The Heliconia Food Festival 2026 Carnival edition drew massive crowds on opening day as food enthusiasts flocked to sample dishes prepared by over 70 celebrity chefs from major Thai cooking competition shows including MasterChef Thailand, Hell's Kitchen Thailand, Top Chef Thailand, Iron Chef Thailand, and Restaurant War Street King Thailand. The festival is organized into themed zones, each featuring signature dishes from the participating chefs and a diverse range of international cuisines—Thai, Chinese, Japanese, French, American, and more—with both savory and sweet options plus beverages. The atmosphere has been electric with fans lining up to taste the chefs' signature menus, enjoying carnival-themed photo opportunities and various activities. Beyond the food itself, attendees have been captivated by a sales competition among the chefs, with results displayed to generate excitement. The Heliconia Food Festival Carnival continues through August 12, 2026, at CentralWorld's front plaza, with updates and special activities available on Facebook at Heliconia H Group.

In the first five months of 2025, Thailand exported pet food valued at 1.425 billion US dollars (44.847 billion baht), up 5.15 percent year-on-year. The United States remains Thailand's largest export market, accounting for 30.22 percent of total pet food exports at 430.84 million dollars, followed by Japan (157.85 million dollars, 11.07 percent), Australia (76.55 million dollars, 5.37 percent), Italy (72.63 million dollars, 5.09 percent), and Germany (65.72 million dollars, 4.61 percent). For the full year 2024, Thailand exported pet food worth 3.276 billion dollars (107.47 billion baht), up 8.15 percent from 2023, maintaining its position as the world's second-largest pet food exporter with a 10.2 percent global market share, behind Germany at 12.1 percent.

Rapidly growing markets in the first five months include France (up 101.46 percent), New Zealand (36.69 percent), the United Kingdom (36.01 percent), Germany (32.25 percent), Australia (25.71 percent), India (19.08 percent), Japan (12.14 percent), and Malaysia (9.12 percent), indicating opportunities in both high-income and rising purchasing-power Asian markets. Nanthapong noted that the key global market trend is "healthy pet–affordable premium" products, where consumers seek high-quality, health-beneficial pet food but also prioritize value, affordability, and clear nutritional benefits amid rising living costs. This presents opportunities for Thai manufacturers to develop premium pet food at accessible prices using Thailand's strengths in raw materials, processing expertise, food safety standards, and market-responsive production. Growth opportunities exist in high-protein formulas, vitamin and mineral supplements, immunity-boosting products, digestive-friendly food, senior pet nutrition, cat-specific formulas, and natural or health-claim products, requiring investment in R&D and supply chain verification.

On August 3, Chachoengsao Provincial Police conducted an extended interrogation of 24-year-old Chatchanan, known as 'Fluke,' one of several suspects in a triple homicide and body-concealment case. The Pattaya Provincial Court authorized his release for additional questioning as investigators pursue multiple leads, including reports that the suspect group may be connected to similar crimes elsewhere.

Throughout questioning, Chatchanan maintained that he was involved only in the three-victim family murder and denied involvement in other cases, claiming he is the brother-in-law of another suspect named Ball and was deceived into participating. He showed visible signs of distress and cried repeatedly during interrogation.

Police selected Chatchanan for intensive questioning because they believe him to be the most vulnerable suspect and potentially a source of valuable information. He is also the only suspect able to drive a manual transmission vehicle, which investigators determined was used to transport the victims' bodies to a coconut plantation before the murders and burial.

Authorities are investigating claims that the gang leader, known as 'Pong,' may have committed similar crimes against another victim in Ban Chang district, Rayong in early July, but investigation has found no evidence or witnesses supporting that allegation.

During detention, a tattoo was noted on the back of Chatchanan's neck bearing the phrase 'Demon of Power is Our Thought.'

Following questioning, police will return Chatchanan to Pattaya Provincial Court before transferring him to Pattaya Special Prison for further legal proceedings. The search and recovery operation, which took four days and involved foundation rescue teams, concluded successfully with the recovery of all five bodies. The foundation will arrange transport of the remains to Chachoengsao province for religious rites, expected to occur the following day.

On August 3, a video posted by a popular Facebook page showed a young man on a motorcycle chasing and confronting a female driver at a red light traffic junction. After shouting challenges at the woman and her friends inside the car, he struck the vehicle and broke its windows. The incident allegedly began when the motorcyclist was straddling two lanes while apparently intoxicated, and the female driver honked her horn as a warning. Enraged by the horn, the man pursued her aggressively, spat at her, and when they stopped at a traffic light, he and his companions challenged her to exit the vehicle. When she refused, they smashed both side-view mirrors and fled the scene. The female driver, however, had recorded clear footage of the suspect's face and license plate from every angle. What made the incident particularly notable was that the targeted vehicle was not an ordinary car but a Mercedes-AMG C43 4MATIC Coupe Special Edition—a model with only 120 units produced for Thailand. The specific color variant, Spectral Blue, exists in just 18 examples nationwide, with a launch price of 4.49 million baht. Repairs for such rare limited-edition parts are expected to be extraordinarily expensive.

PHUKET: Plans to expand the role of Phuket’s main fish market and improve facilities at the island’s fishing port were outlined during a visit by Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Piyarat Tiyapairat on Saturday (Aug 1).

Lawyer Phatthrapong Suphakson, known as 'Lawyer On' from Buriram, has acknowledged knowing a person with the same surname who was convicted and imprisoned for 16 years on drug trafficking charges. The controversy arose when authorities began investigating a lawyer in the northeastern region with an identical surname to the politically active lawyer, after discovering that the convicted person had allegedly used a name-change document to apply for a law license. In a personal video on July 29, 2025, Lawyer On responded forcefully to deny being that person, and in an interview on July 31, he provided a timeline of his life, stating he was a high school student in 1999, attended Ramkhamhaeng University from 2001-2004, then went to Australia, and returned in 2006. He served as a soldier in 2007 and became a lawyer in 2009. When pressed on whether he knows the person with the same surname, Lawyer On admitted that yes, the person received a 16-year sentence according to the justice process, but insisted the matter is not his concern and that he is not involved in politics. He challenged critics to identify the person by name and argued that if society believes he is that person, it reflects poorly on his character given his background and commitment to upholding the law. A justice sector source confirmed that the drug conviction involved sentences from courts in Buriram, Sisaket, and Phrae, with case numbers 2538/2542 and 938/2544. Bar Association leadership has expressed displeasure with Lawyer On's July 29 video and is preparing to review his conduct for potential disciplinary action.