Germany's Merz visits China AI hub hoping for business deals
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accompanied entrepreneurs to the Chinese tech hub of Hangzhou on Thursday, hoping to land new contracts a day after meeting President Xi Jinping and sealing an Airbus deal.
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Post-uprising polls won't shake Nepal's delicate India-China balance
Nepal votes next week for the first time since deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the government, but analysts say any winner will likely maintain the delicate diplomatic balance between its two giant neighbours, India and China.
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S.Korea's Park Chan-wook to head Cannes festival jury
South Korean director Park Chan‑wook, renowned for his thriller "Oldboy", will preside over the 79th Cannes film festival jury in May, organisers announced Thursday.
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Australian ex-PM says 'more important than ever' to ditch UK monarchy
Australia ditching the British monarchy is "more important than ever" and voters would likely back a head of state elected by its parliament, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull told AFP on Thursday.
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Dressed for succession? Kim Jong Un, daughter fuel speculation with matching coats
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un donned matching jackets with his daughter at a military parade, state media photos showed Thursday, stoking speculation she is being groomed as heir.
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US-Ukraine talks to open in Geneva after overnight Russian strikes
Kyiv and Washington were set to open a new round of talks in Geneva Thursday aimed at ending Moscow's four-year invasion of Ukraine, as Russia launched fresh strikes overnight.
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Export ban sparks rush to process lithium in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's ban on raw lithium exports is forcing Chinese miners to rethink their strategy, speeding up plans to process the metal locally instead of shipping it to China's vast rechargeable battery industry.
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Pakistani sculptor turns scrap into colossal metal artworks
Sparks fly and metal groans in a cavernous workshop on the outskirts of Islamabad, where Pakistani artist Ehtisham Jadoon fuses discarded car parts into colossal pieces inspired by "Transformers" movies and dinosaurs.
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Epstein files reveal links to cash, women, power in Africa
Jeffrey Epstein built close ties with powerful figures in Senegal and Ivory Coast, files released by the US government last month show, detailing the late sex offender's influence network across Africa.
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Where are Southeast Asia's data centres?
New data centres are springing up worldwide as demand soars for artificial intelligence and cloud computing, with Asia one of the sector's fastest growing regions.
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