Unitree Robotics, one of China’s largest robot makers, will debut the R1, its cheapest humanoid model, on the international market via Alibaba Group Holding’s AliExpress marketplace next week, according to two sources familiar with the matter on Thursday. The launch would cover major overseas markets including North America, Europe, Japan and Singapore, one of the sources said. The product would l...
Unitree Robotics, one of China’s largest robot makers, will debut the R1, its cheapest humanoid model, on the international market via Alibaba Group Holding’s AliExpress marketplace next week, according to two sources familiar with the matter on Thursday. The launch would cover major overseas markets including North America, Europe, Japan and Singapore, one of the sources said. The product would later be available on other channels, the second person said. The R1, launched in mainland China last...
Germany's Energy Crisis And The National-Conservative Turn Submitted by Thomas Kolbe If the Union had been waiting for a favorable moment to save face and quietly escape the energy-policy fiasco, that moment has probably arrived. On Thursday, the European Parliament formed a broad coalition of the Union-backed EPP faction with the national conservatives. The goal: initiate a migration turnaround, ...
Germany's Energy Crisis And The National-Conservative Turn Submitted by Thomas Kolbe If the Union had been waiting for a favorable moment to save face and quietly escape the energy-policy fiasco, that moment has probably arrived. On Thursday, the European Parliament formed a broad coalition of the Union-backed EPP faction with the national conservatives. The goal: initiate a migration turnaround, prevent citizen chat controls, and soften the grotesque Supply Chain Act. Among the national-conservative parties in the EU Parliament is also the AfD faction, showing that the firewall against this party is a German phenomenon—a product of hysterical left-green media makers and bloated politicians of the firewall cartel, who fear competition for their privileges. Never has the opportunity been more favorable to leave the paralyzing logic of the firewall behind once and for all and to form national-civic coalitions than today. Time is pressing. Germans face a wave of inflation already visible at gas stations and in heating costs. Citizens are approaching a defining initiation moment of truth. Since the beginning of the Iran crisis, fuel prices in Germany have risen by up to 25 percent on average. Gas prices rose another 20 percent in the same period. Going back to 2005, electricity prices in Germany rose a staggering 70 percent—an undeniable proof of the catastrophic failure of the Energiewende. What the green central planners have left behind can hardly be called energy-market design in the proper sense. On the ruins of a once well-oiled, highly complex structure and the blown-up cooling towers of nuclear plants, a system with built-in fragility has arisen. In a crisis, there are neither sufficient reserves nor systemic resilience against blackouts and the looming economic super-disaster. Above it all hangs the Damocles sword of potential crises that could erupt anywhere in the world at any time and directly hit Germany. Hormuz reveals the extent of this fragility and expo...
Former Sinochem vice general manager arrested and indicted Feng Zhibin, a former vice general manager of China’s state-owned chemical giant Sinochem Group, has been arrested and indicted on charges of suspected bribery, utilizing influence for bribery, and abuse of power by state-owned company personnel, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate said on Wednesday. Chinese chemical stocks surge after miss...
Former Sinochem vice general manager arrested and indicted Feng Zhibin, a former vice general manager of China’s state-owned chemical giant Sinochem Group, has been arrested and indicted on charges of suspected bribery, utilizing influence for bribery, and abuse of power by state-owned company personnel, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate said on Wednesday. Chinese chemical stocks surge after missile attack on Saudi industrial hub
Yvette Cooper, UK foreign secretary, delivers the opening remarks as she chairs a virtual meeting to discuss the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz, in London, UK, on Thursday, April 2, 2026. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images U.K. Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper is expected to call for unhindered access through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, countering a push by Iran to control one of the wor...
Yvette Cooper, UK foreign secretary, delivers the opening remarks as she chairs a virtual meeting to discuss the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz, in London, UK, on Thursday, April 2, 2026. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images U.K. Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper is expected to call for unhindered access through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, countering a push by Iran to control one of the world's most important oil chokepoints. In an annual foreign policy speech, Cooper is expected to say shipping must be toll-free through the Strait of Hormuz , which has effectively been blocked by Iran since the start of the war. "The fundamental freedoms of the seas must not be unilaterally withdrawn or sold off to individual bidders. Nor can there be any place for tolls on an international waterway," Cooper will say at Mansion House in London later this evening, according to advance extracts of her speech. Iran has said it wants to charge ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, with the Financial Times reporting on Wednesday that Tehran is planning to charge shipping firms in cryptocurrency for their oil tankers to pass through the waterway. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow maritime corridor that connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Roughly 20% of global oil and gas typically passes through the Strait. Britain's Cooper is also expected to push for Lebanon to be included in the two-week ceasefire agreed between the U.S. and Iran on Tuesday. "The ceasefire agreement between the US, Israel and Iran is welcome. It is a vital step towards bringing security and stability to the region, and to easing the pressures on the global economy and the cost of living here at home," Cooper will say. "There is considerable work to do, and we support the negotiations: they must make progress; there must be no return to conflict; Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire; there must be no further threat from Iran to its neighbors; and crucially the Strait of Hormuz must be fully...
Kia Corp. will begin using humanoid robots in its US factories from 2029 and is developing its first software-defined vehicle as the South Korean carmaker ramps up investment in new-generation cars and manufacturing technology to better compete with global rivals. The affiliate of Hyundai Motor Co. plans to complete development of its first software-defined vehicle by the end of 2027, it said Thur...
Kia Corp. will begin using humanoid robots in its US factories from 2029 and is developing its first software-defined vehicle as the South Korean carmaker ramps up investment in new-generation cars and manufacturing technology to better compete with global rivals. The affiliate of Hyundai Motor Co. plans to complete development of its first software-defined vehicle by the end of 2027, it said Thursday in its 2030 strategy. The car will have Level 2 driving automation capability that allows it to operate on highways, with Kia planning to launch a more advanced version capable of operating on regular roads in early 2029. Meanwhile, Kia also said it will deploy the Atlas robot, developed by Hyundai’s Boston Dynamics unit, at its Georgia facility in 2029. Initially, the robot will take on simple manufacturing tasks to improve safety and productivity, before using AI learning to expand into higher-value processes. Read More: Rise of Robots Pits Hyundai’s Atlas Against Musk’s Optimus Carmakers are increasingly looking to software — in-car infotainment, advanced-driving assistance and over-the-air updates to improve performance — as well as manufacturing efficiency to help them weather an uncertain consumer outlook, particularly for electric cars. Software-defined vehicles are a rapidly growing part of the auto market. The sector is worth around $250 billion to $300 billion, with the potential to exceed $1 trillion over the next decade, KPMG wrote in a report in February, citing industry estimates. For Kia, the SDV transition will allow the company to generate continuous revenue throughout a vehicle’s lifespan via software subscriptions, significantly increasing per-unit profitability and lowering repair-related costs, said Samsung Securities Co. analyst Esther Yim . Read More: Kia Says US Tariffs Cost $2.3 Billion Last Year as Profit Drops Kia will invest more than $500 million to strengthen its physical AI capabilities and vision-language-action models, as well as deepen...