2 h. ago ‘Deeply concerned’: South Korea vows to support citizens arrested in US raid

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung ordered all-out efforts on Saturday to respond to the arrests of hundreds of the nation’s citizens in a US immigration raid on a Hyundai Motor car battery factory. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said the government had set up a team to respond to Thursday’s arrest of more than 300 Koreans at the facility in the southern state of Georgia, and that he could go to Washington to meet officials if needed. “I am deeply concerned. I feel heavy responsibility for the...

Events

13 h. 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

17 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

25 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

29 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

29 h. ago Asia week ahead: Key data on China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan

Asia week ahead: Key data on China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan  ING THINK economic and financial analysis | ING Think

Politics

29 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

32 h. ago Rail life story? Cartoon featuring South Korea’s Yoon returns to comics festival

A controversial cartoon featuring South Korea’s disgraced former first couple Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee is set to be displayed in public again this month, three years after its initial showing was cut short under government pressure. Yoonsukyeolcha by Park Se-eun from Chonnam Arts High School will be included in the annual Bucheon International Comics Festival as part of a retrospective show of prize-winning works from 2021 to 2025, the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency announced on Wednesday,...

Politics

32 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

32 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

37 h. ago South Korea, Japan and US to hold defence drills on heels of China parade joined by North Korea

South Korea, Japan and US to hold defence drills on heels of China parade joined by North Korea  Reuters

Politics

37 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

51 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

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

Breaking | Chinese leader Xi holds talks with North Korea’s Kim in Beijing  South China Morning Post

Politics

54 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

54 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

54 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

55 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

61 h. ago Top China tour sites assign staff to limit photo time, triggering mixed reactions

A famous tourist site in eastern China has introduced a time limit for photo-taking, captivating social media, and addressing a common complaint among visitors about long queues for pictures at key attractions. The Huangling Scenery Zone in Wuyuan County, Jiangxi province, implemented this rule in August. Workers now hold a timer near a major attraction, allowing each tourist one minute for photography, as reported by state media CCTV. This location has become an “online-celebrity spot,”...

Politics

2 d. ago From bruises to misstatements, how should a president’s health be covered?

Early in Donald Trump’s news conference on Tuesday, Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked a question that surely baffled people who avoided social media for Labour Day. “How did you find out over the weekend that you were dead?” Doocy said to the president. Doocy was referring to speculation about Trump’s health that spread online during the long weekend, fuelled in part by the president’s relative absence from the public for several days. The incident has renewed – for a different president – questions...

Politics