Falling in love with a chatbot is now off limits for kids in China

China has banned emotional AI relationships involving minors as regulators try to curb chatbot dependency and address the country’s record low birthrate.

Abu Dhabi already runs its government on AI
Abu Dhabi already runs its government on AI

While the West argues over how to regulate AI, Abu Dhabi has quietly built an AI-native government. In the UAE capital, a single app already renews your ID, books your doctor, and pays your parking fine, sometimes before you ask. Most governments are s…

China’s electric taxis are blunting the Hormuz oil shock, but only at the margins
China’s electric taxis are blunting the Hormuz oil shock, but only at the margins

China’s crude oil imports fell 41.3% in June from a year earlier to 29.27 million tonnes, the lowest monthly total since October 2016, according to customs data released on 14 July. Five months into the Strait of Hormuz crisis, Beijing is buying less o…

DeepSeek reportedly in talks to raise $1.5B, then IPO

DeepSeek, the Chinese large language model developer, is said to be preparing for a 2027 IPO debut as it also looks to raise around $1.5 billion in new funds at a $71 billion valuation.

‘Listing is a must’: China’s LimX raises $200m as the humanoid IPO race heats up
‘Listing is a must’: China’s LimX raises $200m as the humanoid IPO race heats up

China’s humanoid gold rush just minted another contender. LimX Dynamics has raised $200m at a $2.21bn valuation. And its founder says the race to list has become do-or-die. A Shenzhen humanoid startup has become the latest name in China’s robot boom to…

Seoul court suspends the order making Coupang’s founder its controlling person
Seoul court suspends the order making Coupang’s founder its controlling person

Coupang has won the first round of its fight with South Korea’s competition regulator. The Seoul High Court on Tuesday suspended the Fair Trade Commission’s decision to name founder Bom Kim as the e-commerce group’s controlling figure, freezing the dis…

China smartphone shipments fall for a fifth quarter as memory costs bite
China smartphone shipments fall for a fifth quarter as memory costs bite

For the fifth quarter running, fewer phones left Chinese warehouses than a year earlier. Shipments fell 4.3% to 66 million units in the second quarter, according to figures published on Tuesday by IDC, as manufacturers raised prices to cover the rising…

Decoupling from China would cost the West $23.6tn
Decoupling from China would cost the West $23.6tn

Cutting the West’s reliance on China would carry a staggering price. A new study puts the cost of decoupling from China at $23.6tn over 25 years, and warns the bill would land hardest on the industries building Europe’s tech future. The West has spent …

A $5M startup claims rare earth-free electric motor breakthrough
A $5M startup claims rare earth-free electric motor breakthrough

A Bengaluru startup called Vimag Labs just secured its fifth Indian patent for an electric motor that runs without any rare-earth magnets, using software and power electronics to generate its magnetic field instead.
It’s a small, $5-million company tak…

Shein is set for its Hong Kong listing hearing on Thursday
Shein is set for its Hong Kong listing hearing on Thursday

Shein is scheduled to face the Hong Kong stock exchange’s listing committee on Thursday, Reuters reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. It is the final procedural gate before the fast-fashion group, which has spent three years and …