Russian Bubonic Plague Spreading Fast?

(AI Overview article from The GOOGLE.COM on 08 October 2026.)

A 28-year-old laboratory technician named Daria Shipilova died in Siberia after contracting an undiagnosed pneumonia, triggering unconfirmed media reports and international concern over a potential pneumonic plague exposure.

Shipilova worked at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute in Shelekhov (near Irkutsk, Siberia). She was hospitalized on September 29, 2026, placed on a ventilator, and died on October 2, 2026.

Russia’s consumer health watchdog (Rospotrebnadzor) and federal officials officially classify the death as pneumonia of unknown origin. They state that tests on known contacts have returned negative for plague and that there is no risk of an epidemic.

Unofficial media reports and a regional governor initially claimed she accidentally broke a test tube containing Yersinia pestis (the bacterium behind the Black Death) or caught it on a trip, leading to fears of pneumonic plague.

Myanmar air strike killed 50 in Arakan States’s KuaukTaw

(David Brunnstrom’s article from The REUTERS on 30 September 2026.)

UN alarmed by reports that Myanmar air strike killed 50: Smoke rises as fire burns following a Myanmar military airstrike, according to a rebel group that controls the area and a local aid worker, in Kyauktaw, Rakhine State, Myanmar, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released September 28, 2026.  

Sept 29 (Reuters) - The United Nations expressed alarm on Tuesday at reports that an airstrike ​by the Myanmar military near the country's border with Bangladesh had killed 50 people and wounded ‌dozens more, many of them critically.

A UN spokesperson said continuing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state underscored that conditions did not currently exist for the safe return of refugees and other displaced people to Myanmar.

"This latest airstrike brings that reality into sharp focus," UN ​spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a UN briefing in New York. The secretary-general strongly condemns the attacks and calls ​on all parties to end the violence immediately, to protect civilians and comply with their ⁠obligations under international law," he said, citing UN chief Antonio Guterres.

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.

Rise and Fall of MDY-PDF (Mandalay PDF) Gen-Z Army!

(Basing on staff posts from The JUSTICE FOR TRUTH on 15 July 2026.)

What exactly happened to the famous MDY-PDF, the Mandalay-PDF, which together with the mighty Palaung ARMY (TNLA) basically kicked the collective arse of Myanmar Generals and their raping-robbing-murdering-burning army during the 1027 operations in late-2023. And then in early 2024 as the following SHAN-MAN Operations, they liberated major regions of Mandalay Administrative Division and nearly captured Mandalay City itself?

But then they had suddenly lost all their captured territories in mid-2025 and utterly disappeared! I was horribly wondering what happened to the MDY-PDF and trying to find out the reasons for their sudden collapse. And finally, I did manage to connect the hidden dots and dashes and then figure out the following dramatic story.

Apparently, there was a violent internal coup by two medical doctors-turned-revolutionary- politicians (Dr Tayza-Soe and Dr So-Thura-Zaw) to take over the rich organization from the two main military leaders (Bo Mone-Dai and Bo Naing-Gyi) responsible for the earlier success that brought along military power and enormous wealth in the form of gold and precious gemstones from the naturally-rich Shan-Man region.

'mini-Mamdanis' reignites anti-communist Red Scare!

(Don Sheil’s post from the ABC NEWS AUSTRALIA on 01 August 2026.)

Wave of 'mini-Mamdanis' reignites anti-communist Red Scare playbook from Trump ahead of midterm elections: President Trump has reignited anti-communist rhetoric after a series of democratic socialist victories in Democrat primary races.  

US President Donald Trump and Republicans have been raising the alarm with voters about what they say is an impending political apocalypse for over a month. Their dramatic warnings speak of a "dark road of death" and "a philosophical war to save" the United States itself.

The threat, according to them: communism. Their argument goes like this: If Democrats regain control of both houses of congress in the November midterm elections, they will intentionally dismantle the country from the inside-out.

Indians hiring Only Indians in Aussie Govt Agencies

(Staff post from THE NOTICER on 01 August 2026.)

