Knife attacker in Germany kills 2, including child
By Agence France-Presse
A 41-year-old man and a two-year-old boy were killed and two other people severely wounded in a knife attack in the German city of Aschaffenburg on Wednesday, police said.
A 28-year-old man from Afghanistan was arrested close to the crime scene, they said on social media platform X, without indicating a motive.
The stabbings happened in a public park in the centre of the Bavarian city at around 11.45am.
“Two people were fatally injured,” police said, while “two seriously injured people are receiving treatment in hospital.
“The suspect was arrested in the immediate vicinity of the crime scene.”
A second person arrested was a witness and was being questioned, police said
“There are no indications of other suspects” and no further danger to the public, police said.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Agence France-Presse
A 41-year-old man and a two-year-old boy were killed and two other people severely wounded in a knife attack in the German city of Aschaffenburg on Wednesday, police said.
A 28-year-old man from Afghanistan was arrested close to the crime scene, they said on social media platform X, without indicating a motive.
The stabbings happened in a public park in the centre of the Bavarian city at around 11.45am.
“Two people were fatally injured,” police said, while “two seriously injured people are receiving treatment in hospital.
“The suspect was arrested in the immediate vicinity of the crime scene.”
A second person arrested was a witness and was being questioned, police said
“There are no indications of other suspects” and no further danger to the public, police said.
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Chen Jing, award-winning computer scientist and blockchain expert, returns to China from US
著名区块链研究者陈静已离开美国，加入北京清华大学担任全职教授。她表示将利用自己在学术界和行业的双重视角，推动中国的计算经济学发展。清华大学在周二的公告中提到，陈静希望填补国内研究的空白，并发展前沿理论，以提升中国的区块链技术。
陈静于去年回国，之前在美国生活了15年。她在清华大学获得计算机科学学士和硕士学位后，又在麻省理工学院获得博士学位，师从图灵奖得主Silvio Micali。她表示，回国的原因是希望将自己的研究经验分享给中国的学生，并利用国际影响力支持清华大学及其计算机科学系的发展。
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著名区块链研究者陈静已离开美国，加入北京清华大学担任全职教授。她表示将利用自己在学术界和行业的双重视角，推动中国的计算经济学发展。清华大学在周二的公告中提到，陈静希望填补国内研究的空白，并发展前沿理论，以提升中国的区块链技术。
陈静于去年回国，之前在美国生活了15年。她在清华大学获得计算机科学学士和硕士学位后，又在麻省理工学院获得博士学位，师从图灵奖得主Silvio Micali。她表示，回国的原因是希望将自己的研究经验分享给中国的学生，并利用国际影响力支持清华大学及其计算机科学系的发展。
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Hong Kong’s Octopus to hand out HK$68.8 million in lai see, deals
香港的电子支付服务提供商八达通正在推出6800万港元（约合880万美元）的红包和优惠，以刺激农历新年期间的消费。该公司周三宣布，将发放888万港元的虚拟红包，并与二十多家商户合作，提供总价值6000万港元的优惠，从1月27日至2月28日进行促销活动。
此次活动是八达通针对农历新年的最大规模促销，旨在应对经济疲软和越来越多香港人前往中国大陆购物用餐的趋势。八达通市场营销、传播和数据总监贾斯琳·高表示，预期此次活动将使交易金额增长30%至50%。她强调，这一活动的目标是鼓励本地消费，同时也为节庆期间的消费带来积极影响。
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香港的电子支付服务提供商八达通正在推出6800万港元（约合880万美元）的红包和优惠，以刺激农历新年期间的消费。该公司周三宣布，将发放888万港元的虚拟红包，并与二十多家商户合作，提供总价值6000万港元的优惠，从1月27日至2月28日进行促销活动。
此次活动是八达通针对农历新年的最大规模促销，旨在应对经济疲软和越来越多香港人前往中国大陆购物用餐的趋势。八达通市场营销、传播和数据总监贾斯琳·高表示，预期此次活动将使交易金额增长30%至50%。她强调，这一活动的目标是鼓励本地消费，同时也为节庆期间的消费带来积极影响。
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Hong Kong bakery receives warning after staff clean shelf with floor mop
By Danny Mok
Hong Kong’s food hygiene authorities have issued a warning to a local bakery after some of its staff were shown cleaning a shelf with a floor mop in a viral online photo.
