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He warned that without international cooperation the technology could widen global inequality instead of advancing sustainable development. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, Mr. Guterres described AI…
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Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday cast Beijing as the champion of a new global AI order, using China’s premier tech conference to promote open-source technology and challenge US influence over the rules governing the fast-moving sector.In a speech to the opening ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, Xi urged countries to seize the “historic opportunity” of open-source AI, and pledged to help developing nations build AI capabilities, warning against the emergence of “new historical injustices” from unequal access to the technology.The remarks amounted to Xi’s clearest articulation yet of China’s ambition to shape global AI governance, framing its open-source models as a global public good and positioning Beijing as an alternative to Washington at a pivotal moment in the race for technological leadership.Comparing AI’s significance to the invention of the steam engine and electricity, Xi outlined a vision in which China shares AI technology and expertise with countries across the Global South, while leading global efforts to create standards governing the emerging technology.The speech pitched China’s AI coalition as a rival to the US-led “Pax Silica” international initiative to secure global AI and critical mineral supply chains, though Xi avoided naming Washington.Chinese state media has increasingly portrayed Beijing’s AI strategy as a response to what it calls a US-led attempt to erect an “AI Iron Curtain”.In a commentary published on Thursday, Yuyuan Tantian, a prominent social media account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV, said China was seeking to build “another order” by “pooling the strength of all humanity and all countries to build an open-source, all-factor AI ecosystem”.The WAIC conference underlined the shifting AI landscape, with Chinese open-weight AI models making rapid gains against proprietary systems from US companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic.Beijing-based startup Moonshot AI yesterday unveiled Kimi K3, which it described as the world’s largest open AI model by parameter count, a month after the US government abruptly pulled Anthropic’s frontier-class AI models due to security concerns.Reuters reported earlier this month that Beijing is weighing restrictions on overseas access to some of China’s leading AI models, highlighting the growing tension between its promotion of open-source AI and an increasingly stringent national security agenda.Xi also called for AI systems to remain under human control and urged countries to establish early-warning and emergency-response mechanisms to manage AI risks, in his clearest remarks to date on AI safety.He further urged measures to guard against loss-of-control scenarios, warning of the dangers posed by autonomous AI systems that could evade human oversight and control.China will provide AI training and develop AI cooperation centres with Brics, Asean, Latin American and African Union countries, Xi said, aligning its AI diplomacy with major Global South blocs where Beijing already carries significant influence.The remarks came a day after the launch of the China-created World AI Co-operation Organisation, or WAICO, which signed up 29 member countries. Xi called the organisation a “milestone in the history of world AI development” and said it responded to demands from Global South nations for greater participation in AI governance.Analysts said the timing turned what might have been a routine policy speech into a statement linking China’s technological advances to a formal diplomatic platform.”You’ve got the leader of the second most powerful country in the world, a country that’s still posting real technological gains despite everything going on with the US, standing up and laying out China’s view on AI,” said Alfredo Montufar-Helu, managing director at Ankura China Advisors.That institutional push reflects a broader Chinese effort to avoid being cast as a rule-taker in a sector increasingly shaped by US companies, US export controls and Washington-led technology partnerships, according to analysts.”Xi’s message is clear: China is not going to follow anyone on both AI technology and standards. Instead, China is going to lead the world in both aspects,” said George Chen, chair in digital practice at The Asia Group, a consultancy.The July 17-20 gathering comes as Washington and Beijing prepare for their first government-level AI talks under US President Donald Trump’s administration.The two powers laid out competing visions at a UN AI dialogue last week, where US officials argued excessive regulation could hinder innovation, while China promoted its low-cost, open-source models as a tool for narrowing global disparities in AI access.Washington has brought together 35 countries behind its AI Opportunity Statement, compared with 29 countries signed up to the China-led WAICO.Kazakhstan is the only country listed as joining both initiatives, a person familiar with the US position said, arguing the limited overlap showed most countries aligned with Washington’s framework had not endorsed Beijing’s competing initiative.Alongside China’s leading technology companies, attendees at WAIC include UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. 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Ferrari’s British driver Lewis Hamilton gets ready to take the start during the second practice session at the…
After a break of more than six weeks, drifting competitions returned to the spotlight with the second round of the Qatar Drift Championship for the 2025/2026 season.The round was held under the patronage Qatar Racing Club Chairman HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani and witnessed a large crowd that filled the club’s grandstands, alongside the participation of an elite group of drift champions from the Gulf countries and the wider region.In the local category, Abdullah al-Mouhtasib topped the qualifying standings, ahead of Yasser al-Shater and Mohammed al-Jaber in second and third respectively, while last season’s local category champion Yazan Jabshah finished fourth.The tandem battles also featured strong and intense matchups. Qualifying leader Ali Makhseed advanced to the second round after defeating Meysiar Abu Shaiba. The second matchup was an all-local duel between Yasser al-Shater and Mohammed al-Jaber, which ended in favor of al-Shater, who progressed to the next round.Last round’s runner-up Riyadh al-Mabsali continued his campaign by overcoming Mohammed Al-Azmi, while Salem al-Sarraf secured his place in the second round after defeating Mazen Nasser.On the other side of the elimination bracket, Mohammed Khourshid, who finished