Aussie reveals Indians only hiring each other at federal agency: ‘Not very diverse’. An Australian public servant has revealed that Indian managers at a federal agency are only hiring other Indians, sparking a flood of similar complaints. The Public Service worker said in a post on Reddit this week that they were pro-diversity, but that Indians dominating hiring was having the opposite effect.

“I really don’t want to sound racist but I’m currently working for a federal agency,” the post read. “Over the last year our team of analysts got broken into silos and every manager of those silos is now Indian. Since then, the only new hires have been Indian from every single silo.

“I really have nothing against people that are not of my ethnicity, but previously we had complete diversity in the new hires in our team, from all over the world. East Asian, European (as in someone born in Europe, not white Australian), central Asian and South American. I know this sounds like crackpot One Nation nonsense, and I’m a big believer in diversity but this is really not feeling very diverse.”

Burma’s Fault Lines: Ethnic Federalism and Peace (2014)

 (Charmaine Benson Craig’s post from the DISSENT MAGAZINE in Fall 2014.)

Burma’s Fault Lines: Ethnic Federalism and the Road to Peace. As gross human rights violations against the country’s ethnic groups continue, can peace and democracy really take hold?

After more than half a century of war and broken ceasefire agreements, Burma is currently in the midst of landmark peace talks between its government and a coalition of ethnic resistance groups.

In July, the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT)—representing sixteen ethnic nationalities including the Karen, the Kachin, the Mon, the Arakanese, and the Shan—met in Kachin-held Laiza to discuss the terms of a proposed national ceasefire, under negotiation with the government since last November.

The ethnic nationalities, of which all but the Kachin and the Ta’ang have already struck bilateral ceasefire agreements with the government, are calling for greater administrative autonomy within a new federal Union of Burma, control over natural resources in their territories, and a guarantee that political dialogue with the government will take place within months of a national ceasefire accord.

2024 Cut-5-Cuts Blockading of Kokang Army By China

  (Concise translation of Thuta Zaw’s article from MYANMAR NOW on 4 October 2024.)

MNDAA the Kokang Army has recently declared, as the obivious response to China’s relentless pressure, that its members are now being prohibited from travelling to the Western Nations especially the US, and the ASEAN nations. The MNDAA also prohibited all their members from meeting or discussing the crucial matters with those nations.

That is in addition to its declaration stopping all collaboration, either politics or military, with US-aligned NUG (NLD’s exile National Unity Government based in US) or any international organization that opposed China, in early September this year. But China wants more than those written assurances from seemingly recalcitrant MNDAA. China wants the Kokang Army to withdraw from the prized Lashio City they captured from Myanmar Army this year on July 25.

To force MNDAA to meet that impossible demand China has been severely blockading the Kokang Territory as their so-called Cut-5-Cuts Operation along the Chinese Border since last September. Strictly No Electricity, No Water, No Internet, No crucial supplies such as rice, fuel, medicines, and essential-consumables, and No Cross-border Movement. The whole Kokang-China border has been tight shut by a division of PLA, the People Liberation Army.

Refined, but Not Destroyed, in the Fire (Isiah 48:10)

(AI post from the GOOGLE SEARCH on 23 July 2026.)

Isaiah 48:10 states: "See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction."

It means God uses times of intense hardship, pain, and trials as a purposeful tool. Rather than destroying His people, He uses these "furnaces" to burn away character flaws, purify faith, and draw them into deeper dependence on Him.

"Not As Silver": In ancient metallurgy, silver ore was heated over a fire until the dross (impurities) floated to the top, and the silversmith skimmed it off. This process was continued until the metal was pure enough to reflect the smith's face.

By saying "not as silver," God means two things:  The intensity: Literal silver requires a very specific, controllable heat. The "furnace of affliction" He uses represents intense, overwhelming trials rather than a mild test.

The outcome: A human silversmith refines to produce a valuable commodity. God refines you for something much greater: to draw out all spiritual impurities and conform you to His likeness.

2021-Coup Turned Myanmar Into A Failed State!

(Joshua Kurlantzick’s post from COUNCIL on FOREIGN RELATIONS on 10 July 2026.)

