Reports indicate that Xabi Alonso dreams of managing Liverpool, but the "Reds" managerial position remains unavailable since Mikel Arteta shows no signs of being sacked. Alonso has been without a club since parting ways with Real Madrid in early January and has been linked with Liverpool, where Arteta currently manages. Despite leading Liverpool to a disappointing performance this season, Arteta continues to receive backing from Fenway Sports Group, the club's owners. Early this week, Chelsea—looking to find a new permanent head coach—approached Alonso to sound him out for the role. According to Sky Sports, Alonso's dream job is managing Liverpool, but there is currently no position available. He desires to manage a Premier League team, though he is willing to consider Chelsea's offer if circumstances are appropriate. Liverpool fans are increasingly frustrated with Arteta following a difficult and disappointing season, yet he maintains support from Fenway Sports Group amid the possibility that Alonso could return to manage the club. Chelsea is considering approximately five or six managerial candidates and has already contacted their representatives. Alonso currently stands as the most prominent candidate fitting their criteria, though the club is also evaluating other lesser-known options including Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth manager), Marco Silva (Fulham manager), Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace manager), Cesc Fabregas (Como manager), and Felipe Luis (former Flamengo manager).

A 65-year-old mother diligently studied Yu-Gi-Oh card game rules to understand what her son loves. Makoto, a passionate Japanese Yu-Gi-Oh fan who regularly shares content about the game and aims to become a world champion, recently posted a touching story on the X platform. His 65-year-old mother spent an entire month seriously studying the game's rules and mechanics to understand what her son is passionate about. Not only did she read and learn, but she also handwrote detailed summary notes of everything she learned.

From the images, her notebook is remarkably comprehensive and thorough. It includes important terminology, basic rules, game equipment, duel field diagrams, clearly categorized card types and monsters, all organized systematically. Remarkably, the notebook spans over 10 pages. Even complex concepts like the "turn sequence" and "phases" that confuse new players are explained clearly and understandably, prompting many players to consider it equivalent to an "official guidebook."

When the post was shared online, numerous internet users came to praise her work with comments like "Your mother's notes are amazing," "It's as detailed as an official rulebook," and "This is basically a Yu-Gi-Oh encyclopedia." Many were also impressed by the mother's love and willingness to spend time understanding what her son is passionate about.

On May 13, 2025, Julphand Amrivivat discussed the challenges facing Thai migrant workers abroad, particularly those in South Korea under the E-8 visa program. The issue centers on workers fleeing the system—known as "ghost workers"—causing some provinces to exceed the rates specified in the Thailand-South Korea Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This has resulted in entire provinces being blacklisted. The MOU clearly stipulates that if worker absconding from any province exceeds 20%, recruitment from that province will be suspended. Amrivivat acknowledged that the initial batch of workers sent exceeded expected ratios, causing subsequent problems. He emphasized that this matter requires discussion with South Korea, as the wrongdoing of a minority should not penalize the over 80% of workers who intended to work legally.

"We don't want to implement measures that become a burden on Thai workers, because ultimately every measure becomes a cost or additional expense for workers themselves," Amrivivat stated.

Amrivivat noted that Thailand must accept the fact that the MOU is a mutual agreement signed and accepted by both parties, not a unilateral South Korean proposal, resulting from bilateral negotiations between the two countries.

Amrivivat indicated that direct discussions with the South Korean embassy have not yet occurred, but Thailand is preparing to negotiate for flexibility rather than seeking a complete MOU revision, as Thailand has limited bargaining power and must acknowledge that part of the problem stems from Thai workers themselves absconding.

When asked about imposing stricter penalties on absconding Thai workers, Amrivivat said it's possible but every measure would ultimately burden workers. For example, requiring security deposits before departure could reduce absconding but would force many workers to take additional loans. The government therefore prefers not to pursue such approaches.

"Fines are pointless because once they flee, who do we fine? Thailand has already suffered losses, and it's not easy to export workers in replacement numbers," Amrivivat said.

Regarding the approximately 100,000-130,000 undocumented Thai workers in South Korea, Amrivivat emphasized that the government doesn't want all workers to return home but rather wants to bring them into the legal system.

The core problem is South Korea's complex labor system: workers whose contracts expire must return home first before reapplying, with no guarantee of returning to the same employer. This causes many workers to remain illegally because they are satisfied with their current jobs and employers.

"Workers fear that if they return, they won't get back to their original positions. This is an issue we've grappled with for years," Amrivivat said.

When asked about compelling workers to return as leverage against South Korea, Amrivivat said it's difficult because the Thai government cannot force Thai workers to return home. The labor market is competitive; if Thailand doesn't send workers, other countries are ready to fill the gap.

"In the labor market, if we don't send workers, others will step in. Like in the Middle East, if we don't go, other countries immediately take our place," Amrivivat concluded.

On May 13, 2025, a 24-year-old woman from Si Chomphu District, Khon Kaen Province, came forward with evidence of conversations and financial transactions totaling over 3 million baht with a lawyer she hired to assist her family members who were imprisoned in Chaiyaphum Province. The lawyer had charged fees for bail applications and appellate proceedings, but ultimately failed to deliver any results and became unavailable.

