LOS ANGELES, June 2 — Carly Rae Jepsen has begun teasing new music by quietly uploading audio and video snippets to her official website, sparking renewed anticipation for her next album cycle.

Jepsen sent out a newsletter text stating, pre-empting the sudden uploads: “Is this thing on?”

According to posts monitored on fan account Carly Rae Jepsen Wiki, Jepsen updated her site twice in the past day with short clips of unreleased tracks, including snippets identified by fans as After All and Amalfi Coast. The uploads were accompanied by new visuals and layout changes, signalling the start of what fans are calling the “CRJ7” era. 

The fan account reported that Jepsen’s website now features a refreshed section for tour dates, suggesting additional announcements may follow. One clip shared through the site was later reposted by Pop Base, amplifying speculation about an imminent rollout.

The teasers have generated significant engagement on X, where Jepsen’s fan community has been circulating the snippets and tracking each update to the site. Some posts noted that the new material resembles the upbeat, melodic style associated with her earlier releases.

Jepsen has not yet issued an official statement about the new music or confirmed a release timeline.

Graham Paul Spicer posted a photo:

Instantly delighted by the premise and format of Genderswap.fm, a classy little database made by Eva Decker that catalogues covers and original tracks sung by artists of different genders. (Particularly love getting to filter by tags like “more danceable” or “less acoustic”.)

SUBANG JAYA, June 18 — The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) plans to replace its existing C-130 Hercules transport aircraft in line with growing operational demands and the ageing condition of the fleet.

RMAF Chief Gen Tan Sri Muhamad Norazlan Aris said the plan is receiving special attention as out of the 10 units of C-130 aircraft that they currently operate, the earliest unit that they received is now 50 years old, while the latest is 31 years old.

He said rising maintenance costs for ageing aircraft, coupled with the technological advantages and greater payload capacity of newer-generation aircraft, make the replacement of the C-130 a necessity despite the proven capabilities of the current model.

“The RMAF’s responsibilities are becoming greater and more challenging, therefore we need assets capable of carrying out those tasks,” he told reporters after the 68th Royal Malaysian Air Force Anniversary Parade here today.

According to him, RMAF is also conducting studies on replacing its multi-role combat aircraft and increasing the number of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) by 2035, as existing assets are expected to face obsolescence and maintenance support issues by then.

Muhamad Norazlan said they had yet to decide whether to acquire 4.5-generation, fifth-generation or sixth-generation aircraft, as any new procurement must take into account the defensive nature of the National Defence Policy.

Meanwhile, he said infrastructure facilities at Kuantan Air Base to handle the operation of FA-50 LCA are expected to be fully completed by October.

He said six RMAF pilots are currently undergoing FA-50 flight training at Gwangju Air Base in South Korea together with a technical support team, with two of them scheduled to complete training in October and the remaining four in December.

“Once they return, they can begin flying immediately. We only need to establish the squadron and prepare the standard operating procedures (SOPs) according to RMAF requirements,” he said, adding that the arrival of the FA-50 would enable RMAF to train more pilots locally before they progress to more advanced aircraft.

The Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in 2023 for the acquisition of 18 FA-50 aircraft, with the first two expected to be delivered to the RMAF in October and the remainder to follow in stages. — Bernama

KULAI, June 14 — The National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) has allocated RM210 million under the PTPTN eKasih Children’s Scholarship (PTPTN BAeK), benefiting 10,000 students from poor and hardcore poor families.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the allocation is a significant increase from the RM120 million announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim under Budget 2026 last October, which was expected to benefit 5,800 recipients.

“Under the latest announcement in the Malaysia Higher Education Plan (RPTM) 2026-2035, the number of beneficiaries of this free education initiative has been increased to 10,000 from low-income families,” he said after presenting PTPTN BAeK awards to two recipients in Johor.

Also present were PTPTN chairman Datuk Seri Norliza Abdul Rahim, chief executive Ahmad Dasuki Abdul Majid and Johor PTPTN State Office director Mazni Ruslan.

Zambry said eligible recipients must be registered in the eKasih database and enrolled full-time in Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree programmes at public higher education institutions (IPTA) from Jan 1 this year.

He also urged the public and IPTAs to inform PTPTN of students who may qualify for the scholarship.

Meanwhile, Norliza said as of May 31, the scholarship had benefited 402 students nationwide, involving RM8.79 million in allocations since its introduction this year.

The scholarship is open to Malaysian students aged 25 and below who are enrolled in PTPTN-registered courses, have an active Simpan SSPN account, no outstanding loan arrears and at least one semester remaining in their studies.

Recipients will receive RM4,750 annually for Diploma studies, RM6,180 for Bachelor’s Degree (Arts) programmes and RM6,650 for Bachelor’s Degree (Science) programmes.

Norliza said students must first apply for a PTPTN loan through the myPTPTN web application. The loan will be approved first to ensure they can continue their studies, before being considered for the scholarship if they meet the eligibility requirements.

Successful applicants will be notified via email and the myPTPTN application. They must submit the offer documents at any PTPTN counter within 14 days of receiving the offer letter. Scholarship payments will be made every semester.

Among the recipients were Alin Nairien Wong Mohd Allif Wong, 20, and Muhammad Amar Khoo Arif Khoo, 21, who said the scholarship would ease their families’ financial burden and help them focus on their studies.

Alin Nairien, from Tanjung Sedili near Kota Tinggi and a Diploma in Event Management student at Politeknik Ibrahim Sultan (PIS), said she relies on the income of her mother and eldest brother following her father’s death in 2019.

“This scholarship eases the burden on my mother and brother. It also motivates me to study harder and make them proud one day,” she said.

Muhammad Amar, a Cyber Security degree student at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), expressed appreciation to the government and PTPTN, saying the scholarship would help reduce the financial burden on his father, who supports him and his two siblings.

The PTPTN BAeK scholarship presentation programme will continue in Melaka next week, with two recipients set to receive the award. — Bernama

Eudaemonius posted a photo: