80 m. ago White House adviser calls for US to defend its AI lead against Chinese advances

The White House on Wednesday reiterated its call to defend its artificial intelligence lead against a quickly advancing China by exporting “cohesive AI tech stacks” that integrate not just chips but also algorithms and applications to foreign countries. Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, told a Senate subcommittee hearing that the US once commanded a “comfortable” lead in AI over closest competitors, such as China, in 2020, but by 2024 the gap...

Events

2 h. ago Brazil judge votes to acquit in Bolsonaro coup case, breaking with peers

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Luiz Fux voted on Wednesday to acquit former president Jair Bolsonaro of forming a criminal organisation and voted to annul his trial over jurisdiction, breaking with peers and raising the odds of an appeal after the final verdict this week. The high court still seems likely to convict Bolsonaro of plotting a coup to remain in power after he was voted out of office in 2022. Two judges on the five-judge panel have already voted to convict, and the remaining two...

Politics

6 h. ago Prince Harry has tea with King Charles in first meeting in over a year

Britain’s Prince Harry joined his father, King Charles, for tea on Wednesday at his Clarence House home in London, the first time they have met in well over a year. The two have been distant since Harry and his wife, Meghan, left royal life and moved to California in 2020 and then publicly aired grievances about his family. Harry was driven through the gates of Charles’ London home following an earlier engagement at the Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London. The Duke of...

Politics

6 h. ago Kamala Harris says allowing 2024 Biden candidacy was reckless: ‘Joe got tired’

Kamala Harris believes it was reckless to allow former US president Joe Biden to decide to seek re-election in 2024, but she felt she was the last person who could advise her 81-year-old boss not to run, according to excerpts from her new book released on Wednesday. Biden, a Democrat, ended his re-election campaign on July 21, 2024, after a poor debate performance against Republican candidate Donald Trump that prompted aides and party officials to question publicly whether he could endure a full...

Politics

8 h. ago Bali floods kill 9, affect 600, disrupts travel in Indonesian tourist hotspot

Floods on Indonesia’s holiday island of Bali have killed at least nine this week and affected 600 people, blocking off major roads in the capital and disrupting a busy travel destination, officials said on Wednesday. Continuous heavy rains between Tuesday evening and Wednesday caused the floods and killed five people in Bali’s capital, Denpasar, Abdul Muhari, the spokesman of the country’s disaster mitigation agency, said in a statement. Four more people were killed in the regions of Jembrana,...

Events

9 h. ago Survey Finds Beijing’s Grip Deepening Worldwide as North America and the Caribbean Emerge as Vulnerable Fronts

Survey Finds Beijing’s Grip Deepening Worldwide as North America and the Caribbean Emerge as Vulnerable Fronts  The Bureau | Sam Cooper

Politics

9 h. ago Grim night on English Channel as 3 die, 3 go missing trying to cross to UK

Three people are believed to have been crushed to death and three others were missing in two separate incidents as migrants attempted to cross the English Channel, French officials said on Wednesday. The latest tragedies, which took place in northern France overnight on Tuesday to Wednesday, bring the number of deaths this year linked to crossings in overcrowded dinghies to at least 23, according to official French data. Laurent Touvet, the top state official for the northern region of...

Events

11 h. ago Chinese EV maker Nio eyes US$1.1 billion in proceeds from share placement

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Nio plans to raise more than US$1 billion in fresh funds with a share sale to enhance its development and replenish capital amid a price war. In a statement on Wednesday, the Shanghai-based carmaker said 181.8 million new shares would be issued, which would be allocated between its American depositary shares (ADS) and its ordinary stock. Nio is listed in the US, Hong Kong and Singapore. Investors can subscribe to the ADS, to be traded on the New York Stock...

Economics

11 h. ago Hong Kong’s Nepali community rocked by violent unrest in South Asian nation

Some Nepalis in Hong Kong have expressed shock at the ongoing violent unrest in the South Asian country, while also raising concerns about the safety of their family members and the direction the nation is heading in. Several of them told the Post on Wednesday that they empathised with the youth taking to the streets in the country, but opposed the escalation in violence that was putting lives at risk. Some said they planned to show their support for those affected in Nepal, including holding a...

Politics

11 h. ago ByteDance unveils new AI image model to rival Google DeepMind’s ‘Nano Banana’

TikTok-owner ByteDance has launched its latest image generation artificial intelligence tool Seedream 4.0, which it said surpasses Google DeepMind’s viral “Nano Banana” AI image editor across several key indicators. ByteDance’s Seed department, which oversees the tech unicorn’s AI development efforts, said on Tuesday that Seedream 4.0 had strong image editing capabilities, putting it in direct competition with Nano Banana, officially known as Gemini 2.5 Flash Image. The US model has received...

