Global Pulse

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  • 50 years on, Fela’s legendary ‘Zombie’ album still resonates in Nigeria

    50 years on, Fela’s legendary ‘Zombie’ album still resonates in Nigeria

    Half a century after its 1976 release, Fela Kuti’s iconic protest album *Zombie* still stands as one of the most fearless acts of political defiance in African musical history, a work that not only reshaped global music but also laid bare the deep inequalities and authoritarian abuses that continue to plague Nigeria decades after the end of military rule.

    To understand the stakes of *Zombie*, one must look back at the turbulent context that birthed it. Nigeria had won independence from British colonial rule in 1960, buoyed by the discovery of massive oil reserves that promised widespread prosperity for the resource-rich West African nation. Just six years later, the first of a long string of military coups ousted the civilian government, followed by a brutal civil war that claimed at least three million lives. By 1976, the military had held unelected power for a full decade, with successive juntas embedding authoritarian control into every layer of public life — including deploying soldiers to secondary schools across the country to enforce state-mandated discipline under then-ruler Olusegun Obasanjo.

    For Yunusa Yau, a 16-year-old student in northwestern Nigeria at the time, growing anger at soldiers’ heavy-handed abuse of power on campus led him and his classmates to embrace Fela’s searing new track as their anthem. Decades later, Yau — now a 66-year-old political activist based in Abuja — told the Associated Press that Fela had already become a beacon of resistance for young Nigerians tired of authoritarian overreach. “In a way, we saw him as a symbol of our own nascent attempt to protect our limited horizon of freedom,” Yau said, noting the song quickly became a protest against both unaccountable soldiers and the unpopular school officials complicit with military rule.

    Fela Anikulapo Kuti, born under colonial rule in 1938, is widely regarded as Nigeria’s greatest modern artist, with a 40-year career that stretched from the late 1950s until his death in 1997. Earlier this year, he earned a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy Awards in recognition of his lasting cultural impact. He co-created the iconic Afrobeat genre alongside legendary drummer Tony Allen, blending polyrhythmic traditional West African percussion with Black American jazz and funk to create a signature sound entirely his own. But far more than a musical innovator, Fela built his legacy as a relentless chronicler of everyday life under military rule, which dominated Nigeria from the 1966 coup until the return of civilian democracy in 1999.

    *Zombie* was unlike any of Fela’s previous political work. Released as a 25-minute two-track album, the title track cut straight to the core of military authoritarianism, with lyrics that mocked the unthinking obedience of soldiers to unelected rulers: “Zombie no go turn, unless you tell ’em to turn (Zombie) / Zombie no go think, unless you tell ’em to think.” Layered over Fela’s driving polyrhythms, the track mimicked a military parade, complete with chanted commands to march, salute and fire. The B-side, “Mister Follow Follow,” expanded the critique to call out widespread blind obedience to authority and the status quo across Nigerian society.

    Lemi Ghariokwu, the artist who designed the *Zombie* album cover and collaborated with Fela for decades, called the record Fela’s definitive work. “It was one of his boldest moments on record,” Ghariokwu told the AP. “He was very much vexed by the actions of the military government. When he was composing the song, we asked him if it was going to be a direct attack song, and he said yes.”

    Interestingly, the zombie archetype that Fela used to devastating political effect originates from traditional West and Central African mythology, where it describes a figure stripped of free will, controlled by external forces. The imagery would later be popularized globally by Michael Jackson in his iconic 1982 *Thriller* music video, but Fela was the first to weaponize it for mass political protest.

    Fela’s unflinching attack on the junta drew brutal, immediate retaliation. The military government dispatched 1,000 soldiers to Fela’s self-declared independent Lagos compound, which the artist had claimed was outside Nigerian state control. Troops burned the compound to the ground, badly injured Fela, and left his mother — Funmi Ransome-Kuti, a prominent Nigerian activist in her own right — with fatal injuries. The album was banned from all state-run radio, and ordinary Nigerians were arrested for defying the junta by playing *Zombie* in public venues, at parties or on personal speakers.

    Critics note Fela’s foresight in calling out the long-term damage of military rule has proven entirely accurate. When the military seized power in 1966, junta leaders justified their coup by ousting a civilian government they accused of corruption and mismanaging Nigeria’s oil wealth. Decades after the end of military rule, that same failure of shared prosperity persists: official data from the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics shows 63% of Nigerians currently live in multidimensional poverty, lacking access to basic amenities, with sky-high youth unemployment. The country also faces a sprawling, ongoing security crisis, with militant and criminal groups carrying out widespread killings and kidnappings across large swathes of the country. Just this year, six people including soldiers and police officers were charged with plotting a coup against democratically elected President Bola Tinubu, a reminder of the military’s enduring oversized influence on Nigerian public life.

