84 m. ago Prince Harry, Meghan join calls to halt AI surpassing human intelligence

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have joined prominent computer scientists, economists, artists, evangelical Christian leaders and American conservative commentators Steve Bannon and Glenn Beck to call for a ban on AI “superintelligence” that threatens humanity. The letter, released on Wednesday by a politically and geographically diverse group of public figures, is squarely aimed at tech giants like Google, OpenAI and Meta Platforms that are racing each other to build a form of artificial...

Politics

5 h. ago Trade in Central Asia: China Deepens Influence, Europe Expands Presence, Region Seeks New Markets

Trade in Central Asia: China Deepens Influence, Europe Expands Presence, Region Seeks New Markets  The Times Of Central Asia

Politics

6 h. ago 12 Hong Kong children hospitalised with flu prompt urgent vaccination calls

Twelve children have been admitted to intensive care with influenza since September, Hong Kong’s health minister has said, urging parents to arrange vaccinations as soon as possible. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau renewed calls for flu vaccination on Wednesday after two more severe paediatric cases were reported on consecutive days, both involving two-year-old children. Lo said the summer flu season begun unusually late, in early September, and warned of a possible overlap between the summer...

Science

6 h. ago Severe flu cases among Hong Kong children prompt urgent vaccination calls

Twelve children have been hospitalised with severe influenza since September, Hong Kong’s health minister has said, urging parents to arrange vaccinations as soon as possible. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau renewed calls for flu vaccination on Wednesday after two more severe paediatric cases were reported on consecutive days, both involving two-year-old children. Lo said the summer flu season has started unusually late, in early September. He warned of a possible overlap between the summer...

Politics

9 h. ago China Warns Australia to Quit Aircraft Provocations or Risk Ties

China Warns Australia to Quit Aircraft Provocations or Risk Ties  Bloomberg

Events

9 h. ago Nexperia seizure: China urges Dutch to ‘properly’ resolve case as talks continue

Nexperia seizure: China urges Dutch to ‘properly’ resolve case as talks continue  South China Morning Post

Politics

9 h. ago North Korea prepares for Apec – with a ballistic missile launch

With the Apec summit in South Korea just days away, the nuclear-armed North fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday in an apparent bid to remind the world of its growing arsenal. The launch, occurring against the backdrop of deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia, has reignited fears of escalating provocations and their implications for global stability. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the missile, presumed to be a Hwasong-11da-4.5, was launched from North Hwanghae...

Events

9 h. ago KPop Demon Hunters headed to toy stores as Netflix taps Mattel, Hasbro

Netflix is teaming up with Mattel and Hasbro to turn its blockbuster animated film KPop Demon Hunters into toys, deepening a consumer-goods push that could help diversify its revenue. The partnerships, announced on Tuesday, will produce toys, collectibles, games and role-play products based on the film, which follows a successful female K-pop trio that plays massive concerts while trying to save the world from sinister forces. The first products from the tie-up will be released next year. Since...

Politics

11 h. ago Nexperia crisis: how geopolitics disrupts a global chip supply chain

The ongoing dispute between China and the Netherlands over chipmaker Nexperia has highlighted how geopolitical tensions can disrupt an otherwise smooth global supply chain, according to analysts. Based in Nijmegen, Netherlands, Nexperia exemplifies a typical multinational company with front-end fabrication plants in Hamburg, Germany, and Manchester, UK, as well as back-end assembly facilities across Asia, including Dongguan, China; Laguna, the Philippines; and Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The...

Politics

16 h. ago Louvre heist jewels valued at over US$100 million, as director faces grilling

The jewellery stolen from the Louvre in Paris was valued at more than US$100 million, a French prosecutor said Tuesday, as the museum’s director faces security questions from a Senate committee over the brazen weekend heist. The director, Laurence des Cars, has not made any public statement since thieves made off with royal jewels during a daylight robbery on Sunday that took just seven minutes. The Louvre is expected to re-open on Wednesday following two days of shut doors for the investigation...

