On June 29, 2569, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suphakorn Punyariddhi, Deputy Director of the Office of the National Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Policy Council (OHEC), revealed the situation amid major global transformations including digitalization, aging societies, climate change, and increasing complexity in inequality. Future national development cannot rely solely on scientific and technological progress or economic growth alone, but must also depend on understanding people, society, culture, and human behavior. "This is why OHEC emphasizes developing knowledge in social sciences, humanities, and arts alongside science, technology, and innovation to ensure public policy comprehensively addresses societal realities," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suphakorn stated.

He further explained that social sciences and science are like two legs of a nation that must walk forward together, as future development is not merely about technology or economics, but requires understanding people, social context, and impacts on citizens. OHEC's work in this area covers research and policy recommendations on critical national issues including social and educational inequality, human capital development, demographic structure changes, regional economic and social development, promotion of social mobility, and leveraging cultural capital, creative economy, and arts as mechanisms for national economic and social development.

Currently, OHEC is promoting Social Science Policy—an approach that uses social sciences and humanities as part of designing Thailand's future. Rather than merely studying or explaining social problems, it aims to apply this knowledge to define development pathways that provide people access to opportunities, reduce inequality, and enable citizens to develop their potential and address structural inequality.

From OHEC's perspective, the role of social sciences, humanities, and arts extends beyond analyzing problems or explaining social phenomena; they must be part of public policy design, creating social justice, and laying foundations for long-term national development. "Sustainable national development must prioritize quality of life, inclusivity, and fairness alongside economic growth, because ultimately, development's goal is not economic figures but improving people's lives," emphasized the OHEC deputy director.

However, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suphakorn noted that current inequality extends beyond income to include access to education, technology, future skills, and opportunities for self-determination. Therefore, the higher education, science, research, and innovation system must elevate its role from merely producing knowledge to becoming a Societal Transformation Platform that connects knowledge, technology, innovation, universities, government, private sector, and communities.

"The key word for the future higher education system is creating opportunities, not just creating knowledge," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suphakorn stated, adding that OHEC has driven grassroots economic development and upward social mobility through various important mechanisms.

BERLIN (AP) — France saw around 1,000 additional deaths last week at the height of its record-smashing heat wave, the country's public health agency said Sunday, as the head of the World Health Organization warned that Europe is now the fastest-warming continent and needs to do more to protect its citizens.

Temperature records were toppled in several countries on the weekend, wildfires were sparked in Germany and Berlin police used water cannons to cool down the crowds.

Meanwhile, the heat wave slowly moved toward eastern parts of the continent.

Germany marked a new record for the third day in a row with 41.7 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit) in Neißemünde, near the border with Poland, which baked under its new all-time high of 40.5 C (104.9 F). The Czech Republic also experienced its hottest day ever with 41.9 C (107.4 F), up from the previous record of 40.9 degrees Celsius (105.6 F) on Saturday.

A new study from the World Weather Attribution, a Europe-based collaboration of scientists, reported Friday that the record-breaking heat and humidity in Europe this past week would not have been possible without climate change.

The rapid study found that the heat would have been virtually impossible just five decades ago, and is 200 times more likely today than it would have been 20 years ago.

France reported a surge in deaths last week, including a sharp increase at private homes, especially in the Paris region, the national public health agency said Sunday.

There were more than 1,200 deaths on Wednesday, when France was sweltering under its hottest temperatures, increasing to more than 1,400 deaths on each of the two following days, Public Health France said. In April and May, before the heat wave, France's rate of deaths was about 900 to 1,000 per day.

The agency concluded that France experienced a total of at least 1,000 additional deaths during those three days alone, an estimate it cautioned is likely to increase as more data is collected, including for deaths at home.

The increase was sharpest in areas under red warnings of extreme heat, it said. Those warnings blanketed about three-quarters of the country at the peak of the heat wave. The agency said that 85% of the deaths involved people aged 65 and above.

"Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, heating at twice the global average," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Sunday on X. "Right now 150 million people are living under extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut, grids are buckling."

Driven by climate change and global warming, the "once-in-a-generation" heat wave is now occurring nearly every year, Tedros said, adding that more than 1,300 excess deaths have been recorded since June 21 linked to high temperatures in Europe.

Thanya Thanyaresh Sets the Record Straight: She Downgraded Peck's Status, But He Won't Accept It. Thanya Thanyaresh opened up candidly on the podcast "Mae... Mouth, Tell Us What's Up," holding nothing back as she discussed everything from her business path to her personal life and relationship with Peck Sannchai. When asked what she would do if a young man showed romantic interest in her now, Thanya explained: "With Peck, we've been together for ages. Our son is 17 now. Honestly, life is basically the same, just without the married couple aspect. No sweet moments anymore (I've downgraded the status). If a young man came along and liked me now, what would I do?" When pressed further, she responded: "Oh no, I couldn't! I'm stuck in a coffin right now, Mom. I can't!!" When questioned about how she could claim to have downgraded the status if he hasn't accepted it, Thanya replied: "Well, I downgraded it, but he won't. Right now there's no contact, no likes, no calls, nothing. I don't want to know anything."

The National Credit Bureau (NCB) reported that non-performing loans (NPL) fell to 9.3% in the first quarter of 2025, though debt restructuring accounts have increased to approximately 10%, signaling underlying problems persist. The bureau proposed amending credit information laws to enable credit cooperatives, student loan providers, and new lending services to contribute data to the system, enhancing risk evaluation, expanding credit access, and bolstering Thailand's long-term financial stability.

