Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has appointed Thanat Suvarnanont, Director of the National Intelligence Agency, as head of peace talks for the southern border provinces. His primary duties include conducting negotiations with anti-state groups and violent perpetrators based on policies and measures established by the National Security Council, Prime Minister, or Cabinet; assessing and analyzing the stances and attitudes of dissenting groups and insurgents; and providing recommendations to senior leadership for policy decisions on resolving southern border issues. He will coordinate with facilitators in the peace process, including Malaysia and relevant government, private, and international entities.

The Prime Minister previously appointed a special government representative committee to address southern border problems, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sissadej Pungketkhao. The Defense Minister and National Security Council Secretary serve as vice chairs, with relevant permanent secretaries, the Supreme Commander, Army Commander, Police Commissioner, and the National Security Council Secretary as members. Wanmuhammad Normat, President of the Prime Minister's Advisory Board, serves as advisor.

The committee is tasked with driving strategies and operational plans toward concrete problem-solving, coordinating between the Cabinet and central government with local agencies, liaising with ministers assigned to work in the region, providing recommendations for integrated and coordinated efforts, and tracking progress in alignment with national strategy and the national security plan for southern border development.

The southern border unrest has accumulated over many years, beginning with forced disappearances of local religious leaders and a 2004 military base gun theft in retaliation against the state. The root causes stem from governance and administration that fails to align with the region's diverse population, escalating into harsh state crackdowns and human rights and justice violations.

Since taking office, Prime Minister Anutin has demonstrated commitment to resolving the conflict and achieving southern peace, as evidenced by establishing the special representative committee and appointing the peace talks chief. It is hoped the resolution process will prioritize dialogue, center people's interests, enable participation, and couple these with justice while reducing harsh state measures.

The Constitutional Court's acceptance of the petition challenging the 400-billion-baht emergency loan decree is not merely a legal issue but a measure of the legitimacy of executive power use under the emergency conditions outlined in Article 172 of the Constitution. The opposition contends that the borrowing, particularly the 200-billion-baht allocation for energy restructuring, represents long-term policy rather than an emergency crisis warranting a decree that circumvents parliament. The government, meanwhile, insists the country faces critical crises in energy, living costs, and economic stagnation, requiring urgent emergency measures. Analysts have outlined three possible outcomes: First, if the court rejects the decree entirely, it would be the worst-case scenario for the government, signaling executive overreach and unconstitutional action, which would derail projects and damage the government's credibility and stability—ammunition the opposition could use for sustained political pressure. Second, if the court rejects only the energy restructuring portion, many view this as the most balanced solution, allowing the government to continue economic relief measures while redirecting long-term projects through the normal parliamentary process. Third, if the court rules the decree constitutional, the government wins outright and can proceed immediately, while also defending its crisis decision-making—though this raises troubling questions about whether the executive could routinely bypass parliamentary oversight in the future. Based on current political atmosphere and legal debate, the second scenario—partial rejection—appears most likely, as it represents the "middle ground" between upholding constitutional protections and avoiding economic harm during a period when citizens are deeply anxious about public debt and rising living costs.

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — At least 131 deaths and over 500 suspected cases have been reported in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, the Congolese health ministry said Tuesday as details emerged about the government's delayed response.

Samuel Roger Kamba, the minister of public health, said: "513 suspected cases and 131 deaths have been recorded in the affected areas."

"These are suspected deaths, and investigations are underway to determine which ones are actually linked to the disease."

The WHO on Sunday declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

Health authorities say the current outbreak, first confirmed on Friday, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of the Ebola disease that has no approved therapeutics or vaccines. Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and Uganda, this is only the third time that the Bundibugyo virus has been detected.

A health official uses a thermometer to screen people in front of Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/ Hajarah Nalwadda)

Cases have now been confirmed in Bunia, North Kivu's rebel-held capital of Goma, Mongbwalu, Butembo, and Nyakunde.

The World Health Organization's director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in Geneva on Tuesday that he is "deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic" and the U.N. health agency will convene its emergency committee Tuesday to advise on recommendations.

GÖRLITZ, Germany (AP) — Rescue teams in eastern Germany searched Tuesday morning for three people who were missing after a building collapsed in the eastern city of Görlitz near the Polish border.

Police said a gas explosion may have been the cause for the collapse of the building, which took place Monday night.

Emergency responders proceeded with great caution at the scene in case of gas leaks, German news agency dpa reported.

After unsuccessful attempts to locate the missing under the rubble with the help of search dogs, rescuers began clearing debris with an excavator and by hand around 2 a.m. Tuesday.

