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Does Lithuania’s Taiwan pause signal a wider European shift towards pragmatism?
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Does Lithuania’s Taiwan pause signal a wider European shift towards pragmatism?

Lithuania’s decision to suspend negotiations on an economic cooperation plan with Taiwan has cast fresh doubt over one of Taipei’s most celebrated foreign relations breakthroughs as the Baltic state’s incoming government seeks more pragmatic ties with Beijing. Lithuania’s foreign ministry said on Monday that negotiations on an economic cooperation action plan with Taiwan had been temporarily suspe...

China’s medical AI breaks ground as surgical robot wins EU approval, model tops benchmark
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China’s medical AI breaks ground as surgical robot wins EU approval, model tops benchmark

Medical AI from China has reached new milestones, with a teleoperated surgical robot gaining access to the European Union market and a clinical-grade model topping a major healthcare benchmark developed by OpenAI. Shanghai MicroPort MedBot said its Toumai Remote robot, which allowed surgeons to remotely conduct laparoscopic surgeries, had received the “CE mark” from the European Union, a mandatory...

City leader’s new national security powers will not affect appeals: justice minister
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City leader’s new national security powers will not affect appeals: justice minister

As Hong Kong marks the 29th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1, the South China Morning Post talks to the city’s senior officials about the administration’s achievements so far and what may lie ahead. A new piece of subsidiary legislation that allows Hong Kong’s leader to certify a case as involving national security is unlikely to affect appeals, as the reclassification will not ...

City leader’s new national security powers will not affect appeals: chief justice
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City leader’s new national security powers will not affect appeals: chief justice

As Hong Kong marks the 29th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1, the South China Morning Post talks to the city’s senior officials about the administration’s achievements so far and what may lie ahead. A new piece of subsidiary legislation that allows Hong Kong’s leader to certify a case as involving national security is unlikely to affect appeals, as the reclassification will not ...

Chief executive’s new national security powers will not affect appeal prospects

Chief executive’s new national security powers will not affect appeal prospects

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As Hong Kong marks the 29th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1, the South China Morning Post talks to the city’s senior officials about the administration’s achievements so far and what may lie ahead. A new piece of subsidiary legislation that allows Hong Kong’s leader to certify a case as involving national security is unlikely to affect appeals, as the reclassification will not ...

National security certification power won’t affect appeals: Hong Kong justice chief

National security certification power won’t affect appeals: Hong Kong justice chief

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As Hong Kong marks the 29th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1, the South China Morning Post talks to the city’s senior officials about the administration’s achievements so far and what may lie ahead. A new piece of subsidiary legislation that allows Hong Kong’s leader to certify a case as involving national security is unlikely to affect appeals, as the reclassification will not ...

Creditors push to sell 2 Hong Kong hotels amid banks’ drive to cut losses

Creditors push to sell 2 Hong Kong hotels amid banks’ drive to cut losses

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Receivers and agents of the Sheraton Hong Kong Tung Chung Hotel and the Four Points by Sheraton have expressed confidence in finally finding a buyer for the dual-branded complex – which together make up Hong Kong’s third-largest hotel by room count – as creditors move to dispose of the asset. Sole agent Savills is holding a formal tender that is expected to close on August 31 for the 1,219-room pr...

Creditors in aggressive push to sell 2 Hong Kong hotels amid banks’ drive to cut losses

Creditors in aggressive push to sell 2 Hong Kong hotels amid banks’ drive to cut losses

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Receivers and agents of the Sheraton Hong Kong Tung Chung Hotel and the Four Points by Sheraton have expressed confidence in finally finding a buyer for the dual-branded complex – which together make up Hong Kong’s third-largest hotel by room numbers – as creditors move to dispose of the asset. Sole agent Savills is holding a formal tender that is expected to close on August 31 for the 1,219-room ...

Kim says North Korea to arm navy with nuclear weapons, build bigger warships

Kim says North Korea to arm navy with nuclear weapons, build bigger warships

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said his country was “equipping the Navy with nuclear weapons,” state media reported Wednesday, as he also unveiled plans to build 10,000-ton (9,000-tonne) warships. The remarks came at the commissioning of the Choe Hyon – one of two 5,000-ton (4,500-tonne) class warships the nuclear-armed state launched last year – in the port city of Nampo on Tuesday, the official...

