As Johor goes to the polls tomorrow, the result will reverberate far beyond the state, testing the prime minister and his Unity Government. It will also measure the reach of the Islamist party PAS, offering fresh clues about the future of Malaysia's multi-ethnic model.
In Bangkok demonstrators complain about pollution caused by gold and rare earth mining in Shan State, in areas controlled by armed ethnic groups backed by Beijing, not Myanmar’s military junta. In Thailand people are debating the ineffectiveness of diplomatic outreach limited to Myanmar.
A strategic rail link in Golestan is among the targets of the latest US raids in Iran, threatening Tehran's ability to move goods, fuel, equipment, and strategic materials along its northern corridor. This could have possible "regional consequences" involving Russia and China, as well as increase the weight of sanctions.
Today’s headlines: A fire in Fujian, the ‘shoe capital of China’, claims 28 lives; Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to launch his own AI-generated avatar; Hotels and restaurants in Japan struggle to cope with over tourism; Pakistan also wants to act as a mediator in Libya.
The House of Representatives passed the “Act on Promoting a Peaceful Society”. Both royalists who led the 2008 protests and supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin who laid siege to downtown Bangkok are expected to benefit from this cross-party measure. Those convicted of the controversial crime of lèse-majesté are excluded.
Russian citizens have been worn down considerably by the war. Like the elderly, people who are still full of vigour have rushed to take refuge in comfortable information and social bubbles, aware that they have lost any prospect of a normal life
With the passing of the Women Farmers’ Empowerment Bill, Maharashtra has introduced legislation guaranteeing equal access to financial support and public services for millions of women workers. Until now, they had been excluded because they did not own the land and were considered labourers.
Buddhist monks and farm workers are taking to the fields to defend the rights of livestock farmers in the disputed area of the Eastern Province. The land has come under the scrutiny of rice farmers. In 1974, the area was designated a ‘grazing area’, partly to ensure the balance of the ecosystem. Converting the land would also deprive elephants of their habitat, raising the risk of attacks on villages.
Lawmakers in Tashkent have approved a bill replacing the current letters o', g', ch and sh to standardise the spelling of Uzbek words in international digital systems, thereby preventing problems with electronic payment systems, machine translation and online dictionaries.
In a pastoral letter to the faithful linked to the Lefebvrists but opposed to the break caused by the illegal episcopal ordinations in Écône that led to the schism, Bishop Ayuban offers specific pastoral support, opening the way to more opportunities of celebrating the Tridentine Mass. “Let us act with pastoral prudence, doctrinal clarity, and brotherly charity,” he writes.
He was arrested a year ago under the local national security law imposed by Beijing, modelled on Hong Kong’s, on charges of “subversion”. The former primary school teacher was a member of the Legislative Assembly since the times of Portuguese rule and has called for free elections for the post of chief executive, judicial independence, and administrative transparency.
The local Church celebrated with gratitude the significant anniversary of the religious profession of one of the Discalced Carmelite nuns from the monastery that has stood on Bukit Hill since 1938. Her testimony on the diocesan website: “We discover God’s hand in the work we do and in the sisters with whom we live”
In the indigenous communities of Sabah and Sarawak, Gawai and Kaamatan are currently being celebrated. Many local Catholics today see these festivals as examples of Christian inculturation. And although some ancient rituals have faded over time, the spirit of gratitude, brotherhood and homecoming remains central.
From one of China’s leading artificial intelligence companies comes a story that echoes the challenges to the dignity of work raised by Leo XIV in *Magnifica Humanitas*. In this case, the ‘handover’ was voluntary, but there is a growing trend towards zhengliu, the digital ‘distillation’ of employees’ skills. And there are young workers in the tech sector who are trying to protect themselves with tools that ‘hide’ parts of their work.
For Khalil Sayegh, nothing suggests Hamas plans to lay down its arms. The visit of Patriarchs Pizzaballa and Theophilus is a positive sign for a population haunted by a humanitarian tragedy amid international silence. The situation is "bad” with "daily violations and killings" by the Israeli military.
Several recently dismantled networks moved around 133 million dollars through online platforms based in Cambodia. The Vietnamese government has stepped up its crackdown, but the ban on gambling continues to fuel an illegal market linked to money laundering, online fraud and human trafficking.
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