Day: August 25, 2025

Scientists in Singapore have industrialised the production of remote-controlled cyborg cockroaches that one day could form a tiny army suitable for disaster search missions. Advertisement Last month, researchers led by Hirotaka Sato at Nanyang Technological University published their previously preprinted study describing a system for the mass production of mechanical cockroaches. The July 28 article in Nature Communications said the team had continued with their pioneering concept of an “insect robot factory”. They had improved the control of the robotic cockroach, increasing its turning ability from 70 degrees to over…

Shares of Shuangdeng Group, one of China’s largest makers of batteries and energy-storage systems, soar in their Hong Kong trading debut on Tuesday, as the city’s buoyant initial public offering (IPO) market continues to mint successful listings, especially for companies in the electric vehicle boom. Advertisement Trading under the stock sign 6960, Shuangdeng first changed hands at HK$22.50, a premium of 55 per cent to its offer price of HK$14.51 per share. The Hong Kong stock exchange, which leads the global fundraising league table this year on the back of…

Hangzhou, in China’s Zhejiang province, will introduce mandatory artificial intelligence (AI) courses for primary and secondary schools starting in the new semester – part of a nationwide strategy to nurture talent in the rapidly growing sector. Advertisement The initiative seeks to build a talent pipeline while improving educators’ ability to use smart tools and protect data, covering both student and teacher training, according to two documents released by the city’s education bureau. Schools will have flexibility in how they deliver the lessons – either by concentrating them within a single…

While United States President Donald Trump aims to end – or at least freeze – the Ukraine conflict and portray himself as a peacemaker, China seems to be quietly expanding its influence in Eurasia – a region that Halford Mackinder, “the father of geopolitics”, viewed as the key to global power. Advertisement The coming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, scheduled to start on August 31 in Tianjin, is expected to provide another opportunity for Beijing to strengthen its political, economic and military ties with the Global South – including nations that…

China is on a mission to turn its military into a modern fighting force. In the third of this four-part series, we look at why drones are not replacing humans on the battlefield but ‘redefining roles’. Advertisement Rapid advances in drone and robot technology in recent years are reshaping modern warfare. From robot dogs to hi-tech drones, top military powers like China and the United States have technology that could – in the not too distant future – play important roles on the battlefield, while humans stay in command centres…

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that China must ensure the US supply of rare earth magnets or face 200 per cent tariffs, and that he will continue to allow Chinese students into the country. Advertisement “They have to give us magnets,” otherwise “we have to charge them 200 per cent tariff or something”, Trump told reporters while meeting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House. He conceded, though, that such high duties would mean a breakdown in bilateral trade. “We have a much more powerful…