Despite severe labour shortages and low productivity, Japanese workplaces lag behind the US, UK, and Singapore in AI adoption due to risk aversion, low digital literacy, and a cultural focus on full employment.
Gagik Tsarukyan, Armenia's wealthiest businessman and opposition politician, is building the world's tallest Jesus Christ statue atop a mountain overlooking Yerevan. The 101-meter statue aims to boost tourism and promote Christianity as Armenia's brand, despite opposition from the Armenian Apostolic Church and environmentalists.
Reform UK and Conservatives are criticized for opposing net zero policies, which the CBI reports directly employ over 300,000 and support 1.1 million jobs. The article argues these parties promote fantasy industries and sabotage growth, potentially destroying 1.4 million jobs by 2040, while their funding comes from wealthy oil and gas interests.
South Korea's People Power Party (PPP) has been given a mandate to reform and represent conservative values effectively, following the local elections, with voters seeking a credible opposition to the Democratic Party. Despite some key wins, including Seoul's mayoral race, the party faces internal and external calls for new leadership and a break from controversial legacies.
US Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) loses primary after 7 terms, attributed to his defiance of the Israel lobby and opposition to Trump, highlighting the lobby's significant influence in US politics.
Thomas Tuchel announces a controversial England World Cup squad, omitting Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, recalling Ivan Toney from Saudi Arabia, and leaving Harry Maguire out. Tuchel's selections reflect his 'anti-Southgate' philosophy with specialists for set-pieces and penalties, but raise questions about defensive depth and reliance on Harry Kane's backups.
A government-backed water rave in Kuala Lumpur has earned the wrath of Malaysia’s culture war brigade, pitting religious objections against tourism goals, as critics decry the vulgar import amid growing conservatism. The uproar over the three-day Rain Rave Water Music Festival in Bukit Bintang comes as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government tries to promote the country as a youthful, experience-led travel destination, even as it manages a traditionalist pushback against concerts, pop culture...
England women's cricket head coach Charlotte Edwards has named a T20 World Cup squad nearly identical to the one that lost the Ashes 16-0 fifteen months ago, drawing criticism for conservatism. The squad features established players like Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who have played in every World Cup since 2017 without winning a trophy. The only uncapped player is 18-year-old left-arm spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman, while 19-year-old dynamo Davina Perrin was overlooked despite a match-winning Hundred semi-final century.