    “Fela was actually ahead of his time, because he seemed to have foreseen the kind of rot and decay that the military class would leave Nigeria in,” said Dami Ajayi, a prominent Nigerian music critic. “Fela was already saying to everyone that these guys who are here are going to ruin your country; you cannot allow a zombie to be in charge of everything around you.”

    Fifty years after its release, *Zombie*’s impact remains unmatched in Nigerian popular culture. While other Nigerian artists across reggae, fuji, pop and other genres have criticized government overreach, none have matched the open, uncompromising confrontation Fela pulled off with *Zombie*. Today, mainstream commercial success in Nigeria’s large music industry rarely makes space for overt political protest, even as the grievances Fela sang about remain largely unaddressed.

    Ayomide Tayo, a Nigerian music and pop culture critic, said Fela’s bravery has yet to be replicated by modern artists. “The consequences of that record are well-documented, and I don’t think anybody is that brave to critically criticize the government like that,” Tayo said. “The epic scale at which Fela did it has not been replicated.”

  • Polls open in Ethiopia’s election that is widely expected to be won by the ruling party

    Polls open in Ethiopia’s election that is widely expected to be won by the ruling party

    Voting kicked off across Ethiopia on Monday for a highly contested national parliamentary election that pollsters and political analysts almost universally predict will deliver another term in office to incumbent Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his ruling Prosperity Party. As the East African nation, which is Africa’s second most populous and home to the African Union’s continental headquarters, opened polling stations at 6 a.m. local time, a heavy deployment of military personnel was visible across the capital city of Addis Ababa, while international and local observers issued widespread calls for a calm, violence-free voting process.

    Long lines of voters began forming well before polling stations opened, a sign of strong engagement among many eligible Ethiopians who turned out to make their political preferences count. Roughly 50 million registered voters, out of Ethiopia’s total estimated population of 130 million, are eligible to cast ballots across the country. On top of selecting 547 members of the federal House of Representatives—who will later convene to vote for the country’s next prime minister—voters are also electing representatives to thousands of local government council seats. Official preliminary election results are expected to be announced later on Monday.

    From the start of the voting period, the election has been mired in controversy. Ethiopia’s fragmented opposition parties have raised widespread alarms over what they describe as rapidly shrinking political space ahead of the vote, with many alleging that their candidates and campaign teams were blocked from accessing public spaces, restricted from canvassing for support, and barred from reaching voters fairly across much of the country. The Ethiopian government has also faced sustained international criticism over documented reports of human rights abuses targeting opposition activists, government critics, and independent journalists operating in the country.

    Noah Yesuf, a prominent Ethiopian human rights defender, went so far as to deem the entire election illegitimate from its opening stages. “The fairness of an election is judged by whether there is a level playing field for the opposition and a conducive environment for citizens to freely participate,” Yesuf told the Associated Press in an interview on polling day.

    Public sentiment toward the political process remains deeply divided among ordinary Ethiopian voters. Many citizens have expressed growing voter apathy, rooted in years of unfulfilled promises from political leaders that have left large portions of the population disillusioned with the democratic process. Yet other voters remain committed to participating, even amid widespread uncertainty about whether their ballots will deliver tangible change.

    Senait Dereje, a 37-year-old small business owner running a shop in Addis Ababa, said she remained determined to cast her ballot despite her own doubts. “I have registered to vote. I am not sure if my vote will bring the change that I want and that will help change my livelihood,” Dereje told the AP. “I know many friends refuse to vote as they have given up on the politicians but I have not and I see it as a referendum like vote on the mixed record of the government.”

    Two core themes have shaped the 2024 election cycle: national reconciliation and economic development. After years of devastating internal conflict in restive regions including Tigray, Oromia, and Amhara that left hundreds of thousands dead and displaced millions more, the government has framed the vote as a step toward unifying a fractured nation. On the economic front, the ruling Prosperity Party has campaigned on pledges to deliver large-scale infrastructure projects and inclusive growth to lift millions of Ethiopians out of poverty.

  • Former rugby league player Garry Leslie Sullivan accused of 1994 Melbourne Armaguard truck heist

    Former rugby league player Garry Leslie Sullivan accused of 1994 Melbourne Armaguard truck heist

    Nearly 30 years after a brazen armed robbery left three people shot at one of Melbourne’s busiest shopping centers, a former Australian rugby league world champion has been extradited and charged in connection with the high-profile cold case, with court documents revealing serious underlying health issues that complicate legal proceedings.

    Seventy-eight-year-old Garry Leslie Sullivan, a member of Australia’s 1970 Rugby League World Cup-winning squad and a former Newtown club player, made his first official appearance at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday. The appearance came one week after authorities extradited him from Southport on Queensland’s Gold Coast, closing a decades-long search for suspects in the 1994 heist.

