New business registrations surged 143 percent year-on-year in July 2026, with total registered capital hitting 53.647 billion baht. Ban Pu Limited's 40.496 billion baht capital injection for energy business was the primary factor behind the spike.

According to Poonpong Naiyanakorn, director-general of the Department of Business Development, July saw 7,512 new business registrations, down 467 cases or 5.85 percent from June's 7,979 registrations, and down 198 cases or 2.57 percent from July 2025. Registered capital rose 38.416 billion baht or 252.23 percent from the previous month and increased 31.629 billion baht or 143.65 percent year-on-year.

In the first seven months of 2026, 52,285 new businesses registered, up 737 cases or 1.43 percent from the same period last year. Total registered capital reached 164.848 billion baht, down 6.310 billion baht or 3.69 percent.

Strongly growing sectors include online retail sales with 1,529 new registrations, up 53.21 percent; restaurants and food establishments with 2,492 registrations, up 17.66 percent; and clothing retail with 624 registrations, up 92.59 percent, reflecting growth in e-commerce and domestic consumption.

Business closures in July totaled 2,152 cases, up 22.27 percent from June and up 17.92 percent year-on-year, with registered capital of closed businesses at 6.776 billion baht, down 66.38 percent from the previous year.

In the first seven months, 9,176 businesses closed, up 13.72 percent from last year, with accumulated capital of 105.633 billion baht, up 108.35 percent.

As of July 31, 2026, Thailand had 2,102,362 registered legal entities with total capital of 32.69 trillion baht. Of these, 1,009,681 entities remain active with capital of 24.05 trillion baht. Services account for the largest share at 550,199 entities or 54.49 percent, followed by wholesale and retail at 330,788 entities or 32.76 percent, and manufacturing at 128,694 entities or 12.75 percent.

Meet Jinny Nattanicha Pratipnasiri, a top honors graduate from Chulalongkorn University who is pursuing her childhood dream of becoming an actress. The emerging starlet gained recognition for her role as Dr. Premnipha in the series "Poisonous Love" and is now nominated for Best Actress at the FEED x Khaosod Awards 2026.

Jinny was born on December 17, 2001, and has dreamed of acting since childhood. She discovered her passion for performing while dancing at school events and later pursued this dream at Chulalongkorn University, where she was a cheerleader and participated in various activities. Despite facing rejection at multiple auditions, she persisted in pursuing her career goals and applied her experiences to self-improvement.

She graduated from Chulalongkorn's School of Business Administration with top honors. Her breakthrough came when she was cast as Dr. Premnipha, nicknamed "Doctor Prem," in the sapphic series "Poisonous Love." The role marked a significant learning experience, helping her master blocking, camera angles, scene continuity, and emotional exchanges with fellow actors. Working alongside Jena Angelina Stevens proved instrumental in building her confidence.

Following "Poisonous Love," Jinny is now preparing for the new series "Lunar Secret," produced by NorthStar Entertainment, where she will reunite with Stevens. This role represents another opportunity to develop her craft and tackle more challenging characters.

In 2026, Jinny won the Rookie Female of the Year award at the Superstar Idol Awards in April and placed in the top 5 for Princess of Girls' Love at the Y Entertain Awards 2026. She is now among six nominees for Best Actress at the FEED x Khaosod Awards 2026, competing alongside Sonya Sarnpat, Becky Rebecca, Fai Pinya, Mabel Sirivali, and Lingling Sirilak.

The faculty of Thepsirin School in Nonthaburi invited a renowned local monk, Phra Ajarn Ot from Hoo Khang Temple in Bang Kruai District, to perform blessing ceremonies throughout the school buildings and classrooms for good fortune. The monk also performed blessings specifically for the teachers and staff who experienced the serious incident, offering them spiritual comfort and encouragement as they prepare to continue their duties. The school will officially reopen for in-person learning on Tuesday, September 1, 2569. The tragic incident occurred on August 17, 2569, when a Grade 9 student shot and killed his grandparents at their home, then brought a gun to school and fired at teachers and fellow students, causing multiple casualties and injuries.

Nattapong Ruengpanya, leader of the Pheu Thai Party, held a press conference on August 17, 2025, at the New Future Building to respond to allegations surrounding Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and an audio clip allegedly involving high-ranking officials. Nattapong clarified that the Senate election-buying case had nothing to do with the government's internal divisions and that Pheu Thai would investigate thoroughly regardless of future electoral outcomes. He emphasized that a no-confidence debate is a standard parliamentary procedure and that the party, as opposition, had presented clear evidence of an alleged vote-buying scheme, which evidence pointed to Bhumjaithai Party politicians. When asked if the party would drop the investigation if it won the next election, Nattapong said Pheu Thai would fulfill its opposition duties completely, as the evidence of wrongdoing was overwhelming and politicians should be accountable to Parliament. He confirmed the party was investigating all individuals involved, and evidence would point to those named in the petition awaiting an Election Commission decision on August 31. Responding to claims that the investigation started only after a rift with the ruling coalition and that an audio clip emerged at that time, Nattapong said Pheu Thai had been investigating the matter continuously, with evidence accumulating as whistleblowers within the alleged scheme provided information. He stated the growing body of evidence clearly tied the Bhumjaithai Party to an election-buying operation. When asked to identify who the audio clip mentioning high-ranking officials referred to, Nattapong declined, saying he was protecting his source and would not disclose names the same way. Regarding internal drama within the party, where some academics and analysts disagreed with calls from fellow legislator Ratchanok Srinok asking people to support institutions and not remain silent about the audio clip, Nattapong said that viewed broadly, Thailand's political system allows powerful groups certain freedoms.

