🇨🇳Chinese semiconductor industry gears up for domestic HBM3 production by the end of 2026

СhangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), the leader of the Chinese DRAM industry, is on track to build third-gen high bandwidth memory (HBM3). Moreover, China-based Naura Technology, Maxwell, and U-Preseason are developing domestic tools specifically designed to assemble HBM memory stacks.

HBM is significantly more expensive than the 'commodity' DRAM that CXMT has produced so far, so entering a new market will affect CXMT's bottom line. The availability of high-performance HBM3 is strategically important for China's AI sector. Also producing HBM3 stacks — that consist of eight or more large DRAMs with a wide I/O — will prove that CXMT is a world-class memory maker on par with Micron, Samsung, and SK hynix. #BRICS

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🇮🇷Iran’s Internet Blackout Among Most Severe Ever

Iran’s nearly two week-long internet and communications shutdown is the largest in the country’s history, according to experts who track the issue. Even Iran’s National Information Network (NIN), the domestic network designed to keep government and businesses running during shutdowns, was taken offline in a costly move, underscoring the severity of the response.

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🏎 Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson says Geely‑owned Volvo is ahead of legacy rivals in building software‑defined vehicles, telling competitors “good luck.”

After EX90 delays, Volvo claims the new EX60 proves it has mastered its in‑house software stack. The EX60 is powered by what Volvo refers to as the latest generation of its HuginCore superset stack that includes hardware from Nvidia and Qualcomm Technologies. This massive amount of computing power drives the latest Android Automotive Operating System, which will be the first in the automotive space to have Google’s Gemini AI assistant baked in from the get-go.

Not only does this powerful hardware set-up allow for “ultra responsive” infotainment, it also powers advanced driver assistance and safety systems, as well as paving the way for higher levels of autonomous driving.

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🇺🇸Trump Wants Peace Board to Rewrite Global Order

Trump presided over a signing ceremony for the board’s charter Thursday in Davos, Switzerland. President touts his Board of Peace as an organization of accomplished leaders that will displace the United Nations, with him as permanent chairman.

“Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want,” Trump said, adding “we’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations.”

Notably absent from the roster of participating countries are European governments, with the exception of Hungary and a few others. Putin, in response to an invitation to the board, said on Thursday that the Kremlin is ready to contribute $1 billion to the Board of Peace if it could draw on frozen Russian assets.

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💸 OpenAI nears new $50 billion funding round in Middle East

CEO Sam Altman reportedly recently visited the United Arab Emirates to speak with sovereign wealth funds in the area, hoping to close a new multibillion-dollar funding round which is expected to total $50 billion or more, which would set a new record for private funding. That would boost the company's valuation to between $750 billion and $830 billion.

Should the deal close, this wouldn't be the first time OpenAI has turned to the Middle East for financial help. MGX, an Abu Dhabi-based tech investment firm, has invested in the company previously. And it is in the process of building a large data center in the UAE.

While OpenAI is generally seen as the category leader in the AI space, the company has faced increased competition from Google's Gemini and other AI companies as their chatbots and technologies become more advanced. #BRICS

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🛰 Jeff Bezos to challenge Elon Musk’s space dominance with 5,408-satellite network

On Wednesday, Blue Origin unveiled TeraWave, a communications network consisting of over 5,400 satellites. Scheduled to launch by the end of 2027, the service aims to provide global internet access with a particular focus on high-capacity data needs (up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth).

Blue Origin’s multi-thousand-satellite plan is ambitious, yet it still pales in comparison to the massive orbital footprint already established by market-leader Starlink. Elon Musk’s Starlink leads the charge with over 9,500 active satellites and plans to nearly double that number.

Both come with different target audiences. TeraWave aims to cater to the high-end market: data centers, national security agencies, and global corporations. Starlink, owned by SpaceX, provides internet services to everyday users.

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🇰🇷South Korea becomes first in the world to pass law on safe use of AI.

South Korea passed a comprehensive law on the safe use of artificial intelligence – the "Basic Act on the Development of Artificial Intelligence and the Establishment of a Foundation for Trust" (AI Basic Act).

