Thailand won the 2026 UN Public Service Award for its early childhood education program supporting ethnic minority and stateless children, presented at the UN Public Service Forum in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Key Points

• Thailand won the top honor at the 2026 United Nations Public Service Awards for the category “Delivering Inclusive and Equitable Services for Leaving No One Behind.” The award recognized a program for early childhood education serving ethnic minority and stateless children in Mae Hong Son province.
• The award was presented in Tbilisi, Georgia, during the United Nations Public Service Forum. Thai representatives included Deputy Permanent Secretary Chuencheewan Limteerakul and Pang Mu Subdistrict Administrative Organization leaders.
• The program “Equitable Local Early Childhood Education Management” was one of 12 awards given across four categories, highlighting excellence in public service aimed at improving delivery and advancing the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

Thailand has received the top honor at the 2026 United Nations Public Service Awards in the category “Delivering Inclusive and Equitable Services for Leaving No One Behind.” The award was presented in Tbilisi, Georgia, to the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Prime Minister, and the Pang Mu Subdistrict Administrative Organization in Mae Hong Son province for an early childhood education program serving ethnic minority and stateless children.

The presentation took place during the United Nations Public Service Forum, which was attended by representatives from 62 countries, including government officials, academics, civil society organizations, private-sector leaders, and delegates from international and regional organizations. Deputy Permanent Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office Chuencheewan Limteerakul accepted the award on Thailand’s behalf, accompanied by Pang Mu Subdistrict Administrative Organization President Piriya Tuanglaptweekig and the organization’s permanent secretary.

The award recognized the program, “Equitable Local Early Childhood Education Management for Ethnic Minority and Stateless Children in Pang Mu Subdistrict, Mae Hong Son Province.” United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua presented one of 12 awards across four categories.

The United Nations Public Service Awards recognize excellence and innovation in public service that improve service delivery, increase public participation, and advance the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. The Office of the Permanent Secretary, through the Office of Decentralization to the Local Government Organization Committee, assisted qualified local government organizations with their applications, contributing to Thailand’s success at this year’s awards. 

Source : Thailand Wins UN Public Service Award for Inclusive Education

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A rare eight-sided Virginia mansion with a spooky reputation is looking for its next owner.

The historic Octagon Mansion in Wytheville, Virginia, has hit the market for $295,000, offering buyers six bedrooms, roughly 5,000 square feet and more than 150 years of history — as well as a past tied to paranormal investigations and ghost-themed events, according to Realtor.com.

Built in 1870, the home is one of the country’s few remaining octagon houses, an architectural style that briefly gained popularity in the mid-1800s before largely disappearing, the outlet reported.

In recent years, the property operated as the Octagon Mansion History Museum after curator John Cushman purchased it in 2019. The museum hosted regular “Dinner with a Ghost” events before closing in March 2025. Prior to Cushman’s purchase, the home sat vacant for nearly a decade, according to Realtor.com.

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A rare Virginia octagon home with a spooky reputation is up for grabs for $295,000. (Google Maps)

“The Octagon Mansion in Wytheville is a genuine rarity, and not just because of its haunted reputation,” Realtor.com Executive Editor Charlie Lankston told FOX Business. 

Lankston said octagon homes had a brief run in the late 1850s and early 1860s, when some design experts argued the eight-sided layout could give homeowners “more space for less money.” 

But the trend faded by the early 1900s, and many octagon homes were eventually demolished, he noted.

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The historic Octagon Mansion in Wytheville was built in 1870. (Google Maps)

“The fact that this 1870 property has survived more than 150 years largely intact, with its original hardwood floors, custom millwork, and architectural bones still in place, makes it a unique piece of American history,” Langston said. 

A spokesperson for the property’s most recent owners declined to tell FOX Business why they are selling.

The mansion has been substantially remodeled, with updates including a commercial kitchen, refreshed bathrooms and upgraded electrical systems. Some original features, such as hardwood floors, built-ins and detailed millwork, remain intact, Realtor.com noted.

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The property has been substantially remodeled, with updates including a commercial kitchen, refreshed bathrooms and upgraded electrical systems.  (Google Maps)

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The property’s B-2 zoning could also give the next owner flexibility.

The home could potentially be used as an event venue, bed-and-breakfast or mixed-use space, according to Realtor.com.

“For anyone with an interest in preservation, there aren’t many opportunities like this left, particularly at a price point under $300,000,” Langston said.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage concluded Sunday, setting the field for the tournament’s first-ever 32-team knockout round, with reigning champion Argentina handed one of the more favorable paths through the bracket while traditional European powers Portugal and Spain face an unforgiving road that could pit them against each other before the semifinals.