How the Coup Turned Myanmar Into Asia’s Deadliest Conflict—and Why the World Is Looking Away: Five years after its generals seized power, Myanmar has collapsed into Asia’s deadliest war and a nearly unequalled humanitarian catastrophe. And yet, the rest of the world has decided to ignore the conflict amid other major geopolitical developments.

The war in Myanmar, driven by a 2021 coup, is now Asia’s deadliest conflict. ACLED, a conflict-monitoring group, counts more than 100,000 people killed since the military overthrew the democratically elected government in February 2021. The group calls it the most fragmented conflict anywhere—with over 1,200 armed factions—and considers Myanmar one of the most war-torn countries on earth.

It was not always this way. While Myanmar often seemed to be in a time warp through decades of autocratic military rule, it began to change. In the decade since the country began opening up its political system in 2011, the economy grew by an average of about 6 percent a year, and poverty fell steeply—from 48.2 percent in 2005 to 24.8 percent by 2017, according to the World Bank.

China, Russia and India make inroads in Myanmar

(Staff post from the BENGAL BAY POST on 06 July 2026.)

China, Russia and India make inroads in Myanmar with transit corridors: Competing regional powers accelerate massive transport and energy projects in Myanmar to secure vital Indian Ocean routes despite ongoing civil conflict.

Myanmar is emerging as a focal point in Asia's strategic connectivity race, with China, Russia and India simultaneously advancing major transport and energy projects that could reshape regional trade despite the country's ongoing civil conflict.

Myanmar government has intensified efforts to revive long-delayed infrastructure initiatives, viewing the projects as critical to transforming Myanmar into a regional logistics hub linking East Asia, South Asia and the Indian Ocean.

Typhoon Maysak Bursting The Nanning Dam.

(AFP News Post  from the STRATS TIME on 06 July 2026.)

BEIJING - Typhoon Maysak brought heavy rain and severe flooding to China’s southern Guangxi region, with the authorities on July 6 raising flood alert levels as the system weakened into a tropical storm.

Officials in Nanning, Guangxi’s capital, raised the city’s flood control emergency response to the highest level after torrential rain breached dams. Videos shared by state broadcaster CCTV on July 6 showed ferocious torrents of muddy water gushing through a breach in a dam on the Liulan reservoir – described by state media as a “medium-sized” reservoir – heading for buildings in the distance.

A dam on the Yunbiao reservoir also burst, while the Liuwang reservoir overflowed, the Nanning authorities said in a statement on their official WeChat account. More than 800 residents were evacuated due to severe flooding in Fangchenggang, also in Guangxi, according to state media.

The heavy rainfall caused waters to rise above warning levels in 66 hydrological monitoring stations on 55 rivers in Guangxi on July 6, CCTV reported. Luwei Town, also in Nanning, recorded 637mm of rain in 24 hours between July 5 and 6 morning, according to CCTV.

Trump Screwed by Supreme Court: Anchor-Babies Won?

      (Staff post from the ABC NEWS AUSTRALIA on 01 July 2026.)

US Supreme Court rejects Donald Trump's bid to restrict birthright citizenship: The US Supreme Court has rejected Donald Trump's bid to overturn birthright citizenship.

It is a major blow to the US president's hardline agenda on immigration and comes after the same court earlier this year limited his ability to impose sweeping tariffs. What's next? Mr Trump has urged Congress to implement legislation to end birthright citizenship, despite the court finding it was a constitutional right.

Donald Trump's controversial attempt to restrict birthright citizenship in the US has been rejected by the Supreme Court, up-ending the president's hardline agenda on immigration. The 6-3 ruling marked the second time this year that the court has invalidated one of Mr Trump's major initiatives, following its February decision to strike down his sweeping global tariffs.

The Arakan Army's Ascent From State to Nation

           (Suu Mon’s article from the ACLED on 31 October 2025.)

From state to nation: The Arakan Army's ascent in post-coup Myanmar. The Arakan Army’s successes in Rakhine state advance its regional goals and provide it with strategic leverage against the military and its backers in India and China.

