Deputy Education Minister Akkanat Kankittinant visited Nonhayakha Nongsaraphit School in Chaiyaphum and Bansongyang School in Yasothon on May 1 to assess damage from recent summer storms and accelerate relief efforts for affected educational institutions.

Following his field inspection of Nonhayakha Nongsaraphit School, which sustained severe damage, Akkanat ordered immediate demolition approval for the heavily damaged Grade 1 classroom building and instructed local authorities to expedite budget requests for replacement construction, prioritizing the safety of students and teachers.

He praised the school's exceptional academic performance, noting that despite having only 55 students and 5 teachers, the school achieved an average O-NET score of 90 points, demonstrating the effectiveness of a 1:10 teacher-to-student ratio. The Education Ministry plans to expand this staffing model to other schools to improve learning outcomes.

Akkanat also conducted an unannounced inspection of the Buayai District Learning Center in Nakhon Ratchasima, discovering outdated 2008 curriculum materials, and directed modernization efforts. He subsequently traveled to Yasothon to oversee assistance for five storm-affected schools, allocating nearly 1.88 million baht in remaining central budget funds for safety repairs before the school term reopens.

The ministry will suspend operations at the severely damaged Yasothon Kindergarten and is preparing to advance 14 million baht from the 2570 fiscal year budget to construct 18 replacement classrooms.

"Under this administration, safety in education must be our top priority," Akkanat stated. "We cannot allow children to be at risk in educational institutions. Additionally, learning centers must rapidly adapt to serve over 100,000 out-of-school children and vulnerable groups. I am pushing to allocate an additional 4 billion baht in the 2570 budget to address personnel shortages and teacher qualifications, while transforming learning centers into the modern era through online re-skilling courses and converting libraries into co-working spaces. Education is the foundation of national security."

A renowned independent bookstore in Bangalore, India has suffered a major crisis after heavy rains caused sudden flooding, destroying thousands of books in a single night. The incident shocked the book-loving community deeply.

The Bookworm, located on Church Street, shared images of the disaster on Instagram showing countless books floating in water inside the store, while hail covered the ground outside, reflecting the severity of the weather that day.

The store reported losing between 4,000 and 5,000 books, with newly restocked inventory suffering the heaviest damage. Store owner Krishna revealed that this occurred during a critical period as the store had just prepared stock for the holiday season, typically their busiest time. Instead, they faced an unexpected catastrophe.

However, the store remains resilient. They plan to dry some books in the sun and sell them at steep discounts, though many others are too severely damaged to be salvaged and must be discarded. Krishna also noted that modern printing trends worsened the damage, as many publishers now use low-quality recycled paper that cannot withstand water. Even illustrated comics like Asterix and Obelix, printed on oil-coated paper, could not survive the flooding.

The incident quickly sparked an outpouring of sympathy online. Many people expressed their condolences and offered help, with numerous voices calling for the reading community to support the store by purchasing damaged books to help it weather this crisis.

Some comments referenced a similar event in Kolkata on College Street, where a "Wet Book Fair" was held to sell water-damaged books and was overwhelmingly successful, inspiring similar relief efforts here.

Many supporters stated they were ready to purchase books even in damaged or water-stained condition because they wanted to participate in helping revive this bookstore, which serves as an important space for thousands of readers.

SA KAEO — Thai police arrested three suspects wanted on outstanding warrants on May 1, 2026, after receiving Thai nationals repatriated from Cambodia, where authorities had dismantled a 13-storey scam operation.

On the evening of April 30, officers received 635 Thai returnees and conducted detailed background and warrant checks. Several wanted suspects were identified among the group and arrested immediately. Others with possible links to criminal cases were separated for further screening, including checks on cross-border travel and their activities in Cambodia.

The operation was overseen by Deputy Commander of Provincial Police Region 2 Pol. Maj. Gen. Thitthawat Suriyachai and Sa Kaeo Provincial Police Chief Pol. Maj. Gen. Thaworn Dulyawit, along with relevant officers. Investigators from Khlong Luek police station arrested three suspects:

Sitthichok, also known as "May", 35, wanted by the Criminal Court on serious charges including premeditated murder, attempted murder, armed night-time trespass, criminal association and carrying weapons in public, was transferred to the Criminal Court.

Benjawan, 29, wanted by Sa Kaeo Provincial Court on embezzlement charges, was transferred to the provincial court.

Phuwadol, 29, wanted by the Criminal Court for jointly organizing illegal online gambling and money laundering, was transferred to the Criminal Court.

