On July 9, 2026, Surapong Intrathaweorn, secretary-general of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), announced that the NACC board had found sufficient evidence of wrongdoing against Rajana Kalpatinant during her tenure as mayor of Ubon Ratchathani Municipality, along with associates. The case involves splitting road construction and improvement projects worth 43.22 million baht in fiscal year 2006 into 26 separate contracts of no more than 2 million baht each, designed to avoid competitive bidding and ensure unfair price competition.

Investigations revealed that during December 2005 to January 2006, Kriang Kalpatinant, then a provincial legislator and Rajana's husband, ordered municipality advisor Veera Vasuthada and engineering department staff to survey and design the road projects and break them into segments with individual project budgets not exceeding 2 million baht. This was intended to circumvent the competitive bidding requirement.

Rajana subsequently approved designs for 26 projects totaling 43.22 million baht and submitted them to the Department of Local Administration in two separate batches in January 2006—first 11 projects (18.71 million baht) and then 15 projects (24.51 million baht)—deliberately separating projects on the same roads to avoid joint submission.

Kriang coordinated budget allocation with the Department of Local Administration and regularly intervened in municipal affairs. Before the budget allocation reached the municipality, Kriang instructed Veera to oversee the bidding process and prepare procurement documents. Once budget allocation was received, the municipality immediately sought approval for sealed-bid procurement.

Kriang and his brother Kan Kalpatinant sought to ensure their company, Ubon Montri Construction Partnership—owned by Kan and his daughter Rattika Kalpatinant—or other companies controlled by their associates would be awarded contracts. They coordinated to distribute projects among their own businesses and allied firms to secure contracts with the municipality. On February 17, 2006, Ubon Ratchathani Municipality received the budget allocation notice.

On July 9, 2025, at Parliament, Senator Pisit Abhiwatpongpong, serving as secretary of the Senate's special committee, responded to criticism from the Pheu Thai Party over a Facebook post that claimed the government and Senate had voted to approve an amnesty bill excluding Article 112 charges and election-related offenses. Although Pheu Thai later edited the post, Pisit questioned whether such messaging qualifies as fake news, noting that the matter had already been discussed in the House of Representatives and the Senate acted according to proper procedure.

Pisit emphasized that Pheu Thai, as Thailand's second-largest party, should maintain higher standards when posting on its own platform. He stated he wanted to provide final clarification on this matter, as he was exhausted by repeatedly answering questions about alleged Senate favoritism in the amnesty bill.

"Senate members are not opportunists," Pisit declared. "Even if we face accusations today, we remain legally qualified senators. We have not been indicted, and we have no need to amend laws to benefit ourselves. Most Senate members reject self-serving legislation. We absolutely will not do this."

Regarding Article 112 protections, Pisit explained that senators deliberately excluded youth from amnesty provisions. The reasoning, he said, was simple: if youth were exempted from defamation charges, certain ideological groups could exploit this to teach young people to disrespect state institutions. He expressed deep concern about youth being drawn into anti-establishment movements, particularly since 2019.

"We must separate politics from governance institutions," Pisit stressed. "Yet some factions try to blur these lines. Without clear legislation, people will use loopholes to indoctrinate youth into institutional disrespect. We have grown tired of endless color-coded political conflicts for twenty years. Thailand's economy suffers because foreign investors hesitate to commit amid political turmoil. Today, we must join hands and move forward."

French coach Didier Deschamps revealed that FIFA has rejected France's appeal against the yellow card issued to Michael Olise, though he expressed confidence in the referee's decision.

Olise, one of the tournament's standout players, received the yellow card in the final minutes of France's 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16.

Replay footage showed minimal contact when Olise touched a Paraguayan player's mouth with his finger, while the opponent fell to the ground claiming a facial strike.

With FIFA upholding the card, Olise now faces a precarious situation—a second yellow against Morocco would result in a suspension for the potential semifinal against Spain or Belgium.

