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☆ ‘Video games are in for quite a trip’: How generative AI could radically reshape gaming
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“You can tell there is something off about what you’re seeing or hearing.”Enter generative AI. That offers another opportunity for generative AI to reshape the gaming experience. While the developers retain control over procedurally generated content, generative AI has the potential to develop unplayable levels, or deviate in unintended ways from the game’s narrative. An additional toolWhile gamers are excited about the potential for gameplay, generative AI is likely to impact development before it alters the user experience. “I think with generative AI, it’s essentially the same thing – or at least, we’re approaching it with the exact same mindset here at Ubisoft.” However, there are still a lot of unanswered “legal and ethical aspects” to using generative AI, including artists’ copyright, he adds.

Persons: Jitao Zhou, Alexis Rolland, ”, Rolland, Ubisoft's, Zhou, Julian Togelius, “, Togelius, Takehiko Hoshino, It’s, Hoshino, “ Fortnite, Creatives, We’ve, it’s Organizations: Rikkyo University CNN —, La, La Forge, Ubisoft, Rikkyo University, New York University, Rokkyo University, Maxis, EA, UGC, CNN, Forge Locations: La Forge China, Tokyo, La

☆ Israel-Hamas war fuels debate and nationalist sentiment on Chinese social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“The lack of condemnation of Hamas by Chinese officials gives it support,” she said. As an increasing number of China watchers and Israeli scholars pointed out the rise in antisemitic sentiment in China, some Chinese diplomats appeared to have taken note. The Israeli diplomatic outpost has been active on Chinese social media, Lavi, from the Diane & Guilford Glazer Israel-China Policy Center told CNN. China bans foreign social media platforms and censors comments deemed marginally sensitive by the Chinese Communist Party. “Many comments also highlight China’s peace-making efforts and draw parallels between the suffering of the Palestinian people and China’s own historical experiences with colonization.”

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Yuval Waks, ” Waks, Waks, “, Beijing’s, Wang Yi, Israel, Antonio Guterres, Israel “, Adolf Hitler, Xiao Qiang, ”, Xiao, Lavi, Diane, Guilford Glazer, Hua Chunying, ’ “, Mohammed Al, Masri, Noa Argamani, ” Wendy Zhou, Mao, Zhou Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Palestinian, Hamas, Weibo, Embassy, United Nations, UN, School of Information, University of California, China Policy Center, Israeli Embassy, Diane, CNN, Shifa, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Reuters, Georgia State University, Chinese Communist Party, Israel, Palestine, Palestinian Authority Locations: China, Hong Kong, Israel, Gaza, Beijing, Israeli, Weibo, United States, University of California Berkeley, Guilford Glazer Israel, Shanghai, Al, Ahli, Gaza City

REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Property sales, investment fall at double-digit paceProperty slowdown remains drag on economic growthBEIJING, Oct 18 (Reuters) - China's property sales and investment posted double-digit declines as efforts to support big cities failed to bolster confidence in an industry struggling to emerged from crisis, although the pace of contraction slowed. Property investment fell 18.7% from a year earlier after a 19.1% drop in August, according to Reuters calculations. "S&P Global Ratings expects that the low number of construction starts, an inventory overhang in lower-tier cities, and ever-tightening escrow restrictions will keep property sales depressed," S&P's credit analysts said in a note on Monday. Property investment in the first nine months of 2023 fell by 9.1% from a year earlier, after slumping 8.8% in January-August, according to NBS data. Funds raised by China's property developers were down 13.5% year-on-year after a 12.9% slide in January-August.

Persons: Jason Lee, Zhou Hao, Liangping Gao, Ella Cao, Ryan Woo, Christian Schmollinger, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, National Bureau of Statistics, Country Garden Holdings, HK, Monetary Fund, Property, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING

