in Utah to serving on the board of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Redford was married twice, most recently to Sibylle Szaggars. He had four children, two of whom have died — Scott Anthony, who died in infancy, in 1959; and James Redford, an activist and filmmaker who died in 2020.
Redford’s early life
Robert Redford was born Charles Robert Redford Jr. on Aug. 18, 1936, in Santa Monica, a California boy whose blond good looks eased his way over an apprenticeship in television and live theater that eventually led to the big screen.
Redford attended college on a baseball scholarship and would later star as a middle-aged slugger in 1984’s “The Natural,” the adaptation of Bernard Malamud’s baseball novel. He had an early interest in drawing and painting, then went on to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, debuting on Broadway in the late 1950s and moving into television on such shows as “The Twilight Zone,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and “The Untouchables.”
After scoring a Broadway lead in “Sunday in New York,” Redford was cast by director Mike Nichols in a production of Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park,” later starring with Fonda in the film version. Redford did miss out on one of Nichols’ greatest successes, “The Graduate,” released in 1967. Nichols had considered casting Redford in the part eventually played by Dustin Hoffman, but Redford seemed unable to relate to the socially awkward young man who ends up having an affair with one of his parents’ friends.
FILE – Robert Redford, from left, his wife Lola, and director Sydney Pollack appear at the presentation of the film “Jeremiah Johnson” during the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France on May 7, 1972. (AP Photo/Jean-Jacques Levy, File)
“I said, ‘You can’t play it. You can never play a loser,’” Nichols said during a 2003 screening of the film in New York. “And Redford said, ‘What do you mean? Of course I can play a loser.’ And I said, ‘OK, have you ever struck out with a girl?’ and he said, ‘What do you mean?’ And he wasn’t joking.”
Indie champion, mainstream star
Even as Redford championed low-budget independent filmmaking, he continued to star in mainstream Hollywood productions himself, scoring the occasional hit such as 2001’s “Spy Game,” which co-starred Brad Pitt, an heir apparent to Redford’s handsome legacy whom he had directed in “A River Runs Through It.”
Ironically, “The Blair Witch Project,” “Garden State,” “Napoleon Dynamite” and other scrappy films that came out of Sundance sometimes made bigger waves — and more money — than some Redford-starring box-office duds like “Havana,” “The Last Castle” and “An Unfinished Life.”
Redford also appeared in several political narratives. He satirized campaigning as an idealist running for U.S. senator in 1972’s “The Candidate” and uttered one of the more memorable closing lines, “What do we do now?” after his character manages to win. He starred as Woodward to Hoffman’s Carl Bernstein in 1976’s “All the President’s Men,” the story of the Washington Post reporters whose Watergate investigation helped bring down President Richard Nixon.
FILE – President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to actor Robert Redford during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
With 2007’s “Lions for Lambs,” Redford returned to directing in a saga of a congressman (Tom Cruise), a journalist (Meryl Streep) and an academic (Redford) whose lives intersect over the war on terrorism in Afghanistan.
His biggest filmmaking triumph came with his directing debut on “Ordinary People,” which beat Martin Scorsese’s classic “Raging Bull” at the Oscars. The film starred Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore as the repressed parents of a troubled young man, played by Timothy Hutton, in his big screen debut. Redford was praised for casting Moore in an unexpectedly serious role and for his even-handed treatment of the characters, a quality that Roger Ebert believed set “the film apart from the sophisticated suburban soap opera it could easily have become.”
Redford’s other directing efforts included “The Horse Whisperer,” “The Milagro Beanfield War” and 1994’s “Quiz Show,” the last of which also earned best picture and director Oscar nominations. In 2002, Redford received an honorary Oscar, with academy organizers citing him as “actor, director, producer, creator of Sundance, inspiration to independent and innovative filmmakers everywhere.”
