Flooded Bangkok Declared Disaster Zone: Heavy Rains

(Staff article from the ABC NEWS AUSTRALIA on 27 September 2026.)

Bangkok declared disaster zone after heavy rain floods homes, submerges roads: Bangkok's governor on Saturday declared Thailand's capital city a disaster-affected zone after torrential rain led to widespread flooding. Nearly 300 millimetres of rain has fallen in the past 48 hours. Bangkok's governor said flooding should recede once the rain subsides.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt on Saturday declared Thailand's capital city a disaster-affected zone after torrential rain led to widespread flooding, while the weather agency forecast thunderstorms ​over the weekend.

Major roads were flooded, with cars partly submerged, and people were forced to wade through waist-height water after nearly ⁠300 millimetres of rain fell within 48 hours. Mr Sittipunt said the crisis "poses a risk to people's lives" and could damage ​public and private property, and added that the situation was most severe near canals.

Time Magazine’s View on HAUGHTY Myanmar Dictator

(Charlie Campbells’ article from the TIME on 23 September 2026.)

Myanmar Dictator Wants to Rebuild Ties With the West: First came the mirror. Before Min Aung Hlaing enters the room for his first Western media interview since seizing power in a 2021 coup d’état, aides maneuver an ornate Rococo revival looking glass into place for preening. Then come requests for his portrait: light him from the left, the better to disguise a thinning hairline no longer hidden beneath an olive cap.

Myanmar’s former commander in chief now calls himself President, following January elections widely condemned as fraudulent. His fitful transformation from generalissimo to civilian statesman extends even to awkward attempts at bonhomie. He confesses to loving golf—he plays off an 18 handicap—though a bad back has lately kept him from the fairway.

Yet the makeover has limits. The geniality fades when questions turn to human rights, narcotics trafficking, or sanctioned relatives. Even his birthplace remains classified. “I used to revisit my township very often, so if you can carefully watch the news, you can figure out where I’m native,” he says cryptically.

In His Own Words: Rise and Fall of General Khin Nyunt

(Myint Swe’s article from The BANGKOK POST on 08 April 2012.)

In a rare interview since the lifting of his house arrest, the ex-spy boss and former prime minister talks about the events leading to his downfall, peace deals with ethnic groups, his 'brotherly' admiration for Aung San Suu Kyi and the awakening of his faith.

The quiet narrow street leading to our destination is lined with big houses and mansions once inhabited by some of Myanmar's former ruling military elite. Most of them, including the now officially retired Senior General Than Shwe, have moved to new homes in the capital city of Nay Pyi Taw, many with new civilian jobs.

However, one formerly very high-ranking member of the old military regime, former prime minister General Khin Nyunt, is still living in Yangon. No new house has been built for him in Nay Pyi Taw; in fact until recently he was under house arrest at his home in Yangon.

Once dubbed the "prince of evil" by the Western media, Gen Khin Nyunt was freed in January by the new government led by President Thein Sein, himself a former general and a junior to Gen Khin Nyunt in the old regime. The charges levelled against him in October 2004 by the now-defunct State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) led by Sen Gen Than Shwe, were "disobedience" and "corruption".

Aussie households warned $1.3 trillion wipeout looms?

(Cameron Micallef’s article from NEWS.COM AUSTRALIA on 08 September 2026.)

Property price fall ‘tip of the iceberg’ as Aussie households warned $1.3 trillion wipeout looms: Australian homeowners are officially $34.1bn poorer – and economists say that staggering loss barely scratches the surface of what’s coming.

Households are officially $34.1bn poorer, but experts warn the worst is yet to come as property prices are tipped to fall for the next 12-months. Australian Bureau of Statistics latest values of dwellings shows homeowners have officially lost $34.1bn as the housing market decline begins. The total value of Australian residential property is now $12.7 trillion.

AMP chief economist Shane Oliver told NewsWire this is just the tip of the iceberg, with up to a trillion dollars expected to come off the market. “There’ll be a lot more to come, the downtrend is only just starting,” he said. “Even allowing for data that has already been reported there is more downside to show up in the current quarter and of course the current quarter has seen an acceleration in price falls.”

Bathla: Sydney-Indian Property Developer Collapsed (3)

(Staff article from The DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA on 25 August 2026.)

A Sydney property developer whose company has left up to 25,000 homes in limbo after being placed into voluntary administration is building a luxury compound complete with an eight-car underground garage, tennis court and pool.