[1/4] Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to attend the Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 16, 2023. Ten years on, the most senior EU leader expected to attend the third Belt and Road (BRI) Summit this week is Hungary's populist Viktor Orban, who will join guests including Russia's Vladimir Putin and a minister of the Afghan Taliban. Such Western doubts have coincided with Xi's assertive leadership and a deterioration in ties over trade, human rights, COVID-19 and Taiwan. Other analysts say economic slowdown both in China and globally, and rising commodity prices, have also cast a pall over the initiative. "It's not perfect, but it’s a process, and people are gradually realising it's so important: we need to build infrastructure.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Ken Ishii, Putin, Orban, Britain's, Viktor Orban, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Xi, Jinping, Matthew Erie, they've, Raffaello Pantucci, Ruby Osman, Tony Blair, Osman, Wang Huiyao, Wang, Joyce Zhou, Vineet Sachdev, Antoni Slodkowski, Don Durfee, Robert Birsel Organizations: Beijing Capital International Airport, Forum, REUTERS Acquire, Initiative, University of Oxford, Reuters, Washington, American Enterprise Institute, S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Tony, Tony Blair Institute for Global, Global Development Initiative, Monetary Fund, Sri, Center for, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Italy, Xi's, BEIJING, Western Europe, EU, Taiwan, United States, Ukraine, Erie, CHINA, America, Africa, Russia, Kazakhstan, Congo, Singapore, China's, Argentina, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Center for China

☆ China central bank ramps up liquidity support via policy loans, rate unchanged
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Paramilitary police officers stand guard in front of the headquarters of the People's Bank of China, the central bank (PBOC), in Beijing, China September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Oct 16 (Reuters) - China's central bank ramped up liquidity support to the banking system as it rolled over medium-term policy loans on Monday, but kept the interest rate unchanged as expected. It held the rate on the one-year policy loans at 2.50%, unchanged from the previous operation. With 500 billion yuan worth of MLF loans maturing, the PBOC is injecting fresh liquidity into the banking system. Market watchers polled by Reuters last week predicted no change to the MLF rate.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, PBOC, Stone Zhou, Xing Zhaopeng, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Global Markets, UOB, ANZ, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, U.S, UOB China, Liaoning, Chongqing, United States

[1/4] Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to attend the Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 16, 2023. Ten years on, the most senior EU leader expected to attend the third Belt and Road (BRI) Summit this week is Hungary's populist Viktor Orban, who will join guests including Russia's Vladimir Putin and a minister of the Afghan Taliban. Other analysts say economic slowdown both in China and globally, and rising commodity prices, have also cast a pall over the initiative. Wang Huiyao, president of the Center for China and Globalization think tank, said the BRI had "greatly pushed forward global awareness about the infrastructure deficit". "It's not perfect, but it’s a process, and people are gradually realising it's so important: we need to build infrastructure.

☆ Chinese officials urge calm after Evergrande fears reportedly spark small bank run
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Depositors lined up at the bank in Cangzhou, in Hebei province, to withdraw their money, according to photos and videos circulated online this week, prompting an appeal for calm by officials. The bank has a statement from the city government posted at its entrance, assuring the public that their deposits are safe, Yicai said. It was unclear how many depositors took part in the bank run or how much they withdrew. Central Huijin Investment, an arm of China’s sovereign wealth fund, bought tens of millions of shares in Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, China Construction Bank and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, according to separate stock exchange filings made by the banks. The best performer has been China Construction Bank, which was up 5.6% in Hong Kong and 2.7% in Shanghai.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, ”, Evergrande, Xu Jiayin, Yicai, Weeks, ’, —, Martha Zhou Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Police, CNN, Bank of Cangzhou, Bank, Huijin Investment, Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of, China Construction Bank, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China Locations: China, Hong Kong, Cangzhou, Hebei province, city’s, Beijing, Henan, Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, Shanghai

However, as a financial professional and homeowner myself, I still see renting as a more conducive and efficient option to invest and build wealth. In this situation, the renter would have a higher return on investment, with $1.8 million compared to the homeowner with just $617,000. Even though the homeowner's payment stops once the mortgage is paid, the return on investment from just the down payment and maintenance expense favors the renter. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. Also, the homeowner still pays property taxes, which may increase over time, and still has to contend with annual maintenance.

Persons: it's, —, Joel Ohman, Jeffrey Zhou, doesn't, Get, Steven Gilbert, Gilbert, Says Ohman Organizations: Service, Gilbert Wealth, & $

Developers, financial advisers and bondholders said that could make debt restructuring terms much worse than expected earlier. DEFAULTING DEVELOPERSThe property sector accounts for roughly a quarter of the world's second-largest economy. That could trigger off one of the world's biggest debt restructuring exercises. However, a turnaround (in the property sector) may need more," said Chuanyi Zhou, Asia corporate analyst at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, which holds Sunac's bonds. Chinese policymakers rolled out a range of support measures in late August and early September to revive the property sector.

