The New Normal: East Asia’s Brutal Heatwave

A brutal heatwave across East Asia has devastated agriculture, leaving one farmer Lee Sang-hyuk with an entirely spoiled potato crop in Yanggu county, 80 miles (130km) north-east of Seoul, South Korea. 

The extreme ground heat effectively cooked the produce in the soil, turning a healthy-looking field into mush within a single week. 

Speaking to local broadcaster SBS, Lee expressed heartbreak over the widespread damage. His ruined livelihood reflects the broader impact of record-breaking summer temperatures currently impacting South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong. As per a news report from The Guardian published August 13, 2026. 

In fact, two Sundays ago, the south-eastern city of Yangsan recorded a temperature of 42.5C, the highest registered in South Korea since modern weather observations began in 1904. 

The scorching heat has since been blamed for at least 31 deaths nationwide, according to the country’s disease control agency, while more than 900,000 livestock and 1.4 million farmed fish have died. 

Authorities issued a heat warning, urging people to “immediately stop all outdoor activities”. 

South Korea’s president, Lee Jae Myung, told his cabinet the extreme weather was “unlike anything we have experienced before”. 

“We need to make efforts for a fundamental overhaul of the national crisis system”, he said, “since this extreme weather is becoming the new normal”. 

In neighbouring Japan, temperatures reached 40C or higher at multiple locations and the country recorded its first ever “kokushobi”, or “cruelly hot day”, a new category introduced this year by the country’s weather agency for temperatures above 40C. In Tokyo, three lions died of suspected heatstroke at a city zoo. 

Scientists say the extremes are part of a wider pattern. Researchers working through Japan’s Weather Attribution Centre found that the country’s intense July heat would have been “virtually impossible” without global warming. 

Without the warming caused by human activity, they calculated, a heatwave of this scale would occur on average once ever 10,000 years. The heat struck even as an El Niño event was under way, a natural climate pattern that has in the past been associated with a lower likelihood of extreme summer heat in Japan. 

In Hong Kong, its observatory posted an official temperature of 36.9C, the highest recorded there since records began in 1884, as the outer bands of Typhoon Dolphin swept hot air over the city. 

In China’s western Xinjiang region, a weather station recorded a 50C reading in July and heatwaves gripped the country’s north-east, while North Korea reported a run of tropical nights in Pyongyang, with temperatures failing to fall below 25C. 

The World Meteorological Organization said in their latest State of the Climate in Asia report that the pace of Asia’s warming between 1991 and 2025 is roughly twice that of the preceding three decades. 

June-Yi Lee (right), a climate scientist at Pusan National University and a coordinating lead author of the UN’s most recent climate assessment, warned that heatwaves were expected to become more frequent and intense as the climate heated up, while compound extremes, such as consecutive heatwaves and heavy rainfall, were becoming more common. 

“There is an urgent need for rapid, large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to limit further global warming together with well-planned adaptation measures to address the climate change that is already occurring”, she said.

No Fly Zone: Why Zebras Wear PJs

For most of the history of evolutionary biology, nobody has really known why zebras have stripes. 

This is not for lack of trying. The specific pattern is one of the most obviously puzzling features of any mammal on Earth – vivid, symmetrical, apparently costly to maintain, and completely useless for the sort of things stripes usually do in nature. 

Camouflage, the most intuitive explanation, doesn't work. As are the other explanations. Thermoregulation. Social recognition. Confusing predators during the chase. One by one, most of these suppositions have quietly collapsed. 

But one long-standing scientific hypothesis moved closer to confirmation, thanks to a unique experiment in Japan, conducted at the Aichi Agricultural Research Center in Nagakute City, Aichi Prefecture in the Chubu region of central Japan. Published on October 03, 2019, in PLOS ONE, the study "Cows painted with zebra-like striping can avoid biting fly attack" by Tomoki Kojima, Kazato Oishi, Yasushi Matsubara, et al demonstrates that painting black-and-white stripes on cattle significantly reduces biting fly attacks. 

Six Japanese Black cows* (Kuroge Washu) – a breed that is naturally uniformly dark – were assigned to three treatments using a Latin-square rotation: painted with black-and-white zebra stripes, painted with black-only stripes (to control for any effect of the paint itself), or left unpainted. 