‘China Initiative 2.0’: US crackdown on Chinese scholars intensifies

‘China Initiative 2.0’: US crackdown on Chinese scholars intensifies

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Leading immigration lawyers and activists say the US government has intensified its crackdown on Chinese scientists and researchers – a campaign they argue is even more aggressive than the controversial “China Initiative” launched during US President Donald Trump’s first term. “I think now we are clearly in an era of China Initiative 2.0,” said Robert Fisher, a former Assistant US Attorney and a p...

Trains halted across Germany over communications failure

Trains halted across Germany over communications failure

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A problem with a communications system forced Germany’s railway network to halt all trains late Tuesday, leaving passengers stranded across the country. Trains were held at stations and would-be travellers stood in long queues at information desks as they tried to figure out how to get to their destinations. The main national railway operator, Deutsche Bahn, said shortly before 1am – nearly 2½ hou...

Trains stopped across Germany over technical glitch

Trains stopped across Germany over technical glitch

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A problem with a communications system forced Germany’s railway system to halt all trains late Tuesday, leaving passengers stranded across the country. The main national railway operator, Deutsche Bahn, said all trains were being held at stations because of a nationwide problem with the GSM-R digital communication system, which is used for internal communication on the railway network. Deutsche Ba...

US Anthropic ban is best advert for Chinese AI

US Anthropic ban is best advert for Chinese AI

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Bankers working for JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong must have been miffed when they were shut off from using artificial intelligence (AI) models from Anthropic, a pioneering American firm in the field. Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase pulled the plug in April and last week respectively, based on a strict interpretation of Anthropic’s terms of use, which reflect Washington’s stringent...

US stocks slide, as Wall Street gets AI wake-up call

US stocks slide, as Wall Street gets AI wake-up call

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Wall Street got a reality check as a bruising sell-off in several technology giants fuelled concern the artificial intelligence frenzy that has powered the equity bull market might be overblown. The tech rout engulfed global stocks as worries about frothy valuations ignited a fresh bout of volatility after a nearly three-month surge in riskier assets. The S&P fell 1.4 per cent. The benchmark index...

Alibaba sues Pentagon over China military blacklist

Alibaba sues Pentagon over China military blacklist

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Chinese technology and e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding has sued the US Department of Defence, seeking to be removed from a blacklist of companies deemed to support China’s military. In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday in a district court in San Jose, California, the Hangzhou-based company said the Pentagon had added Alibaba to a list of companies that allegedly aid the People’s Liberation Army wi...

US targets Cuba mining sector in move with implications for China-linked supply chains

US targets Cuba mining sector in move with implications for China-linked supply chains

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The Trump administration expanded its sanctions campaign against Cuba on Tuesday, targeting a state-owned mining company and other key economic entities in a move that comes as Washington seeks to build alternative supply chains for critical minerals and reduce reliance on geopolitical rivals. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against five entities and one individual, including...

Rastafarian man can’t sue prison guards who shaved him bald, US Supreme Court says

Rastafarian man can’t sue prison guards who shaved him bald, US Supreme Court says

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The US Supreme Court refused on Tuesday to let a Rastafarian man sue state prison officials in Louisiana after guards held him down and shaved him bald in violation of his religious beliefs in a case brought under a federal law protecting incarcerated people from religious discrimination. The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling powered by its conservative majority, upheld a lower court’s decision to di...

Ransom note says Nancy Guthrie is dead, prompting plea from daughter Samantha

Ransom note says Nancy Guthrie is dead, prompting plea from daughter Samantha

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Today show host Savannah Guthrie made an emotional appeal to viewers on Tuesday to come forward with any information about her missing mother, a day after news organisations said a ransom note received months ago had indicated that she was dead. “We are in agony, and we cannot be at peace … We love our mum. We’ll never stop looking for her,” Guthrie said at the Today desk in New York, holding a ti...

Pummelled by Ukraine, Russia says US hasn’t delivered on Trump-Putin ‘understandings’

Pummelled by Ukraine, Russia says US hasn’t delivered on Trump-Putin ‘understandings’

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Russia has accused the ⁠US of failing to deliver on “understandings” reached between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at a summit in Alaska last August, a shift that suggests growing frustration in Moscow. In the space of three days, three senior Russian officials have said, without providing specifics, that Washington has not followed through. Their comments follow an intensification of...

