48 m. ago Showtime: Money 20/20 Middle East puts fintech on its biggest stage yet

With groundbreaking collaborations and opportunities for multimillion-dollar deals, Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Money 20/20 Middle East event aims to solidify the kingdom’s status as the world’s premier gathering for anyone looking to stay ahead of the curve in the fast-moving fintech sector. Leading lights from the world of fintech and digital innovation will converge in Riyadh from September 15 to 17 for the event, which promises to set the global benchmark for the way enterprises and governments...

Economics

2 h. ago US says Venezuelan aircraft flew over navy vessel in international waters

Two Venezuelan military aircraft flew over an American naval vessel in international waters off the coast, according to the Pentagon, a fresh escalation between the two adversaries after the US struck a speedboat purportedly carrying drugs from the country. “This highly provocative manoeuvre was designed to interfere with our counter-narcotics operations,” the Pentagon said. It said the “cartel” running Venezuela is “strongly advised” not to interfere with any other operations by the US. The...

Society

2 h. ago Trump threatens tariffs on chip imports from firms not producing in US

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration would impose tariffs on semiconductor imports from companies not shifting production to the US, speaking ahead of a dinner with major technology company CEOs. Since returning to office in January, Trump’s threat of tariffs has alienated trading partners, stirred volatility in financial markets and fuelled global economic uncertainty. “Yeah, I have discussed it with the people here. Chips and semiconductors – we will be putting tariffs...

Politics

3 h. ago China’s drone display at Victory Day parade signals new era of air power

Among the many pieces of advanced military hardware showcased during Wednesday’s Victory Day parade in Beijing were at least four unnamed drones, at least one of which was a “loyal wingman”, a stealth attack drone supposedly capable of coordinated aerial warfare alongside crewed jets, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The appearance left military observers to speculate about what they had seen, and raised many new questions. Some experts believe the advanced aircraft are capable of hypersonic...

Events

3 h. ago Beyond the parade, what China’s new stealth drones mean for future air combat

Among the many pieces of advanced military hardware showcased during Wednesday’s Victory Day parade in Beijing were at least four unnamed drones, at least one of which was a “loyal wingman”, a stealth attack drone supposedly capable of coordinated aerial warfare alongside crewed jets, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The appearance left military observers to speculate about what they had seen, and raised many new questions. Some experts believe the advanced aircraft are capable of hypersonic...

Events

4 h. ago Chinese province floats new use for digital yuan: paying long

China is mulling the application of its digital yuan – the central bank-backed currency also known as the e-CNY – to tackle persistent payment defaults, a move that would broaden the asset’s scope beyond the set of use cases explored by Beijing since the currency’s launch in 2019. Authorities in the central province of Hunan touched upon the subject when detailing plans to expand the digital currency’s application scenarios and scale, according to a document published last month. Hunan will...

Politics

6 h. ago Venture firm Lanchi doubles down on Chinese AI, robotics start

Chinese venture capital firm Lanchi Ventures is doubling down on investing in China’s artificial intelligence and robotics start-ups while raising a new fund amid increased global investor appetite for the country’s early-stage tech firms, its executives said. Lanchi Ventures, formerly known as BlueRun Ventures China, would continue to be “all in” on AI and robotics, focusing on AI applications, multimodal AI models and firms targeting overseas markets, managing partner Jui Tan said in an...

Politics

6 h. ago Who's Applauding China's 'Victory' Military Parade? Dictators — That's Who

Who's Applauding China's 'Victory' Military Parade? Dictators — That's Who  JAPAN Forward

Events

7 h. ago China’s stablecoin bind: why US dollar tokens matter – and how Beijing may respond

Once a niche corner of the cryptocurrency world, stablecoins have surged into the global spotlight this year, prompting analysts and industry insiders to declare that the digital asset’s time has come. In July, US President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law, establishing the first federal regulatory regime for stablecoins – a move many believe could pave the way for mass-market adoption. Shortly after, Hong Kong introduced its own ordinance, which took effect on August 1, requiring...

Politics

7 h. ago ‘Summer of stablecoins’: how will China respond to US dollar’s crypto surge?