“The idea of the outlaw has always been very appealing to me. If you look at some of the films, it’s usually having to do with the outlaw sensibility, which I think has probably been my sensibility. I think I was just born with it,” Redford said in 2018. “From the time I was just a kid, I was always trying to break free of the bounds that I was stuck with, and always wanted to go outside.”
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport is Certified with the 4-Star Airport Rating for facilities, comfort, cleanliness, shopping, food & beverages and staff service. (Photo: Skytrax)
SUVARNABHUMI — Thailand’s main international gateway has received a significant boost to its global reputation after being upgraded from a 3-star to 4-star airport by Skytrax, the world’s leading airline and airport quality rating organization.
Ms. Paveena Jariyathitiphong, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT), announced that Suvarnabhumi Airport received the upgraded rating from the UK-based consultancy on September 12, 2025.
The upgrade reflects improvements across multiple service areas, especially staff quality at all passenger touchpoints. Ground handling personnel, immigration officers, and security staff have all contributed to creating positive experiences for travelers.
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport is Certified with the 4-Star Airport Rating for facilities, comfort, cleanliness, shopping, food & beverages and staff service. (Photo: Skytrax)Paveena Jariyathitiphong
Suvarnabhumi has also embraced modern technology to enhance passenger convenience, implementing automated passport screening systems and faster check-in queue management. The airport has continuously developed facilities including upgraded restrooms, improved signage, additional electronic device charging stations, and reliable high-speed Wi-Fi.
Future infrastructure development plans include dedicated Kids and Gaming Zones, Relaxing Co-Working Space Zones, and contemporary art and cultural exhibitions to further enhance the passenger experience.
Currently handling over 60 million passengers annually, Suvarnabhumi serves as Thailand’s primary airport and plays a crucial role connecting domestic and international flight routes. The 4-star rating reinforces the airport’s service quality and standards while reflecting its ongoing commitment to continuous development.
“This recognition confirms our dedication to meeting global travelers’ needs while delivering the best possible passenger experience,” Ms. Paveena said. “It strengthens confidence in our position as the region’s important aviation hub as we work toward achieving 5-star status in the future.”
Palestinians walk through dust moments after an Israeli military strike and destroyed a building in Gaza City Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)
GENEVA (AP) — A team of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, issuing a report Tuesday that calls on the international community to end the genocide and take steps to punish those responsible for it.
The deeply-documented findings by the three-member team are the latest accusations of genocide against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government by rights advocates as Israeli carries on with its war against Hamas in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people. Israel rejected what it called a “distorted and false” report.
The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, which was created four years ago, has repeatedly documented alleged human rights abuses and violations both in Gaza since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel led by Hamas, and other Palestinian areas.
While neither the commission nor the 47-member-country council that it works for within the U.N. system can take action against a country, the findings could be used by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court or the U.N.’s International Court of Justice.
Israeli soldiers work on their tanks and armored personnel carriers (APC) at a staging area on the border with Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
The report also amounts to a final message from the team headed by former U.N. rights chief Navi Pillay. All three of its members announced in July that they would resign, citing personal reasons and a need for change.
The team was commissioned by the Human Rights Council, the U.N.’s top human rights body, but it does not speak for the United Nations.
After a painstaking legal analysis, the commission said Israel had committed four of the five “genocidal acts” defined under an international convention adopted in 1948 known colloquially as the “Genocide Convention,” three years after the end of World War II and the Holocaust.
“The Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza,” said Pillay, the commission chair. “It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.”
Palestinians examine the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)
Pillay, a former U.N. human rights chief, said “responsibility for the atrocity crimes lies with Israeli authorities at the highest echelons” over the nearly two-year war.
Her commission concluded that Netanyahu, as well as Israeli President Isaac Herzog and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, had incited the commission of genocide. It hasn’t assessed whether other Israeli leaders had done so too.
Israel, which was founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust, has adamantly rejected genocide allegations against it as an antisemitic “blood libel.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued an angry response Tuesday, saying it “categorically rejects this distorted and false report.”
