TikTok owner ByteDance hires prominent talent from start-ups in long-term commitment to AI
ByteDance, the owner of TikTok and its Chinese sibling Douyin, is furthering plans to boost its research capabilities in large language models (LLMs), the...
Malaysia’s Starbucks operator posts US$8.8 million loss due to anti-Israel boycott
Berjaya Food Bhd., which operates the Starbucks coffee chain in Malaysia, posted a loss in the fourth quarter as consumer sentiment on the Middle...
Shanghai-based Art021 launches Hong Kong art fair with focus on Global South
An art fair with more than 1 billion yuan (US$140.3 million) in sales annually in mainland China has debuted in Hong Kong, with organisers...
China seeks to tap duty-free shopping potential, adds 21 urban shops amid tourism surge
China will make duty-free purchases more accessible in most major cities by adding 21 downtown shops, including in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, to boost spending...
Philippines VP Sara Duterte ‘goes on offensive’ in budget hearing. Did it work?
Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio was defiant while defending her office budget for next year, in a Tuesday hearing in the House of Representatives, refusing...
5-year-old accidentally smashes 3,500-year-old artefact during museum trip in Israel
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. On a visit to the Hecht Museum at the University of Haifa in Israel, a 5-year-old’s father was shocked...
Report outlines Xi’s push for fair competition and more ‘just’ global sports order
A state think tank has outlined the president’s vision for sport in China, saying it is driving a push for fair competition and a...
Defence lawyer warns against lengthy jail terms in Hong Kong’s landmark subversion trial
A veteran lawyer has warned against imposing lengthy jail sentences in Hong Kong’s first subversion trial, telling a court that such a move might...
The nuclear option: China study urges more weapons R&D to save Earth from asteroid strike
The best option to minimise the chance that an asteroid someday smashes into the Earth – possibly wiping out life – is through the...