Persons: Shimao, Chuanyi Zhou, Yuzhou, Edward Al, Clare Jim, Xie Yu, Davide Barbuscia, Sumeet Chatterjee, Kim Coghill Organizations: HONG KONG, JPMorgan, HK, Shimao, CIFI Holdings, Columbia Threadneedle Investments, Developers, Reuters, Kaisa, Columbia, China Index Academy, Thomson Locations: HONG, China, Asia, Hong Kong, New York

☆ Simone Biles wins fourth gold of world championships as she completes first international competition since two-year break
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Simone Biles won her fourth gold medal of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships on Sunday, finishing first in the floor exercise, as she completes her first international competition since her two-year break from gymnastics. The gold in floor is Biles’ 23rd world championship gold medal and was her second of the day, having won the beam competition in Antwerp, Belgium. Simone Biles competes in the women's beam final at the world championships. Biles in action during the floor final at the 2023 world championships. Biles has now earned 30 career medals – 23 gold, four silver, three bronze – at the world championships, as well as a record 37 total medals across both the Olympics and the world championships.

Persons: CNN — Simone Biles, Rebeca Andrade, China’s Zhou Yaqin, Biles, Simone Biles, Lionel Bonaventure, It’s, Zhou, Yves Herman, Reuters Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade Organizations: CNN, Getty, Olympic, Reuters, Olympics Locations: Antwerp, Belgium, China’s, Europe, AFP

☆ Verstappen adds race win to Qatar title weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But pace was OK. Another win, unbelievable," said Verstappen, who finished 4.8 seconds clear of Piastri. The relatively slim gap flattered the Australian, with Verstappen never looking like he was under any pressure and also setting fastest lap. Verstappen, now 209 points clear of Perez at the top of the standings, led cleanly from pole position and raced away unchallenged. After that I could just manage my pace and make sure that the tyres were always in a good window," Verstappen said. Four drivers collected time penalties for repeated track limits violations -- Perez, Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Williams' Alex Albon.

Persons: Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Hamad, Mohammed, Piastri, Norris Mercedes, Bull, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Verstappen, Christian Horner, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, Mercedes, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Hamilton, Russell, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, Alfa Romeo, Guanyu Zhou, Red Bull's Sergio Perez, Perez, Aston, Lance, Pierre Gasly, Williams, Alex Albon, Albon, Alan Baldwin, Ed Osmond Organizations: Qatar, McLaren, Pirelli, Alfa, Thomson Locations: Lusail, Qatar, DOHA, Singapore

Biles started the afternoon with a superb beam routine, oozing confidence throughout. Biles later took to the mat for her last appearance of a busy week, in the floor final. Although she stepped out of bounds midway through her highly difficult routine, Biles earned the day’s best score, 14.633 points. Political Cartoons View All 1202 ImagesAndrade, another star of the sport, took the silver medal ahead of her Brazil teammate Flavia Saraiva. She also claimed a silver medal on vault after the sixth all-around title that made her the most decorated gymnast in history, male or female.

Persons: — Simone Biles, Biles, China’s Zhou Yaqin, Rebeca Andrade, Andrade, Flavia Saraiva ., Daiki Hashimoto, Japan —, —, China's Su Weide, Jake Jarman, Jarman, Nazar Chepurnyi, Young grinned, Lukas Dauser, China’s Shi Cong, Kaito Sugimoto, ___ Organizations: Antwerp —, Tokyo, Britain Locations: ANTWERP, Belgium, China’s, Brazil, Antwerp, U.S, Japan, Croatia, Ukraine, Germany, China’s Shi

☆ Brilliant Biles wins two more golds on final day at worlds
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Biles posted a total of 14.800 in the balance beam final for her impeccable routine ahead of China's Zhou Yaqin with 14.700. Brazilian Rebeca Andrade, who beat Biles on Saturday to gold in the women's vault, posted 14.300 for bronze. The American claimed her second gold of the day in the floor final with 14.633, 0.133 points ahead of second-placed Andrade. "I wasn't too worried about medal count or medal colour," Biles said. She also won gold on balance beam and floor exercise after clinching silver on vault.

