The United States is considering postponing the announcement of major arms sales to Taiwan until after Novembers Apec summit in Shenzhen, multiple sources told the South China Morning Post. The potential delay comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares to travel to Washington next week for a state visit. The sources said there was a strong possibility ...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is caught in an energy policy bind with no easy exit. Cutting Russian oil imports to avoid potential new US tariffs could increase fuel prices ahead of key regional elections, or stress government finances. Maintaining such purchases could cripple Indian exports to its largest market. India, the worlds third-largest oil ...

In Silicon Valley and beyond, the architects of artificial intelligence are increasingly warning about the risks it poses to humanity. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wants the industry to slow down. A former engineer at his company, who also worked at its rival OpenAI, told reporters after quitting earlier this month that he was genuinely frightened unchecked ...

Chinese researchers have made early strides in pushing semiconductor processing nodes below 3-nm using older lithography technology, as more advanced extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) tools from ASML remain blocked under US sanctions. The breakthrough marks the latest progress in Chinas drive to chart an alternative path to advanced chipmaking amid US ...

The stabbing of a truck driver at a remote Wyoming rest stop had US Sikhs on edge on Friday amid rising anti-immigrant vitriol against the community and its truck drivers in particular. The Sikh victim was attacked from behind early Sunday while in a restroom at the Bitter Creek rest stop on Interstate 80 midway between Cheyenne and Salt Lake City, ...

Let me begin by wishing those planning Chinese President Xi Jinpings state visit to the US on September 24 the best of luck, something I didnt have in 2006, when president George W. Bush invited president Hu Jintao to the White House. After you read this, you may wonder how I was able to keep my job. All I can say is, Bush was a very forgiving boss. This ...

Princess Dianas revenge dress went on display in London on Friday, days after new claims about King Charless reaction to her death, as the shadow cast over the royal family by the so-called peoples princess lingers nearly 30 years on. The dress became a symbol of the rancour between Charles and Diana during the public breakdown of their marriage in the ...

A preliminary report on Friday blamed a millisecond-software defect for the cancellation of over 2,000 flights in and out of the United Kingdom last week. NATS, formerly known as National Air Traffic Services, said on Friday that the glitch on September 8 was behind the mayhem at British airports and beyond, rather than any human failings as many had ...

A Hong Kong patient died after suffering a heart attack when he was fed a regular meal instead of the required soft food and choked at Prince of Wales Hospital. The public hospital in Sha Tin issued a public apology on Friday and said it had appointed an eight-person panel to look into the blunder. A report, along with recommendations for improvement ...

When the presidents of the United States and China meet in Washington, the world will be watching to see whether their two countries can make good on their agreement to work towards constructive strategic stability. In the first part of a series, Mark Magnier looks at expectations in the US for the summit. Chinese planners have been frustrated for months at ...

Alibaba Group Holdings research arm, Damo Academy, has open-sourced an artificial intelligence model capable of identifying nearly 150 abdominal conditions including cancers by reading computed tomography (CT) scans, marking the latest step in the firms growing medical AI efforts. The vision-language model, called Damo Radar, was designed to analyse ...

Foreign domestic carers brought to Hong Kong to look after elderly residents under a proposed government pilot scheme would receive 10 to 20 per cent more pay than existing helpers, the labour minister has said. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han on Friday revealed additional details about the arrangement for foreign domestic carers, as the ...

Chinese AI researcher Joy waited more than seven months to hear that his visa application for Germany had been rejected. The 30-year-old had been offered a postdoctoral position at a German technical university but the rejection letter said there was an Ausweisungsinteresse, or public interest in denying him entry. Citing Section 53 of Germanys Residence ...

Asian economies heavily dependent on imported energy are facing an even sharper squeeze after the shutdown of Saudi Arabias East-West pipeline removed a key escape route from the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, deepening an energy shock that has already pushed crude oil above US$100 a barrel. Analysts said the loss of that bypass would hit Asian ...

Singapore Airlines was awarded the title of worlds best airline in the annual rankings by Skytrax, taking the top spot from Qatar Airways in a year that saw Middle Eastern carriers come under significant pressure from the ongoing war in Iran. The award, which is based on a survey of almost 25 million travellers, was announced in London on Friday, with a ...

A formal peace deal between Beijing and Taipei should be signed to build trust before discussions on post-reunification political arrangements, a prominent Taiwanese political scientist has argued at a security conference in Beijing. Chang Ya-chung, who heads the Taiwan-based Sun Yat-sen School advocacy group, said the one country, two systems formula, ...

Ant International, the overseas affiliate of Chinas Ant Group, is executing an artificial intelligence overhaul across its entire suite of global financial services, introducing AI agents designed to help manage payments, foreign exchange and treasury operations. Described by the company as its largest-ever product upgrade, the initiative embeds AI-native ...

Tesla officials and engineers have begun auditing part of the firms Chinese supply chain, as Elon Musks company aims to quickly ramp up production of its Optimus humanoid robot after it hits the global market later this year, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. Chinese companies set to undergo supplier audits included heat-control component ...

The catastrophic danger posed to cities by nuclear weapons is nothing new. Putting major urban areas at risk across generations is, in fact, the point of these weapons of terror. The practice of doing so is benignly called nuclear deterrence, but it requires holding the cities of adversaries real and imagined under constant threat. The use of even the ...

China may be aiming to equip its sixth-generation fighter jets with laser weapons that experts say could help defend them against incoming missiles. At the 14th China International Defence Electronics Exhibition, held in Beijing from September 15 to 17, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) Beijing Precision Engineering Institute for Aircraft ...

An Australian accused of murdering a teenage girl in Thailand and abandoning her body in a suitcase pleaded not guilty in court on Friday, citing self-defence. Simon Peter Carman, 45, was arrested at a Bangkok airport in June as he prepared to take a flight back to Australia after the 17-year-old victims friend had reported her missing. The young womans ...

A department at Hong Kongs second-oldest university has faced a backlash over asking students to use mainland Chinese messaging app WeChat to register their attendance and keep its location services enabled, later saying the decision was optional. The new policy was revealed after a screenshot of an email from the information engineering department at the ...

Hong Kong will begin recruitment for an artificial intelligence (AI) commissioner in the second quarter of next year to assist in drafting policies for the technology and risk governance, with authorities confident the city does not lack suitable talent. Tech authorities on Friday revealed details of the new post under the Digital Policy Office, which will ...

Warren Buffett is stepping down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway after serving in the role at the conglomerate for more than 50 years. Buffett, 96, will become chairman emeritus and will take on his new role immediately, the company said on Friday. His son, Howard, will become Berkshire Hathaways new chairman, part of a long-planned succession. Howard ...

Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sings use of Mandarin and Chinese philosophy in his speech at a major security forum in Beijing has won him praise on Chinese social media, while shedding light on how cultural familiarity and language can be diplomatic tools for the city state. Videos of Chan at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum quoting ancient philosopher ...