Since the 2021 military coup, the Arakan Army (AA) has rapidly become the most powerful armed actor in western Myanmar, where it controls the most territory, has built administrative structures, and asserts authority over the wider region.

The AA is now a significant national-level actor that conducts multi-regional operations with old and new allies and has influence far beyond Rakhine state. The AA controls part or all of major foreign investment projects in Rakhine state, which gives it strategic leverage with China and India, countries that desire project continuity and currently support the military regime.

Rare Earth Extraction by China in Kachin State

(Based on AI Overview of GOOGLE Search on 28 June 2026.)

Chinese Rare earth extractions in Myanmar's Kachin State relies on in-situ leaching, an industrial process that pumps chemical solutions directly into mountainsides to dissolve and collect valuable heavy metals like dysprosium and terbium.

The operations are highly destructive, supply chains are entangled with armed conflict, and the output feeds heavily into China. The Extraction Process In-Situ Leaching is often described as an "IV drip" for the mountains. Workers drill holes into hillsides, lay a network of pipes, and inject leaching agents (such as Ammonium Nitrate or Ammonium Sulfate) into the soil.

The chemical solution seeps through the earth, dissolving the naturally occurring rare earth elements bound to the ionic clay. The metal-rich liquid flows downslope and is captured in large, tarpaulin-lined leaching pools for collection.

Myanmar Rebels on Back Foot As Conscripts Fill Army

(Quentin Sommerville’s post from the BBC NEWS on 10 June 2026.)

Inside Myanmar, rebels are losing ground as military forces men into army: The four young men in the rebel camp hidden deep in jungle-covered mountains never wanted a part in Myanmar's civil war. They didn't choose to be soldiers for the military either.

One had been a chef on his way home from work when he was grabbed off the street. His lack of ID was enough for the military to detain him and force him to sign up. Another was taken on his way back from a late-night karaoke session; a third had been working for the forestry department when he was arrested. The fourth man says on being arrested, drugs were slipped into his shoe, and he was framed and made to enlist.

"Before we even understood what was happening, we were sent straight to the front lines," one of the men – all between the ages of 19 and 25 – tells the BBC. They made us do all kinds of things we didn't want to do," another adds. "We never got any real rest, not in the morning, not during the day, and not even at night. The conscripts had to do everything. While the regular soldiers hardly had to work."

Burmese-American Scholar Min Zin Arrested in China

(Staff post from IRRAWADDY NEWS JOURNAL on 19 June 2026.)

China Arrests Myanmar-Born US Scholar on Suspicion of Spying: China arrested a Myanmar-born scholar on its southwestern border in Yunnan Province early this month, accusing the US citizen of spying ⁠and endangering Chinese national security, China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Friday. 

China has notified the US Consulate General in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou of the arrest, Lin ‌Jian, ⁠a ministry spokesperson, told a regular news conference when asked about U Min Zin’s disappearance ⁠in Kunming last ⁠week, Reuters said. U Min Zin, a US citizen originally from Myanmar, was arrested by security forces on June 3 upon his arrival at the airport in the provincial capital Kunming.

The Irrawaddy has learned that he was invited to attend an event hosted by a Chinese university there. He studies Myanmar politics and is a founding member and executive director of the Institute for Strategy and Policy-Myanmar (ISP-Myanmar), a nongovernmental policy think tank whose research focuses on China-Myanmar relations, among other issues. ISP-Myanmar was not available for comment on Friday.

Sydney House Prices Fall Faster as Clearances Crash

 (Lucy Slade’s post from the AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW on 22 June 2026.)

‘Downturn is deepening’: Sydney house prices fall faster as clearances crash. Sydney house prices have fallen 1.1 per cent in the last four weeks, with the pace of the decline picking up as clearance rates crash close to their lowest on record, according to Cotality.

The correction, which could extend for months longer, hit the Sydney and Melbourne markets first but is already being felt in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide where a previously buoyant market is also showing signs of easing. Sydney and Melbourne’s home values could fall by 8 per cent by November.

