The Thai Royal Family completed their official visit to France on June 2, 2026, when the King and Queen departed Paris by motorcade from Le Méridien hotel to Charles de Gaulle Airport, then flew to Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in southwestern France. Upon arrival, they were received by local officials including the Occitanie region governor. The Royal Family then visited the Airbus Delivery Centre, where senior executives including Philippe Tabarot, France's Transport Minister, and Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO, welcomed them. Inside the facility, they viewed presentations on the company's operations and future aviation industry developments, followed by a tour of the Airbus A350 final assembly line, where they observed fuselage connections and nose landing gear installation, as well as wing assembly operations. Later, they proceeded to the Airbus Pilot Training Centre, where they viewed an A350 flight simulator and His Majesty personally conducted a simulated flight on a round-trip route between Toulouse-Blagnac Airport and the Pyrenees mountain range on France's southern border with Spain, lasting approximately 30 minutes.

A café in Bang Lamung, Chonburi has gone viral online for its unusual "eel croissant" cake menu, drawing steady streams of customers and content creators eager to try and share photos on social media. Owner Atit Chromsawat, 40, brings over 15 years of professional baking experience from work at premium hotels before opening his home-based bakery. He accepts custom cake and bakery orders, teaches baking classes to interested learners, and serves as a consultant for multiple Pattaya cafés while serving on the Eastern Region Bakery Association board.

The viral menu item started when a customer requested an unusually funny birthday cake to prank friends. The bakery creatively expanded on their popular fresh milk croissant concept to develop the "eel croissant" cake. The shop offers diverse baked goods alongside coffee and various beverages for all-day service. Sai Wan Break House is open from 9 AM to 6 PM daily, closed Tuesdays.

A power transformer explosion sparked a major fire in Patong, Phuket on July 2, 2025 at 5:10 PM near the Meatball Roundabout on Pang Muang Sai Road. The Patong Municipality Disaster Prevention Center received reports that the transformer had exploded, sending sparks and flames onto parked motorcycles and two nearby papaya salad vendor stalls. Police closed the surrounding area to prevent further danger from continued explosions and flying debris, allowing municipal fire trucks to respond. Firefighters brought the blaze under control in 15 minutes.

Initial investigation found one to two motorcycles completely destroyed by fire and two papaya salad shops severely damaged. Local residents reported hearing a loud explosion from the transformer, followed by sparks raining down onto the parked vehicles, which ignited rapidly. The fire then spread to the nearby vendor stalls.

No injuries or fatalities were reported. Authorities are investigating the cause, with preliminary findings suggesting the transformer failure triggered the initial explosion and fire, which then spread to the motorcycles and shops. Estimated damages are between 300,000 and 500,000 baht.

The Thai government has approved a comprehensive monsoon response strategy for 2025 as proposed by the National Water Resources Committee and has directed all relevant agencies to implement it strictly, preparing for heavy rainfall, flooding, flash floods, landslides, and dry spells. Thailand typically enters its full rainy season from May 1 to October 31 each year, except for the eastern southern region which begins September 1 and ends February 28 of the following year. This year focuses on integrated coordination among all agencies, emphasizing nine critical measures to prevent and mitigate impacts from natural disasters, including climate change effects from El Niño. Flooding and dry spells significantly affect people's livelihoods, the economy, and agriculture; advance preparation, accurate warnings, and coordinated action will enable efficient management and minimize potential damage. The measures include forecasting, targeting, and early warning systems for at-risk areas, improved rain and water forecasting, hazard mapping for flooding and landslides, and enhanced early warning systems. Water management criteria across river basins will be reviewed and adjusted to match real conditions, with data coordination between agencies and crisis management plans prepared in advance. Machinery, tools, hydraulic structures, drainage systems, and personnel will be maintained on 24-hour standby, with surveys, repairs, and removal of water obstructions to improve drainage efficiency. Water barriers, dams, embankments, and levees will be inspected for safety, with contingency plans for sudden flooding. Systematic drainage will be enhanced by accelerating removal of water hyacinth and aquatic weeds and dredging channels, especially in economically important and vulnerable areas. Pre-disaster water management centers will be established with drills, shelters and evacuation areas prepared, and vulnerable groups assisted. Water collection and source development will be accelerated at the end of the rainy season for dry season reserves, with optimal management of reservoirs and groundwater. Monitoring, evaluation, and adjustment of measures, combined with public awareness-building and community network strengthening, remain essential to maximize disaster impact reduction.

Incumbent Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt won a historic landslide victory, securing re-election with a record of more than 1.44 million votes despite earlier speculation that he might not win more than a million. Chadchart won more votes than the next four closest candidates combined—in fact, their combined total amounted to less than half of what Chadchart received. This represents a clear mandate for him to use over the next four years.

When meeting Chadchart on the campaign trail just days before Election Day at a market in Bangkok's Huai Khwang district, the 60-year-old veteran politician proved personable and down-to-earth, simply encouraging voters to participate rather than pressuring them to support him. While Bangkok could have fared worse under his leadership, significant challenges remain unresolved.

Persistent issues facing the capital include PM2.5 pollution during the cool and dry season, minimal progress on rubbish separation over the past four years, and City Hall's failure to assist homeless people—a problem particularly visible along Ratchadamnoen Avenue at night. Should Chadchart exceed his accomplishments in the next four years, he could emerge as serious prime ministerial material for Thailand, though that remains distant.

Chadchart's main opposition challenger, People's Party candidate Chaiwat Sathawornwichit, suffered a disappointing third-place finish with just over 176,000 votes, despite the party's recent success winning all Bangkok MP seats in February's general election. Political analysts attribute rising public resentment toward the People's Party to its perceived arrogance and unwillingness to acknowledge mistakes, evident in controversial decisions such as appointing former junta supporter Surapol Nitikraipot as chief adviser and voting for Anutin Charnvirakul as prime minister despite strong objections from party supporters. Without heeding criticism, the party risks losing the trust of even well-intentioned supporters.

Arada Fuengtong, director-general of the Department of Foreign Trade, unveiled the 'Boost up SMEs to FTA Markets' program on July 2, a collaborative effort with the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion. The initiative aims to strengthen Thai SME capabilities and maximize benefits from free trade agreements amid volatile global trade conditions. Funded by OSMEP's development fund, the program focuses on transforming Thai entrepreneurs into 'Smart Traders' who understand complex regulations and leverage FTAs for competitive advantage. The strategy targets three high-potential markets: India, Switzerland, and Norway, which show increasing demand for Thai products. The Department aims to generate over 1 billion baht in export value through FTA utilization. Thailand currently has 14 active FTAs covering 18 countries, with three additional agreements (Thailand-EFTA, Thailand-Sri Lanka, and Thailand-Bhutan) expected to take effect by 2027, bringing the total to 17 FTAs covering 24 countries. Arada emphasized that the modern trade era leaves no room for stagnation and called on businesses to transform into Smart Traders capable of reducing costs and gaining competitive advantages through FTA benefits. The launch event featured special addresses, panel discussions with leading experts, and parallel activities offering in-depth consultations and program enrollment for participating entrepreneurs.