online

Malaysia has introduced new regulations preventing children under the age of 16 from registering accounts on social media platforms as part of a broader effort to improve online safety and protect minors from harmful digital content.

Under the new rules, major social media companies including Meta Platforms, TikTok, and Alphabet will be required to verify users’ ages using government issued records before allowing new account registrations.

The policy took effect on Monday and is being enforced by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to 10 million ringgit, equivalent to approximately 2.5 million dollars.

Authorities emphasized that the measure is not intended to block children from using the internet entirely, but rather to ensure greater responsibility among technology companies, parents, and guardians in protecting young users online.

How the New Rules Will Work

The new framework requires social media platforms to implement age verification systems that cross check user information against official government records.

While the restrictions immediately apply to new account registrations, existing users will also be subject to age verification measures during a six month implementation period.

The move places greater responsibility on technology companies to ensure that underage users are not able to bypass age requirements through inaccurate information during the registration process.

Growing Concerns Over Children’s Online Safety

Malaysia’s decision reflects increasing global concern about the impact of social media on children and teenagers.

Governments around the world have raised alarms over issues including exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, online exploitation, misinformation, and the effects of excessive social media use on mental health.

Policymakers argue that stronger safeguards are needed as digital platforms become a central part of daily life for younger generations.

Malaysia’s Wider Crackdown on Online Content

The age restrictions are part of a broader effort by Malaysian authorities to regulate online platforms more aggressively.

Officials have reported a significant increase in harmful online content in recent years and have intensified monitoring of material that could inflame racial or religious tensions. Authorities have also targeted content viewed as insulting or critical of the country’s monarchy.

The government says social media companies must play a more active role in preventing harmful content from reaching vulnerable audiences.

Why It Matters

Malaysia’s decision places it among a growing group of countries seeking stricter regulation of social media platforms and greater protections for children online.

The policy could become a model for other governments considering similar measures, particularly as concerns over digital safety continue to grow worldwide. It also increases pressure on technology companies to develop more reliable age verification systems while balancing privacy concerns and user accessibility.

The move highlights the growing debate over who should bear responsibility for protecting children online, governments, technology firms, or parents.

Key Stakeholders

Children and Teenagers

Young users will face stricter age verification requirements before being allowed to create social media accounts.

Parents and Guardians

Families are expected to play a larger role in monitoring children’s online activities and ensuring compliance with age restrictions.

Social Media Companies

Major technology platforms must implement and maintain age verification systems while ensuring compliance with Malaysian regulations.

Malaysian Government

Authorities aim to reduce children’s exposure to harmful content and strengthen oversight of online platforms.

Digital Rights and Privacy Advocates

Advocacy groups will closely monitor how age verification systems are implemented and whether they affect privacy and data protection standards.

What Happens Next

Social media companies now have six months to complete age verification checks for existing users and fully integrate compliance systems for new registrations.

Regulators are expected to monitor implementation closely and may impose penalties on platforms that fail to meet requirements. The effectiveness of the policy will likely be assessed based on whether it reduces underage access and limits exposure to harmful content.

Other countries in the region may also watch Malaysia’s experience as they consider similar online safety measures.

Analysis

Malaysia’s new restrictions reflect a broader global shift toward stronger regulation of digital platforms, particularly where children are concerned. Governments are increasingly moving away from voluntary industry guidelines and toward legally enforceable requirements that place direct responsibility on technology companies.

The success of the policy will depend largely on the effectiveness of age verification systems. If implementation is weak, underage users may still find ways to access platforms. If verification measures are too strict, however, concerns about privacy, data security, and accessibility could emerge.

The regulation also signals a growing willingness among governments to intervene in how social media platforms operate. As concerns about online safety continue to rise, Malaysia’s approach may become an important test case for balancing child protection, digital rights, and platform accountability in the years ahead.

With information from Reuters.

