The World Health Organization announced that a vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus could take up to nine months before becoming operational. WHO advisor Dr. Vusi Murthi said on May 20 that two candidate vaccines are under development to combat the Bundibugyo Ebola strain, but none have yet passed clinical trials.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported 600 suspected Ebola cases with suspected deaths rising to 139, though numbers are expected to increase given the time required for virus detection. He noted at least 51 confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 2 additional cases in Uganda.

On May 17, the WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern regarding the latest Ebola outbreak, though it stopped short of declaring it a pandemic emergency. The WHO's emergency committee agreed the situation does not constitute a pandemic-level emergency. "The WHO assesses the risk of spread as high at the national and regional levels, and low at the global level," Ghebreyesus clarified.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom government announced it would allocate up to 20 million pounds, approximately 876 million baht, to help control the outbreak. These funds will support frontline medical personnel, improve infection control measures, and strengthen disease surveillance.

WHO officials stated they are investigating how long the virus has been circulating, but the immediate priority is containing the outbreak. The first known case involved a nurse who became ill and died on April 24 in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province. Her body was returned to Mongwalu, one of two gold mining towns where most cases have been reported.

In an era of AI and rapidly changing technology, the younger generation represents a crucial force driving the country's future. The Charoen Pokphand Group (CP) has confidence in the potential of young people and has continuously emphasized human development for over 48 years under the concept of "Building Leaders, Building the Future." The group is intensifying efforts to identify talented youth nationwide, or Next-Gen Talent, in line with the vision of Thanin Chearavanont, Senior Chairman of Charoen Pokphand Group, who wants to develop young people into "future leaders."

The CP Group scholarship program reflects the organization's belief that "human development is the most important investment a country can make." Over the past four decades, CP has not viewed educational scholarships merely as financial support but as a "platform of opportunity" that enables talented and capable youth to discover their own potential, access quality education, and build essential skills for the future world including leadership, creativity, teamwork, and social responsibility. The program also provides scholarship recipients with opportunities to learn, intern, and advance into actual work positions within the Charoen Pokphand Group and its affiliates, which operate businesses spanning food, agriculture, retail, telecommunications, digital, technology, and future enterprises.

Phakin Sangkaew, one of the scholarship applicants who graduated from Debsirin Nonthaburi School and is about to study at the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, said he learned about the CP Group scholarship program through recommendations from teachers and friends who had previously received the grant. He views the program not just as providing educational opportunities but as opening a world of learning and new experiences that can lead to innovation development and creating tangible benefits for society. This aligns with his motivation to become an excellent doctor and use medical knowledge to help patients and society, with a goal of studying diligently and applying his knowledge to benefit the country.

"I want to thank the Charoen Pokphand Group for opening educational opportunities to youth, because education is a crucial foundation for human development, and when people are developed, they can create benefits for the country and society," Phakin said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Poorichaya Nillvisuth, a first-year student at the Faculty of Business Administration for Society at Srinakharinwirot University and scholarship applicant, expressed excitement and great honor at the opportunity to be part of the CP Group scholarship program. She noted that the scholarship will lead to important opportunities including internships at CP Group companies, which are leading Thai business organizations covering multiple industries, development of multidimensional skills, and knowledge necessary for future work that will help prepare her for a stable career path.

Ms. Thida Sae Lee, a student from Raj Pracha Anukhro 24 School in Phayao Province, revealed her feelings after participating in the selection process, describing it as a new and challenging experience because each selection round was highly intensive. If she receives this scholarship, beyond creating educational opportunities for herself, should she succeed in life and have the opportunity to become a future leader, she plans to bring the knowledge and experience gained back to develop her community, particularly remote areas still lacking educational opportunities, and serve as another driving force in distributing knowledge, scholarships, and technology access to children and youth in remote areas.

A 70-year-old woman named Samruan Pathumrat in Buriram province has become homeless after her old house was demolished by the village committee in preparation for reconstruction following receipt of a 400,000-baht budget from the Community Organization Development Institute. A man claiming to be named Jetcharin, posing as a secretary of the institute and representing Buriram province, convinced the village committees to hand over the entire amount for construction. However, Jetcharin absconded with the money, leaving Samruan without shelter. On May 21, 2569, Piyanat Sengiem Sak from the Social Development and Human Security Office in Buriram, along with local administrators from Prakon Chai District, conducted an inspection of Samruan's demolished property. Investigators confirmed that an impersonation had indeed occurred, though the perpetrator was not actually a government official. Despite the confirmed fraud, the damage was already done and the elderly woman had suffered genuine hardship, prompting the Buriram governor to order immediate assistance. The Social Development Office indicated it could help through its housing repair budget and would expedite fund approval so villagers could assist in reconstruction. Officials have issued a warning to all village committees to be cautious of impersonation schemes and to verify credentials directly with government agencies rather than relying on appearance or verbal claims, especially given that an 18-year-old managed to perpetrate such an elaborate con.