Bhart Bhushan, who co-owns the Bathla Group alongside his brother Rajinder Mohan, announced the property group would enter voluntary administration on Tuesday, citing a 'perfect storm' of softening sales, tax change impacts, and higher construction costs. The business is believed to owe an estimated total of $3.6billion to private credit firms and other creditors.

Administrators from Teneo have been appointed to undertake an 'immediate assessment' of the company's finances in an effort to stabilise operations. Urgent discussions are now taking place with lenders, and 500 jobs are now at risk.

Mr Bhushan founded the business in 1997 after originally starting out as a taxi driver. Bathla develops budget-friendly housing estates, townhouses and apartments across Sydney, including growing suburbs Schofields, Marsden Park and Tallawong in the city's north-west.

One Nation secures historic victory in WA by-election!

(Keane Bourke’s article from THE ABC NEWS AUSTRALIA on 30 August 2026.)

One Nation secures historic victory in Secret Harbour by-election, taking first WA lower house seat; One Nation has scored a historic win in Western Australia, securing its first lower house seat in the state.

The ABC's chief elections and data analyst Casey Briggs called the outer suburban seat of Secret Harbour for One Nation's Luke Herdegen a little over four hours after votes began to be counted. One Nation's WA leader Rod Caddies claimed victory at 9.30pm local time, although Labor had yet to concede.

Labor's candidate was political staffer-turned-Woodside lobbyist Georgia Tree. The area was traditionally safe Labor territory, having been held in different shapes and under different names since 1989, including most recently by Paul Papalia on an 11.5 per cent margin. 'Fight of our lives'; WA Labor Premier Roger Cook had repeatedly described the by-election as a "fight for our lives", given the threat posed by One Nation.

Bathla: Sydney-Indian Property Developer Collapsed (2)

(Ben Graham’s article from The NEWS.COM.AU on 26 August 2026.)

Contagion fears in troubled $2.5 trillion industry after shocking collapse of Bathla Group: A contagion infecting a $2.5 trillion industry has hit Australia and a domino effect of panic has set in after a major builder collapse.

A contagion infecting a $2.5 trillion industry has officially hit Australia, with billions of dollars now trapped as a domino effect threatens to ripple through the property sector following a major builder collapse.

In a dramatic escalation of a global crisis that has been bubbling away all year, MA Financial — one of the country’s largest private credit investment managers — has slapped severe limits on how much cash investors can pull out of its $2.3 billion secured property loan fund.

The move comes during a concerning week for the $200 billion Australian private credit industry, triggered by the spectacular collapse of major western Sydney-based home builder Bathla Group, which has plunged into voluntary administration, straining under a staggering $3.2 billion in debts.

Bathla: Sydney-Indian Property Developer Collapsed (1)

(Heath Parkes-Hupton’s article from The NEWS.COM.AU on 25 August 2026.)

Home builder Bathla Group collapses into voluntary administration: The major developer has announced it has been placed into voluntary administration as it creaked under $3b in debt. The major western Sydney-based home builder has collapsed into voluntary administration as it strained under more than $3 billion in debts.

Bathla Group’s managing director Bhart Bhushan announced on Tuesday he had placed the firm into voluntary administration, per a statement on its website. “Our first thoughts are with our employees and the customers who have put their faith in us to deliver their dream of home ownership,” he said.

“It is my sincere hope this process can allow that to happen by working collaboratively with the administrators, our suppliers, contractors and lending partners.” Bathla currently has about 15,000 properties under construction across Sydney’s west but had racked up more than $3 billion in debt, largely to private creditors.

US debt hits $40 trillion: Who does Washington owe?

 (Shola Lawal’s article from THE AL JAZEERA on 21 August 2026.)

US debt hits $40 trillion: Who does Washington owe and why does it matter? Heavy borrowing, increased spending and tax cuts by Democratic and Republican administrations have long raised concerns.

Total United States debt has surpassed $40 trillion for the first time  in history, according to a Department of the Treasury update on Wednesday. Ballooning debt, especially during President Donald Trump’s second term, which began in January last year, has raised concerns about a looming fiscal crisis for some time, with economists fearing a toxic combination of heavy borrowing, increased spending and lower taxes could land the world’s biggest economy in crisis.

The rising US debt comes despite Trump’s championing of cost-cutting and efficiency as a hallmark of his second term, with his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative slashing between 250,000 and 350,000 federal jobs and cutting global aid since the start of last year. In May 2023, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicted that the US would reach the $40 trillion mark in 2028.