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Artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic has overhauled its smallest AI model, Haiku, as companies increasingly opt for AI systems that are nearly as capable as the most advanced tools but come at a fraction of the cost.Anthropic said on Wednesday that the updated model, called Haiku 4.5, was about one-third the cost of Sonnet 4, one of its medium-sized models, and one-fifteenth the cost of its most advanced offering, Opus. The new Haiku model performed as well or better than Sonnet 4 on a range of tasks, including coding.Traditional companies outside Silicon Valley were more likely to use AI if they…

The two companies intend to leverage their respective hardware and software expertise to promote “a new indigenous AI development paradigm”, according to a WeChat post by SenseTime, in response to the “AI Plus” strategy unveiled in August by the State Council, China’s cabinet.Beijing has made self-reliance across China’s AI stack – from integrated circuits to AI models – a national priority, as infrastructure buildout is expected to be a major theme in the country’s development of a 15th five-year plan.The strategic cooperation is expected to result in a synthesis of Hong Kong-headquartered SenseTime’s foundational models with Beijing-based Cambricon’s growing suite…

Researchers at a Japanese university have developed a system that uses artificial intelligence to determine the possibility of encountering a bear within 1 sq km (0.4 square miles), a critical new tool as the number of people killed or injured by bears is expected to hit a record high.Lead developer Yusuke Fukazawa is an associate professor of applied machine learning at Sophia University who enjoys orienteering and hiking and hopes his studies will help to create an application that makes such outdoor pursuits safer.He points out, however, that encounters between bears and humans are increasingly occurring in urban areas across…

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb said Wednesday that Pakistan’s reform momentum and economic liberalisation could set the stage for an “East Asia moment”— a period of dynamic, export-driven expansion inspired by the experience of high-growth Asian economies such as Singapore. In an interview with CNBC, the minister, who is currently in Washington DC to attend the 2025 World Bank Group-IMF Annual Meetings, discussed Pakistan’s ongoing IMF engagement and the country’s emerging export-led growth strategy. He underlined the steady progress Pakistan has made toward macroeconomic stability over the past year, emphasising improvements across key indicators including…

KARACHI: The proposed acquisition of a majority stake in Attock Cement Pakistan Limited (ACPL) has been formally withdrawn, marking the end of a potential transaction that had drawn considerable market attention in recent months. Attock Cement, incorporated in Pakistan on October 14, 1981, as a public limited company, is primarily engaged in the manufacturing and sale of cement. It operates as a subsidiary of Pharaon Investment Group Limited Holding S.A.L, Lebanon. In a formal communication, the company notified both the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) about the withdrawal of the Public Announcement…

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has announced a major cut in the prices of petroleum products, offering significant financial relief starting from October 16, 2025. The fortnightly review saw the largest decrease in petrol, which fall by Rs 5.66 per litre. High Speed Diesel (HSD), a key fuel for transport and agriculture, has seen its price lowered by Rs 1.39 per litre. Meanwhile, the rate for kerosene oil has been reduced by Rs 3.26 per litre, and Light Diesel Oil (LDO) is down by Rs 2.74 per litre. Sources attribute the positive change, in part, to a drop in the cost…

DNIPRO, Ukraine (AP) — Across eastern Ukraine, shelters and transit hubs reflect the human toll of a war now in its fourth year. Over 4.5 million people are officially registered as internally displaced, many arriving with little more than a bag. Shared by six or more, these temporary spaces – often drafty disused dorms, tents and abandoned basements — are quickly transformed into crowded shelters. Volunteers set up field kitchens and hang curtains made out of old sheets for privacy. With every evacuee comes a quiet reckoning. Families who once led stable lives now navigate a fragile in-between: no longer…

TARASIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — The Russian invasion of Ukraine has displaced millions, scattering families across the country and abroad. For many, heavy fighting in the east means crowded shelters, borrowed beds and fading hope.About 400 miles west of the front line, however, a privately-built settlement near Kyiv offers a rare reprieve: stable housing, personal space and the dignity of a locked door.This is Hansen Village. Its rows of modular homes provide housing for 2,000 people who are mostly displaced from occupied territories. Children ride bikes along paved lanes, passing amenities like a swimming pool, basketball court, health clinic and school.The…

A controversial plan by police in a northern Chinese city to build a crime-fighting tool using blood samples from men has sparked a debate over privacy rights.Police in Xilinhot in Inner Mongolia announced last month that they would start collecting DNA samples to update a data bank for identification information used for such items as ID cards and passports, according to a report by China Newsweek magazine.The police also said at the time that the samples would help in “preventing elderly and children getting lost”, and offered reassurances that personal information and biological samples would be “kept strictly confidential”, according…

WASHINGTON (AP) — With a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal holding, President Donald Trump says he’s now turning his attention to bringing Russia’s war on Ukraine to an end and is weighing providing Kyiv long-range weaponry as he looks to prod Moscow to the negotiating table.Ending the wars in Ukraine and Gaza was central to Trump’s 2024 reelection pitch, in which he persistently pilloried President Joe Biden for his handling of the conflicts. Yet, like his predecessor, Trump also has been stymied by President Vladimir Putin as he’s unsuccessfully pressed the Russian leader to hold direct talks with Ukraine’s…