Unlike the Greek sorceress it resembles in name, Midea Group doesn't have to be a prophet to realize it can no longer rest on cheap Chinese labor and low-end technology. That's why this top Chinese appliance manufacturer is willing to splash out for a German robotics giant. Shenzhen-listed Midea wants to lift its stake in Kuka to at least 30% from the current 13.5%, for a price that would value the German high-end robotics maker's shares at 5.2 billion. That investment may trigger an open offer for all of Kuka's shares....

The United States military killed a senior Al Qaeda leader Tuesday in an airstrike in Afghanistan's southern Zabul Province, the local website Tolo News reported, citing a statement from Afghan special forces. The Al Qaeda commander killed in the airstrike was identified by Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense as Mullah Mohammad Ali. The U.S. military confirmed a strike took place in the same location yesterday, but would not say whether a senior Al Qaeda leader was killed. "We can confirm that U.S. Forces conducted a counter-terrorism strike in the Shah Joyi district, Zabul province, May 17. For operational security reasons, we do not discuss the details of counter-terrorism operations," said the statement from Operation Resolute Support, the name for the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan.

Automation has been responsible for improvements in manufacturing productivity for decades. Advanced robotics will accelerate this trend. Machines, after all, can perform many manufacturing tasks more efficiently, effectively and consistently than humans, leading to increased output, better quality and less waste. And machines don't require health insurance, coffee breaks, maternity leave or sleep. The industrial world realizes this and robot sales have been surging, increasing 29 percent in 2014 alone, according to the International Federation of Robotics.

A joint venture between a U.S. producer and a Chinese entertainment investor, announced Tuesday, is hoping to make a live-action film based on the classic video game, Tetris. To be exact, Threshold Global Studios, a partnership between California studio Threshold Entertainment Group -- owned by producer Larry Kasanoff -- and China's Seven Star Works -- owned by investor Bruno Wu -- plans to make a science fiction trilogy based on the popular 1980s game. A statement released by the joint venture said the film adaptation of Tetris will be the company's first project and will be produced at a budget of about 80 million. The film will be shot in China and feature an ensemble cast, including Chinese actors. The financing for the film, as well as a story, are already in place, according to the statement.

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Today SogetiLabs launches its first report on a new wave of automation: Machine Intelligence. As part of a series of four, SogetiLabs Research Institute VINT, explores this Next Big Thing in IT. The idea that an artificial brain could compete with that of humans lives for many years. In 2016, it's exactly sixty years ago computer scientist John McCarthy suggested to work on Artificial Intelligence (AI) with ten men for two summer months on the campus of Dartmouth College. And now there's this excitement in the market: after decades of working on concepts, the tools finally are ready to realize that vision.

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display

From robotics to virtual reality technologies to 3-D printers, advanced, cutting-edge technology was on display at this year's Educational IT Solutions Expo, which kicked off Wednesday in Tokyo's Koto Ward. The seventh such expo, this year's event featured a special section to showcase "the learning of the future" for the first time. Some 50 companies are using the opportunity to display what they believe the future of education will look like with advancements in new information technologies. The highlight of the expo is programming education, as the education ministry is working to incorporate computer programming into the curriculum of all public elementary schools by 2020. Lego Japan Ltd., which has been involved in programming education for 15 years, showcased the WeDo 2.0 robotics kit for elementary school students.

Chinese appliance maker Midea made a takeover offer Wednesday for German industrial robot maker Kuka, a move that it says would help it capture a larger share of the "future service robots market." Midea said it would offer 115 euros (about 130) a share to buy all the Kuka shares it doesn't already own. The Chinese company, which is based in southern China's Guangdong province, raised its stake in Kuka to 10.2 percent in February. Indirect holdings of Kuka stock bring its current total ownership to 13.5 percent. Chinese companies have been on an overseas acquisition spree as they use their cash hoard to buy up foreign technology to bolster their competitive positions at home.

China's biggest manufacturer of home appliances, Midea Group, announced Wednesday an unsolicited takeover bid for German robot maker Kuka, offering 115 euros ( 130) for each share of the German company, valuing it at over 5 billion. The Chinese company, which has a market cap of about 21 billion based on its listing in the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, had, on Feb. 4, announced it raised its stake in Kuka to 10.2 percent and currently owns 13.5 percent of the German company's shares. The offer, made through Midea subsidiary MECCA International, of 115 euros is a 59.6 percent premium to Kuka's closing share price on Feb. 3, which was 72.05 euros per share. The company said in its statement it "is committed to maintaining Kuka's independence as a publicly listed company in Germany and has no intention of entering into a domination agreement regardless of the result of the takeover offer." Midea has previously announced its intent to increase its stake in Kuka, and the current bid is to keep in line with regulatory framework that makes it mandatory for an acquiring company to make an open offer for all issued shares of the company being acquired, if its stake exceeds 30 percent.