Red or black: Thai men tempt fate at military draft draw

(The Center Square) – A controversial bill Ohio Republican lawmakers say is aimed at protecting children is rankling free speech and LGBT advocates as it awaits consideration in the Senate.

Its authors say the “Indecent Exposure Modernization Act,” which passed the House 63-32, is a commonsense update to existing obscenity laws.

“Ohio has clear gaps in its indecent exposure and obscenity laws,” said Rep. Josh Williams, R-Sylvania Township, one of the bill’s sponsors. “The legislature has said time and time again that kids should not be exposed to obscene material. Now we are taking the step to ensure that the same type of obscene performances that they cannot watch online, they can’t watch in person.”

Others contend it addresses a problem that doesn’t exist, with obscenity laws already on the books to protect children.

“This bill does nothing to address the over 500,000 children in this state who are food insecure,” said Minority Whip Rep. Beryl Piccalantonio, D-Gahanna. “While we are not addressing those issues, I am embarrassed to say we are spending any time at all on a culture war bill that doesn’t make our communities safer but does have the potential to cost taxpayer dollars, to threaten economic activity, and to frighten into hiding some of our already vulnerable community members.”

The new law would limit shows that could be “harmful to juveniles or obscene” to “adult cabarets.”

The legislation goes on to name shows including “performers or entertainers who exhibit a gender identity that is different from the performer's or entertainer's biological sex using clothing, makeup, prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts, or other physical markers.”

Co-sponsor Rep. Angie King, R-Celina, said, “This bill closes loopholes in our law, strengthens protections for minors, and ensures that private spaces remain just that – private.”

Opponents say the bill bans drag shows and poses criminal threats for transgender Ohioans. They’ve asked who determines whether something meets the standards of harm or obscenity and how they would do so.

The Ohio ACLU testified against the law, warning against the “chilling effect” obscenity laws have on free speech.

“Those of us concerned about the First Amendment implications of HB 249 know these types of laws have been purposely used to target unpopular speech and art for many decades,” said the organization. “Indeed, over the years, movies, TV shows, books, comic books, video games, websites, and more have been subjected to these fuzzy restrictions.”

Police would be responsible for interpreting the law on a case-by-case basis as they encounter potential violations.

“Regardless of how activist adult entertainers and the media chooses to spin House Bill 249, this legislation does not ban strip clubs or drag shows, and it certainly doesn’t ban live performances such as Mrs. Doubtfire or Tootsie,” King said.

King referred to an incident in which a transgender woman changing in a gym locker room in Xenia was found not guilty of public indecency charges. The judge ruled on the basis of the transgender woman’s body weight, which obscured male genitalia from view.

The YMCA where the incident occurred allows people to use locker rooms according to their gender identity.

HB 249 would change the language of the law to cover “private areas,” not just “private parts,” ensuring that a similar defense could not be used in the future. The law also creates protections for women to breastfeed in public.

Still, some worry that the restrictions can easily spill into other types of dress, like sports bras and athletic wear.

“This bill takes regular, everyday activities and turns them into potential crimes, based on whether somebody else might be offended by what other people are wearing,” said Dwayne Steward, executive director and CEO of Equality Ohio and Equality Ohio Education Fund, in a statement. “This bill gives government the unacceptable power to police what people wear.”

A former fire safety official in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana remained silent when questioned Wednesday by prosecutors investigating a deadly New Year blaze, his lawyer said.

"My client exercised his right to remain silent as he does not yet have access to the case file," lawyer Fabien Mingard told AFP.

"He will answer the public prosecutors' questions as soon as he has access to the file."

The former head of the Crans-Montana municipality's fire safety department has not been named by Swiss media.

"The hearing lasted only 15-20 minutes because the defendant refused to cooperate after being informed of the charges," Robert Assael, one of the lawyers for the civil parties in the case, told AFP.

"I am shocked that he did not answer the questions when the victims... are only waiting for one thing: the truth," he said.

The blaze at Le Constellation, a bar in the upmarket Alpine resort, broke out in the early hours of January 1 as people celebrated the New Year.

A total of 41 people -- most of them teenagers -- were killed and another 115 were injured in the disaster.

Nine people are under criminal investigation in the case.

They include the bar's French owners, husband and wife Jacques and Jessica Moretti, who face charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.

They have twice been questioned at length by public prosecutors and lawyers for the civil parties.

