The Cabinet has approved 1.1 billion baht in central budget funds to prepare Thailand as host of the 2025 World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meeting, expected to draw over 15,000 participants from around the world. The event will showcase Thailand's economic capabilities on the international stage and strengthen global cooperation.

Government Spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek announced that the Cabinet approved budget preparations for hosting the annual meeting of the World Bank Governors and the International Monetary Fund for 2025, allocating 1,162.27 million baht from the central emergency and contingency fund for fiscal year 2025. The Budget Bureau will distribute funds to the Office of Fiscal Policy, the main responsible agency, to proceed with host preparations. The office must prepare comprehensive facilities including conference venues, registration areas, information technology systems, office equipment, furniture, and materials meeting IMF and World Bank standards.

All preparations must be completed before the IMF and World Bank's inspection period in September-October 2025 to ensure readiness for the conference scheduled for October 12-18, 2025. Hosting this meeting demonstrates Thailand's capability and readiness as an international conference host, serving as an important platform to present Thailand's economic concepts and policies to the global community while offering opportunities to expand cooperation and knowledge exchange with member countries.

The 2025 annual meeting is considered the world's most important financial and economic conference, aligned with the government's policy to "establish Thailand's role on the global stage" and foster cooperation with international economic organizations and development groups. Participants will include finance ministers serving as World Bank governors from 189 member countries and central bank governors serving as IMF governors from 191 member countries, with approximately 15,000 attendees expected from around the world.

The Thai Cycling Association has assembled its technical and coaching staff to comprehensively analyze the performance of Thai cyclists across all disciplines competing in preparation for the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, scheduled from September 19 to October 4. The analysis covers road, track, mountain bike, and BMX categories to develop improved training and competition strategies. The effort extends beyond the Asian Games to earning qualification points for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Lieutenant General Decha Hemkasemsri, vice president of the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC), president of the Asian Cycling Federation (ACF), and president of the Thai Cycling Association, revealed that the association is preparing detailed analysis of Thai cyclists' performances. He noted that Thailand's track sprint team of Chay Angsuthasawit, Yeanyong Phetrat, and Narsetrattada Boonma recently achieved 6th place in Malaysia, improving the world team sprint ranking from 19th to 15th place as of April 28.

The analysis will also compare rival nations expected at the Asian Games in Japan, including hosts Japan, China, Malaysia, South Korea, Hong Kong, India, and Taiwan, which have shown rapid development. Coaching staff will design targeted training programs for track sprinters with dual objectives: success at the Asian Games and qualification for the 2028 Olympics, with competition intensity increasing from July 2026 through April 2028. Hemkasemsri noted the association has already spent over 600,000 baht on three track events since February, excluding equipment costs, while still maintaining competition programs in road cycling, mountain biking, and BMX racing for Olympic qualification point accumulation.

Smartphone usage has transformed media consumption habits, making short, concise, and instantly accessible content the mainstream entertainment trend globally known as Verticaltainment. AIS customer data shows vertical series app usage has surged 56% within a year, gaining 3 million new users for a current monthly user base of 9 million. This rapid growth reflects modern consumers' desire for engaging content that requires minimal time commitment and is accessible anywhere, anytime. To address this demand, AIS partnered with ReelShort, the world's top vertical series platform, bringing premium content to Thai audiences first.

Lairshai Khadtrup, AIS Mobile Business Division Executive Head, announced AIS's aggressive expansion into the vertical series market through collaboration with global platform ReelShort, which houses the world's largest vertical series library with over 4,000 titles. AIS launched the 5G ReelShort package at just 39 baht monthly with internet specifically designed for series streaming—a first in Southeast Asia. This positions Thailand as a strategic hub for ReelShort's regional expansion.

Trup stated, "Today, AIS is becoming a fully-fledged Digital Intelligent Platform, creating an ecosystem connecting all digital experiences through partnerships with leading platforms to support every lifestyle, especially the rapidly growing vertical series format worldwide. With over 4,000 titles updated daily in Thai dubbing and subtitles, our ReelShort collaboration strengthens AIS's digital ecosystem and positions us as the single most comprehensive vertical series platform for Thai users."