Images widely shared on social media show two female employees at a bakery in the Tsz Wan Shan Shopping Centre using the floor mop to wipe a shelf with no items on it.
The pictures also show a nearby mop bucket on the floor, while some packaged pastries and festive items can be seen on an upper shelf. It was unclear if the mop had previously touched the ground.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said on Wednesday that it had received five complaints over the incident, and said it would review the provided information and consider prosecution if there was sufficient evidence.
The department added that its personnel also visited the shop in the morning but found it had temporarily closed for cleaning.
“We have issued a verbal warning to the person in charge and provided hygiene education, reminding them to always maintain food, personal and environmental hygiene,” a spokesman said.
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By Danny Mok
Hong Kong’s food hygiene authorities have issued a warning to a local bakery after some of its staff were shown cleaning a shelf with a floor mop in a viral online photo.
Images widely shared on social media show two female employees at a bakery in the Tsz Wan Shan Shopping Centre using the floor mop to wipe a shelf with no items on it.
The pictures also show a nearby mop bucket on the floor, while some packaged pastries and festive items can be seen on an upper shelf. It was unclear if the mop had previously touched the ground.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said on Wednesday that it had received five complaints over the incident, and said it would review the provided information and consider prosecution if there was sufficient evidence.
The department added that its personnel also visited the shop in the morning but found it had temporarily closed for cleaning.
“We have issued a verbal warning to the person in charge and provided hygiene education, reminding them to always maintain food, personal and environmental hygiene,” a spokesman said.
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Will Trump succeed in containing China – or fuel its rise?
By Jeffrey Wu
History was made at Donald Trump’s inauguration when China’s Vice-President Han Zheng became the first senior Chinese leader to attend a US presidential inauguration. While the invitation by the new administration is seen as a sign of a thaw in the strained relationship between the two superpowers, it comes against a backdrop of deep economic and geopolitical tensions.
Joe Biden has handed over a US-China relationship marked by years of conflict – trade wars, blacklists and sanctions, all aimed at curbing China’s rise. Yet the effectiveness of these measures remains hotly debated. Have they hindered China’s growth or fuelled its ability to adapt and thrive in a multipolar world?
Consider the recent addition of Tencent and Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL) to a Pentagon blacklist. While this blacklisting, unlike sanctions, does not impose direct restrictions, it still signals political scrutiny and raises reputational risks for these companies.
Tencent, the world’s largest gaming company, controls an estimated 17 per cent of the over US$200 billion global gaming market, deriving over 25 per cent of its gaming revenue from overseas. CATL supplies as much as 37 per cent of the world’s electric vehicle (EV) batteries to carmakers such as Tesla and Volkswagen. Tencent and CATL anchor industries that define the 21st century: digital infrastructure and renewable energy.
While the blacklisting does not immediately impede their operations, it underscores intensifying US-China economic tensions, where the lines between competition, security and strategy are growing increasingly blurred.
In 2011, when the US barred China from the International Space Station through the Wolf Amendment, it sought to stifle Beijing’s space ambitions. Instead, it spurred China’s push for self-reliance, culminating in the Tiangong space station. Recently, Chinese astronauts achieved a breakthrough in producing industrial-grade niobium-silicon alloy, a development with transformative potential for aerospace technology.
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By Jeffrey Wu
History was made at Donald Trump’s inauguration when China’s Vice-President Han Zheng became the first senior Chinese leader to attend a US presidential inauguration. While the invitation by the new administration is seen as a sign of a thaw in the strained relationship between the two superpowers, it comes against a backdrop of deep economic and geopolitical tensions.
Joe Biden has handed over a US-China relationship marked by years of conflict – trade wars, blacklists and sanctions, all aimed at curbing China’s rise. Yet the effectiveness of these measures remains hotly debated. Have they hindered China’s growth or fuelled its ability to adapt and thrive in a multipolar world?
Consider the recent addition of Tencent and Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL) to a Pentagon blacklist. While this blacklisting, unlike sanctions, does not impose direct restrictions, it still signals political scrutiny and raises reputational risks for these companies.
Tencent, the world’s largest gaming company, controls an estimated 17 per cent of the over US$200 billion global gaming market, deriving over 25 per cent of its gaming revenue from overseas. CATL supplies as much as 37 per cent of the world’s electric vehicle (EV) batteries to carmakers such as Tesla and Volkswagen. Tencent and CATL anchor industries that define the 21st century: digital infrastructure and renewable energy.
