MALAYSIA
PM issues warning
Southeast Asian countries should guard against the involvement of big powers in the region, as such meddling might fuel conflict and lead to an arms race, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said. Drawing on the example of conflict in the Middle East, If major powers were allowed to intervene in the region, countries would face pressure to stock up on weapons and fight each other, Mahathir said. That would destabilize ASEAN, he said. “We are already beginning to see the seeds of confrontation and rivalry in our region,” Mahathir said. “Lines are being drawn. Bases are being built. Armadas are being readied. The pressure is on to take sides.”
UNITED STATES
Trump announces UN pick
President Donald Trump on Friday announced that he has selected Kelly Craft, the ambassador to Canada, as his nominee to serve as the next ambassador to the UN. Trump said in a pair of tweets that Craft “has done an outstanding job representing our Nation” and he has “no doubt that, under her leadership, our Country will be represented at the highest level.”
UNITED STATES
Mayor celebrates cow win
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt is celebrating the completion of a mission: ridding the city’s airport of cow-tipping T-shirts. Holt said on Twitter on Thursday that after months of trying to end sales of shirts reading “Nothing tips like a cow” at Will Rogers World Airport, the clothing has sold out and would not be restocked. Airport spokesman Josh Ryan on Friday said that the shirts with the shape of the state and a cow lying on its back were “pretty popular” for more than 10 years, but that “the joke has run its course.” Cow-tipping is a largely debunked legend in which rural youths sneak into a pasture at night and push over a cow that is sleeping standing up. Debunkers say that the practice is unlikely to succeed, largely because cows do not sleep standing up.
UNITED STATES
Family seeks lost tortoise
A New Mexico woman is on a desperate hunt for her disappearing pet that cannot run fast and cannot be missed — a 45kg tortoise. KOB-TV reported that Dusty went missing earlier this month in Roswell, New Mexico, after strong winds knocked open a gate that housed him. Shana Emmert, who was looking after Dusty for her niece, says she believes the turtle strolled away from the backyard and into the desert during the wind storm. According to Emmert’s neighbors, the tortoise was last spotted near Berrendo Creek in Roswell and has not been seen since. The family is offering a US$500 reward for the animal’s safe return.
MEXICO
Alleged kidnappers killed
Residents allegedly killed six men they claimed tried to kidnap local teachers in Veracruz State. The killings occurred in an area where fuel theft and freight train robberies are common. It is not clear whether the dead men were part of those gangs. Four of those killed were detained by residents late on Thursday in the village of Soledad Atzompa, near the border with Puebla state, after they reportedly tried to force teachers into a vehicle. The villagers and some members of a local vigilante group took the men to the village square and beat, stoned and burned them to death. Residents also placed checkpoints on roads around the village. Two other suspects ran into hills to evade capture, but they were caught and killed early on Friday.
An endangered baby pygmy hippopotamus that shot to social media stardom in Thailand has become a lucrative source of income for her home zoo, quadrupling its ticket sales, the institution said Thursday. Moo Deng, whose name in Thai means “bouncy pork,” has drawn tens of thousands of visitors to Khao Kheow Open Zoo this month. The two-month-old pygmy hippo went viral on TikTok and Instagram for her cheeky antics, inspiring merchandise, memes and even craft tutorials on how to make crocheted or cake-based Moo Dengs at home. A zoo spokesperson said that ticket sales from the start of September to Wednesday reached almost
TIGHTENING: Zhu Hengpeng, who worked for an influential think tank, has reportedly not been seen in public since making disparaging remarks on WeChat A leading Chinese economist at a government think tank has reportedly disappeared after being disciplined for criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in a private chat group. Zhu Hengpeng (朱恆鵬), 55, is believed to have made disparaging remarks about China’s economy, and potentially about the Chinese leader specifically, in a private WeChat group. Zhu was subsequently detained in April and put under investigation, the Wall Street Journal reported. Zhu worked for the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) for more than 20 years, most recently as the Institute of Economics deputy director and director of the Public Policy Research Center. He
CHINESE ICBM: The missile landed near the EEZ of French Polynesia, much to the surprise and concern of the president, who sent a letter of protest to Beijing Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere called for “respect for our region” and a stop to missile tests in the Pacific Ocean, after China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Katonivere recalled the Pacific Ocean’s history as a nuclear weapons testing ground, and noted Wednesday’s rare launch by China of an ICBM. “There was a unilateral test firing of a ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean. We urge respect for our region and call for cessation of such action,” he said. The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the
As violence between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Iran is walking a tightrope by supporting Hezbollah without being dragged into a full-blown conflict and playing into its enemy’s hands. With a focus on easing its isolation and reviving its battered economy, Iran is aware that war could complicate efforts to secure relief from crippling sanctions. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, has intensified, especially after last week’s sabotage on Hezbollah’s communications that killed 39 people. Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon followed, killing hundreds. Hezbollah retaliated with rocket barrages. Despite the surge in
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