“Survivor 50” castaway Joe Hunter has made it to the final tribal council of the grueling competition show twice, but walked away with slim to none when it came to jury votes.

On Wednesday night, four-time “Survivor” player Aubry Bracco was crowned sole survivor and won the not $1-million but $2-million prize (thanks to a twist that involved a coin toss and MrBeast), and Jonathan Young came in second. Hunter, a firefighter and fan favorite, lost on an 8-3-0 vote.

According to Hunter, jury members had made up their minds before the remaining three castaways even had a shot to sweeten their chances at the final tribal council.

“I sit down in that chair for final Tribal, right? I’m thinking alright, here we go,” Hunter told “Entertainment Weekly.” “Right away, the second before any word was said, I went, ‘Oh, that one hates me, this one hates me, hate me, hate me, hate me.’ And I thought, ‘There’s zero chance.’”

Hunter was somewhat optimistic leading up to the tribal council and said that he thought some of the jury members had come with an open mind. “I’ll give credit to Emily, Rick Devens, Christian, Dee,” he said.

“I just felt it was very transparent based on the questions and responses that, before this thing started, I think it was a wrap.”

During the series finale, “Survivor” legend Cirie Fields put Hunter on blast, saying that castaways felt like they had to babysit him and jokingly calling it the “Joetation” when it was a player’s turn to sway Hunter to vote alongside them.

Hunter chalked up the babysitting remark to his own naivete when it came to being vulnerable with other players he thought were his friends on the island. “I just put that vulnerability in the wrong hands,” he told the outlet. “That’s really what it is. And that’s part of the game.”

Hunter also spoke with “Entertainment Tonight” and admitted that yes, he’d blocked a select few “Survivor” players on social media. “So, 751 players,” Hunter said, “yeah, there’s two.

“I’ll tell you this, each one of them is not random,” he said. “Actually, there’s three. It is not random. … All of which I would love to talk to and solve it, and have tried.”

Last week, former “Survivor” players Kelley Wentworth, who’s been a castaway three times, Savannah Louie, who won Season 49 and was on the same tribe as Hunter in Season 50, and Tiffany Ervin, who competed on Seasons 46 and 50, all said they’d been blocked by Hunter.

May 15 (Asia Today) — South Korea and the United States signed a letter of intent Friday to cooperate on drone and counter-drone systems, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said.

The agreement was signed at the ministry’s headquarters in Seoul by Jun Joon-beom, director general of the Defense Artificial Intelligence Planning Bureau, and Patrick Mason, deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Army for defense exports and cooperation.

Under the agreement, the two sides will work to build a joint supply chain for drone and counter-drone systems and strengthen cooperation on standardization.

The U.S. Defense Department plans to consider registering Korean-made products on an online platform for drone and counter-drone transactions that it aims to establish this year.

South Korean officials said the platform could allow both countries to purchase and operate Korean-made systems, improving interoperability and reducing logistics costs.

The two countries also plan to cooperate on common standards for drone and counter-drone systems to improve the efficiency and compatibility of combined South Korea-U.S. operations.

In the near term, they will seek to adopt a common battery standard for small drones. They will also exchange information and conduct joint research toward a shared standards system.

“We hope the signing of this letter of intent will accelerate the establishment of common standards and certification systems for drone and counter-drone systems,” Jun said.

Mason said allies such as South Korea could overcome existing acquisition barriers and quickly field efficient and interoperable drone systems.

“We will ensure that the best available technologies are provided to South Korean and U.S. combined warfighters,” Mason said.

Before the signing ceremony, Won Jong-dae, South Korea’s deputy defense minister, met U.S. officials and said the agreement marks the beginning of the South Korea-U.S. alliance evolving into a “drone alliance.”

Won said the ministry would work with related agencies, including the Industry Ministry and the Transport Ministry, to build a stable joint supply chain between the two countries.

Jang Ji-hyung, head of the technical research division at the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, said the agency would play a central role in producing practical results from drone and counter-drone cooperation.

