TAIWAN: The box office smash — which is by far Tom Cruise’s most successful commercial debut — now incorporates the flag on his iconic bomber jacket, including in the Taiwanese edition. The film’s teaser from 2019 initially suggested otherwise. During the preview, the patches on Cruise’s jacket looked to have been swapped out and replaced with two unclear symbols in …

JAPAN: It all began with a family squabble and ended in tragedy when a small girl was stabbed to death by her elderly grandfather in a case that shocked the country. The 88-year-old, Susumu Tomizawa, admitted to killing his 16-year-old granddaughter, Tomomi, two years ago, but said that he doesn’t remember it happening.  Tomizawa has Alzheimer’s disease, a neurological condition …

PHILIPPINES: Groups campaigning for energy sector changes urged President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to pick the country’s next energy secretary with prudence. The Institute for Power Sector Economics (IPSEC), based in Mindanao, said on Thursday, June 16, that the next Secretary of Energy should be able to steer the country toward renewable energy dependency in the future years. IPSEC director Dave …

MALAYSIA: Malaysia’s government has announced that it will abolish the death penalty and put an end to all executions, in a rare gesture against capital punishment in Asia that has been praised by human rights organizations. Malaysian law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar announced in a statement that mandatory death sentences for major crimes would be replaced with “alternative punishments” …

PAKISTAN: As the world’s top tea importer grapples with surging inflation and a rapidly declining currency, Pakistanis have been advised to consume less tea to keep the economy afloat. Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Planning and Development, Ahsan Iqbal, told reporters on Tuesday that Pakistanis might cut their tea consumption by “one or two cups” each day because imports are straining …

SRI LANKA: Shorter work weeks are becoming popular in places like Iceland and the United Kingdom, with the goal of increasing worker productivity and happiness. However, in crisis-stricken Sri Lanka, the notion is to deal with crippling food and fuel shortages. The South Asian country, which is grappling with shortages in the midst of its worst economic crisis in decades, …

Philippines – The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has announced that it will strengthen rules regarding the use of electric bicycles and scooters. We will do this because of the increasing number of motorbike accidents. Victor Núñez, MMDA’s Department of Traffic Discipline, said authorities were tolerant of enforcing regulations on the use of electronic bicycles due to the lack of …

NORTH KOREA: According to a US-based think group, North Korea looks to be expanding work at its nuclear test site to include a second tunnel, as South Korean and US authorities fear North Korea could perform a nuclear test at any time. According to commercial satellite photos, preparation work at the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility’s Tunnel No. 3 was seemingly …

SHANGHAI: China launched its third and most sophisticated aircraft carrier on Friday from Shanghai’s Jiangnan Shipyard, using a new launch technology that experts say is quickly catching up to the US.  The ship, dubbed “Fujian,” is China’s first domestically designed and built catapult aircraft carrier, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies …

Malaysia – During the 2022 Indonesian Open, the winner of the men’s singles event at the national level, Lee Zii Jia, exhibited an energizing performance to earn a victory against Sameer Verma of India and proceed to the quarterfinals of the tournament. At the Istora Senayan Stadium in this city, the fifth and sixth seeds in the world defeated Sameer’s challenge …