Culture

12 h. ago Family offices to keep consistent allocations over next year: Goldman survey

Global family offices will remain consistent in their strategic allocations over the next 12 months amid growing concerns over geopolitical risks, though some are willing to increase their exposure to public and private equity, Goldman Sachs said in a survey published on Wednesday. Meena Flynn, co-head of global private wealth management at the US investment bank, said the global average asset allocation remained broadly consistent from 2023 to 2025, though respondents expressed concerns about...

Society

12 h. ago The US can’t box China in, Chinese defence minister warns Hegseth in video call

The US does not pursue “regime change or strangulation” of China, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said as his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, stressed that any attempt to contain, deter or interfere with China would fail. The assurance and the warning came on Tuesday as the two men spoke via video in their first direct talks since taking office. It was also less than a week after Beijing held a massive military parade showcasing advanced weapons and promoting its push for a multipolar order to...

Events

12 h. ago Lions kill zookeeper at Thai safari park after he steps out of car

A zookeeper was killed in a lion attack in Thailand, officials said on Wednesday, raising questions over safety and the legitimacy of the safari park’s lion ownership. The mauling happened at Safari World Bangkok, which calls itself one of Asia’s largest open-air zoos and offers lion and tiger feeding trips for around 1,200 baht (US$37) per person. “The deceased is a zoo staff member who usually fed the lions,” said Sadudee Punpugdee, wildlife protection director of the Department of National...

Events

13 h. ago New French prime minister greeted with fiery protests on first day at work

Sebastien Lecornu, the loyalist picked by President Emmanuel Macron to be France’s fifth prime minister in two years, took office on a day of sprawling anti-government protests that underlined the depth of the country’s political crisis. Lecornu, a conservative Macron protégé who most recently served as his defence minister, arrived at midday on Wednesday at the prime minister’s residence, where he met former prime minister Francois Bayrou, who was ousted by parliament on Monday over plans to...

Politics

15 h. ago HKEX reforms have made city world’s top fundraising hub for EV makers: official

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), operator of Asia’s third-largest stock market, has become one of the world’s largest fundraising platforms for the new energy sector, thanks to a slew of listing reforms to promote the city as a green finance hub, according to a government official. “There has been an active stream of listings of electric vehicle [makers and companies in the] EV supply chain, energy storage and hydrogen energy on the Hong Kong stock exchange,” said Salina Yan Mei-mei,...

Politics

18 h. ago Taiwan says its medical evacuation flight ‘intimidated’ by Beijing’s warplanes

Taiwan has accused Beijing of crossing a dangerous new line in its military intimidation campaign after People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes closed in on a Taiwanese medical evacuation aircraft near the frontline islet of Quemoy. Officials condemned the manoeuvre as an “irrational” act that endangered lives, undermined humanitarian rescue operations and posed a serious threat to flight safety. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which oversees cross-strait policy, said on Tuesday that the...

Events

18 h. ago Pressure is getting to US firms in China as they feel weight of tensions: survey

American companies doing business in China are more pessimistic about the next five years than ever before, in the face of rising geopolitical uncertainties, fierce competition and a chronic economic slowdown, according to findings by a prominent business chamber. Only 41 per cent of surveyed American firms expressed optimism about their five-year business outlook in China, or almost half the rate in 2021, according to a report released by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Shanghai on...

Events

18 h. ago ‘It’s hard to succeed’: US firms in China report record pessimism amid tensions

American companies doing business in China are more pessimistic about the next five years than ever before, in the face of rising geopolitical uncertainties, fierce competition and a chronic economic slowdown, according to findings by a prominent business chamber. Only 41 per cent of surveyed American firms expressed optimism about their five-year business outlook in China, or almost half the rate in 2021, according to a report released by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Shanghai on...

Events

19 h. ago ‘I’m nervous’: fear grips South Koreans planning US trips after raid

Concerns are mounting among South Koreans planning trips to the United States amid fears that immigration authorities may tighten entry procedures after the recent detention of hundreds of South Korean workers in Georgia. Goo, a 33-year-old office worker preparing for a honeymoon in Hawaii next month, said he is worried his Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) approval may be delayed or denied. “It used to come through in a day or two without problems, but this time I’m nervous it...

Politics

19 h. ago Dozens slaughtered in gun and machete attack at DR Congo funeral

Rebels affiliated with Islamic State killed at least 60 people in a machete and gun attack in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an official and a witness said on Tuesday. The attack was carried out by the Allied Democratic Force, or ADF, in Ntoyo, North Kivu, after residents gathered at a burial. “There were about 10 of them. I saw machetes. They told people to gather in one place and started cutting them. I listened to people screaming and I fainted,” a survivor who was present at the...

Events