SBS News

Putin Visits Russian Far East, Claims NATO Is Infiltrating Asia-Pacific and Criticizes Japan According to TASS news agency, Putin visited Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in Russia's Far East, close to Japan, on August 12 and stated, "Unfortunately, we are witnessing a growing potential for conflict here," adding, "NATO is infiltrating this region, and new military and political blocs are being formed." He continued, "New weapon systems are being deployed here, and plans for deployment are being made, which poses a threat to our country." Putin did not specify which NATO weapon systems are being deployed. SBS Aug 12, 2026 6:45 PM

Trump Does Not Rule Out Possibility of Declaring National Emergency Ahead of Midterms President Donald Trump U.S. President Donald Trump has not ruled out the possibility of declaring a national emergency for national security as justification if the "voter ID bill," known as the "SAVE Act," is not enacted by the midterm elections this November. SBS Aug 12, 2026 6:18 PM

S. Korea, US, Japan Urge North Korea to Halt Missile Provocations, Reaffirm Trilateral Cooperation Following North Korea's ballistic missile launch toward the East Sea today , diplomatic authorities from South Korea, the US, and Japan held phone consultations to urge Pyongyang to halt its provocative actions, according to Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. SBS Aug 12, 2026 6:13 PM

"Never Seen Anything Like This": Half of Rivers Dry Up, Threatening Nuclear Power Plants with Shutdowns This is Paris. Today , let us talk about the drought. Europe is currently parched to the bone. SBS Aug 12, 2026 6:04 PM

Korean Government Reaffirms Stance Against Lethal Aid to Ukraine Amid Criticism from Local Media When the South Korean government reaffirmed its existing stance that it will not provide lethal weapons in response to Ukraine's request for air defense network support, local Ukrainian media outlets reported the news extensively as a major development. SBS Aug 12, 2026 5:03 PM

Typhoon Chan-hom Makes Landfall in Eastern Honshu, Japan; Dozens of Flights Canceled at Haneda and Narita Airports This marks the first time a typhoon has made landfall in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, since comparable statistics began being compiled in Japan in 1951. SBS Aug 12, 2026 4:50 PM

Australian PM Albanese Faces Backlash Over Sexual Remarks Regarding Japanese Prime Minister Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been embroiled in controversy following sexually suggestive remarks while mentioning a melon gifted to him by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. SBS Aug 12, 2026 4:40 PM

"It's a Shark!" Panic Erupts on Beach as Surprising Identity of Sea Creature is Revealed A man swimming and enjoying the water suddenly hurries out of the water in a panic. SBS Aug 12, 2026 4:27 PM

Rescuers Race Against Time to Save Survivors After Massive Earthquake Hits Colombia According to foreign media reports, including Reuters on the 12th , the death toll from the strong 7.4-magnitude earthquake that occurred around 7:34 a.m. SBS Aug 12, 2026 4:26 PM

Weak Yen Undervalued by Much More Than Big Mac Index, Pigging Out on Pork Cutlet Curry Bloomberg reported on the 12th that Jeffrey Yu, a senior strategist at Bank of New York Mellon, has created and is using a new index based on Japan's signature fast food, tonkatsu curry, inspired by the Economist's Big Mac Index. SBS Aug 12, 2026 4:22 PM