NONTHABURI — 17 August 2026. Two people believed to be a husband and wife were found dead inside a house in Nonthaburi after a fire tore through the second floor late Sunday night, with authorities discovering petrol spread across parts of the property and a 20-litre fuel container near the stairs.

Police at Bang Si Mueang Police Station were alerted to the fire at about 00:30 on Monday at a two-storey detached house in a residential estate in Bang Si Mueang subdistrict, Mueang district. Firefighters from Bang Si Mueang and Bang Krang municipalities responded with three water trucks. When they arrived, flames were burning through the second floor of the roughly 80-square-wah property. Crews took more than 30 minutes to bring the fire under control.

After the flames were extinguished, officials found that the ground floor had not suffered significant fire damage, but petrol had apparently been poured across the floor. A 20-litre fuel container was found near the stairs leading to the second floor. The upstairs room was badly damaged by fire, with windows shattered by the heat. Inside a bedroom, rescuers found the bodies of two people lying on their backs on a bed. Both bodies were severely burned.

A charcoal stove that appeared to have been used was also found inside a bathroom, with only ashes remaining. Several cats were found dead throughout the house. Officials later said eight cats had died, while two surviving cats were taken to an animal hospital for treatment.

Tossaphon Fakpraphai, secretary to the mayor of Bang Si Mueang municipality, said firefighters encountered difficulties after entering the house because of the petrol. He said water sprayed during firefighting caused the fuel to flow with it, making it difficult for crews to reach the second floor.

A 24-year-old neighbour, identified only as Ping, said she initially heard what sounded like a heavy object falling before noticing smoke coming from the house. She said she first thought she had heard an explosion, but later realised the sound appeared to have been part of the ceiling near the parking area collapsing. Ping said neighbours smelled petrol and began calling firefighters, police and rescue services while attempting to contact the homeowners, but could not reach them.

She said security guards later arrived to assess the situation before a window near the burning room shattered due to the heat. According to Ping, the fire appeared to have started at around 23:50, initially producing only smoke before flames became visible. She said the two people living at the house were a married couple who lived there with several cats.

Officals initially determined that both victims died in the fire, but their identities could not immediately be confirmed because identification documents inside the home had been destroyed. Their bodies were sent to the Central Institute of Forensic Science for autopsies to determine the exact cause of death. Police said they would coordinate with the house owner to investigate the circumstances of the fire.

Anthony Hudson, head coach of the Thai national team, expressed satisfaction with guiding the squad through 10 consecutive matches without defeat and called for fans to give the players greater recognition.

At a press conference on August 17 at Rajamangala Stadium, the Asian Football Confederation held a briefing ahead of the second leg of the 2026 AFF Cup semi-final. Thailand will face Singapore on August 18 at Rajamangala Stadium at 20:00.

Hudson said: "Facing Singapore is a difficult match. They are a top-tier team with complex tactics. They perform well, have a good head coach, and play well given their form in the first leg. I am very proud of my players' commitment, but we will try to do better in every phase of the game. Today's training must develop and improve. We need focus now, and I think this match is still 0-0, and it is like a final—another game against a difficult opponent."

Regarding post-match events after the first leg with Singapore, Hudson acknowledged the emotional nature of football. "It was an emotional game, which is normal in football. I myself am someone with lingering passion, but I want to confirm that I respect Singapore, Gavin Lee, and their coaching staff and players who did an outstanding job. After the game ended, I went to discuss with Gavin Lee some situations during the match that made myself and my staff unhappy. For example, before the penalty incident, a player held the ball too long—14-15 seconds—when the rules clearly state the ball should be released. I asked Gavin Lee why Singapore, being such a good and strong team, would do that when they already had the quality to deal with Thailand. Although emotions lingered and others were involved, the incident is over. I still respect Gavin Lee and all Singapore's footballers. When I woke up the next morning and saw my social media feed, I felt embarrassed too, and I called my mother for some encouragement. But the first thing my mother asked was why I did that. I felt ashamed as well."

"I want myself and all players to think this match is still 0-0, which I will tell all players, because I don't want them to overlook things and think this game is easy. I want everyone to play as if the score is still 0-0 with the same intensity as the first match, so everyone wants to secure victory. Regarding team changes, I think I am lucky to have every player working hard from day one, and that gives me great confidence. Whether we change or not, I think we have the advantage that every player in the team has quality. We will look at freshness, and even with changes, I think our form will not drop even one percent."

"Regarding criticism directed at me throughout my work with Thailand, which remains undefeated in 10 matches, honestly it doesn't affect me much. But there is something that disappoints me and saddens me for the players. In every camp, I believe they deserve credit and should be mentioned and praised more positively because everyone works very hard and deserves recognition. My playing style over the past two to three camps saw different player groups, and this is another new group. Based on statistics, I feel we have done remarkably well and impressively to reach the semi-final. Our first game with Singapore showed we could not perform well enough—our calmness in possession and aggression in play are my responsibility to improve. This camp has six or seven new forwards, some under pressure, but once they get through, everyone should be relieved."

"Finally, facing Singapore: I must acknowledge that Singapore right now is strong and has developed significantly, and they have massive fan support backing them."