Le Journal

Thailand’s police have identified three children aged nine to 15 who are suspected of setting a homeless man on fire in Bangkok and filming their victim’s ordeal. The man, identified only as 51-year-old Karn, lives under the Ban Ma Bridge in Prawet, earning a living by selling recyclable waste, according to news outlet Thaiger. Local media reported that Karn escaped fatal injuries, and told the press he was sleeping under the bridge when he felt cold liquid being poured on him before flames...

Life insurance sales in Hong Kong rose 56 per cent in the first nine months of last year to another record as affluent customers continued to buy policies in the city for wealth transfer, protection and medical needs. The industry wrote HK$264.5 billion (US$34 billion) worth of new policies from January to September, compared with HK$169.6 billion a year earlier, according to data from the Insurance Authority on Friday. It was the highest figure for the corresponding period since the authority...

Asian companies are feeling the impact of technology restrictions imposed by the US and China “more acutely” than American firms, and supplier diversification is topping the agenda for CEOs in the year ahead, a survey by The Conference Board has found. According to the survey, 23 per cent of Asian CEOs polled cited export controls as a trade concern, compared with just 11 per cent of American CEOs. “The expanding economic security tool kit, including tech controls, affects Asia more acutely...

Zhipu AI, known internationally as Z.ai, is restricting sign-ups for its new flagship artificial intelligence coding product, as existing users face performance issues amid a computing crunch that continues to beset Chinese AI firms. On Wednesday, the Beijing-based firm announced in a WeChat post that it would limit new sign-ups for its GLM Coding Plan to 20 per cent of existing levels and crack down on “malicious” use. This issue reflected the challenge faced by a growing number of Chinese AI...

Thailand’s tourism authority has denied using artificial intelligence (AI) to produce a viral campaign image of Thai pop star Lalisa “Lisa” Manobal, after the highly polished visual became a lightning rod for online debate over the growing role of AI in creative work. The image, released under the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) “Amazing Thailand” banner, shows Lisa – a member of global K-pop sensation Blackpink – framed against the pink blooms of Udon Thani’s Red Lotus Sea, also known as...