3 h. ago Qatar joins Gulf neighbours in African funding game with US$103 billion pledge

Global gas giant Qatar has pledged to invest US$103 billion in Africa in the coming years, joining Gulf neighbours the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia as the continent’s biggest financiers amid waning interest from the West and China. Six sub-Saharan African countries are set to benefit from agreements signed during the second half of last month with Al-Mansour Holdings, a conglomerate owned by a branch of Qatar’s ruling al-Thani dynasty. Key critical metals producer the Democratic...

Economics

5 h. ago ‘Stay vigilant’: Singapore elevates turbulence to top aviation safety risk

Singapore has pledged to strengthen aviation safety practices around in-flight turbulence after two accidents last year that resulted in one fatality and multiple injuries. Severe turbulence will now be classified as a state-level operational safety risk, alongside runway incursions, mid-air collisions and system failures, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in its Singapore National Aviation Safety Plan for 2025-2027, released on Wednesday. The report identified 45 actions to...

Events

6 h. ago China advances in AI agentic tools as Tencent, ByteDance weigh in

China is making progress in artificial intelligence “agentic frameworks”, the tools required to make AI agents, as the country’s tech giants begin to take on US players such as AutoGen and OpenAI Swarm. Tencent Holdings was the latest to join the fray after the Shenzhen-based company open-sourced its new Youtu-Agent agentic framework on Tuesday. Developed by Youtu Labs, Tencent’s AI research department, the framework was released on Microsoft’s open-source code-hosting platform GitHub last...

Politics

8 h. ago Bridgewater Funds Surge in China, Luring Billions and a Waitlist

Bridgewater Funds Surge in China, Luring Billions and a Waitlist  Bloomberg

Politics

8 h. ago How an SCO development bank could shift the global financial order

At the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged member states to accelerate the creation of an SCO development bank, a proposal that could mark a turning point in Asia’s financial landscape. While headlines focused on the high-profile presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Xi’s proposal points to the SCO’s evolution from a security bloc into a financial actor. Xi also pledged US$1.4...

Economics

9 h. ago Harvard scores big win over Trump as judge overturns billions in funding cuts

A federal judge in Boston on Wednesday ordered the reversal of the Trump administration’s cuts to more than US$2.6 billion in funding for research grants for Harvard University. US District Judge Allison Burroughs sided with the Ivy League school, ruling the cuts amounted to illegal retaliation for Harvard’s rejection of White House demands for changes to its governance and policies. The ruling delivers a significant victory to Harvard in its battle with the Trump administration, which has also...

Politics

10 h. ago Western leaders parse China military parade displaying authoritarian strength

US and European leaders reacted with veneration, concern and stiffened resolve on Wednesday to China’s epic military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Over 25 foreign leaders – including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un – joined Chinese President Xi Jinping at the showcase event marked by intimidating weaponry and choreographed troop manoeuvres. “I thought it was very, very impressive, but I understood the reason they were doing...

Events

10 h. ago Western leaders parse China military parade displaying national pride

US and European leaders reacted with veneration, concern and stiffened resolve on Wednesday to China’s epic military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Over 25 foreign leaders – including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un – joined Chinese President Xi Jinping at the showcase event marked by intimidating weaponry and choreographed troop manoeuvres. “I thought it was very, very impressive, but I understood the reason they were doing...

Events

14 h. ago Putin and Kim Jong Un join Xi in Beijing for China WWII victory parade

Putin and Kim Jong Un join Xi in Beijing for China WWII victory parade  USA Today

Politics

17 h. ago Kim Jong Un's daughter and likely heir Kim Ju Ae joins him at China parade

Kim Jong Un's daughter and likely heir Kim Ju Ae joins him at China parade  NBC News

Politics

18 h. ago Kim Jong Un's daughter and likely heir joins him at China parade

Kim Jong Un's daughter and likely heir joins him at China parade  NBC News

Politics

19 h. ago China’s allies give top marks for parade but the West is not won over

Brilliant. Pivotal. Very well held. That is how some countries described the massive military parade in the heart of the Chinese capital on Wednesday. But these countries are either some of China’s closest neighbours or part of the developing world – a group that Beijing has long sought to influence. Elsewhere, particularly in the West, the reaction was more muted. The parade had a dual effect – it marked 80 years since the end of World War II and showcased China’s growing military might and...

Politics

21 h. ago China’s rise is unstoppable, says Xi as Putin and Kim join united front

China’s rise is unstoppable, says Xi as Putin and Kim join united front  The Times

Politics

22 h. ago Kim pledges help in ‘any way’ for Russia’s war in Ukraine during Putin meeting

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged to continue helping Moscow’s war in Ukraine in “any way” as he met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday. That meeting came only hours after US President Donald Trump made harsh accusations against both leaders as the brutal war in Ukraine continued. The bilateral summit between the two neighbours – the first in more than a year – revealed that it was Kim who took the initiative in sending military aid to Russia for its...

Politics

23 h. ago Indonesia’s Prabowo attends China’s military parade as protests rage at home

Despite a deadly anti-government protest raging across his country, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto stood overlooking Beijing’s Tiananmen Square watching China’s grand military parade with a group of world leaders. His one-day trip was appreciated by Beijing, with the Chinese foreign ministry saying it “welcomed” the visit. Earlier this week, when Prabowo decided to skip the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, the ministry said it “respected” Jakarta’s decision. Prabowo joined...

Events

24 h. ago Putin and Kim join Xi in show of strength as China unveils new weapons at huge military parade

Putin and Kim join Xi in show of strength as China unveils new weapons at huge military parade  BBC

Events

26 h. ago China military parade latest news: Xi joined by Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un

China military parade latest news: Xi joined by Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un  The Telegraph

Events

28 h. ago Xi, joined by Kim and Putin, arrive for Beijing military parade

Xi, joined by Kim and Putin, arrive for Beijing military parade  CNN

Events

29 h. ago Apple loses lead robotics AI researcher to Meta in ongoing exodus

Apple’s lead artificial intelligence researcher for robotics has departed the company to join Meta Platforms’ competing effort, part of an exodus of AI talent from the iPhone maker. The employee, Zhang Jian, joined the Meta Robotics Studio, the social media company confirmed on Tuesday. Separately, three more AI researchers are leaving Apple’s in-house large language models team, adding to the upheaval in that group, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The latest string of...

Technology

29 h. ago Kim and Putin join Xi Jinping at massive military parade in Beijing

Kim and Putin join Xi Jinping at massive military parade in Beijing  France 24

Events