Charoensuk Shabu, a popular buffet restaurant chain based in Bangkok, has announced the permanent closure of its The Scene Town in Town branch. The branch closed its doors on June 29 after operating for an extended period. In a Facebook announcement, the restaurant thanked all customers for their continued support, trust, and patronage. The management expressed hope of welcoming customers again in the future and promised to announce any updates regarding potential reopening. This closure follows temporary shutdowns of two other Charoensuk Shabu locations: the Anusawari branch on June 15 and The Jazz Rama Intra branch on June 23.

The Miss Universe Khon Kaen pageant officially announced the disqualification of Bam Pailin Wongsa from the 2026 competition on July 1. The pageant limited contestant selection to just 12 candidates this year to ensure maximum preparation efficiency. According to the official announcement, Pailin's disqualification stems from discovering she had registered to compete in another province's pageant while still holding her status as a Miss Universe Khon Kaen 2026 contestant, without informing pageant organizers in advance. This violated the agreed-upon terms and conditions. The pageant stated the action was necessary to maintain order and fairness, and to give the next qualified candidate full opportunity to participate. Previously, Bam Pailin had posted about her participation in the Miss Universe Maha Sarakham 2026 competition, with pageant activities scheduled for July 2-3, 2026, and the final competition on July 4, 2026 at the Imperial Hotel Sakon Nakhon.

Actresses Ling Ling Kong and Om Kornnaphat have responded candidly to fan concerns about limited promotion for their series "Drawing Dreams of a Wedding Day," which has gained considerable momentum. Speaking after a press conference for the "Grab Amazing Thai Rares" campaign at Hualamphong Railway Station, both actresses acknowledged wanting more promotional opportunities and revealed that their network has listened to feedback and begun adjusting their schedule.

With two episodes aired, the series has received strong fan response. Ling Ling expressed joy, noting that the entire team is pleased with the positive feedback and that director Khun Jaew is delighted. Om agreed, saying the series turned out better than expected during production despite the physically demanding filming.

Fans have shared numerous memes, particularly from a drunken scene. When asked if Ling Ling should stay drunk every episode, she joked that it would cost her her job and urged fans to keep watching.

Regarding a romantic scene in episode two where Om's character makes the first move, she teased fans to watch and find out, noting director Khun Jaew elevated the intensity. Both actresses praised the director's work and expressed gratitude for positive comments about their acting improvements.

Addressing the scheduling controversy, Ling Ling emphasized understanding all parties involved—fans, management, and the network—and advocated for respectful communication rather than drama. She acknowledged that she felt promotion was insufficient even for their previous series and now hopes to appear on more shows when scheduling allows. The network has already begun accommodating these requests with increased appearances.

Om added that both actresses are eager to promote their work after months of intense filming. Ling Ling confirmed the network is listening and that programming has already expanded. She also committed to being more active on social media if fans wish.

Regarding their upcoming fan meeting tour starting in Khon Kaen with four stops nationwide, Ling Ling teased new atmosphere and well-selected music. Om joked about saving on accommodation by staying at Ling Ling's house.

A 31-year-old woman named Cindy came forward on July 1, 2025, to share her cautionary story after becoming one of the victims arrested in Hong Kong. She was detained for 13 months in Hong Kong prison for cannabis found under her boarding pass name, despite having no involvement in drug trafficking.

Cindy recalled events from approximately two years earlier when a scammer, posing as a "friend of a friend," befriended her and joined her on the same trip. At the airport, the scammer used psychological manipulation, claiming their own baggage exceeded weight limits and asking Cindy to help "share the baggage weight." Trusting and believing it was normal traveler practice, she agreed to help.

Cindy explained that the scammer took her to the baggage counter personally. Exploiting her unfamiliarity with the process, the scammer used her boarding pass to scan and add an extra bag to her account. This made the airline system register the bag under Cindy's name and legal responsibility.

When the plane landed in Hong Kong, the truth emerged during thorough baggage inspection by airport officials. Although her personal luggage contained nothing illegal, the additional bag registered to her boarding pass contained over 2 kilograms of cannabis concealed inside cocoa containers.

Just as officials grew suspicious, the actual smuggler managed to grab the bag and flee the airport. However, Hong Kong airport police caught up and apprehended the scammer. But Cindy was immediately detained because the airline system clearly showed she had loaded the bag containing the cannabis herself.

"I was terrified and confused. We had nothing in our bag, but Hong Kong authorities relied on documentary evidence linked to my name. It was a very complicated international case," Cindy said.