“In Sydney and Melbourne, it does look like this downturn is deepening as we move into winter,” said Tim Lawless, research director at Cotality, a property data provider. Cotality’s rolling home value index shows prices have declined by 1.1 per cent in Sydney in the last four weeks and are now sliding faster than the 0.9 per cent fall recorded over May.

Chinese Investments on Aussie Houses Plunged 31 B$

(Nathan Mawby’s post from the REALESTATE.COM on 11 June 2026.)

$31bn plunge in Chinese investors will hurt Aus housing, experts warn: A decade after major tightening of foreign investment rules in Australia the nation has had a more than $65bn cut to funds coming in — spearheaded by China.

China-based property buyers have made moves on $200m worth of Aussie homes in the first three months of 2026. But it’s a fraction of what they used to spend, with Australia on track to receive $31bn less in investment from the Asian superpower into its property market compared to 2016.

Latest figures from the Foreign Investment Review Board show Chinese investors are on track to buy in the vicinity of $1bn worth of residential homes here in the current financial year. In the 2015-2016 financial year they sought to buy a jaw-dropping $31.912bn worth of Aussie homes.

Bypassing China’s Chokepoint: Through Myanmar

              (Daniel Swift’s post from FDD on 18 June 2026.)

China’s Chokepoint Problem: Why Beijing Is Welcoming a Leader Nobody Likes. No one likes Min Aung Hlaing. Nevertheless, the leader of Myanmar’s military government kicked off a five-day state visit in China on June 16, seeking legitimacy after a sham election that few inside or outside Myanmar take seriously.

He remains deeply unpopular at home, where the economy has shrunk 20 percent since his February 2021 coup. Beijing is growing impatient over his inability to crack down on scam centers and to bring peace to Myanmar — home of the world’s longest-running civil war.

China needs stability on its 1,300-mile border with Myanmar and wants the junta to protect a pipeline terminus and port project in Rakhine State that gives it a foothold in the Indian Ocean and a bypass around the Strait of Malacca maritime chokepoint.

UWSA (Wa Army) Vs Arakan Army (AA)

 (Translation of Steven Sanyu’s post from his FACEBOOK pages on 16 June 2026.)

Will the Wa Army (UWSA) be going into a war with the Arakan Army (AA)?

So far, for many years UWSA has managed not to participate in the ongoing civil war between Myanmar Army and other ethnic armies such as AA (Yakhine Army), TNLA (Palaung Army), KIA (Kachin Army) and MNDAA (Kokang Army) even though the Wa were the ones making massive profits selling assault rifles and heavy-machineguns and ammunitions to other ethnic armies except KIA Kachins who have their own weapon manufacturing plants.

That long stalemate is going to change very soon as both their Chinese Masters and Myanmar Army generals now need them to annihilate the recalcitrant Yakhines (Arakaneses) of victorious AA in the western Myanmar State of Arakan.

Even with massive Chinese assistance in the form of advance war-drones and many billions of Chinese Yuan, Myanmar Army war columns many thousands-soldiers-strong have not managed to break through the AA defensive lines on the high hills and mountains of long Arakan Ranges (Arakan-Yoma) between the Proper Burma and Arakan State.

Myanmar Army is Winning Again with China’s Help?

(Jonathan Head’s post from the BBC NEWS on 23 October 2025.)

Myanmar's army is taking back territory with relentless air strikes - and China's help: When insurgents finally gained control of the town of Kyaukme - on the main trade route from the Chinese border to the rest of Myanmar - it was after several months of hard fighting last year.

Kyaukme straddles Asian Highway 14, more famous as the Burma Road during the Second World War, and its capture by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) was seen by many as a pivotal victory for the opposition. It suggested that the morale of the military junta which had seized power in 2021 might be crumbling.

This month, though, it took just three weeks for the army to recapture Kyaukme. The fluctuating fate of this little hill town is a stark illustration of how far the military balance in Myanmar has now shifted, in favour of the junta.

New China-funded railway across Malaysia

(Alexandra Radu’s post from the DIALOGUE EARTH on 07 February 2020.)

