92 m. ago Trump threatens 200% wine tariff to push France to join ‘Board of Peace’

US President Donald Trump said he will impose a 200 per cent tariff on French wines and champagnes, a move he claimed would push French President Emmanuel Macron to join Trump’s Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts. When asked by a reporter about Macron saying he will not join the board, Trump said: “Did he say that? Well, nobody wants him because he will be out of office very soon.” “I’ll put a 200 per cent tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he’ll join, but he...

Politics

3 h. ago Chinese exports of rare earth magnets to Japan fall in December

Chinese exports of rare earth magnets to Japan fall in December  Reuters

Politics

4 h. ago DeepSeek technique to improve AI’s ability to ‘read’ long texts questioned by new research

A group of researchers from China and Japan has challenged a method unveiled several months ago by Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek that was designed to improve AI’s ability to handle long blocks of text, marking a rare case of the company’s research being publicly questioned. The DeepSeek-OCR (optical character recognition) method, designed to compress text by using visual representations, potentially revolutionising how AI models handle long texts, was flawed due to...

Science

5 h. ago Record snow in Russia’s far east blocks building entrances, buries cars

The biggest snowfall in 60 years on Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula created vast drifts several metres tall that blocked building entrances and buried cars, according to Reuters visuals and weather monitoring stations. In some areas more than 2 metres (6.5 feet) of snow has fallen in the first half of January after 3.7 metres in December, according to weather monitoring stations. Heavy snow is not uncommon in Kamchatka - a peninsula which stretches down towards Japan. Reuters...

Politics

7 h. ago Japan’s Tsushima Maru sinking: will recovery of artefacts end silence on WWII tragedy?

More than 80 years after her mother narrowly survived the sinking of the steamer Tsushima Maru, Tsugiko Taira says the wreck still carries profound meaning and believes artefacts recovered from the seabed could give new voice to one of the worst civilian maritime tragedies of World War II. Her comments come as the Japanese government weighs whether to retrieve items from the deep-sea site for possible public display, following a recent seabed survey and remarks by Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru...

Events

9 h. ago China’s Arctic push threatens Greenland and North American defense

China’s Arctic push threatens Greenland and North American defense  Washington Times

Events

19 h. ago Punch back or punching bag? EU weighs response to Trump’s Greenland tariff threat

After a weekend of Donald Trump threatening to slap tariffs on EU countries for opposing his drive to acquire Greenland, the question on European lips on Monday was: will the bloc finally punch back? A string of national leaders has come out against the US president’s gambit, part of a long-running campaign to make the giant autonomous Danish territory part of America, with speculation mounting that the use of duties could trigger European retaliation. To keep Trump engaged in Ukraine’s war...

Politics

19 h. ago EU weighs response to Trump’s Greenland tariff threat: punch back or punching bag?

After a weekend of Donald Trump threatening to slap tariffs on EU countries for opposing his drive to acquire Greenland, the question on European lips on Monday was: will the bloc finally punch back? A string of national leaders has come out against the US president’s gambit, part of a long-running campaign to make the giant autonomous Danish territory part of America, with speculation mounting that the use of duties could trigger European retaliation. To keep Trump engaged in Ukraine’s war...

Politics

20 h. ago Global memory chip crunch set to intensify amid Trump’s new industrial policy

The shortages and associated price increase in the global memory chip sector could potentially intensify, as the US government threatened to impose hefty new tariffs on some major foreign manufacturers. Speaking at Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony for Micron Technology’s US$100 billion factory in New York, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick warned that memory chipmakers – without naming any company – had two options: “They can pay 100 per cent tariff, or they can build in America.” He pointed...

Politics

21 h. ago PLA urged to find a way to operate effectively under the gaze of US and Japan

People’s Liberation Army activities in the Taiwan Strait are being closely watched by the United States and Japan and it needs to find a way to operate effectively while being surveilled, according to analysts. A report by Beijing-based defence think tank Lande said the PLA’s most recent large-scale drills around Taiwan – dubbed Justice Mission 2025 – were launched with no warning yet the response from the US and Japan was immediate. It said that highlighted the constant presence in the region...

Politics

22 h. ago Japan’s first female PM Takaichi calls snap election for February 8

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced her plan to dissolve the House of Representatives on Friday for a snap general election, the opening day of this year’s ordinary parliamentary session. At a press conference on Monday, Takaichi said she will put her post on the line and seek the voters’ judgment on whether she should remain Japan’s prime minister. Voting will be held on February 8, with official campaigning to start January 27. The election would be the first since Takaichi became...

Politics

22 h. ago Japan’s Takaichi rolls dice on snap election, betting her popularity can save scandal

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has staked her political survival on a high-risk snap general election, wagering that her personal approval ratings can overcome the legacy of her scandal-plagued party. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Takaichi confirmed she would dissolve the House of Representatives on Friday – the opening day of the parliamentary session – paving the way for a nationwide vote on February 8. “I will put my post on the line and seek the voters’ judgment on...

Politics

23 h. ago New Milestone Unlocked: Frontiers Online Becomes a Founding Member of the Haidian Technology Self

New Milestone Unlocked: Frontiers Online Becomes a Founding Member of the Haidian Technology Self-Media Committee and a Council Member of the Network Influencers Association, Officially Joining the Core Communication Ecosystem  PR Newswire

Politics

27 h. ago Mainland China’s home prices extend slide, adding strain to struggling property sector

Home prices in mainland China continued to decline at a rapid pace in December, posing challenges for an economy that is struggling to find new growth drivers. New home prices fell 0.4 per cent month on month on average across 70 cities, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday. The fall matched November’s drop and was among the steepest in more than a year. Prices slipped 3 per cent year on year in December, accelerating from a 2.8 per cent drop in November. Only...

Society

30 h. ago Japan struggles to weed out plant threatening agriculture, ecosystems

The verdant green leaves and dainty white flowers of the alligator weed are becoming a common sight in waterways across Japan. But while the plant, whose scientific name is Alternanthera philoxeroides, may look innocuous, it is an absolute menace according to Koichi Goka, head of the Invasive Species Research Team at Japan’s National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES). “We first had reports of alligator weed in Japan in Hyogo prefecture in 1989 and it quickly spread from there across...

Events

31 h. ago Explosion at Chinese Steel Plant Leaves Two Dead, Eight Missing

Explosion at Chinese Steel Plant Leaves Two Dead, Eight Missing  Bloomberg.com

Events

42 h. ago Two killed, 66 injured in massive blast at steel plant in China

Two killed, 66 injured in massive blast at steel plant in China  Press Trust of India

Events

47 h. ago How can China help Uruguay battle beetles threatening to invade South America?

A tiny but destructive invader is threatening South America, and Uruguay’s iconic palm trees are on the front line. Since 2022, the National Emergency System in coordination with agricultural agencies and with operational support from the air force, has struggled to contain the red palm weevil outbreak, prompting them to call scientists to help. Experts from the Technological University of Uruguay (UTEC) stepped in with an innovative detection strategy using drones and aerial imaging, but...

Events

48 h. ago Beijing row highlights need for Japan to reduce cleantech dependence on China

Beijing row highlights need for Japan to reduce cleantech dependence on China  The Japan Times

Politics

51 h. ago Fed Turmoil Is Threatening Dollar Supremacy Just as China Pushes the Yuan

Fed Turmoil Is Threatening Dollar Supremacy Just as China Pushes the Yuan  The Wall Street Journal

Events