At 10:40 AM on April 29, 2025, during a House of Representatives session presided over by Mallika Chirathphanvanit, the first deputy speaker, lawmakers considered a pending motion to establish a special committee to address falling agricultural prices. MP Kraikhon Silpajai from Rayong province of the People's Party discussed how Rayong produces various fruits recognized nationwide and internationally, but farmers face rising production costs—fertilizer, pesticides, and fuel prices all increasing annually. He focused on durians and mangosteen, arguing that the government should investigate middlemen, particularly Chinese traders, who completely control the market and set prices unilaterally, even buying from orchards before fruits mature and harvesting immature durians to catch early-season prices at the expense of quality.

Recently, an influencer created content claiming premium-grade durians selling for 600-700 baht would be offered at just 100 baht each, with Deputy PM and Commerce Minister Supratip joining the promotional campaign. "But once concerns arose from farmers about market price collapse, the Commerce Ministry quickly backtracked, claiming these were lower grades, not export quality. Ultimately, the influencer couldn't actually sell them at that price," Kraikhon stated.

Kraikhon brought a scale to parliament and weighed durians to demonstrate the impossibility. A jumbo-sized durian with mostly shell and little flesh selling at 40 baht per kilogram weighed 6.7 kg for about 270 baht. A medium-grade undersized durian at 80 baht per kilogram weighed 2.2 kg for roughly 180 baht. A pop-pak sized durian at 1.4 kg cost 112 baht. "Thus, no durian sells for exactly 100 baht, and yesterday's livestream showed no 100-baht durians—not even one million of them," he said.

"I thank all influencers for promoting durians, but the Commerce Minister's involvement is risky due to poor timing and coordination, potentially damaging Thai durian value and encouraging illegal imports from neighboring countries," Kraikhon warned. He noted that mangosteen prices fall as supply increases, and last year farmers had to abandon fallen mangosteens because labor costs exceeded fruit value. Despite the Interior Ministry's guidelines for government purchase prices matching announced rates during agricultural crises, no official prices are ever announced, leaving farmers perpetually disadvantaged.

Kraikhon proposed investigating agricultural product quality entering the market, especially immature durians, inspecting middlemen and Chinese traders for legal violations, and pursuing shell companies holding durian plantations for Chinese capital investors, while cracking down on illegal durian imports.

On April 29, Jitti Tangsithiphakdi, president of the Gold Traders Association, revealed that gold prices continue to fluctuate due to Middle East tensions, especially Iran's situation, coupled with uncertainty surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump's policies. The organization urges investors to closely follow developments in May, particularly the appointment of the new Federal Reserve chairman, whose monetary policy could significantly impact gold prices.

Jitti stated that in the short term, gold prices may decline further but likely won't fall below $4,500 per ounce. For long-term investors, prices could potentially reach $6,000 per ounce after October. He recommended long-term investors gradually accumulate gold during price dips, while short-term traders, especially in online markets, should exercise caution and avoid over-leveraging.

The gold trading atmosphere remains quiet, with consumers hesitant to make purchases due to concerns about further price declines.

Thailand and Laos have agreed to deepen cooperation on tackling cross-border haze pollution and sustainable environmental management under the "Clear Sky Strategy", officials said on Wednesday.

On April 29 at 9:30am, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin led a Thai delegation to Laos for talks with Lao Agriculture and Environment Minister Dr. Linkham Duangsavanh, focusing on joint efforts to address transboundary haze and environmental management. Both sides reaffirmed their commitments under a trilateral framework involving Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, aimed at tackling seasonal haze and forest fire pollution across the region.

The talks centered on implementing a joint action plan for cross-border haze management spanning 2024–2030, including development of Laos' air quality reporting platform and establishment of a national air quality data center. Both countries also agreed to strengthen real-time coordination through a "WhatsApp Hotline CLEAR Sky" system at the director-general level, designed to enable rapid response during burning season and monitor haze, forest fires and PM2.5 pollution.

Additional measures include creating shared fire-risk maps, strengthening a trilateral forest fire prevention and suppression network with Myanmar, and promoting zero-burning agricultural practices under GAP standards. A product traceability system, particularly for animal feed corn, was also discussed to ensure supply chains are not connected to crop burning.

Thailand proposed a new memorandum of understanding between the two environmental ministries to better address current challenges and reflect Laos' reorganized administrative structure. Officials noted the visit demonstrates progress in regional environmental cooperation, highlighting Thailand's commitment to addressing transboundary haze through scientific collaboration, technology transfer and coordinated management to improve public health and support sustainable development across the region.