[*Fun fact: These bovines make up over 90% of all ⁠Wagyu produced in Japan].

The cows spent time in each treatment on natural pasture where biting flies were abundant. Researchers photographed the animals at regular intervals and counted the number of flies visible on their bodies in each image. The results were direct. Cows in the zebra-stripe condition attracted approximately half as many biting flies as the same animals when unpainted or when painted with black-only stripes. 

The cows also showed substantially fewer fly-repelling behaviours – the head throws, ear beats, leg stamps, skin twitches, and tail flicks that cattle use to shake off biting insects. They were, measurably, being bothered less. 

The specific paint pattern did the work. The stripes were doing something. The current best explanation for the effect involves the specific visual mechanics of how biting flies land. 

Flies do not simply fly straight at a target. In the final approach, they rely on optical flow – the way visual patterns move across their compound eyes as they close in – to judge distance, speed, and the precise moment to slow down for landing. 

Uniform surfaces produce smooth optical flow. Striped surfaces produce something the fly’s visual system cannot interpret cleanly. The alternating light and dark bands create false movement signals, disrupting the fly’s ability to gauge how close it actually is to the surface. The result is that flies approach striped surfaces at the wrong speed, often overshooting or bumping off without properly landing. 

Over the course of an afternoon in a fly-heavy pasture, this small optical mismatch adds up to a substantial reduction in successful landings. None of this requires the fly to be repelled by the stripes in any active sense. It just requires the stripes to make landing physically harder. 

The insect-deterrent theory has taken decades to reach its current standing, because it has spent most of that time competing with three other serious explanations that biologists once found more plausible.

Why Other Theories Failed

• Camouflage against savanna vegetation fails because zebras stand out clearly to lions and hyenas at hunting distances instead of blending in.
• Thermoregulation: Tests on striped metal barrels showed no cooling effect from the pattern. 
• Social recognition does not offer a plausible evolutionary reason for zebra stripes because other closely related, highly social African equids (like wild donkeys and horses) recognize each other perfectly well without any stripes at all. 
• Predator confusion: Moving stripes offer only a minor distraction to large predators during a chase.

Nature solved pest control millions of years ago, not with chemicals, but with a simple optical illusion. It turns out that fashion-forward thinking is the ultimate shield against the animal kingdom's tiniest nuisances.

The Purr-fect Workplace Solution

A Japanese company hired full-time office cats to reduce workplace stress, and it’s working. 

Tokyo-based Qnote Inc. first adopted a cat in 2004 and has since grown their feline staff to eleven permanent office residents. Employees say the cats boost morale, encourage short breaks, and create a much more relaxed and pleasant work environment. 

Each cat even has an official job title, such as “office clerk”, “manager”, or “auditor”, making them fully integrated into the company culture. 

The company love cats so much that “cat lover” is now listed as a requirement for human job applicants. 🐈

To accommodate their furry employees, Qnote renovated the office to incorporate cat toilets, climbing shelves, and scratch-resistant walls, allowing the cats to roam freely without causing damage. The result? Lower stress levels and stronger team bonding among staff.

Cats purr away work stress, ensuring a purr-fect workplace solution. 

In Malaysia, Bersama announced on July 15 their decision to sit out the sixteenth Negeri Sembilan state polls. 

This represents a calculated maneuver on their part because the state will witness an intense, localized showdown brewing between the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) camps. Moving ahead risked putting Bersama candidates in the crossfire, which will not benefit the young party. 

Instead, Bersama will channel their "full focus" into preparing for the Melaka state election expected later this year.

Considering everything, methinks, it is a prudent move.

Japan Presses Forward With 21st Nuclear Wastewater Release

Japan began a new round of discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea on July 06, 2026, marking the 21st such release since the controversial operation began in 2023. 

The discharge started on Monday, and according to the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), the latest round, scheduled to continue through July 24, will release about 7,800 tonnes of wastewater into the ocean, containing approximately 1.3 trillion becquerels of radioactive tritium. 

Struck by a 9-magnitude earthquake and the ensuing tsunami on March 11, 2011, the Fukushima nuclear plant suffered core meltdowns that released radiation, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. 

