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Rheinmetall and OHB are negotiating to bid for a German military LEO satellite communications programme that could tap into roughly €35 billion of planned defence‑space spending. The project aims to create a domestically built, Starlink‑style network to improve resilience and reduce reliance on foreign commercial providers, but it faces strong competition and significant technical and industrial challenges.

Microsoft has launched Maia 200, a TSMC 3nm AI inference chip the company says outperforms Amazon’s Trainium v3 and Google’s TPU v7 on low-precision workloads while improving inference cost-efficiency by about 30% versus its current fleet. The release underscores hyperscalers’ push into custom silicon to reduce reliance on Nvidia GPUs, but success will depend on software tooling, ecosystem adoption and independent benchmarking.

Laplace cautions that space‑based solar power is still a technical research endeavour, not a commercial reality. Significant engineering, economic and governance hurdles must be overcome before orbital solar can rival terrestrial renewables.

Synopsys CEO Sassine Ghazi warns that the current memory-chip shortage, driven by heavy demand from AI data centres, is likely to last through 2026 and potentially into 2027. Concentrated production, long lead times for new fabs and booming demand for HBM mean elevated prices and allocation pressures may persist, benefiting memory suppliers but squeezing device makers and other industries.

A 5.5-magnitude quake rattled Gansu but caused no confirmed casualties as emergency teams responded. China tightened internet protections for minors, markets saw a gold-led rally while mainland turnover topped 3 trillion yuan, Tencent plans a 1 billion yuan red-packet campaign for its new app, and KFC raised delivery prices slightly amid cost pressure.

Rui'ang Gene, a Shanghai‑listed molecular diagnostics company, announced that its controlling siblings, former chair Xiong Hui and controller Xiong Jun, have been indicted on fraud charges. The company forecast a sizeable revenue drop and a net loss for 2025, while stressing that management and operations remain in place despite the criminal proceedings.

Zhaoyan New Drug posted a paradoxical 2025 outlook: lower revenue but sharply higher net profit driven mainly by fair‑value gains on biological assets — chiefly experimental monkeys — and returns from cash management. The company’s core laboratory services remain under pressure, and the profitability bump has prompted scrutiny about the sustainability of relying on asset revaluation and financial income rather than scientific capabilities.

Two recent fatal shootings by immigration-enforcement officers in Minneapolis have generated large protests and an unusual joint plea from more than 60 Minnesota corporations to de-escalate. With Senate Democrats vowing to block a funding bill that includes DHS appropriations, the episode raises the real prospect of another federal shutdown when stopgap funding expires on January 30.

The European Commission has opened a formal DSA investigation into Grok, the AI chatbot on Elon Musk’s X, to evaluate systemic risks such as misinformation and user harm. The probe reflects the EU’s strengthened regulatory posture toward platform governance and AI oversight, and could lead to fines, operational constraints or mandated safety measures.

Jieyue Xingchen has raised over RMB5 billion in a B+ round and named Yin Qi, founder of Megvii and current chair of Qianli Technology, as chairman to accelerate commercialization of its large models. The start‑up aims to marry its foundation models with device partners — phones and cars — to create a full productisation chain, betting that terminal deployment will prove its commercial value.

OpenAI has started selling ads in ChatGPT at premium rates comparable to high‑value broadcast inventory, offering only basic impressions and click totals to early advertisers. The company plans to develop more advanced measurement tools over time, but the current lack of granular attribution and conversion reporting limits appeal to performance‑driven buyers and poses a hurdle for competing with established ad platforms.

China inaugurated a direct high-speed rail service between Yan'an and Zunyi, cutting travel time between the two revolutionary sites from over 16 hours to just over eight. The route connects major inland hubs and is intended to spur red tourism, regional economic integration and rural revitalisation in former revolutionary base areas.

Alibaba has launched Qwen3‑Max‑Thinking, a flagship inference model its team says matches top Western 'thinking' models on key benchmarks. The model emphasizes reasoning, instruction following and agent capabilities and is aimed at commercial integration across Alibaba's cloud and services. The announcement underscores China’s accelerating push to develop indigenous, production‑ready large language models, though benchmark claims require independent validation.

Apple’s refreshed AirTag, launched in China at 249 yuan, improves precision locating with a second‑generation UWB chip, extends Bluetooth range, and makes the speaker louder. The update emphasises recycled materials, deeper Apple Watch integration, and a secure item‑sharing feature for partners such as airlines, while reiterating existing anti‑stalking and privacy protections.

Alibaba has launched Qwen3‑Max‑Thinking, an inference model that combines adaptive tool calling and test‑time scaling to improve reasoning, factual accuracy and alignment. Alibaba claims benchmark parity with leading models such as GPT‑5.2‑Thinking, and has deployed the capability in Qwen Chat, signalling rapid commercialisation within its cloud and consumer ecosystem.

Alibaba has released Qwen3‑Max‑Thinking, a trillion‑parameter inference model it says surpasses leading Western models on multiple benchmarks, with stronger agent tool‑calling and reduced hallucinations. The company is opening trials on PC and web, positioning the model for broad commercial use while leaving independent verification of its claims outstanding.

France is fast-tracking armed surface unmanned vessels through competition-style trials and shifting procurement toward rapid, trial-driven experimentation. The DGA and navy expect to field one or two armed boat designs by 2027 while also expanding shipborne drones, long-range loitering munitions and targeting pods to respond to new littoral threats.

Buhetumuer, a deputy staff officer in an Inner Mongolia People’s Armed Police detachment, exemplifies a model Beijing promotes: a hard‑trained special‑operations leader who also runs social assistance programs in pastoral communities. He has developed new tactical methods including drone‑assisted assault techniques while sponsoring education and village development, earning national recognition for fostering ethnic unity.

China has invited Uruguay’s President Orsi for a state visit during which Xi Jinping will discuss strengthening a comprehensive strategic partnership and advancing Belt and Road cooperation. The trip is a diplomatic milestone that could yield trade and infrastructure deals, while also reflecting Beijing’s broader push to deepen ties in Latin America amid great‑power competition.

Federal agents in Minneapolis fatally shot a 37-year-old man; the Department of Homeland Security presented the shooting as justified because the man allegedly held a gun near officers. Bystander video and local authorities have cast doubt on that account, prompting criticism from major gun-rights groups that say lawful carriers should not be presumed culpable and that full investigations should precede public judgment.