East Asia

Despite more high-level meetings with Xi and improved economic relations, Kim Yong-un's regime is cracking down on Chinese films and TV series and is careful with its official statements. Meanwhile, North Korean workers returning from China report being treated like beggars.

The first regulations on artificial intelligence services designed to build emotional bonds with users have come into effect. Chinese authorities want to combat emotional dependence and inappropriate content. ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent are eliminating or modifying features dedicated to “virtual companions”.

Chang Yanfeng, 42, was ordained bishop today under the Sino-Holy See agreement to a diocese that has been without its own pastor for 20 years. Just three weeks ago, the new prelate had to publicly commit the local Church to a controversial law designed to eliminate minorities.

Soaring prices are increasingly creating problems for low-income families. According to a report by the NGO Kidsdoor, two out of three families receiving assistance cut portions during the summer break when school meals are not available. And despite the stifling temperatures, they limit their use of air conditioning as well.

Princess Aiko is excluded again from succession after Japan’s Diet approve the Imperial Household reform, upholding exclusively the male line. Desecrating the flag becomes an offence. Rights groups and opposition parties criticise Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's right-wing shift.

Beijing controls 80 per cent of this material used for its hardness and strength, from drill tips and light bulb filaments to ammunition and anti-missile systems. In addition to putting exports on hold, it has been scouring US scrap heaps. Meanwhile, the West is stuck in litigation.

The Agency for Koreans Abroad (OKA) wants to attract overseas Koreans, officially around seven million in 2025, 66 per cent of whom are now citizens of their country of residence. A support centre for overseas Korean start-ups is also under consideration.

For the first time, the North Korean regime has made public a meeting of government leaders on corruption within the military. The dismissal of General Pak Hui-chol appears to confirm dictator Kim Jong-un's desire to reassert absolute control.

On a social media account that has gone viral in China, a researcher has exposed data fabrication in prestigious Chinese studies published in *Nature*. This problem is fuelled by an academic system that regards articles published in scientific journals as a rigid criterion for promotion.

The Norwegian centre-forward is all the rage on websites and social media. This success is also a boost to China’s image and has prompted Chinese companies to recruit him as a brand ambassador. The contrast between the national team’s absence and the prominent presence of Chinese companies in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

From one of China’s leading artificial intelligence companies comes a story that echoes the challenges to the dignity of work raised by Leo XIV in *Magnifica Humanitas*. In this case, the ‘handover’ was voluntary, but there is a growing trend towards zhengliu, the digital ‘distillation’ of employees’ skills. And there are young workers in the tech sector who are trying to protect themselves with tools that ‘hide’ parts of their work.

A strategic rail link in Golestan is among the targets of the latest US raids in Iran, threatening Tehran's ability to move goods, fuel, equipment, and strategic materials along its northern corridor. This could have possible "regional consequences" involving Russia and China, as well as increase the weight of sanctions.