Persons: Simone Biles, Yves Herman Acquire, Biles, China's Zhou, Rebeca Andrade, Andrade, Flavia Saraiva, I’m, JARMAN Jake Jarman, Britain's, Jarman, Young, Germany's Lukas Dauser, Japan's Daiki Hashimoto, Anita Kobylinska, Ken Ferris Organizations: Rights, U.S, Young, Thomson Locations: Antwerp, Belgium, Rights ANTWERP, China's, American, Gdansk

☆ Say goodbye to the girlboss: The 'snail girl era' is here, encouraging young women to live a slower, more relaxed lifestyle
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Gen Z are abandoning the girlboss lifestyle to enter the new "snail girl era" taking off on TikTok. The term "snail girl" was coined by Sienna Ludbey in an article for Fashion Journal in September titled "'Snail girl era': Why I'm slowing down and choosing to be happy rather than busy." "'Hot take for the week, my inner girlboss is dead and my 'snail girl' era has begun,'" Ludbey wrote. Its features editor Maggie Zhou said in the video: "the girlboss is rolling over in her grave, welcome to the snail girl era." Although choosing the snail girl lifestyle may be more gratifying, it could result in financial or other consequences further down the road.

Persons: —, Sienna Ludbey, Ludbey, Michelle P, Netflix's, Sheryl Sandberg's, King, Maggie Zhou, Suzy Welch, University's, Welch, who's Organizations: Service, Fashion Journal, Fashion, University's Stern School of Business Locations: New

☆ Amazon dominated the first cloud era. The AI boom has kicked off Cloud 2.0, and the company doesn't have a head start this time.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

There's a new stack of hardware, software, tools, and services that will power AI applications for years to come. Cloud 2.0Another key point here: Most AI developers already know how to use CUDA and Nvidia GPUs. Arguably, Nvidia has already created an AI cloud platform – as AWS once did for the Cloud 1.0 era. James Hamilton is an AWS cloud infrastructure genius who can take on Nvidia, even if the chipmaker has a major head start. Her startup spent months building a data center from scratch to help customers train AI models.

Persons: —, Jensen Huang, Nvidia Rick Wilking, Andrew Ng, CUDA, Michael Douglas, Bernstein, Douglas, Luis Ceze, Ceze, It's, Andy Jassy, Adam Selipsky, James Hamilton, Oren Etzioni, Claude, Dario Amodei, Anthropic Anthropic, Noah Berger, Sharon Zhou, Zhou, Lamini didn't, Etzioni Organizations: Amazon Web Services, Nvidia, Service, Home Depot, AWS, VMware, Cloud, Madrona Venture, Amazon, Amazon Web, Annapurna Labs, Intel, AMD Locations: San Francisco, Seattle, Selipsky

An employee works on the production line at Jingjin filter press factory in Dezhou, Shandong province, China August 25, 2022. China's non-manufacturing PMI, which incorporates sub-indexes for service sector activity and construction, also rose, coming in at 51.7 versus August's 51.0. PROPERTY RISKSMore stable economic indicators will be welcomed by policymakers as they continue to grapple with a property sector debt crisis that has rattled global markets. Analysts say more policy support will be needed to ensure China's economy can hit the government's growth target of about 5% this year. "China's economy stabilised partly driven by the loosening of property sector policies," said Zhiwei Zhang, chief economist of Pinpoint Asset Management.

Persons: Siyi Liu, Zhou Hao, Zhiwei Zhang, Ryan Woo, Tina Qiao, Joe Cash, Michael Perry, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, National Bureau of Statistics, PMI, Guotai, China Evergrande, HK, Asian Development Bank, Analysts, Thomson Locations: Dezhou, Shandong province, China, BEIJING

[1/3] Tourists rest on the Bund ahead of the National Day holiday, in Shanghai, China September 26, 2023. China celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day from Friday to Oct. 6 in the longest public holiday this year. The China Tourism Academy, part of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, estimates people will make more than 100 million trips a day during "the most popular Golden Week in history". In 2019, mainland Chinese tourists spent $255 billion abroad, more than any other nationality, with group tours estimated to account for roughly 60% of that total. ($1 = 7.3030 Chinese yuan renminbi)Additional reporting by Wang Tao in Singapore; Editing by Marius Zaharia and Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aly, It's, Joe Zhang, I'm, haven't, Boon Sian Chai, Boon, Cao, Nancy Dai, Zhou Weihong, Wang Zheng, Wang Tao, Marius Zaharia Organizations: Bund, REUTERS, Rights, China Tourism Academy, Ministry of Culture, Trip.com, Spring, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Beijing, Japan, Tourism, Anqing, Anhui, South Korea, United States, ForwardKeys, Thailand, Singapore