    Wearing a plain black long-sleeve T-shirt and with a full grey beard, Sullivan sat silently in the dock throughout the short hearing, flanked by court security personnel, and was not called on to enter a plea or address the bench.

    The charges against Sullivan stem from the May 16, 1994, robbery of an Armaguard cash-in-transit truck at Chadstone Shopping Centre in Malvern East. Investigators allege two Armaguard staff had entered the cinema complex to collect weekend ticket revenue when they were confronted just after 11:40 a.m. as they exited the building. The suspect, described as wearing a fawn-colored balaclava and armed with a handgun, was carrying a cardboard box and ordered the guards to “Get down, drop the money,” court documents outline.

    When one guard refused to comply, he was shot in the leg; the bullet ricocheted off his body and struck the shoe of the second guard, causing minor injury to the second employee. A 40-year-old bystander who followed the masked suspect as he fled the parking garage with two large bags of cash was also shot in the leg, investigators allege. The suspect dropped a cardboard box at the scene containing one bag of cash, a stolen service weapon belonging to one of the Armaguard guards, and other undisclosed evidence.

    Victoria Police announced last month that the long-dormant cold case investigation had been reopened following the emergence of new intelligence, leading directly to Sullivan being charged on May 21, prosecutors told the court.

    As the case moves forward, law enforcement officials confirmed they plan to rely on audio recordings from a covert listening device and court-authorized telephone intercepts as key evidence in their prosecution. Prosecutors have requested an extended three-month adjournment to allow time for all of these recordings to be professionally transcribed and reviewed, a request the court has considered alongside the defense’s concerns over the defendant’s health.

    Sullivan’s defense attorney told the court that their client has multiple serious chronic health conditions that require urgent care while he remains in pre-trial custody. These include an active cancer diagnosis, coronary artery disease, osteoporosis, and coeliac disease, an autoimmune disorder that requires a strict lifelong gluten-free diet. The court heard that Sullivan has not eaten for several days, as correctional facilities have not yet been able to provide him with appropriate gluten-free meals to accommodate his condition.

    Sullivan has been formally remanded in custody, and is scheduled to return to Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for his next procedural hearing on October 13.

  • Australian woman accused of joining Islamic State group has renounced jihad, her lawyer says

    Australian woman accused of joining Islamic State group has renounced jihad, her lawyer says

    MELBOURNE, Australia — A 34-year-old Australian national facing terrorism charges for her alleged ties to the Islamic State (ISIS) appeared before a Melbourne court this Monday, where prosecutors laid out detailed allegations of her extremist activities dating back more than a decade, including indoctrination of her own children and recruitment of other Australians to join the militant group in Syria.

    Rayann El Houli stands formally accused of two key offenses: becoming a member of a designated terrorist organization, and illegally entering and residing in Raqqa, Syria, between 2013 and 2014, when the city served as the de facto capital of ISIS’s self-declared caliphate. Prosecutors detailed the allegations in their evidence summary, which was outlined by Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan during the bail hearing.

    According to Hannan’s reading of the prosecution’s case, El Houli traveled to the conflict zone with the premeditated goal of aligning with ISIS fighters. While residing in Raqqa, she openly embraced radicalized ideology, publicly voicing support for terrorist attacks and glorifying martyrdom. Prosecutors further allege she repeatedly endorsed violence against people she labeled non-believers, worked to radicalize her own children to adopt extremist views, and actively reached out to contacts in Australia to persuade them to travel to Syria to join ISIS under the group’s extremist ideology.

    El Houli only departed Raqqa in 2019, when the ISIS caliphate was militarily defeated by coalition forces — not because she had rejected her previous beliefs, Hannan noted. After leaving the city, she stayed at the al-Hol displaced person camp in northeastern Syria for years before eventually being smuggled across the border into Lebanon. She returned to Australia from Lebanon last year, and was taken into custody by counter-terrorism police in Melbourne just last week.

    In her bail application, El Houli’s defense counsel Peter Morrissey pushed back against the prosecution’s narrative, telling the court that the defense will present expert testimony proving his client has fully renounced her past extremist views. “She renounces ISIS and violent jihad,” Morrissey stated. “She wants nothing to do with it: not now directly or indirectly. Not in the future. Not for herself. Not for the people she loves and specifically not for the children.”

    Chief Magistrate Hannan ordered that the court receive full details of the circumstances surrounding El Houli’s escape from al-Hol camp and subsequent smuggling to Lebanon before ruling on bail. Under Australian law, individuals charged with terrorism offenses are only eligible for release on bail in extraordinary circumstances, and each of the charges against El Houli carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment if convicted. The bail hearing was adjourned to a future date that is yet to be scheduled.