On June 29, 2025, TTB Analytics and NCB released findings under the theme "Good Credit, Good Life, Toward Better Financial Opportunities," emphasizing that building a positive credit history is essential for improving credit access and enabling financially disciplined individuals to receive fair financing costs.

Thailand's total outstanding debt reached 13.6 trillion baht, with the average Thai citizen holding four active loan accounts. NCB's managing director Laksamon Attapich noted that approximately 86% of Thai household debt data tracked by the Bank of Thailand forms NCB's database. As of the end of the first quarter 2025, total outstanding debt stood at 13.6 trillion baht across 98.7 million credit accounts, averaging four accounts per person.

The household debt database, covering 86% of the country's working-age population aged 20-60 (39.18 million people), shows that only 23.5 million people, or roughly 60%, have credit records in the system. This means over 40% of this demographic lacks credit history—a concerning gap that deprives them of financial credibility and potential access to institutional credit.

The real concern extends beyond debt levels to the lack of financial identity for millions in the credit system, limiting opportunities to build creditworthiness and restricting access to institutional loans when needed. While credit accounts continue growing, particularly after Shopee ecosystem lenders joined NCB as members, total outstanding debt has remained flat for over two years and begun declining slightly in early 2025, suggesting new lending consists mainly of small personal loans rather than large credit expansion.

Attapich emphasized that while overall debt growth has stalled and the household debt-to-GDP ratio is declining, this partly reflects economic expansion rather than resolved debt problems. Two critical issues warrant monitoring: public access to institutional credit and current debt quality. If those needing funds cannot access institutional credit, they may turn to informal lending, increasing household fragility long-term.

By the end of the first quarter 2025, NPL ratios fell to 9.3%, yet debt restructuring accounts rose to approximately 10%, indicating many borrowers still require assistance. Follow-up is needed to determine whether restructured accounts return to normal repayment or revert to delinquency.

Personal loans emerged as the most concerning credit category by type, followed by auto loans with some segments showing nearly 20% NPL ratios, while nano-finance remained relatively stable.

Bangkok Asset Management (BAM) CEO Raks Vorakitphokathorn announced that the company's overall performance in the first half of 2025 is satisfactory. However, all businesses, including the real estate sector, are facing significant challenges, prompting BAM to adopt a new business paradigm. Over the past 13-14 months, the company has restructured its business model, emphasizing cost structure management and strategically selling properties that generate the highest profit margins. The company has accelerated the disposal of long-held assets, reducing the proportion from nearly 40% to just over 20%. BAM is focusing on selling smaller-priced properties, such as Phlat Plathong apartments, to low-income groups, freelancers, and security guards, enabling them to purchase housing through installment plans. This strategy generated approximately 1 billion baht in collections over the first five months of 2025.

Vorakitphokathorn stated that beyond its social benefit, this approach also reduces the company's debt reserve burden, expected to drop by half year-on-year to 1 billion baht. In the first half of 2025, BAM acquired approximately 10 billion baht in new assets and expects to acquire an additional 10,000-20,000 million baht in the second half. The company is also expanding into the middle and wealthy customer segments through "BAM Premium," offering assets valued at 30-50 million baht. This year, BAM targets 17.9 billion baht in collections and net profit of no less than 2 billion baht.

"In the first half, we acquired about 10 billion baht in new assets. In the second half, we'll add 10,000-20,000 million baht more because our NPL portfolio is two to three times larger than our second and third-ranked competitors. We only refill when we believe our tank is nearly empty," Vorakitphokathorn said.

Vorakitphokathorn explained that BAM has shifted its debt acquisition strategy from bulk purchasing to utilizing AI technology to analyze market demand in advance (Create Demand). The company now focuses specifically on hotel, shopping mall, and office building assets, which remain underrepresented in its portfolio, while reducing purchases of single-family homes and townhouses due to declining demand and difficulty in sales. The company currently holds approximately 30,000 units of these properties. However, hotel-type properties are currently the easiest to sell, reflecting the recovery of the tourism sector.

"BAM has adjusted its operational strategy over 13-14 months, shifting from the old approach of acquiring debt first and hoping buyers would emerge, to analyzing market demand before purchasing. It's like checking what customers order from the menu before cooking in the kitchen—creating demand rather than buying large supplies and searching for buyers afterward. Hotel properties are currently the easiest to sell, and after our portfolio adjustments, I believe BAM has strengthened considerably," Vorakitphokathorn said.

Vorakitphokathorn noted that Thailand's real estate market is currently facing a "sandwich problem," where young professionals (First Jobbers) cannot obtain loans, while older, retired people still have outstanding home payments.

On June 29, police from Thung Luang Station in Songkhla province announced the arrest of the temple abbot, identified as Athichat, and novice monk Chonkan (surname withheld), who were accused of sexually abusing four young novice monks aged 12-14. Following social media reports of abuse on June 24, the four victims filed a complaint at the police station, prompting the two suspects to flee the temple.

Authorities obtained arrest warrants from Songkhla Provincial Court on June 27 charging Athichat with sexual assault against persons unable to resist, as well as sexual offenses against minors under 15 and 13 years old. Novice monk Chonkan faces separate charges for sexual abuse and indecent acts against minors under 15.

Police investigations revealed the suspects fled on June 25 using an orange Nissan vehicle with Songkhla license plate, initially heading to Nakhon Si Thammarat province where they checked into a resort. On June 26, they switched to a Mazda pickup truck and traveled to Khao Khom Forest Buddhist Temple in Tron District, Uttaradit Province, where they were finally apprehended on June 27.