The two defense authorities plan to form a working-level consultative body to continue cooperation.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260515010004281

May 13 (UPI) — The United States announced visa restrictions on 13 people linked to a U.S.-sanctioned, India-based online pharmacy that the Trump administration accuses of selling Americans hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl.

The people targeted by the State Department on Tuesday were identified as being “close business associates of KS International Traders and its owner.”

The U.S. Treasury sanctioned KS International and Mohammad Iqbal Shaikh, 34, in September. Shaikh was also among 19 people indicted in New York in the fall of 2024 on charges of selling counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills to Americans over the Internet and via encrypted messaging platforms.

The targeting of KS International comes amid the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on drug smuggling. Among tactics employed was President Donald Trump‘s December 2025designation of illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals as weapons of mass destruction.

In June, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new policy to impose visa restrictions on drug traffickers, their family members and close personal and business associates.

State Department spokesperson Thomas Pigott said Tuesday that the barring of entry to the 13 individuals “underscores the United States’ and India’s enduring and shared commitment to dismantling illicit drug entities and disrupting trafficking networks that harm Americans.”

“Those complicit in poisoning Americans will be denied entry to the United States,” he said in a statement.

The Trump administration has increasingly used visa restrictions across several policy areas, from punishing Haitian government officials and members of criminal organizations accused of obstructing the nation’s fight against terrorist gangs to Nicaraguan citizens believed to be facilitating irregular immigration into the United States.

WASHINGTON — Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Tuesday in an investigation over a social media photo of seashells arranged on a beach that officials said constituted a threat against President Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The person was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and confirmed the indictment to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The charge or charges against Comey were not immediately known.

It’s the second criminal case the Justice Department has brought against the longtime Trump foe, who said he assumed the arrangement of shells he saw on a walk, reading “86 47,” was a political message, not a call to violence. Comey is among multiple foes of the Republican president to come under scrutiny by the Justice Department over the last year, as acting Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche aims to position himself as the right person to hold the job permanently.

Comey was interviewed by the Secret Service in May after Trump administration officials asserted that he was advocating the assassination of Trump, the 47th president. Comey deleted the post shortly after it was made, writing: “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence” and “I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment Tuesday.

Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by the Associated Press, says 86 is slang meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of” or “to refuse service to.” It notes: “Among the most recent senses adopted is a logical extension of the previous ones, with the meaning of ‘to kill.’ We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use.”

Trump, in a Fox News Channel interview in May, accused Comey of knowing “exactly what that meant.”

“A child knows what that meant,” Trump said. “If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear.”

The fact that the Justice Department pursued a new case against the ex-FBI director months after a separate and unrelated indictment was dismissed will likely spark defense claims that the Trump administration is going out of its way to target Comey, who had overseen the early months of an investigation into whether the Republican president’s 2016 campaign had coordinated with Russia to sway the outcome of that year’s election.

The former FBI director was indicted in September on charges that he lied to and obstructed Congress related to testimony he gave in 2020 about whether he had authorized inside information about an investigation to be provided to a journalist. He denied any wrongdoing, and the case was subsequently dismissed after a judge concluded that the prosecutor who brought the indictment was illegally appointed.

Comey was the FBI director when Trump took office in 2017, having been appointed by then-President Obama, a Democrat, and serving before that as a senior Justice Department official in President George W. Bush’s Republican administration.

But the relationship was strained from the start, including after Comey resisted a request by Trump at a private dinner to pledge his personal loyalty to the president — an overture that so unnerved the FBI director that he documented it in a contemporaneous memorandum.

Trump fired Comey in May 2017 amid an FBI investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump’s presidential campaign. That inquiry, later taken over by special counsel Robert Mueller, would ultimately find that while Russia interfered in the 2016 election and the Trump team welcomed the help, there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal collaboration.

