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JAKARTA: Indonesia and Vietnam agreed on Monday (Mar 10) to upgrade ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership as the Southeast Asian allies' leaders met in Jakarta to mark 70 years of diplomatic relations.

DeepSeek, the breakthrough Chinese chatbot that caught the world's attention in January, was just the first hint of that ambition. Money is pouring into AI businesses seeking more capital, fuelling domestic competition. There are more than 4,500 firms developing and selling AI, schools in the capital Beijing are introducing AI courses for primary and secondary students later this year, and universities have increased the number of places available for students studying AI.

With its sun-drenched lifeguard towers, bronzed surfers and bikini-clad volleyball players, Will Rogers State Beach is one of the most recognizable stretches of sand in the world thanks to the global cult classic "Baywatch". But now the iconic beach is surrounded by the ruins of burned homes and palm trees, its parking lot a sorting ground for hazardous waste from the wildfires. The beach babes have been replaced by Environmental Protection Agency crews in hazmat suits sifting through melted electric car batteries and other hazardous waste before it's trucked away to landfills.

SEOUL, Feb 21 (Reuters) - South Korean officials have requested an exemption from U.S. reciprocal, steel and aluminium tariffs during their visit this week to Washington, the industry ministry said in a statement on Friday.

Imposing US tariffs on UK steel would be "negative" for both countries, the business secretary has said.