A spicy commentary published by the Lowy Institute—a prominent Sydney-based think tank—recalibrates the relationship between Australia and Southeast Asia. “Shared prosperity” and “deepening engagement” may mean something quite different in Canberra, than Hanoi or Kuala Lumpur. Bilateral grievances center on immigration policies and business standards. The author argues that Australia […]
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Latam-GPT: Meet the Open Source AI of Latin America
Venture companies in South and Central America get a jolt of life with a fast-evolving large language model called Latam-GPT. The project complements popular models, but with dynamic regional perspective. Importantly, AI systems often represent human biases in training data. As a sign of a complex worldview, there are more […]
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For Hollywood, Movies Become Events, Not Casual Entertainment
Event marketing once related to the Super Bowl or a Bruce Springsteen concert. The term now applies to Hollywood blockbusters. In July, Universal started selling tickets for its opening of the movie “The Odyssey,” scheduled for 17 July 2026. Certainly the cast, which includes Matt Damon and Zendaya, is a […]
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Private Universities See Endowments Chiseled Away by Federal Taxes
Stanford is an important study on the negative impact of the new federal endowment tax on private universities. This leading school will see its fiscal transfer to Washington increase from around $175 million over the next five years to near $1 billion, depriving it of critical funding. In response, Stanford […]
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In Barbados, Farmers Benefit From Locally-Produced Fertilizer
Can Caribbean farmers wean themselves from fertilizer imports? The issue vexes the agricultural sector, given high-energy costs and supply-chain disruptions. One answer could be locally-produced fish-waste fertilizer due to rich nutrient content. Fish-waste fertilizer, in both solid and liquid forms, is well known in the farming business worldwide, but not […]
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Southeast Asia’s Islamic-Finance Market Draws in Non-Islamic Players
Ongoing growth of Islamic finance entices Western institutions. The move further reflects the maturity of the banking industry in traditional markets. Worth emphasizing: The perception of Islamic finance globally becomes more-and-more substantial. Mambu, an Amsterdam-based company working as a service provider to banking institutions, now looks farther afield to enlarge […]
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India’s First AI Unicorn Fractal Files for $560 Million IPO
India braces to see its first AI-related unicorn go public with a dual listing on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange. Fractal Analytics was founded in 2000 by five graduates from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. Its rise has been meteoric, given its set of competencies and […]
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Hotel Investors in Italy Seek the Next Deal
As a major tourist destination and with the bulk of hotels still running independently, Italy is a workshop for trends in hotel investment. The impact of the largest global firms is random, if not disparate, as they scramble to expand their footprint. The glut of luxury hotels in Rome, Milan, […]
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With Ceasefire Agreement, Traffic Starts to Rebound on Suez Canal
Commercial shipping between the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean begins to see more normal patterns, as once-looming Houthi rebels suspend their unconventional, if not deadly, toll practices at Bab al-Mandab. The head of the Suez Canal Authority affirms that as many as 50 vessels adjusted their itineraries to pass through the […]
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Congress Wants the Army to Collect More Open-Source Intelligence
Capitol Hill has an idea to save money. This year’s National Defense Authorization Act—which designates the Pentagon’s budget and expenditure—suggests that the Army may want to assign a program executive office to gather open-source intelligence. The assumption verges on the audacious. Is Congress suggesting that publicly-available material may be better […]
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