    El Houli’s case is the latest in a string of terrorism-related arrests involving Australian citizens who returned home after traveling to Syria to join ISIS. Three other Australian women with confirmed links to the militant group were arrested on slavery and terrorism charges immediately upon their recent return to the country, and all remain in pretrial detention. Additional former Australian ISIS affiliates who have returned to the country remain active subjects of ongoing counter-terrorism police investigations.

  • Poland’s controversial ‘Highway to Hel’ 666 bus revived

    Poland’s controversial ‘Highway to Hel’ 666 bus revived

    Europe’s leading intercity bus provider FlixBus has reignited a long-simmering cultural debate in Poland by announcing the revival of the polarizing Route 666 service to the popular Baltic seaside resort town of Hel. This reintroduction brings back the provocative “Highway to Hel” moniker that originally sparked fierce pushback from conservative religious groups across the heavily Catholic nation, when the route was previously operated by local Polish transport firm PKS Gdynia.

    The controversy that led to the route number’s retirement in 2023 hinges on two overlapping religious connotations that offended devout Christian communities. In Christian scripture, 666 is widely known as the “number of the beast,” a symbol tied to Satan and evil in apocalyptic biblical text. Compounding the perceived insult for many believers is the name of the destination: Hel, a Polish coastal town whose name differs from the English word “hell” by just a single letter.

    For years before the 2023 change, PKS Gdynia received consistent, periodic requests from religious groups demanding the route number be altered. One prominent conservative religious organization even publicly accused the local bus operator of actively spreading satanism through the route branding. Ultimately, the pressure proved too much for the company’s leadership, which opted to rebrand the route as 669 to avoid further conflict. As a PKS Gdynia spokesperson explained to media in June 2023, the management board ultimately caved to the cumulative weight of years of complaints, even if the total volume of objections was not overwhelming.

    Now, two years after the number was retired, FlixBus has made the deliberate decision to bring back 666 for its new 13-hour cross-country connection that links southern Poland’s historic city of Kraków to Hel on the Baltic coast, with stops in other major population centers including the national capital Warsaw. In comments to Polish national news outlet TVN24, FlixBus spokesperson Aleksander Kalenik confirmed that the controversial route number was selected intentionally as a marketing tactic. “The number 666 was deliberately chosen as a marketing communication element, intended to increase the visibility of the connection on the popular holiday route to Hel,” Kalenik said.

    The renewed route taps into enduring popularity of Hel as a summer tourist destination. Situated at the tip of the 35-kilometer Hel Peninsula that stretches out into the Gulf of Gdańsk along Poland’s northern coast, the town draws thousands of vacationers every year to its wide sandy beaches, preserved medieval architecture, and well-known public seal sanctuary.

    The controversy also underscores the enduring social influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland, a nation where more than 85% of the population identifies as Catholic. Even as secularization has grown across much of Western Europe, religious groups retain significant social clout to push for changes to public and commercial branding that conflicts with traditional Christian values, a dynamic that shaped the original 2023 decision to retire the route number. FlixBus’s choice to reverse that decision signals a bet that the provocative branding will draw more curious travelers than it will alienate offended religious consumers.

  • Australian environment groups write to UN over fears for Great Barrier Reef

    Australian environment groups write to UN over fears for Great Barrier Reef

    As the United Nations prepares to convene a critical global meeting on the future of one of Australia’s most cherished natural landmarks, five of the nation’s largest environmental advocacy organizations have issued an urgent formal appeal to the world body to place Great Barrier Reef land clearing practices under ongoing annual international oversight.

    Drafted in April and signed by the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation, Greenpeace Australia, the Australian Conservation Foundation, WWF Australia, and the Wilderness Society, the open letter calls on UNESCO to mandate annual progress reports from the Australian federal government through 2030, requiring verifiable evidence that rates of harmful land clearing in reef catchment areas are steadily declining.

    Stretching more than 2,300 kilometers along Australia’s northeast coast, the Great Barrier Reef was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1981. It contributes more than AUD $9 billion annually to the national economy and supports tens of thousands of jobs, cementing its status as both an ecological and economic cornerstone of the country. In recent decades, however, UNESCO has labeled the reef a site of “utmost concern” amid mounting threats from climate change, rising ocean temperatures, and declining water quality driven by upstream human activity.

    Of all the hazards facing the reef ecosystem, unregulated land clearing in the river catchments that drain into the Coral Sea is ranked among the most damaging. Environmental advocates warn that large-scale deforestation loosens dry sediment and allows toxic agricultural pesticides to wash downstream directly onto reef systems, where sediment smothers living coral and blocks the sunlight coral needs to survive. In response to growing pressure, the federal Albanese government passed landmark reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act late last year, introducing mandatory federal environmental assessments for all new land clearing projects within 50 meters of waterways that flow into the reef catchment.

