New US tariffs are in force against Canada, Mexico and China after President Donald Trump confirmed they would go ahead.

Chinese tech firms and state media have spotlighted humanoid robots, which have grown in popularity since the Unitree G1 appeared to run, jump, dance and perform martial arts-like movements in a recent demonstration. Both the United States and China are leaders in humanoid robot technology. But industry analysts believe that the United States is superior in AI technology, which is responsible for the robot's "brain," while Chinese technology companies have flourished in the hardware manufacturing capabilities of the robot's "body." Click here for the full story in Mandarin.

These are the key developments on day 1,104 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Lancet study uses data from 204 countries to paint a grim picture of what it called an 'unprecedented global epidemic'.

Tariffs of 25 percent on Mexican and Canadian goods came into effect on Tuesday.

Report says rape is 'being used as a tactic of war' in violation of international law and and laws protecting children.

The UK has been one of the most popular destinations for international students in recent years - but is the appeal still there?

Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo says it's in the US's 'national interest' to maintain the status quo in Asia.

The ninth month of the Islamic calendar is special to Muslims around the world for its many unique blessings.

A spike in violent crime in the Bangladesh capital makes youth who risked lives for change ask: 'What was it all for?'

The United States may become the second country after Australia to ban China’s DeepSeek artificial intelligence on government devices. U.S. Representatives Josh Gottheimer and Darin LaHood introduced a bipartisan bill proposing the ban. In their letter to 47 U.S. governors and the mayor of Washington, the congressmen warned that DeepSeek could pose security risks to sensitive government data and cybersecurity and Americans’ privacy, NBC News reported on March 3. China denies the allegations. However, concerns highlighted by the U.S. lawmakers and state officials are not without merit, experts say. The Chinese government has reportedly also used AI models like DeepSeek for mass surveillance, including the collection of biometric data and social media listening models that report to China's security services and the military, as well as for information attacks on U.S. and Chinese dissidents abroad. At least three leading Chinese surveillance and security companies — TopSec, QAX and NetEase — announced the integration of DeepSeek to enhance their services.  All three companies provide services to the Chinese government, and some made it clear that DeepSeek will improve their cyber censorship and surveillance capabilities. This includes AI-driven biometric data capturing, face recognition and surveillance technologies such as "smart cities," the Skynet Project, and the Xueliang Project, which can monitor all aspects of an individual's public life, Wenhao Ma of VOA’s China Division reported. In January, Canadian cybersecurity firm Feroot Security uncovered a code imbedded in DeepSeek’s login processes that shares user information with Chinese state-owned communication company China Mobile, AP reported. The Associated Press described the code as a “heavily obfuscated computer script that when deciphered shows connections to computer infrastructure owned by China Mobile.” The U.S. banned China Mobile in 2019 following intelligence reports that it serves as the Chinese military’s spy arm. China-based actors have been using ChatGPT along with DeepSeek models to generate phishing email and disinformation attacks on the U.S. “on behalf of unspecified clients in China,” OpenAI said in its February report. OpenAI identified and blocked a cluster of China-originated accounts involved in malicious activities, such as Qianyue Overseas Public Opinion AI Assistant, reportedly designed to ingest and analyze posts and comments related to Chinese politics and human rights from platforms such as X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Telegram and Reddit. The purpose of the operation was reportedly "to feed the resulting insights to the Chinese authorities" such as "Chinese embassies abroad, and to intelligence agents monitoring protests in countries including the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom,” OpenAI said. A set of ChatGPT accounts that OpenAI banned in February had been involved in Chinese influence operations focused on generating short comments in English and long-form Spanish-language articles critical of the United States published in local and national media outlets across Latin America and Spain. One of the Chinese companies planting the articles in the Spanish-language outlets was Jilin Yousen Culture Communication Co., a subsidiary of the government-tied Beijing United Publishing House. VOA reviewed nine of the Chinese AI-generated articles published in Spanish-language media between October and November 2024 as identified by OpenAI. Two — in Mexico’s El Universal and Peru’s El Popular — criticized the United States' use of sanctions targeting foreign governments and individuals. The El Universal op-ed described the U.S. sanctions on Iran’s oil industry for Tehran’s backing of terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah as exposing the U.S.' “impotence” in dealing with global politics and the “rapid decline” of its “moral standing.” Similarly, El Popular painted U.S. sanctions on a Hamas affiliate as “insane” and an “attack on the rights of Palestinian people.” An article in Peru’s La Republica presented the U.S. as the biggest beneficiary of the Russian war in Ukraine, replicating the Kremlin’s key narrative. It criticized the U.S. for providing military aid to Kyiv, framing the American support as an escalation of the war. China, however, has been a key provider of military technologies and weapons to Russia, which Moscow uses in daily attacks on Ukrainian civilians. Another China-planted piece in La Republica described U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policy as “undermining U.S. global leadership position.” Three pieces in Peru’s Wapa, El Popular and El Plural exploited the issues of homelessness, child nutrition and crime in the U.S. — all presented as extremely acute and dangerous. For example, the child nutrition piece claimed that most children in the U.S. “go hungry on weekends and holidays” due to the government’s neglect of children’s food security. While the topics of these articles vary from human rights and social issues in the U.S. to foreign and domestic politics, they all paint a picture of a dysfunctional state with failing moral values and declining international influence, matching Beijing’s standard narrative.