"The yellow card remains as is. We were notified by FIFA this morning, and the card stands," Deschamps told reporters.

Deschamps also addressed the all-Argentine refereeing team assigned to the France-Morocco match, saying "I have no control over referee appointments—I can only try to trust the officials."

"Various decisions often spark debate depending on which side you're on, but our opponent is Morocco. I cannot view the referee as an adversary," he added.

A tragic fatal accident occurred at 9 a.m. on July 9, 2025, when a motorcycle was struck and crushed by a purple Mitsubishi truck near a cement plant on Sukpreayur Road in Phan Thong district, Chachoengsao province. Police from Phan Thong Station and rescue workers from Thammarasmi Foundation arrived at the scene to find a blue Yamaha Mio motorcycle wedged under the truck, severely damaged.

The victim, identified as 69-year-old Ms. Somjit (surname withheld by request), was found dead trapped beneath the truck with severe crush injuries. The truck driver, 39-year-old Mr. Krishnakam (surname withheld), explained that he was driving toward the cement plant entrance when a bus in front of him moved aside. As he turned to follow, he heard a sound like running over something, stopped his truck, and discovered the motorcycle and victim trapped underneath. He immediately called authorities.

When the victim's husband arrived at the scene and saw his wife's body pinned under the truck, he collapsed in tears before embracing her. Police documented the scene, examined collision evidence, and interviewed the truck driver and witnesses. They will also review nearby CCTV footage to determine the exact cause of the accident. The victim's remains were taken for autopsy before being handed over to her family for religious rites.

SME D Bank and TikTok Thailand have signed a second memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance digital skills development and AI adoption among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) seeking to expand into online markets. Pichit Mitrawong, Managing Director of SME D Bank, and Chanida Klaiphan, Director of Public Policy for Southeast Asia at TikTok Thailand, signed the agreement to continue the "Building Skills and Developing SME Entrepreneurs for the Digital Era" program for an extended three-year period, following their initial partnership signed in 2567 (2024). The initiative was witnessed by Warawut Silpajacha, Minister of Industry, affirming the government's commitment to supporting SME digitalization.

Under this collaboration, both organizations will closely coordinate to provide comprehensive knowledge and expertise in digital business and marketing to SMEs through multiple training formats. These include exclusive workshops, specialized consulting services from TikTok Thailand experts, and 24-hour self-paced e-learning courses covering AI-powered business technology.

SMEs will also gain support in product presentation through content creators, influencers, and specialists in TikTok Shop, affiliate marketing, and live commerce—helping them reach target consumers more effectively and boost revenue streams. Additionally, participating entrepreneurs can access favorable financing at just 3% annual interest—fixed for the first three years—with loan amounts up to 30 million baht to strengthen liquidity and scale their operations for sustainable growth in today's rapidly changing marketplace.

The Constitutional Court began oral arguments and deliberation on July 9, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. regarding a royal decree (พ.ร.ก.) authorizing the Finance Ministry to borrow funds to address the energy crisis and advance the country's energy transition. The case was filed by 133 lawmakers—representing at least one-fifth of parliament—who contend the decree violates Constitution Article 172, Paragraph 1.

The court will issue its ruling via press release rather than a formal bench reading. Three possible outcomes are anticipated:

1. The court finds no constitutional violation, determining the energy crisis qualifies as an urgent emergency under Article 172. The decree would remain in effect, allowing the government to proceed immediately with borrowing and implementation. This outcome would prevent government stability concerns.

2. The court determines the circumstances do not meet the urgent emergency threshold and the matter should proceed through the normal legislative process (พ.ร.บ.). The decree would be invalidated, requiring the government to restart the process. This could damage government confidence and stability.

3. The court finds partial constitutional violations. Long-term energy projects may not qualify as urgent emergencies. The decree might be upheld only for emergency relief measures, while other components would require standard legislation. Some energy initiatives would proceed while others must follow the regular legislative pathway.

Media gathered at the Constitutional Court as observers, awaiting the decision.