Asian women who have never smoked in Northern California are experiencing a sharp and underrecognized rise in lung cancer, eight years of Kaiser Permanente data show. In a recent analysis led by Jeffrey B. Velotta, thoracic surgeon at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, incidence in this group has doubled, climbing roughly 2% annually. Doctors warn that traditional screening guidelines miss many of these high-risk patients, prompting calls for greater awareness and earlier detection.

The city of Folsom, California, has paid $700,000 to two former police officers who sued over anti-Asian discrimination and whose departures have left their department without any Asian American officers, despite nearly 20% of city residents being Asian, according to settlement documents obtained by the Sacramento Bee.

Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno introduced legislation earlier this month that would require Americans to hold only U.S. citizenship, forcing potentially millions to choose between their citizenship and connections to heritage countries.

The Trump administration is directing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to refer 100 to 200 denaturalization cases each month, according to internal guidance obtained by The New York Times.

As the “Street Fighter” film enters its marketing phase following the teaser trailer debut at the 2025 Game Awards, renewed scrutiny has fallen upon a casting decision announced earlier in the year. While the film embraces a fun, self-aware tone with campy action and over-the-top sequences, comedian Andrew Schulz’s casting as Dan Hibiki, a legacy character whose origins are explicitly Japanese, stands out as its weakest element.

Vietnamese residents have become the fastest-growing foreign community in South Korea, with 270,000 living in the country. Recent official data shows that this rise contributes to a total foreign resident population of 1.69 million, with growth concentrated among people aged 15 to 29, who increased 12.8% in one year. More than 65% of Vietnamese residents participate in the labor force, with many employed in industrial regions and service sectors.

Taiwan’s population fell again in November, marking 23 straight months of decline with only 7,946 births recorded. The Ministry of the Interior reported a total population of 23,306,085, down 96,710 from November 2024 and 4,768 from October 2025. Deaths in the same month exceeded 14,700, resulting in a natural population decrease of nearly 6,825 people.

Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo issued formal apologies to Japan, China and South Korea through embassy channels on Wednesday after a racist social media post by then Miss Finland titleholder Sarah Dzafce sparked outrage across Asia. The controversy worsened after several members of the Finnish ruling coalition posted photos repeating the same slanted eye gesture. This has prompted formal expressions of concern from Japan and other Asian nations as well as public criticism from Finns of Asian heritage.

Sixty-one percent of Pacific Islander (PI) adults who experienced hate acts in 2024 never reported them to authorities, according to a Stop AAPI Hate survey released this month, even as 47% encountered such incidents during the year.

Vietnam delivered a historic karate performance at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games by finishing first in the discipline after securing six gold medals during four days of competition in Thailand earlier this month. The results placed Vietnam atop the karate medal table on gold count and completed an unprecedented hat-trick following its successes at SEA Games 31 and 32.