The department, for instance, is also pursuing a criminal investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan, another key figure in the Russia investigation — one of Trump’s chief grievances and a saga for which he and his supporters have long sought retaliation.

CNN was the first to report the second indictment against Comey.

Richer and Tucker write for the Associated Press.

SHE rose to fame singing about her curves. But when singer Meghan Trainor lost 60lb for the sake of her health, cruel online trolls turned on her – branding her “a walking nose.”

But the All About That Bass hitmaker found support in reality show ‘momager’ Kris Jenner, who helped her navigate the horrific online abuse following her weight loss.

Meghan opened up about her recent struggles while sitting down with Biz on Sunday’s Emily following the release of her seventh studio album Toy With Me which dropped on Friday.

The American singer wrote the 14-track album while expecting her third child, daughter Mikey Moon, who was born via surrogate in January.

But while Meghan was excited to welcome her first girl, she said it had never felt tougher to be a female performer.

Meghan said: “I was getting a lot of hate online and it was all about my appearance and my looks and I was like: ‘Man, being a woman in this industry, it’ll never end.’”

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Of seeking advice, Meghan said: “Kris Jenner helped me with the hate online. I went to her and I was like: ‘Everyone’s mad at me.’

“Kris was like: ‘Of course, because you’re successful. You’re on the internet and it’s a terrible place but it can also be a great place.

“She said: ‘Are you happy? Are you thriving in your life?’

“I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m doing pretty well, that’s why I’m confused.’

“She said: ‘That’s all that matters. You’re doing great.’”

Meghan added: “Kris was really nice about it and I was like: ‘I can’t imagine what you guys [the Kardashians] are going through.’

“She was like, ‘You don’t want to know, it’s a lot.’

“Kris sends me the biggest flowers. It’s like a competition between her and her daughter Khloe Kardashian, who can send me the biggest.”

Meghan rose to fame with her 2014 hit All About That Bass in which she sang: “Yeah, it’s pretty clear, I ain’t no size two.”

But after she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes while pregnant with her eldest son Riley in 2020, Meghan overhauled her lifestyle — with the help of weight-loss medication Mounjaro.

She said: “I’m finally taking care of myself, I’m finally listening to my body first instead of career first and destroying my health.”

But with her slimmer frame came a huge wave of online hate.

Of the comments, Meghan said: “They were like, ‘She’s just a walking nose.’

“‘She’s just so unlikeable now’. ‘I miss the old Meghan’, or ‘Hey, ‘zempy queen’ suggesting she had used Ozempic to lose the pounds.

“It made me just crumble and feel like I never wanted to go outside again.”

Meghan, who also has another son, Barry, with actor hubby Daryl Sabara, said she consulted her doctor following exhaustion from social media.

And earlier this week, Meghan said she needed to put her family first and cancelled her 33-date Get In Girl tour across North America.

She said: “We tested my blood and everything and they were like: ‘You’re on track to get an autoimmune disease.

“It was all the noise from social media destroying me and getting to me mentally.”

She added: “This all happened while having a daughter and I was like: ‘I’m so worried when she gets here.’

Of the album, Meghan said: “I wanted to make a lot of self-love anthems as I know she [Mikey] will need them growing up in this world too.”

Quickfire questions with Meghan

FIRST CONCERT? NSYNC.

WORST HABIT? I peel my skin off until it bleeds.

COMFORT TV SERIES? A weird one but the medical drama series ER.

DRINK ORDER? Shirley Temple.

COMMON MISCONCEPTION? That I don’t put out music any more but I am still out here grinding.

ULTIMATE TREAT? A gluten-free brownie from Gwyneth Paltrow’s brand Goop.

SNOG? Disney+ thriller series Paradise, starring Sterling K. Brown has me totally hooked.

MARRY? Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony Kelly in the brilliant Disney+ series Love Story.

AVOID? After my recent negative experiences I will be keeping well clear of media trolls.

