1 week ago iFlytek unveils medical AI, smart classroom tech in Hong Kong amid global push

Chinese voice recognition giant iFlytek has launched a series of artificial intelligence (AI) products in Hong Kong, where its new international headquarters will support its global expansion, as the firm doubles down on a commitment to home-grown computing infrastructure amid tightened US chip restrictions. iFlytek is making an upgraded international version of its Spark medical large language model (LLM) V2.5 available to organisations in Hong Kong, aiming to assist medical professionals in...

Science

1 week ago China’s Answer to World Bank Doubles Down on Global Ambitions

China’s Answer to World Bank Doubles Down on Global Ambitions  Bloomberg.com

Politics

1 week ago Asia is heating up at double the global rate amid climate crisis, UN warns

Asia, home to more than half the world’s population, is heating up nearly twice as fast as the rest of the world, with surging temperatures intensifying extreme weather, threatening food security and fragile ecosystems, and inflicting billions in economic losses, according to a new United Nations report. The State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report, released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) – a UN agency charged with monitoring the planet’s atmosphere and climate – that last year...

Events

1 week ago Should Taiwan worry about the US being bogged down in the Mideast again?

A US war in the Middle East could leave its armed forces stretched too thin to respond swiftly to a Taiwan Strait crisis, analysts on the island warned after the US launched multiple precision strikes on nuclear-related sites in Iran on the weekend. While US President Donald Trump was quick to describe the operation as a “very successful attack”, defence analysts and lawmakers in Taipei suggested that American attention could be diverted from the Taiwan Strait. Their core concern: that the...

Politics

1 week ago Should Taiwan worry about the US being bogged down in the Middle East again?

A US war in the Middle East could leave its armed forces stretched too thin to respond swiftly to a Taiwan Strait crisis, analysts on the island warned after the US launched multiple precision strikes on nuclear-related sites in Iran on the weekend. While US President Donald Trump was quick to describe the operation as a “very successful attack”, defence analysts and lawmakers in Taipei suggested that American attention could be diverted from the Taiwan Strait. Their core concern: that the...

Politics

2 w. ago China's 'silver economy' heats up as government boosts subsidies

China's 'silver economy' heats up as government boosts subsidies  Nikkei Asia

Politics

3 w. ago Malaysia faces searing heatwave as temperatures hit high of 37 degrees

Malaysia is bracing for another heatwave with temperatures topping 37 degrees Celsius in certain areas as experts warn of the serious health threats faced by residents due to the adverse weather conditions. Last week, MetMalaysia issued a Level 1 advisory after six areas in Peninsular Malaysia experienced maximum daily temperatures of between 35 and 37 degrees for three consecutive days. The alert by the meteorological department came amid the southwest monsoon season, which began in May and is...

Events

4 w. ago Will Sri Lanka and China push for FTA or just engage in economic diplomacy?

A long-delayed free-trade agreement (FTA) between Sri Lanka and China appears to be back on the agenda, even as analysts warn that the crisis-hit South Asian nation is not expected to benefit much from it for years after its implementation. Sri Lanka’s officials are cautiously optimistic the FTA could help narrow the country’s huge trade deficit with China. First proposed in 2014, talks between both sides for an FTA have been on hold for the past six years because Sri Lanka did not agree to some...

Economics