27 h. ago China’s AI and EV boom drives record power demand, widening energy gap with US

China’s total electricity consumption hit a record high of 10.4 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2025, more than double that of the US, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said on Saturday. The 5 per cent jump from the previous year marked the first time in China’s history that annual electricity consumption had surpassed 10 trillion kWh – the highest in the world and more than the combined total of the European Union, Russia, India and Japan, state broadcaster CCTV said, citing NEA...

Politics

37 h. ago Musk’s xAI sued over Grok deepfakes – this time, by mother of his child

The mother of one of Elon Musk’s children is suing his AI company, saying its Grok chatbot allowed users to generate sexually exploitative deepfake images of her that have caused her humiliation and emotional distress. Ashley St Clair, 27, who describes herself as a writer and political strategist, alleged in a lawsuit filed on Thursday in New York City against xAI that the images have included a photo of her fully dressed at age 14 that was altered to show her in a bikini, and others showing...

Politics

43 h. ago IMAX Hits Record In China As Moviegoing Morphs Into Social Event

IMAX Hits Record In China As Moviegoing Morphs Into Social Event  Forbes

Events

49 h. ago Have US tariffs failed to bite? China’s trade surplus hits a record US$1.2 trillion

Have US tariffs failed to bite? China’s trade surplus hits a record US$1.2 trillion  Yahoo Finance UK

Events

49 h. ago China dumps more US debt, buys other assets as Trump targets Powell

China trimmed its holdings of US Treasuries in November to the lowest level since 2008, diverging from a global trend that saw total foreign ownership of the debt instruments hit a record high. Analysts say the prospect of a politicised Federal Reserve chairmanship under Donald Trump’s presidency has deepened Beijing’s concerns over its exposure to American debt, with more cuts expected. Beijing’s stockpile fell to US$682.6 billion in November, down from US$688.7 billion in October, according to...

Politics

54 h. ago Hong Kong’s finance chief warns of market volatility, pledges support for families

Hong Kong’s capital market is likely to experience significant fluctuations this year owing to intensifying geopolitical risks, the city’s finance chief has warned, stressing the need for caution in financial management. Six weeks before the government unveils its annual budget, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po pledged to consider whether there is scope to adjust child allowance to encourage more births, after a Post report revealed that Hong Kong’s registered births hit a record low last...

Events

3 d. ago China’s trade surplus hit record $1.19 trillion despite Trump tariffs & US trade war in 2025

China’s trade surplus hit record $1.19 trillion despite Trump tariffs & US trade war in 2025  ThePrint

Events

3 d. ago Hong Kong watchdog warns against using Musk’s Grok AI bot to create indecent images

Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has raised concerns over the potential misuse of the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Grok, developed by Elon Musk’s company, warning that using its image-generation function to create indecent or malicious content could amount to criminal offences. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) issued a statement on Thursday after various countries raised concerns about Grok’s image-editing function that allowed users to digitally “undress” real...

Events

3 d. ago Malaysia says X must prove Grok is safe before ban is lifted: ‘abuse is not freedom’

Malaysia is amenable to lifting its ban on Grok – but only if Elon Musk’s microblogging site X proves that its AI chatbot can no longer be used to generate sexualised images of women and minors, according to its communications minister. “X must prove that there will no longer be incidents of videos or images that can be misused by users. If that is settled, we can release the temporary ban,” Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said on Thursday. Over the weekend, Malaysia and Indonesia became...

Events

3 d. ago Musk’s Grok barred from undressing AI images after global backlash

Elon Musk’s platform X on Wednesday announced measures to prevent its AI chatbot Grok from undressing images of real people, following global backlash over its generation of sexualised photos of women and children. The announcement comes after California’s attorney general launched an investigation into Musk’s xAI - the developer of Grok - over the sexually explicit material and multiple countries either blocked access to the chatbot or launched their own probes. X said it will “geoblock the...

Politics

3 d. ago China Just Filed Plans for 200,000 Satellites, Challenging Elon Musk. It’s Likely a Geopolitical Space Grab

China Just Filed Plans for 200,000 Satellites, Challenging Elon Musk. It’s Likely a Geopolitical Space Grab  ZME Science

Politics

3 d. ago China’s US Exports Plunge 30% in December as Trade Surplus Hits Record $1.18T

China’s US Exports Plunge 30% in December as Trade Surplus Hits Record $1.18T  Sourcing Journal

Events

3 d. ago Are U.S. Tariffs Working? China Hits Record $1.2 Trillion Trade Surplus.

Are U.S. Tariffs Working? China Hits Record $1.2 Trillion Trade Surplus.  Barron's

Economics

4 d. ago China’s 2025 Soybean Imports Hit Record, Fueled by S. American Purchases

China’s 2025 Soybean Imports Hit Record, Fueled by S. American Purchases  Successful Farming

Events

4 d. ago FTSE 100 LIVE: Stocks rise as China trade surplus hits record high

FTSE 100 LIVE: Stocks rise as China trade surplus hits record high  Yahoo Finance UK

Events

4 d. ago KPop Demon Hunters leads to record exports of Korean instant noodles in 2025

South Korea’s exports of food and agriculture-related products, referred to as “K-food Plus”, hit a record annual high of US$13.62 billion in 2025. The country’s Agriculture Ministry also reported on Monday that Korean ramyeon or instant noodles posted the largest export gains, surpassing US$1.5 billion. The surge came amid the runaway success of KPop Demon Hunters, which ended 2025 as the most-watched film ever for the Netflix streaming platform.

Politics

4 d. ago Asia stocks: Nikkei hits record high, China curbs gains on margin policy change

Asia stocks: Nikkei hits record high, China curbs gains on margin policy change  Investing.com

Events

4 d. ago China blames US for trade imbalances as surplus hits record $1.2tn in 2025

China blames US for trade imbalances as surplus hits record $1.2tn in 2025  Financial Times

Economics

4 d. ago China's 2025 oil imports, December inflows both hit record highs

China's 2025 oil imports, December inflows both hit record highs  Reuters

Events

4 d. ago China hits record $1.2 trillion trade surplus in 2025 despite Trump tariff jolt

China hits record $1.2 trillion trade surplus in 2025 despite Trump tariff jolt  CNN

Politics