Liam’s ex ready to love again

LIAM PAYNE’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy has revealed she feels ready to meet someone again, 18 months after the singer’s passing.

The American influencer, who dated the One Direction star for two years, until he died aged 31, opened up on social media.

She said: “I am ready to start dating again. It has been a year and a half since Liam passed away.

“I think that love after loss is a big chapter within your grief journey and I don’t know how that is going to feel.

“But I do know that I loved being in love. I want to have kids one day, I want to have a family and I know Liam would want that for me and if the roles were reversed I would want him to be happy and fall in love again.”

She continued: “I will always love Liam and that will never change no matter who I meet and who comes into my life.

“I am going to think about Liam on my wedding day, I am going to think about him every day for the rest of my life and that goes without saying.”

It’s in the Stars, Maura

EXCITING news for Maura Higgins as she has been confirmed for Dancing With The Stars.

I can reveal the reality star – who was snapped in New York in a stylish white dress with a long train – turned down Strictly in favour of the US show as she hopes to avoid further scandal.

Strictly is already linked to her exes Pete Wicks and pro dancer Giovanni Pernice, and last year she kissed married McFly star Danny Jones at a Brit Awards party.

A pal said: “She’s heading towards big things in LA, and Strictly is full of drama, she wants to keep her nose clean.”

It’s three love for celebs

CELEBS Go Dating’s relationship expert Anna Williamson has welcomed throuples on the Channel 4 dating show.

It comes after a married couple attended one of the reality show’s mixer events to see if any celebrities wanted to try a non-monogamous relationship.

Anna said: “It’s 2026, we’re moving with the times. Polyamory is something that is very much emerging from the shadows as a relationship construct.

“It’s not for everybody and I don’t believe it’s for the faint-hearted at all.”

Boxer David Haye and his long-term girlfriend Sian Osborne enjoy a rumoured open relationship.

They were most famously in a “throuple” with The Saturdays singer Una Healy, who denied she had a romantic relationship with Sian.

Anna said: “There is no right or wrong way to date.

“So we thought: ‘Well why not?’ It was lovely to throw that different relationship dynamic into the mix.”

Mick gets tongues wagging

THE ROLLING STONES rolled out posters across the UK yesterday promoting their upcoming album Foreign Tongues.

The billboard shows the title of the record –out July 10 in Danish.

Earlier this month I revealed that Paul McCartney will also feature on a track after a cameo on the Stones’ 2023 album Hackney Diamonds.

An insider said: “Details of the Stones’ new album have been kept secret but it’s true that Paul features on a new track on the upcoming album. It’s going to be a real treat for fans.”

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood also dropped a single called Rough & Twisted under the pseudonym The Cockroaches earlier this month.

Millie’s Liv-ing it up

MILLIE MACKINTOSH has sat down with Olivia Attwood for an intimate chat following her high-profile split from Hugo Taylor.

The former Made In Chelsea star – who wore this revealing black gown to The Devil Wears Prada 2 premiere in London this week – will appear on an upcoming episode of Olivia’s House podcast.

The pair will have had a lot to discuss as the Love Islander ended her ten-year relationship with footballer Bradley Dack in January.

A source said: “It wasn’t a tell-all chat, that’s not Millie’s style, but she does touch on what she’s been going through.

“The women clearly bonded over a shared experience in the public eye.

“Olivia is bagging great guests for her podcast.”
I’m sure they had plenty to discuss off camera too . . . 

HELENA BONHAM CARTER has left season four of HBO hit The White Lotus.

The Crown actress was set to appear in the next installment of the drama, which has begun filming on the French Riviera.

But an HBO spokesman said the character, created by filmmaker Mike White for Helena did not work on set.

In a statement to Deadline, they said: “With filming just under way it had become apparent that the character which Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter did not align once on set.

“The role is being rewritten and will be recast. HBO and Mike are saddened that they won’t get to work with her, but remain ardent fans.”

