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Johor shuts down Network School over licence breaches Iskandar Puteri City Council personnel are seen at the Network School in Forest City, Johor to issue a Stop-Business Notice after the company was found to have breached its business licence conditions and the approved use of its premises. Photo Credit: Facebook/Onn Hafiz Ghazi JOHOR BAHRU, July 18 — The Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP) has issued a Stop-Business Notice to premises linked to the operations of Network School in Forest City after the company was found to have breached its business licence conditions and the approved use of its premises. Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the enforcement action followed an investigation by the local authority, which found that the company had misused premises licensed as business offices by operating educational activities there. “Inspections found that the company was operating from two premises. One premise held a valid office business licence, while the other was operating without an MBIP business licence, despite being owned by a Malaysian citizen. “In addition, the company was found to have breached the permitted business category by using premises licensed as an office for classroom activities and business promotions without submitting a detailed application for approval,” he said in a statement posted on Facebook yesterday. Following the violations, he said MBIP officially issued Stop-Business Notice IP012N260714001 against the premises operating without a valid business licence. The MBIP also issued an Advertisement Licence Notice (6103) under Section 107(2) of the Local Government Act 1976 for displaying signboards that did not comply with licensing conditions and were inconsistent with the approved permit. Onn Hafiz stressed that the Johor state government views the matter seriously and that MBIP will continue investigating all aspects that fall within its jurisdiction. “If any breaches of the law, licence conditions or applicable regulations are found, further enforcement action will be taken in accordance with the relevant legal provisions,” he said. On the status of foreign nationals associated with the school, Onn Hafiz said the matter falls entirely under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry, adding that the state government is urging the ministry to make a prompt and final decision regarding the status of the individuals involved and the school’s operations. Full story at Malay Mail (July 2026)
India’s education minister resigns in victory for Cockroach youth movement protests Dharmendra Pradhan steps down after demonstrations over exam leak scandal, prompting celebrations among thousands of protesters Supporters of India's Cockroach Janata party in Delhi celebrate after the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters By Hannah Ellis-Petersen India’s education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, has resigned after a week of mass demonstrations, handing a major victory to a new youth movement that has posed an unprecedented challenge to Narendra Modi’s government. In a statement on Saturday afternoon, Pradhan said he had submitted his letter of resignation to the prime minister after student pressure. “Considering the situation that has arisen at Jantar Mantar and ‌across the country, so that anti-national forces do not take advantage of this situation … I have sent my resignation letter to the prime minister,” Pradhan wrote in a social media post. He said he had been “saddened by what unfolded over the last 10 days”, but added: “I deeply respect the aspirations, feelings, and legitimate expectations ‌of the country’s youth.” During his 12 years in power, Modi has cultivated a strongman image and has maintained his ministers are not accountable to public pressure. This was the first time a mass uprising had forced one of his most loyal ministers to resign. The protests were organised by a newly formed youth political movement, the Cockroach Janata party (CJP), which has escalated into a nationwide uprising of youth dissent this week. The core demand of the CJP and its supporters was the resignation of Pradhan over an exam leak scandal that has devastated the lives of millions of students and led to more than a dozen students taking their own lives. Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation marks the first time one of Narendra Modi’s ministers has been forced to step down due to public pressure. Photograph: Zuma/Alamy The refusal by Modi to sack his minister over the scandal was widely seen as symbolic of the alleged lack of accountability of the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) and its repeated failure to address the issues faced by young people, particularly in the country’s flawed education system. CJP organisers confirmed they had called off their demonstration after Pradhan’s resignation and a meeting with senior BJP ministers on Saturday afternoon. In a speech to the crowds gathered at the Delhi Jantar Mantar protest site, CJP’s founder, Abhijeet Dipke, saluted the “courage” of students who had turned out in huge numbers, even when they were subjected to police violence. “We have done it,” he said, to cries of “victory to India” and “long live the revolution”. But Dipke also emphasised Pradhan’s resignation was “just the beginning” in the movement’s push for systemic education reform and its fight for democratic rights. He also cautioned against people making a hero of him. “Do not make this mistake,” said Dipke. “The country has been ruined by making one person a hero.” Full story at The Guardian (July 2026)
