Gulf Edge and Cognizant have announced a strategic partnership to accelerate AI technology adoption across Thailand and support the country's transition to an AI-native economy. According to Sarasodet Ratanawadi, CEO of Gulf Development Public Company Limited (GULF), this collaboration merges Gulf Edge's strengths in digital infrastructure, energy, cloud services, and strategic business partnerships with Cognizant's global expertise in AI, digital engineering, cloud modernization, data management, and intelligent operations. The partnership will deliver end-to-end AI solutions spanning infrastructure, platforms, enterprise applications, system integration, and professional managed services.

The initial phase targets AI adoption in critical sectors including finance and banking, energy, healthcare, telecommunications, manufacturing, and government agencies with industry-specific solutions designed to improve operational efficiency, enhance customer experience, and enable data-driven decision-making. Beyond enterprise transformation, Gulf Edge and Cognizant aim to position Thailand as a regional AI hub by attracting global technology talent, spurring investment in advanced digital infrastructure, and creating high-value employment opportunities in engineering, data science, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and digital transformation.

Both companies plan to collaborate with academic institutions, research centers, technology partners, and government agencies to develop AI talent, promote responsible technology adoption, and build a sustainable innovation ecosystem for Thailand's future growth and competitiveness.

Residents rejected from the 2025 state welfare card program are struggling with the appeals process and calling on the government to improve rice prices and create stable livelihoods instead of offering just 300 baht monthly. On July 23, 2025, villagers continued to arrive at Chainat Province's transport office seeking vehicle registration documents to support their appeals, voicing frustration that initial eligibility criteria were not clearly communicated and policies lack clarity.

One appellants urged the government to survey and explain conditions upfront and show more compassion for working poor families. Khun Kung, a resident from Nang Lue subdistrict in Muang district, Chainat province, revealed she traveled to appeal her rejection despite owning two motorcycles, one over 15 years old. She expressed frustration that villagers' voices go unheard and said the 300 baht stipend is insufficient—she would prefer stable employment support or better rice prices.

Khun Kung noted that the initial registration process was cumbersome, and after completing it, residents thought they were done. She stressed that any eligibility restrictions should have been explained from the start. She expressed disappointment that the policy is inconsistent, people are suddenly disqualified without warning, and living costs—even 500 baht per province—are inadequate. The 300 baht assistance is unhelpful when it requires navigating complicated appeals.

At Parliament on July 23, Rangsiman Rom, a People's Party list MP and chair of the House's legal, justice, and human rights committee, announced that his committee had convened a meeting to investigate the mysterious death of 'Nong May,' a military preparatory school student, which occurred in 2017. The meeting brought together officials from the Royal Thai Police, provincial and metropolitan police stations, the Military Preparatory School, the Institute of Forensic Science, the Attorney General of the Supreme Court of Justice, and the victim's parents.

Rom stated this was the first such meeting and expressed hope it would lead to answers in what he called an "epic tragedy." The victim's family has waited eight to nine years for justice, and the case requires investigation into the cause of death, identification of responsible parties, and prosecution of those at fault. Remarkably, a police officer involved in an assault in this case was convicted and sentenced by the Supreme Military Court but continues to serve in the police force with a normal life.

Rom noted that the military prosecutor's office issued a no-prosecution order, and the committee does not understand the reasoning. Today's meeting will question the Attorney General's office about the decision. Additionally, the matter of missing organs following the autopsy remains under investigation by Bangkok Metropolitan Police Station but has seen no progress in six years. Rom emphasized that while the Nong May case has received significant public attention, the justice system has stalled, and questioned whether a family of the deceased could truly expect justice given the lack of progress.

Saudi Arabia has accepted Thailand's proposal to postpone enforcement of the Saudi GAP standard until March 17, 2027, allowing Thai poultry farms undergoing certification to continue exporting under specified conditions. Agriculture Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit announced the extension will reduce the impact on exporters and maintain continuity of Thailand's poultry shipments to the kingdom.

The success resulted from continued follow-up and negotiations by the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACFS) working with the Department of Livestock. They promoted the issue through bilateral discussions with Saudi Arabia and in World Trade Organization forums on sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS) and technical barriers to trade (TBT), as well as through diplomatic channels, ultimately securing the relaxation and timeline extension.

Saudi GAP is a new requirement mandating that poultry farms exporting to Saudi Arabia undergo additional inspection and certification. The latest discussions confirmed that Thai farms seeking certification may continue exporting using import permits issued before the measure took effect.

Saudi Arabia is a major poultry importer, averaging over 570,000 tons annually. In 2568, Thailand exported approximately 100 tons of chicken to Saudi Arabia, valued at roughly 8 million baht. While current export volumes remain modest, Saudi Arabia represents a high-potential market and a gateway to the Middle East and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members, whose food and agricultural imports are rising steadily. This relaxation preserves existing markets while creating opportunities for Thailand to expand exports to the Middle East long-term.

Minister Suriya emphasized that the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives will continue opening markets for Thai agricultural and food products while addressing trade barriers with partner countries to create new opportunities and enhance Thai exporters' global competitiveness.