Nicola Meier, a lawyer for the Morettis, said he was "surprised" by the former fire safety official remaining silent, while noting that "it is his right" to do so.

"The Morettis... have never refused to answer a single question. They have always been fully cooperative, and that remains the case today and will continue to be," Meier told AFP.

Crans-Montana is in Switzerland's southwestern Wallis canton and the hearings are taking place in the cantonal capital Sion.

Jacques Moretti was due to be questioned again on Tuesday but the hearing was postponed indefinitely on medical grounds.

Prosecutors believe the fire started when champagne bottles with sparklers attached were raised too close to the ceiling in the bar's basement level, igniting the sound insulation foam.

The municipality triggered outrage on January 6 when it revealed that no annual safety check had been carried out at the bar since 2019.

Crans-Montana Mayor Nicolas Feraud is due to face questioning in the coming days.

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(The Center Square) – Commercial ships will pass through the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday. 

Hegseth spoke alongside Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire of hostilities. President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire would suspend U.S. bombing in Iran while the countries negotiate a deal. 

The ceasefire announcement came after the Pakistani government submitted a two-week proposal that required Iran agreed to the "immediate and safe opening" of the Strait of Hormuz. 

Hegseth said the United States eliminated Iran's comprehensive air defense system, the defense industrial base and the majority of Iran's Navy. He praised Trump for sparing power plant and bridge targets in Iran. 

"President Trump had the power to cripple Iran's entire economy in minutes, but he chose mercy," Hegseth said. "He spared those targets because Iran accepted the ceasefire under overwhelming pressure."

He said the new Iranian regime willingly agreed to the ceasefire because of the United States' display of military power in the region. 

Hegseth said the U.S. military will continue to be around Iran to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire. 

"We'll stay put, stay vigilant," Hegseth said. "Our troops are prepared to defend, prepared to go on offense, prepared to restart at a moment's notice with whatever target package would be needed in order to comply." 

"Iran's letting ships go through," Hegseth said. "That will be happening, they will be sailing. We've done an incredible job militarily inside the Strait of Hormuz." 

Hegseth called on other countries to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz as Iran allows it to open up during the ceasefire. 

"It's time for the rest of the world to step up and ensure that that stays open, after President Trump and the War Department brought Iran to the place where they're voluntarily opening it right now," Hegseth said. 

"The Strait is open," he continued. "Our military is watching, sure their military is watching. But commerce will flow, and that's what you saw the markets react to."

The ceasefire agreed between Iran and the United States should bring some relief to a world economy that has been roiled since the start of hostilities on February 28, even if not all sectors will rebound at the same pace.  

- Oil prices - 

The ceasefire sent oil prices tumbling, with the main international contracts falling below $100 a barrel. 

That should bring relief for retail customers at the pump, where surging petrol prices in recent weeks have forced many countries to take measures to reduce consumption and protect the most vulnerable. 

In France, fuel prices could fall by "5 to 10 cents" per litre "very quickly," Olivier Gantois, president of the French Union of Petroleum Industries (Ufip), told AFP.

- Opening of Hormuz - 

Two ships, one Greek-owned and the other flying the Liberian flag, have already transited the Strait of Hormuz since Iran agreed to reopen the strategic waterway, through which approximately 20 percent of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes. 

But the Strait "remains subject to coordination with Iranian armed forces, suggesting continued Iranian control and influence," the risk management group Vanguard said. "As such, conditions are likely to remain controlled and potentially restrictive." 

Niels Rasmussen, chief analyst for the shipping association Bimco, said "I doubt there will be a large influx of ships" into the Gulf.

"Many ships have already sailed to other regions and they do not want to risk being trapped after the two-week window closes," he said.

- Skies remain restricted - 

For the moment, Iraq is the only country in the region to have announced a complete reopening of its airspace.

The United Arab Emirates and Qatar, whose Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha hubs handle large quantities of long-haul flights, have maintained many restrictions. 

Furthermore, the return to normal jet fuel supplies for the aviation sector will take "several months given the disruptions to refining capacity", warned IATA, the world's leading airline association. 

Therefore, "the most immediate lever" for airlines to preserve their operating margins is to "pass on the increased costs to ticket prices".

- Lasting fuel disruptions - 

Even with falling oil prices, there will not soon be more physical supply passing through the Strait of Hormuz, given widespread damage to oil and gas infrastructure throughout the Gulf.