☆ Vincent Zhou: Wait goes on for US skater to discover color of medal after Kamila Valieva’s positive doping test
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Don Riddell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

According to US Figure Skating, it’s the only time in the history of the modern Olympics that athletes were not awarded their medals on site. Russian Kamila Valieva competes in the women's free skate program during the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Beijing. Figure Skating will continue to stand alongside and support our athletes throughout this frustrating situation,” the organization said in a statement. “There are significant economic costs associated with not receiving an Olympic medal,” Zhou said in his statement. “These Olympic athletes fund a multi-billion dollar industry,” Koehler said, noting that the IOC brings in $2.4 billion annually.

Persons: Vincent Zhou, “ I’ve, I’ve, ”, Vincent, you’ve, ” Zhou, He’s, ” Vincent Zhou, Matthew Stockman, Kamila Valieva, Valieva, David J, Phillip, RUSADA, Zhou, they’ve, haven’t, Kamila, Alexander Nemenov, Rob Koehler, “, ” Koehler, Koehler, it’s, Jean Catuffe, They’re, they’re, they’ll, It’s, Adam Nelson, Yuriy Bilonog, ” Nelson, ’ ” Nelson, WADA, Valieva –, “ There’s, Matthieu Reeb, ” Reeb, “ WADA, ” WADA, ” RUSADA, he’ll, he’s Organizations: CNN —, Winter Games, CNN Sport, Capital, Getty, Russian Olympic Committee, Sochi Games, Doping Agency, International Olympic Committee, International Skating Union, ISU, Sport, US Olympic, Paralympic, Global, IOC, CNN, Skating, Olympic, Paralympic Museum, Olympic Movement, ”, USA, Games, Valieva, US, Doping ’ Agency, “ Locations: Beijing, China, Russia, Japan, Russian, Lausanne, Moscow, AFP, Colorado, “ U.S, U.S, American, Atlanta, Athens, Canada, …

☆ Russian doping in focus as Valieva case heads to court
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Valieva was 15 when she became the first woman to complete a quadruple jump at the Olympics in the team event. The Russian anti-doping agency (RUSADA) disciplinary commission found that Valieva had committed a violation for which she bore "no fault or negligence." This effectively would deny ROC their team event gold medal. Vincent Zhou, one of the U.S. skaters, said in a statement on Monday that the global anti-doping system was "failing athletes." "Transparency would build confidence in a global anti-doping system that has lost the trust of its most important stakeholders: athletes."

Persons: Kamila, Valieva, haven't, Travis Tygart, what's, RUSADA, WADA, James Fitzgerald, Vincent Zhou, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Steve Keating, Ken Ferris Organizations: Sport, Russian Olympic Committee, Russian, Doping Agency, Reuters, Olympic Committee, International Skating Union, ISU, U.S, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Switzerland, U.S, Russian, Lausanne, Beijing, Geneva, Toronto

☆ US figure skater Zhou slams anti-doping system's failures ahead of Valieva hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Whenever finally held, the awards ceremony for the Beijing 2022 Figure Skating Team Event will be a symbol of the gross failures of the IOC, CAS, RUSADA (Russian Anti-Doping Agency), and other global sporting administrators. While Valieva's hearing involving RUSADA, the ISU and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) begins on Tuesday, CAS have said they cannot be sure when the final decision will be announced. Zhou added that the U.S. team had asked to observe the hearing, but were told that it was confidential. "We were told that either of the involved parties could request a public hearing, but that neither did. "An open and transparent hearing would go a long way towards helping athletes understand any decision that is rendered."

Persons: Vincent Zhou, Zhou, Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim, RUSADA, Aadi Nair, Ken Ferris Organizations: Sport, Russian, Beijing Olympics, Skating Union, ISU, U.S, Canada, Beijing Games, International Olympic Committee, IOC, Doping Agency, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Beijing, Japan, Bengaluru

☆ US National Zoo Bids Farewell to Pandas as Government Shutdown Looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Washington's National Zoo is honoring its three giant pandas with nine days of events ahead of their return to China but stormy weather and a looming U.S. government shutdown have put something of a damper on the festivities. Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji are scheduled to be returned in early December. The zoo, operated by the Smithsonian Institute, receives federal funding, and would be forced to close to the public during a government shutdown, according to its website. Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, came to the zoo in 2000 under a cooperative research and breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The zoo did not say whether it has any immediate plans to acquire more giant pandas, but said on its website that it "hopes to continue this work in the future."

