<gu-island name="KeyEventsCarousel" priority="feature" deferuntil="visible" props="{"keyEvents":[{"id":"6a9262538f08fce2a63ff10f","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" Thank you for joining us for our continuing coverage of the aftermath of Wednesday’s catastrophic flash floods in the Himalayan mountains near the Nepal-Tibet border. ","elementId":"afbcabac-73cf-47e1-b39c-0608f47feacd"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" Poor weather has hampered aerial rescue operations in Nepal as the search for thousands of people missing enters its fourth day. ","elementId":"b7a6f53b-ca0f-4f0e-8dbd-e907513d9e79"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" Nepal’s finance minister says his country will need up to $5bn to rebuild after the floods, believed to have been caused by a melting glacier high up in the mountains that set off a deadly cascade of…
Month: August 2026
AI can make China’s political language sound more threatening, scholar warns
China is being urged to use human translators to refine AI renderings of its political messaging, amid concern that literal translations can make Beijing’s language sound more threatening abroad. An article in a state-affiliated academic newspaper said the country should strengthen its translation capacity and guard against AI-generated distortions to improve how its policies and intentions were understood overseas. As AI takes on more translation work, human translators should work alongside the technology, according to Li Yan, a professor at Xian Fanyi University. “The value of translation goes far beyond…
AI can make China’s political language sound more threatening, scholar warns
China is being urged to use human translators to refine AI renderings of its political messaging, amid concern that literal translations can make Beijing’s language sound more threatening abroad. An article in a state-affiliated academic newspaper said the country should strengthen its translation capacity and guard against AI-generated distortions to improve how its policies and intentions were understood overseas. As AI takes on more translation work, human translators should work alongside the technology, according to Li Yan, a professor at Xian Fanyi University. “The value of translation goes far beyond…
Hilarity, unease and relief: games show China is not over the finish line in humanoid robot race
With exploding pelvises, enough comic pratfalls for a Buster Keaton show reel and the odd moment of ruthless violence, the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing gripped the world this week with an unsettling mixture of hilarity, trepidation and relief. The five-day showcase staked out China’s claim to undisputed leadership in humanoid robotics as android martial artists landed knockout roundhouse kicks and robot teams marched into the arena heralded by flag-waving captains astride giant robotic dogs. The games’ blue-riband event, the 100m, did not disappoint when the robot-sprinters ran quicker…
China-Nepal floods: rescuers pull 2 survivors out of rubble near Tibet border crossing
Chinese rescuers continued searching for survivors from this week’s devastating floods along the border with Nepal as the operation passed a critical 72-hour window. Two villagers near the Gyirong border checkpoint were rescued from the rubble at around 1am on Saturday, according to Tibet’s emergency bureau. But at the border crossing itself, there was no sign of any survivors. Liu Maolin, the rescue team leader, said the checkpoint building had been completely destroyed by a mudslide. Seven people have been confirmed dead, with 544 still missing on the Tibetan side.…
China tests GJ-21 stealth drone as Sichuan Type 076 warship carries out sea trials
The GJ-21, the naval variant of the GJ-11 stealth attack drone, first appeared at China’s Victory Day parade in September last year and has made rare public appearances since then. Computer-generated footage aired by state broadcaster CCTV in July showed how it would be launched from the Type 076 Sichuan – China’s most advanced amphibious assault ship and the world’s first drone carrier. China’s first 076 ‘drone carrier’ amphibious assault ship begins sea trials A Chinese social media post on Thursday showed the GJ-21 flying over a highway service area…
Footage of Tibet floods is being heavily censored in China – and we know little about victims there
Just hours after the disaster struck, the Communist Party machine tried to rally its grassroots to stem any signs of discontent of its handling of the landslide. A notice came from the local party office urging members to step up and help in disaster relief efforts in their area and provide emotional guidance or psychological support to affected residents. The key line instructs them to “make every effort to maintain social order and ensure stability and public confidence in the disaster areas”. Those who perform well would be rewarded –…
Chinese rescuers find ‘nothing but ruins’ at border crossing as Nepal seeks help to ID and store the dead
A Chinese rescue team has reached the all-but-obliterated Gyirong border crossing complex for the first time and found “nothing but ruins” as Nepal and China continue their arduous rescue operations in the flood-hit Himalayas. Surveillance camera footage from the worst-hit Gyirong border crossing complex showed huge torrents of water and debris on Wednesday engulfing buildings and people trying to flee. Only on Friday were rescuers able to reach that area. State media reported that the Chinese team of 21 rescuers and a search-and-rescue dog crossed mountains and valleys and used…
Taipei’s debt hardball carries a clear warning for its remaining allies
In contemporary discourse, the bogeyman of “debt traps” is almost exclusively tied to Beijing. Western media, think tanks, NGOs and policymakers from Washington to Brussels frequently warn developing nations of the perils of bilateral loans from China. Yet, Grenada’s debt dispute from a decade ago and St Vincent and the Grenadines’ (SVG) current troubles offer a starkly different, and often ignored, counter-narrative: the weaponisation of debt by Taiwan. For years, Grenada has grappled with profound economic troubles. Following Hurricane Ivan in 2004, which decimated the country, the Grenadian government made…
The Chinese brand that wants to lead Europe’s trail-running pack
Baggio Zhong’s Kailas is making an overseas push with its Fuga labelFinancial Times