Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament has approved the government's annual budget, preserving funding for a drone programme central to the island's defence plans against China. Lawmakers passed the $93bn budget late on Friday, after a record 266 days of political deadlock and its legal deadline, as President William Lai Ching-te's administration, which lost its parliamentary majority in 2024, continues to clash with opposition parties over government spending. The Kuomintang dropped the proposed cut after concluding there was no wasteful overlap between the development and procurement programmes it had initially cited as justification. Other reductions included a 60 percent cut to special allowances for government agency heads, a 2.5 percent cut to military equipment and facilities spending, and a 50 percent cut to media policy and publicity budgets. Before Friday's vote, the government had been operating under a provisional budget mechanism to keep paying civil servants and funding welfare programmes.

U.S. to tell partners they must pick sides in AI race with China People march as they protest against Pax Silica, a U.S.-led initiative, in Manila on Thursday. WASHINGTON - The U.S. is preparing to tell dozens of countries they must pick sides in the artificial intelligence race with China, warning they will be excluded from a U.S.-led AI coalition if they also sign up for Beijing's competing framework, according to a U.S. official and an internal draft reviewed by reporters. Washington last year launched the Pax Silica initiative aimed at securing supply chains for AI models, semiconductors and critical minerals, amid a fierce technology rivalry with Beijing. About two dozen countries have joined, including Kazakhstan, a key potential source of critical minerals that has also joined China's coalition, as well as close U.S. allies such as Japan, Australia and South Korea. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

British diplomats in six locations around the world, including Buenos Aires and Santiago in South America, will no longer get hardship payments for working in dangerous cities. Bonuses and respite breaks are granted to those working in cities considered risky, like Beirut in Lebanon, or with high crime, such as Pretoria in South Africa, or high air pollution in cities including New Delhi and Beijing. The UK government has removed Santiago, in Chile, Panama City in Panama, Pyongyang in North Korea, Bamako in Mali, and Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in addition to the two south American cities, according to the latest list published last week, external . The 144 locations still on the list include many trouble spots but also popular holiday destinations such as Bali and Rio De Janeiro, prompting criticism from the Conservatives. Tory chairman Kevin Hollin rake said civil servants receiving extra pay for working in such areas is unfair on the taxpayer. The Foreign Office has given civil servants extra payments for working in areas where there is a high level of danger, or high risks to health, for the past 30 years.

Apple trains its own AI model for China market with Alibaba's support, sources say People walk past a booth showcasing Apple's suppliers during the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on June 22. Apple has trained a large language model specifically for the China market, three people familiar with the matter said, a departure from the iPhone maker's strategy of relying on third-party models to power AI features in the country. The AI model was developed in partnership with Alibaba Group and trained with the Chinese tech giant's support, the people said, declining to be named as the information is sensitive and not public. Apple's training of its own China-specific model has not been reported before. The company had previously leaned toward domestic partners' models to bring generative AI to iPhones and other devices sold in China, where U.S. models such as Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's ChatGPT, which Apple pairs with its own technology in its home market, are not available.

Peter Navarro's White House report identifies over 40 countries posing transshipment risk, alleging China routes goods through third nations to avoid U.S. tariffs.

Taiwan did not say who was behind the AI cyber-attacks, but it has in recent years complained about China's pressure on the democratically governed island through acts of'hybrid warfare'. Taiwan did not say who was behind the AI cyber-attacks, but it has in recent years complained about China's pressure on the democratically governed island through acts of'hybrid warfare'. Taiwan says it was hit by'abnormal' AI-assisted cyber-attack Taiwan's statement comes a day after reports that suspected China-linked hackers had carried out a first-of-a-kind breach Taiwan says it detected AI-assisted cyber-attacks on government agencies that came from overseas last month, a new kind of threat that has been reported as "first-of-a-kind breach". The Ministry of Digital Affairs (MDA) said its cybersecurity monitoring units detected the "abnormal attack" targeting government agencies, which began on 20 July. The National Institute of Cyber Security issued a series of warning alerts while it investigated.

The Honor Robot Phone has been on our radar for a while now and it's finally available to preorder, though just in China for now. The "robot" in the name refers primarily to the automated pop-up camera gimbal, which does seem like a boon for photographers and videographers. This gimbal is made from titanium and can move in various directions, including a full 360-degree rotation. This obviously allows people to get difficult shots that normal smartphones would struggle with. It supports a wide range of cinematic movement modes.

Gear Cameras Insta360 wants its latest 360-degree action cam to be your "cameraman of the future" Insta360 is positioning the X6 as a 360º camera, subject-tracking gimbal camera, and single-lens action camera in one pocket-sized solution. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy . At a 10th anniversary event held in Midtown Manhattan on July 28, imaging company Insta360 reflected on its past and shared its vision for the future.

Honor's Robot Phone Has a Gimbal-Powered Camera for Vloggers Honor's new China-exclusive Android phone features a pop-out motorized gimbal camera designed to replace your action cam. You hear it often: Smartphones have plateaued . A small boost to battery life here, a minor camera upgrade there--our glass slabs don't seem to change all that much from year to year. That's exactly the kind of sentiment Honor wants to counter with the Robot Phone, which has a motorized camera that pops up out of the top. Honor has been teasing the phone since late 2025 .

"Who's Ahead, Who's Behind, and Where We Are Headed Next in the U.S.-China Technology Competition?" [5] D. J. Hicks and R. Simmons, "The National Robotics Initiative: A Five-Year Retrospective," in IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, vol.