Female sumo wrestler brings sport to Argentina, breaking gender barriers

日本相扑选手日和KON远赴阿根廷,致力于在该国推广相扑运动,并为女性相扑选手争取更多机会。由于日本国内女子相扑发展受限,日和KON于2023年移居阿根廷,希望在那里开创一番事业。

在阿根廷,日和KON积极训练学生,并努力打破相扑运动中以男性为主导的传统观念,争取性别平等。她的行动旨在连接相隔遥远的阿根廷和日本,通过相扑这一传统运动促进两国文化交流。

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Virgin pilot alerted Australia to Chinese navy’s live-fire drill in Tasman Sea

Australia's air traffic authority learned about Chinese warships conducting live-fire exercises off its east coast from a Virgin Australia pilot, not through official channels. The pilot informed an Australian air traffic controller about a foreign warship broadcasting live-firing exercises 300 nautical miles east of the coast, prompting Airservices Australia to issue a hazard alert to commercial pilots.

Rob Sharp, CEO of Airservices Australia, testified that the Department of Defence was notified shortly after the pilot's report. In response, 49 flights were diverted around the area during the exercises, which continued over the weekend. This incident occurred amid ongoing tensions between Beijing and Canberra regarding the military exercises.

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How big is Hong Kong’s debt? The Post unpacks the city’s bond financing

香港面临高达1000亿港元的财政赤字,专家呼吁政府通过发行更多债券来资助基础设施建设,以增加储备。他们认为此举能够促进金融服务业的增长,并增加资本流动。

财政司司长陈茂波表示,政府可以发行债券为大型项目融资,这在国际社会上是一种“常见”的做法。预计他将在周三公布预算计划,届时可能会有更多关于债券发行的细节。

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DeepSeek’s AI models drive surging orders for Nvidia H20 chips in China, sources say

Chinese tech giants like Tencent, Alibaba, and ByteDance are significantly increasing their orders for Nvidia's H20 AI chip. This surge is primarily driven by the booming demand for DeepSeek's low-cost AI models, which are gaining traction across various sectors.

The increased demand highlights Nvidia's continued dominance in the AI chip market and alleviates concerns about a potential decline in demand due to DeepSeek's emergence. Beyond the major players, smaller companies in healthcare and education are also purchasing AI servers equipped with DeepSeek models and Nvidia H20 chips, expanding the market beyond traditional sectors like finance and telecommunications. While potential US restrictions on H20 chip sales to China could be a factor, sources indicate that DeepSeek's popularity is the primary driver behind the order surge.

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China steps up protections for private sector in updated draft law

中国正在拟议一项新的私营经济促进法,禁止当局在没有法律依据的情况下对私营企业处以罚款。此举旨在增强私营部门的信心,并促进经济增长,反映了中国领导层对私营企业清晰法律保护的重视。

该法案预计将在下个月的全国人民代表大会常务委员会会议上进行辩论并可能获得批准。近年来,一些地方政府为了增加收入,选择性地对私营企业处以罚款,并进行调查,严重扰乱了它们的运营。无端罚款已成为中国私营企业面临的严峻挑战。

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Japan has one of the world’s best passports but few go abroad amid weak yen, safety concerns

日本护照持有率大幅下降,目前仅有17.5%的公民持有护照。这一数字远低于疫情前的25%,表明越来越多的日本人选择在国内度假。

日本外务省的报告显示,截至去年12月,仅有2160万日本人持有有效护照,与五年前相比大幅下降。日元疲软以及对海外安全问题的担忧是导致这一现象的主要原因,许多日本人因此更倾向于留在国内旅游。一位东京的NGO工作者表示,虽然工作需要可能很快出国,但他并没有海外度假的计划,上次出国度假还是2012年在泰国。

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China’s social-minded technopreneurs are a force to reckon with

President Xi Jinping's recent meeting with prominent Chinese tech entrepreneurs signals a clear government priority towards technology-driven innovation, particularly as the property and finance sectors were notably absent. The meeting, which included figures like Jack Ma, Lei Jun, Pony Ma Huateng, Wang Chuanfu, and Ren Zhengfei, underscores the government's commitment to supporting the "Made in China 2025" initiative.

This renewed focus on technology comes at a crucial time for China, as the country seeks to sustain economic growth amidst global uncertainties. Recent technological breakthroughs in military equipment, nuclear fusion, and high-speed railway technologies, along with the emergence of competitive AI models like DeepSeek, Alibaba’s Qwen, and ByteDance’s Goku, highlight China's potential to drive future growth through technological advancement and innovation.

