Thai

• Indian duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will face Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in the men's doubles final of the BWF Super 500 Thailand Open 2026. • The championship match is scheduled for Sunday, May 17, and will take place at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok. • Satwik and Chirag reached the final after a challenging tournament run, including a hard-fought semifinal victory over Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin.

• Indian doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty finished as runners-up at the Thailand Open Super 500 after a straight-games defeat. • The duo lost 12–21, 23–25 to Indonesia's Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in a match that lasted 53 minutes, despite saving four championship points. • This result marks a strong return for the pair following Satwik's recovery from a shoulder injury and represents their first final appearance of the current season.

• Singapore has officially become the largest stock market in Southeast Asia as of May 21, 2026, reaching a total market capitalization of $645 billion. • Other major regional markets follow closely, with Indonesia ranking second at $618 billion, Thailand third at $577 billion, Vietnam fourth at $521 billion, and the Philippines fifth at $200 billion. • This shift highlights Singapore's growing dominance as a primary financial hub for the region, attracting significant investment and capital.

• Thailand’s cabinet approved new borrowing of 200 billion baht, or $6.13 billion, to support a consumer subsidy scheme, Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said Tuesday. • The package is part of the government’s effort to cushion households from higher costs linked to the Middle East conflict and broader economic pressure. • The decision matters because it shows Bangkok is using fiscal support to stabilize living costs and shore up demand at a fragile moment for the economy.

Move brings an end to a 60 day visa-free stay that was agreed with 93 countries, including the UK, US and much of EuropeThailand is drastically cutting the length of visa-free stays for tourists from more than 90 countries in an effort to curb crime involving foreign nationals, officials said on Tuesday.Tourism is vital to the south-east Asian nation’s economy, but foreign arrivals are yet to return to their pre-Covid levels. Continue reading...

• Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the Thailand Open men’s doubles final on May 17, 2026 after beating Malaysia’s Sze Fei Goh and Nur Izzuddin 19-21, 22-20, 21-16. • ESPN’s Indian sports live blog said the Indian pair will face Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana in the title match, extending their strong run in the tournament. • The result matters because Satwik-Chirag remain India’s biggest badminton medal hope on the circuit and a title would add another major international trophy to their resume.

• Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the semifinals of the BWF Thailand Open 2026 after beating Takumi Nomora and Yuichi Shimogami, while PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen were eliminated in the quarterfinal round. • ESPN’s Indian sports roundup said Sindhu lost to Akane Yamaguchi and Lakshya fell to Kunlavut Viditsarn, extending a mixed day for India’s top badminton names on May 15. • The result matters because Satwik-Chirag remain India’s strongest title hope at a Super 500 event, while Sindhu and Lakshya’s exits underline the depth of competition in the women’s and men’s singles fields.