Tobias

Japan is facing a surge in fraud, with scams totaling nearly ¥60 billion in the first half of 2025, a record high. Cases increased significantly, with fraudsters often impersonating police officers to deceive victims into transferring funds. Elderly citizens are particularly targeted. The National Police Agency is considering restricting ATM withdrawals for those aged 75 and older to combat this escalating crisis.

Near Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei, a gig economy trend involves residents, including children (“kid couriers”), offering outsourced delivery services to food delivery drivers. These individuals handle deliveries during peak hours, earning around 2 RMB per delivery. Summer has seen a surge in child participation, with elementary and middle school students supplementing rider capacity by handling tasks like elevator navigation and customer location. This system allows riders to offload deliveries and provides children with income and experience, creating a tiered micro-economy.

Xiaomi has launched its first upgraded Xiaomi Home service store in Beijing, focusing on enhancing the customer experience. To celebrate, from August 3rd to 31st, the store offers promotional deals on purchases, repairs, and warranties. Customers can receive discounts on repairs and extended warranties. This initiative is part of Xiaomi’s omnichannel strategy, combining online sales with an expanding physical retail presence to increase customer engagement and reduce distribution costs, aiming to make Xiaomi Home a hub for tech enthusiasts.

Guangxi, China, is relaunching a “trade-in” subsidy program on August 5th, 2025, to boost consumer spending. Subsidies are available for trading in old appliances, 3C digital products, electric bicycles, and home renovation items for new ones. The program focuses on in-store redemptions and offers subsidies up to 20% (max 2,000 yuan) for appliances, 15% (max 500 yuan) for 3C products, 600 yuan for e-bikes, and 1,000 yuan (max 15,000 yuan total) for home renovation, via UnionPay digital coupons on a first-come, first-served daily basis.

360 Group’s Nano AI platform has been rebranded as “Multi-Agent Swarm,” representing a shift to Level 4 autonomy. This evolution moves beyond solo-agent models, using collective intelligence to accelerate AI productivity. The platform addresses challenges in multi-agent collaboration with a new “Swarm Collaboration Framework,” enabling dynamic grouping and hierarchical organization of agents. Nano AI boasts over 50,000 reasoning agents customizable with natural language and offers multi-agent swarms for various applications, including “one-sentence film creation.”

A man in Zhejiang, China, was reportedly scammed into purchasing an $870,000 gym membership after being lured by a resale “benefit” scheme. He invested heavily in these “opportunities” but now claims he wasn’t thinking clearly. The gym owner is now unreachable, prompting the man to pursue legal action. The gym, Hangzhou Ranyan Fitness Management Co., Ltd., was established in 2022 with limited capital. Experts warn about the risks of prepaid fitness services and advise consumers to conduct due diligence and carefully review contracts before committing.

A mother and daughter were splashed with dirty, possibly sewage-contaminated water by a speeding car. The incident, which upset the daughter, led the mother to contact authorities, asserting that such behavior is unacceptable. Splashing pedestrians is a traffic violation and can cause dangerous situations for other drivers. The incident highlights a lack of civic responsibility and emphasizes the importance of safe driving practices in wet weather to ensure the well-being of all road users.

Ezviz Network’s first-half 2025 report reveals revenue of RMB 2.827 billion (up 9.45% YoY) and net profit of RMB 302 million (up 7.38% YoY), fueled by technology investments and market expansion. Operating cash flow surged 911%. Total assets reached RMB 8.416 billion. Their intelligent home entry business, featuring the new AI-powered Qiming Facial Video Lock, is a key growth driver. Ezviz’s smart door locks ranked among the top online sellers during the 618 shopping festival, indicating improved market competitiveness.

Yiwu, China is experiencing a surge in fridge magnet demand. Factories are struggling to keep up, driven by the magnets’ blend of practicality, artistry, and cultural resonance. The Sanxingdui Golden Mask magnet, selling up to 200,000 units monthly, exemplifies this trend. The popularity of cultural and creative products highlights younger consumers’ growing appreciation for Chinese culture and their desire for unique, culturally connected items. These products are expected to drive high-quality growth in cultural tourism.

The U.S. imposed tariffs up to 39% on Swiss goods, a move considered a “catastrophic blow” by Swissmem. The tariffs, second highest after Syria, sent Swiss “concept stocks” tumbling, with Roche, UBS, and watch group shares declining. The U.S. is a key export market for Switzerland, and the country had anticipated lower tariffs similar to those with the EU. Experts predict a negative impact on Swiss GDP, the franc, and export-reliant companies. The tariffs are scheduled to take effect on August 7th, but adjustments are still possible.