While the blacklisting does not immediately impede their operations, it underscores intensifying US-China economic tensions, where the lines between competition, security and strategy are growing increasingly blurred.
In 2011, when the US barred China from the International Space Station through the Wolf Amendment, it sought to stifle Beijing’s space ambitions. Instead, it spurred China’s push for self-reliance, culminating in the Tiangong space station. Recently, Chinese astronauts achieved a breakthrough in producing industrial-grade niobium-silicon alloy, a development with transformative potential for aerospace technology.
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Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai admits to urging US to revoke visas of officials’ children
By Brian Wong
Former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has admitted to aggressively urging the United States to revoke visas granted to the children of Chinese officials as part of his push for Western sanctions before the national security law took effect in Hong Kong.
Lai told West Kowloon Court on Wednesday that he had suggested retaliatory measures against the overseas family members of those in power in Beijing and Hong Kong, an idea he earlier attributed to an American official, in a New York Times article published in May 2020.
On the 31st day of Lai’s verbal testimony in his marathon national security trial, prosecutors questioned him about his overseas political connections and attitude towards Western sanctions before Beijing imposed the national security law in June 2020.
The 77-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid newspaper has denied two conspiracy charges of collusion with foreign forces and a third count of conspiracy to print and distribute seditious publications.
The court earlier heard that the idea of sanctioning the children of mainland Chinese and Hong Kong officials was first proposed to Lai by Mary Kissel, an assistant to then US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, when the former media owner visited Washington in July 2019.
Lai appeared to incorporate the advice in an unpublished article dated August of that year, in which he said America could help Hong Kong by “denying student visas for children of leaders of Hong Kong and [Communist Party of China] who crack down on us”.
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By Brian Wong
Former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has admitted to aggressively urging the United States to revoke visas granted to the children of Chinese officials as part of his push for Western sanctions before the national security law took effect in Hong Kong.
Lai told West Kowloon Court on Wednesday that he had suggested retaliatory measures against the overseas family members of those in power in Beijing and Hong Kong, an idea he earlier attributed to an American official, in a New York Times article published in May 2020.
On the 31st day of Lai’s verbal testimony in his marathon national security trial, prosecutors questioned him about his overseas political connections and attitude towards Western sanctions before Beijing imposed the national security law in June 2020.
The 77-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid newspaper has denied two conspiracy charges of collusion with foreign forces and a third count of conspiracy to print and distribute seditious publications.
The court earlier heard that the idea of sanctioning the children of mainland Chinese and Hong Kong officials was first proposed to Lai by Mary Kissel, an assistant to then US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, when the former media owner visited Washington in July 2019.
Lai appeared to incorporate the advice in an unpublished article dated August of that year, in which he said America could help Hong Kong by “denying student visas for children of leaders of Hong Kong and [Communist Party of China] who crack down on us”.
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The PLA is building a fleet of barges with Taiwan in mind, analysts say
By Amber Wang
New barges being built in China could strengthen the amphibious capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army against Taiwan and other targets by enabling faster landings, according to analysts.
“At least three” of the barges are under construction, defence website Naval News reported earlier this month citing multiple sources.
The vessels are said to be equipped with ramps that can extend more than 120 metres (over 390 feet) from the front of the barge. They could be used to reach a coastal road or hard surface beyond a beach to deliver equipment such as tanks.
In a follow-up report last week citing recent satellite images, the Financial Times said six such vessels were being built at state-owned Guangzhou Shipyard International in southern China.
Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, sad the barges were likely to be part of the PLA strategy on Taiwan.
“Certainly whilst these barges could be used to support other amphibious operations – for example to seize territory in the South China Sea – it is more likely they are being acquired to support the invasion of Taiwan,” Davis said.
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By Amber Wang
New barges being built in China could strengthen the amphibious capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army against Taiwan and other targets by enabling faster landings, according to analysts.
“At least three” of the barges are under construction, defence website Naval News reported earlier this month citing multiple sources.
The vessels are said to be equipped with ramps that can extend more than 120 metres (over 390 feet) from the front of the barge. They could be used to reach a coastal road or hard surface beyond a beach to deliver equipment such as tanks.
In a follow-up report last week citing recent satellite images, the Financial Times said six such vessels were being built at state-owned Guangzhou Shipyard International in southern China.
Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, sad the barges were likely to be part of the PLA strategy on Taiwan.
“Certainly whilst these barges could be used to support other amphibious operations – for example to seize territory in the South China Sea – it is more likely they are being acquired to support the invasion of Taiwan,” Davis said.
