Author: Media Library

US first lady Melania Trump unlikely to travel to Apec summit in China

Media Library

US first lady Melania Trump is unlikely to travel to China with the president for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen this month. “First lady Melania Trump is not scheduled to attend the events in person,” her office said in response to a query about her travel plans. President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit the Philippines for this year’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit before travelling to the November 18-19 Apec event, where he will meet his Chinese… South China Morning Post

The US-China trade war seems to have subsided – but the sense of calm is misleading

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Donald Trump’s trade wars have largely fallen off the headlines. Fears of new tariffs flare up from time to time when the US president goes off the rails – for instance, threatening to end US trade with countries with which it has a deficit unless the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates. But the sense that the world’s two largest economies are plowing ahead into an overt economic conflagration has taken a back seat to other, more salient fears, about Trump ending American democracy, AI killing us all and stuff like…

It’s closer to Beijing than Washington – and residents of this Alaskan outpost are reeling from Trump’s policies

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It was less than 17 hours until the start of Alaska’s lucrative Bering Sea crab season, and Oystein Lone was standing on a dock in the city of Unalaska, preparing to embark in rough conditions. The problem wasn’t the next day’s forecast of 60mph gusts, which would kick up white-capped swells and make crabbing, already one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, even more hazardous. Nor was it the question of whether there’d be enough red king, tanner and snow crabs to go around – state regulators…

How One Country Became the Unlikely Crossroads of the Global A.I. Boom

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Across a stretch of southern Malaysia once carpeted with palm-oil and pineapple plantations, signs of China’s global technology ambitions are taking shape. More than 15 cranes tower over 100 acres of excavated earth, where DayOne, a company with corporate roots in one of China’s biggest data center operators, is building a sprawling complex. A short drive away, at the edge of dense tropical forest, hundreds of workers are completing another facility expected to serve Chinese tech companies. Inside these data centers will be some of the world’s most advanced artificial…

A Powerful Mosquito-Hunting Laser Uses A.I. to Zap Winged Pests

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For anyone kept awake by the infernal whine of mosquitoes, artificial intelligence may be coming to the rescue — armed with a laser. A Chinese company has started marketing a $1,000 A.I.-enabled device that tracks mosquitoes in flight and burns their wings off. It uses technology found in self-driving cars to pinpoint its targets, while relying on A.I. to decide when it is safe to fire. During a recent demonstration at the offices of Photon Matrix, the company behind the device, it appeared remarkably effective. The white, nearly brick-size machine…

Beijing Queer film festival cancelled after harassment from authorities

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Beijing’s annual independent queer film festival has been cancelled after what is understood to have been a campaign of sustained harassment from authorities. Beijing Queer film festival, which was due to begin on Friday in China’s capital, is one of the country’s oldest independent film festivals. In a statement posted on Instagram late on Thursday, the organisers said: “We regret to inform you that the Love Queer Film Week … has been cancelled. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment that the cancellation of this event may cause to…

How the Japanese Spy Drama ‘Vivant’ Became The Target of China’s Anger

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China’s recent pressure campaign against Japan has involved critical minerals, tourism, seafood and even pandas. Now Beijing is taking the dispute to the cultural sphere, targeting a Japanese television drama. The Chinese government has in recent days focused its ire on “Vivant,” one of Japan’s most popular shows, a cross between “24” and “Homeland” that tells the story of Japanese spies working to protect their country from threats overseas. Beijing says the show, which features a fictional Chinese intelligence agency called “Xinxi” as the antagonist, promotes negative views of China.…

China expels a record number from Communist party amid Xi’s intensified purges of top officials

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China expelled a record number of officials from the Chinese Communist party (CCP) as it concluded a major political gathering, which saw an unprecedented number of empty seats indicating the scale of the purges under Xi Jinping. A record 33 members were expelled at this week’s fifth plenum, a gathering of top officials that takes place roughly once a year. Just 279 of the full and alternate members of the CCP’s Central Committee attended this week’s gathering, compared with the 376 originally named as members in 2022. That means that…