China reconfigures its technology around exports, investment and consumption as pistons of its economic engine
The country is now poised to place big bets on technology. In late February, Beijing’s Haidian District – known as China’s Silicon Valley – pledged over 9 billion yuan ($1.3 billion) for industrial innovation this year. Leading AI model firm Zhipu AI and chip designer Moore Threads have been early bets for the district government – prime examples of China’s strategy to back up hard tech for the long haul.
How can we infect humans with a bat coronavirus? New evidence suggests Covid was a pre-conceived ‘weapon of mass destruction’
Researchers proposed modifying viral spike proteins – the part that latches onto host cells – to test whether bat viruses could bind more tightly to human receptors. They also explored changes to the viruses’ cleavage sites, molecular switches that allow them to unlock and enter cells more efficiently.
US gives nod to sale of 12,000 bombs to Israel as war with Iran sucks in more Middle East states
The United States and Israel launched massive attacks on Iran on February 28, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, multiple senior military commanders and hundreds of civilians. Iran has responded with multiple waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US assets across the region.
Sovereignty surrender: Kenya food security at risk as President Ruto lifts ban on GMOs, plans to privatise Kenya Seed Company
Neither UNHCR nor WFP ever made this commitment and refugees were not ready to stand up in their own defence.
Why China’s robotics industry is outpacing fellow industrialised nations and how the momentum creates opportunities for the world
Open-source datasets and motion-control frameworks further reduce industry entry barriers, enabling faster commercialization. At the Hangzhou Embodied Intelligence Pilot Base, this ecosystem approach is being formalised. Li Xingteng, deputy general manager of the base, said organisers are establishing academic, industrial and technical committees to align researchers, founders and chief technologists.
Crisis in Middle East shows that when the Internet goes dark, the truth goes with it
Nearly two years after clashes reignited, with 72,045 Palestinians killed according to local authorities, an independent UN commission of inquiry concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, a finding that the Israeli foreign ministry has dismissed as “distorted and false.”
Kenyan pharmacists warn of health threats posed by prescriptions by quacks
KPA President Chitechi Amboka echoed the enforcement-focused message, arguing that empowering professional associations to oversee members would resolve most of the sector’s challenges.
Tanzania’s migration to electric vehicle technology reflected in Chinese-built EV pick-ups
Amar Shangavi, founder and chief executive officer of JTP Auto, said the company deliberately chose to partner with Chinese manufacturers because of their global leadership in electric mobility. “China is leading in electric vehicle technology,” Shangavi said in a recent interview.
‘Dr Mike’ emerges as new anti-misinformation social media sensation and pro-vaccine doctors are liking it
Faust lamented the idea that Offit would ever have to feel he had to defend himself, because his work is so important – even if his mode of engagement is less likely to reach those who disagree with him.
Media investigations detail how regimes in US retain ‘digital goons’ to do dirty jobs
Hours after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis, the Trump administration was already working to shape the narrative. Official White House accounts flooded social media with clips of burning flags and clashes between locals and federal immigration agents, casting protesters – not the killing – as...