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Hong Kong needs total ban on flavoured cigarettes, anti-smoking group says
香港反烟草组织呼吁全面禁止香味香烟。一项调查显示，近90%的年轻女性吸烟者选择了这种特别上瘾的产品。香港吸烟与健康委员会及香港大学医学院的研究人员在周三敦促当局尽快实施这一禁令。
委员会主席唐秀才表示：“香味烟草被宣传为‘更健康’，特别是针对年轻人和女性。”此次提议的禁令还将涵盖薄荷味产品以及任何可以为香烟添加香味的配件。去年六月，卫生当局提出的十项短期措施中就包括禁止香味香烟，旨在将香港的吸烟率从2023年的9.1%降低到2025年的7.8%。这些措施有望在今年年底前获得立法机构的批准。
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香港反烟草组织呼吁全面禁止香味香烟。一项调查显示，近90%的年轻女性吸烟者选择了这种特别上瘾的产品。香港吸烟与健康委员会及香港大学医学院的研究人员在周三敦促当局尽快实施这一禁令。
委员会主席唐秀才表示：“香味烟草被宣传为‘更健康’，特别是针对年轻人和女性。”此次提议的禁令还将涵盖薄荷味产品以及任何可以为香烟添加香味的配件。去年六月，卫生当局提出的十项短期措施中就包括禁止香味香烟，旨在将香港的吸烟率从2023年的9.1%降低到2025年的7.8%。这些措施有望在今年年底前获得立法机构的批准。
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Lion mauls Pakistani man who was filming TikTok video
在巴基斯坦，一名男子在私人繁育设施内拍摄TikTok视频时遭到狮子袭击，警方已对此事件展开调查。这一事件引发了公众对安全和动物福利的广泛关注，警方已对繁育场的所有者提起诉讼，指控其危害他人生命。
袭击发生在东部城市拉合尔，社交媒体爱好者在进入狮子笼拍摄视频时遭到攻击。尽管该男子受了重伤，但目前情况稳定。巴基斯坦旁遮普省有超过100个私人繁育场，省政府正在修订有关在家庭和商业目的下饲养大型猫科动物的法律，以加强对动物的保护和管理。
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在巴基斯坦，一名男子在私人繁育设施内拍摄TikTok视频时遭到狮子袭击，警方已对此事件展开调查。这一事件引发了公众对安全和动物福利的广泛关注，警方已对繁育场的所有者提起诉讼，指控其危害他人生命。
袭击发生在东部城市拉合尔，社交媒体爱好者在进入狮子笼拍摄视频时遭到攻击。尽管该男子受了重伤，但目前情况稳定。巴基斯坦旁遮普省有超过100个私人繁育场，省政府正在修订有关在家庭和商业目的下饲养大型猫科动物的法律，以加强对动物的保护和管理。
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Rupert Murdoch’s UK news group apologises to Prince Harry
By Associated Press
Rupert Murdoch’s UK tabloids made a rare apology to Prince Harry in settling his privacy invasion lawsuit and will pay him a substantial sum, his lawyer said on Wednesday.
News Group Newspapers offered a “full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun”, lawyer David Sherborne read from settlement statement in court.
It was the first time News Group Newspapers has acknowledged wrongdoing at The Sun, a paper once known for featuring topless women on page three.
The statement itself was remarkable in breadth, acknowledging “phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators” aimed at Harry, allegations NGN had strongly denied before trial.
The statement even went beyond the scope of the lawsuit to acknowledge intruding on the life of his mother, the late Princess Diana.
“We acknowledge and apologise for the distress caused to the duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him substantial damages,” the settlement statement said.
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By Associated Press
Rupert Murdoch’s UK tabloids made a rare apology to Prince Harry in settling his privacy invasion lawsuit and will pay him a substantial sum, his lawyer said on Wednesday.
News Group Newspapers offered a “full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun”, lawyer David Sherborne read from settlement statement in court.
It was the first time News Group Newspapers has acknowledged wrongdoing at The Sun, a paper once known for featuring topless women on page three.
The statement itself was remarkable in breadth, acknowledging “phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators” aimed at Harry, allegations NGN had strongly denied before trial.
The statement even went beyond the scope of the lawsuit to acknowledge intruding on the life of his mother, the late Princess Diana.
“We acknowledge and apologise for the distress caused to the duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him substantial damages,” the settlement statement said.