“Three individuals serving as Hamas proxies, notorious for their openly antisemitic positions — and whose horrific statements about Jews have been condemned worldwide — released today another fake ‘report’ about Gaza,” it said.
FILE – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (not shown) hold a joint press conference at the Prime Minister’s Office, during Rubio’s visit, in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. (Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Genocide accusations are especially sensitive in Israel, which was founded as a haven for Jews in the wake of the Holocaust and where memories of the Holocaust still play an important role in the country’s national identity.
In coming to its conclusion of genocide, the commission said it pored over the conduct of Israeli security forces and “explicit statements” by Israeli civilian and military authorities, among other criteria.
In particular, the experts cited as factors the death toll, Israel’s “total siege” of Gaza and blockade of humanitarian aid that has led to starvation, a policy of “systematically destroying” the health care system, and direct targeting of children.
The commission urged other countries to halt weapons transfers to Israel and block individuals or companies from actions that could contribute to genocide in Gaza.
“The international community cannot stay silent on the genocidal campaign launched by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza,” said Pillay, who is a South African jurist. “When clear signs and evidence of genocide emerge, the absence of action to stop it amounts to complicity.”
The current U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, has decried Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza and spoken out forcefully against alleged crimes, but has not accused Israel of carrying out genocide.
His office, alluding to international law, has argued that only an international court can make a final, formal determination of genocide. Critics counter that could take years and insist that thousands of people, many of them civilians, are being systematically killed in Gaza in the meantime.
The International Court of Justice is hearing a genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel.
Layers of 13-million-year-old freshwater snail fossils at the Mae Moh site in Lampang Province, with a pen for scale showing the remarkable density and preservation of the ancient shells that form Thailand's newest registered fossil heritage site.
BANGKOK — Thailand has officially registered the “Mae Moh Freshwater Snail Fossil Site” in Lampang Province as the country’s 27th fossil heritage site, featuring what scientists say is the world’s thickest freshwater snail fossil layer dating back over 13 million years.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Fossil Protection Committee approved the registration during its second meeting of 2025 on September 16. The 52-rai site showcases fossil layers up to 12 meters thick, representing an extraordinary geological treasure.
Ancient Lake Ecosystem Preserved
Dr. Chananan Paktejit, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, explained that the Mae Moh fossil site contains the largest concentration of fossils discovered in any region of Thailand. The 13-million-year-old freshwater snail fossils reveal a fascinating glimpse into ancient Thailand’s climate and ecosystem.
Dr. Chananan Paktejit, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
During that prehistoric period, the Mae Moh basin was a freshwater lake surrounded by tropical forests in a warm climate. The lakeshores were lined with sedge plants forming swamp-like conditions where dense communities of freshwater snails thrived. Generation after generation of these snails died naturally, creating continuous layers of shell accumulation that eventually formed the remarkable fossil beds visible today.
The fossil layers, ranging from 3 to 12 meters thick with an average of 8 meters, consist primarily of Bellamya species freshwater snails of various sizes and colors. The layers show alternating patterns between broken shell fragments and perfectly preserved specimens, tilted approximately 20 degrees toward the southeast.
Layers of 13-million-year-old freshwater snail fossils at the Mae Moh site in Lampang Province, with a pen for scale showing the remarkable density and preservation of the ancient shells that form Thailand’s newest registered fossil heritage site.Layers of 13-million-year-old freshwater snail fossils at the Mae Moh site in Lampang Province, with a pen for scale showing the remarkable density and preservation of the ancient shells that form Thailand’s newest registered fossil heritage site.
From Coal Mine to Scientific Treasure
The discovery occurred in 2003 when the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) was mining coal in the area under a permit from the Royal Forest Department. During excavation, workers uncovered the massive accumulation of ancient snail shells.
EGAT collaborated with the Department of Mineral Resources to conduct detailed geological surveys and subsequently set aside the area for conservation and development as an educational tourism destination.
