Prime Minister Anuthun Charnweerakul has instructed Deputy Prime Minister Ekniti Nitithadprasop and Finance Minister to chair the committee studying the Southern Economic Bridge project connecting Thailand's Gulf and Andaman coasts—the Land Bridge.

The committee must conduct comprehensive review across multiple dimensions including geopolitics, investment returns, logistics systems, and cargo management processes.

The PM emphasized the project's importance given shifting global circumstances regarding energy security and geopolitical considerations, stressing the need for strategy that ensures Thailand stands independently.

The study committee is expected to complete its work within 90 days.

The Land Bridge is a mega-project valued at approximately 1 trillion baht, connecting Chumphon province's Gulf coast with Ranong province's Andaman coast. Construction would include two deep-water ports on each coast, special highways or motorways, and dual-track railways for transporting goods across the peninsula, reducing time and costs compared to routing through the Strait of Malacca.

Projections indicate it would boost economic capacity, position Thailand as a logistics center, establish new manufacturing bases, create employment and income, and stimulate Southern Thailand's economy.

The project has been discussed since 2019 and is being advanced by the current administration. Thailand has not previously invested in large-scale infrastructure megaprojects of this magnitude to drive economic growth.

However, given the project's scale, significant concerns and impacts exist—including cost recovery, economic viability given substantial implementation costs, environmental impacts, and effects on local residents' livelihoods.

Therefore, the government's directive to urgently study this project must thoroughly examine all dimensions and aspects, remain receptive to all stakeholders, and create genuine participation opportunities across all sectors. Currently, both supporters and opponents exist, particularly among civil society and local communities concerned about long-term impacts.

Channel 7HD, Chulalongkorn University, and Varix Sport have joined forces with leading national sports partners to unveil the '4-Series Student Sports Championship 7HD 2026' in a grand press conference held at Channel 7HD Studio 8 on May 6, 2026. The initiative, supported by the Thailand Sports Authority, the National Sports Development Fund, the Department of Physical Education, the Football Association of Thailand, the Volleyball Association of Thailand, and the Sepak Takraw Association of Thailand, aims to create a new chapter in Thai student athletics. The event was attended by Pattanpong Nuphan, Managing Director of Channel 7HD; Prof. Dr. Wilearts Purivatchr, President of Chulalongkorn University; and Tattadnai Chotivinyoo, Business Development Manager of Varix Sport, along with prominent sports executives including Thana Chaiyaprasit, Vice President of the Thai Olympic Committee; Dr. Kong Sakda Yodmani, Director of the Thailand Sports Authority; and representatives from multiple sports associations. The press conference featured popular Channel 7HD actors and athletes from champion teams in football, volleyball, sepak takraw, and 3x3 basketball who shared their experiences and encouraged young athletes nationwide. The championship promises prestige, prize money, educational scholarships, and opportunities for athletes pursuing professional sports careers and national team selection, with events launching this May and continuing throughout 2026.

Superbon, ONE Championship's featherweight kickboxing champion, has withdrawn from his scheduled bout against Chinese boxer Liu Mengyang at The Inner Circle event on Friday, May 22, due to injury. ONE Championship's official Facebook page confirmed that the 35-year-old fighter has requested to withdraw from the title defense match against Liu Mengyang at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium (Rama Intra) on Friday, May 22, citing injury concerns. According to the post, Superbon's withdrawal from the featherweight world title defense against Liu Mengyang is due to his injury status. Liu Mengyang will now face Gabriel Perreira from Venezuela in the featherweight kickboxing match as the main event instead. We wish Superbon a swift recovery.

A 67-year-old man identified as Mr. Nornong was found dead in his three-story commercial building in Bangkok's Bangbon district after several days, with the decomposed body partially consumed by his six pet dogs. Officers from Bangkhunthian Police Station, assisted by volunteers from the Por Tek Tung Foundation and forensic pathologists from Siriraj Hospital, discovered the body on May 6 after the locked iron door had to be forced open. The man was found in the rear area of the house, having been dead for several days. Six pet dogs kept in the home were barking loudly and standing guard over the body. Parts of the deceased's body showed signs of being bitten and gnawed by the dogs. The man suffered from chronic hypertension and cerebral artery constriction. Due to the decomposed state of the body and damage from the dogs, initial examination could not determine signs of injury or struggle, but authorities suspect he died from his underlying medical conditions and have sent the body for autopsy to confirm the cause of death. A 56-year-old neighbor, Mr. Sanen, revealed he noticed a strong foul smell the previous day but didn't initially investigate until the morning when he traced the odor to the house and alerted village authorities and police. He recalled seeing the homeowner feeding the dogs about four days earlier. The deceased was a secondhand goods seller at a local market and was known to love keeping dogs, maintaining six in total at his home. Officers from Bangbon district have initially removed five of the dogs, with one remaining still uncaptured, and authorities plan to continue providing food for the dog remaining in the house.

Sports Minister Surasak Panjareunvarkul has explained the necessity of Thailand's withdrawal from bidding to host the 2030 Youth Olympic Games due to budgetary concerns and urged the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) to distribute funds equitably among all sports associations.

The Thai government will not submit the certification letter to host the 2030 Youth Olympic Games due to excessively high costs.

Regarding this matter, Sports and Tourism Minister Surasak Panjareunvarkul stated that the government's decision to withdraw stems from considerable expenses coupled with Thailand's economic conditions and global uncertainties that make all cost projections unreliable. "As we all know, the government is drafting a borrowing decree, which means Thailand currently has no surplus funds," he explained. "Given the domestic economic situation and global uncertainties, everything costs more. The budgeted 5.4 billion baht for the Youth Olympics may not be sufficient, let alone additional expenses for athlete training facilities and infrastructure construction—we don't know how many more billions would be needed."

"Previously, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) supported host nations' expenses, but this time they won't," he continued. "As the sports minister, no one dislikes hosting major events because of the prestige it brings, but the money for such undertakings is public funds, not my personal money. We must calculate whether hosting will justify the investment. Since we're currently seeking to borrow funds—meaning we're broke—the government decided we need to be more cautious and better prepared."

Simultaneously, the sports minister instructed the NSDF to manage its funds carefully, ensuring equitable and widespread distribution to various sports associations. He also praised the direct cash transfer program to athletes as an excellent initiative. "Seeing athletes smile when funds are deposited into their accounts brings me joy as well," he said. "This is excellent news and great encouragement for the Thai national sports team. I want to ask the National Sports Development Fund to spread the budget fairly across all associations and ensure equity, so no sports association has to complain about delayed or unavailable funding withdrawals."

A major sports network is hiring for a special position to watch every match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Times Square, offering a salary of 1.6 million baht. Fox Sports has opened applications for the role of "Chief World Cup Watcher," responsible for viewing all 104 World Cup matches and creating and sharing social media content while transforming each game into a live viewing party for thousands of tourists and passersby throughout the tournament inside a specially constructed glass cube in the heart of Times Square in New York City. Qualifications are open to the general public—applicants simply need to describe relevant experience and skills and submit a short video explaining why they're the perfect fit for the job. Applications are accepted through the Indeed website until May 17. Hired candidates will start work on Saturday, June 6, one week before the tournament begins, and finish on Sunday, July 26, one week after it ends, earning $50,000 USD or approximately 1.6 million baht.