"Restarting oilfields and fixing damaged infrastructure is a gradual process, and producers will be cautious about ramping up output without reliable export routes," said Simone Tagliapietra, a fellow at Europe's Bruegel institute.

"Seventy-five energy plants have been attacked and damaged and more than a third of them are seriously or very seriously affected. Recovery will take a long time," Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), told French daily Le Figaro in an interview published Tuesday.

- Uncertain economic effects - 

Stock markets soared and European government borrowing rates plummeted on news of the ceasefire. 

"If we quickly return (to February levels), the macroeconomic impact and the impact on budgets won't be very significant, I'd say almost negligible," Claudia Panseri, chief investment officer at UBS Wealth Management France, told AFP. 

"If, however, in two weeks, we find ourselves in a situation where there is no agreement, if the price of oil rises back to $100 a barrel, and if gas remains at high levels," the impact on inflation and growth will be more pronounced, Panseri said.

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The BBC breached its own editorial standards by broadcasting a racial slur during the BAFTA awards ceremony, an internal probe found Wednesday.

The finding follows a "fast-tracked" investigation ordered by former Director-General Tim Davie into the "serious mistake" that saw the racist slur aired during the event in late February.

Tourette's sufferer John Davidson, who inspired one of the winning films, later said he was "deeply mortified" after shouting the N-word at the London film and television awards ceremony, which he said was caused by an "involuntary tic".

According to the investigation report, there was a "lack of clarity" among staff handling the broadcast, which was aired slightly later than the start of the ceremony, about whether the N-word was audible on the recording.

"This resulted in there being a delay before a decision was taken to remove the recording from iPlayer," it said, adding this did not happen until around 9:30am the following day.

"This delay was a serious mistake, because there could be no certainty that the word would be inaudible to all viewers," it added.

The incident was the latest in a string of controversies to hit the BBC.

In June 2025 during the BBC's Glastonbury festival coverage, staff failed to pull a livestream of a performance by Bob Vylan after the punk-rap duo's frontman led the crowds in an anti-Israel chant.

The BBC later apologised and said it would no longer live-broadcast musical performances it deemed to be "high risk".

In another damaging episode, Davie left the BBC last week after resigning in November over the editing of a documentary about US President Donald Trump.

The president has filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC over the edit for its flagship current affairs programme "Panorama".

Trump alleges the editing of his January 6, 2021 speech made it appear that he had explicitly urged supporters to attack the Capitol, where lawmakers were certifying Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 election victory.

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Nearly 70 young Thai men sat on flimsy plastic chairs, faces tense as they waited to draw their fate from a jar -- an annual ritual deciding whether they will serve in the military.

The conscription lottery, held across Thailand each April, has taken on added weight this year following several rounds of border clashes with Cambodia that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians on both sides.

A fragile ceasefire has held since December, but tensions persist along parts of the two countries' disputed 800-kilometre frontier.

At a temple on the outskirts of Bangkok on Tuesday, nervous chatter rippled through the crowd of potential recruits, as family members hovered nearby, watching uniformed soldiers oversee the draw.

One by one, the men aged between 18 and 29 stepped forward to pick a card from a jar placed before them.

The outcome can only go two ways: a black card means exemption from military service, while red signals conscription.

Among the first to draw a black card, Jessada Charoenkhao, 21, threw his arms joyfully into the air after learning he would not be drafted.

"I just want to live like a normal young person and be free," he told AFP.

Military service might benefit others by instilling discipline, he added, "but it's just not for me".

- Nationalism and career options -

For the capital's Bang Sue district alone, the military required 36 recruits across the army, navy and air force during this year's enlistment period, a military official told AFP -- a figure that fluctuates every year depending on needs.

Fifteen had already volunteered, leaving 21 places to be filled by lottery among the 68 eligible men present.

Nationwide, nearly 30,000 men have volunteered for military service this year, a jump of almost 50 percent from 2024, according to the army.

Some observers attribute the increase to rising nationalism following last year's clashes with Cambodia as well as limited job prospects.

"The rise of nationalism in Thailand could be a factor, while a career in the military may be seen as stable when economic opportunities are uncertain," political analyst Yuttaporn Issarachai told AFP.

Those conscripted serve for two years, though university graduates may serve a reduced term of one year, and volunteers serve for six months.

They receive a monthly salary of about 11,000 baht ($340) -- slightly above Thailand's minimum wage -- with food and accommodation provided.

Men who have not completed three years of compulsory military training in high school must report for the draw, though exemptions can be requested annually for personal reasons like illness and caring for family.