The site now serves both scientific research and public education, benefiting local communities in Lampang Province while preserving one of Thailand’s most significant paleontological discoveries. The committee also approved an integrated development plan to ensure sustainable conservation and management of this national geological heritage.
Massive accumulations of 13-million-year-old freshwater snail fossils at the Mae Moh site in Lampang Province, discovered in 2003 when the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand was mining coal.
Bangkok, Thailand – Bravo BKK, “Fit by Day, Fun by Night” the lifestyle hub in the heart of Rama 9 near RCA, proudly joins hands with the 36th “Bangkok Marathon 2025” as the official venue for Bangkok Marathon Expo Day 2025. The event will be held at the Atrium and Green Space, Level 1 of Bravo BKK, from November 14–15, 2025. Runners will collect their official race shirts and BIB numbers, while enjoying a variety of activities and experiences in anticipation of Thailand’s world-class marathon on November 16, 2025.
Bravo BKK’s support in hosting Bangkok Marathon Expo Day 2025 reflects the vision of Ms. Levy Li, Chief Experience Officer of Bravo BKK Co., Ltd. With the expertise as a Wellness Guru and strong commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles, Ms. Levy Li has infused wellness and fitness into the core of Bravo BKK’s operations. This philosophy is embodied in the mall’s unique positioning as a Wellness & Creative Lifestyle Community, where health and creativity converge. Recognizing the significance of Bangkok Marathon, the largest marathon in Thailand, Bravo BKK is proud to encourage Thai people to embrace wellness through running and active living. “From day one, Bravo BKK has been driven by the vision of being a Fit and Fun Mall, putting health and fitness at the forefront while also providing an open, creative space for the community. We have consistently supported various sports events to inspire and empower people in the city to live healthier lives. Hosting Bangkok Marathon Expo Day 2025 is a meaningful opportunity for us to be part of Thailand’s most iconic running event, reinforcing our commitment to becoming a true Wellness & Creative Lifestyle Community for everyone.” Ms. Levy Li stated
ICONSIAM, a global landmark on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, reaffirms its position as a Global Experiential Destination by collaborating with HEYONE, the renowned art toy studio from China and creator of popular characters such as OZAI, MIMI, FAYA, FURFUR, and MORE THAN ARTS & TOYS, Thailand’s leading importer and distributor of toys and collectibles. Together, they bring a parade of adorable characters to “HEYDAY PLAYLAND”, featuring the largest Pop-up Store ever in Thailand. Fans can shop premium merchandise and the latest collectibles, with highlights including the world premiere of exclusive art toy editions and a variety of special activities, all in a lively, playful atmosphere that transforms the River Park area into a joyful playground for art toy lovers. The event takes place from September 12 to October 9, 2025, at River Park, G Floor, ICONSIAM.
The HEYDAY PLAYLAND event marks another large-scale initiative by ICONSIAM to showcase global pop culture trends and provide world-class art experiences to Thai audiences. Through this creative space and internationally acclaimed works by HEYONE, ICONSIAM reinforces its commitment to becoming a hub for international art collaboration and cultural exchange.
CEO of HEYONE, said “This collaboration with ICONSIAM is a true reflection of ‘Collaboration to Win.’ Together, we have transformed this space into a Creative Playground for collectors and those eager to explore new experiences from HEYONE. This event sets several firsts: the largest Pop-up Store we have ever hosted, the world premiere of multiple exclusive art toy editions, and the first full showcase of HEYONE’s new series in one place. We have also prepared our largest range of special collectibles yet, all-new series, guaranteed to excite fans with every single piece.”
FILE - Palestinians run for cover during an Israeli airstrike on a high-rise building in Gaza City, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, after the Israeli army issued a warning. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun, File)
JERUSALEM (AP) — After a night of heavy airstrikes, the Israeli military announced Tuesday that its expanded operation in Gaza City “to destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure” has begun and warned residents to move south.
