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A lawmaker has said virtual companions are partly to claim for the city’s low births. Photo: Jelly Tse
Hong Kong society

‘Obedient’ AI partners partly to blame for Hong Kong’s low births: lawmaker

‘To encourage childbirth today, we not only compete with pets, but also with AI,’ legislator and academic William Wong says.

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India

Indian brothers wed same woman in ancient ritual, defying legal ban

Food and Drinks

Opinion | Food influencers, turn off your LED camera lights. You’re ruining my dinner

South Korea

Deepfake deluge: Seoul palace flood video spotlights AI risk in South Korea

Despite absurd details like a seal, the convincing video exploited monsoon rains to deceive, highlighting the ease of online manipulation.

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A seal is depicted swimming through a flooded Gyeongbokgung Palace in this still from an AI-generated video. Photo: YouTube/골파닭
Pakistan

Cammie the Pakistani camel gets a prosthetic leg up

The young camel’s leg was allegedly severed by a land owner as punishment for entering a field in search of food.

Art

France museum-goer eats million-dollar banana taped to wall

Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan said he was disappointed the hungry visitor did not also eat the skin and the tape.

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Malaysia

Meet Apoh: the ‘chonky’ panther captivating the Malaysian internet

The 15-year-old black panther’s portly appearance has made him an unexpected social media star at the National Zoo in Kuala Lumpur.

Apoh the “chonky” panther relaxs at Malaysia’s National Zoo in this screengrab of a social media. Photo: TikTok/znmzoonegara
Computer hackers

Hacked Elmo X account called for extermination of Jews, US media reports

Antisemitic posts and messages calling Trump a ‘puppet’ of Netanyahu were shared on Sesame Street character’s account by an ‘unknown hacker’.

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong ‘firefighter’ arrested for alleged dine-and-dash date scams

Police say man arrested on suspicion of obtaining property by deception for posing as firefighter to trick women into paying for lavish meals.

Thailand

Thai man walks 30km barefoot to put fish sauce on picture of Cambodia’s Hun Sen

Thewa Sritawan, 69, was angry about Cambodia’s actions during a border clash with Thailand and walked 30km to Bangkok to stage his protest.

Cambodia’s former prime minister Hun Sen pictured in 2016. Photo: Reuters
India

Marriages of inconvenience: the remote Indian village cut off from love

For the bachelors of Jondalgatti, love is not lost. It’s simply out of reach.

A path through a heavily wooded area in India’s Karnataka state. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan

Explainer | What is Japan’s viral manga quake prophecy and how likely is it to come true?

Ryo Tatsuki’s manga novel predicts that a ‘megaquake’ will hit Japan on Saturday, creating tsunamis three times as tall as those from 2011.

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Trending in China

Chinese football team fined for channelling evil spirits to help beat rivals

Changchun Xidu found guilty of placing paper charms in opponents’ dressing room before matches.

Space

Meet the meteorite hunters chasing space rocks that can fetch US$400 a gram

Meteorite hunters flocked to Georgia last week after a meteor disintegrated over the US state, but not everyone is in it for the money.

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Meteoroids can fly in space for millions of years. When one enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it becomes known as a meteor. When it lands on Earth, it becomes known as a meteorite. Photo: Shutterstock
Nordic nations

47,000 ‘winning’ lotto tickets in Norway turn out to be costly conversion error

The state-owned gambling group apologised for mistakenly multiplying Eurojackpot winnings by 100 instead of dividing by 100 in the euro to Norwegian kroner conversion.

A Norwegian lottery firm apologised to 47,000 gamblers for a currency error that mistakenly inflated their winnings. Photo: Getty Images
Japan

Afraid of no ghosts? Japan warms to ‘haunted’ homes with dark histories

Once shunned, ‘misfortunate properties’ – the sites of murders or suicides – are becoming hot commodities in Japan’s surging property market.

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Stories behind top Asian brands

Why a Sanrio popularity contest has Gen Z divided

Each year millions vote in the popularity contest, with this year’s showdown – between two long-time rivals – fiercer than most.

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Indonesia

Asian Angle | Not-so-rich kid: meet Bobby Saputra, a viral parody of privilege

More than just a viral sensation, Bobby Saputra exposes deep-seated frustrations among Southeast Asian youth with corruption and inequality.

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Ben Sumadiwiria as uber-rich playboy Bobby Saputra. Photo: Ben Sumadiwiria
Japan

A policeman in Japan accidentally shot a patrol car near the Osaka Expo

The riot squad officer discharged his pistol when re-holstering it, leaving a bullet embedded in the vehicle’s floor.

Singapore

Stray bullet hits Singapore cyclist near military live-firing zone

The man was cycling with friends in a restricted forested area when he was struck by a bullet that lodged in his lower back.

Britain

Londoners make fast mates at weekly chess club, an offline meeting place

Volunteer-run Knight Club is a space to connect, drawing over 100 players each Tuesday who bond over chess games as DJs play dance music.

Young adults play chess at Knight Club, a diverse chess club that has grown to almost 1,000 members within a year, in London, Britain. Photo: Reuters
Religion

‘8,000km became nothing’ for Spanish Muslims on historic horseback haj

Trio brave elements and enjoy hospitality of fellow Muslims on 8,000km pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia for haj, a route not taken in 500 years.

Spanish Muslim pilgrims on horseback in Syria en route to Mecca. Photo: AP
Hong Kong society

Is it or isn’t it a rare pink aurora above Kai Tak? Hongkongers have their say

Many people spotted a pink glow in the sky above Kai Tak Stadium on Thursday morning – but what caused it?

Thailand

‘Unacceptable’: Thai teachers’ group slams deal on beer discounts

Teachers’ network calls for partnership between state agency and brewery to be withdrawn as it promotes harmful behaviour.

The Philippines

Why Duterte’s diehard fans are carrying cardboard cut-outs around The Hague

The life-size standees have been seen around the Philippines and The Hague, where the former president is in ICC detention.

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Philippine Senator Robin Padilla carries a life-size full-colour cardboard cutout of Rodrigo Duterte on a bus in The Hague. Photo: Handout
Uefa Champions League

TikTokkers watch Champions League final for free after 27 hours in stadium toilet

Belgian duo told local news station they brought a home-made ‘out of order’ sign as they waited in silence for fans to arrive.

Paris Saint Germain celebrate winning their first-ever Champions League final in Munich as captain Marquinhos holds aloft the trophy. Photo: Reuters
History

Indian ‘history hunter’ shows children how to use 20th-century tech

Typewriters, rotary telephones, lanterns and tube radios are among the collection of artefacts Aditya Vij demonstrates at his New Delhi home.

American cinema

Plea to find Marty McFly’s guitar from 1985’s Back to the Future

Cherry Red Gibson guitar Michael J. Fox’s character plays in Back to the Future vanished after filming. Movie’s stars join appeal to find it.

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