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How China is filling void left by France, US with stronger military ties in Africa’s Sahel

China has appointed its first defence attaché to Niger, Colonel-Major Chen Xuming, signaling a deepening of military cooperation with the West African nation. Chen's arrival, marked by a reception at the Chinese embassy in Niamey, underscores Beijing's commitment to supporting Niger's security capabilities and its fight against terrorism and cross-border crime.

This move is part of a broader strategy in the Sahel region, where China is also backing the military juntas of Burkina Faso and Mali. As French and US forces withdraw, China is stepping in to protect its interests and fill the security void, offering support to strengthen the armed forces of these nations. According to experts, the appointment of a defence attaché aims to balance the number of military representatives between China and African countries.

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Paw-sitive impact: China’s first corgi cop dog inspires ‘Rabbit Baby’ to be next

继中国首只柯基警犬福仔走红网络后,又一只同品种的警犬“兔宝”出现在公众视野中,目标是成为中国第二只柯基警犬。六岁的“兔宝”希望能够追随福仔的脚步,克服年龄带来的挑战,在警队中发挥自己的作用。

福仔在2024年3月迅速走红,凭借其可爱的外表和出色的爆炸物探测技能赢得了众多喜爱。“兔宝”也希望能够留下自己的印记。今年2月12日,武汉特警发布了一段视频,视频中“兔宝”身穿警犬制服,在训练基地与警察互动。

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Raising service charges needed for Hong Kong’s financial health, experts say

香港专家建议政府逐步提高部分服务收费,以达到成本回收水平,从而改善香港的长期财政状况。尽管此举不会立即解决近1000亿港元的财政赤字问题,但专家认为,提高收费是增加公共收入的有效途径。

专家指出,可以考虑提高签证和护照费用等移民相关收费,以及违章停车罚款。此前,财政司司长陈茂波表示,他正在考虑在即将公布的年度预算案中采用“用者自付”原则来增加公共收入。此外,还有人建议提高公共医疗服务收费和非本地学生的大学学费,以确保收费水平与成本挂钩,并由服务使用者而非全体纳税人承担费用。

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Japan faces backlash for ‘shameful’ decision to skip nuclear ban summit despite Nobel Prize win

Japan's decision to skip a major nuclear weapon ban summit in New York has drawn criticism from activists, who argue that Tokyo is missing a crucial opportunity to promote disarmament. This decision comes despite the Nobel Peace Prize win by Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization of atomic and hydrogen bomb survivors, for its decades-long campaign against nuclear weapons.

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), adopted in 2017, is the first legally binding international agreement to ban nuclear arms. While supported by non-nuclear states and disarmament advocates, nuclear-armed nations and their allies, including Japan, oppose it, with Japan relying on US deterrence. Some members of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had considered sending representatives to the summit following Nihon Hidankyo's Nobel Prize win, making the government's ultimate decision "extremely unfortunate" according to some observers.

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Putin backs Trump’s proposal for US, China and Russia to halve defence spending

俄罗斯总统普京周一表示支持美国总统特朗普提出的俄美中三国削减一半国防预算的建议。普京在电视采访中称这是一个好主意,美国削减50%,俄罗斯也削减50%,如果中国愿意也可以加入。

自2022年俄罗斯对乌克兰发起军事行动以来,其军事开支大幅增加,虽然推动了经济增长,但也加剧了通货膨胀。普京表示,2024年俄罗斯国防和安全支出将达到GDP的8.7%左右。他补充说,虽然无法代表中国发言,但俄罗斯愿意与美国就削减开支达成协议,并准备就此展开讨论。

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China gets taste of victory in US tech war thanks to talent, supply chains, organisation

President Xi Jinping's recent symposium with China's top private entrepreneurs signaled that the nation has achieved an initial victory in overcoming technological restrictions imposed by the US. Xi's remarks, including the allusion to Mao Zedong's quote about the "east wind prevailing," conveyed confidence in China's technological resilience, particularly in light of advancements made despite US efforts to impede its progress.

Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei echoed this sentiment, stating that concerns have eased regarding China's reliance on foreign chips and operating systems. This confidence stems from the industry's development in recent years, where China has managed to make impressive progress in overcoming US restrictions. While concerns about the tech rivalry persist, particularly with new policies like the America First Investment Policy, they are largely focused on specific sectors and temporary impacts rather than systemic failures.

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Trump science policy nominee calls China most formidable technology, science competitor

Michael Kratsios, nominated to head the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, has identified China as the United States' primary competitor in science and technology. He emphasized the critical importance of leading in areas like AI, quantum computing, and nuclear technology, asserting that global leadership in these fields will define the future global order.