Once a niche corner of the cryptocurrency world, stablecoins have surged into the global spotlight this year, prompting analysts and industry insiders to declare that the digital asset’s time has come. In July, US President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law, establishing the first federal regulatory regime for stablecoins – a move many believe could pave the way for mass-market adoption. Shortly after, Hong Kong introduced its own ordinance, which took effect on August 1, requiring...

Politics

8 h. ago Video: Xi Jinping Launches China’s Biggest Military Purge Since Mao

Video: Xi Jinping Launches China’s Biggest Military Purge Since Mao  Bloomberg.com

Events

10 h. ago Mexico considering imposing tariffs on China, President Sheinbaum says

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday that her government is considering imposing tariffs on imports from countries that do not have trade agreements with Mexico, including China. The tariffs would be part of “Plan Mexico”, an initiative to boost domestic industry amid tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on some imports from Mexico. “We are considering tariffs as part of Plan Mexico, which we’ve proposed since we came into office,” said Sheinbaum. China is among countries...

Politics

13 h. ago Hong Kong legal sector eyes film business role using smart contracts, blockchain

Hong Kong’s legal sector is taking an unprecedented leap into the world of Web3 and digital assets to revolutionise the city’s film and television industry in a bid to better track investments, with some massive losses incurred as a result of a lack of transparency. The bold new strategy, unveiled at a seminar on Thursday, enables the use of blockchain and smart contracts to fundamentally transform the industry and offer a new channel for financing creative content, according to lawmaker Johnny...

Politics

13 h. ago Washington DC sues over Trump’s deployment of National Guard

The District of Columbia on Thursday sued to stop President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard during his law enforcement intervention in Washington. The city’s attorney general, Brian Schwalb, said the surge of troops essentially amounts to an “involuntary military occupation”. He argued in the federal lawsuit that the deployment, coinciding with an executive order on August 11, that now involves more than 1,000 troops, is an illegal use of the military for domestic law...

Politics

13 h. ago Washington sues to halt Trump’s deployment of National Guard

The District of Columbia on Thursday sued to stop US President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard during his law enforcement intervention in Washington. The city’s attorney general, Brian Schwalb, said the surge of troops essentially amounts to an “involuntary military occupation”. He argued in the federal lawsuit that the deployment, coinciding with an executive order on August 11, that now involves more than 1,000 troops, is an illegal use of the military for domestic law...

Politics

14 h. ago Chinese Military Parade Highlights Naval Drones And Missiles

Chinese Military Parade Highlights Naval Drones And Missiles  navalnews.com

Events

16 h. ago Chinese provinces prep for business trips to US amid shaky tariff truce

More Chinese entrepreneurs and local government representatives could soon be packing for New York and California, aiming to take advantage of a recent stabilisation in US-China relations to hop across the Pacific and scout out potential trade and investment opportunities. Visits by delegations from China in the coming months will seek to leverage the pro-business amity and autonomy of local authorities in the US to advance economic ties, as Beijing encourages subnational exchanges. China’s...

Economics

18 h. ago Huawei unveils new trifold smartphone before Apple’s iPhone 17 reveal

Huawei Technologies has launched the Mate XTs – its second trifold smartphone, which is more affordable than its predecessor – just five days before Apple is set to unveil its new iPhone 17 series. Powered by Huawei’s self-developed Kirin 9020 chipset and running on the company’s proprietary HarmonyOS ecosystem, the Mate XTs boasted a 36 per cent performance improvement, Richard Yu Chengdong, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group, said during the launch event in Shenzhen on Thursday. The...

Politics

18 h. ago While the PLA was on parade in Beijing, its navy patrolled the South China Sea

China’s navy conducted a “routine patrol” in the contested waters of the South China Sea as “deterrence” on the same day the PLA mounted a massive military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II. The patrol on Wednesday took place in the wake of Exercise Alon, the biggest-ever joint drill between Australia and the Philippines, which ran from August 15 to 29. A Canadian frigate also took part in the exercise, while several countries, including the United...

Politics

19 h. ago Xi meets Kim a day after unprecedented show of unity with Putin at Chinese military parade

Xi meets Kim a day after unprecedented show of unity with Putin at Chinese military parade  CNN

Events