Her life turned upside down. She was taken to a dark detention room at the airport, then transferred to a police station, and eventually imprisoned while awaiting trial. She was denied bail.

Moreover, because her physical appearance didn't match her government documents (title), Hong Kong prison regulations required her to be held in solitary confinement, isolated from other inmates in psychiatric isolation. She had no chance to meet other Thais, faced extreme loneliness, and cried every day in fear of the potential 10-25 year sentence warned by prison officials.

Fortunately, her family, friends, and relatives in Thailand didn't give up. They gathered evidence to the best of their ability and coordinated to send documents confirming her innocence to the Thai Consulate in Hong Kong. Consulate officials visited and provided care within legal limitations, though they could not intervene in court proceedings. They could only wait for the investigation to conclude.

After battling the case and being detained for 13 months, on March 3, 2024, Cindy's lawyer delivered good news: Hong Kong prosecutors withdrew the charges and the court formally dismissed the case. All evidence, including airport CCTV footage, clearly showed she had been deceived by the scammer and was not involved.

The advancement of artificial intelligence technology has made work faster and more efficient, leading many organizations to adopt AI for data analysis, business planning, and decision support. However, this raises an important question: does excessive reliance on AI harm human work performance?

The issue gained widespread attention after an employee posted their experience on Reddit, describing their manager as having "AI Psychosis"—an excessive obsession with and blind trust in AI. The manager became so fixated on Anthropic's Claude AI model that they treated its answers as the final standard for all decisions and refused to listen to team members' input. The post quickly went viral online.

According to the poster, the manager would display Claude conversations during every meeting, insisting the team meet performance targets and results predicted by the AI as if those were the only correct answers, despite AI's inability to fully understand customers, market needs, or project-specific conditions.

Problems arose when work results didn't match the AI's forecasts. Instead of reconsidering AI's limitations, the manager blamed employees and repeatedly asked the AI what went wrong. Without clear answers, they concluded the problem lay with the team.

The employee acknowledged that watching their manager become increasingly dependent on AI was concerning for both the manager's mental health and the organization's atmosphere. They felt exhausted working to satisfy the AI rather than serving customers, suggesting people should sometimes step away from screens and rely more on human reasoning.

After the story spread, many social media users shared similar experiences. Several reported that executives use AI to make all decisions, from performance reviews to business strategy, diminishing experienced employees' input. Some revealed CEOs asking AI "what's wrong" with incomplete data, causing AI to generate faulty answers that prevented project approvals, froze product development for months, suspended marketing budgets, and created financial problems. Others received AI-generated reports dozens of pages long critiquing company-wide employee performance.

This sparked renewed debate about AI's workplace role. Many argue that AI should serve merely as an analytical tool supporting decisions, not replacing human experience, judgment, and understanding. Ultimately, the best decisions require both real-world data and technology working together.

A man who disappeared during a barge explosion has been recovered as a body from the Chao Phraya River. At 11 a.m. on July 1, police at Phra Samut Chedi station in Samut Prakan received notification from residents about a floating body near Samut Saming Canal in Lam Fa Pha subdistrict. Officers coordinated with hospital medical personnel and foundation divers to investigate the scene along the Chao Phraya River. The body was found face-down in the water wearing a dark blue long-sleeved shirt, black and orange-striped sweatpants, and black boots—matching the description of someone from the barge that exploded around midday on June 30 near a dock opposite Soi Suksawat 84. The body was retrieved and brought to Wai Iam Prachami pier for family identification.

Suthini, age 54, arrived to confirm the body was her husband, Samarthit, age 55, who had been on the barge during the explosion and went missing with it. After foundation divers searched since the previous day without finding him, local residents discovered the floating body before police were notified.

An examination of the body revealed a laceration on the back of the head approximately 5 centimeters long and 3 centimeters deep, and another wound approximately 2 centimeters long and 1 centimeter deep near the left tailbone with bleeding. The body showed signs of prolonged water submersion, with decomposition suggesting death occurred at least 24 hours prior. The body was sent for autopsy.

Suthini, the deceased's wife, stated that her husband had boarded the barge yesterday morning at the dock opposite Soi Suksawat 84 with his sister, who had been operating the vessel for about two weeks. They had video-called that morning, but she had noticed him appearing sad for the previous two days without knowing why. She had suggested they perform merit-making together once he finished work, but before that could happen, she learned he had drowned.