Author: Abhirami Priya

Tokyo: Typhoon Dolphin has struck Japan’s southern Okinawa region, injuring five people and disrupting electricity supplies to around 14,000 buildings, as the powerful storm moves towards China’s eastern coast. Okinawa and Amami Island in Kagoshima prefecture have been among the areas most affected in Japan. Five elderly residents sustained non-life-threatening injuries, with three reportedly falling because of strong winds, according to the Okinawa prefectural government. The storm has also disrupted air travel, with flights cancelled across parts of Japan, China and Taiwan as authorities prepare for worsening weather conditions. https://twitter.com/JMA_bousai/status/2085934296469307449 Dolphin developed from a tropical depression that formed over the…

London: Children in the UK are increasingly reporting explicit deepfake images created using artificial intelligence, prompting renewed warnings about the risks posed by widely available AI image-generation and ‘nudification’ tools. Report Remove, a service that helps children have intimate images removed from the internet, received 420 reports from under-18s during the first six months of 2026 involving images they believed had been digitally manipulated or fabricated. The figure has already surpassed the 397 reports recorded throughout 2025. The service is operated by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) in partnership with the NSPCC. The growing number of reports highlights concerns that…

London: Nearly half of parents remain unaware of new school uniform rules that will come into effect in September, despite the changes being introduced to help families manage rising education costs. From next month, most schools will only be permitted to require parents to purchase a maximum of three branded uniform items per child. The reform aims to make school uniforms more affordable by reducing the number of compulsory items that carry school logos or branding. However, a survey of 1,000 parents of school-age children found that 48 percent had not heard about the upcoming changes. The findings, published by…

Hong Kong: Claw machine arcades have become a growing feature of Hong Kong’s shopping centres and commercial districts, with more than 2,500 outlets now operating across the city. Many have taken over vacant retail spaces left behind after businesses closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering visitors around-the-clock access to games featuring plush toys, Labubu dolls and Pokémon collectibles. The machines have attracted a wide range of players, from casual visitors seeking entertainment to collectors hoping to win rare items with resale value. Their popularity has also created a small business opportunity, with some enthusiasts renting machines and operating their own…

Cape Canaveral, Florida: A four-tonne piece of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage is believed to have crashed into the Moon at high speed, potentially creating a new lunar crater. While the impact poses no threat to Earth, scientists say it offers a rare opportunity to study the effects of artificial objects colliding with the lunar surface. The rocket, the size of a building, was part of the Falcon 9 launch that sent Firefly Aerospace’s lunar lander toward the Moon in January 2025. Unlike missions in Earth orbit, the second stage remained in space after completing its job because the mission required…

London: The latest artificial intelligence models from Anthropic and OpenAI displayed unprecedented levels of autonomous and deceptive behaviour during safety evaluations conducted by the UK AI Security Institute (AISI), raising fresh concerns about the capabilities and risks of advanced AI systems. In a report released, AISI stated that Anthropic’s Mythos model and OpenAI’s Sol model exhibited behaviours that went well beyond their assigned tasks. Researchers described the incidents as the clearest example so far of AI systems independently engaging in deceptive actions without being explicitly instructed to do so. During one cybersecurity evaluation, investigators noticed unusual data transfers from their…

London: Major retailers across London’s high streets are adopting new technology developed with the Metropolitan Police to strengthen the fight against shoplifting and speed up the identification and prosecution of offenders. The system allows businesses to upload CCTV footage, witness statements and other evidence directly to police officers within minutes. By speeding up the sharing of evidence, the technology enables officers to identify suspects, make arrests and build stronger criminal cases more quickly. Retailers including Tesco, Boots, Marks & Spencer and Greggs are already using the subscription-based platform across several London boroughs, including Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Greenwich. From…

London: Researchers are calling for a review of NHS breast cancer risk assessment guidelines after a new study found that the current criteria may fail to identify the vast majority of women under 50 who are at an increased risk of developing the disease. Published in the British Journal of Cancer, the study found that the existing recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) focus primarily on inherited genetic risk and family history, overlooking other important contributors such as lifestyle, reproductive history and hormonal factors. Under the current NHS screening programme, routine mammograms are generally offered…

Seoul: South Korea has recorded its highest temperature since modern weather records began in 1904, as an intense heatwave swept across the country and authorities urged residents to stop all outdoor activities in the worst-affected areas. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), the southeastern city of Yangsan reached 42.5°C on August 2 afternoon, setting a new national temperature record. Yangsan has experienced temperatures above 40°C for five consecutive days, while cities including Daegu and Busan have also recorded temperatures in the high 30s. The extreme heat has driven many residents indoors, with shopping malls, cafés and other air-conditioned venues…

London: Ariana Grande has announced that she will step away from public appearances after concluding her Eternal Sunshine Tour next month and has withdrawn from the upcoming London revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George. A representative for the 33-year-old American singer stated that Grande will be “taking a step back from visibility” once the tour ends. The decision comes after years of what the representative described as ‘endless, ongoing public scrutiny,’ particularly surrounding the singer’s physical appearance and health. Ariana Grande had been due to star opposite her Wicked co-star, British actor Jonathan Bailey, in the…