Pimpichaya Kokram, Thailand's star spiker, believes the women's volleyball team is in peak form after extended preparation together. She is focused on winning match by match to reach the Asian Championship and secure an Olympic ticket.

The team will compete in the 2026 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship from August 21–30 in Tianjin, China.

"Beam" Pimpichaya Kokram said this is one of the year's most important competitions. Everyone is nearly 100 percent ready and has been playing together for a while, with excellent chemistry. The Nations League taught the team valuable lessons. She stressed her personal preference to focus on one match at a time rather than feeling pressure to win the title and reach the Olympics. "I want to focus match by match, win match by match, without feeling we need to go all out against every team."

She also reflected on past disappointments, saying the team must focus on new goals rather than dwell on painful memories. "We need to look at what we're doing now and who we want to do it for."

Thai women's volleyball team schedule (Pool B): August 21, 2 p.m.: Thailand vs Australia August 24, 3 p.m.: Thailand vs Indonesia August 25, 10 a.m.: Thailand vs Kazakhstan

Samut Prakan police have arrested two suspected gunmen, including a 16-year-old, after two youths were seriously injured in a motorcycle shooting on Srinakarin Road early Sunday. The suspects said the modified, unlicensed firearms used in the attack had been purchased online.

The shooting occurred at about 02:00 in Muang district, Samut Prakan. The two victims were struck in the abdomen and other parts of their bodies, police said.

Police said CCTV footage helped officers identify the alleged gunmen within hours. The suspects were 16 and 19 years old. They were arrested at homes in Bang Bo district.

A search of the premises reportedly uncovered several modified, unlicensed firearms, including magazine-fed guns, pen guns and a long automatic firearm with a folding stock. The two were taken to Muang Samut Prakan Police Station for questioning.

Provincial police commander Pol Maj Gen Phumin Singhasut later praised officers for making the arrests quickly.

The two suspects have initially been charged with attempted murder and firearms-related offences. Police said about seven other suspects, aged 16 to 19, remain at large.

Investigators said the two suspects claimed the firearms had been purchased online. Police are expanding the investigation to trace the alleged sellers.

Dr. Chayasith Uttamapinant, a biochemistry and synthetic biology researcher at the Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), has won the 2025 Outstanding Scientist Award. He is recognized for pioneering genetic code expansion technology to create protein sensors for Alzheimer's disease detection, and for leading the world's first team to discover an enzyme from human saliva microbes capable of breaking down PET plastic and converting waste into high-value chemicals. Researchers from Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology at Thammasat University and Silpakorn University also received the 2025 New Scientist Award. The Science and Technology Promotion Foundation under Royal Patronage held a press conference announcing the award winners in the 45th consecutive year of the awards ceremony. The event was held at Centara Grand at CentralPlaza Ladprao in Bangkok and was presided over by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Anutin Charnvirakul, who presented the awards alongside former Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, Foundation Chairman Sakarintr Bumirat, and Award Committee Chairman Jamras Limpakarnjanarat.

Chairman Jamras Limpakarnjanarat noted that Thailand faces a critical transition in a world driven by science, technology, and innovation. To escape the middle-income trap and strengthen competitiveness, the nation must develop its own knowledge and technology, particularly through frontier research, which forms the foundation of innovation, future industries, and knowledge-based economies. Global R&D investment reached approximately 2.87 trillion US dollars in 2024, while South Korea invests over 5 percent of GDP in R&D and has translated this into strategic industries including semiconductors, batteries, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology. Thailand's challenge is not merely to increase investment but to elevate research system quality, develop an ecosystem supporting world-class researchers, and back cutting-edge research of international excellence while translating knowledge into practical applications and tangible national impact.

For the selection criteria of the Outstanding Scientist Award, emphasis is placed on academic excellence in frontier research with the potential to drive global scientific advancement. This year, the award committee unanimously recognized Dr. Chayasith Uttamapinant from the School of Biomolecular Science and Engineering at VISTEC as the 2025 Outstanding Scientist Award recipient for his research on "Pioneering Synthetic Biology and Genetic Code Expansion Technologies for Innovations in Health and Environmental Protection." He received the award from Princess Suthida Tidsinavaratna and a cash prize of 400,000 baht.

The Department of Mineral Resources has named seven provinces at risk of landslides and flashfloods from heavy rain, urging volunteer networks in vulnerable areas to monitor the situation closely. On August 18, 2025, the Geohazard Operations Center of the Department of Mineral Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, warned of landslides and flashfloods due to continuous heavy rain in at-risk areas and predicted rainfall that could trigger landslides, particularly in seven provinces: Tak, Nan, Chiang Mai, Phitsanulok, Phetchabun, Loei, and Sa Kaeo. The Meteorological Department forecasts heavy to very heavy rain in parts of Thailand over the next 24 hours, with the most intense rainfall in the upper Northeast and Eastern regions as the monsoon trough shifts southward through Laos into a low-pressure system over northern Vietnam, while the strengthening southwest monsoon affects the Andaman Sea, Thailand, and the Gulf of Thailand. The public should beware of dangers from heavy and accumulated rainfall, which may trigger flash floods, flashfloods, and overflowing banks, particularly in hillside areas near water channels and low-lying zones. Volunteer networks in these at-risk areas are instructed to closely monitor landslide and flashflood conditions and prepare for potential geohazards. If geohazards occur in any area, officials must immediately inspect the site to reassure residents and provide preliminary guidance.

On August 18, 2569, the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct read the appeals court ruling in the case brought by the National Anti-Corruption Commission against Nipont Bunyamani, former chairman of the Songkhla Provincial Administrative Organization, for violation of the Criminal Code Section 157. The case centered on his refusal to approve payment of over 50 million baht to the contractor for two multipurpose maintenance vehicles. The appeals court overturned the lower court's conviction and dismissed the charges, finding insufficient evidence that Nipont acted with intent to harm the contractor through improper or negligent performance of duties.

The appeals court determined that Nipont's order for additional inspection and testing of both vehicles was a legitimate administrative action taken as chairman of the local government organization. The court noted that as administrative head, Nipont held authority to oversee and direct operations for the benefit of public service. Given that the vehicle purchase exceeded 50 million baht but had only one acceptance certificate, reasonable grounds existed to verify accuracy and specifications before proceeding. The court found that ordering testing was not an arbitrary cancellation of inspection results but a proper directive by the local government head to ensure the vehicles functioned as intended.

The court also noted that before issuing the testing order, Nipont had called in relevant officials to provide information and clarify facts, demonstrating no intent to prejudice the contractor but rather to investigate factual matters before making administrative decisions. The court examined the sequence of events and found that the contractor did not contest the testing order when issued on December 18, 2556, and later notified that testing would occur on January 7, 2557, so any delays could not be attributed to Nipont's obstruction.

A witness from the Comptroller General's Department testified that the chairman could order vehicle testing if deemed beneficial to the government, and that during investigation of procurement complaints, regular payment disbursement cannot proceed if doubts exist about procurement impropriety. The appeals court also noted that no formal payment voucher was submitted to Nipont according to ministerial regulations, only an informal notification from the supplies unit about the inspection and testing, but no formal request from the responsible agency for his approval of payment.