76 m. ago Japan survey exposes social media’s role in disaster misinformation

More than a quarter of Japanese citizens were exposed to rumours or falsehoods on social media following natural disasters, according to a new survey, with some admitting they inadvertently hampered emergency responses by sharing the misinformation. The study was conducted by the Japanese Red Cross Society in the run-up to Disaster Prevention Day on Monday. The annual event commemorates the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, a magnitude-8 tremor that struck some 60km southwest of Tokyo and caused...

Events

4 h. ago Trump suggests India is moving towards ‘deepest, darkest’ China orbit

Trump suggested on Friday that India is drifting towards China’s orbit, even as his assertive tariffs and public rebukes have tested ties with New Delhi. Aides are warning that India could soon regret its stance and even face new curbs. “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together,” the “America first” president wrote on social media. His remarks were posted alongside a photo of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi,...

Politics

6 h. ago U.S. Is Increasingly Exposed to Chinese Election Threats, Lawmakers Say

U.S. Is Increasingly Exposed to Chinese Election Threats, Lawmakers Say  The New York Times

Politics

11 h. ago Singapore must be Asia’s gateway, uphold social mobility at home: president

Singapore must remain a reliable base and a gateway to Asia’s dynamism in an increasingly divided world, while addressing social mobility and cohesion at home, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said on Friday. Tharman, a former cabinet minister, was speaking at the opening of the 15th parliament in Singapore, during which the city state’s president addresses MPs on key issues in the fresh five-year term. He noted that the new parliament was opening amid a more fragmented world where economic...

Politics

12 h. ago Seoul expresses ‘concern’ over US immigration raid at Hyundai’s Georgia plant

South Korea on Friday expressed “concern and regret” over a major US immigration raid at a sprawling Georgia site where South Korean auto company Hyundai manufactures electric vehicles. South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jaewoong described the number of detained South Koreans as “large”, though he did not provide an exact figure. His ministry would not confirm or deny South Korean media reports saying that about 300 South Koreans were detained in Georgia on Thursday. The Atlanta...

Politics

16 h. ago ‘Better than being killed’: Japan’s women turn to pepper spray – at legal risk

As dusk falls across Japan’s cities, a sense of unease falls upon many women on their journeys home. Reports of brutal femicides have struck a deep chord, fuelling a surge in the purchase of self-defence items – even as legal experts warn that arming oneself may come at a cost. The recent killing of Megumi Katayama, 24, who was stabbed multiple times by a stranger in a Kobe residential lift last month, has stoked public concern. Social media platforms buzzed with messages urging women to take...

Events

17 h. ago 2 Italian swimmers warned, banned from Singapore after airport shoplifting bust

Two Italian swimmers have been given a 12-month conditional warning and banned from re-entering Singapore after they were caught shoplifting three bottles of perfume from a duty-free shop at Changi airport last month. Singapore police on Thursday confirmed media reports that Chiara Tarantino, 22, and Benedetta Pilato, 20, had been arrested on August 14 for shoplifting, CNA reported. The pair had been in Singapore to compete in the World Aquatics Championships, in which Pilato won a bronze for...

Events

17 h. ago Chinese man detained for ‘inappropriate comments’ about Victory Day parade

A man in the central province of Hubei was detained for allegedly making “inappropriate comments” about China’s Victory Day military parade and spreading rumours. According to cyber police in the city of Xiangyang, the 47-year-old man, surnamed Meng, made slanderous and derogatory remarks on Wednesday while commenting on a social media post about the parade held in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. When others expressed patriotic sentiment, Meng “insulted them and...

Politics

18 h. ago Trump Urges Europe to Cut Russian Oil, Press China in Bid to End Kremlin War

Trump Urges Europe to Cut Russian Oil, Press China in Bid to End Kremlin War  UNITED24 Media

Politics

20 h. ago Japan star in dreamland as Jackie Chan blesses her baby bump with ‘miracle’ touch

A lifelong dream came true for Japanese anime icon Shoko Nakagawa, who is nine months pregnant with twin boys, when she met her idol, the legendary Jackie Chan. Chan blessed her baby bump with a heart-shaped kiss in a moment that quickly went viral online. Nakagawa, 40, who is affectionately known as “Shokotan”, is widely recognised as an anime icon and boasts over 345,000 followers on a major social media platform. She is best known as the host of Pokémon Sunday and as the performer of the...