Despite concerns and opposition from the international community, Japan unilaterally launched the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi plant into the ocean in August 2023. So far, TEPCO has completed 20 rounds of discharges, and around 157,000 tonnes of wastewater have been released into the sea.

😡😡😡

Philippines Prepares to Fight Alone

This news flew under the radar. It may have been overlooked eight months ago, yet it still matters today.

If war breaks out, General Romeo Brawner Jr. (left), chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) declared his country will fight alone. Tayo muna ang lalaban, he had said on November 04, 2025. 

Addressing troops at the opening of the ⁠AJEX DAGIT-PA military exercises, Brawner clarified the military's strategy under the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 

But there's a caveat. It's only for 20-30 days. The Philippines believes its allies – the USA under the ⁠Mutual Defense Treaty, along with Japan and Australia – will have rushed to the Perla del Mar de Oriente by then to save them! 😅😅😅

The AFP chief has been regularly talking up war with China, his country's declared threat. I prefer to call a spade a spade. China is his foe, period.

Thirteen Argentina followers are roaming the streets of Buenos Aires proudly sporting their team’s jersey – but they’re not on two legs, they’re on all fours, letting out the occasional bark. 

As Argentina rides World Cup fever, a dog walker has added his pack to the local fanbase. 

Thirty-three-year-old Nahuel Meneghini, walks the streets of the capital’s city center with the dogs wearing the team’s jerseys, leashes and collars in support of La Albiceleste. 

“I did it out of love for them and for Argentina. And for the World Cup”, said Meneghini – known as “Nano” – while speaking to The Associated Press on Thursday during a walk with the canine group. The dog walker, also dressed head-to-toe like a fan, skilfully managed all the leashes, guiding the dogs along the narrow sidewalks of the capital’s San Cristóbal neighborhood. 

FYI, Argentina defeated Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time on Friday, in the Round of 32 clash at the ⁠2026 FIFA World Cup.

While I'm mostly indifferent to the World Cup, I still keep an eye on the results. 😉

A Thorny Hold-Up

Even though Malaysian durian prices are said to be depressed this season, the king of fruits remains a lucrative target, proven when three robbers hauled away four baskets of premium-grade durians after threatening two teenage orchard caretakers in Melaka. 

Jasin police chief Lee Robert said the robbery took place at about 11:30 AM on June 27 at a durian orchard in Anjung Gapam, Bemban, where the two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, were looking after the durian harvest. He said the suspects, who arrived in a car, loaded four large baskets of “IOI” durians into their vehicle before one of the teenagers confronted them. 

“One of the suspects became aggressive and brandished a machete to intimidate the teenager, while another made off with a motorcycle belonging to the father of one of the victims before they fled”, he said the following day. 

Lee said acting on intelligence, a team from the Jasin police arrested four men, aged between 27 and 35, in separate raids between 12:30 AM and 7:30 AM on the same day in Bertam Hulu, Kampung Paya Rumput, Masjid Tanah and Jasin. 

“Two of the suspects admitted their involvement in the incident, while another was positively identified by one of the victims as the person who stole the motorcycle”, he added. 

He highlighted that three of the suspects tested positive for methamphetamine, while checks also revealed they had criminal records. 

However, police were unable to recover the stolen durians.

I'm happy to share that Germany and the Netherlands had been eliminated in the knockout phase (Round of 32) of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday, after both suffered dramatic penalty shootout defeats. 

In fact, Paraguay President Santiago Peña signed a decree declaring the following day, a national holiday to commemorate the victory against Die Mannschaft (The Team). 

The match had ended in a 1-1 tie after extra time, and then, La Albirroja (The White and Red) stunned the four-time world champions 4-3 on penalties. 

And Oranje (The Orange) lost 2-3 on penalties to Morocco after also being tied 1-1 after extra time. 

In the meantime, Brazil avoided a major upset by coming from behind to defeat Japan 2-1, also on Monday. A dramatic 95th-minute winner secured the Seleção (The Selection/Squad) a spot in the last 16. I'm glad too the Samurai Blue lost!

