Smokescreen politics? Malaysians mock Indonesian official’s ‘we send oxygen’ haze defence

🔮 Some social media users question whether they are breathing imported air and ask how it would be sold “We don’t just send smoke; when there is no smoke, we send oxygen,” he said in a widely circulated video published by Indonesian media outlet Kompas.

🔮 The government is projecting slower economic growth and higher inflation in 2027 as it seeks to narrow the deficit Anwar said the budget should be judged on “whether more people can live with dignity” as the government forecast slower economic growth and higher inflation next year while targeting a narrower deficit.

🔮 The November 14 contest comes close on the heels of BN’s strong wins, adding pressure on Anwar’s PH amid shifting electoral strategies The filing of nominations will begin on October 31 and early voting on November 10, Election Commission chairman Ramlan Harun said on Wednesday. BN won 21 seats in the 2021 state election, while Pakatan Harapan (PH) secured five and opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) two.

🔮 With global acts also touring Asia, UK star Ed Sheeran’s concert fallout in the US raises the question of how the saga would play out regionally In Malaysia, where public support for the Palestinian cause runs deep, promoters must still weigh an artist’s politics against commercial considerations and concert rules.

🔮 This Week in Asia was told that only selected media could cover the operation when it sought access.

🔮 Rozi, 58, struggled to accept it at first, but what troubled her more was the thought that rejecting Hana might push her out of the family altogether.

🔮 With two men claiming the throne and no legal exit in sight, commenters suggest nettle-bed endurance tests to end the fight The dispute has left Negeri Sembilan with two men claiming the throne, a state government at odds with the palace and no clear legal route to settle the fight. One social media user suggested reviving adat perpatih – the customary law of Negeri Sembilan – by subjecting ruler Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir and rival claimant Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar to the “stone mattress” test: seven days and seven nights on a stone covered with an intensely itchy variety of nettle, with whoever lasts the longest earning the throne. “Whoever can endure it becomes [the ruler],” the user wrote, adding that the idea “may look illogical, but it is a fact”.

🔮 The ruling removes four of the seven charges against Muhyiddin, although he still faces three abuse-of-power counts, keeping him among several of the country’s former prime ministers caught up in criminal proceedings. High Court judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin ordered Muhyiddin’s full acquittal after rejecting the prosecution’s request for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal, which would have allowed the charges to be revived later.

🔮 The prime minister’s remarks come after Malaysia’s top court upheld a ban on the independent film ‘Mentega Terbang’ last month Anwar said an industry forced to repeatedly seek official approval for individual scenes could not become more creative or competitive, calling for fewer restrictions on filmmakers at a time when Malaysian productions were outperforming Hollywood titles at home. But his remarks came less than six weeks after Malaysia’s Court of Appeal upheld the government’s ban on the independent film Mentega Terbang, and nearly three years after Cannes-winning Tiger Stripes reached local cinemas only after cuts its director disowned.