For the first time in World Cup history, the knockout phase opens with 32 teams rather than 16, following an expansion that has produced the largest group stage in the tournament’s history. From here, the format reverts to straightforward single elimination across the field of 12 group winners, 12 runners-up and the eight best third-place finishers.

Argentina draws Cape Verde in opening knockout match

Lionel Messi’s Argentina finished atop Group J with a perfect nine points, securing the group win before its final match was even played. That result sets up a round of 32 meeting with Cape Verde, the tournament debutant that became the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup knockout stage after playing out a third consecutive draw, this time a scoreless stalemate with Saudi Arabia. The match is scheduled for Friday, July 3, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Argentina’s path beyond the opening round also looks comparatively manageable. The winner of Argentina’s matchup with Cape Verde would face the winner of Spain’s group, set up against either Australia or Egypt, before a potential quarterfinal path running through teams like Colombia, Ghana, Switzerland or Algeria. Under that scenario, Argentina’s first true test against a fellow heavyweight may not arrive until the semifinal stage, with Brazil or England potentially waiting.

Portugal and Spain on a collision course

Few teams face a steeper road than Portugal, which finished second in Group K after playing to a scoreless draw against Colombia in Miami on Saturday. Despite the draw, Colombia claimed the group on goal difference, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal settled for the runner-up spot and a round of 32 matchup against Croatia, scheduled for Thursday, July 2, at BMO Field in Toronto. The fixture marks a rematch of the 2016 European Championship final, with both Ronaldo and Croatian veteran Luka Modric still leading their respective sides a decade later.

Spain, meanwhile, secured top spot in its group with a 1-0 win over Uruguay that eliminated the two-time world champion from the tournament entirely. That result sets up a round of 32 meeting with Austria, the Group J runner-up, on Thursday, July 2, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Should both Portugal and Spain advance through their respective opening knockout matches, the two European giants would be on course to meet in the round of 16 — a high-stakes continental showdown arriving far earlier in the tournament than either side would prefer.

Germany and France risk an early collision of their own

A similar early-elimination scenario looms on the other side of the bracket for two more European powers. Germany topped its group and will face Paraguay, which advanced as one of the tournament’s best third-place finishers, in a round of 32 matchup at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. France, which won its own group convincingly with all nine points and a plus-eight goal differential, will face Sweden in the round of 32. Should both Germany and France advance, the two nations are projected to meet in the round of 16 — meaning one of Europe’s traditional powerhouses would be eliminated well before the tournament’s later stages.

Brazil and England face rising difficulty with each round

Brazil topped Group C following a win over Scotland and will open the knockout stage against Japan, which advanced as the Group F runner-up after a 1-1 draw with Sweden, in a round of 32 match at NRG Stadium in Houston. Should Brazil advance, the bracket points toward a potential meeting with either Ivory Coast or Norway, the latter featuring Manchester City forward Erling Haaland, who has been among the tournament’s most dangerous attacking threats.

England, which topped Group L, opens its knockout campaign against DR Congo, which advanced as one of the competition’s best third-place teams after an impressive comeback win over Uzbekistan. That match is scheduled for Wednesday, July 1, in Atlanta. Beyond that opening test, England’s bracket includes potential matchups against Mexico or Ecuador, with a possible path eventually crossing with Brazil deeper into the tournament.

Colombia and Belgium chart competitive routes of their own

Colombia, which finished atop Group K after Saturday’s draw with Portugal, will face Ghana in the round of 32 on Friday, July 3, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Should Colombia continue advancing, a potential quarterfinal matchup against Argentina looms further down the bracket, depending on how both sides progress through earlier rounds.

Belgium, which claimed Group G with a 5-1 win over New Zealand on Friday, opens the knockout stage against Senegal on Wednesday, July 1, in Seattle. A win there would likely set up a subsequent matchup against either the United States or Bosnia and Herzegovina, both of whom advanced from their own group.

A knockout stage defined by fine margins

Taken together, the bracket lays out a tournament defined by contrasts. Argentina’s relatively smooth route stands in sharp relief against the gauntlet facing Portugal, Spain, Germany and France, several of which could face a fellow continental heavyweight before even reaching the quarterfinal stage. Brazil and England, too, face a difficulty curve that steepens with every round, leaving little room for off nights against increasingly dangerous opposition.

With the expanded 32-team knockout bracket now locked in and no further redraws possible, every team entering the tournament’s single-elimination phase knows precisely what stands between it and a place in the latter stages of the competition. For some of the tournament’s biggest names, that path offers a clear runway to build momentum. For others, the toughest test of their World Cup campaign may already be waiting just around the corner.