GULF Energy Development achieved record second-quarter operating profit of 12.33 billion baht, a 74% increase from the same period last year, with total revenue surpassing 50.3 billion baht. Yupaporn Wangwiwat, GULF's chief financial officer, attributed the strong results to robust performance across energy and digital business segments.

The company's natural gas power plants—GSRC and GPD—significantly increased electricity sales to Thailand's state utility as national demand rose, improving capacity utilization and profitability. Renewable energy contributions also surged, with 12 solar and solar-plus-battery projects now operational, generating 1,129 megawatts combined and delivering 153% higher profits year-on-year.

GULF's LNG import business posted exceptional results with 157% profit growth after handling 37 shipments totaling 2.4 million tons in the first half. The company's shareholding in AIS telecommunications contributed 4.55 billion baht in profit, up 31%, while KBANK dividends added 2.84 billion baht and the sale of a 51% stake in the Pak Lai hydropower project to J-Power generated 1.93 billion baht.

Second-quarter EBITDA reached 19 billion baht, up 41% year-on-year, though net profit attributable to shareholders fell to 12.45 billion baht due to exceptional gains from the INTUCH merger in the prior-year quarter. At June 30, 2025, GULF held 815.97 billion baht in total assets against 468.36 billion baht in liabilities, with a net debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06 times.

GULF projects 12-15% growth in revenue and EBITDA for 2025, supported by approximately 700 megawatts of new power generation capacity slated for commercial operation in the second half, comprising solar farms, solar-plus-storage systems, waste-to-energy plants, and rooftop solar projects.

Roojai Insurance celebrated its 10-year milestone on August 6, 2025, announcing its roadmap for the next decade with a focus on AI-driven digital transformation. The company, founded by Nicholas Fayet, pioneered Thailand's direct-to-consumer (D2C) digital insurance model and has grown from an online insurance broker in 2016 to a fully licensed general insurance company operating in both Thailand and Indonesia. The company now serves over 370,000 customers and remains committed to making insurance "easy to buy, fairly priced, and reliable" through technology and innovation.

Roojai has demonstrated strong financial performance, with combined premiums growing from 1 billion baht in 2021 to 3.3 billion baht in 2026—a threefold increase. In the first half of 2025, the company recorded 1.6 billion baht in premiums and 212 million baht in net profit, maintaining a loss ratio below 65% for the fifth consecutive year and a robust CAR of 520%, well above regulatory minimums.

In its second decade, Roojai plans to integrate AI across all operations—underwriting, claims assessment, customer service, and data analytics—to deliver better-tailored products, faster service, and superior customer experience. The company demonstrated this capability during severe flooding in Hat Yai in late 2024, using AI-powered systems to rapidly approve and process claims for customers during the crisis. Chairman Krakrit Khamruengrit emphasized that the insurance industry must adapt to the digital era to meet evolving consumer expectations, noting that Roojai views technology not merely as a sales tool but as essential infrastructure for elevating the customer experience and democratizing access to insurance.

Leveraging its strength in auto insurance, Roojai is preparing to expand into health insurance and personal coverage segments following its successful launch of travel insurance, with an ambitious goal to capture 6% market share in Thailand's auto insurance market by 2030.

The tiger research team at Khao Nang Ram Wildlife Research Station has successfully identified the tiger that attacked a ranger at Huay Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary as a 1-year-6-month-old cub, offspring of mother tiger Aphinyaa.

On August 6, 2025, at 5:30 p.m., Dr. Aatchara Simcharoen, academic affairs director, and Somphoch Duangchantarasiri, Khao Nang Ram Wildlife Research Station director, confirmed the tiger's identity through camera trap footage from the area where ranger Sakkrin Wichajarn was found. Tigers typically return to their kill site after hunting, and based on the research team's database, the area is home to adult female tiger Aphinyaa, age 8, and her three cubs from a second litter, approximately 1 year 6 months old. The family regularly uses this route.

Camera trap analysis identified one of Aphinyaa's three cubs as the tiger involved. On the day of the incident, this cub entered the shelter area where the ranger was resting in a horizontal position. The tiger likely mistook the ranger for prey because his posture resembled the typical long profile of normal prey. At 1 year 6 months old, the cub is in the natural learning phase for hunting, and this incident is considered accidental. Normally, tigers avoid structures and would flee immediately if they detected human movement.

Research recommendations include: 1. Emphasizing ranger vigilance and avoiding situations that expose them to tiger attacks 2. Improving the environment with better lighting and more open landscaping to increase visibility 3. Adjusting ranger behavior—avoiding exposed outdoor areas during rest periods

Criteria for classifying a tiger as man-eater: 1. Repeated, consistent incidents 2. Deliberate selection of humans as primary prey

Action steps include: (1) Installing 15 camera traps across a 40-square-kilometer area around Huay Kha Khaeng over two days to study whether the tiger family can survive on natural prey; (2) Fitting satellite collars on all three cubs for continuous behavioral monitoring; (3) If attacks recur within a short timeframe, capturing and relocating the cub for behavioral rehabilitation; (4) Ongoing camera trap monitoring going forward.

