World News

Australia's music industry bans AI-generated tracks from official charts

The crackdown comes as a variation of Madonna's pop hit "Like a Prayer" created by an Australian producer using AI-generated vocals and drums has spent 16 weeks in the Australian top 20

China robot maker Unitree's post-listing slump sparks bubble fears

Unitree shares steadied on Tuesday after three consecutive days of decline that took their losses to 45% since their debut last Wednesday.

Canada slaps retaliatory tariffs on US goods worth $20 bn amid trade war

US President Donald Trump's new 50% tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian imports took effect on Saturday after talks between the two countries ​collapsed.

Trump says Strait of Hormuz has been demined, warns Iran not to plant more

In ​a post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States, through its Space Force, was watching "every square inch" of the Strait, a ​key waterway in the global energy ‌supply chain.

Bangladesh could consider joining Mecca pact, in test for foreign ties

"If there is a security arrangement among ‌Islamic nations in the Middle East, it is not unusual for us to ​consider participating. It is being viewed positively," said B'desh junior foreign minister

China's data centres to consume more power than South Korea by 2030

Rapid growth in artificial intelligence workloads will see data centres use 774 terawatt-hours of electricity by 2030, around 6 per cent of China's total projected consumption, according to a report

4 India-based companies in US sanctions dragnet over Iran oil imports

US sanctions four India-based companies and three Indian nationals for facilitating imports of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products worth millions of dollars

US state launches probe into OpenAI after AI agent hacks Hugging Face

Last week, IPO-bound OpenAI said it would slow the pace of model development while overhauling its ‌research and training systems

Australia teens return to TikTok 8 months after under-16 social media ban

Some 26% of children between the ages of 13 and 15 were on TikTok as of last month, just one percentage point below the rate prior to Australia's groundbreaking rules coming into effect

Zoox vs Tesla: How Amazon's 'toaster-shaped' robotaxi differs from Cybercab

Zoox and Tesla are taking different routes to driverless taxis. Here's how their robotaxis differ in design, regulation, manufacturing and deployment

Dozens of Chinese, Hong Kong firms hit by Trump admin's Iran sanctions

US Treasury Dept unveiled a package targeting dozens of individuals and entities as part of what Treasury Secy Scott Bessent described as Operation Economic Outcast

Operation Economic Outcast explained: How the US plans to isolate Iran

The US has launched Operation Economic Outcast to isolate Iran by targeting its oil, shipping, technology and financial networks, while warning countries and firms trading with Tehran of sanctions

Volkswagen CEO faces workers angry over his plan to cut 100,000 jobs

Blume and VW brand chief Thomas Schäfer are due to present their restructuring plan, which could wipe out as many as 100,000 jobs, at the company's main Wolfsburg factory

Canada to announce retaliatory tariffs against US as trade fight escalates

PM Carney said that Canada may need to move away from matching US tariffs dollar for dollar and instead use more targeted retaliation aimed at protecting Canadian workers and businesses

US set for largest mass visa revocation ever, targets up to 200K foreigners

If it happens, the move would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in US history and would likely face legal challenges

US SC sides with Trump admin on mail voting restrictions ahead of midterms

The decision leaves room for additional court challenges that could further slow Trump's order, and other similar cases have already been filed

Trump weighs 7.5% tariff on China for flooding market with cheap goods

The move, if finalised, appears to be a calibrated effort by the White House to work around a SC decision earlier this year that struck down Trump's plan to implement a sweeping, high-tariff scheme

US attempt to strangle Iran's economy depends on China's cooperation

The US has spent 20 years promising 'crippling sanctions' on Iran. But the latest effort comes with a reverse twist, after military action failed to accomplish President Trump's goals

Trump administration moves to impose over $100K fee on H-1B worker visas

A federal judge in June ruled that the fee was illegal and blocked the ‌Trump administration from collecting it.

Iran vows retaliation as US expands sanctions, threatens economic lifeline

US Treasury Secy Scott Bessent unveiled measures but stopped short of the most punishing sanctions, saying countries that continued trading with Iran risked being forced out of dollar system