World No. 2 tennis player and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the French Open 2026 Grand Slam tournament due to a wrist injury.

Alcaraz has been dealing with a troublesome wrist injury that forced him to withdraw from the Barcelona Open after the first round. The 22-year-old racket then underwent examination to assess the severity of the injury and subsequently withdrew from the Italian Open as well, with the latest withdrawal being the French Open 2026, which kicks off on May 18, where he is the two-time defending champion.

"After the examination conducted today, we decided that the most prudent thing is to be cautious and not participate in the competitions in Rome or Roland Garros, while we assess the situation to determine when we will be able to return to competition," Alcaraz posted on Instagram.

"This is a difficult time for me, but I'm confident that we will get through this period and come back stronger."

Alcaraz started the year by winning his first Australian Open Grand Slam title, which made him the youngest male tennis player to complete the Grand Slam set. However, he lost the world No. 1 ranking to longtime rival Jannik Sinner from Italy this month after losing in the Monte Carlo Masters 2026 final.

JAS, the rights holder for the Premier League and The Emirates FA Cup, invites football fans to experience the dramatic semi-final stage of the FA Cup, the world's oldest football cup tournament. These crucial quarter-final matches will decide which two teams advance to the final at Wembley, with both matches taking place on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26, 2025. Thai fans can watch all matches live on Monomax.

The first match on Saturday, April 25 at 11:15 PM features Manchester City against Southampton. Manchester City arrives as favorites with their top-tier attacking standard, excellent ball possession and varied offensive approach. Southampton, however, is a dark horse team that plays dangerous counter-attacking football and often produces surprises in cup competitions, making an upset entirely possible.

The second match on Sunday, April 26 at 9:00 PM showcases a Premier League clash between Chelsea and Leeds United—a contest that pits large-scale game quality against raw intensity. Chelsea holds the advantage with their superior squad depth and experience in major matches, boasting diverse attacking options and composure in knockout stages. Leeds United's strength lies in their aggressive pressing, quick play, and relentless fighting spirit. This match will be decided by which team better handles the pressure and clinical finishing in crucial moments, with either team capable of advancing.

Football fans can follow the semi-final drama on Monomax with the Monomax Standard package for just 299 baht per month at https://www.monomax.me/qr/vXt4

Doctor Khanath Kraithakul, a cardiologist and internal medicine specialist, has clarified misconceptions about fasting before blood tests. Many patients mistakenly believe they must avoid all liquids, including plain water, before blood draws, which can lead to dehydration, dry mouth, and dizziness—making the procedure more difficult and potentially affecting test results.

While some blood tests do require fasting from food to ensure accurate results, plain water is not food or a caloric beverage and should actually be consumed. Patients are encouraged to drink plain water because it keeps veins properly hydrated, makes blood draws easier, reduces the risk of fainting, and prevents dehydration that could thicken blood and skew results. The water must be pure and unmodified, consumed gradually in small sips throughout the fasting period without overdoing it.

However, patients should avoid tea, coffee, sugary drinks, soft drinks, fruit juice, candy, chewing gum, cigarettes, and alcohol before blood tests, particularly before lipid screening.

When asked why medical professionals traditionally recommend 8 hours of fasting, Doctor Khanath explained this is an outdated approach. Modern medicine allows patients to drink water as described. For certain tests like lipid panels, doctors may still require food fasting because eating affects lipid measurements, but patients can still drink water during food fasting periods.

On April 24, 2025, police commanders ordered the arrest of 20-year-old Semsak and 51-year-old Prichat, a mother and son, based on arrest warrants from Udon Thani Provincial Court (cases 320 and 325/2568, issued August 19, 2024). They are charged with supporting fraud through deception, entering false data into computer systems with intent to harm others, and allowing unauthorized use of their bank accounts. Officers arrested them at their residence in Khian Sa, Surat Thani, and seized 15 items including phones, bank documents, and a laptop.

The investigation began when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Investigations division uncovered an international "Pig Butchering" online romance scam causing losses to American victims. HSI seized over 100 million USDT (approximately 3.2 billion baht) in digital currency and discovered financial links to individuals in Thailand. The Anti-Cybercrime Center coordinated with Thai police to investigate local networks, eventually identifying the two suspects.

Police found that the defendants operated a shell company ostensibly providing research consulting services, but actually functioned as a money laundering operation for call center gangs. They received digital currency transfers, converted them between different blockchain networks (cross-chain transfers) to obscure financial trails, and charged 100 USDT per conversion for each million USDT transferred. Semsak worked with three other individuals in a organized network with divided responsibilities for customer acquisition, account management, and financial transactions. From January to October 2024, Semsak's digital wallet processed over 4 billion baht in total circulation. The suspects are also linked to over 10 online fraud cases in Thailand involving investment scams, with combined damages exceeding 8 million baht, and were evading arrest warrants from Udon Thani City Police for stock investment fraud.

Thai clubs are celebrating after securing automatic qualification for three teams in the AFC Champions League Elite 2026-27 group stage and one additional team in the AFC Champions League Two.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held a meeting to amend regulations for the Asian club football championship in the 2026-27 season with the aim of raising competition standards.

Key meeting outcomes included expanding the AFC Champions League Elite from 24 to 32 participating clubs and redistributing quotas among member nations, as well as modifying AFC Challenge League regulations to qualify for AFC Champions League Two playoffs.

Thailand, ranked third in the Southeast Asian zone—partly due to strong performances by Thai League clubs in recent AFC Champions League competitions—will see this ranking directly impact slot allocations for the 2026-27 Asian club championship season. The AFC confirmed that in the 2026-27 season, Thailand will send a total of four teams to Asian club competitions as follows:

AFC Champions League Elite 2026-27 – Thai League Champions (automatic qualification) – Thai League 2nd place (automatic qualification) – FA Cup Champions (automatic qualification)

AFC Champions League Two 2026-27 – 3rd place finisher (automatic qualification)

Special case: If Buriram United wins the FA Cup, the third-place ACL Elite spot goes to that team, while the fourth-place Thai League team gets the ACL 2 spot instead.

The European Union formally approved a €90 billion loan to Ukraine on April 24 and announced new sanctions against Russia, ahead of an informal summit of EU leaders in Cyprus that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended. The loan will cover approximately two-thirds of Ukraine's needs over the next two years, with half allocated this year and the remainder disbursed in 2025. Most of the loan is earmarked for military spending, while approximately 64.5 billion baht annually will go toward general expenses such as healthcare and education.

Economists warned that Ukraine could face a cash shortage by June without the EU loan, which would necessitate severe cuts to public services. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated: "As Russia escalates its aggression, we are stepping up support for brave Ukraine so it can defend itself and strain Russia's war economy."

EU member state ambassadors voted to approve the loan and sanctions on April 22 after Hungary withdrew its veto, making the approval official on April 23. President Zelenskyy posted on X: "This package will strengthen our army, make Ukraine more resilient, and enable us to fulfill our social obligations to Ukrainians, as set out in law." Zelenskyy added that Ukraine will consult with allies on intensifying pressure against Russia.