Eggs back on the menu for free school meals in India's West Bengal after outcry Students return to their classroom after receiving mid-day meals at a government primary school in Kolkata on July 9, 2026 - AFP/File India’s West Bengal state will bring back eggs to free school meals after a backlash against a decision by its Hindu nationalist government to replace them with vegetarian alternatives, officials have said. The reversal follows criticism from teachers, nutritionists and parents who argued that removing eggs from school lunches could deprive children from poor families a key source of protein. The issue erupted last month after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, elected for the first time in the state in May, removed eggs from meals in some state-run schools and arranged for a Hindu religious charity to provide vegetarian food instead. The move rekindled a long-running debate over food and religion in the world’s most populous country, with critics accusing the government of trying to turn schoolchildren vegetarian. On Wednesday, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said eggs would again be provided to schoolchildren from August. Under the new arrangement, eggs will be provided separately through women’s welfare groups while the charity would continue to supply “pure” vegetarian meals. “The state government will supply boiled eggs separately to these schools by engaging self-help groups from August 1,” Adhikari told reporters. “Some guardians requested the government to ensure that eggs were included in the meals,” he added. The BJP often promotes vegetarianism as a part of its broader nationalist agenda, although most Hindus eat meat and fish. Eggs, which Hindus consider non-vegetarian, are also widely consumed. Teachers and nutrition experts had criticised the move to remove eggs from the menu, saying they helped improve both nutrition and school attendance among children from low-income families. Full story at AFP (July 2026)
Cambridge professor Jason Arday resigns amid accusations of plagiarism Sociology professor to stand down after university announces investigation into his qualifications and career Jason Arday is the youngest black person to be appointed a professor at the University of Cambridge. Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi/The Guardian By Richard Adams and Lanre Bakare Jason Arday, the Cambridge professor accused of plagiarism and embellishment, has resigned after the university announced he was to face new investigations into his qualifications and career. Arday, who had been dogged by a growing series of questions over his academic work and credentials, issued a statement on Wednesday night, saying the “relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love”. In the statement, published on the Good Law Project website, he wrote: “It is with profound sadness that I write to resign, with immediate effect, from my position at the University of Cambridge and Jesus College. “When I accepted the extraordinary honour of becoming professor of sociology at Cambridge, it was, without question, the greatest professional privilege of my life.” However, after days of detailed scrutiny of his previous work and statements highlighting apparent discrepancies, Arday said he had “concluded that the only way to bring this chapter to an end is to step away”. Simon & Schuster had been preparing to publish Arday’s memoir, entitled Great and Unfortunate Things, later this month. His resignation may pause or even halt its publication and planned publicity tours. Cambridge had initially defended Arday – the youngest black professor appointed in the university’s history, with a compelling life story of educational disadvantage – as “the victim of a vile campaign”. But as questions multiplied over Arday’s own claims, the university’s leaders felt that Cambridge’s reputation was in danger. The Guardian published its own investigation uncovering discrepancies in Arday’s public accounts involving prodigious fundraising feats as well as claims he had been targeted by knife-wielding masked intruders. Arday first faced allegations that he plagiarised parts of his PhD thesis and other academic research late last year, and has rejected the claims. An investigation by Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded his PhD in 2015, did not uphold the charges of plagiarism but said they were probably caused by “honest and reasonable error”. Arday has denied all accusations of plagarism, telling the Guardian last week: “There have been multiple thorough investigations across several institutions as a result of the allegations, and immense scrutiny, including with an academic misconduct panel who concluded that there was no plagiarism or academic misconduct.” On Wednesday evening, Cambridge announced it would launch an investigation after it said it received “new information” about his qualifications and career. It said in a statement: “The University of Cambridge has begun an investigation following new information about Prof Arday’s academic qualifications and honorary appointments. In order to ensure a fair process, we will not comment further until this has concluded. “Separately, there remains a number of ongoing complaints regarding academic misconduct, which are being handled in line with our misconduct in research policy. This is consistent with our previous statement on the matter. “While we are fully aware of the public commentary and concerns around this matter, it remains vital that any process is thorough and adheres to both university policies and employment law. “We also fully recognise that there is a person at the centre of this situation, and we continue to provide support to him.” A spokesperson for Jesus College, Cambridge, said it was launching its own parallel “process”. “Prof Arday’s college fellowship is linked to his university role and we will fully support the university. “Prof Arday remains a fellow during this process. We recognise that this is a very difficult time for him and his family, and ask that they are treated with compassion and respect.” Full story at The Guardian (August 2026)
Poor email etiquette among students spark debate in China Commenters said students often treat emails like instant messages by sending them without subject lines and using overly casual language. Photo: EPA BEIJING - A discussion on professional communication has gained momentum in China after a trending hashtag highlighting students' poor email etiquette prompted calls for universities to better prepare undergraduates for the workplace. The online debate centred on complaints that many university students treat emails like instant messages, often sending messages without subject lines, greetings or attachments, while using overly casual language when contacting lecturers or potential employers. Many netizens argued that email etiquette is a fundamental professional skill, particularly for students applying for internships or jobs, and should be taught as part of university education. Responding to the issue, Peking University's School of Basic Medical Sciences published an Email Etiquette Guide on its official WeChat account in January. Compiled by graduate students, the guide outlines best practices for common situations, including corresponding with lecturers and submitting job applications. It offers practical advice on selecting an appropriate email address, writing clear subject lines, naming attachments and formatting messages professionally. The guide also recommends using bold text rather than coloured fonts for emphasis, reserving red text only for urgent deadlines. Opinions among students remain divided. Feng Sijia, a postgraduate student at Beihang University in Beijing, said most communication with lecturers now takes place through WeChat but agreed that formal emails should include a clear subject line, concise message and properly labelled attachments. She believes professionalism is more about attitude than following a rigid format. “Email etiquette is part of basic manners. If someone is careful, they'll learn it on their own,” she said. However, Wei Xiangming, a postgraduate student at Tsinghua University, said universities should provide formal guidance, arguing that email remains an important communication tool in both academic and professional settings. She said well-structured emails create a positive first impression and help recipients identify key information quickly. University lecturer Yao Jingyuan said the most common issues he encounters are emails without subject lines, blank message bodies and missing details such as students' names or identification numbers. He said these omissions often require additional time to identify the sender and clarify missing information. Rather than ignoring such emails, Yao uses each assignment submission as an opportunity to teach students better communication habits. Full story at China Daily (August 2026)
Mother jailed for life for killing five-year-old son to claim insurance payouts Tô Thị Ty Na, 45, at the trial on August 5. Photo: thanhnien.vn ĐÀ NẴNG — A court in the central city of Đà Nẵng on Thursday sentenced a 45-year-old woman to life imprisonment for murdering her five-year-old son and fraudulently claiming more than VNĐ4.1 billion (around US$150,000) in life insurance payouts after staging the death as an accidental drowning. The Đà Nẵng People's Court found Tô Thị Ty Na, from Thăng Bình Commune, guilty of murder and insurance business fraud. She was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and six years in prison for insurance fraud, which combined into a life sentence under Vietnamese law. According to the indictment, police initially received a report on January 3, 2023, that Na's son, identified as N.V.H., born in 2017, had been found dead in a bathroom bucket at the family's home the previous night. However the boy's paternal aunt, Nguyễn Thị Bích Tâm, reported her suspicions to authorities the same day. Tâm told investigators she had reviewed the home's security camera footage and discovered that Na had deliberately redirected one of the cameras before the incident. Tâm also recalled that another of Na's children had died in similar circumstances in 2021 after drowning in a bucket in the bathroom, following which Na received more than VNĐ2 billion in insurance compensation. The similarities between the two deaths prompted police to launch a full investigation. Investigators concluded that only Na and her son were inside the house before, during and after the child's death. The house had a single entrance, ruling out the involvement of outsiders. Forensic evidence also cast doubt on the claim of accidental drowning. The victim, aged five years and nearly nine months, was 124cm tall and weighed 23 kilograms, while the bucket in which he was found was only 63cm high and 56cm wide. Prosecutors said there was no evidence that the child could have accidentally drowned in the position in which he was discovered. Although the boy had no injuries before the incident, the post-mortem examination found multiple bruises and marks on his forehead, groin and leg, indicating he had struggled against external force before his death. The court heard that Na intentionally turned the security camera towards a wall before calling her son into the bathroom and forcing his head into the bucket until he drowned. She then staged the scene to resemble an accident, changed her clothes, opened the front door, dried her hands and hair with a hairdryer and went to bed pretending to be asleep. The boy was discovered dead shortly after 10 p.m. when his older sister returned home. Insurance policies purchased for four children Court documents showed that Na had previously served a 40-month prison sentence for theft before returning home, marrying and raising four children. After her husband died in 2020, she struggled financially. Prosecutors said she had sold the family home for VNĐ1.2 billion to cover living expenses and later exhausted the proceeds. Na subsequently purchased seven life insurance policies covering her four children, paying annual premiums exceeding VNĐ100 million ($3,800). She named herself as the beneficiary of all policies. Her youngest son alone was covered by two separate life insurance contracts with different insurers. Following his death, Na falsely declared that he had accidentally drowned, enabling her to claim insurance benefits. Based on the fraudulent documentation, the two insurance companies paid her more than VNĐ4.1 billion, all of which prosecutors said was spent on personal expenses. Full story at Việt Nam News (August 2026)
