Zhao Hua and her sister operate a cozy café in Mengla County, Yunnan Province in southwestern China, selling coffee beans from their own farm while proudly preserving Wa ethnic cultural heritage. Café visitors can watch traditional Wa women demonstrate weaving, an ancient craft passed down for generations.

Zhao's parents were among the first to plant coffee in the county. She named her brand "Picar Coffee" to honor a beloved pickup truck that traveled mountain roads transporting fresh coffee beans, furniture, sugar cane, and other goods—reflecting the simple, hardworking spirit of local people.

Picar Coffee is now a favorite on Mengla's specialty coffee street. Zhao's viral videos have introduced this remote border town and its local coffee to a wider audience, with her beans now exported to Japan, Australia, and many other countries.

Mengla's coffee connection began in 1958 and expanded seriously in the 1980s. Li Meiying, secretary and director of the Mengla County Tea and Bioresources Industry Center, vividly remembers as a child watching officials and villagers terrace hillsides and plant coffee saplings. "As a child, I watched earlier officials lead everyone in planting coffee, and today I help bring our coffee to the world stage. This legacy will continue," Li said.

Among Mengla's lush hills, Guan Yong's large Lizuk Estate seamlessly combines eco-tourism, coffee culture, rural retreats, tasting experiences, and online sales. While working in Kunming, Guan tasted specialty coffee for the first time and was inspired. In 2017, he returned home and chose an unexpected path—opening a café first, then building a roastery, developing processing, and eventually creating his own Lizuk Estate. "I wanted to understand what gives coffee its true flavor," Guan explained, studying the market before tracing back to the source—the farm—enabling him to create a smart business model serving consumer needs.

From pioneering villagers terracing hillsides and planting the first coffee trees, to Li promoting the industry, to entrepreneurs like Zhao and Guan returning home to build their own brands—this is success passed from generation to generation.

Police received a report on July 3 of a collision between a passenger van and a sidecar motorcycle with serious injuries on Suansor Road near a U-turn point in Nong Saeng subdistrict, Prachuap Khiri Khan province. Officers found the van parked on the roadside with severe damage to its left front. About 30 meters away lay the body of 74-year-old Boonjan, unconscious and motionless on the road verge, severely battered from being struck and thrown from the motorcycle. Emergency responders performed CPR before transporting him to hospital. Nearby on the roadside lay a blue Honda motorcycle with sidecar, overturned and damaged from the impact.

Initial investigation revealed the van was traveling from Na Di district toward Prachuap Khiri Khan when it struck Boonjan's motorcycle as he attempted to turn ahead. The van was traveling at speed and could not brake in time to avoid the collision. Boonjan died later at the hospital.

Local residents reported the U-turn point is a recurring accident hotspot, as vehicles traveling straight often drive at excessive speeds and cannot stop in time when drivers ahead brake or turn suddenly. Police Inspector Sophon Chinasutti said investigators will question the van driver, examine collision evidence, and interview witnesses. If the driver was speeding, negligent, and failed to reduce speed at the U-turn point, criminal charges will be filed.

The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau has dismantled the Tiger online gambling network in Operation Tiger Head Hunt, arresting three suspects and seizing more than 46 million baht in assets after uncovering a network handling around 500 million baht a month.

At a press briefing on 3 July 2026, officers said the investigation targeted the "boonmee" gambling website and more than 40–50 online gambling sites operating under the Tiger platform, offering casino games, slot machines, boxing and international football betting.

Investigators traced the network's financial transactions and found gambling proceeds were laundered through layers of corporate and nominee bank accounts to conceal their origin. The investigation led police to Loei province, where a woman admitted she was paid 1,500 baht a month to allow the syndicate to use her home's Wi-Fi connection to disguise the IP addresses used for online banking transactions.

Further investigation uncovered a safe house in Chiang Mai, which police said was used to collect gaming platform commissions and hold funds for the network. Police arrested the alleged network leader, Tatchai (surname withheld), along with his girlfriend, Krittaya (surname withheld), who allegedly managed the group's finances. Investigators said the proceeds were transferred to the bank account of Krittaya's sister, Romita (surname withheld).

The three suspects face charges including operating an illegal online gambling business, money laundering conspiracy and money laundering. Assets seized during the raids included a McLaren, an Audi, luxury jewellery, designer handbags and cash worth more than 46 million baht. Authorities also froze an additional 4 million baht in bank accounts linked to the network.

