The Download: the first brain implant power user and South Korea's AI obsession Plus: The US says it restricted Anthropic AI over foreign intelligence risks. This man with ALS is the first "power user" of a brain implant that lets him speak Casey Harrell has had a set of electrodes embedded in his brain for almost three years. Harrell, who has ALS and is paralyzed, first used his brain-computer interface (BCI) to "speak" in 2023. Since then, he's clocked thousands of hours of use. Harrell can now use the device largely independently. His team has added new features to it, and he also uses it to surf the web and perform his job.

Why do South Koreans love AI so much? From eldercare robots to humanoid monks, South Koreans just can't get enough of AI. When I landed in Seoul after a grueling 12-hour flight from San Francisco, I walked through an unmanned immigration checkpoint, where a machine scanned my face and passport. On the subway home, people were glued to their phones (powered by flawless 5G even underground), as we raced past platforms lined with LED screens of ads celebrating K-pop idols ' birthdays. When I got off the station in Gangnam, a cartoon-eyed robot on wheels was waiting patiently at a crosswalk to deliver someone's dinner. Internet cafés dotted the sidewalks, crammed with teenagers playing computer games, maybe hoping to become the next legendary pro gamer .

Bang Chun-ja, a 78-year-old South Korean woman living alone, holding Hyodol, an artificial intelligence-powered healthcare doll designed for the elderly, during an interview at her home in Yongin in April. Yongin, South Korea - In her tiny apartment in South Korea where she lives alone, 78-year-old Bang Chun-ja spends her days with a childlike artificial intelligence-powered doll she says she prefers to people. The doll greets Bang when she returns home, sings to her when she feels bored, reminds her not to skip meals or medication -- helping her maintain a routine -- and tells her it loves her. Bang has limited contact with her grown-up daughter, and fell into severe depression after major back surgery, spending hours alone staring at the ceiling in pain. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

North Korea will'never' get nuclear recognition, EU and South Korea say European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung next to European Council President Antonio Costa on the day of an EU-South Korea summit in Brussels on Wednesday. South Korea and the European Union have said that North Korea will "never" be recognized as a nuclear-weapon state, reaffirming their commitment to denuclearization days after China and North Korea pledged closer ties at a summit that made no public mention of the issue. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa on Wednesday in Brussels, where they agreed to step up defense ties, including efforts to facilitate the exchange of classified information. "The DPRK will never be accepted as a nuclear-weapon state," the EU and South Korea said in a joint statement, referring to North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of 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.

In the five years since Myanmar's military chief led a coup to overthrow the democratically elected government, civil war has torn the country apart. Thousands have been killed and millions displaced by the conflict between the military and an alliance of ethnic and rebel groups. More than two years ago, the rebels made a series of sweeping gains, but things have taken a turn for the worse for them. Forced conscription and increased drone power has put the military on the offensive in most parts of the country. The BBC's Quentin Sommerville travelled to Myanmar without the permission of the authorities - the only way to report from rebel-held territory.

After decades risking arrest, South Korea's tattoo artists step into the limelight When Kim Tae-nam took the stage last Saturday in Seoul, it was a moment he had long been waiting for - the career he had chosen was no longer illegal. He couldn't stop smiling, the relief spilling into his voice: This was only possible because of our effort, all your sweat and tears. Let's hear it from everyone: Tattoos are art! They had gathered on a rooftop in Seongsu, a hip Seoul neighbourhood, for Ink Bomb: more than 90 local tattooists and artists openly celebrating body art, which had thrived in the shadows for decades. Just days before, South Korea's top court had overturned its 1992 ruling that defined tattooing as a medical act - bringing to an end Korean tattooists' decades-long fight for legitimacy.

Rescuers in Laos have found five villagers alive inside a flooded cave after they were trapped for a week following heavy rain and landslides. Two people are still missing, rescue teams said. Footage shared by the rescuers showed cave divers crawling through narrow, muddy passageways. The seven people were part of a group of villagers who had gone into the cave in search of gold deposits and wildlife, but could not get out as the cave's entrance was blocked. Could a football match soften North Korea-South Korea relations?

Samsung averted fears of a strike after the deal was made to pay special bonuses to employees at the world's largest memory chipmaker. Samsung averted fears of a strike after the deal was made to pay special bonuses to employees at the world's largest memory chipmaker. Employees at Samsung Electronics's memory chip division are to receive bonuses averaging about £310,000 each through a landmark profit-sharing agreement, as the AI boom drives up chipmakers' profits. Fears of a strike at Samsung were averted on Wednesday after two unions for the world's largest memory chipmaker said that 74% of the 62,616 workers who cast their votes had backed the deal. The agreement, mediated by South Korea's government, means Samsung will set aside 10.5% of operating profits at its semiconductor division to pay special bonuses to its chip workers.

At least 82 people have been killed and two are missing after a coal mine blast in northern China, officials have said. The gas explosion at the Liushenyu Coal Mine is the worst mining disaster in China since 2009, and Chinese President Xi Jinping said no effort must be spared in the search and rescue operation. Early on Sunday morning, rescuers deployed mine inspection robots underground, equipped with gas sensors and infrared cameras, state media reported. The BBC's China correspondent Stephen McDonell is at the scene of the blast in Shanxi province. Could a football match soften North Korea-South Korea relations?

South Korea's stock market soars as Samsung union calls off planned strike South Korea's stock market has rallied following a last-minute deal to avert a strike that had threatened to disrupt the global supply of memory chips. Samsung Electronics and its union on Wednesday night announced a tentative agreement to settle a months-long standoff over pay, avoiding a planned 18-day walkout by some 48,000 employees. South Korea's benchmark KOSPI on Thursday soared more than 8 percent, continuing a remarkable run that has seen the index rise more than 80 percent since the start of the year. Samsung Electronics, South Korea's biggest firm by market capitalisation, jumped more than 7.5 percent. SK Hynix, the main rival of Samsung Electronics in memory chips, surged more than 11 percent.