It is bitterly cold on the deck of the Allankay and the bosun, Luca Massari, is checking that none of us are wearing contact lenses before we descend into Antarctic waters. There is a risk, he warns, that lenses will freeze solid over the eyes. Massari himself is prepared for his surroundings. He is wearing thick goggles that make him look like an Olympic ski jumper. Massari is a burly, heavily tattooed veteran of the environmental organisation Sea Shepherd, which campaigns against exploitating the oceans. His deck team are preparing…
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China slams Japan’s ‘kill network’ as long-range missile deployment looms
The official newspaper of the People’s Liberation Army has slammed Japan’s deployment of stand-off weapons, including upgraded Type-12 missiles, as forming a “kill network” capable of targeting coastal and inland areas of neighbouring countries. Japan’s enhanced Type-12 surface-to-ship missiles are set to be deployed at Camp Kengun in Japan’s southwestern Kumamoto prefecture by the end of this month. The missiles are capable of reaching China’s coastal cities. On Tuesday, PLA Daily reported that the upgraded Type-12 missile featured a significantly increased range of about 1,000km (621 miles) – up from…
Japanese ‘soldier’ forces way into Chinese embassy in Tokyo
A Japanese person who claimed to be an active officer of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces illegally and forcibly entered the Chinese embassy in Tokyo, Beijing said. The person admitted to the illegality of their actions and threatened to kill Chinese diplomatic personnel in the name of a so-called “deity”, Lin Jian, spokesman of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a regular media briefing on Tuesday. The ministry did not identify the person’s gender. Advertisement More to follow… South China Morning Post
Group of dogs that went missing in China go viral after walking 17km home
A group of seven dogs that went missing in China have gone viral after a video emerged of them walking more than 17km back home to their village, reuniting with owners who had been searching for them for days. The video, first posted online on 15 March, shows the dogs – including a golden retriever, labrador, German shepherd and Pekinese – walking along the highway in Changchun, the capital of China’s north-east Jilin province, where temperatures are dropping below 0C overnight. Leading the pack is a corgi, later identified in…
Global South to bear the brunt of Strait of Hormuz crisis amid worsening food scarcity
The deepening Strait of Hormuz crisis amid the war in the Middle East is choking the critical flow of not just oil but also fertilisers and perishable goods, and the Global South may face worsening food scarcity, warned the chief of a leading international business organisation. “We’re seeing the impact play out on fertilisers. A lot of people are not fully aware of the importance of the trade, particularly the shipment [of fertilisers] through the Strait of Hormuz and access,” said John Denton, secretary general of the International Chamber of…
US, China ‘disjointed’ on AI, but collaboration is possible: Silicon Valley tech founder
As China and the United States race to develop artificial intelligence (AI), geopolitical barriers are shaping how research, talent and capital flow across borders – or not – and how collaboration might emerge amid rising competition. Speaking in Hong Kong this month, three-time Silicon Valley cybersecurity founder John Whaley painted a picture of an industry that is global yet fragmented, as high stakes push countries to protect sovereign capabilities and data. When asked about the global AI landscape led by the US and China, Whaley described the two as “largely…
Police in Hong Kong can now demand phone and computer passwords under amended national security law
Hong Kong police can now demand that people suspected of breaching the city’s national security law provide mobile phone or computer passwords in a further crackdown on dissent. The new amendments to the law also empower customs officers to seize items that are deemed to have “seditious intention”, regardless of whether any person has been arrested for an offence endangering national security because of the items. Refusing to comply could lead to up to one year’s jail and a fine of up to HK$100,000 ($12,773) while providing false or misleading…
Asian private equity focused on cash flow as fundraising falls to 12-year low
Private equity investment in the Asia-Pacific region is increasingly flowing into advanced manufacturing and healthcare, as global uncertainties push investors towards businesses with more predictable cash flow, according to Bain & Co research. The move away from the previously dominant technology, media and telecommunications sector “has been a gradual move, driven by the external environment and uncertainties”, said Elsa Sit, practice vice-president in the Asia-Pacific private equity team with the global management consulting firm. “We see a shift towards … sectors that can offer more stable returns and more predictable…
3 Chinese EV makers raise prices – but analysts warn weak demand could force reversal
Xiaomi became the latest manufacturer to adjust pricing on March 19, announcing that its new-generation SU7 standard version would start at 219,900 yuan (US$31,800) – a 4,000 yuan increase over the previous model. Founder and CEO Lei Jun had attributed the rise to aggressive surges in supply chain component prices. The trend began earlier this month. On March 10, Chery’s Exeed brand said the high-end ET5 would see a 5,000 yuan price increase from March 21. A smart driving package previously offered for free would now cost an extra 5,000…
US panel credits China’s AI edge to open-source models, manufacturing dominance
China’s strategy of promoting open artificial intelligence (AI) models and leveraging manufacturing dominance is “mutually reinforcing”, forming a feedback loop that could challenge US dominance in AI, according to a new report by a US congressional advisory body. “It is the intersection of these two loops – one digital, one physical – that gives China’s open strategy its compounding force and poses the most serious long-term challenge to US AI leadership,” the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission wrote in its report. The two countries have diverged in their…