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Tencent ramps up global AI efforts with roll-out of advanced Hunyuan 3D-generation system
Tencent Holdings推出了基于其人工智能基础模型Hunyuan的更新版3D生成系统，预计将显著提高视频游戏开发者制作三维内容的效率，从几天缩短至几分钟。这一开源平台Hunyuan3D 2.0能够生成高分辨率、纹理丰富的3D资产，旨在为开发者提供更便捷的工具。
该系统包含两个基础组件：形状生成模型Hunyuan3D-DiT和纹理合成模型Hunyuan3D-Paint。此外，腾讯还推出了Hunyuan3D Studio，称其为“行业首个一站式平台”，简化了使用AI重建3D内容的过程，适用于专业和业余用户，方便他们对创作进行修改或动画处理。
腾讯Hunyuan3D团队负责人郭春超表示，这些更新的3D生成模型和AI生产平台将“有效降低爱好者、开发者和创作者的入门门槛”。他补充道，除了提高效率外，这些产品还将“帮助实现3D AI模型在各个行业的价值”。
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Tencent Holdings推出了基于其人工智能基础模型Hunyuan的更新版3D生成系统，预计将显著提高视频游戏开发者制作三维内容的效率，从几天缩短至几分钟。这一开源平台Hunyuan3D 2.0能够生成高分辨率、纹理丰富的3D资产，旨在为开发者提供更便捷的工具。
该系统包含两个基础组件：形状生成模型Hunyuan3D-DiT和纹理合成模型Hunyuan3D-Paint。此外，腾讯还推出了Hunyuan3D Studio，称其为“行业首个一站式平台”，简化了使用AI重建3D内容的过程，适用于专业和业余用户，方便他们对创作进行修改或动画处理。
腾讯Hunyuan3D团队负责人郭春超表示，这些更新的3D生成模型和AI生产平台将“有效降低爱好者、开发者和创作者的入门门槛”。他补充道，除了提高效率外，这些产品还将“帮助实现3D AI模型在各个行业的价值”。
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South Korea’s Yoon in spotlight again over soldiers praising him at birthday event
南韩被弹劾总统尹锡悦在2023年生日庆祝活动中受到新一轮审查。在此次活动中，士兵们被迫唱歌、跳舞并赞美尹总统。事件引发了公众对军队与政治之间关系的广泛关注。
据媒体报道，前国防部长金勇贤指示数十名军事人员参与原本是为纪念总统警卫服务60周年的娱乐节目，但该活动在尹锡悦的生日当天举行。军事人员在活动中用改编歌词为尹总统献唱，甚至进行了敬礼的表演。参与活动的警察也被命令出席这一庆祝活动，而总统警卫服务处则未对此事件给予确认，称该机构的活动属于机密。
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南韩被弹劾总统尹锡悦在2023年生日庆祝活动中受到新一轮审查。在此次活动中，士兵们被迫唱歌、跳舞并赞美尹总统。事件引发了公众对军队与政治之间关系的广泛关注。
据媒体报道，前国防部长金勇贤指示数十名军事人员参与原本是为纪念总统警卫服务60周年的娱乐节目，但该活动在尹锡悦的生日当天举行。军事人员在活动中用改编歌词为尹总统献唱，甚至进行了敬礼的表演。参与活动的警察也被命令出席这一庆祝活动，而总统警卫服务处则未对此事件给予确认，称该机构的活动属于机密。
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Indian hotel chain’s married couples-only room policy sparks personal freedom debate
By Amy Sood
A new policy by a hospitality chain in India requiring couples to prove their marriage to check into its hotels in the northwestern city of Meerut has sparked a fierce debate over conservative values encroaching on personal freedoms in the world’s largest democracy.
The OYO Hotels chain, which runs a budget hotel booking platform, announced earlier this month “new check-in directives” allowing partner hotels in Meerut to deny bookings from unmarried couples. Under this policy, hotels have the discretion to turn away couples who cannot provide proof of marriage.
The policy is currently only in place in Meerut, which is about an hour’s drive from the capital New Delhi, but could be extended to other places based on the response, the hospitality chain said.
OYO also said its move was a response to “feedback” it had received in the past from civil society groups in the Meerut area.
In a statement to the media, Pawas Sharma, who serves as OYO’s regional head for North India said: “OYO is committed to upholding safe and responsible hospitality practices.
