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• Vietnam remained the fastest-growing major economy in Southeast Asia during the second quarter, while Thailand experienced the slowest growth in the region. • Malaysia and Singapore followed as the second- and third-fastest expanding economies, driven by strong global demand for semiconductors and tech supply chain components. • In contrast, the Philippines and Thailand faced economic headwinds due to surging energy costs linked to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

• China is intensifying its crackdown on online rumors targeting businesses, with a specific focus on combating AI-generated misinformation. • To support these efforts, the Supreme People's Court is currently developing new judicial policies regarding AI and data rights. • The country's top legislature has officially added AI-related legislation to its preliminary legislative agenda to strengthen the legal framework.

The new measure falls short of calls for gambling ads to move to an opt-in model, or for an outright banFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Labor government has pledged a new single-service opt-out register for gambling ads - an idea similar to the Do Not Call register for spam calls - as part of amendments to its wagering ad bill, as well as restrictions on inducements and limiting commissions for agents.Communications minister Anika Wells has also confirmed gambling companies will face a new levy to pay for the register, a beefed-up measure to curb wagering ads, after concerns were raised through a Senate inquiry that Australians would struggle to find or complete individual opt-out options on each online service. Continue reading...

• Eli Lilly and Company is urging online platforms, payment processors, and regulators to dismantle the illegal black market for retatrutide. • Retatrutide is currently an investigational molecule in Phase 3 clinical trials for obesity and type 2 diabetes and has not been approved for human use by any global regulatory agency. • The company warns that "research-use only" products are of unknown quality and potentially harmful, noting that the FDA has declared the sale and compounding of the drug illegal.

One seller says second world war memorabilia containing banned Nazi symbols is legal under exemptions to the lawsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNazi artefacts bearing prohibited symbols are being openly sold in Australia three years after the federal government made it illegal to do so, with vendors saying they are doing so for “educational” reasons.The government in 2023 outlawed the display and trade of items bearing the Nazi Hakenkreuz (swastika) and double-sig rune that was the logo of the Schutzstaffel (SS), after multiple states passed similar laws that banned the display of Nazi symbols and the performance of the Nazi salute. Continue reading...

• A widely circulated report falsely claimed that a new Pope, Leo XIV (formerly Robert Francis Prevost), took a political stance against Republican hostility in the U.S. Congress. • The misinformation suggested that the Chicago-born figure attempted to counter political tensions by extending a warm personal welcome to the United States. • This event highlights the spread of fabricated political narratives and the potential for misinformation to mimic significant non-electoral political moves.

• The European Union is coordinating with Meta and TikTok through a voluntary fact-checker mechanism to combat the spread of online disinformation. • This initiative follows a crisis in Ceuta where false claims circulated online, contributing to deadly mass border crossings. • The move highlights the EU's effort to hold tech giants accountable for algorithmic amplification of misinformation that can lead to real-world violence.