BABA

Chinese regulators are considering permitting ByteDance and Alibaba to buy Nvidia's newest chips, according to a report by The Information. The move would mark a potential easing of restrictions on advanced US semiconductors for major Chinese tech firms, and is drawing attention given ongoing US-China tensions over export controls and AI computing power.

Alibaba has launched Qwen Intelligence as a full-stack agentic AI platform designed for smartphones. The move positions Qwen to power on-device AI assistants that can carry out tasks autonomously rather than simply answering questions. It puts Alibaba in direct competition with other tech giants racing to supply phone makers with agentic AI software as smartphones become the main battleground for consumer AI.

Kadri Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy head of judiciary for international affairs, said Israel's nuclear arsenal cannot be ignored, according to the Mehr News Agency. The remark reflects Iran's longstanding criticism of Israel's undeclared nuclear weapons program and its calls for international scrutiny, with officials arguing that Western powers apply double standards on nuclear issues in the Middle East.

Iranian diplomat Kazem Gharibabadi said nuclear disarmament cannot be achieved while Israel is granted immunity, according to WANA News Agency. The statement ties Iran's longstanding critique of Israel's undeclared nuclear programme to broader disputes over the Non-Proliferation Treaty and regional security, and is likely to draw reaction from Western diplomats involved in nuclear negotiations with Tehran.

Investors and analysts are debating whether Alibaba's heavy spending on artificial intelligence can be sustained over the long term. The discussion, picked up in financial coverage of the Chinese e-commerce giant, centers on whether the company's AI capital expenditure will deliver returns that justify the costs. Alibaba has been pouring resources into AI models and cloud infrastructure amid intensifying competition in China's tech sector.