This move tackles long-standing critiques of the 1569 Mercator projection, which enlarges landmasses at high latitudes while shrinking those near the equator. By officially supporting equal-area alternatives, the global forum aims to bring modern cartography in line with true geographic proportions and correct persistent Eurocentric biases in worldwide communication.
On Friday, low-cost airline Air Arabia announced a significant enhancement of its Southeast Asian route offerings, notably boosting flight frequencies between the United Arab Emirates and Thailand. Beginning October 25, 2026, the airline will operate a fourth non-stop service daily connecting Sharjah International Airport with Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. This new schedule increases the carrier’s weekly non-stop flights on the Sharjah-Bangkok route to 28, providing greater flexibility for both leisure and business travelers. To meet the rising demand for regional travel, Air Arabia is expanding its Bangkok service to four daily flights from Sharjah.
Health
The World Health Organization has called for a major expansion of the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said health teams still have not identified every chain of transmission. Congo had recorded 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 deaths as of Sept. 1, according to the latest government figures. The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak now affects 60 health zones across six provinces.
Travel
On Friday, low-cost airline Air Arabia announced a significant enhancement of its Southeast Asian route offerings, notably boosting flight frequencies between the United Arab Emirates and Thailand. Beginning October 25, 2026, the airline will operate a fourth non-stop service daily connecting Sharjah International Airport with Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. This new schedule increases the carrier’s weekly non-stop flights on the Sharjah-Bangkok route to 28, providing greater flexibility for both leisure and business travelers. To meet the rising demand for regional travel, Air Arabia is expanding its Bangkok service to four daily flights from Sharjah.
Technology
Japan expands AI-powered checks to detect investment fraud through consumer complaint data. The AI system will analyze roughly 900,000 consultation records annually within Japan’s national consumer complaint database, PIO-NET. It will compare incoming complaints to historical contexts and key phrases from previous cases, seeking solicitation tactics, business models, and early signals of collapse. Additionally, it can identify recurring patterns among multiple operators, even if a complaint does not explicitly mention confirmed financial losses.