RAJA’S RULE
Decolonisation and revolution long ago removed royal families from power in most of Asia, leaving Japan’s emperors as the last hereditary monarchs of much significance to periodically exert some subtle influence.
But the past year has seen the region’s most abundant class of royals – the rajas and sultans of the old Malay dynasties – exert unexpected power over the country’s fragmenting political parties.
Nine of the Malaysian states are constitutionally headed by traditional Malay rulers who meet every five years to elect a king, or Yang di-Pertuan Agong, as the national head of state.
On Monday July 26, the Malaysian Parliament resumed sitting after the longest suspension since 1969 due to the COVID-19 crisis which had allowed Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to avoid testing whether he actually had a majority. But the prime minister was aiming to avoid any votes which would test his fragile majority.
Architecture news & editorial desk
Sustainable design addressing climate change, adaptive re-use, post-pandemic public spaces and collaborative projects were some of the highlights of the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2021 NSW Architecture Awards announced last week.
The winners were drawn from a total of 299 entries across 13 categories, with the most highly awarded projects sharing common attributes, according to NSW chair of juries, Peter Mould.
“Architects in NSW continue to address the challenges of climate change through sustainable and innovative design,” Mould said.
“Many of the awarded projects are existing buildings that have been adapted for new uses or had existing uses reinvigorated. This sustainably captures all the embodied energy and craft from the past as well as retaining their important contribution to local urban character.
NSW Architecture Awards: Sydney s architects celebrate old buildings made new brisbanetimes.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from brisbanetimes.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Blockchain ambitions
A three-part series by Forkast.News with support from the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas on how China is taking the global lead in blockchain technology.
Updated: 29 Jun 2021