Kratsios highlighted China's advancements in nuclear fusion, quantum technologies, and autonomous systems as evidence of the urgent need for the US to prioritize these areas. This assessment comes as the Trump administration has already taken steps to bolster US AI capabilities, including an executive order mandating an Artificial Intelligence Action Plan aimed at maintaining American dominance in AI for economic and national security purposes. Kratsios previously served as the US chief technology officer in the Trump administration.

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US tells federal agencies they can ignore Musk’s job justification ultimatum

US government employees will not be fired for failing to respond to an email request about their work activities. The Office of Personnel Management clarified that employees are not obligated to reply to the email, despite initial confusion caused by the directive.

The situation arose after Elon Musk, an ally of Donald Trump, reportedly ordered US government workers to justify their jobs by providing a summary of their work. This directive created divisions within the Trump administration, with some agencies instructing employees to comply and others advising them to disregard the request. The incident has raised questions about Musk's influence on the government and potential efforts to reduce the federal workforce.

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Will Hangzhou, China’s start-up upstart, dethrone Shenzhen or join forces?

杭州正崛起为中国科技创新中心,挑战深圳的领先地位。随着科技竞争扩展到人工智能和机器人等新兴领域,一批杭州初创企业崭露头角,引发了关于中国科技创新中心是否会从深圳转移到杭州的讨论。尽管竞争激烈,但也有观点认为两座城市应加强合作,共同突破外部限制,最终在科技前沿领域取得领先地位。

深圳长期以来一直是中国科技创新的代名词,孕育了众多在技术自给自足和对抗美国限制方面发挥重要作用的企业。杭州虽然此前已拥有阿里巴巴等科技巨头,但新兴初创企业的涌现使其作为科技创新中心的地位更加突出,中国或需要多个科技中心集群来与美国竞争,杭州的崛起证明了中国不断增长的创新能力。

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New Zealand need not fear China’s growing ties with Pacific nations

China's recent signing of a "strategic partnership" with the Cook Islands has sparked concern, particularly in New Zealand, given its close ties with the island nation. This move follows China's increasing engagement in the Pacific, including a security agreement with the Solomon Islands in 2022 and a previously proposed agreement involving 10 Pacific countries, which faced resistance and was ultimately put on hold.

The agreement has triggered alarm in the Anglosphere, with New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters expressing his displeasure at being kept "in the dark." Commentators have voiced stronger concerns, suggesting China is attempting to establish a new order in the Pacific and drive a wedge between the Cook Islands and New Zealand. This reaction highlights the prevalence of traditional geopolitical analysis, framing the situation as a zero-sum game of great power competition, reminiscent of a "new cold war." However, alternative perspectives, such as the theory of multiplexity, offer a different lens for understanding these shifts in the Pacific.

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Gold toilet worth US$6 million was stolen from English palace ‘in minutes’, court hears

一件价值数百万美元的18K金马桶于2019年9月在英国布莱尼姆宫被盗,目前案件正在审理中。检察官表示,这起盗窃案是一次大胆的袭击,三名被告中一人参与盗窃,另外两人协助出售赃物。这件名为《美国》的艺术品由意大利概念艺术家Maurizio Cattelan创作,旨在讽刺过度财富。

这件艺术品重约98公斤,保险价值高达600万美元,黄金本身的价值约为350万美元。据信,被盗后马桶已被切割并出售。被告之一Michael Jones在盗窃前几周曾两次勘察布莱尼姆宫,一次是在马桶展出前,另一次是在马桶安装完毕并作为展品完全可以使用后。展览的参观者可以预约三分钟的时间来使用这个马桶。

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Clint Hill, agent who leapt on to JFK’s car after US president was shot, dies at 93

Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent who famously jumped onto President John F. Kennedy's limousine after he was shot, has died at the age of 93. Hill's actions on that day in Dallas, captured in the Zapruder film, became some of the most enduring images of the assassination.

Despite receiving awards and promotions for his bravery, Hill was deeply affected by the events of November 22, 1963, and carried the burden of believing he could have reacted faster to save Kennedy. He retired early from the Secret Service at the age of 43 and only in recent years had begun to come to terms with the tragedy.

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Macron and Trump vow to work together on Ukraine, despite differences

Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron met to discuss the Ukraine war, with Trump claiming he could broker a deal to end the conflict "within weeks," potentially involving European peacekeepers. Trump also mentioned an expected visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to finalize a deal granting the U.S. access to Ukraine's mineral resources.

Macron aimed to leverage his relationship with Trump to bolster support for Ukraine, emphasizing Europe's commitment to increased defense spending and potential deployment of peacekeepers. Trump suggested that Vladimir Putin might be open to accepting European troops as guarantors of a peace agreement, highlighting a potential shift in the dynamics of the conflict.

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