🤗🤗🤗

Japan Doctor-Turned-Author Moots Amputations to Ease Care Crunch

Like the protagonist in his taboo novel, doctor-turned-author Yo Kusakabe (久坂部羊) believes chopping off elderly patients’ useless limbs could help prevent a potential collapse of super-ageing Japan’s overstressed care industry. 

Now the former doctor’s extraordinary ideas are on display on the big screen, with the book’s film adaptation attracting huge controversy since its release in Japan in May.

 

But Haiyoshin (廃用身, Useless Body), which sees a young doctor advocate for “A-care (Amputation Care)”, has also focused attention on the struggling care sector in a country with the world’s second-oldest population. 

Kusakabe (right), a former geriatric specialist from Osaka, explained to AFP the thinking behind his shocking proposition, saying removing paralysed limbs would make patients lighter and reduce the burden on caregivers in case the care industry reaches crisis point. 

He sees it as a potential game changer, provided patients in the real world give consent. He argues that patients’ immobile arms and legs are impediments to caregiving: They dangle like dumbbells, get stuck in pyjamas and require more bathing. 

“If you cut them off, a female carer would have less difficulty lifting a hefty male patient or suffer less back pain”, the 70-year-old said. 

Kusakabe’s 2003 novel features unstinting depictions of carer shortages, overburdened family members and abused elderly patients. The topic feels even more relevant in present-day, greyer Japan, where almost one in three people are aged 65 or older. 

The government estimate a shortfall of about 570,000 carers by 2040. 

“Japan’s caregiving industry isn’t collapsing yet – but with (the number of) elderly people requiring care predicted to keep increasing, it is heading towards breaking point”, Kusakabe said. 

In Japan, homicides by overwhelmed, desperate carers are common enough that the term “kaigo satsujin” (caregiving murders) often makes it into the news. 

One investigation by public broadcaster NHK in 2016 revealed that such a tragedy took place roughly once every two weeks. 

If homicides or incidents of abuse increase, Kusakabe said, “I think it’s possible that chopping off useless limbs would emerge as an option”. 

Kusakabe points out his novel was deemed “unfilmable” when it first came out more than two decades ago. Now the story is finally in cinemas, reviewers online have labelled it everything from “shocking” and the year’s “most controversial film”, to “terrifying madness”. 

But other critiques were more nuanced. “Some may say (the amputation) is ruthless and unethical, but honestly, I thought it had a point”, one wrote on cinema information website eiga.com. 

In “Haiyoshin”, patients are also portrayed as benefitting, at least initially, from A-care. 

Kusakabe recalls that some of his patients yearned to be rid of their crippled arms and legs that did nothing but throb, hinder movement and at times convulse unexpectedly. 

No longer in pain, amputees in the film are shown relishing their newfound agility, tossing balloons with what remains of their bodies and deftly manoeuvring wheelchairs. 

The film poses the question: What truly constitutes end-of-life dignity? 

“Is it to try to put your immobile arms through sleeves with great pain, or not to suffer pain at all?“ Kusakabe asks. 

“If someone desires amputation and that makes caregiving easier for their family, and the family accepts that, then I don’t think it’s anyone’s business to interfere”. 

But such a “rational” pursuit of quality of life does not necessarily guide elderly care in Japan, he adds. 

Feeding tubes and intravenous drips for those aged 75 or older are heavily covered by insurance and are often used to keep alive those bedridden. 

Families also “simply cannot bear the thought of doing nothing” for their dying parents or spouses, oblivious to the possible suffering such treatment is causing them, Kusakabe says. 

That contrasts with Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Denmark, where palliative-care best practice often dictates elderly patients not be fed if they stop eating. 

“Japan blindly believes that even those clearly better off being left to die must be kept alive and that’s the absolute right thing to do” even as the toll on caregivers continues to snowball, the doctor says. 

“This inability to take a bold, rational approach probably makes something as radical as A-care a poor fit for Japan after all”. 

In Haiyoshin, the initial hype about elective amputation winds up brutally deflated by a tragedy that ultimately shatters the main character’s confidence in its efficacy. 

“People tend to assume medical procedures are completely safe and they demand only the positive effect”, Kusakabe says. 