Before taking part, men must pass a physical examination, including meeting a minimum height requirement of 160 centimetres (five feet three inches).

One military staff member measured a topless man's chest with a tape measure, while another checked a recruit's height using a wooden measuring stick.

- 'Honourable' -

Some families arrived in the early morning, watching from the sidelines and waiting hours for the moment of truth.

Taweepong Boonliang, a motorbike delivery driver, stood with shaking knees as he waited for his 21-year-old nephew's turn.

"He doesn't want to join (the military) because he has to work and take care of his partner," Taweepong said.

The uncle added that he favoured a voluntary military system and increased benefits for soldiers, since "many people now want to join the military".

Some men who drew red cards slumped in visible disappointment, covering their faces, while one shouted in frustration. Others accepted their fate with quiet composure.

Chakrit Kaewkum, a 21-year-old working part-time at a supermarket, remained steady as he stepped forward to register after drawing a red card.

"I am OK with either outcome -- I leave it to fate. It's not that difficult as it's only two years," he told AFP.

His mother Sawang Jaithum looked on with pride.

"For a man in Thailand," she said, "I think it's honourable."

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Tens of thousands of intimate images of women have been traded without the subjects' consent in Telegram groups and channels, researchers said Wednesday, calling for the platform to combat the practice.

Campaign group AI Forensics said it found almost 25,000 active users in a six-week study of Spanish and Italian groups who were sharing images such as unclothed women, often exchanged for cash.

The researchers tracked more than 80,000 files shared across 16 Telegram channels between December 2025 and February 2026.

Almost 75 percent of them were photos, with 25 percent video files and one percent audio recordings.

The files were "mostly sexually explicit," AI Forensics told AFP, with some including images of teenage girls.

Some of the pictures and videos were real images, while others were "deepfakes" generated with AI tools.

The study's authors also found that participants in the Telegram groups were engaged in practices including "doxxing" -- revealing personal information -- or coordinated harassment campaigns.

Some members called for the women depicted to be raped, or discussed sexual images of children.

Many of the images being shared in the groups came from other platforms including TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat.

"Social media platforms or other messaging apps function as sources of raw material, while Telegram appears to serve as a hub for the organisation, amplification, and circulation of abusive content," the authors wrote.

They criticised Telegram for its failure to prevent the groups persisting on its platform.

"During the observation period, several groups were shut down by Telegram only to reopen under the same names just a few hours later, suggesting that Telegram's moderation mechanisms are insufficient," the authors said.

"All the groups were active" at the time of writing the report, AI Forensics told AFP.

They highlighted that Telegram combines privacy features such as end-to-end encryption, in which only the sender and addressee of messages can read them, with mass distribution capabilities -- including the ability for channel operators to charge subscriptions or one-off fees to access their content.

This was "shaping the conditions under which abusive behaviour can develop with a relatively high sense of security and impunity," the authors said.

AI Forensics called on the European Union to classify Telegram as a "very large online platform" (VLOP), which would subject it to stricter oversight under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Telegram told AFP that "sharing non-consensual intimate images, including pornographic deepfakes, is strictly forbidden by Telegram's terms of use".

It said its "moderation systems are more effective to prevent mass distribution of harmful content than those of the currently designated VLOPs".

The platform's co-founder, Russian-born Pavel Durov, was arrested in France in 2024 and is under formal investigation by French authorities.

He has denied allegations of complicity in running an online platform that allowed illicit transactions, images of child sex abuse and other illegal content.

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Indian action movie "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" has swept domestic box-office records as the highest-earning Bollywood Hindi-language film, its producers said Wednesday, and is vying for other top spots.

Beloved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the high-octane and violent movie is the second chapter in the tale of an undercover Indian intelligence agent in arch-enemy Pakistan.

Decried as chest-thumping nationalism by critics, it has been lapped up by its many fans.

It is the first Hindi film -- and only the third Indian movie -- to cross the landmark 10 billion-rupee ($108 million) mark in domestic takings, achieving the feat after 18 days.

It has also become the the highest-grossing Indian film in North America, the first to exceed $25 million in takings.

"Dhurandhar has become a massive cinematic phenomenon," said veteran film distributor Raj Bansal. "I have been in the film business for about four decades now, and the frenzy for this film has amazed me."

Starring Ranveer Singh and directed by Aditya Dhar, the sequel to the 2025 blockbuster "Dhurandhar" -- shot simultaneously -- jumped to box-office success since its March 19 release.