Police said the investigation is continuing to trace financial transactions and seize additional assets connected to the gambling operation.

BBC reported on July 3 a miraculous survival story from Venezuela's devastating earthquakes on June 24, which measured 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. Rescue workers successfully pulled out a man named Hernán Gil after he was trapped under collapsed building debris for eight days. Gil was located beneath the rubble and rescue efforts took over 100 hours from his discovery until extraction. A Chilean firefighter described the operation as the most complex and technically difficult rescue he had ever undertaken.

The confirmed death toll from the twin earthquakes has risen to at least 2,595, with around 12,500 injured and over 50,000 still missing. Allan Madrigal, an emergency medical officer with the Costa Rican Red Cross, revealed that he heard Gil's faint cries for help on Sunday, June 28, as Gil attempted to dig himself out from the rubble. Madrigal initially doubted his own ears and asked colleagues to confirm he was not imagining the sound.

Gil was working in a small concrete enclosure in the underground parking lot adjacent to the Galerías Playa Grande shopping center in Catia La Mar when the earthquakes struck. He survived because the concrete structure shielded him from approximately 140 tons of building debris that collapsed in that area. Officials noted that rescue efforts were delayed partly because access tunnels constructed by rescue workers collapsed multiple times, highlighting the dangers both rescuers and Gil faced. Despite these obstacles, rescue teams eventually located Gil and successfully extracted him from the rubble.

Pimpjai Lee Issaranukul, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC), announced that as global oil markets stabilize and crude prices have fallen from the elevated levels seen during Middle East tensions, the government should promptly implement measures to adjust domestic energy prices appropriately to reflect these reduced costs. This would help ease the cost of living for citizens, reduce business expenses quickly, and support Thailand's economic recovery.

The TCC has submitted five key proposals to the government:

1. Accelerate the transfer of reduced energy costs to consumers by implementing domestic pricing mechanisms that quickly, transparently, and fairly reflect global oil price reductions, ensuring direct benefits for both citizens and businesses.

2. Balance fuel fund management by reviewing fund collection obligations to suit the current stabilized market conditions, preventing citizens and businesses from bearing unnecessarily high energy costs.

3. Reduce the country's economic costs, as fuel expenses impact not only motorists but also transportation, food, and production costs for businesses, particularly SMEs, thereby enhancing competitiveness and stimulating overall economic activity.

4. Build confidence in the country's economic management through policies that promptly respond to global market changes with clarity, reinforcing trust among citizens, investors, and the business sector.

5. Accelerate the transition to clean energy while reducing fossil fuel dependence by promoting energy efficiency improvements and supporting clean energy deployment to ensure energy security, enhance industrial competitiveness, and support the long-term shift to a low-carbon economy.

Implementing these measures would provide both short-term relief from cost pressures and establish long-term energy foundations for the country, alleviating the cost-of-living burden on citizens, strengthening business competitiveness, and reinforcing confidence in Thailand's economy during volatile global conditions.

The Narcotics Control Board secretary revealed numerous suspects in the Thai Airways drug trafficking case, identifying two major figures in neighboring countries overseeing drug shipments to Australia and Taiwan. On July 3, 2025, at the Government House, Deputy Police General Suriya Singhakam, secretary of the Narcotics Control Board, discussed the investigation into a driver who delivered packages to Meena, a Thai Airways flight attendant. Bangkok police are tracking the delivery rider to verify details and pursuing another individual who removed parcels from a sedan and drove the vehicle. Police are questioning suspects to confirm facts and locate the parcel carrier. A Laotian couple arrested from Loei Province is being interrogated to establish connections and confirm the drug trafficking pipeline through Thailand to Australia and Taiwan. Two foreign accomplices are identified as the primary operatives responsible for controlling two separate drug shipments—one to Australia and another to Taiwan. When asked whether Thai nationals served as major organizers beyond the hired rider and flight attendant, Deputy Police General Suriya stated investigations are ongoing, noting Thailand serves merely as a transit point, with buyers and foreign recipients arranging purchases directly. Regarding the couple's claim that the final drug consignment was sent on June 28, and whether authorities located it, Suriya confirmed all shipments have been traced, with arrests made at three locations starting June 30 and July 1, with additional arrests beforehand as the investigation expands. When pressed on the total number of suspects arrested in this case, Suriya asked for patience given the numerous people involved and deferred further details to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Interior Minister, who would issue orders.