    While the letter acknowledges that the new reforms represent a promising first step toward addressing runoff and poor water quality, the groups warn that implementation could range from highly effective to completely inadequate to address the concerns UNESCO first flagged in 2025. The advocacy groups emphasize that securing strong, consistent enforcement of the updated national environment laws would offer a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reverse decades of damage to water quality caused by large-scale deforestation in upstream catchments.

    The letter outlines that it will take between 12 and 36 months to accurately assess whether the reforms are successfully protecting high-value native vegetation and cutting harmful runoff that impacts the reef’s World Heritage-listed values. Several key gaps remain in the regulatory framework that have delayed meaningful oversight, the groups note: Queensland’s state government retains primary regulatory authority over most land clearing in reef catchments, and it remains unclear whether the state will fully cooperate with the new national rules or strengthen its own existing regulations. Additionally, the national environmental standards that will guide land clearing assessment decisions have not yet been finalized, there is no comprehensive public data on ongoing clearing activity, and no formal compliance mechanisms to enforce reporting requirements—current rules rely entirely on voluntary self-referral by landholders. The new federal National Environmental Protection Agency, tasked with enforcing the reforms, will not launch until at least July 2026, leaving a years-long gap in formal regulatory oversight.

    New details of regulatory gaps emerged last week during Senate estimates hearings, where it was revealed that out of 248 calls and 11 emails from landholders seeking clarification on land clearing rules from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), only six landholders received a formal pre-referral consultation meeting. Department officials confirmed they expect only two or three of these inquiries to progress to full formal assessment, and they have yet to confirm how many of the requests relate specifically to projects within the Great Barrier Reef catchment. During questioning, Declan O’Connor-Cox, head of Queensland’s Environment Assessments branch, clarified that exemptions for ongoing continuous clearing do not apply to projects within 50 meters of reef catchment waterways: even if a property cleared the same stretch of land two years ago, any new clearing requires fresh assessment under the new rules.

    Lyndon Schneiders, executive director of the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation, emphasized that the reef is a defining Australian icon that requires urgent government action to protect. “The time is now for Environment Minister Murray Watt to lead and put in place strong protections to ensure the clearing stops and the reef is given a helping hand,” Schneiders said. “As a Queenslander, he knows the reef is special, and as a former agriculture minister, he also knows that sometimes a small number of cowboy beef farmers make the whole industry look bad. It is in everyone’s interest to stop the clearing and help the Reef.”

    The appeal comes less than two months before the UNESCO World Heritage Committee convenes its annual meeting on July 19, where the future of the Great Barrier Reef and Australia’s management of the site will be a core item on the meeting’s agenda.

  • Sabalenka, Osaka clash in blockbuster French Open tie

    Sabalenka, Osaka clash in blockbuster French Open tie

    The 2025 French Open enters its second week with a historic matchup headlining the schedule on Monday, as two of women’s tennis biggest superstars Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka will meet in the first women’s night match held at Roland Garros in three years. This clash marks their third meeting of 2025 and the fourth encounter of their professional careers, with every past match between the two four-time Grand Slam champions coming at the round of 16 stage.

    World No. 1 Sabalenka comes into the match chasing her first ever French Open title, a goal that fell just one win short last year when she suffered a heartbreaking final defeat to Coco Gauff. The Belarusian top seed is under no illusions about the test Osaka will bring, praising the Japanese star for her impressive resurgence after stepping away from the tour in 2023 to welcome her first child.

    “It’s great, great to see her back on her level. Maybe not at her best level, but she’s back, she’s fighting, she’s building her level,” Sabalenka said of her upcoming opponent. “It’s nice to see her. She’s a great player, great person. I feel like I really enjoy our battles. It’s high-level matches, and I really enjoy when somebody pushes me to the limit.”

    For Osaka, this run to the round of 16 is already a career-first at Roland Garros, marking a remarkable comeback from her maternity break and proving she has found far more comfort on the Paris clay than ever before. Osaka, who claimed four Grand Slam singles titles before her pause from the sport, took time to rediscover her form after rejoining the tour, but broke through with a US Open semi-final run last year — her first trip to the second week of a major since winning the 2021 Australian Open.

    The 26-year-old has set clear goals for her 2025 clay and grass court swing, and is not planning to end her run in Paris on Monday. “I really wanted to make it a goal to do really well on clay and grass. I don’t want this to be my last round. I want to keep going. I just want to keep focusing on every match,” Osaka said.