Authorities said they are continuing to screen and question other returnees to expand the investigation into related networks.

Reports indicate that Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth's head coach, is the leading contender to challenge Michael Carrick for Manchester United's new permanent manager position. Manchester United has not yet made a final decision on the permanent manager appointment, despite Carrick's impressive interim performance, which has kept the club in third place and on track to secure a UEFA Champions League spot for next season. According to Telegraph, Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth's head coach who will leave the club after this season, has become a rival to Carrick for the Manchester United managerial post. Reports suggest that Iraola has earned considerable praise from United executives for his attacking style of football and is believed to fit well with the club's long-term development plan. However, Carrick remains the top favorite for the position, while Iraola has also attracted interest from other clubs including Chelsea and Athletic Bilbao.

Prime Minister Anuthin Charnvirakul and Interior Minister announced a new electricity rate restructuring on May 1 at Government House, explaining that citizens will benefit from lower electricity costs by converting sunlight into income through solar roof installations. The government would purchase any surplus electricity generated by households, creating a system comparable to the mobile phone market transformation, where devices that originally cost nearly 200,000 baht are now available for as little as 400 baht.

When asked if solar roof costs could be reduced to improve public accessibility, the Prime Minister said it follows supply-and-demand principles similar to the early mobile phone era. He recalled his first mobile phone cost 120,000 baht and was cumbersome to carry, yet today basic phones cost just 400 baht, sometimes given away free with purchases.

Regarding the electricity rate structure itself, the Prime Minister explained that the first 200 units will be reduced to 3 baht per unit for all consumers equally. Units 200-400 follow a tiered system, while usage above 400 units carries a different rate, representing a fair cost-sharing approach used in many Thai systems.

Concerning timing concerns about implementation relative to billing cycles, he stated that procedures must be followed and that the Energy Regulatory Commission operates as an independent body. He added that implementation began the second week after his policy address to Parliament and would be completed as quickly as possible, with government assistance programs like Kon La Khrueng and Thai Chuay Thai Plus aimed at reaching citizens by early June.

All Space has partnered with international partner Frame Motion Studio (FMS) to aggressively expand into the events and entertainment market, managing events for organizations nationwide while attracting concerts, festivals, and e-sports from abroad to Thailand.

The events and entertainment market continues to grow significantly, with a total market value exceeding 1.5 trillion baht and projected annual growth of 8-10%. All Space has announced its full-scale market expansion, joining forces with global partner Frame Motion Studio (FMS), which has a network covering 22 countries worldwide, to manage events for various organizations and bring international concerts, festivals, and e-sports to the Thai market.

Chatchawal Treeneth, CEO of Grey NB Group Limited operating under the All Space brand, revealed that the current Events & Entertainment market maintains strong growth potential. According to assessments by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), the current market value ranges between 1.2-1.5 trillion baht annually, with expected average growth of 8-10% per year. TCEB aims to increase the total market value to 400 billion baht by 2023.

The government is currently accelerating support for event organization, including seminars, trade shows, and various entertainment events such as concerts and festivals from abroad held in Thailand. The market is divided into MICE events at 60% and Entertainment & Lifestyle events at 40%. Thailand is considered an important destination with readiness in venues, technology, and personnel for event management.

All Space has operated in this business for over 25 years in both Events & Entertainment sectors and continuously develops new service presentation formats to keep pace with business changes. Most recently, the company partnered with Frame Motion Studio Limited from Malaysia, which has a global network of 22 countries, to aggressively expand the Events & Entertainment market both domestically and internationally under the concept 'All Space. One Space. Infinite Dimensions.' ready to deliver new-format experiences combined with limitless event technology.

"The Events & Entertainment market in Thailand and ASEAN is attractive with high growth potential. Although the current situation is affected by regional conflicts and slowing economies, our development of new service formats, especially unique new technologies that the market demands, combined with a 22-country network, gives us competitive advantages and allows us to meet client needs without limitations," Chatchawal stated.

The company's target clients are primarily major industry corporations seeking to create new customer experiences, including real estate development businesses, automotive companies, lifestyle products, banks, e-sports, and technology firms. The company can manage events from medium-sized to large national and international levels, with numerous previous projects including large stadium events, Kuwait's pavilion at Dubai World Expo, e-sports competitions, and K-POP and T-POP concerts.

Beyond event management, All Space plans to develop its own intellectual properties in various formats, including organizing festivals and creating unique entertainment experiences.