“China’s K-pop moment”: Wukong’s global success sparks government embrace of video games as soft power

25 September 2024 at 05:00

Move over, pandas. Chinese state media and policymakers have crowned a new cultural “magic weapon,” a soft power export that’s being received enthusiastically around the world. This magic weapon? It’s...

Singapore’s gig workers worry new benefits could mean lower pay

Rest of World

By: Nicholas Yong

24 September 2024 at 05:00

A landmark law for gig workers in Singapore would compensate them in case of injury, and give them greater retirement benefits. But food delivery rider Kan, who barely makes ends meet...

A Grab Food delivery rider picks up orders on Orchard Road in Singapore, on Tuesday, April 13, 2021.

China’s biggest AI model is challenging American dominance

Rest of World

By: Sam Eifling

23 September 2024 at 05:00

So far, the AI boom has been dominated by U.S. companies like OpenAI, Google, and Meta. In recent months, though, a new name has been popping up on benchmarking lists:...

Quiz: How much do you know about money?

Rest of World

By: Rest of World

19 September 2024 at 05:01

Whether it’s dollars, pesos, rupees, or dinar, there’s no denying that money is a critical piece of Rest of World’s global coverage. Have you been keeping up? Take our new...

Political campaigns embrace AI to reach voters across language barriers

Rest of World

By: Ananya Bhattacharya

19 September 2024 at 05:00

In December 2023, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed attendees of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, in Hindi. But the audience heard the speech in Tamil in...

Netflix and thrill: The hunt for the next Squid Game in Southeast Asia

Rest of World

By: Michelle Anindya

18 September 2024 at 05:00

When Netflix began discussions on its first original Bahasa Indonesia series in 2018, it was struggling to sign on subscribers after having been blocked by the country’s biggest internet service...

Filming for the Thai drama Master of the House.

New tool lets you track exactly when the Chinese government blocks websites

Rest of World

By: Joanna Chiu

18 September 2024 at 05:00

A few months after OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, the service began to take off in China, with citizens using it to satirize pro-government figures and for homework help....

Destined for clicks: YouTube is driving an astrology boom in Pakistan

Rest of World

By: M. Z. Adnan

17 September 2024 at 05:00

The Kashana-e-Zanjani is a white villa that sits along an ancient trading route in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, set back behind a black gate and barbed wire. It is...

Brazil banned X. Right-wing politicians are still using it

Rest of World

By: Laís Martins and Daniela Dib

16 September 2024 at 05:00

Brazil’s Supreme Court banned X on August 30 after the company failed to comply with a court order to appoint a local legal representative. The decision was the culmination of...

How InstaDeep became Africa’s biggest AI startup success

Rest of World

By: Damilare Dosunmu

16 September 2024 at 05:00

Karim Beguir starts his interview with Rest of World by bringing up Star Wars. This is something he does often, since he’s from the remote Tunisian city of Tataouine, which...

Mexican shoppers say Shein’s and Temu’s delivery partner is stealing their stuff

Rest of World

By: Daniela Dib

12 September 2024 at 05:00

Noelia Prado noticed something odd with her Shein delivery last month. The package appeared to have been unsealed and taped back together. When she opened it, she noticed that three...

Alibaba.com’s U.S. expansion hinges on wooing mom-and-pop shops

Rest of World

By: Viola Zhou

11 September 2024 at 05:00

E-commerce giant Alibaba.com is setting its sights on America’s mom-and-pop businesses. Founded in 1999 by Jack Ma and 17 of his friends, Alibaba.com became an e-commerce behemoth that connects suppliers...

President of Alibaba Kuo Zhang in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Thursday September 5th 2024.

Alibaba.com’s U.S. expansion hinges on wooing mom-and-pop shops

Rest of World

By: Viola Zhou

11 September 2024 at 05:00

E-commerce giant Alibaba.com is setting its sights on America’s mom-and-pop businesses. Founded in 1999 by Jack Ma and 17 of his friends, Alibaba.com became an e-commerce behemoth that connects suppliers...

Extreme weather is making life harder for Vietnam’s delivery riders

Rest of World

By: Rest of World

10 September 2024 at 05:00

Just this month, northern Vietnam has been hit by super typhoon Yagi, the strongest in decades. Earlier this year, Ho Chi Minh City residents experienced the longest heat wave in...

Pakistan’s China-style firewall is rattling its tech industry

Rest of World

By: Kunwar Khuldune Shahid

9 September 2024 at 05:00

Pakistani entrepreneur Ahmed Khan has spent the past nine years building Cheetay, a last-mile delivery startup. Khan had previously co-founded Daraz, a leading e-commerce platform in South Asia which was...

Filipinos are embracing electric three-wheelers faster than officials can regulate them

Rest of World

By: Jhesset O. Enano

6 September 2024 at 05:00

Manila’s gridlock can exasperate even the most patient drivers, but it does not faze Kyla Adlawon, who weaves between the traffic on an electric tricycle. The red three-wheeled vehicle has...

Drivers in Tijuana are facing a surge in violence

Rest of World

By: Alicia Fàbregas

5 September 2024 at 05:00

On July 24, Uber driver Adara Paulina Hernández left home at dawn to start a new shift. She didn’t make it back. One week later, she was found dead. Hernández...

Around the world with Rest of World

Rest of World

By: Rest of World

5 September 2024 at 05:00

News and information can be shared around the world in an instant. But what if the information superhighway didn’t exist? Test your knowledge of the world’s geography, using Rest of...

Malaysia’s homegrown car brands bank on cheaper models to compete with Tesla and BYD

Rest of World

By: Ushar Daniele

4 September 2024 at 05:00

Like many Malaysians, Adit Rahim has grown up around — and owned — Proton and Perodua, the national car brands. He has been thinking about switching to an electric vehicle,...

A event for Proton's first electric vehicle, the e.MAS 7.

How Bangladesh’s tech industry navigated an unprecedented political crisis

Rest of World

By: Faisal Mahmud and Nayem Shaan

3 September 2024 at 05:00

Fahim Ahmed was working late at his office in Dhaka on July 18 when he realized the internet had stopped working. Ahmed, the CEO of Pathao — one of Bangladesh’s...

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