NAKHON RATCHASIMA — A Myanmar national was found seriously injured with a stab wound beside a railway line near Jira railway station in northeastern Thailand, police said.

Police in Nakhon Ratchasima province said they were alerted on the evening of May 20 to a stabbing near the railway tracks on Jira Road in Muang district.

Officers led by Pol. Col. Sirichai Srichaipanya, superintendent of Muang Nakhon Ratchasima Police Station, arrived at the scene with rescue workers and found a seriously injured man on the ground clutching a bag.

The victim, identified as 35-year-old Myanmar national Aung Kyaw Soe, had suffered a serious stab wound to the right side of his chest, authorities said.

Rescue workers administered first aid before taking him to Maharaj Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital for treatment.

Police said clothing and alcohol bottles were found at the scene, but no knife or suspect was located. Investigators believe the attacker may not have fled far and are searching for the person responsible.

Local residents said the area is used as an informal rubbish dumping site, where discarded sofas and other items attract homeless people seeking shelter.

One resident said they heard cries for help coming from near a rubbish pile beside an old sofa. After crossing the road to investigate, they found the injured man on the ground and contacted police and emergency responders.

The witness said they did not see the attacker and only found the victim at the scene.

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supachee Sutheepanthu will participate in the 2025 APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) meeting in the People's Republic of China, the host economy for this year's APEC forum, held May 22-23, 2025 in Suzhou, Zhejiang Province, under the theme 'Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together.'

Supachee stated that China will host the APEC MRT meeting, a ministerial-level platform within the APEC framework, to drive concrete outcomes across three priorities: 'Openness' to promote transparent, predictable open trade and economic systems at both regional and multilateral levels; 'Innovation' to create trade and investment cooperation mechanisms driven by modern technology and innovation; and 'Cooperation' to strengthen collaboration among APEC economies in tackling economic challenges sustainably.

The 2025 APEC MRT meeting will be a crucial opportunity for Thailand to present its vision and exchange perspectives to advance open, sustainable economic and trade cooperation responsive to new global economic dynamics. Thailand will also present its commitment to digital economic transformation under the National AI Strategy and support trusted cross-border data flows.

During the APEC MRT meeting, discussions will address promoting environment-friendly economics and trade, developing implementable AI governance frameworks, and strengthening capacity of developing economies and MSMEs to support future economic transition. A joint lunch between APEC commerce ministers and Chinese business representatives will provide opportunities to exchange views on digital economy and green energy.

Supachee revealed that Thailand will hold bilateral discussions with key economies including the People's Republic of China and Singapore to advance economic, trade, and investment cooperation, while affirming Thailand's role in supporting open trade systems and economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Thailand aims to promote trade facilitation, digital transformation, sustainable trade, and supply chain resilience to enhance economic efficiency and investor confidence under the APEC framework.

APEC comprises 21 member economies: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam. In 2024, Thailand's trade with APEC economies was valued at $494.65 billion, representing 72.24% of Thailand's total trade, with exports worth $237.58 billion and imports worth $257.06 billion.

Taiwan has confirmed its third hantavirus case of the year after a 40-year-old man was bitten by a rat at work and developed a fever, from which he has since recovered. All three hantavirus patients in Taiwan contracted the Seoul strain of the virus, which does not transmit between humans and differs from the strain connected to the serious outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondiusz operated by Oceanwide Expeditions in the Netherlands. The three confirmed cases include a man in his 70s from the Daan District in Taipei who died in January, a man in his 70s from New Taipei City who tested positive for hantavirus in March and has since been discharged, and the latest case—a 40-year-old man from Jilong in the northeast who tested positive after being bitten by a rat at work and has recovered. Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control recommends that the public follow three prevention rules to reduce infection risk: do not allow rats to enter homes, do not allow rats to inhabit spaces, and do not allow rats to access food.