The novel’s shocking twist is “my way of pushing back against those excessive expectations society has for medicine”.

KPMG Publish AI Report Filled with Hallucinations

KPMG, one of the largest consulting firms in the world, have been accused of publishing a report on the future of AI that is riddled with hallucinations. 

In one instance, uncovered by the AI detection company, GPTZero, the report claims that the Japanese East Japan Railway Company (JR East) are using agentic AI for customer service, linking to a 2019 press release, years before agentic AI became mainstream. 

In another instance, the report falsely claimed that Austrian electricity provider Verbund is using AI agents in households to conduct real-time analytics as part of its “energy-as-a-service ecosystem”. Although Verbund invested in a start-up using agents for grid optimization, there was no evidence to support the claim of real-time analytics in households.  

GPTZero had analyzed the report, Total Experience: Redefining Excellence in the Age of Agentic AI, which was released in October, 2025. Out of 45 total citations, they found only 5 were accurate, with many of the others being entirely fabricated or containing a mix of real authors and fake data (a phenomenon GPTZero dubbed "vibe citing"). Another 28 citations provide paraphrased titles and/or fake components for a real source. The final 12 are too vague or flawed to accurately determine if a source exists.

Additionally, the report highlighted cutting-edge "Agentic AI" case studies for several major organizations. However, companies like UBS, Swiss Federal Railways, UK's Transport for London (TfL), and NHS (Greater Manchester) formally denied these claims, calling them factually incorrect or highly misleading.

The results may have redefined excellence, but not in the way KPMG intended! 

Anyway, the said report, which has now been taken down, has been referenced by multiple customer service publications and a major newspaper in the Czech Republic. 

In addition, researchers noted that the paper is now being referenced as a resource on customer experience by OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google Gemini. GPTZero allege that an LLM research tool was asked to find appropriate case studies of companies using agentic AI worldwide. 

“This tool seems to have conflated sources, exaggerated claims, and injected references to agentic AI that were copied into the final report without verification”, according to GPTZero, which suspect "no human at KPMG double-checked the citations, the claims, or the sources” before the report was published.

And predictably, KPMG came up with the following "generic excuse": "We expect all our people to follow our guidelines on the responsible use of AI, including human oversight to validate content and verify independent sources".  😅😅😅

Sivasangari Subramaniam was in top form to beat world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe of Japan in straight games to reach the semi-finals of the PSA Tour Finals in Paris, France on Wednesday. 

The Malaysian, ranked No. 5 in the world, won the first-round encounter 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-9 in 35 minutes. It was Sivasangari's eighth win over Satomi in nine meetings. 

The 27-year-old Sivasangari, who won the Australian and Grasshopper Open titles this year, will face world champion Amina Orfi of Egypt for a place in the final on Friday. 

Orfi, who won the British Open title  earlier this month, has a 7-2 winning record against the Malaysian.

Axis Redux

Beware of Japan! And Germany!

In 1940, the imperial regimes of both of these two countries (as well as Italy) joined what would be known as the Axis powers, bound by a shared desire for territorial expansion and imperial supremacy. 

They fought a world war, and they lost it, and their populations spent the next 85 years with shrunken militaries and a heavy reliance on their former enemy, America, for security. 

Now, both countries are moving to reduce their reliance on US security guarantees and are accelerating efforts to bolster their own defense capabilities. And, once again, they are strengthening ties. 

Their cooperation is expected to gather momentum at the meeting of the leaders of the Group of 7 (G7) in Évian-les-Bains, France, taking place now. It already includes sharing know-how, technology and weapons, like drones and helicopters, critical to the countries’ respective efforts to rearm. 

In a few years, Germany’s military spending could be larger than that of France and Britain – combined. Japan commits half as much as Germany, but it is still one of the world’s top spenders on defense, with a budget this year of about $58 billion. 

Already, Germany has forged close ties with Ukraine in developing and deploying new weapons and has asked France to help provide it with a nuclear deterrent. 

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who won office last year with nationalist calls to revive the military, has deployed long-range missiles – capable of reaching China – in southern Japan, and has reversed postwar bans on arms exports. The country recently sealed a $6.5 billion deal to supply warships to Australia, and it is in talks with the Philippines and Indonesia about exporting warships. 