The country has become the first in the world to create a regulatory framework against disinformation and other dangerous consequences related to artificial intelligence. The law officially came into effect on Thursday.

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📈Precious Metals Race: Who's First to Hit the Round Number—Gold or Silver?

Gold and silver are back in the spotlight. Gold has already reached $4,900 per ounce, while while silver has exceeded $98 for the first time in history.

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🇺🇸Trump presents his plan for the ‘new Gaza’ in Davos: skyscrapers and coastal tourism

The proposal was presented by Jared Kushner, the US president's son-in-law and real estate entrepreneur, at the World Economic Forum. This coincided with the formation of the Peace Board, the body created by Washington to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza and other regional conflicts. Trump defended the project by referring to his experience as a real estate developer.

‘Look at this location by the sea. Look at this beautiful property, it is unique and has an architectural quality that is not often seen. Its grand design style sets it apart and I am sure it will appeal to many. Gaza could have extraordinary potential if it were really well managed,’ Trump said during his speech presenting the reconstruction plan.

The images contained CGI-generated images of luxury apartments, data centres and coastal tourism, as well as plans to build more than 100,000 housing units and 75 medical facilities.

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💊Llamas Are Big Pharma’s Secret Weapon to Find New Drugs

Scientists have discovered the potential of the animals’ antibodies to thwart multiple diseases, and now drug developers are collectively plowing billions of dollars into a field that may yield a fresh generation of life-changing medicines. The targets include some hard-to-treat conditions like cancer, nerve pain and a chronic skin ailment.

In between dust baths and grazing, they get injections to trigger the production of their precious antibodies. The animals are some of the few to produce the tiny proteins, dubbed nanobodies, which scientists praise as easy to produce, manipulate and engineer.

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🕊 Trump claims Nato troops ‘stayed a little off the frontlines’ in Afghanistan

Donald Trump has again disparaged America’s Nato allies, claiming that troops from allied nations “stayed a little back, a little off the frontlines” while fighting in Afghanistan in support of the US campaign against the Taliban. Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, Trump said he was “not sure” Nato would meet the “ultimate test” of defending the US if it were under threat.

“I know we’ll come to [Nato’s] rescue, but I just really do question whether or not they’ll come to ours. Maybe we should have put NATO to the test: Invoked Article 5, and forced NATO to come here and protect our Southern Border from further Invasions of Illegal Immigrants, thus freeing up large numbers of Border Patrol Agents for other tasks.” he said before attending the World Economic Forum in Davos.

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🇩🇰 Denmark was ready for the game: Here is the order for the Danish soldiers in Greenland

The order was issued just last week. Denmark was ready to take up the fight militarily if Greenland were to be attacked by the US in the worst possible scenario.

"The Armed Forces must as soon as possible strengthen the ability to carry out the defense plan for Greenland," says the order.

Shortly after, military and civilian planes on Wednesday last week began systematically transporting soldiers and equipment from Denmark to Greenland. 😄 It remains unclear how a few people assembled a huge island in case of a US military operation. That was the seriousness of the situation for Denmark until President Donald Trump backed down on threats to seize Greenland by force after meeting NATO chief Mark Rutte on Wednesday.

" I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force. I don't want to use force," said Trump in a speech at a summit in Switzerland.

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💉mRNA cancer vaccine shows protection at 5-year follow-up, Moderna and Merck say

The vaccines are tailor-made to target each patient’s unique cancer. In a small clinical trial, customized mRNA vaccines against high-risk skin cancers appeared to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and death by nearly 50 percent over five years when compared with standard treatment alone. That’s according to Moderna and Merck, the two pharmaceutical companies that have collaborated on the experimental cancer vaccine, called intismeran autogene (mRNA-4157 or V940). The company has eight more Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials going for mRNA vaccines against a variety of other cancers, including lung, bladder, and kidney cancers.