Sounds like this is an even bigger plot twist than writers had anticipated.

Meryl: Anne’s saintly

MOVIE sequel The Devil Wears Prada 2 plugs weight-loss drug Ozempic.

The film, starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep, hits cinemas this Friday, and a source said: “There are many big brands in the film and it seems the makers of Ozempic will be pleased.”

It comes after Anne, who plays the film’s Andy Sachs, spoke to producers about casting models for the film.

After noticing models at last year’s Milan Fashion Week, were “alarmingly thin”, her co-star Meryl, told Harper’s Bazaar: “Anne made a beeline for producers about it, securing promises the models for our film wouldn’t be so skeletal.

“She’s a stand-up girl.”

LOUIS Tomlinson’s sisters have unfollowed Zayn Malik online after he punched their brother in the face during a vicious row.

The clash came as the former friends filmed a three-part road trip for Netflix.

Now, his sisters Phoebe and Lottie have unfollowed Zayn online – but still follow the other One Direction boys Harry Styles and Niall Horan.

In an interview with Livelaughlukepod hosted by @lukehamnett, Phoebe and her twin sister Daisy didn’t hold back on who their favourite One Direction member was.

They twins revealed: “Niall was always the loveliest. And even when we were little, he was just very nice and caring and always cute with us.

“Liam’s not with us anymore, but he was always that for me. Yeah, so calm. He was so sweet.

HEALTH SCARE

Zayn Malik rushed to hospital with mystery illness and is ‘still recovering’

1D AT WAR

Zayn Malik PUNCHED Louis Tomlinson after making remark about his late mum

“He would always say hi and he’d remember your name and stuff.

“Whereas the others, not obviously mentioning names, didn’t really even know who you were or remember your name.

“Liam always took time and came and said hi to our grandparents and little things like that.”

Netflix has since axed the multi-million-pound project which had aimed to show Zayn and Louis bonding over shared memories of pop stardom.

A source said: “Louis was stunned and in shock. Zayn was wearing rings so it cut his head. It happened outside in front of so many people.”

Sources told The Sun their astonishing on-set row was triggered by Zayn’s remark about Louis’ mum Johannah Deakin, who died of leukaemia in 2016.

A source revealed: “The lads were filming on location. Zayn started acting up and was mouthing off.

“It spiralled into a row then Zayn made a remark about Louis’ mum Johannah.

“Louis was stunned and in shock. As he went to move, Zayn then attacked him.

“Zayn punched him straight in the face.

“Because he was wearing rings it cut Louis’ head.

“He was pulled away and Louis was taken for medical treatment. He was left with a concussion. This happened outside in front of so many people. It was shocking.”

The Sun understands Louis and Zayn – who last night shared a picture of himself in hospital with a mystery illness – have not spoken since the incident six months ago.

It is understood Netflix finally decided to cancel the three-parter  last month, after hopes of the pair reconciling dwindled.

We told last October how Louis, 34, and Zayn had signed for the show and to be filmed discussing their lives and experiences of pop stardom.

It was hoped they might even open up  about the tragic death of bandmate Liam Payne, 31, in a hotel balcony fall in Argentina in October 2024.

The bust-up between Louis and Zayn happened when  filming reached Wyoming.

Insiders said that after receiving medical treatment, Louis left for the UK, while Zayn returned to his farm in Pennsylvania.

A source said: “What clearly hurt Louis the most was Zayn’s comment about his mother.

“Zayn knew how much Johannah means to Louis and his family.

“It made Louis so upset, it was clear there was no way he would ever return to filming with Zayn.”

“The decision was taken to axe the series.”

A source added: “Netflix had thought they’d hit the jackpot when Louis and Zayn agreed to film together.

“It was a big budget show, it cost millions to make.”

Neither Louis nor Zayn have ever spoken about the documentary or why it ended.

One Direction  sold more than 70million records worldwide at the height of their fame.