Economics

16 h. ago Louvre heist jewels valued at over US$100 million as security row deepens

The jewellery stolen from the Louvre in Paris was valued at more than US$100 million, a French prosecutor said on Tuesday, as the museum’s director was set to face security questions from a Senate committee over the brazen weekend heist. The director, Laurence des Cars, has not made any public statement since thieves made off with royal jewels during a daylight robbery on Sunday that took just seven minutes. The Louvre was expected to reopen on Wednesday following two days of shut doors for the...

Economics

26 h. ago Chinese woman charged in Paris gold theft from Natural History Museum

A Chinese woman has been arrested and charged over the theft of gold from the Natural History Museum in Paris, in one of several recent high-profile break-ins targeting French cultural institutions, a prosecutor said on Tuesday. The theft – by what the museum’s director at the time said was an “extremely professional team” – took place on September 16, about a month before an audacious jewellery heist at the world-famous Louvre Museum on Sunday. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was arrested in...

Culture

26 h. ago Hong Kong eye specialists warn of risks of wearing unregulated contact lenses

Ophthalmology professionals in Hong Kong have cautioned residents about the risks of wearing cosmetic contact lenses sourced from unregulated channels – especially during Halloween – warning of potential visual impairment caused by improper use. The Hong Kong Association of Private Practice Optometrists on Tuesday also urged authorities to introduce a mandatory registration system to regulate the import, distribution and sale of medical devices, including contact lenses, and reduce the risks...

Events

28 h. ago Why top Chinese scientist warned public against ‘hubris’ over country’s advances

The Chinese people have been urged to stay “calm and objective” about the country’s advances in cutting-edge weapons by a veteran rocket scientist, who warned “a lot of effort” was still needed. An array of advanced rockets, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, featured in last month’s Victory Day parade in Beijing along with other hi-tech weapons, generating considerable public enthusiasm. In an interview for a popular video account, Zhao Ruian, 84, a former researcher with the China...

Events

32 h. ago Louvre jewels may be irrecoverable as French police race against time

Crime gangs around Europe were increasingly robbing valuable jewels and gold from cash-needy museums like the Louvre, but while law enforcement often caught thieves, they struggled to recover the priceless goods, police and art experts have said. Only a small pool of criminals would be capable of such a job as Sunday’s audacious robbery in Paris and may already be known to police, the specialists said. But the objects themselves could be quickly broken down into component parts and sold on. “If...

Events

32 h. ago Takaichi becomes Japan’s first female PM, ending political crisis

Japan’s parliament elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister on Tuesday after her governing party secured a crucial coalition partner. Takaichi, 64, replaced Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tuesday’s parliamentary vote, ending Japan’s three-month political vacuum and wrangling since the coalition’s loss in the July parliamentary election. The moderate centrist Komeito party had split from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party after a 26-year-long...

Politics

34 h. ago China urges Paraguay to make 'right decision' on ties, reaffirms one

China urges Paraguay to make 'right decision' on ties, reaffirms one-China principle  ecns.cn

Politics

42 h. ago US business lobby urges Trump to axe new curbs on exports to China

US business lobby urges Trump to axe new curbs on exports to China  Reuters

Politics

54 h. ago Hong Kong, Elior Group in land talks for Asia’s first aircraft parts centre

City authorities are in talks with a leading French aeronautical services company about the allocation of land to develop Hong Kong into Asia’s first aircraft parts processing and trading centre, with the firm set to start training classes in two months. Daniel Derichebourg, chairman and CEO of France-based Elior Group, said the company was still in talks with the government about solutions that would work best to help Hong Kong grow as a centre for aircraft parts dismantling, recycling and...

Politics

59 h. ago China Data Shows Property Slump Deepened, GDP Release Awaited

China Data Shows Property Slump Deepened, GDP Release Awaited  Bloomberg.com

Politics