SEPANG, May 22 — Electric cars are set to roar again at Sepang.

SoyaCincau, in collaboration with Dongfeng, will return to the Sepang International Circuit on June 6 for Malaysia’s biggest EV Track Day of 2026, promising thrills that go far beyond the shopping mall car park.

Last year’s debut proved sceptics wrong when 30 electric vehicles took to the track, with a Tesla Model 3 Performance clocking a blistering 2:34.344 lap and a stock Hyundai Ioniq 5 N close behind at 2:37.991.

The organisers say this year’s edition will be bigger, faster and more inclusive, designed to lower the barrier of entry for every EV owner.

The programme includes open track sessions across the full 5.543‑kilometre circuit, a Time Attack challenge to crown Malaysia’s quickest EV, and a community parade lap for families and newcomers.

For those who prefer to ride shotgun, professional drivers will offer taxi rides to showcase the gut‑punching acceleration of performance EVs.

Coaching sessions will also be available for drivers keen to shave seconds off their lap times.

Infrastructure is being beefed up to keep cars charged and ready. Dedicated DC charging hubs will be set up at the North Paddock thanks to partners EVC, Jom Charge and EV Power.

Aeson Power and Battery Lux will also run a 12V clinic, offering free health checks and discounted sodium‑ion battery upgrades for both EVs and conventional cars.

Registration opens at 5.45pm on June 6, with the event running until midnight.

SoyaCincau says the focus is not just on driving, but also on learning, diagnosing and pushing the boundaries of electric mobility in Malaysia.

 

KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 — The Ministry of Economy together with the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) has launched a new digital platform to monitor how the global supply crisis is affecting the country’s economy in near real time.

The initiative, known as the Global Supply Crisis Monitoring Dashboard, is a fully integrated system designed to track economic spillovers from global disruptions, including energy prices, trade flows and supply chain pressures, according to a joint announcement by Economy Ministry and Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

The dashboard provides users with up-to-date economic indicators, including movements in the cost of living, fluctuations in commodity and global market prices, as well as analysis of Malaysia’s trade performance and broader economic trends.

Among the key data sets available are daily crude oil spot prices in US dollars per barrel, which are used to track global energy movements that may influence fuel pricing, subsidy pressures and supply conditions.

It also features a petroleum trade summary, covering Malaysia’s performance in the sector and developments in global supply chains, with the latest update spanning February to March 2026.

The platform is intended for use by policymakers, businesses and the public, offering near real-time insights to support early response measures, improve supply stability and guide informed decision-making during periods of global uncertainty.

The government said the initiative reflects its commitment to strengthening data-driven policy communication and enhancing transparency for economic planning and public awareness.

The dashboard can be accessed at https://pantaukrisis.gov.my/ or via a QR code provided in the official announcement.

“Play is how we give permission,” says Vitor Freire, co-founder of the Amsterdam-based studio Imagination of Things. “Permission to challenge what’s fixed, rehearse what doesn’t exist yet, and close the distance between people who wouldn’t otherwise meet.”

Freire and co-founder Monique Grimord take play seriously and, in a new project, their studio created a vast repository of 169 artworks, designs, games, and more that have offered an unexpected encounter with imagination and joy. From Rael San Fratello’s award-winning “Teeter-Totter Wall” to the healing Wind Phone project to a 12-foot puppet walking the world, Unruly Play is a multi-decade archive of participatory projects, public spaces, and digital creations that invite surprise and camaraderie.

“Our collaborators have always asked us where our ideas come from,” Gimrod says, “and the truth is that they come from references that rarely talk to each other—it can be a seesaw through a border wall or a phone booth connected to the dead… We wanted to create unusual dialogues and support new creative practices, and Unruly Play was our answer for that.”

Fully interactive, the project is searchable by theme or browsable through a shuffle feature. To dive deeper into the power of play, check out this compendium of artist-designed spaces.

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In communities throughout Switzerland’s Appenzell Hinterland and Midland regions, a unique tradition with enigmatic origins unfolds around the New Year. Known as Silvesterchlausen, the custom entails a group of boys and men who don remarkable, handmade costumes with masks and headdresses that represent rural, wild, and natural scenes.

“Silvesterchlausen,” a dreamy short film by writer and director Andrew Norman Wilson, highlights this regional seasonal event, which occurs on December 31 and January 13. The first date marks the turn of the new year on the Gregorian calendar, while January 13 denotes the same on the Julian calendar. The ornately dressed mummers, in groups of six, polyphonically yodel and ring bells. “The ritual has been performed for at least 500 years, but nobody knows how or why it began,” Wilson says.

Some of the performers’ headwear resembles miniature parade floats, while otherworldly designs made from pinecones, mosses, grasses, and other organic items make some of them appear as though they have emerged directly from the earth. In small, tight-knit municipalities, the tradition is a rare instance of relative anonymity, as familiar residents disappear behind meticulously crafted garments.

The performers, known as Chläuse, practice diligently for a month or so before the event, creating something of a “Chläus fever.” Boys form the groups and “continue throughout their lives until the members are too old to withstand the physical toll of the 18-hour days,” Wilson says, sharing that the participants build significant bonds.

As New Year’s Eve arrives, the mummers connect houses with a red string, literally and figuratively stitching connections within the community. Then, as the Chläuse move through villages and visit homes, local residents provide mulled wine to keep their bodies warm and spirits high.

See the film on Vimeo, and find more of Wilson’s work on Instagram. If you’re in the Upper Midwest, you can experience a taste of this annual tradition in New Glarus, Wisconsin. You might also enjoy Ashley Suszczynski’s incredible and mysterious photographs exploring European masking rituals.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article A Short Film Joins the Timeless Swiss Masked Tradition of Silvesterchlausen appeared first on Colossal.