Politics

20 h. ago Japan star in dreamland as Jackie Chan blesses baby bump with ‘miracle’ touch

A lifelong dream came true for Japanese anime icon Shoko Nakagawa, who is nine months pregnant with twin boys, when she met her idol, the legendary Jackie Chan. Chan blessed her baby bump with a heart-shaped kiss in a moment that quickly went viral online. Nakagawa, 40, who is affectionately known as “Shokotan”, is widely recognised as an anime icon and boasts over 345,000 followers on a major social media platform. She is best known as the host of Pokémon Sunday and as the performer of the...

Politics

20 h. ago Europe’s summer from hell bleeds into autumn as Trump and Xi turn the screws

If Brussels bureaucrats returning from their long summer breaks this week were wondering what they missed, the local press had them covered. Unbecoming scenes at June’s Nato summit, the “hopelessly one-sided” trade deal with the United States in July, as well as President Xi Jinping’s refusal to travel to Belgium for that month’s summit with EU leaders, were all cited by the Brussels media outlet Euractiv. “Now talk of a European moment has given way to fears of a European ‘century of...

Politics

25 h. ago Top China athlete praised for looks, talent says she embodies strength, beauty

Rising Chinese high jump star, Shao Yuqi, has gone viral for her athletic performance and striking appearance. The athlete has also attracted attention and praise for challenging traditional beauty stereotypes in sport. On August 1, Shao, 23, from the Hubei provincial track and field team based in central China, claimed the women’s high jump title at the 2025 Chinese National Athletics Championships with a leap of 1.90 metres. Following her victory, Shao went viral on mainland social media for...

Events

39 h. ago Indonesian working at Asean body fired for ‘inciting’ police HQ to be burnt

An Indonesian staff member of an Asean parliamentary body has been fired and named a criminal suspect after allegedly posting a video urging protesters to set fire to the national police headquarters in Jakarta, amid escalating unrest triggered by a fatal accident involving a police armoured vehicle. Laras Faizati Khairunnisa, 26, was arrested on Monday and detained a day later following a police investigation into her social media post, which authorities said had incited demonstrators to burn...

Events

40 h. ago Chinese leader Xi holds talks with North Korea’s Kim in Beijing

President Xi Jinping is holding talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Beijing, state media reported, in their first sit-down in six years. Thursday’s meeting came a day after Kim appeared with Xi, alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Tiananmen Square for a Victory Day military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. It was the first time that the three leaders had gathered in the same place, in what was viewed as a rare show of unity against the West and...

Politics

40 h. ago In too deep? Filipino couple under scrutiny in flood control scandal

As public furore mounts over the revelation of widespread corruption in flood control projects in the Philippines, few names have captured public attention more than Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya and her husband Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya. The couple, once virtually unknown, emerged in the spotlight after Sarah Discaya ran against popular Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto in the May midterm elections – only to lose by a landslide. Her biography has since become a lightning rod for scrutiny. Born in London in...

Events

41 h. ago Viral video of skateboarders on Hong Kong highway sparks debate over road safety

A video of two young people skateboarding on a highway in Shek Tong Tsui has gone viral online, raising safety concerns and prompting an expert to warn that they may have violated Hong Kong laws. On the popular social media platform Threads, a video showing two young people skateboarding on the Hill Road flyover has gained 312,000 views. The pair wore helmets and gloves while travelling at high speed on the flyover. In the video, the pair are seen sometimes spreading their arms and leaning down...

Transport

42 h. ago Pentagon pizza orders spike at time of Beijing military parade: Chinese outlet

Chinese state media has mocked an apparent spike in pizza orders near the Pentagon during Beijing’s Victory Day parade, suggesting that in the US close attention was paid to the event, which American President Donald Trump called “very, very impressive”. On Wednesday afternoon, Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with China’s state broadcaster CCTV, released a video saying customer traffic data from Domino’s near the Pentagon was more than four times its usual level around 9pm, and...

Events

42 h. ago Pizza, the Pentagon and connecting the pepperoni dots to China’s military parade

What insight does a flood of pizza orders to chains near the Pentagon give China about official American interest in its military parade? More than a slice, according to a Chinese social media account following the scent of melted cheese near the Department of Defence in Washington. Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV noted an apparent spike in pizza orders near the Pentagon during Beijing’s Victory Day parade. It released a video saying customer...

Events

42 h. ago Filipino influencer causes outrage with ‘halal pork’ post – ‘mocking us Muslims’

A Filipino content creator is facing a warning from a government agency and a torrent of online backlash after posting a message on social media asking where to find “halal pork” – a contradiction in Islamic belief that critics say crosses the line between satire and hate speech. The post made on Tuesday by Crist Briand has since been deleted, but screenshots of his remark continue to circulate online, prompting angry reactions and calls for accountability. One social media user challenged...

Politics