Work on Malaysia’s new East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) started again in April 2019 after a delay of almost a year for renegotiations with the Chinese firm leading the project. The railway’s new route, adjusted to save costs, now avoids two areas of ecological importance, making the delay good news for Malaysia’s environment.

Over 640 km long, the railway connects Kota Bharu on the east coast of peninsula Malaysia with the country’s biggest commercial port, Port Klang, on the west coast near the capital Kuala Lumpur. It will link up to a wider pan-Asian network of railways currently under construction or planned as part of China’s global Belt and Road Initiative.

Work on the project started in August 2017 but was suspended in 2018 following a general election in Malaysia. The newly-elected prime minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad, accused his predecessor of awarding the project to the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) without an open tendering process, at high costs and unfair terms for Malaysia.

Counter-Coup in Myanmar: Dictator Removed & Jailed?

 

According to the insider sources the Myanmar Dictator-turned-President Min Aung Hlaing has been removed and arrested together with his absolutely corrupt family in Naypyidaw. The counter-coup has been staged by current army chief General Ye Win Oo with the support of Vice Senior General Soe Win on June-8 early morning.

According to the army sources most army divisional commanders have supported the counter-coup as the almost six-years-long civil war is nearly lost with massive casualties on the front lines and the capital city Naypyidaw is now seriously threatened.

The bloodless coup would become the turning point for anti-army revolution as the Myanmar Army has already lost nearly 60% of Myanmar landmass to the revolutionary forces mainly EAOs (Ethnic Armed Organizations) and NUG’s PDF (National Unity Government’s People Defence Forces) all over the poverty-stricken nation.

Australia to Produce a Record 2.2 million tonnes Lentils

 (Matt Brann’s post from the ABC NEWS Australia on 06 June 2026.)

Australia forecast to produce a record 2.2 million tonnes of lentils: On below are three glass jars. One filled with red lentils, one with yellow lentils and the third with barley. Australian lentils are mostly exported to countries including India and Bangladesh.

Australian farmers are set to produce less wheat, barley and canola this year because of dry seasonal conditions and high input costs. But they are on track to produce Australia's biggest crop of lentils. National commodities forecaster ABARES says lentil production is set to rise 3 per cent to a record 2.2 million tonnes.

Following Graph is showing lentil production increases over the years. "Plantings have exploded across Victoria and South Australia, with production now creeping into places like WA and New South Wales," said Market Check chief executive Nick Crundall.

Sittwe City Under Siege by Arakan Army

(Lin Thit’s post from the IRRAWADDY TIMES on 12 March 2026.)

AA (Arakan Army) Tightens Noose in Battle for Rakhine Capital Sittwe: Fighting has intensified around Sittwe as the Arakan Army (AA)’s pincer offensive closes in on the Rakhine State capital, striking junta positions on both the northeastern and northwestern approaches.

AA troops are now attacking the Shwe Min Gan naval base on the city’s northeastern edge as well as a string of fortified regime outposts along the Mayu River to the northwest. Targeted positions include riverbank posts around Ah Myint Kyun and the heavily mined and fortified village of Kywe Tae.

The Kywe Tae fortress is designed to shield the regime’s Padaleik Battalion and the Regional Operations Command headquarters against approaches from AA-held territory across the Mayu estuary.

Pauline Hanson for PM: Aus-Muslims’ Nightmare?

(Oscar Godsell’s post from the SKY NEWS AUSTRALIA on 31 May 2026.)

Pauline Hanson says she’s ready to be Prime Minister of Australia, considering run for lower house seat: One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has declared she’s ready to be the Prime Minister of Australia and is considering running for a seat in the House of Representatives.

Her comments come after a recently published Redbridge-Accent Research seat-by-seat projection showed One Nation could win more than 50 seats at an election. In the wake of the polling, Ms Hanson told Sky News’ Sunday Agenda that she believed she was capable of leading the country as prime minister.

“Do I want to be Prime Minister? Well, I tell you what, I won’t knock the job because I believe that I have the ability to do it,” she said. “I’m not going to underestimate myself or say, 'no, I can’t do it,' because you know, have a look at what we’ve got now. That’s why we’re in a mess.”