“While we respect individual freedoms and personal liberty, we also recognise our responsibility to listen to and work with the law enforcement and civil society groups in the micro markets we operate in.”
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By Amy Sood
A new policy by a hospitality chain in India requiring couples to prove their marriage to check into its hotels in the northwestern city of Meerut has sparked a fierce debate over conservative values encroaching on personal freedoms in the world’s largest democracy.
The OYO Hotels chain, which runs a budget hotel booking platform, announced earlier this month “new check-in directives” allowing partner hotels in Meerut to deny bookings from unmarried couples. Under this policy, hotels have the discretion to turn away couples who cannot provide proof of marriage.
The policy is currently only in place in Meerut, which is about an hour’s drive from the capital New Delhi, but could be extended to other places based on the response, the hospitality chain said.
OYO also said its move was a response to “feedback” it had received in the past from civil society groups in the Meerut area.
In a statement to the media, Pawas Sharma, who serves as OYO’s regional head for North India said: “OYO is committed to upholding safe and responsible hospitality practices.
“While we respect individual freedoms and personal liberty, we also recognise our responsibility to listen to and work with the law enforcement and civil society groups in the micro markets we operate in.”
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Hong Kong’s ombudsman urges more legal action over public housing abuse
香港监察专员呼吁加强对公共住房滥用行为的法律追责，去年该市的检控率仅为4.2%。尽管政府提议提高处罚力度，但对于12,407起公共房屋滥用案件中仅有518起被起诉的现状，监察专员表示不满。
监察专员Jack Chan Jick-chi指出，经过对香港房屋署的检控工作审查发现，尽管有些案件握有足够证据，但在检控期后并未得到跟进。过去七年间，公众住房滥用案件的年检控率在1.7%至4.2%之间波动。Chan还提出了31条改善建议，其中包括与中国大陆和澳门建立渠道，以核实租户在这些地区是否拥有房地产。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
香港监察专员呼吁加强对公共住房滥用行为的法律追责，去年该市的检控率仅为4.2%。尽管政府提议提高处罚力度，但对于12,407起公共房屋滥用案件中仅有518起被起诉的现状，监察专员表示不满。
监察专员Jack Chan Jick-chi指出，经过对香港房屋署的检控工作审查发现，尽管有些案件握有足够证据，但在检控期后并未得到跟进。过去七年间，公众住房滥用案件的年检控率在1.7%至4.2%之间波动。Chan还提出了31条改善建议，其中包括与中国大陆和澳门建立渠道，以核实租户在这些地区是否拥有房地产。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
China’s most popular AI app gets facelift with ByteDance’s Doubao 1.5
ByteDance has launched an updated version of its popular AI app Doubao, despite facing US export restrictions on advanced chips. The new Doubao 1.5 Pro emphasizes a resource-efficient training approach, allowing for high performance without excessive costs. This move highlights the company's commitment to advancing AI technology in a challenging environment.
The introduction of Doubao 1.5 Pro represents ByteDance's strategy to balance performance with cost-efficiency through an integrated train-inference design. By creating a server cluster that supports low-end chips, the company aims to lower AI training expenses. As China's Big Tech firms continue to innovate amidst budget constraints and limited access to advanced technology, they are refining their AI models to remain competitive against their US counterparts.
Initial benchmark tests indicate that Doubao 1.5 Pro outperforms in half of the evaluated categories, including language understanding and reasoning abilities. This success could further solidify Doubao's position as a leading AI application for Chinese consumers, showcasing the potential for domestic innovation in the AI sector.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
ByteDance has launched an updated version of its popular AI app Doubao, despite facing US export restrictions on advanced chips. The new Doubao 1.5 Pro emphasizes a resource-efficient training approach, allowing for high performance without excessive costs. This move highlights the company's commitment to advancing AI technology in a challenging environment.
The introduction of Doubao 1.5 Pro represents ByteDance's strategy to balance performance with cost-efficiency through an integrated train-inference design. By creating a server cluster that supports low-end chips, the company aims to lower AI training expenses. As China's Big Tech firms continue to innovate amidst budget constraints and limited access to advanced technology, they are refining their AI models to remain competitive against their US counterparts.
Initial benchmark tests indicate that Doubao 1.5 Pro outperforms in half of the evaluated categories, including language understanding and reasoning abilities. This success could further solidify Doubao's position as a leading AI application for Chinese consumers, showcasing the potential for domestic innovation in the AI sector.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
