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1. As more nations block Grok for obscene content, calls for Asean-wide curbs mount

   The separate moves by three Southeast Asian countries to block the AI chatbot Grok over sexually explicit deepfake images are “emergency brakes” that analysts say may avert immediate harm, but they fall short of coordination at the regional level needed to curb the risks of manipulated artificial intelligence. On Friday, the Philippines said it was restricting access to Grok, following similar...

2. Hong Kong authorities may vet construction firm directors to strengthen oversight

   Hong Kong authorities may expand background checks on authorised persons in construction projects to cover company directors, the development chief has said, as the government moves to plug policy loopholes exposed by the Tai Po inferno. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho shared the possible policy direction on Wednesday, after experts noted earlier this month that government...

3. Chile’s president-elect picks Pinochet lawyers as ministers of human rights, defence

   Chile’s right-wing president-elect Jose Antonio Kast on Tuesday named two ex-lawyers of former dictator Augusto Pinochet to lead the ministries of defence and human rights when he takes office in March. Kast will be sworn in on March 11 as the first far-right head of state in Chile since the exit of Pinochet, whose brutal regime left deep scars on the South American nation. Pinochet led a...

4. Japan ex-PM Shinzo Abe’s killer Tetsuya Yamagami sentenced to life in prison

   The gunman charged with killing Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe was found guilty and jailed for life on Wednesday, more than three years after the broad-daylight assassination shocked the world. The slaying forced a reckoning in a country with little experience of gun violence and ignited scrutiny of alleged ties between prominent conservative lawmakers and a secretive sect, the...

5. Chinese rivals to Musk’s Starlink wrestle with rocket constraints

   Four Chinese groups are racing to build global satellite communications infrastructure to challenge the considerable head start made by US tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink. The two leaders for China so far are the central-government-backed GuoWang and Shanghai-backed Qianfan. They have the most satellites in orbit and plans to eventually deploy more than 10,000 apiece. Carmaker Geely’s...

6. US forces seize seventh sanctioned oil tanker linked to Venezuela

   US military forces boarded and took control of a seventh oil tanker connected with Venezuela on Tuesday, as part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to take control of the South American country’s oil. US Southern Command said in a social media post that US forces apprehended the Motor Vessel Sagitta “without incident” and that the tanker was operating in defiance of US President...

7. Chinese carmakers eye Western markets, China-EU dispute progress: 7 EV reads

   We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘Soft landing’: China, EU see progress in EV dispute with price floor option Beijing and Brussels last week announced a milestone in resolving their years-long trade dispute over...

8. Seoul warns North Korea’s nuclear weapons will soon go ‘abroad’, posing ‘global danger’

   North Korea is producing enough nuclear material a year for up to 20 weapons, South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday. The North carried out its first atomic test in 2006 in violation of UN resolutions and is now believed to possess dozens of nuclear warheads. “Even now, nuclear materials sufficient to produce 10 to 20 nuclear weapons a year are still being produced” in North...

9. Air Force One taking Trump to Davos turns around due to electrical issue

   US President Donald Trump’s plane, Air Force One, returned to Joint Base Andrews about an hour after departing for Switzerland on Tuesday evening. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the decision to return was made after takeoff when the crew aboard Air Force One identified “a minor electrical issue” and, out of an abundance of caution, decided to turn around. A reporter on board...

10. China is building world-first triad reactor system to power world-class chemical plant

    China plans to power a world-class petrochemical complex under construction with ultra-high-temperature steam from an unprecedented three-reactor nuclear system. The steam can reach up to 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 Fahrenheit) – high enough to break molecules apart. Located in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, the project combines two third-generation Hualong One pressurised water reactors with...