Briefly

UNITED STATES

Trump plans to launch social media platform

Former US president Donald Trump, suspended from Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites after the Jan 6 attack on the US Capitol, plans to launch his own platform in two to three months, said Jason Miller, a spokesman for Trump's 2020 campaign, told Fox News on Sunday. Trump's provocative use of social media was a defining feature of his presidency, as he drew 88 million followers to Twitter and often used tweets to slam his critics or to announce personnel changes or significant policy shifts.

JAPAN

Majority back ban on overseas Olympic fans

The vast majority of Japanese agree with the decision to bar overseas spectators from the Tokyo Olympics, a new poll found on Monday, with support for the Games still low but growing. Organizers took the unprecedented decision to ban overseas fans from this summer's virus-delayed Games on Saturday. A poll by the Asahi Shimbun daily found 85 percent of respondents think overseas fans should be barred from the event, with only 11 percent saying they should be allowed to attend.

FRANCE

Ikea goes on trial for spying on staff

The French branch of Swedish retailing giant Ikea went on trial on Monday accused of running an elaborate system to spy on staff and job applicants using private detectives and police officers. Ikea France is being prosecuted as a corporate entity along with several of its former executives in Versailles, southwest of Paris. Prosecutors say Ikea France collected details on hundreds of existing and prospective staff, including confidential information about criminal records, as part of a "spying system".

Agencies - Xinhua