Monday 20 July 2026

Good morning Bangkok. Happy Monday.

🌡️ Weather: 27-36°C (81-97°F). Hot through the afternoon with scattered showers. Morning is the outdoor window.

🌫️ AQI: 68-142 (Good to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Wide range. Morning is the cleaner window.

Pavin "Pace" Pattanavekin, a Grade 3 student at True Coding School Phuket, took first place in two categories at the International STEM Olympiad & Coding Olympiad Grand Final 2026 in Rome, Italy. His school shared the results on Facebook, and PM Anutin publicly congratulated him. Pace competed against students from dozens of countries and came home with two golds. He is nine years old.

Thailand has had a month. A 16-year-old from Phuket earned four yeses on America's Got Talent. A school marching band from Nakhon Ratchasima won two European championships in Germany. And now a nine-year-old has won STEM gold in Rome. These are not isolated stories. They reflect a generation of Thai students who are competing at the highest international level across music, entertainment and technology, and winning. The country that keeps making global headlines for enforcement crackdowns, nightclub fires and drug seizures is also producing children who are beating the world at coding, performing and creating. Both things are true at the same time, and the second story deserves as much attention as the first.

Bottom Line: A nine-year-old. Two golds. Rome. Sometimes the best news comes from the youngest people in the room.

The Flyover offers a refreshing alternative to traditional news.

We deliver quick-to-read, informative content across sports, business, tech, science, and more that cuts through the noise of mainstream media.

The Flyover's talented team of editors meticulously collects the day's most important news, ensuring you stay informed on top stories and equipped to win your day.

Join over 3 million savvy readers and leaders who trust The Flyover to provide unbiased insights, sourced from hundreds of outlets.

Subscribe for FREE!

The fire broke out at approximately 6AM on Saturday, July 18, at a three-story townhouse in Soi Somdet Phra Chao Taksin 11, Samre subdistrict, Thon Buri district. Firefighters from Talat Phlu Fire and Rescue Station arrived by 6:05AM and brought the blaze under control by 6:14AM. Despite the fast response, rescue workers found the bodies of an elderly couple who had been living on the second floor. They had succumbed to smoke inhalation. The couple had been caring for nearly 100 cats in their home. Rescuers also safely evacuated a two-month-old baby and a bedridden elderly woman from the neighboring house.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart visited the scene and confirmed the numbers during a live broadcast: 73 cats died in the fire. 19 survived. Two were taken to a veterinary hospital for treatment. The remaining 17 were transferred to the BMA Prawet Dog and Cat Shelter on the same day, where they are now awaiting adoption. Chadchart personally urged Bangkok residents to step forward and give these cats a home. The cause of the fire is believed to have been an electrical short circuit, the same cause confirmed in the Rong Beer nightclub fire the week before.

Bottom Line: Two people lost their lives. 73 cats did not survive. But 17 did, and they need homes. If you are in a position to adopt, contact the Prawet Dog and Cat Shelter at 02-328-7460 or find them on Facebook at BKK Adopter. Governor Chadchart asked. We are passing it on.

If you enjoyed today's issue, our sponsor below helps keep The BKK Insider free and in your inbox every morning. No sign-up, no download, just a quick click. It takes two seconds and it genuinely makes a difference.

Not a course. Not a tutorial. A real, working app built live with our team in 3 days - no code, no experience needed. Justin Burns walks you through every step. Free to attend July 22-24.

Grab your spot here.

One Ounce for Onion sits on Ekkamai Soi 12 and runs on a simple philosophy: do everything well, keep the space small, and let the coffee speak for itself. The specialty coffee is the anchor, prepared with the kind of attention that turns a Monday morning cup into something you actually remember. The menu extends beyond drinks into light bites and food that pairs with the cafe's unhurried pace, alongside handcrafted doughnuts supplied by their friends at Brassica BKK. "Lovely little cafe, good coffee and friendly staff," one reviewer wrote. "Small and cozy coffee shop with good vibe," wrote another.

The space is minimal enough that you notice the details: the way the beans are stored, the care in each pour, the quiet that settles over the room when the rest of Ekkamai is still waking up. The 4.7-star rating across 83 Google reviews and 4.7 on Facebook across 145 votes tells you the regulars keep coming back, which for a cafe this small is the only metric that matters. On a Monday when you want your first cup of the week to be made by someone who treats coffee as a craft rather than a commodity, One Ounce is the call.

TIP: Go at 9AM opening for the quietest experience. The specialty coffee is the draw. The Brassica doughnuts pair perfectly. Check their Facebook for the current menu.

📍 19/12.2 Room #1, Ekkamai 12 Alley, Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110
📞 086 388 3303
🕐 Opens 9AM Monday
⭐ 4.7 stars (83 Google reviews)
💰 ฿1-400 per person
🌐 facebook.com/oneounceforonion | 📸 @oneounceforonion

Always check opening times before heading out.

Interested in reaching Bangkok's expat community? If you have an upcoming event or volunteer opportunity you think our readers would like, reply to this email and we can feature the event or activity for free.

If you or your business serves or helps expats in Bangkok and you want to get in front of our readers, reply to this email and I will send you our media kit.

Have a good Monday, and see you tomorrow morning.

— Patrick