The woman stated she filed a complaint with Si Chomphu Police Station accusing the lawyer of computer fraud and deception. Investigators plan to conduct interrogations next week based on comprehensive evidence including LINE message exchanges, bank transfer documents totaling over 3 million baht, bail petition forms, and official court documents bearing the signature and seal of the Supreme Court president.

Particularly notable are documents claiming to represent official orders to release her family members, complete with case numbers and defendant names, addressed to the King of Thailand, the Supreme Court president, and relevant agencies.

According to the complainant, her older siblings were imprisoned in Chaiyaphum while their case was in appellate proceedings. In late 2024, she was introduced to a lawyer who claimed expertise in Supreme Court matters and connections with senior judges and officials overseeing bail considerations. The lawyer initially charged 250,000 baht for appellate proceedings.

After a few days, the lawyer called claiming he could expedite the case due to his connections with the Supreme Court president and high-ranking officials, but required 2 million baht in additional fees, which must be kept confidential. He continuously sent legal documents, court papers, and encouraging messages. Since her family members in prison were anxious for release, the woman began transferring 2 million baht to the lawyer in January 2025 across 16 separate transactions.

Throughout January, she continued making payments totaling 2 million baht as her family scraped together funds and borrowed money, hoping to secure bail and legal freedom. In early February, the lawyer claimed he could dismiss the case and issue a white warrant if he received an additional 1 million baht. At this point, the woman grew suspicious, noting no court documents were being processed and no court orders were issued.

The lawyer then sent documents purportedly from the Supreme Court with international law references and official court seals, indicating release would occur in February and notably addressed to "the King of Thailand," which further convinced her. She transferred an additional 500,000 baht. By mid-February, all communication ceased.

At 11:00 AM on May 13, 2025, at Don Mueang Air Force Base 2, Wing 6 in Bangkok, Prime Minister Anuchin Charnvirakul, along with the Interior Minister and a delegation including the Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Transport Deputy Minister, and Interior Deputy Ministers, will visit Koh Phangan in Surat Thani to address problems related to foreign nationals conducting business through nominees.

The Prime Minister will first travel to Koh Phangan School to receive a situation report from the Koh Phangan District Officer and listen to proposals from the Surat Thani Governor and local residents regarding challenges requiring government support. He will then meet with the community and announce government policies for the area.

Later in the evening, the Prime Minister will travel to Freedom Beach in Patong Subdistrict, Kathu District, Phuket to inspect enforcement efforts against encroachment on public beaches. The Phuket Governor, Forest Preserve Director, and provincial officials will brief him on the situation and case progress before he meets with residents and announces policies. Following both provincial visits, the Prime Minister will return to Bangkok the same evening.

BANGKOK — 13 May 2026, Thailand's Civil Aviation Authority (CAAT) has issued new regulations tightening controls on drone operations, including mandatory training, aircraft registration and online flight permission requests, as the government seeks to improve aviation safety standards and support expanding commercial drone use.

Deputy government spokeswoman Lalida Pherdvivatana said the new rules will take effect on 17 May and apply to drones weighing no more than 25 kilogrammes.

Under the new regulations, drone operations that differ from conditions set out in the 2015 Transport Ministry announcement will now fall under a "Specific Category", covering medium-risk operations that require risk assessments and prior approval from CAAT before flights can take place.

The category includes commercial drone activities such as filming, aerial surveys, flights in restricted areas and other operations outside standard conditions.

Drone operators will now be required to complete CAAT-approved training courses covering aviation law, air traffic regulations, flight safety and risk management. Operators must also obtain authorisation corresponding to the type of aircraft they intend to use.

The regulations additionally introduce mandatory electronic aircraft registration. All drones must display visible registration numbers in the standard format XX-NN-NN-NNNN, with letters and numbers printed in contrasting colours and measuring more than 0.3 centimetres in height to improve monitoring and enforcement.

Applicants seeking flight approval must submit flight plans online for each operation, including the purpose of the flight, date, time, flight area or coordinates, names of operators and insurance documents. CAAT may also require additional safety measures such as flight manuals, risk management plans or demonstration flights before approval is granted.

The new 2026 regulations replace several provisions under the 2015 rules. Previously, operator training was not mandatory, drones were not required to carry registration numbers and flight approval was not needed for every operation.

Under the updated system, licences will remain valid for five years instead of two, with renewals required at least 30 days before expiry. Paper-based submissions will also be replaced entirely by online procedures.

Third-party insurance requirements remain unchanged, with operators still required to maintain minimum coverage of one million baht per incident.

Authorities said operators already licensed under the 2015 rules may continue operating until their permits expire. However, any flights classified under the new Specific Category rules will require compliance with the updated regulations.

The government supports the use of drones in the digital economy, agriculture, creative industries and modern business sectors, but stressed that operations must comply with safety standards and social responsibility requirements.