    The winner of Monday’s marquee matchup will advance to the quarter-finals, where they will face either former Australian Open champion Madison Keys or Russian rising star Diana Shnaider. Beyond the headline clash, several other women’s matches will unfold on Monday’s schedule: the last remaining home hope Diane Parry will aim to replicate last year’s surprise semi-final run from fellow French wildcard Lois Boisson when she faces Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska, while 28th seed Anastasia Potapova of Austria will look to build on her upset victory over defending champion Coco Gauff against Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya.

    The men’s draw has been turned upside down ahead of round of 16 play, with the top half left wide open after the shock early exit of world No. 2 Jannik Sinner and an opening round defeat for young American star Ben Shelton. That leaves world No. 6 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada as the highest-ranked player remaining in that section of the draw, and he will bid to reach his first ever French Open quarter-final against Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo — who is competing in his first ever Grand Slam round of 16.

    The open draw has opened unexpected opportunities for lower-ranked players, including American world No. 85 Zachary Svajda, who had only won two Grand Slam matches total before this tournament. When asked about Sinner’s exit opening up the draw, Svajda said he is focusing on one match at a time against Italian 10th seed Flavio Cobolli. “When I saw Sinner was out, I try to stay present and stay positive and just take it day by day, match by match,” he said. “I knew the draw was open, but I just tried to keep doing my routines, keep doing what I’ve been doing, and just see what happens.”

    Other notable men’s matches on Monday include a showdown between former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini and Sinner’s conqueror Juan Manuel Cerundolo, with the Italian targeting his first Grand Slam quarter-final appearance since 2022. American big-hitter Frances Tiafoe, who reached the French Open quarter-finals last year, will take on rising Italian talent Matteo Arnaldi.

  • ‘AI simply can’t replicate it’: Japan embraces zine trend

    ‘AI simply can’t replicate it’: Japan embraces zine trend

    In a Kyoto print factory, the steady hum of machinery and rustle of freshly printed paper fill the air as two creators watch their collaborative photo essay roll off the press onto thick broadsheet newsprint. For artists Kazuma Obara and Akihico Mori, this physical, tactile process is more than just a production choice—it is a deliberate stand against the homogenization of digital content and artificial intelligence in the modern creative landscape.

    Their project is one small thread in a rapidly growing movement across Japan: amid the decades-long decline of traditional print media, handmade self-published zines are winning legions of new fans, particularly among young creators and audiences. This renaissance underscores Japan’s enduring cultural affection for tangible paper media even as digital platforms and AI-generated content reshape the creative industry globally.

    Obara, a 40-year-old photographer whose ink-stained hands betray his hands-on work, explains that unlike algorithm-driven social media feeds, print engages all five human senses. “Mobile phones are very insular,” he told AFP during a visit to the factory. “Print media is incredibly open. You can hand it to someone, you can read it together.” His creative partner Mori, a 44-year-old writer, echoed that sentiment, noting that holding a handmade zine lets readers directly feel a creator’s unique passion. “That’s what makes it so appealing,” Mori said. “AI simply can’t replicate it.”

    The pair’s finished work went on to display at Kyotographie, the popular international photography festival that wrapped up in Kyoto this past May. Their printing was made possible through a new program from Kyoto Shimbun, a major regional newspaper that has opened up its underutilized printing presses to independent creators as traditional newspaper subscriptions continue a steady decline.

    Yoshihiko Okazaki, a representative of Kyoto Shimbun Printing, said the program has drawn creators across generations, from teenage artists to creators in their 70s. “Surprisingly, it resonates with younger people,” Okazaki said. “I even hear comments like, ‘it’s interesting precisely because it’s old.’”

    Japan’s broader print industry has faced steep contraction for decades. Data from the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association shows national newspaper circulation peaked at 53.76 million copies in 1997, and has fallen to less than half that number by 2025. Overall book and magazine sales have dropped even more sharply, sliding to just 40% of the industry’s 1996 peak of 2.6 trillion yen ($16.3 billion). Fears of further disruption from AI have spread across the global creative industry: a 2025 UK study found half of all novelists believe AI will likely replace their professional work in the coming years.

    But unlike traditional mass print, the small-scale, DIY zine sector is expanding rapidly. Zines, which first emerged in 1930s United States among science fiction fan communities, have seen explosive growth in Japan in recent years, especially among younger creators. Forecasts from a Japanese private research firm, cited by public broadcaster NHK, project the total Japanese self-publishing market will reach 150 billion yen in the 12-month period ending March 2026—nearly double the market size just four years earlier.

