Japanese manga artist Ryo Tatsuki's unsettlingly accurate predictions, including a major disaster anticipated for July 2025, have sparked widespread concern and travel cancellations to Japan.

Singapore sees a rise in COVID-19 cases, reaching 14,200 in a week. This increase is due to waning immunity and new variants. LF.7 and NB.1.8 are the main variants. Symptoms are generally mild.