Day: May 7, 2023

Chinese researchers claim monkey brain advance after moving robotic arm with its mind

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During the experiment on Thursday, the monkey was held in place in a container and could catch food by commanding the robotic arm. It works by using sensors that detect and capture brain activity and then convert those signals into commands that can control an external device, such as a computer cursor or a robotic arm. They used a non-invasive technique, which means the brain does not have to be pierced and described it as the world’s first interventional BCI experiment on non-human primates. Advertisement Duan Feng, the team leader…

Fate of SVB’s Chinese venture hangs in balance

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Almost two months after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the fate of its pioneering Chinese joint venture, SPD Silicon Valley Bank, remains in the balance. A rare type of US-China joint venture lender in the Chinese financial sector, SPD Silicon Valley Bank has played a crucial role in establishing a lending environment for entrepreneurs, offering advice and assistance to local institutions since it was established a decade ago. Despite fire sales of SVB’s loan book to First Citizens Bank and its UK operation to HSBC, no buyers have emerged…

Fast-Rising Teqball Crashes Southeast Asian Games

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Phnom Penh, Cambodia —  As teqball continues its fast growth with its debut at the Southeast Asian Games, the young sport has drawn resentful glances from similar sports in the region that feel it is treading on their turf. Invented in Hungary in 2012, teqball is a nonmedal exhibition sport at this year’s SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, being played over three days with the finals on Monday. It is also on the schedule for the European Games in Poland in June and July. Teqball already has more than…

Foxconn Founder Vows to ‘Preserve Peace’ With China if Elected Taiwan President

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Kaohsiung, Taiwan —  The billionaire founder of Foxconn vowed Sunday at a rally that if elected president of Taiwan, he would be able to “preserve peace” between the democratic self-ruled island and China. Taiwan will elect its next leader in January 2024 to succeed President Tsai Ing-wen, whose two terms in power have been marked by unprecedented tensions with Beijing, which views the island as part of its territory to be reclaimed. Terry Gou — the founder of Foxconn which is a key supplier of Apple’s iPhones — had announced…

China’s war chest: how Beijing is using its currency to insulate against future sanctions

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For more than a decade, Beijing has been trying to reduce its reliance on the dollar, motivated by risks emerging from the US economy – such as the financial crash of 2008 – and the desire to boost its own sphere of influence. But in the last year, a drive to insulate China’s economy from dollar-based sanctions has emerged as possibly the most important incentive for decoupling from the dollar, as China looks to prepare for the possibility of conflict with Taiwan. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, one of the…

Brussels plans sanctions on Chinese companies aiding Russia’s war machine

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Brussels has proposed sanctions on Chinese companies for supporting Russia’s war machine for the first time since the war in Ukraine began, a development that is likely to increase tensions with Beijing. Seven Chinese businesses accused of selling equipment that could be used in weapons have been listed in a new package of sanctions to be discussed by EU member states this week, which has been seen by the Financial Times. Some of the companies have already been placed under sanctions by the US. The EU’s move is likely to…

20 Indonesian Trafficking Victims Freed in Myanmar

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Jakarta, Indonesia —  Indonesian officials said Sunday they freed 20 of their nationals who were trafficked to Myanmar as part of a cyber scam, amid an increase in human trafficking cases in Southeast Asia. Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement that its embassy in Yangon with help from local networks had managed to release the victims from Myawaddy township and brought them to the Thai border Saturday. The Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok will work closely with Thai authorities to repatriate the victims to Indonesia, the statement said. Myawaddy…

Chinese Scour Thailand for Homes to Offset Risks After Pandemic

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Bangkok —  Shanghai resident Daniel Bian drank in the sweeping views over the Thai capital as he lay on a deckchair beside a swimming pool on the 19th floor of a luxury condominium. “I feel alive. I feel free,” said an excited Bian, dapper in tinted sunglasses, flat-topped navy-blue hat and a wraparound tunic cinched at the waist, his hair hanging loosely to his shoulders. “This is my dream.” Cooped up in China for three years under some of the world’s toughest curbs against COVID-19, Bian is among a flood…

AI needs superintelligent regulation

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Powerful artificial intelligence systems can be of enormous benefit to society and help us tackle some of the world’s biggest problems. Machine learning models are already playing a significant role in diagnosing diseases, accelerating scientific research, boosting economic productivity and cutting energy usage by optimising electricity flows on power grids, for example. It would be a tragedy if such gains were jeopardised as a result of a backlash against the technology. But that danger is growing as abuses of AI technology multiply, in areas such as unfair discrimination, disinformation and…

An economic miracle in India

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The writer is chair of Rockefeller International In 30 road trips over 25 years, following elections in India with a band of writers, I’ve seen endless surprises, none more encouraging than the story we found last month in the southern state of Karnataka. It’s a new economic miracle, unfolding in a vibrant local democracy that defies widespread worries about one-party rule in India. With a population of some 70mn, Karnataka is larger than most countries. As the state heads to the polls on May 10, its story matters not just…