second in qualifying, defeated Saleh al-Rumaihi, making his first appearance in the championship, to advance to the second round. Meanwhile, last season’s local category champion Yazan Jabshah moved on after overcoming Bakheet al-Hajri. The matchup between opening round champion Ahmed al-Amri and Saoud al-Abdulhadi produced no surprises, with al-Amri advancing. The final first-round duel brought together Abdullah al-Mouhtasib and Saoud al-Attiya in an all-local contest that ended in favor of al-Mouhtasib.In the second round, Ali Makhseed and Salem al-Sarraf qualified for the first semifinal, with Makhseed defeating Yasser al-Shater and al-Sarraf overcoming Riyadh al-Mabsali. On the other side, Mohammed Khourshid advanced to the second semifinal after defeating Yazan Jabsha, while Ahmed al-Amri completed the semifinal lineup by beating Abdullah al-Mouhtasib.The semifinal battles were extremely tense and evenly matched, with both encounters initially ending in draws, forcing the judges to order reruns to determine the winners. In the first semifinal, last season’s champion Ali Makhseed faced his former runner-up Salem al-Sarraf. Makhseed managed to edge ahead with difficulty to become the first finalist of the second round.In the second semifinal, Mohammed Khourshid defeated last round’s champion Ahmed al-Amri, who later finished fourth overall after losing the third-place playoff to al-Sarraf, allowing the latter to climb onto the podium in third place for the second consecutive round.Attention then turned to the final showdown between qualifying leader Ali Makhseed and qualifying runner-up Mohammed Khourshid. The duel delivered the highest level of excitement seen in the round, but victory ultimately went to Makhseed, who secured his first win of the season, while Khourshid settled for second place and his first podium appearance of the season.QRC Director General Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid al-Thani crowned the top three finishers on the podium. Third round will take place in two weeks’ time. Source link
A superb drive from a bunker with a wood set up Jayden Schaper to beat fellow South African Shaun Norris on the first hole of a play-off and win a European Tour event in Johannesburg.Schaper’s second shot, after a wayward drive on the par five 18th, landed just off the green and he used his putter to claim an eagle and a first victory on the circuit.”That was one of the shots of my career. I had a good angle and a nice lie,” the 24-year-old Johannesburg-born champion told reporters.Norris, 19 years older than Schaper, applauded the shot by raising his hands and clapping for several minutes.Defending champion Norris, seven shots behind going into the final round of a tournament reduced to 54 holes by flooding on Saturday, also had an eagle chance, but his putt veered well left.Schaper, runner-up at another European event in Sun City last weekend, could have clinched first place on the 18th in regulation play, but found a greenside bunker and two putted for a par.He posted rounds of 67, 64 and 67 while Norris, after rounds of 67 and 69 appeared to rule him out of contention, fired a 62, then waited in the clubhouse for some time while Schaper completed his round.”It was a grind, really tough,” said Schaper, who turned professional five years ago, after his triumph at Royal Johannesburg.”Having my family here to see me achieve a historic victory was special. It is unreal, awesome, amazing.”After coming so close last weekend at Sun City I had to keep fighting. Now I am a champion. That is a fantastic feeling.”Spaniard Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, who took a two-stroke lead into the final round, carded a 70 to finish one shot behind Schaper and Norris.South African Louis Oosthuizen, the sole major winner in the field, finished with a 66 to tie for fourth place.Leading final round scores(RSA unless stated):198 – Jayden Schaper 67-64-67, Shaun Norris 67-69-62Schaper won at first play-off hole199 – Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra (ESP) 63-66-70201 – Oliver Bekker 66-67-68, Christiaan Burke 63-71-67, Louis Oosthuizen 67-68-66202 – Martin Couvra (FRA) 70-69-63, John Parry (ENG) 66-66-70203 – Christiaan Bezuidenhout 67-69-67, Branden Grace 65-67-71, Michael Hollick 70-63-70, Aldrich Potgieter 67-69-67, Samuel Simpson 65-71-67Note: Event reduced to three rounds after course was flooded on Saturday Source link
Coach Herve Renard Sunday said Saudi Arabia are expecting a feisty clash against Jordan in the semi-final of the FIFA Arab Cup today.Renard, who coached Saudi Arabia at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Sunday also said his players won’t adopt half measures against the 2023 AFC Asian Cup finalists.“After reaching this stage of a tournament, all matches are usually difficult and tough, and require the best effort from every player. And certainly all of my players are aware of this andthey are ready for Jordan,” Renard said Sunday at a press conference.“I have confidence in the players’ ability to perform at their best and win so we can reach the final,” Renard said ahead of the match scheduled to take place at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.“Our preparations have been good for this match. We will be playing to win so we can play the final,” the popular Frenchman added.The Saudi coach added: “Our goal is to to get the win in order to please the Saudi fans who have come to Qatar in large numbers to support the team. We will spare no effort to raise the flag of Saudi football here.”Renard, 57, said that he has ‘a good relationship’ with Jordan’s coach Jamal Sellami.“I know he is focused on working with his own team just like any other coach. I have worked with him for a long time,” he said.Morocco coach Sellami Sunday said: “Our preparations are good, we gave some players a rest and Sunday will be the final preparation.”The coach added: “We will face a strong and a title favourite team. They have no absences while we have a key player missing out. For the first time, we will play without Yazan al-Naimat and Musa al-Taamari together. We will have to defend smart in the match.”Sellami continued: “We know the strength of the Saudi national team. We will have to be at our best.”The Jordan coach admitted Saudi Arabia will be a tough opponent and that his side won’t be thinking of the final just yet.Sellami told reporters Sunday: “My focus is on the next match. We will face a solid team in defence, attack and midfield. They have some of the best players in Asia. They also have Mohammed Kanno, who has returned to his best form.“The most important thing now is to face Saudi Arabia, and then consider the final.“I have a good relationship with Herve Renard and there’s mutual respect also. He deserves respect and is worthy of it.” Related Story Source link
The 11th Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations opened in Riyadh on Sunday with a blunt…
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