Make no mistake, this is an Axis redux – as both countries enthusiastically embrace the ambition to reassert their dominance. Indeed, Germany and Japan are primed and eager to unleash their military might once more.

And the US is encouraging the two countries – but they have to be stopped before they start getting ideas and threaten the world! 

Methinks, Japan should confront its wartime legacy and seek genuine reconciliation with the countries it once invaded. It should also respect the postwar international framework and the spirit of its pacifist constitution instead of pursuing belligerent strategies.

Yoon Sui Yeol Gets 30 Years Over Drone Provocation

A South Korean court have sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol (left) to 30 years in prison, Yonhap news agency reported. Judges reportedly found that he ordered drones to be sent into North Korea in order to inflame tensions and create a pretext for his declaration of martial law. 

Yoon declared martial law in December of 2024, citing legislative gridlock and what he described as a plot by pro-Pyongyang forces within the South Korean political establishment. The nation’s parliament formally overturned the decree within hours despite attempts by police and soldiers to stop lawmakers from accessing the National Assembly building. 

Yoon was impeached just over a week later, suspended from office, and formally removed from power by the Constitutional Court months later. 

On Friday, a Seoul court ruled that Yoon had abused his power and “benefited the enemy” with his drone plot, among other charges, and sentenced him to 30 years in prison. According to the Associated Press, the court also accused him of harming South Korea’s military interests by exposing its capabilities and prompting Pyongyang to take a stronger defensive posture. 

Yoon’s former defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, was also sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the plot, while former Defense Counterintelligence Command chief Yeo In-hyung received a 15-year sentence. 

Friday’s sentence adds to Yoon’s growing list of convictions. He is already in detention, having previously received a life sentence earlier in 2026 for insurrection related to the same failed martial law bid.

Over the last two decades, high-speed rail has evolved from a niche transportation technology into a centerpiece of national infrastructure strategy. 

Countries have pursued these networks for different reasons, from reducing domestic flight demand to improving connections between major economic hubs. The result is a striking global divide between nations that have invested heavily in high-speed rail and those that have largely stayed on the sidelines. 

The above graphic ranks countries by installed high-speed rail length using 2024 data from the International Union of Railways (UIC). 

[Note: High-speed rail generally refers to passenger lines capable of operating at speeds of at least 200 km/h (124 mph), including Japan’s famous Shinkansen bullet trains].

Japanese Products Undergo Temporary Makeover

Ongoing oil shortages are forcing some popular snacks in Japan to undergo a temporary makeover. 

Familiar potato chip and cracker products are now in black-and-white packaging. 

Major Japanese food maker Calbee are already temporarily selling 14 potato chip varieties in monochrome packaging as shortages of naphtha − a petroleum-based material used in production − continue to disrupt operations.  

A popular shrimp-flavored snack, Kappa Ebisen, made its black-and-white debut at a Tokyo supermarket on June 01. The packaging no longer includes images of the snack itself. It only features the product name and an illustration of a shrimp. The package also indicates the modification is aimed at petroleum conservation. 

Japanese manufacturer famous for their tomato-based products and vegetable juices Kagome have changed the design for their ketchup products by reducing the number of tomatoes on the packaging and even the transparent section was expanded to cut down on ink. The company said on their website that finding a substitute for the white ink, which is the base color for printing the packages, is difficult "due to printing compatibility". 

Nisshin Seifun Welna stopped printing the cooking time on their spaghetti bundle tapes to conserve ink and proactively manage supply chain risks. 

The decision by the flour and pasta maker affects the colored ink specifically used for these text details − cooking instructions remain printed on the main exterior packaging of the spaghetti.

This change is part of an industry-wide move in Japan to simplify packaging and reduce ink usage due to tightening supplies of the raw material for packaging ink.

Philippines Reiterates That It Will Be Drawn Into a Potential War with China

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr (left) in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on May 18 has reiterated: “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan”. 

Geography is the reason he explains why the Philippines could be drawn into a potential war with China. 

Geography didn’t sign the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). 

Geography didn’t host US bases. 

Geography didn’t invite Typhon missiles. 