Israel’s Arabic language spokesperson Avichay Adree announced the expansion of Israel’s operation on X, after a night of heavy strikes against northern Gaza that killed at least 20 people.
Israel has been warning the famine-stricken Gaza City residents to evacuate for the past month ahead of the operation but many have said they are unable to evacuate due to overcrowding in Gaza’s south and the high price of transport.
Earlier in the day, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that “Gaza is burning” as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio left Israel for Qatar, where he planned to meet with officials there still incensed over Israel’s strike last week that killed five Hamas members and a local security official.
While Arab and Muslim nations denounced the strike at a summit Monday, they stopped short of any major action targeting Israel, highlighting the challenge of diplomatically pressuring any change in Israel’s conduct in the grinding Israel-Hamas war.
An Israeli armored vehicle moves along the Israeli-Gaza border as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Rubio, speaking to journalists before his departure, suggested the offensive on Gaza City had begun.
“We think we have a very short window of time in which a deal can happen,” Rubio said. “We don’t have months anymore, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks so it’s a key moment — an important moment.”
“Our preference, our No. 1 choice, is that this ends through a negotiated settlement,” he added, while acknowledging the dangers an intensified military campaign posed to Gaza.
“The only thing worse than a war is a protracted one that goes on forever and ever,” Rubio said. “At some point, this has to end. At some point, Hamas has to be defanged, and we hope it can happen through a negotiation. But I think time, unfortunately, is running out.”
Intensity of strikes in Gaza City grows
After weeks of threatening an expansion of the Israeli military operation in Gaza City, Katz signaled it had begun.
“Gaza is burning,” he said early on Tuesday morning. “The (Israel military) is striking with an iron fist at the terrorist infrastructure and soldiers are fighting heroically to create the conditions for the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas. We will not relent and we will not go back — until the completion of the mission.”
The United Nations estimated on Monday that over 220,000 Palestinians have fled northern Gaza over the past month, after the Israeli military warned that all residents should leave Gaza City ahead of the operation. An estimated 1 million Palestinians were living in the region around Gaza City before the evacuation warnings.
Displaced Palestinians flee northern Gaza by foot and in vehicles, carrying their belongings along the coastal road toward southern Gaza, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
At least 20 Palestinians killed in Gaza City
Palestinian residents reported heavy strikes across Gaza City on Tuesday morning.
The city’s Shifa Hospital said it received the bodies of 20 people killed in a strike that hit multiple houses in a western neighborhood, with another 90 wounded arriving at the facility in recent hours.
“A very tough night in Gaza,” Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiyah, director of Shifa Hospital, told The Associated Press
“The bombing did not stop for a single moment,” he said. “There are still bodies under the rubble.”
The Israeli military did not respond to immediate requests for comment on the strikes but in the past has accused Hamas of building military infrastructure inside civilian areas, especially in Gaza City.
An Israeli army flare drifts over buildings destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Families of hostages beg Netanyahu to halt the operation
Overnight, families of the hostages still being held in Gaza gathered outside of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence, pleading with him to stop the Gaza City operation.
Some pitched tents and slept outside his home in protest.
“I have one interest — for this country to wake up and bring back my child along with 47 other hostages, both living and deceased, and to bring our soldiers home,” Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is being held in Gaza, shouted outside Netanyahu’s residence.
“If he stops at nothing and sends our precious, brave, heroic soldiers to fight while our hostages are being used as human shields — he is not a worthy prime minister,” Zangauker.
Israel believes around 20 of the 48 hostages still held by the militants in Gaza, including Matan, are alive.
Both Netanyahu and Rubio said on Monday that the only way to end the conflict in Gaza is through the elimination of Hamas and the release of the hostages, setting aside calls for an interim ceasefire in favor of an immediate end to the conflict.
Hamas has said it will only free remaining hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have since been released in ceasefires brokered in part by Qatar or other deals.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,871 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t say how many were civilians or combatants. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, says women and children make up around half the dead.
