China's Tencent says trialling own AI reasoning model alongside DeepSeek February 16, 2025 at 11:40PM

Tencent has begun trialing its own AI reasoning model, "Hunyuan Thinker," alongside DeepSeek’s R1 chatbot in its Yuanbao chatbot, aiming for more human-like responses. The move intensifies China’s AI race, with companies like Baidu and BYD also integrating DeepSeek. While gaining traction, DeepSeek faces global scrutiny over data privacy, with South Korea joining several countries in restricting its use pending security reviews.

Iran says to take part in Nasrallah funeral at 'high level' February 16, 2025 at 11:30PM

Iran has announced it will send a senior delegation to the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The announcement follows Lebanon’s cancellation of flights from Tehran over security concerns, which Hezbollah’s current leader, Naim Qassem, blamed on Israeli influence. Hezbollah, founded in the 1980s with Iranian support, has long been a key adversary of Israel. Nasrallah led the group for 32 years, expanding its military and regional influence.

Tehran blasts Netanyahu vow to 'finish the job' against Iran February 16, 2025 at 11:12PM

Iran on Monday condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's call to "finish the job" against the Islamic republic as a breach of the UN Charter. On Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran would never become a nuclear power, labelling the Islamic republic the "greatest" source of instability in the Middle East.