Court orders Meta to pay $567M to address kids' mental health online A New Mexico court has ordered Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta to pay $567 million to address harms to young people from its platforms By Barbara Ortutay A New Mexico court has ordered Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta to pay $567 million to address harms to young people from its platforms in the second phase of a landmark trial. Judge Bryan Biedscheid said in a ruling late Thursday that the bulk of the money — $420 million — will be used for treatment services for young people. The rest will go toward awareness and prevention, screening services and other costs over the next five years. The new penalty is in addition to the $375 million in civil penalties that jurors ordered against Meta in March after determining the company knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms. In the second phase, prosecutors asked the judge to impose fundamental changes at Meta aimed at reining in addictive features, improving age verification and preventing child sexual exploitation through default privacy settings and closer oversight. The total amount Meta is responsible for — $942 million — is a small fraction of of its annual profit, which was about $60 billion in 2025. Investors seemed to shrug off the New Mexico ruling in after-hours trading Thursday, sending Meta’s stock down less than half a percent to $589.44. Still, the ruling is another setback for Meta, which faces an avalanche of lawsuits from thousands of families of children harmed by social media. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said it sends an unmistakable message that companies will be held accountable when their product designs knowingly put children at risk. “Today’s decision is a victory for every parent who has worried about what social media is doing to their child and every child who deserves to grow up safer online,” he said in a statement. Meta vowed to appeal. “We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and have been transparent about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content," the company said in a statement. "We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts.” The judge ordered Facebook and Instagram to build banner and informational screens to clearly explain its protection features, best practices and tools to address inappropriate comment, for example, and display them regularly. Those changes and an educational campaign in New Mexico would be subject to review by the state. The court said federal children’s privacy laws prevent Meta from applying age-verification tools to children under 13. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, means it cannot order Meta to request children to submit personal data or be passively tracked online, even for age verification purposes. The court also noted that ordering verification of children’s ages only for Meta and not other social media companies would be “inequitable and unduly injurious” to the company. Instead, the court ordered Meta to continue to improve its age assurance tools in New Mexico, which include using artificial intelligence to determine people’s age based on signals such as who their friends are and what types of content they post and consume. Meta must also attempt to develop a dedicated “under-13-years-of-age prediction model” in the next two years. Additionally, Meta should also request proof of age for Instagram and Facebook users in New Mexico it estimates to be under 13. If it determines a user to be under 13, or under 18 but without being able to estimate a specific age, Meta must treat the user as under 13 or under 18 until the user verifies their age. The company must also partner with schools or a child safety organization to create a reporting portal where school staff can flag users who may be under 13. And it must delete personal information it has collected on users under 13. The court also ordered Meta to report on its progress twice a year on how it’s complying with the abatement measures. Full story at ABC News (August 2026)
Teen kills classmates, teachers, and his grandparents in Thai gun rampage, police say By Helen Regan, Kocha Olarn, Angie Puranasamriddhi Students shelter in place as audible gunfire heard during school shooting in Bangkok Bangkok — A teenage gunman went on a rampage at his high school in Thailand on Friday, killing teachers and students, police said, in one of the country’s deadliest school shootings in recent years. The suspected gunman, 14, stormed the school after allegedly killing his grandmother and grandfather in their home, according to police. At least six people at the school were fatally shot, three of them students and three teachers, police spokesperson Lieutenant General Trairong Phiwphan said. More than 20 other people were wounded, with nine in a critical condition. The youngest victim was just 12 years old, authorities said. Terrified students huddled together under their desks, sobbing as gunshots rang out nearby, video filmed inside a classroom and verified by CNN showed. Further video showed students running out of the school as a staff member helped them evacuate. An unnamed rescue worker told the Reuters news agency that “it was total chaos” when they arrived at the scene, where they administered first aid to students who had wounds to their back, chest, and arms. Police gather outside the house where a teenager is suspected of killing his grandparents before carrying out a school shooting in Thailand on August 