Chayaporn Amradisit, director of the Protected Area Administration Region 12, confirmed that evidence identified a 1-year-6-month-old male tiger cub—one of Aphinyaa's three offspring—as responsible for the attack on ranger Sakkrin Wichajarn, who died on August 5. Camera trap evidence shows the cub returned to the location where the ranger's body was taken.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Thailand and Toyota Motor Thailand are advancing their vision of "Making Ever-Better Motorsports-Bred Cars" by deploying three Hilux TRAVO vehicles in the Asia Cross Country Rally 2026 (AXCR 2026), scheduled for August 10–15, 2026, covering 2,200 kilometers from Pattaya to Phitsanulok. The initiative represents a collaboration between TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Thailand, Thai engineers from Toyota Motor Asia (Thailand), and TCD Asia, fielding six drivers and co-drivers alongside full engineering and service support to demonstrate the new Hilux TRAVO's capabilities on the demanding international cross-country rally circuit.

Nutthadej Sriniwet, Assistant to the Managing Director of Toyota Motor Thailand, emphasized that the company uses motorsports as a critical platform for developing vehicle technology and innovation. He noted that data gathered from competitive testing helps improve durability, performance, and quality of production vehicles. Toyota's racing team achieved 2nd and 5th place finishes in the T1D class at last year's AXCR 2025, and this year aims to prove the Hilux TRAVO's strength across diverse terrain including dust, mud, gravel, and steep inclines over the grueling 2,200-kilometer course.

The Hilux TRAVO has been specially developed and prepared to handle the varied conditions of the Asia Cross Country Rally, serving as a critical testing ground for engineers to gather real-world performance data. This year, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Thailand will enter three Hilux TRAVO vehicles across two classes: in the T1D class, vehicles 102 (driven by Nueng-Mana Pornsirichierd with co-driver Ton-Kittisak Glimjanthorn) and 107 (driven by Chub-Nattapol Angruthananont with co-driver Tam-Thanyphut Minil); and in the T2A-D class, vehicle 130 (driven by Keng-Phurimasup Thinchanthorn with co-driver Lek-Prakay Namjai Thaharn). Team director Sutthipong Smitchart confirmed that drivers, co-drivers, engineers, and service teams are fully prepared to tackle every challenge and showcase the Hilux TRAVO's potential on the international rally stage.

On August 6, reporters documented scenes at the Samoed Subdistrict home of Borawattana Pengsuk, known as "Hulun Solo," a popular travel vlogger who died in Georgia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinated the return of his body to Thailand early that morning. Relatives want a second autopsy to clarify the exact circumstances of his death.

Neighbors, fans, and well-wishers have been streaming to the house to offer support to the family, bringing food, water, and encouragement throughout the day. The funeral venue has been decorated with enlarged photographs of Hulun Solo, and the Samoed Subdistrict Municipality has provided tents and chairs for visitors. Local government offices are assisting with preparations. Relatives expect large numbers of fans and friends to arrive when the body reaches the house, with accommodations in the area already fully booked.

Family member Chanthapenp Kaewboonjai, 53, a chef helping with funeral preparations, said the family is anxious to learn the cause of death and hopes to share this information with relatives once the autopsy results are known. She noted that fans from various provinces and different school groups where Hulun studied have already sent support and flowers. Local tradition requires providing food for all visitors, regardless of distance. The family expressed gratitude to fans, reporters, teachers, and officials from schools and Chulalongkorn University who have provided assistance and donations of food and beverages.

Poor lifestyle habits, inadequate physical activity, and unhealthy eating are major risk factors for non-communicable diseases, particularly diabetes, which remains a serious health challenge in Thailand. According to the Disease Control Department, approximately 6.5 million Thais have diabetes, with many unaware of their condition. Without proper blood sugar control, complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and nerve damage can develop.

In response, the Sweet School at Tha Thrai, located within the Tha Thrai Subdistrict Administrative Organization in Mueang District, Nakhon Nayok Province, has become an important tool for managing diabetic patients and at-risk groups. The program shifts from "waiting for treatment" after symptoms appear to building protective measures by providing knowledge and skills that enable people to manage their own health in daily life through learning, hands-on practice, and encouragement, with support from health personnel, village health volunteers, and community members.

Thawachchai Deetongsouk, director of the Tha Thrai Subdistrict Health Promotion Hospital, explained that the Sweet School was established in 2567 (2024) in response to the high number of diabetes patients in the area. The hospital recognized the need to find ways to reduce risk and slow disease progression. The school's goal is to help at-risk groups and patients access knowledge and behavioral change methods they can apply in their daily lives to reduce disease risk and prevent complications.

The Sweet School is managed by the subdistrict health center director working with trained volunteer teachers from the community and health volunteers who have received capacity development from Nakhon Nayok Hospital. They serve as teachers, imparting knowledge, building skills, and encouraging learners throughout the behavioral change process. The Local Health Security Fund (part of the local government's health insurance scheme) works with the National Health Security Office to fund health promotion activities, disease prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation, ensuring the school's behavior-change program runs continuously.

"The core of the Sweet School is behavioral change that emphasizes patient learning, knowledge, and ability to self-manage and continue that management until the disease is controlled," Thawachchai said. "At minimum, we want patients to understand complications and become aware of them. Even if they can't do everything, it still helps delay the deterioration that will happen to the patient."

The director added that the Sweet School uses a four-month curriculum in which learners meet once a week on Mondays. The program begins with a health screening to gather baseline data before moving into learning about diabetes and its complications. Learners also receive instruction on appropriate exercise from trained teachers and learn about food choices, including carbohydrate management guidance from nurses. The program also creates space for learners to exchange experiences, encourage one another, and monitor their health changes each week.