Businesses or interested parties seeking more information about Saudi GAP standards and poultry product exports to Saudi Arabia can contact the Agricultural and Food Commodity Standards Policy Division at the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACFS) at aseanchina.acfs@gmail.com.

Tokyo is caught in an unexpected online firestorm after the local government launched a campaign encouraging employees to dress more casually during summer to cope with extreme heat and humidity. The initiative backfired when some female office workers complained that male colleagues wearing shorts and exposing leg hair made them uncomfortable at work.

The controversy gave rise to a new Japanese internet term, "sunehara" (from "sune," meaning leg hair, and "harassment"), used to describe discomfort or annoyance at having to see male coworkers' leg hair in the office.

Since April, Japan has faced intense heat and high humidity, prompting Tokyo's government to expand its Cool Biz program, which encourages employees to dress more casually—wearing t-shirts, sneakers, or shorts instead of traditional suits and ties—to mitigate the effects of rising temperatures. Noboru Watanabe, a Tokyo environment official, told the BBC that the program's goal is to expand clothing options suited to weather conditions, not to mandate any particular dress code. He emphasized that as long as clothing does not create discomfort for others, it should not be an issue. However, what counts as "inappropriate" has proven open to wide interpretation.

A June survey by Gorilla Clinic, a men's beauty clinic in Japan, found that 53.5% of respondents opposed wearing shorts to work, while 46.5% supported it. The main concerns among those opposed centered on body shape and body hair, with most respondents being women who said they were unaccustomed to seeing male coworkers expose their leg hair in the workplace.

The controversy has also affected men, with some beginning to remove their leg hair out of concern about others' gazes. Akifumi Funantsu, director of Gorilla Clinic, revealed that they have seen an increase in male customers seeking laser hair removal services. Many cite not just aesthetic reasons but describe it as a "social courtesy" when wearing shorts to work, as they do not want to make coworkers uncomfortable.

On July 23, 2026, at the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Police Hospital, Paveena Hongsukul, chairman of the Paveena Foundation, accompanied the parents of the deceased newborn to receive the body and hear preliminary autopsy results. This followed a complaint filed by the Paveena Foundation against a state hospital in Ang Thong province for hosting a Chinese banquet with five tables in a pediatric ICU room where approximately five newborns were present, including the parents' own child who had undergone cesarean delivery five days earlier and had elevated pulmonary pressure. Doctors had assured the family the baby was safe.

However, the hospital later held the Chinese banquet in the sterile pediatric ICU, with servers entering to serve food without any protective measures or face masks. The day after the banquet on July 21, 2026, the infant died. The parents were concerned about the cause of death, as they noticed a collapsed area on the right side of the skull and a rotating left ankle bone. A doctor told the mother "the infant contracted a new bloodstream infection," but the hospital's death certificate stated the cause of death as "elevated pulmonary pressure." The hospital did not notify police to conduct an autopsy but instead urged the parents to quickly have the infant's body cremated.

The mother recounted that after undergoing cesarean delivery early on July 17, 2026, a nurse was preparing to take her to a recovery room when the infant was placed in an incubator due to abnormal breathing. Around midnight, the father was called to see the doctor, who explained that the infant was breathing faster than normal and would need an oral breathing tube to assist respiration. The father agreed to sign the treatment consent form.

On the morning of July 17 at 10:00 a.m., the pediatric ICU called to summon the mother to her child. The ICU doctor informed her that the infant had stopped breathing and had been resuscitated and was beginning to turn blue. The doctor reported elevated pulmonary pressure requiring close monitoring. On July 19, the mother was discharged and returned home to rest.

On July 20 at approximately 11:00 a.m., she visited the child at the hospital and met with the attending physician, who reported the infant's condition had improved, the pulmonary pressure medication had been reduced, and the respiratory assistance would be gradually withdrawn. If the condition continued to improve, the child would be transferred to a children's hospital, though transfer was not currently possible. Around 1:30 p.m., after the parents returned from shopping for supplies, they discovered the pediatric ICU director, nurses, and medical staff sitting and eating at five tables of a Chinese banquet inside the pediatric ICU, set up next to their child's incubator with only a thin transparent curtain separating them.

When the mother tried to approach her child, a nurse shouted at her in a harsh tone and told her that visiting was not convenient today due to the banquet. The mother asked the ICU nurse supervisor whether such an event could be held in this room. The attending doctor responded that there would be no infection risk because the infant was in a sterile incubator, but the mother observed servers for the Chinese banquet walking in to serve food in close proximity to the incubator without wearing any masks or protective equipment whatsoever.

On the morning of July 21, 2026, at approximately 9:14 a.m., the pediatric ICU nurse called the father and reported that the infant's condition had become critical during the night and urged both parents to come immediately. At around 10:00 a.m., the attending physician informed them that the infant's heart had been resuscitated once before. The doctor then spoke privately with the father and stated that the infant had contracted a new bloodstream infection, as the infant's heart rate had slowed. The doctor examined the infant for 45 minutes, then informed the parents that the infant had died and rushed to have the body removed from the ICU for transport to a cremation facility. A nurse later called to ask if they would cremate the body.