7 (Chanakarn Laosarakham/AFP/Getty Images) Emergency personnel work at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Bang Kruai district in Nonthaburi province on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, August 7, 2026. (Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters) Using what police said was his grandfather’s handgun, the suspect opened fire at Debsirin Nonthaburi School, a well-known secondary school of about 3,000 students, located on a busy highway in the Bang Kruai district of Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul later told reporters that the gunman had died after he turned the weapon on himself. Most of the casualties are teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17, according to the provincial Emergency Operations Center. “This is horrible, it shouldn’t have happened,” said Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Friday afternoon, expressing his sadness over the tragedy. An 18-year-old student told Reuters that he initially thought there were firecrackers going off. “Then it started getting more frequent, like ‘bang, bang, bang’ and then it went quiet at one point. And the shooting started again,” they said. Concerned parents rushed to the school as news of the shooting spread. The son of CNN’s senior travel producer Karla Cripps attends the school but was overseas at the time of the shooting, which began at about 10 a.m. local time. “My son called me from Japan in a panic, telling me that he’d heard there was a shooting at his school. The kids were told to lock down in their classrooms, and he obviously was very upset,” Cripps said from outside the school. Cripps said there was a “really sad atmosphere” at the school as ambulances continue to stream in and out, and parents comfort their children. “My son heard his friend’s brother is in the hospital right now. He’s among the injured...It’s been terrible for everyone.” Emergency personnel work outside of Debsirin Nonthaburi School, on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, August 7, 2026. (Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters) Handgun found at school A photo provided to CNN by a police official in Bangkok shows a single handgun and multiple rounds of ammunition scattered on the floor inside the school. Authorities said he had been living with his grandparents rather than with his parents, but they have yet to determine how the boy gained access to the weapon. This photo, provided by Thai police, appears to show the shooter's gun inside the Debsirin Nonthaburi School. (Bangkok Police) Emergency worker Kiatikhun Verapongpradith described performing CPR on the wounded gunman. “We rushed up and found that the perpetrator had shot himself in the right side of the head and collapsed,” he told Reuters. “As soon as we saw signs of life, we had the team bring a board to carry him to the hospital.” Emergency workers rushed to the scene with stretchers. In one Reuters photo, one person is seen lying on a stretcher outside an ambulance, while another is attended to by a medic. Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau told CNN the “situation is now under control.” Full story at CNN (August 2026)
2.4 million Afghan girls shut out of secondary school 5 years after Taliban takeover, U.N. says AP Illustration / Annie Ng ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — An estimated 2.4 million Afghan girls remain excluded from secondary education five years after the Taliban took over the country, a U.N. agency said Tuesday, renewing a call for an immediate restoration of their right to education. UNESCO, the Paris-based U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, said the continued exclusion of women and girls from education amounted to a grave violation of their fundamental rights. “Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls and women are formally banned from secondary and higher education,” Hoda Jaberian, UNESCO’s program coordinator for education in emergencies, said in a news conference by video. “Five years is not a temporary interruption in a child’s education. It is clearly almost an entire secondary school cycle.” Jaberian said: “UNESCO continues to call for the immediate and unconditional restoration of girls’ and women’s right to secondary and higher education. It is not negotiable. It’s a basic human right, and we reiterate that there is no substitute for this.” The Taliban seized power on Aug. 15, 2021, as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from the country after two decades of war. Shortly after, it barred girls from secondary schools and later extended the restrictions to higher education, employment and other sectors, effectively excluding women and girls from public life. The Taliban has maintained the ban despite appeals from the United Nations, humanitarian groups, human rights advocates and several Islamic countries, insisting the issue is a domestic matter. Jaberian said the restrictions are reversing two decades of progress that Afghanistan had made in education. While access to schooling for girls was severely limited in 2001, by 2021 nearly 1 million girls were enrolled in secondary education. “Afghanistan had made really major progress in expanding girls’ access to education,” Jaberian said. “But unfortunately, much of that progress now has been completely reversed.” Full story at The Associated Press (August 2026)