Persons: Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Xiang, Zhou Enlai, Richard Nixon's, Julia Harte, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Reuters, Embassy, Smithsonian Institute, China Wildlife Conservation Association Locations: China, U.S, Washington, United States

☆ US National Zoo bids farewell to pandas as government shutdown looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Visitors take photos of giant panda Mei Xiang eating bamboo during the reopening morning of Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, U.S., May 21, 2021. Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji are scheduled to be returned in early December. The shutdown would not disrupt animal care, but the zoo's popular live "Panda Cam" would go dark. Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, came to the zoo in 2000 under a cooperative research and breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The zoo did not say whether it has any immediate plans to acquire more giant pandas, but said on its website that it "hopes to continue this work in the future."

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Xiang, Zhou Enlai, Richard Nixon's, Julia Harte, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Embassy, Smithsonian Institute, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, China, U.S, Washington, United States

☆ Verstappen completes Japanese GP practice sweep
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - September 23, 2023 Red Bull's Max Verstappen in the pits during practice REUTERS/Issei Kato Acquire Licensing RightsSUZUKA, Japan, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Red Bull's Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen completed a sweep of Japanese Grand Prix practice on Saturday with McLaren closest on the timesheets and emerging as the main challengers. McLaren's Lando Norris was second-fastest, 0.240 off the pace, in the final session before qualifying with Australian team mate Oscar Piastri third. Red Bull's Sergio Perez was fourth-fastest and a further half a second behind. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who looked Red Bull's closest challengers on Friday, were fifth and sixth, with the Mercedes pairing of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell seventh and eighth. Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Max Verstappen, Issei Kato, McLaren's Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Red Bull's Sergio Perez, Verstappen, Perez, Red Bull, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, Alfa Romeo's, Zhou, Alan Baldwin, William Mallard Organizations: Suzuka, McLaren, Singapore, Alfa, Thomson Locations: Suzuka, Japan, Singapore, Qatar, London

☆ UBS cuts nearly 70% Credit Suisse researchers in Hong Kong-sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Logos of Swiss banks Credit Suisse and UBS are seen before a news conference in Zurich Switzerland, August 30, 2023. UBS' takeover of Credit Suisse, the biggest bank merger since the 2008 global financial crisis, was hastily arranged in March this year by Swiss authorities to avert Credit Suisse's collapse. More than 15 equity researchers were notified earlier this week about the layoffs in Hong Kong, the sources said, adding less than 10 researchers focusing on Hong Kong and China equities will join the UBS team. Credit Suisse did not respond to a Reuters request for comments. Both of them will bring some junior researchers from Credit Suisse, the sources added.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Charles Zhou, China financials, Kenneth Fong, Zhou, Fong, Sergio Ermotti, Julie Zhu, Kane Wu, Selena Li, Summer Zhen, Sumeet Chatterjee, Bernadette Baum, Emelia Organizations: Credit Suisse, UBS, REUTERS, Credit, Suisse's Securities Research, Reuters, Monday, Asia, China Internet, Thomson Locations: Zurich Switzerland, HONG KONG, Hong Kong, China, Asia Pacific, Asia, Swiss

☆ China keeps benchmark rates unchanged as economy finds footing
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Paramilitary police officers stand guard in front of the headquarters of the People's Bank of China, the central bank (PBOC), in Beijing, China September 30, 2022. The one-year loan prime rate (LPR) was kept at 3.45%, while the five-year LPR was unchanged at 4.20%. Most new and outstanding loans in China are based on the one-year LPR, while the five-year rate influences the pricing of mortgages. Despite the steady LPR, some market watchers said recent property easing measures suggest cuts to the five-year LPR and more policy stimulus are likely in coming months. China cut the one-year benchmark lending rate in August but surprised markets by keeping the five-year rate unchanged.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Xing Zhaopeng, Xing, Wang Tao, Winni Zhou, Tom Westbrook, Sam Holmes Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, ANZ, UBS, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, United States

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