The University and College Union says 5,000 jobs are already being cut and the sector is "on its knees".

US president's move comes hours after he accused Ukrainian leader of not wanting peace.

European leaders and other allies met in London on Sunday to discuss support for Ukraine.

WASHINGTON — Chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. announced on Monday plans to make an additional $100 billion investment in the United States and build five additional chips factories in the coming years. TSMC CEO C.C. Wei announced the plan in a meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump. "We must be able to build the chips and semiconductors that we need right here," Trump said. "It's a matter of national security for us." TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, is a leading supplier to major U.S. hardware manufacturers. The $100 billion outlay, which would boost domestic production and make the United States less reliant on semiconductors made in Asia, is in addition to a major prior investment announcement. TSMC agreed in April to expand its planned U.S. investment by $25 billion to $65 billion and to add a third Arizona factory by 2030. With his Nov. 5 election victory largely driven by voters' economic concerns, Trump has stepped up efforts to bolster investments in domestic industries to create jobs. The TSMC announcement is the latest in a string of such developments. In February, Apple said it would invest $500 billion in the next four years. Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani and SoftBank also have promised multibillion-dollar investments in the U.S. TSMC said on Monday it looks "forward to discussing our shared vision for innovation and growth in the semiconductor industry, as well as exploring ways to bolster the technology sector along with our customers." The U.S. Commerce Department under then President Joe Biden finalized a $6.6 billion government subsidy in November for TSMC's U.S. unit for semiconductor production in Phoenix, Arizona. Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act legislation in 2022 to provide $52.7 billion in subsidies for American semiconductor production and research. Taiwan's dominant position as a maker of chips used in technology from cellphones and cars to fighter jets has sparked concerns of over-reliance on the island, especially as China ramps up pressure to assert its sovereignty claims. China claims Taiwan as its territory, but the democratically elected government in Taipei rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims. Under Biden, the Commerce Department convinced all five leading-edge semiconductor firms to locate factories in the U.S. as part of the program to address national security risks from imported chips. Trump's Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told lawmakers last month that the program was "an excellent down payment" to rebuild the sector, but he has declined to commit grants that have already been approved by the department, saying he wanted to "read them and analyze them and understand them." A TSMC spokesperson said last month the company had received $1.5 billion in CHIPS Act money before the new administration came in as per the milestone terms of its agreement. TSMC last year agreed to produce the world's most advanced 2-nanometer technology at its second Arizona factory expected to begin production in 2028. TSMC also agreed to use its most advanced chip manufacturing technology called "A16" in Arizona. TSMC has already begun producing advanced 4-nanometer chips for U.S. customers in Arizona. The TSMC award included up to $5 billion in low-cost government loans.  

Holders Real Madrid entertain Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their last 16 tie in the UEFA Champions League.

TSMC CEO announced the plan with US president, the latest firm to make investment commitments since Trump took office.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since former President Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December.

Medics at Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital administer ‘mechanical ventilation’ after pontiff’s latest health setback.

Ambulances sounded in the streets of Mannheim after a car rammed into a crowd, killing two and injuring several.