The federal government plans to award $150 million to Burke Law Group, a small Texas firm with Trump administration ties, to represent unaccompanied migrant children in custody, raising concerns from immigrant advocates over the firm's lack of relevant experience.
Hong Kong's Catholic diocese has advised its worshippers to avoid masses led by the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a conservative group excommunicated by the Vatican. This follows reports of an SSPX priest holding regular events in the city, with the diocese citing the group's rejection of Vatican II teachings and lack of communion with the Church.
Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has launched an AI-powered smart helmet for its food couriers, integrating a voice assistant and camera to enhance safety and efficiency. This initiative follows similar roll-outs by rivals Alibaba and Meituan, aiming to minimize distractions and improve navigation for riders.
Alibaba has made its next-generation flagship AI model, Qwen3.8-Max, widely accessible to global users ahead of an open-weights release. The 2.4-trillion-parameter, multimodal model supports agentic tasks and signals Alibaba's renewed focus on open-sourcing and competition with US AI labs.
A Chinese private firm, among others, invested in Indonesia in 2009 to secure nickel, crucial for stainless steel and advanced battery production, fostering deeper economic ties between China and Indonesia.
Local elections in Pakistan-administered Kashmir are underway, but face a boycott from the recently outlawed Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). The dispute centers on 12 regional assembly seats reserved for refugees from India-administered Kashmir, sparking protests and security concerns that have delayed voting in some areas.
The British government declared it 'stands ready 24/7 to defend itself' after Iran's foreign ministry and IRGC labeled the UK an 'accomplice' in the US war and threatened British bases used by the US as 'legitimate targets'. This follows US strikes launched from UK bases like RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia.
Alibaba Group Holding's mapping unit, Amap, has upgraded its ABot AI framework, which unifies a robot's core functions into a single system. The new framework features five specialized foundation AI models designed to overcome the industry's challenge of siloed, independently operating robot models.
Ant International, an affiliate of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, has raised approximately US$1.2 billion in a Series A funding round. The Singapore-based company, backed by Ant Group and Alibaba, plans to use the capital to accelerate global expansion and drive innovation in merchant payments and financial services.
The European Commission has fined e-commerce firm AliExpress for failing to diligently assess and mitigate systemic risks related to illegal, unsafe, and counterfeit products on its platform, violating the Digital Services Act. AliExpress, a subsidiary of Alibaba, has expressed surprise and disagreement with the "disproportionate" fine, vowing to appeal the decision.
Ant Digital Technologies, Alibaba's fintech affiliate, launched "Agentar 2.0," an upgraded AI agent platform featuring 200 digital expert templates. CEO Cyril Han Xinyi stated the platform aims to restructure enterprise workflows for collective productivity, moving beyond individual task acceleration.
Paul, a public-sector employee, faces job cuts due to AI integration, exacerbating his personal distress and career uncertainty. The article explores "Fobo" (fear of becoming obsolete) as a growing workplace anxiety and offers strategies like cultivating human skills, networking, and seeking supportive organizations to navigate AI's impact on the workforce.
Alibaba has previewed its Qwen3.8 AI model, claiming it's "second only" to Anthropic's Claude Fable 5 with 2.4 trillion parameters. This launch, coinciding with China's top AI summit, highlights the country's push to match US AI leaders.
Meite Siaka, a senior tax official and deputy mayor in Ivory Coast, is also the founding president of the Ivorian Federation of Chinese Martial Arts (FIAMC). He attributes the sport's popularity to Bruce Lee films and local television, resonating with working-class youth.
A Argentina, atual campeã, busca coroar a era Messi, enquanto a Espanha, com time jovem, aposta no 'tik taka' para seu 2º título. O confronto, inédito em finais, tem sabor de pendência após a cancelada Finalíssima.
Alibaba's T-Head open-sources its AI chip software stack to challenge Nvidia's CUDA dominance, aiming to boost developer adoption and China's tech self-sufficiency amid US-China rivalry.
J&K govt and University of Kashmir are reviewing books to remove 'controversial' or 'anti-national' material. This follows a row over books describing the region as 'India-occupied Kashmir' and calling Maqbool Bhat 'Shaheed'. Critics call the move 'deeply troubling' and 'unhistory'.
A Florida group home, All About Living Inc., faces a $100,000 lawsuit after a resident with autism and intellectual disability allegedly contracted "flesh-eating" bacteria from a bite wound, leading to the amputation of two fingers.
UBS analysts forecast strong June quarter results for Alibaba, citing improved e-commerce margins, reduced food delivery losses, and accelerated cloud growth. The market is expected to refocus on Alibaba's valuable AI assets, with AI model services projected to reach 10 billion yuan in annual recurring revenue.
Sterling Betancourt, a Trinidadian musician and MBE recipient, passed away at 96. He was a key figure in introducing steelpan music to the UK in 1951 at the Festival of Britain with the Taspo group. Despite initial skepticism and facing racism, Betancourt dedicated his life to popularizing steelpan music globally, becoming a revered teacher and instrument maker.
China is leveraging its manufacturing prowess to develop affordable, "good enough" AI models for mass adoption, mirroring strategies used for solar panels and EVs. This approach, utilizing open-weight models, shifts value creation to those who adapt the technology, potentially challenging US AI dominance.
Petróleo Brent e WTI sobem 2,6% com cotações a US$ 76,09 e US$ 72,25, respectivamente. Mercados asiáticos apresentam desempenho misto, com bolsas chinesas em alta impulsionadas por ações de tecnologia e IA, enquanto Tóquio, Seul e Austrália registram quedas.
Alibaba vice-president Qi Xiaoning stated that global tech firms, including those from the US, China, India, Brazil, and Europe, are collaborating on the open-standard RISC-V chip architecture despite US-China tech rivalry. He emphasized that this cooperation fosters friendship and trade.
French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Syria continues after two explosions near his Damascus hotel wounded 18 people. Macron was unharmed and proceeded with his meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
