Chatbot dreams drive frenzied tech rally in China

Investors are piling into China's tech, media and telecom shares, with speculative bets on chatbot development crowding out other sectors in a scenario that offers a stark contrast with global caution. Mainland China computer, communications equipment and media indexes have surged between 29 per cent and 35 per cent this year, outstripping a rise of just 3.5 per...

Bangladesh must work with neighbours to cut pollution, says World Bank

Bangladesh needs better coordination with neighbouring South Asian countries in its quest for cleaner air, a World Bank report said on Tuesday (March 28). Air pollution, which can comprise a mixture of solid particles, liquid droplets and gases, is causing about 20 per cent of the total number of premature deaths in Bangladesh, the World Bank...

King Charles politely refuses surprise coronation with a Burger King crown from fan

King Charles politely refused the offer of a surprise coronation when a fan tried to give him a paper Burger King crown on his state visit to Germany. The 74-year-old monarch, who is not due to be crowned in the UK until May 6, was with his wife Queen Consort Camilla, 75, on Wednesday (March 29) when...

Daily Mail publisher urges UK court to reject lawsuit by Harry, Elton John

The High Court in London should throw out a lawsuit brought by Britain's Prince Harry and other individuals alleging phone-hacking and other privacy breaches by The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday (March 26) as the claims come "too late", the lawyer for the tabloids' publisher said on Wednesday. Harry, the singer Elton John and five...

Alibaba to break up empire into 6 units as Jack Ma returns home

Alibaba Group is planning to split into six units and explore fundraisings or listings for most of them, it said on Tuesday (March 28), in a major revamp as China vows to ease a sweeping regulatory crackdown and support its private enterprises. The US-listed shares of the Chinese e-commerce conglomerate, which have lost nearly 70 per cent...

UN urges North Korea to confirm fate of forcibly disappeared people

The United Nations Human Rights office in Seoul called on North Korea on Tuesday (March 28) to confirm the fate and whereabouts of people who have been disappeared under its regime, accusing Pyongyang of violating the rights of the victims and their loved ones for decades. In a report on enforced disappearance and abductions by North...

Nashville school shooter had ’emotional disorder’ and small arsenal, police say

The former student of a Christian grade school in Nashville who killed three nine-year-olds and three adults in a shooting spree there was under a doctor's care for an "emotional disorder" and had amassed a collection of guns, the city's police chief said on Tuesday (March 28). New details about assailant Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, emerged...

Prince Harry, Elton John appear at UK court in privacy lawsuit

Britain's Prince Harry and singer Elton John made a surprise appearance at London's High Court on Monday (March 27) as they and five others began a lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail paper over years of alleged phone-tapping and privacy breaches. Harry, the youngest son of King Charles, has brought a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers (ANL),...

Sharks, tourists jostle for space around Thailand’s Maya Bay

On any given day in Thailand's Maya Bay, up to 40 blacktip reef sharks cruise in the cyan shallows while about 4,000 tourists visit its white-sand beach flanked by towering cliffs. Shark numbers have improved since almost every last one was driven from the bay by the influx of tour boats and tourists keen to see...

Alibaba founder Jack Ma returns to China, ending year-long sojourn abroad: SCMP

Alibaba founder Jack Ma has returned to China, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Monday (March 27), ending a more than year-long sojourn overseas that was viewed by industry as reflecting the sober mood of China's private businesses. Ma, one of China's best known entrepreneurs, left mainland China in late 2021 and has been...