At 11:15 AM on April 29, 2026, representatives from five political parties—including Kravairt Parisananung (Ang Thong, Bhumjaithai), Prachit Watcharasinthsuthon (Party List, Pheu Thai), Chaturon Chaisaeng (Party List, Pheu Thai), Arthakorn Sirilerthakyakor (Chachoengsao, Kla Tham), and Sathit Wongnongtoy (Party List, Thai Democrats)—received a letter from Professor Prinya Tewanirumitrkul of Thammasat University's Faculty of Law proposing amendments to eliminate imprisonment in lieu of fines and revise the Organic Act on House elections.

Prinya stated he represented law students and faculty, presenting two main proposals. First, he addressed the issue of poor defendants unable to pay fines being imprisoned instead, despite potential community service options being underutilized. All five parties agreed this problem should be fixed by amending Criminal Code Section 29, replacing jail time with community service.

Second, regarding past election issues, Prinya proposed four improvements to the electoral law: citizen convenience, transparent vote counting, public participation in election monitoring, and timely announcement of eligible voters and district-level results.

All five parties agreed on one key reform: constituency ballots currently show only candidate numbers without names or party affiliations, creating confusion across 400 districts with varying numbers for the same party's candidates. This enables cross-constituency ballot misuse and compromises election integrity. The parties unanimously support adding candidate and party names to constituency ballots.

Prinya noted Thammasat's Faculty of Law recommends announcing eligible voter counts within 24 hours of voting and district-level results within 48 hours, echoing procedures from the Ministry of Interior era.

Manchester United has scheduled meetings this week to discuss player departures during the summer transfer window, with over 10 players potentially being released, led by André Onana and Marcus Rashford. According to The Sun, United's management aims to clarify the futures of certain players to facilitate smooth transfers. Reports indicate that more than 10 squad members could be released from the club this summer due to various factors, including falling out of plans and contract expiries. Players on the departure list include André Onana, Marcus Rashford, Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte, Altay Bayindir, Toby Collyer, Casemiro, Jadon Sancho, Tyrell Malacia, and Tyler Fredrickson. Additionally, Manchester United is looking to sign at least two defensive midfielders to prepare the team for next season's UEFA Champions League campaign, as they aim to secure a full quota spot.

Jakarta, Indonesia — Acer successfully held the Acer Edu Summit Asia Pacific 2026 under the theme "Future-Ready Learning: AI, Innovation, and Human-Centered Education," reinforcing its role in driving regional education advancement. The summit brought together education professionals from across the region to promote widespread AI adoption and accelerate meaningful change in the education sector.

The event took place in Jakarta on April 22-23, 2026, with delegations from 12 countries including Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. The summit provided a platform for educators, policymakers, and technology industry leaders to exchange perspectives and leverage technology to enhance learning outcomes in alignment with Acer's 50th-anniversary strategic initiative "The Next Breaking Barriers," aimed at breaking technological boundaries across all aspects of life, including education.

Andrew Ho, Operating Officer for Asia Pacific at Acer Inc., stated: "The Acer Edu Summit Asia Pacific reflects Acer's commitment to using technology to shape the future of education and foster collaboration among countries in the region to move forward together. We believe meaningful change occurs when innovation truly addresses people's needs. This summit represents another step by Acer in helping educators, institutions, and policymakers jointly create a comprehensive and future-ready learning system across the region."

Collaboration Platform for Sustainable Adaptive Education

Throughout the two-day summit, Acer Edu Summit Asia Pacific 2026 hosted panel discussions, presentations, and knowledge exchanges on effectively implementing AI in education, covering key topics including personalized learning, digital literacy advancement, and the evolving role of teachers in the era of rapid technological progress. The focus was on creating conditions for technology and educators to work together to build a more comprehensive, adaptive, and sustainable education system while fostering innovative approaches that genuinely unlock learner potential.

A major highlight was the presentation of the latest AI education research from MIT Media Lab's City Science group, introducing the Learning Foundry for AI and Robotics (FAIR) project. Dr. Michael Lin from MIT collaborated with Dr. Wolfgang Gruel from Stuttgart Media University to share approaches for leveraging AI to enable personalized and scalable learning while addressing challenges of modern urban life. Additionally, Jun-Yu Fan, President of Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, presented a curriculum on "The Algorithm of the Nursing Soul," demonstrating the transition from rote learning to AI-enhanced clinical perspectives in nursing education.

AI Innovation and Devices for Next-Generation Classrooms

For practical implementation, Altos Computing, an Acer subsidiary, showcased a comprehensive AI infrastructure, featuring the high-performance Altos BrainSphere R680 F7 AI Server as a centerpiece, alongside AI workstations.