Here are today’s top headlines.
China could overwhelm US military in Asia in hours, Australian report says
The US military is no longer the primary force in Asia, and missiles from China’s rapidly improving military could overwhelm its bases in hours, according to a new report.
Microplastics discovered in ‘extreme’ concentrations in the North Atlantic
Microplastics have been found in ‘extreme’ concentrations in the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic.
Fact check: Trump falsely claims Google ‘manipulated’ millions of 2016 votes
In a tweet on Monday, President Donald Trump made a sensational allegation about Google.
Twitter cracks down on state media after unveiling Chinese campaign against Hong Kong protesters
Twitter will no longer accept advertisements from state-controlled media outlets, the company announced Monday, hours after it joined with Facebook to take down a covert Chinese social media campaign that sought to undermine pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
Harry and Meghan branded hypocrites for using private jets
Environmental campaigners have accused the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of hypocrisy after the couple used private jets to fly to the south of France and Ibiza in two trips just days apart.
Report: Jeffrey Epstein signs will 2 days before death
Jeffrey Epstein signed a will two days before his death, according to The New York Post, which obtained the document.
California high school students seen in video giving Nazi salute and singing Nazi marching song
The Garden Grove Unified School District condemned the video.
Cristiano Ronaldo admits paying $375,000 in 2010 to settle sexual assault claim
Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s lawyers revealed for the first time in court documents the amount he paid to settle allegations that he raped a woman in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson marries Lauren Hashian
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s new movie “Hobbs & Shaw” is in theaters now, but it’s another partnership that he’s most excited about.
Africa Live: Burkina Faso soldiers killed in ‘barbaric attack’
The creation of the Messok Dja National Park in north-western Congo-Brazzaville is threatening the Baka pygmies, the community has said in a letter to the European Commission, one of the project’s main funders. The Baka say they are already banned from entering the forest to hunt for food.
Twitter and Facebook block HK misinformation
Twitter and Facebook have taken steps to block what they described as a state-backed Chinese misinformation campaign. Twitter said it removed 936 accounts it said were being used to “sow political discord in Hong Kong”. The network said the accounts originated in mainland China and were part of a coordinated attempt to undermine the “legitimacy and political positions of the protest movement”.
‘Nightmare’ statue looms over New Zealand city
A giant hand which has been described as a “Lovecraftian nightmare come to life” has been lifted into place atop Wellington’s City Gallery in New Zealand. Ronnie van Hout’s “Quasi” installation was carried by helicopter to its new home on Monday overlooking the city’s civic centre.
Twitter and Facebook suspend accounts linked to Chinese government
Twitter and Facebook have suspended accounts for running a state-sponsored propaganda campaign targeting Hong Kong protesters. Twitter says it suspended 936 accounts that were “deliberately and specifically attempting to sow political discord in Hong Kong” as well as 200,000 more “spammy” accounts that were “proactively suspended before they were substantially active.”
Tony Stark and the rebirth of the cool hero
Welcome to Summer Cooldown , our weeklong tribute to all things cool in pop culture. Through our role models of chill and our misguided attempts to emulate them, to the DGAF heroes so defiantly uncool they’re ice cold, we’ll attempt to define the undefinable and celebrate the characters and questions that shaped us.
Study finds connection between using emojis and having sex
Recent studies suggest that frequent use of emojis with a potential partner is linked to more active and successful romance.
These hearing aids are so small, they’re almost invisible – Future Blink
Eargo, a hearing aid manufacturer based in San Jose, designed these mini-hearing aids that are smaller and less visible than traditional in-ear devices.
Crypto exchange Binance challenges Facebook’s Libra with its own platform
Facebook’s Libra hasn’t even properly launched yet (and it won’t for many more months), and competitors are already cropping up. Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges by volume, has announced Project Venus, an initiative to create localized stablecoins – cryptocurrencies whose value is pegged to that of an asset such as gold or the U.S.
You really should update your VLC Media Player now
Oh, hey, would you look at that – another article telling you to update something. However, in the case of the VLC Media Player installed on your computer, you really actually should. VideoLAN, the non-profit maker of the popular media player, issued a security bulletin announcing the update and clarified that this was not just about pushing out a fancy new digital skin or some feature-tweaking.
Supreme’s 3G burner phone is pretty hot
There’s a new item available for those who want to live on the bleeding edge of fashion and in the dark ages of tech. The streetwear brand Supreme will release a branded 3G burner phone emblazoned with its logos on August 22.
