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Toxic wildfire haze spreads across South East Asia as ‘super’ El Niño intensifies
A toxic haze from weeks-long wildfires in Indonesia is spreading across South East Asia, affecting Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, with air pollution in some areas reaching over 15 times World Health Organization guidelines. The fires, burning since mid-July across Sumatra and Indonesian Borneo, have been worsened by a “Super El Niño” driving severe drought,…
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Yen soars as Bank of Japan tipped to raise interest rates
The Japanese yen surged more than 1.7% against the dollar on Thursday amid growing speculation that the Bank of Japan is preparing to raise interest rates, pushing the currency to its highest level in a month. The move follows remarks from BoJ policymaker Hajime Takata suggesting the bank needs to act more “nimbly”, which markets…
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‘Ruin and decay bring a chance of rebirth’: Hidetaka Miyazaki on uniting players in a damaged world
FromSoftware’s Hidetaka Miyazaki, the director behind Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Elden Ring, has spoken about his upcoming multiplayer title The Duskbloods ahead of its release. Unlike his acclaimed single-player games, this is a Switch 2 exclusive pitting eight players against monstrous enemies and each other, with survivors whittled down across three rounds to a final…
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‘Black Widow’ Meets ‘Ballerina’ in New Action Epic Officially Taking Over Netflix Globally
An Indian action film from the sprawling “Spy Universe” franchise, starring Alia Bhatt as a genetically modified soldier seeking revenge, has become a surprise global hit on Netflix despite flopping at the cinema. The movie underperformed on its theatrical release on 3 July and drew poor reviews, but has found a much larger audience since…
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Limp Bizkit, Olivia Dean, Fontaines D.C. and more announced for Lollapalooza India 2027
Limp Bizkit, Olivia Dean, KATSEYE and Fontaines D.C. have been confirmed as headliners for Lollapalooza India 2027, marking the first Indian shows for all four acts. The Mumbai edition, now in its fifth year, underlines the festival’s continued growth beyond its Chicago origins and follows a difficult 2026 US edition that saw sets disrupted by…
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Pakistan ‘plans to kill Imran Khan’
Imran Khan’s sons, Sulaiman and Kasim, have accused Pakistani authorities of deliberately endangering their father’s life by denying him court-ordered medical care and keeping him in solitary confinement at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail. They fear a fate similar to that of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who died in custody in 2019 in circumstances widely attributed…
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China’s demise was gleefully predicted by the west – meanwhile, it built an AI revolution | Larry Elliott
Larry Elliott argues that Western predictions of Chinese economic collapse have repeatedly failed to materialise, and that China has instead progressed through three distinct phases of development, most recently establishing itself as a genuine rival to the United States in artificial intelligence. He notes that while China’s growth model still relies heavily on investment and…
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Warner Music India Unveils Season 2 of Folk Music Franchise ‘Maati’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Warner Music India has released season two of “Maati,” its folk music franchise, marking the milestone with the Sufi qawwali “Jalwa-e-Jaanaan” on 3 September. The launch matters as it builds on the success of the franchise’s first season, which reached more than 78 million streams since debuting in October 2024, and reflects a broader push…
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Nigel Farage cries foul as Beaumont’s Thames terror and Square Enix denial dominate
Farage brands a Commons probe into a £5m Harborne donation “rigged”; a PE teacher stands trial over sex with a pupil; rower Jack Beaumont recounts a Thames boat scare; Brazil’s new “Taylor Swift Law”, a vandalised Dolly Parton star and Square Enix’s denial round off the bulletin.
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Utopai Studios, DeNA Team on AI-Assisted Animation Projects in Japan (EXCLUSIVE)
Utopai Studios and DeNA have launched an AI-assisted animation partnership in Japan, marking Utopai’s entry into the country’s anime industry. DeNA’s Entertainment Development Business Unit will trial Utopai’s storytelling AI system, PAI, within experimental animation workflows, with a team of Utopai specialists working alongside DeNA’s creative staff on early visual concepts, character and environment design,…