Myanmar The Shithole is now A Living Hell on Earth

Myanmar formerly known as Burma or British Burma was well known as The Shithole of South East Asia since the 1962 Military Coup. The world has had a big hope for our Burma when the military dictator ship was transformed into a semi-democratic quasi-civilian system a decade ago. But since 2021 Military Coup staged by the group of motherfucking-Bastard Army Generals (“A Group of Stupid Thugs” according to the US State Department) the notorious shithole is now being turned rapidly into a living hell on this planet.

Economy has completely collapsed, civil war has consumed nearly three quarters of the land, more  than half of population is starving, over 20% of population has been displaced and most ended up struggling in neighbouring Thailand, every military-aged man don’t even dare to go out of their houses for the roaming army’s chain-gangs will be dragging them out of the streets and into the army and sending them onto frontlines to die fighting the rebels. Myanmar simply is a living hell for almost six years now.

Inflation is sky-high people can’t even afford to buy good rice let alone luxury like meat and chicken. For the country formerly well known all over the world as the Rice Bowl of British Empire where sun never set, totally unbelievable.

Arakan Army Chief Htun Myat Naing’s Interview

(Rajeev Bhattacharyya’s post from the DIPLOMAT on 04 May 2026.)

Arakan Army Chief Twan Mrat Naing on Talks With the Myanmar Government, and Relations With India and Bangladesh: “The military government wants to negotiate from a position of strength but we will not succumb to such pressure.”

Arakan Army (AA) and United League of Arakan (ULA) Chief Twan Mrat Naing gives an interview to Rajeev Bhattacharyya at an undisclosed location somewhere in Myanmar’s Arakan region, on March 2, 2026.

The Arakan Army (AA) and its political wing, the United League of Arakan (ULA), are among the largest revolutionary organizations in Myanmar currently battling the government. Seventeen years after it was formed in 2009, the AA controls almost 90 percent of Arakan, the narrow coastal region on the Bay of Bengal in the western region of Myanmar.

The Demon in the Machine by Paul Davies

(Steven Poole’s post from the GUARDIAN UK Book Review on 18 Jan 2019.)

The Demon in the Machine by Paul Davies review – what is life? A new theory, which centres on information, is providing some answers in this lucid but speculative exposition.

In 1943 the great physicist Erwin Schrödinger, of both-dead-and-alive-cat fame, gave a series of lectures at Trinity College Dublin, published the next year as his book What Is Life? He supposed that genes must take the form of a “huge molecule” containing a “miniature code” to direct the subsequent development of the organism.

Francis Crick and James Watson, inspired by Schrödinger’s work, later proved him right when they, along with Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, discovered the structure of DNA.

But Schrödinger’s central question remains unanswered. There is still no agreed-on definition of what life is, let alone how it started. Maybe, some suggest, there are biology-specific laws of nature that we have yet to identify. Indeed, Schrödinger himself argued that “living matter, while not eluding the ‘laws of physics’ as established up to date, is likely to involve ‘other laws of physics’ hitherto unknown”.

Zhou Qunfei: The Founder of Lens Technology

            (Alvin Huang’s post from the FACEBOOK on 16 May2026.)

Touch your phone screen right now. Feel how smooth it is. There's a decent chance the glass under your fingertip was made by a woman who grew up raising pigs and ducks in a village in Hunan province, dropped out of school at 16, and took a factory job making watch lenses for less than a dollar a day.

Her name is Zhou Qunfei. She's the founder of Lens Technology, the company that makes the cover glass for Apple, Samsung, Huawei, and Tesla. She's worth over US$18 billion. She's the world's fourth richest self-made woman. And the entire thing started with a resignation letter.

Zhou was born in 1970 in Xiangxiang, Hunan, the youngest of three children in a family shaped by loss. Before she was born, her father, a former soldier, lost a finger and most of his eyesight in an industrial accident.

He supported the family by weaving bamboo baskets, making chairs, and repairing bicycles. Her mother died when she was five. The girl helped her family raise animals for food and whatever small income they could manage.