Emergency services from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) use their bare hands to remove the mountain of rubble from the collapsed residential building in the city center of Goerlitz, Germany, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (Paul Glaser/dpa via AP)

Initial concerns that up to five people may have been buried under rubble turned out to be wrong, police said.

A man who feared his wife and cousin might be trapped under the rubble said Monday they had arrived that day for a vacation in the rented house. While shopping at nearby supermarket, he heard an explosion and returned to the house to find nothing but a large pile of rubble, dpa reported.

The collapsed building in the historic Wilhelminian style contained rental and vacation apartments, police said.

Görlitz is Germany's easternmost city with a population of 57,000. The historic, undamaged old town district is a popular location for international film productions.

At 5:30 p.m. on May 19, 2025, at the Police Hospital's Institute of Forensic Medicine, the family of Vipharak Phaephuri, known as 'Rose,' arrived to collect her body and return it to her birthplace in Udon Thani Province. Viephada Chantham, Rose's adoptive mother, broke down in tears as she touched the coffin and told her daughter, 'Mom will bring you home.'

Viephada, 59, arrived with Rose's biological mother to personally claim her daughter's body. An uncle whom Rose called 'Father,' who had lived with her throughout her life, also came to receive the body. Viephada said she was heartbroken and devastated by what happened. She touched the coffin and told Rose that she, the father figure, and Lakana would bring her home because they had found her and confirmed it was definitely Rose. Regardless of her circumstances, they would bring her home because Rose had only earned merit to this point. Viephada hoped Rose would become an angel in heaven.

Regarding accountability from relevant agencies, Viephada stated she could not comment much at this time as she did not yet know all the facts about how the incident occurred. Later, the Ruam Katanyu Foundation will take Rose's family to invoke her spirit at the accident scene before conducting religious rites at Suan Savanh Temple in Phibul District, Ubon Ratchathani Province.

Every minute on the road holds value, especially for riders since it represents an opportunity to earn income. Yet some riders choose to sacrifice their earning time to help people in distress without expecting gratitude or compensation.

These riders call themselves GrabRanger, a volunteer rider group dedicated to supporting each other within the driver community and assisting other road users they encounter. Despite different life circumstances, they share one common quality: public-mindedness and readiness to help. This fulfills their days and spreads positive energy in society as "heroes of the road."

GrabRanger's origins trace back to the direct experience of Cherdchai Panuavongse, or "P'Cherd," a 58-year-old rider and co-founder who once faced a problem alone on the road.

"My fuel ran out in the middle of the road, and I had to push my motorcycle alone on a long stretch. Hundreds of cars passed by, just driving past without helping. I felt so discouraged. But then one person stopped and helped me push the motorcycle to a nearby gas station. I felt deeply moved in that moment. It completely changed my perspective and made me determined that if I had the chance, I would never let anyone face the same problem again. From that day on, whenever I encounter someone struggling on the road, I help immediately without hesitation."

From that day forward, P'Cherd dedicated himself to serving society by balancing his courier work with volunteer riding. He eventually met other riders with similar values, and their small-scale efforts gradually expanded into a stronger collective. Last year (2568), they officially formed the GrabRanger group.

Today, GrabRanger has become a network with members spread throughout Bangkok and surrounding areas. They use social media as a communication channel to receive incident reports and coordinate responses, enabling the nearest riders to provide quick assistance. The platform also serves as a space to share content and inspire others to embrace volunteerism and help society.

For GrabRanger, assistance isn't limited to riders alone but extends to anyone on the road they encounter and can help, since emergencies can happen to anyone. Anukul Kachayut, or "P'Somdouy," an energetic 30-year-old new-generation rider and key team member, describes his role:

"I'm one of the admin team members handling coordination, from receiving incident reports to notifying nearby responders. I've personally gone to many scenes to help. We assist everyone we encounter, not just riders. The issues we frequently deal with include empty fuel tanks, tire leaks, flat tires, dead batteries, and collision accidents—we handle all of them.

We've completed many cases comprehensively. Once, a rider got hit by a car and was alone with no friends or family. What started as helping at the accident scene ended with us taking him to the hospital and volunteering to file a report at the police station, then delivering his documents to the hospital. This way, the injured person didn't have to worry about multiple things at once.

Sometimes we share fuel with people who run out in the middle of the road, or help someone whose vehicle breaks down during heavy rain late at night. Some cars can't go anywhere and are stuck in the rain with small children. We help them get home safely.

It might seem like small things, but it's incredibly important to people facing those problems at that moment. I often receive messages of gratitude."