Be honest lah! The only thing dragging you into war isn’t proximity – it’s your American sugar daddy! 

In fact, Bongbong first explicitly warned that the Philippines would inevitably be drawn into a potential war over Taiwan due to its geographic proximity on August 06, 2025 – refer my post "Philippines Plays with Fire", published August 13, 2025. 

And, not forgeting, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in late 2025 also made comments about being pulled into a conflict over Taiwan, causing a deep diplomatic rupture with China. [Read my post "Japan's Sanae Takaichi Hints War with China Over Taiwan", published November 16, 2025].

Burger King Offer Every Fast Food Franchisee in Japan ¥40M to Jump Ship

Burger King are aggressively expanding in Japan, having quadrupled their footprint from 77 locations in 2019 to 352 currently, with a target of 600 by 2028. 

These ambitions caught the attention of Goldman Sachs, who purchased the Japanese chain for 78.5 billion yen, and provided them with even more financial backing to grow rapidly. 

Burger King are certainly holding up their end of the deal by launching quite possibly the most aggressive expansion campaign not only in Japan, but anywhere. They have publicly announced that they will offer up to 40 million yen cash to any franchise owner of a rival chain, such as McDonald’s or Mos Burger, that has been in business for at least three years and is willing to convert their restaurants to Burger Kings. 

In addition, Burger King will cover half of the initial investment to make the switch and say that their average location pulls in about 17 million yen a month. This makes a very clear statement to franchise owners that if their income is south of that, then it’s probably time for a change. The change can take place anytime before December 2028, giving franchisees a little wiggle room to get out of their current contract without having to pay a penalty fee. 

If Burger King get a good response, this could be a key step in their projected growth since poaching other restaurants significantly cuts down on construction time, and every restaurant converted amounts to one less competitor out there. 

Of course, this kind of tactic in general is not unheard of, but doing it on such a large and open scale is rare to say the least. And I'm 100-percent sure no one has ever made a commercial with a jingle about it in the history of the fast food industry.

If this campaign is successful, Burger King stand to win big, but that is a considerable-sized “if” in Japan. Even in the US, these kinds of conversion deals are usually done behind the scenes, possibly through direct connections made at industry conventions rather than flashy campaigns on social media. It’s probably fair to assume Japan is even more conservative about these matters, if the various corporate apologies for 10-yen price increases or being 20 seconds early are anything to go by. 

You might be thinking franchisees are getting all the sweet deals from Burger King, but there are also chances for everyday folks like you and me to cash in as well. They're offering periodic location scouting campaigns where anyone can submit places they think would work well as a Burger King. Any suggestion that results in Burger King leasing a property will win 300,000 yen cash, and just making a suggestion will earn you a coupon for a discount on a Whopper. 

▼ They have a commercial for this too, but no jingle:

This campaign is currently not going on, but they do seem to bring it back every few months, so now would be a good time to start scouting your neighborhood to see where a Burger King might look nice. 

Meanwhile, if you’re a restaurant franchisee, you’ll have until September 30 to apply.

Malaysia Qualifies for Uber Cup 2026 QFs to End 16-year Wait

The Malaysian women's team wrapped up the Uber Cup 2026 Group B action on Monday when they went down 1-4 to six-time champions Japan in Horsens, Denmark. 

With both teams already through to the quarter-finals, the tie was effectively a battle for top spot, and Malaysia were quickly tested by a star-studded Japanese line-up. 

Japan surged into a commanding 3-0 lead through a series of clinical performances. 

Letshanaa Karupathevan fought bravely but fell 21-19, 21-17 to world No. 3 and three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi in the opening singles. Scratch pair Thinaah Muralitharan-Ong Xin Yee were outclassed 21-9, 21-9 by world No. 6 pair Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto in the first doubles. [Note: This makeshift arrangement was forced together after Pearly Tan suffered a recurring back injury]. Wong Ling Ching also battled gamely but went down 21-16, 21-13 to world No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki as Japan sealed the tie. 