    This growing popularity was on full display at a recent Tokyo zine fair, where hundreds of visitors crowded aisles lined with handmade publications of every size, format, and theme—from abstract art collections to personal photography zines and raw personal essay monologues. For 22-year-old attendee Harumi Kikuchi, zines offer a diversity of perspective that algorithm-driven platforms cannot match. “AI and social media are driven by algorithms that feed us nothing but what we want to see or what suits us best,” she explained. “But the fact that many zine makers are here suggests there are many different worldviews.”

    Watashi Kishino, a zine creator who draws hand-illustrated comics about her daily life in black and white, agrees that digital and AI tools have their place—but argues tangible print has an irreplaceable charm. “People can make a lot of things with AI and digital technology,” Kishino said, gesturing to her stack of hand-bound zines. “But I believe there’s a charm in having something tangible to hold in your hands like this.”

    Even established traditional book retailers are leaning into the zine boom, as younger audiences move away from mass-produced physical books. Sanseido, a 145-year-old bookstore located in Tokyo’s historic Jimbocho book district, added zine sections to its shelves nearly a year ago. “We felt that zines could appeal to a different audience than traditional readers,” said Masato Sugiura, deputy head of the store’s sales promotion unit. “Everyone is looking for something that really speaks to them. Readers are perhaps drawn more to zines, which are niche and cover a broader range of topics.”

    For creators like Kishino, the zine renaissance offers a hopeful sign that physical paper media will persist even in an increasingly digital world. “There’s warmth that only paper can offer,” she said. “There’s definitely people who are looking for that.”

  • Malaysia enforces ban on social media accounts for children younger than 16

    Malaysia enforces ban on social media accounts for children younger than 16

    On Monday, Malaysia launched a historic policy shift when it formally implemented new regulations banning all users under the age of 16 from holding personal social media accounts, marking one of the world’s strictest nationwide age-based restrictions for minor access to digital social platforms. The new mandate forms part of a growing global movement by governments to strengthen protective frameworks for young people navigating online spaces.

    Under the terms of the rulebook, all major social media platforms serving Malaysian users – defined as those with a minimum of 8 million active users in the country, including industry giants Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, ByteDance’s TikTok, and Google’s YouTube – are required to roll out robust age-verification mechanisms that block underage users from creating new accounts. Non-compliant platforms face financial penalties capped at 10 million Malaysian ringgit, equivalent to roughly $2.1 million. Notably, the legislation does not impose any fines or legal repercussions on parents if their children manage to bypass the existing restrictions to access platforms.

    Malaysian authorities frame the new rules as a targeted intervention to shield minors from a range of online harms, including exposure to violent, explicit, or otherwise inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and manipulative platform algorithms purpose-built to encourage compulsive, excessive screen time.

    Malaysia is far from alone in pursuing age-based guardrails for minor social media use. Australia, Brazil, and Indonesia have already rolled out or announced similar age-linked restrictions for young users, while governments across Britain, France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand, and South Korea are currently in the process of researching or drafting parallel regulatory frameworks.

    Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the body overseeing the new policy, has emphasized that the rules are not intended to cut children off from the internet or digital learning tools entirely. Instead, the regulator says, the mandate holds social media providers accountable for mitigating documented online risks and building age-appropriate safety protections into their platform designs from the outset. In a statement issued ahead of implementation, the MCMC noted that the new measures “help strengthen the protection of children in the online environment, while providing added reassurance to parents in navigating increasingly complex digital risks.”

    Beyond age verification, platforms will also be required to integrate mandatory “safety-by-design” features. These include guardrails against the manipulative interface design that drives compulsive use, as well as consistent proactive action to remove existing underage accounts and remove harmful content that violates minor safety policies.

    To date, major technology companies have not released public detailed plans outlining how they will adapt their platforms to meet Malaysia’s new requirements. The MCMC has confirmed it will offer a temporary grace period to allow platforms to fully deploy their age-verification systems before any penalties are enforced.

    The policy has already drawn criticism and caution from some stakeholders, including Meta, one of the world’s largest social media firms. In April comments ahead of implementation, Clara Koh, Meta’s director of public policy for Southeast Asia, warned that Malaysia’s blanket ban on all under-16 users could backfire, pushing teenagers to leave mainstream, regulated platforms that offer some safety protections and seek out unregulated spaces on the internet that lack any safety guardrails. Meta has instead advocated for a tiered model, rolling out its own “teen accounts” for users under 18 that automatically limit contact from strangers, cap daily screen time, and restrict exposure to inappropriate content.

    Malaysia’s new restrictions come as governments globally face mounting public and political pressure to address growing research and public concern linking unregulated social media use to poor mental health outcomes among children and adolescents. The pressure on regulators and platforms has intensified following a high-profile March ruling in the United States, where a jury ordered Meta and YouTube to pay millions of dollars in damages to a young plaintiff who argued addictive platform features directly caused substantial harm to her wellbeing.

