Taliban leadership snubs major regional meeting held in Tehran
The Taliban leadership in Afghanistan opted out of a major regional meeting held in Iran’s capital Tehran on Sunday....
Alibaba is now offering free, open-source access to its latest generative AI models capable of producing highly realistic videos and images from text and image inputs. The move, which sees the company releasing four variants of its Wan 2.1 series, is expected to boost innovation among researchers, a
The open-source models—named T2V-1.3B, T2V-14B, I2V-14B-720P, and I2V-14B-480P—are available for download and modification via Alibaba Cloud’s ModelScope platform and Hugging Face. Notably, the “14B” designation indicates that these models can process 14 billion parameters, highlighting their advanced capabilities in generating highly detailed and lifelike content.
This initiative follows in the footsteps of recent moves by other Chinese tech companies. Last month, DeepSeek made headlines by releasing its R1 reasoning model for free, intensifying the global clamor for more open-source AI technologies. DeepSeek’s commitment to the open-source community, which includes plans to release five new code repositories, has added momentum to the broader trend of accessible AI innovation.
Alibaba’s foray into open-source generative AI comes as part of its long-term commitment to advancing the technology landscape, a journey that began with the emergence of OpenAI’s ChatGPT two years ago. In a related development, Alibaba Group’s Chairman, Joe Tsai, recently announced that the company’s generative AI technology would power AI features for iPhones sold in the Chinese market—an initiative driven by local regulatory requirements that prevent Apple from using its own AI tech in China.
By providing free access to its state-of-the-art models, Alibaba aims to spur creative applications and research breakthroughs across multiple sectors. This bold step not only reinforces the company’s position as a leading innovator in generative AI but also contributes to the growing global ecosystem of open-source AI tools designed to democratize access to advanced digital technologies.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his offer to host Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Ankara, at his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The talks took place on the sidelines of the international Forum for Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (12 December).
Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said that Ukraine has not provided Moscow with a list of thousands of children it alleges were taken illegally to Russia, despite the issue being discussed during talks in Istanbul.
Iranian authorities have seized a foreign tanker carrying more than 6 million litres of smuggled fuel in the Sea of Oman, detaining all 18 crew members on board.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The incident left 12 people dead.
The latest round of clashes between Thailand and Cambodia has left 15 Thai soldiers dead and 270 others injured, Thailand’s Ministry of Defence spokesman Surasant Kongsiri said at a press conference on Saturday.
China’s core artificial intelligence (AI) industry is projected to surpass 1.2 trillion yuan in 2025 (about $170 billion), up from more than 900 billion yuan in 2024, according to a new industry assessment.
Time Magazine has chosen the creators behind artificial intelligence as its 2025 Person of the Year, highlighting the technology’s sweeping impact on global business, politics and daily life.
Children are forming new patterns of trust and attachment with artificial intelligence (AI) companions, entering a world where digital partners shape their play, their confidence and the conversations they no longer share with adults.
The International Robot Exhibition (IREX) opened in Tokyo on 3 December, bringing together visitors to explore robotics applications for industry, healthcare, logistics, and everyday life.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators, including prominent Republican China hawk Tom Cotton, introduced the SAFE CHIPS Act on Thursday, aiming to prevent the Trump administration from easing restrictions on China’s access to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips for a period of 2.5 years.
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