Discord ordered to suspend livestreams in Brazil By Laura Cress Getty Images Brazil's data protection authority (ANPD) has ordered Discord to suspend its livestreaming feature after a teenage girl was allegedly encouraged to take her own life in a broadcast on the platform. The messaging service allows people to create and join groups based on their interests, with users able to enter voice or video calls in real time through Discord's "Go Live" feature. The investigation by the ANPD began on 7 August after the death of a 13-year-old girl, who was reportedly pressured to end her life by others in the Discord server - or group - she was in. Discord told the BBC it was "thoughtfully reviewing" the ANPD's order and is "committed to user safety". "Groups or individuals who promote or encourage violence have no place on Discord," a spokesperson said. "We swiftly investigated and shut down the private, invite-only server involved shortly after its creation and continue to cooperate with law enforcement in its investigation." According to Reuters, the ANPD said it found Discord lacks ‌real-time ⁠access to livestream content, which prevents automated violation detection. The site, which can be accessed on desktop or as a mobile app, has over 200 million monthly active users, and is popular with gamers. Discord's spokesperson said in its investigation, evidence was found that the criminal activity "was coordinated on other platforms before the Discord server was created" as well as continuing "after the individuals involved were banned from Discord". Five teenagers have reportedly been arrested in connection to the teenage girl's death. Discord now has three days to comply with the suspension and can appeal the decision within 10 business days. The platform faces potential fines of up to 50m reais ($9.67m) per ⁠violation. Full story at BBC News (August 2026)
Seventeen-year-old girl killed in sword attack at school in Sweden Three other people wounded after 18-year-old man wielding sword assail students in Fagersta school Police and emergency personnel outside the Brinell school in Fagersta, Sweden, after a 17-year-old girl was killed and several people were injured in a sword attack. Photograph: Fredrik Sandberg/TT/Reuters By Nadeem Badshah A 17-year-old girl has been killed after a teenager brandishing a sword attacked students at a school in Sweden, police have confirmed. Three other people were wounded in the incident during classes in the central town of Fagersta on Friday afternoon, including two boys aged 12 and 17 who sustained minor injuries. The third person, who was also under 18, was also left with minor injuries and has been discharged from hospital, Swedish news agency TT reported. The parents of the 17-year-old girl told local newspaper Fagersta-Posten their daughter was killed in the attack. An 18-year-old man has been arrested over the incident at Brinell high school. Armed police officers were dispatched to Brinellskolan as an 18-year-old wielded a sword, attacking students. Photograph: Fredrik Sandberg/TT/Reuters Swedish police are investigating whether the suspect was involved in online communities promoting school violence, a police source said. Detectives are investigating whether a TikTok account that posted a picture of a sword 20 minutes before the attack belonged to the person responsible, the source told Reuters. The image appeared to have been taken in a restroom at the school, according to the Dagens Nyheter newspaper. Before the image was taken down on Friday, the month-old account contained videos that referred to two episodes of mass violence in Sweden and to the far-right mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011. One of the videos referenced a 2015 attack in which a masked swordsman killed a teaching assistant and two boys at a school in Trollhättan, western Sweden, before being shot dead by police. “The investigators are looking into various online communities that may have egged on the suspect to carry out the attack,” the police source said. Full story at The Guardian (August 2026)
Professor who said Malays could fly sacked by Malaysian university Solehah Yaacob went viral with her pseudo-history claims. She is fighting against her dismissal By Ushar Daniele A Malaysian Islamic university has formally distanced itself from an academic whose viral claims about ancient Malay civilisation – including that Malays could fly and taught the Chinese “flying kung fu” – have drawn ridicule from historians. In a statement on Sunday, the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) said Solehah Yaacob, a former linguistics professor, had been terminated from academic service on April 27 and was no longer entitled to claim any affiliation with the institution. The university’s Office for Communication, Advocacy and Promotion said Solehah was now barred from using any official title, position or association with IIUM. “She is no longer a professor nor entitled to claim any association with the university,” it said. “IIUM hopes that this clarification will help avoid any misunderstanding and uphold the integrity and academic standing of the university.” The International Islamic University Malaysia is considered one of the world’s top Islamic universities. Photo: Shutterstock Solehah is challenging her termination before Malaysia’s Industrial Court and has accused the university of unprofessionalism. She told local news outlet Free Malaysia Today that the Higher Education Ministry had awarded a Malaysia Research Assessment commendation the day before her dismissal. “I was dismissed within 24 hours and was not allowed to appeal,” she was quoted as saying. “IIUM wanted to pay me the equivalent of six months, but I refused.” Solehah stirred controversy last year when she claimed ancient Malays could fly and had taught the Chinese the art of “flying kung fu.” A month later, she claimed ancient Romans had learned shipbuilding techniques from Malay seafarers, and earlier this month suggested that Kedah's iron ore wealth might have originated from meteor showers, with Gunung Jerai in Kedah among sites she said had been hit by meteorites. Her other disputed claims include that Khadijah, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad, had links to the Malay world. She has also criticised early Malay societies for their Hindu-Buddhist influences and received backlash for a 2018 academic article that cited a satirical piece from The Onion as a source. Full story at South China Morning Post (August 2026)