    While the new policy has earned broad support from many Malaysian parents who have long called for stronger online protections for children, it has also sparked serious debate around data privacy, particularly the requirement for age verification that may demand users submit government-issued identification to confirm their age.

    Benjamin Loh, a social science lecturer at Malaysia’s Monash University, notes that Malaysia’s policy aligns with a global regulatory trend, but the ID verification requirement has triggered valid privacy alarms. Loh also points out that global experience with similar age-based restrictions has yet to deliver consistent evidence that the policies are effective at reducing minor access to social media. The absence of penalties for parents who create accounts on behalf of their underage children, he argues, creates a major loophole that lets families easily bypass the ban.

    “This is a major gap that unless regulators are willing to fix, will result in the law having little effect in stopping children from using social media,” Loh added.

  • Hollywood honors Marilyn Monroe, 100 years after her birth

    Hollywood honors Marilyn Monroe, 100 years after her birth

    One hundred years after the birth of one of Hollywood’s most enduring legends, Los Angeles’ entertainment hub is launching a month-long series of tributes to honor Marilyn Monroe, the platinum-haired star whose short life and decades-long cultural legacy continue to captivate global audiences.

    Centennial events officially kicked off Monday at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre, the historic Hollywood landmark where Monroe’s hand and footprints have been preserved in cement alongside those of Jane Russell, her co-star in the 1953 classic *Gentlemen Prefer Blondes*. Fans will gather at the site to serenade the late star with “Happy Birthday” — a deliberate nod to Monroe’s legendary sultry performance of the song for President John F. Kennedy in 1962, just months before her death. Organizers have placed 100 roses and a commemorative cake at the location, a spot that draws millions of tourists each year and stands as a defining landmark of Hollywood’s golden age.

    Pre-empting the official opening, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures launched its major retrospective *Marilyon Monroe: Hollywood Icon* on Sunday, a blockbuster exhibition that explores both the star’s trailblazing film career and the tragic personal story that cut her life far too short. Monroe, who rocketed to global fame in the 1950s, died of a drug overdose at her Los Angeles Brentwood home in August 1962 at just 36 years old.

    Throughout June, the Academy Museum will host special screenings of Monroe’s most acclaimed performances, pulling titles from her extensive filmography that span the breadth of her career. The lineup includes her breakout supporting turn in 1950’s *The Asphalt Jungle*, her star-making leading role in 1953’s *Niagara*, the timeless comedy *The Seven Year Itch* (1955), the critically adored *Some Like It Hot* (1959), and her final completed film, 1961’s *The Misfits*. The exhibition, which will run through February 2027, features hundreds of original personal and professional items, many of which have never been displayed publicly. Among the centerpieces is the iconic pink gown Monroe wore for her legendary performance of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in *Gentlemen Prefer Blondes*.

    Later this week, on June 4, Julien’s Auctions will host a dedicated “100 Years of Marilyn” sale, featuring nearly 200 pieces of rare Monroe memorabilia up for auction. Highlights of the collection include never-before-published candid photographs of the star, an annotated script from her final, unfinished production *Something’s Got to Give*, and deeply personal items ranging from handwritten dessert recipes to a tube of her favorite Elizabeth Arden lipstick.

    Born Norma Jeane Mortenson in Los Angeles on June 1, 1926, Monroe’s early life was marked by instability. She spent her childhood bouncing between foster homes and orphanages after her mother was institutionalized, and married for the first time at just 16 years old. Her first introduction to the entertainment industry came in 1944, while she worked in a Los Angeles factory supporting World War II production efforts. A military photographer visiting the plant to shoot photos of women war workers spotted her, kicking off a rapid transition into modeling.

    Within months, she made the decision that would change entertainment history: she divorced her first husband and dyed her natural brown hair to the iconic platinum blonde shade that would become her trademark. She earned her first studio contract with 20th Century Fox, and by the age of 30 had cemented her status as a global household name and defining sex symbol of the 20th century.

    Far from just a on-screen star, Monroe was a trailblazer behind the scenes of Hollywood’s old studio system. She defied studio expectations to found her own independent production company, trained at New York’s prestigious Actors Studio to refine her craft, and openly pushed back against exploitative studio practices. In the 1950s, while still under contract with 20th Century Fox, she refused the lead role in the musical adaptation *The Girl in Pink Tights*, arguing the script was mediocre and her pay — one-third that of co-star Frank Sinatra — was unfair. Decades before the #MeToo movement exposed systemic exploitation of women in entertainment, Monroe publicly spoke out against the predatory “wolves” in Hollywood who targeted young female talent, making her a cultural proto-feminist icon long before the term entered mainstream discourse.