But Malaysia refused to go quietly. Debutants Low Zi Yu-Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan, aged just fifteen and eighteen respectively, produced the moment of the tie by stunning world No. 7 Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi 21-17, 12-21, 21-19 in a superb display of composure and belief. Trailing 19-16 in the decider, the young duo showed nerves of steel to reel off four straight points to snatch victory, a performance that belied their age and marked a breakthrough on the big stage. 

In the final match, Goh Jin Wei delivered a spirited performance, taking the opening game 21-19 against world No. 22 Riko Gunji before being forced to retire in the second game while trailing 4-3. This could prove a major blow for Malaysia, with Jin Wei's service in the third singles a key component of their line-up heading into the knockout stage. 

Despite the defeat, Malaysia can take encouragement from a brave showing against one of the tournament favourites.

On Sunday, Malaysia ended a 16-year drought to reach the quarter-finals after sweeping aside South Africa 5-0. [FYI, Malaysia has made the Uber Cup quarter-finals three times previously, in 2004, 2008 and 2010]. 

Letshanaa, Ling Ching, and Siti Zulaikha Azmi won their singles matches comfortably, while pairings Xin Yee-Carmen Ting and Chong Jie Yu-Zi Yu secured the doubles. 

[I assumed Thinaah was rested and a mixed line-up of younger players were featured instead].

And on Saturday, Malaysia edged Türkiye 3-2 in a tense opener. 

In the three singles, Letshanaa won 21-16, 12-21, 21-13;  Ling Ching lost 17-21, 21-15, 18-21; and Jin Wei bested her opponent 21-14, 21-13. 

The tie was neck-and-neck at 2-2 after Thinaah-Xin Yee fell to their battle-hardened rivals in a sixty-nine-minute thriller (22-20, 19-21, 19-21). 

Zi Yu-Noraqilah Maisarah came to the rescue when they clinched victory by winning the decisive second doubles match against their Turkish challengers, 21-18, 21-19 in forty-four minutes.

The Malaysian men's team also qualified for the 2026 Thomas Cup quarter-finals, after securing wins against England (3-2) and Finland (4-1) in Group B.

Israeli Flag with Swastika

A Polish lawmaker on Tuesday displayed a paper Israeli flag emblazoned with a swastika in parliament, accusing the country of "genocide" in the Middle East.

"Israel is in the process of committing a genocide of exceptional cruelty before our very eyes," Konrad Berkowicz told lawmakers, comparing the country to a "new Third Reich". 

Berkowicz, a member of the far-right nationalist Konfederacja (Confederation) opposition party, then brandished the paper flag, with the Nazi symbol replacing the Star of David at its centre. 

Berkowicz also accused the Israeli army of using white phosphorous bombs in the Middle East, describing in detail the severe injuries, suffering, and deaths of "tens of thousands of women and children" by such weapons. 

Human Rights Watch too have accused Israel of "illegally" using white phosphorous in southern Lebanon after launching an offensive against Hezbollah. 

The genocidal Zionist regime got recognition even in Poland!

Malaysian women’s doubles shuttler Pearly Tan (right) has pulled out of next week’s Uber Cup in Denmark due to a recurring back injury. 

Pearly, who forms the world No 2 partnership with Thinaah Muralitharan, sustained the injury during last week’s Badminton Asia Championships 2026 in Ningbo, China, where the pair were eliminated in the quarter-finals. 

Pearly’s absence means Malaysia will be without their top women’s doubles pair at the Uber Cup to be played from April 24 to May 03. 

Thinaah is likely be paired with another player. 

“I’m truly disappointed about this. It breaks my heart to say that I won’t be able to join the Uber Cup team this time”, Pearly said in a Facebook post. “There’s nothing I wanted more than to be on court, fighting for every point and standing with my team. But because of my back injury, I have to step back for now”. 

Her absence from the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s official team photograph on Tuesday raised concerns over her fitness. Pearly stated that she missed the session to undergo an MRI scan to assess the injury she sustained in China.

“Anyone who knows me understands that I would never walk away from the court. I would fight until the very last point, every single time. But this time… my body is telling me to stop, and I have to listen”. 

BAM have confirmed that Pearly will not be part of the squad for the Uber Cup, with national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky stating that the decision was made following a late assessment of her condition.

Malaysia has been drawn in Group B with Japan, Türkiye and South Africa.