Joey Jia, CEO of Crazy Maple Studio, ReelShort's developer, revealed that ReelShort is the world's #1 microdrama platform with millions of daily users and 4,000+ premium entertainment titles spanning romance, fantasy, and thriller genres. The platform customizes content for each country, including Thai voice-over and subtitles. With backing from Crazy Maple Studio's Silicon Valley headquarters, content is produced at Hollywood standards for global audiences, with material specifically designed for mobile viewing.

Jia added, "This marks ReelShort's first partnership with a global telecom provider, establishing Thailand as a crucial base for Southeast Asian expansion, presenting a new model combining premium vertical content with telecom services."

GULF Development Public Company Limited has partnered with Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Dentistry to continuously elevate community and social quality of life. The "GULF Sparks Smiles Community Project," now in its sixth year and second round, will provide free preventive dental care services to the public at Thai State Wittaya School 93 (Ban Lad Takhian) in Kabinburi district, Prachuap Khiri Khan province on May 6-7, 2026. Walk-in participants can register on May 6 from 8:00-9:00 AM only, with limited spots available.

Operating under the philosophy "Powering the Future, Empowering the People," GULF and Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Dentistry launched the "GULF Sparks Smiles" initiative to improve dental health and create bright smiles, particularly for residents in remote areas. The project offers essential dental treatments including fillings, extractions, tartar removal, and wisdom tooth extraction on an equitable and accessible basis. These services form a crucial foundation for building a healthier society with better quality of life. Since its inception, the project has successfully served over 6,500 people and continues to spread bright smiles throughout 2026.

For more information about the "GULF Sparks Smiles Community Project," follow updates on three platforms: Facebook Page (Gulf SPARK), TikTok (GULF SPARK), and Instagram (gulfspark.th).

ONE Championship held official weigh-ins and face-offs on April 28 for ONE Samurai 1 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, with competition starting at 12:30 PM Thailand time on Wednesday, April 29. The headline bout features former ONE Muay Thai flyweight world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon against local favorite Takeru Segawa, with the interim ONE kickboxing flyweight world title at stake. Both fighters successfully made weight with no complications—Rodtang weighed in at 134.8 pounds with a hydration level of 1.0095, while Takeru came in at 134 pounds with a hydration level of 1.0226, setting up their matchup on April 29, 2569. Following the face-off, Rodtang stated: "I'm honored to be the final opponent of Takeru's career. I will do my best, and of course I will be the one to claim victory on April 29."

The Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Thai Industries have sounded an alarm over a critical labor shortage stemming from systemic issues affecting all business sectors, particularly in the Eastern region. On April 28, 2026, Porn Aramwattananond, chairman of the two organizations, disclosed that business members nationwide are reporting severe labor shortages impacting legal foreign workers from Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia—critical workforce components for manufacturing, agriculture, construction, and service industries. Eastern provinces including Chachoengsao, Rayong, Sa Kaew, Prachuap Khiri Khan, and Trat face acute foreign worker shortages directly affecting production capacity and national competitiveness.

Aramwattananond noted that many MOU-registered foreign workers' permits are expiring, with some already returning home. Without immediate intervention, sectors heavily dependent on this labor force—particularly construction, agriculture including seasonal fruit harvesting, and services—could face sudden disruptions that threaten key pillars of the Thai economy.

To address the crisis, the Chamber has submitted urgent correspondence to Labor Minister Chulphan Amornvivat requesting expedited work permit extensions for all foreign nationalities. The organizations propose collaborative government-private sector coordination to prevent workforce depletion while developing comprehensive long-term foreign labor management policies balancing security, economic, and social considerations. The Chamber warned that failure to act promptly risks undermining economic growth targets and significantly weakening Thailand's long-term competitive capabilities.