Showing 1 - 10 of 312
'Artists of steel': Japanese swords forge new fanbase
AFP, Published on 11/02/2026
» MISATO, SAITAMA (JAPAN) - Sparks illuminate the soot-covered studio of Japanese swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki as his apprentice hammers red-hot steel, showcasing a millennium-old craft now enjoying a resurgence in popularity.
Trump posts, then deletes, racist clip of Obamas as monkeys
AFP, Published on 07/02/2026
» WASHINGTON (UNITED STATES) - President Donald Trump shared a post with a racist video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys, sparking outrage across the US political spectrum Friday before deleting it in a rare backtrack.
Online platforms offer filtering to fight AI slop
AFP, Published on 29/01/2026
» NEW YORK - As "AI slop" floods the internet, efforts are mounting to stem an online deluge of shoddy images and videos made using increasingly advanced tech tools.
Nostalgia and new fans as Tamagotchi turns 30
AFP, Published on 07/01/2026
» TOKYO - Japan's Tamagotchi toys were a 90s playground craze and the virtual pets that demand food and attention are still a hit among retro-loving Gen Z and nostalgic parents.
China begins war games around Taiwan, island vows to defend democracy
Reuters, Published on 29/12/2025
» BEIJING/TAIPEI - China's military moved army, naval, air force and artillery units around Taiwan on Monday for its "Justice Mission 2025" drills, as the island vowed to defend democracy and mobilised troops to rehearse repelling a potential Chinese attack.
This bird's beautiful, but he has a huge blind spot
New York Times, Published on 26/11/2025
» NEW YORK - To woo mates, male golden pheasants are dressed to impress. They strut around with cinnamon-colored tail quills and a striped hood of orange and black feathers. Then there is its forehead crest of yellow plumage that is slightly reminiscent of a certain politician’s slicked-back coiffure.
Myanmar scam cities booming despite crackdown -- using Musk's Starlink
AFP, Published on 14/10/2025
» BEIJING - They said they had smashed them. But fraud factories in Myanmar blamed for scamming Chinese and American victims out of billions of dollars are still in business and bigger than ever, an AFP investigation can reveal.
Turkey jails comedian, rapper over joke deemed offensive to Islam
Reuters, Published on 24/09/2025
» ANKARA — Turkey jailed two men late on Tuesday pending trial after prosecutors said their online show included a joke referencing a hadith or teaching of the Prophet Muhammad, which they allege could incite religious hatred.
Taiwan updates security handbook wary of China threat
Reuters, Published on 12/09/2025
» TAIPEI - Taiwan will issue new security guidelines next week in an updated civil defence handbook that, for the first time, will instruct citizens on what to do if they see enemy soldiers and clarifies that any claims of Taiwan's surrender should be considered false. The handbook represents democratic Taiwan's latest effort to prepare its population for potential emergencies in the face of escalating military pressure from China, which views the island as its own territory.
China's rulers push party role before WWII anniversary
AFP, Published on 27/08/2025
» WUXIANG (CHINA) - An elderly Chinese war veteran's shin still bears the mark of a bullet wound he suffered when fighting the Japanese as a teenager, a year before the end of World War II.