The nearly four-hour long film has grossed over 160 billion rupees worldwide, according to its film producer Jio Studios.

- 'Hooting and screaming' -

Heavily-muscled star Singh has been a particular draw, with Bansal describing wild scenes in the cinema as the long-haired action hero battles his enemies on screen.

"Middle-aged women watched the first day, first show, despite knowing about hardcore violence and brutal action in it," he said.

"There is a lot of hooting and screaming in theatres."

French President Emmanuel Macron used the film's title track in a social media video during his India visit. 

But in domestic takings it remains third behind two Telugu-language hits -- the 2017 epic "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion" and 2024 action drama "Pushpa 2: The Rule".

It remains well behind the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, the 2016 Hindi-language wrestling drama "Dangal", which enjoyed enormous popularity in neighbouring China, pushing its worldwide earnings above 200 billion rupees.

But while the film continues a strong run, maintaining high daily numbers into its third week, trade analysts suggest it will not overtake "Dangal", "Baahubali 2" or "Pushpa 2".

Still, some producers have pushed their film releases to wait for the box office queues for "Dhurandhar" to die down.

"Nobody is daring to face the film," said Bansal.

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran on Wednesday but said US President Donald Trump's threat to destroy Iran's civilian infrastructure had not been "appropriate".

Trump had warned that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" if Iran failed to meet his deadline for a deal.

Asked about the comments on Sky News Australia, Albanese said: "I don't think it's appropriate to use language such as that from the president of the United States, and I think it will cause some concern."

But he welcomed news that the United States and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire, barely an hour before Trump's deadline expired.

"What we have called for is a de-escalation, and that is what has occurred, and that's a good thing," the Australian leader said.

"This is positive news. We've been calling for a de-escalation for some time. We want to see a resolution of the conflict."

Tehran said it would temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz and cast the ceasefire as a victory after more than a month of attacks by the United States and Israel.

Iran has effectively closed the strait since US-Israeli strikes on February 28 sparked a larger regional conflict, causing global oil and gas prices to soar.

Speaking to national broadcaster ABC, Australia's top diplomat Penny Wong also condemned Trump's remarks.

"I don't think anyone should be threatening the destruction of a civilisation," she said.

Australia, reliant on imported fuel and holding roughly 39 days' supply of petrol, has been hit hard by the global impact of the war.

"The damage that is happening to the global economy, to global energy markets, means that the world does need this ceasefire to hold," Wong said.

She also rejected the Israeli government's claims the ceasefire did not apply to Lebanon, where Israel's attacks in recent weeks have killed more than 1,500 people and displaced over a million, according to Lebanese authorities.

"The world expects the ceasefire to apply to the region," Wong said.

Having initially backed US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Albanese said last week the original aims of the war had been met and it was not clear what more remained to be achieved.

Canberra has sought to soften the impact of soaring prices by cutting petrol taxes.

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Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez vowed on Tuesday to "monitor" the application of an amnesty law aimed at freeing political prisoners jailed under former leader Nicolas Maduro.

The interim leader said she would keep an eye on the amnesty law in order to address the opposition's "extremism," which she said was inciting "conflict" in the country.

The law was passed in February by Rodriguez under pressure from Washington, after US forces captured Maduro and took him to New York to face drug trafficking charges that he denies.

One of the most significant reforms championed by Rodriguez, it aims to turn the page on nearly three decades of state repression, but has been criticised by human rights organizations as being selectively applied.

"More than 8,000 people have benefited" from amnesty, Rodriguez said in a televised speech.

"Don't think that we don't know" that "people who have benefited and continue to benefit from this amnesty law... are currently fomenting conflict," Rodriguez said in her address at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas.

"It is therefore important that we monitor the implementation of the amnesty law."

"I'm not excluding anyone. I am simply saying that we need to monitor the situation to ensure that the opportunity we're providing to address extremism and radicalism can truly, truly help resolve these issues and secure the future," she added.

Around 700 political prisoners have been freed under the law, but between 500 and 700 remain behind bars, according to humans right organizations. Some groups say the law is being unfairly applied by judges accused of supporting the government.

The law excludes those accused of involvement in alleged coups and assassination attempts. 

Opposition figures such as activist Javier Tarazona, one of the country's most prominent dissidents, and Perkins Rocha, legal advisor to Nobel Peace Prize laureate and longtime opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, have been excluded from its scope.

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