Trump touts Iran inspection deal as Tehran disputes claim

Trump touts Iran inspection deal as Tehran disputes claim

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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday insisted that Iran has agreed to “highest level” nuclear inspections even as Iranian officials disputed his claim, exposing how much remains contested even with a tentative agreement in place. “Despite their protestations and false statements to the contrary … Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infini...

Trump touts Iran inspection deal as Tehran disputes terms

Trump touts Iran inspection deal as Tehran disputes terms

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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday insisted that Iran has agreed to “highest level” nuclear inspections even as Iranian officials disputed his claim, exposing how much remains contested even with a tentative agreement in place. “Despite their protestations and false statements to the contrary … Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infini...

Return to the top: China’s LineShine beats US El Capitan in Top500 supercomputer rankings

Return to the top: China’s LineShine beats US El Capitan in Top500 supercomputer rankings

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China has reclaimed the world’s fastest supercomputer crown for the first time since 2017, according to the latest TOP500 rankings released at the International Supercomputing Conference in Hamburg, Germany, on Tuesday. LineShine, built by the National Supercomputing Centre in Shenzhen, achieved 2.198 exaflops of performance – nearly 2.2 quintillion calculations per second – surpassing the previou...

Construction stands to get an AI boost

Construction stands to get an AI boost

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[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Hong Kong’s construction industry and the broader building sector will be presented with a range of AI systems and robotics capable of automating parts of building sites and improving worker safety and efficiency when the Construction Industry Council (CIC) hosts a new industry event this week. Scheduled for June 24 and 25...

Australian town crier crowned as world’s loudest person, at 122.4 decibels

Australian town crier crowned as world’s loudest person, at 122.4 decibels

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Joseph McGrail-Bateup, an Australian professional air conditioner cleaner and honorary town crier, has been recognised as the world’s loudest person. Guinness World Records last week acknowledged the 58-year-old Canberra resident recorded the loudest ever shout by an individual. He yelled “now” at 122.4 decibels. That broke the previous record of 121.7 dB set by Northern Ireland teacher Annalisa F...

American envoy in Hong Kong upbeat on US-China ties, aims to engage city officials

American envoy in Hong Kong upbeat on US-China ties, aims to engage city officials

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The United States’ top envoy in Hong Kong has expressed optimism about US-China relations and pledged to continue seeking pragmatic and constructive ways to engage with the city’s officials. US Consul General Julie Eadeh made the remarks at her first media briefing since assuming the post last August, held during an American Independence Day event on Tuesday. The reception, marking the 250th anniv...

Will Andy Burnham shake up the UK’s China policy if he becomes prime minister?

Will Andy Burnham shake up the UK’s China policy if he becomes prime minister?

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s likely replacement could continue the outgoing leader’s pragmatic approach towards China, though addressing economic challenges at home would remain the most immediate priority, observers say. Clearing the way for the selection of the UK’s seventh prime minister in a decade, Starmer announced on Monday his intention to step down, succumbing to mounting pressur...

Russia considers fuel imports amid Ukraine’s strikes on refineries: newspaper

Russia considers fuel imports amid Ukraine’s strikes on refineries: newspaper

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Russia is considering fuel imports ‌and corresponding subsidies to cap prices as ways to mitigate supply disruptions of petrol and diesel caused by Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries, Vedomosti daily reported on Tuesday, citing two unnamed sources. Numerous regions across Russia, the world’s third-largest crude oil producer, have reported restrictions on fuel sales, rising prices of oil products ...

What fuels global trade imbalances: China’s overcapacity or America’s failure to adapt?

What fuels global trade imbalances: China’s overcapacity or America’s failure to adapt?

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China’s industrial overcapacity should not be singled out for blame amid trade imbalances, as economies worldwide are struggling to adapt to shifts in the global economy, contributing to mounting pressures, a prominent Chinese scholar said in comments directed at the United States. “The reason why our imbalance is becoming a bigger problem is that the rest of the world is having a bigger problem i...

Ex-Chinese official’s son remanded in Hong Kong over HK$64m money laundering case

Ex-Chinese official’s son remanded in Hong Kong over HK$64m money laundering case

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The son of a former mainland Chinese official has been remanded in custody in Hong Kong pending sentence for laundering more than HK$64 million, including a 4 million yuan bribe his father allegedly sought from a merchant a decade ago. Xiao Rui, 37, will also face criminal sanctions for using bogus bank records to deceive the Immigration Department into granting him the right of abode in Hong Kong...