On July 9, 2025, at parliament, Kravee Prasadnantan, representing Ang Thong and the Bhumjaithai Party, briefed reporters as chair of the ruling coalition coordination committee. He reported that parliamentary proceedings between the ruling coalition and opposition have proceeded smoothly overall, with all parties respecting parliamentary rules and procedures.

In terms of legislative achievements, parliament has considered 94 bills in recent months, including 34 cabinet-resubmitted drafts. Two laws were officially promulgated today: the Facilitation of Administrative Licensing and Public Services Act, a continuation from the previous session credited to the Pheu Thai Party, and the Property Reversion and Acquisition Act.

Additional legislation remains under committee review, including the widely-anticipated Clean Air Act, which the Senate completed this week and will enter full parliamentary consideration next session. Parliament also approved five international treaties and responded to 34 live questions, with ministers answering 33 of them—a notably high response rate.

Kravee credited Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and the cabinet for prioritizing legislative oversight. He also acknowledged opposition leader Pricha Wachirasindhu for coordinating which urgent public issues would receive ministerial responses.

Kravee emphasized that the legislative achievements benefit ordinary citizens through parliamentary oversight, not merely the government. He noted the opposition's observation that while live questions receive high response rates, general questions often face delays. He plans to present detailed statistics to the Prime Minister to measure cabinet performance on legislative accountability.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim shared an impromptu musical performance at an official luncheon in Putrajaya on July 9, 2026, following bilateral discussions. At Anwar's request, Anutin played saxophone, selecting Frank Sinatra's "My Way" before Anwar picked up the microphone to sing alongside him in a warm, convivial atmosphere. The spontaneous performance reinforced the close relationship between Thailand and Malaysia. Government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek posted on Facebook describing the moment as a touching display of friendship between the two leaders, noting that Anwar personally checked the stage setup before the performance began.

An 18-month-old American child was declared dead after drowning in a residential swimming pool during a Super Bowl viewing party in Arizona, only to be found still breathing five hours later in the hospital morgue. The child was initially transported to the hospital and pronounced dead by physicians. However, when medical examiner's staff arrived at the morgue to collect the body, they discovered the child was still breathing and immediately airlifted him by helicopter to Phoenix Children's Hospital for emergency care.

Police reports indicate that before the death was declared, the child's parents and two officers present at the hospital observed what appeared to be gasping or agonal breathing. Hospital staff attributed this to the final moments of life. One police officer claims he heard a nurse say "there's still a pulse" before the doctor confirmed death. Although hospital medical records have not been released, the discrepancy raises questions about the death declaration, though spontaneous cardiac return after CPR cessation, though rare, is medically possible.

The child's condition has since improved, but family attorneys report severe injuries requiring lifelong care. Police have filed charges against the parents for child neglect and reckless endangerment leading to the drowning. The case is currently under review by the Maricopa County District Attorney's Office. The hospital issued a statement saying it has reviewed the incident and will implement improved patient monitoring procedures to prevent similar occurrences.

AIS Teams With CIB To Bust Online Crime Network

Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited (AIS) announced it has partnered with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) to raid and arrest criminals in Aranyaprathet District, Sa Kaeo Province. The action followed detection of unusually high and continuous internet service usage that raised suspicions. AIS engineers provided technical support to verify facts on the ground before the search operation.

During the raid, officers discovered computer equipment that had been modified for illegal purposes. Authorities suspended the service, seized the devices as evidence, and are pursuing legal action. Initial findings also revealed connections to multiple network service providers, which remain under investigation and subject to further action.

AIS is providing technical information and cooperating closely with the NBTC and CIB, and has filed charges against those responsible. The goal is to prevent the misuse of internet services and telecommunications infrastructure, and to minimize potential harm to the public.

AIS confirms its commitment to close cooperation with the NBTC and CIB, and will strengthen network monitoring and usage verification measures to prevent telecommunications services from being used for illegal purposes and to support online crime prevention and protection of the public.

Tritech Tangmetham, managing director of Supalai Public Company Limited, says the real estate market faces significant challenges this year with intense price competition as developers rush to clear existing inventory. New project launches have dropped sharply compared to previous years. "The market remains difficult with ongoing price competition, forcing developers to compete considerably. New projects this year will clearly be lower than last year," he stated.

Despite the overall market slowdown, the company expects sales can still grow, supported by buyers ready to purchase who see opportunities in competitive pricing. Construction costs have permanently increased by 5-6% compared to pre-war levels. Even if the conflict ends, costs may only decrease 2-3% but won't return to original levels. Supalai's own costs rose from about 15% last year to an estimated 17% this year.

The mid-market segment, particularly homes and condos priced 4-8 million baht, remains relatively strong. The upper market continues to struggle with oversupply but limited demand, particularly affected by declining foreign buyer purchasing power and stricter land ownership controls through corporate entities.

The condominium market shows better recovery prospects than single-family homes due to consistently declining new supply over recent years. Building permit applications dropped from 12-14 projects per review cycle historically to just 2-4 projects now—roughly one-sixth of previous levels. Land prices need to fall another 10-20% before developers will commit to purchases. Currently, only about 4 major buyers remain in the land acquisition market, down from the many project developers competing previously.

Chiang Mai has made its mark on the global tourism stage after being named the third-best city in the world in the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2026. The northern Thai city also ranked second in Asia, behind Kyoto, Japan, while placing ahead of Bangkok, Siem Reap and Tokyo.

The recognition marks another major international achievement for Thailand's tourism industry.

The rankings are compiled by Travel + Leisure, a leading U.S.-based travel magazine, based on a global reader survey. This year's awards drew responses from more than 207,000 readers, who cast over 661,000 votes across more than 10,088 travel-related businesses and destinations worldwide, including hotels, resorts, cities, islands, national parks, tour operators, safaris, airlines, airports, trains and other travel entities.

In the World's Best Cities category, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, claimed the top spot with a score of 93.07, followed by Kyoto, Japan, with 92.02. Chiang Mai ranked third with 91.88, ahead of Hoi An in Vietnam, Siem Reap in Cambodia and Tokyo in Japan.

Top 10 World's Best Cities 2026 1. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico — 93.07 2. Kyoto, Japan — 92.02 3. Chiang Mai, Thailand — 91.88 4. Hoi An, Vietnam — 91.81 5. Oaxaca, Mexico — 91.59 6. Bangkok, Thailand — 91.29 7. Jerusalem, Israel — 91.11 8. Siem Reap, Cambodia — 90.59 9. Mexico City, Mexico — 90.49 10. Tokyo, Japan — 90.44

The rankings reflect Chiang Mai's enduring appeal as one of the world's leading destinations among international travellers. Readers praised the city's rich Lanna cultural heritage, historic temples, renowned local cuisine, natural scenery and internationally recognised hospitality, making it a favourite for visitors seeking both cultural experiences and nature-based tourism.