“We look forward to late-stage data from the INTerpath clinical development program with Moderna, across a range of tumor types where significant unmet needs remain,” said Marjorie Green, a senior vice president at Merck

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🇨🇳Grid storage is increasing so rapidly is China that it may be able to meet all their electricity needs from renewables as soon as 2030

“Grid storage” is the energy storage systems that connect to the electric grid to absorb electricity when supply is high or prices are low, then deliver it back when supply is low or demand and prices are high. It is a grid asset, like a power plant or substation, but it stores energy instead of generating it from fuel.

New data show that by the end of 2026, grid storage will be a 1.15% share of global electricity demand (up from 0.16% in 2023). China is rolling out the most. China’s grid storage installations in December 2025 alone (65.4 GWh) exceeded the entire USA’s 2025 total annual installations (46.5 GWh). Considering the US is the world’s second largest storage market, this underlines the sheer scale of China’s dominance in BESS deployment. #BRICS

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💻 Microsoft Gave FBI Keys To Unlock Encrypted Data, Exposing Major Privacy Flaw

Microsoft says it will provide encryption keys for Windows PC data protected by BitLocker where it has access to them and it's received a valid legal order. The company receives around 20 requests for BitLocker keys per year and in many cases, the user has not stored their key in the cloud making it impossible for Microsoft to assist. But companies like Apple and Meta set up their systems so such a privacy violation isn’t possible.

It’s possible for users to store those keys on a device they own, but Microsoft also recommends BitLocker users store their keys on its servers for convenience. While that means someone can access their data if they forget their password, or if repeated failed attempts to login lock the device, it also makes them vulnerable to law enforcement subpoenas and warrants.

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🇬🇧UK government targets VPNs in online safety consultation as Lords vote for ban

UK government to hold three-month consultation to improve kids' safety online. The consultation will include discussions about the use of VPNs. A vote in the House of Lords voted in favor or banning VPNs for under-18s.

The process will also consider banning social media for under-16s, preventing companies from harvesting children's data without consent, introducing overnight curfews, and promoting solutions to curb "excessive doomscrolling". The announcement was followed by a government defeat in the House of Lords on Wednesday, where peers backed an amendment that would ban VPNs for children under 18 and force providers to implement age checks. Peers also voted in favor of banning social media for under-16s.

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🇺🇸Washington lawmakers eye regulation of automated license plate readers

As the technology grows in popularity, at least 16 states have instituted rules or guidelines for when and how the cameras can be used. The legislation currently under consideration in Washington follows recent privacy concerns over access to the data, a report that found the technology has been accessed by federal immigration enforcement in violation of state law and fears that the cameras increase improper surveillance.

"I brought this bill because I believe it's our job to figure out how to get this issue right," Trudeau said. "We want to have tools that help solve crimes. We all care when we have loved ones or we are impacted when criminal activity occurs. But we also want to ensure that the tools have safeguards in place so that they're actually meeting the expectations of Washingtonians when they're being used." - said state Sen. Yasmin Trudeau.

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🛫Air France and KLM cancel weekend flights to Tel Aviv, amid Iran tensions

Air France and Dutch airline KLM have canceled flights to Israel, Dubai and Saudi Arabia until at least Sunday, citing “security tensions in the region” amid concern of renewed conflict with Iran. The airlines are both owned by the same holding company, called Air France-KLM. The move follows Lufthansa Group’s decision last week to cancel night-time flights to Israel until at least the end of January. The group includes carriers Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings.

However, there have been no special security warnings from either European or Israeli aviation authorities, and the Israel Defense Forces on Friday also reiterated that there were no changes in the military’s guidelines for the Israeli public.

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🇨🇦 'A natural partner': US treasury secretary weighs in on Alberta separatism

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has weighed in on a separatist movement in Alberta, saying the western Canadian province is a "natural partner for the US".

"Alberta has a wealth of natural resources, but they won't let them build a pipeline to the Pacific," Bessent told an American right-wing commentator in an interview on Thursday. "I think we should let them come down into the US, and Alberta is a natural partner for the US. They have great resources. The Albertans are very independent people."

The top US official's comments come amid strained ties between US and Canada, and as signatures are being collected in the province seeking an independence referendum. A group in Alberta has until May to collect at least 178,000 signatures - or 10% of eligible voters - for a referendum campaign.

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