Malaysia-Russia Energy & Trade Talks: Prime Minister Anwar met Vladimir Putin in Kazan, with both sides pushing deeper cooperation in energy (including Petronas), halal economy, finance, AI and cybersecurity, plus visa liberalisation and using ringgit-ruble for trade and investment as bilateral trade rose 12.9% in 2025. Central Asia Trade Push: Agrobank plans to set up trade facilitation and payment links between Malaysia and Uzbekistan/CIS by year-end to boost agricultural and commodity flows, including Malaysian palm oil exports. Diesel Price Cut: Peninsular diesel fell 30 sen to RM4.37/litre for June 18-24, while RON95 and RON97 stayed unchanged; subsidy costs remain high. SME Banking Convenience: OCBC Malaysia lets eligible Singapore business owners use Singpass for remote account authentication, cutting onboarding to as fast as five working days. Telecom Regulation Shake-up (Nigeria): NCC and KPMG start a telecom interconnection pricing review after nearly a decade, aiming for cost-reflective mobile termination rates. Workforce Return-to-Work: PERKESO and 7-Eleven Malaysia partnered to help injured workers retrain and re-enter jobs via workplace exposure and hiring pathways. Higher Ed Integrity: Malaysia’s education minister rejected “backdoor” university admission claims as potentially damaging public trust, urging evidence and police reports for investigations. Startup Ecosystem Boost: Cyberview’s CLLA says 177 startups raised RM285m, generated RM891m revenue and created 1,800 jobs since 2013. Social Media Age Rules: A global push to restrict under-16 social media access is accelerating, raising enforcement and privacy concerns.