China’s AI frenzy: DeepSeek is already everywhere — cars, phones, even hospitals

Chinese companies, as a signal of patriotism, are racing to build services on top of the homegrown AI model that has taken the world by storm since January. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 days ago

From Michigan to Hungary, foreign factories are facing local pushback

Gotion’s attempt to open a battery plant in smalltown Michigan is hardly the first time foreign-owned factories have clashed with locals. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 days ago

The decline of India’s largest EV company — in charts

Ola Electric Mobility struggles to maintain its edge as legacy players tap into customer trust and brand loyalty. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 3 days ago

How BYD undercuts Tesla around the world, by the numbers

BYD is more affordable than Tesla in at least 10 places outside the West. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 days ago

Starlink is coming to India. Here’s what to know

An alliance with Airtel, one of India’s largest telcos, opens the door for Elon Musk’s satellite giant to access the world’s second-largest internet user base. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 4 days ago

How a Chinese battery factory sparked a political meltdown in a small Michigan town 

The ambitious executives at Gotion wanted to join America’s EV gold rush. Then came geopolitics. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 5 days ago

Chinese food delivery giant dishes out deep discounts to win Saudi customers

Can Keeta, Meituan’s global brand, sustain its low-cost strategy in the Middle East’s highly competitive market? | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 6 days ago

Why most countries are struggling to shut down 2G

Global leap to 4G and 5G would cut off phone access for millions of vulnerable people. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 9 days ago

As Bangladesh’s factories turn to surveillance and automation, garment workers feel the pressure

Facing competition from Vietnam and Cambodia, factories are using automation and surveillance to ramp up production and cut labor costs. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 10 days ago

Colombia’s EV sales soar, but battery recycling startups struggle to keep pace

A surge in electric vehicle sales has helped drive a boom in battery recycling, but the startups face major challenges. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 11 days ago

In India, buying a gun is a WhatsApp message away

An analysis of more than 8,000 messages by Digital Witness Lab at Princeton University finds the Meta-owned platform is a thriving illegal firearms marketplace. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 12 days ago

Mexico’s new tariffs hit Shein — and millions of local resellers

The government hopes the 19% tax will push Asian e-commerce giants to grow their operations in Mexico, and make up for 79,000 textile jobs lost to fast fashion. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 13 days ago

Gulf of Mexico vs. Gulf of America: How digital maps display disputed names

Governments frequently disagree over the names of places. Here’s how mapping apps have dealt with various feuds. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 16 days ago

Africa’s startup funding crisis deepens as Mastercard Foundation exits top VC firm

The withdrawal leaves a gap in support for early-stage startups, as Africa’s tech funding has been declining since 2022. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 17 days ago

China wants tech companies to monetize data, but few are buying in

A first-of-its-kind policy allows Chinese firms to treat data as an asset, but compliance hurdles are keeping many companies on the sidelines. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 18 days ago

Nigerians are building affordable alternatives to AWS and Google Cloud

Local cloud startups offer data sovereignty at a time when the debate about who has access to a country’s data is heating up. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 19 days ago

Why one of the world’s major AI pioneers is betting big on Saudi Arabia

Jürgen Schmidhuber says the whole world can benefit from the kingdom’s funding of futuristic AI initiatives, and lead to a new golden age for science. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 20 days ago

Turkey’s translators are training the AI tools that will replace them

Human fallout may include being replaced by LLMs, diminished skills, and fewer career options for all but the elite scholars. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 24 days ago

Tired of spotty internet, Bolivians are smuggling in Starlink

Bolivia, which relies on a Chinese-built satellite for some of its connectivity, banned Starlink — but that hasn’t stopped people from smuggling the device into the country. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Syria just hosted its first international tech conference in 50 years

Syrian-American entrepreneurs and investors hope to facilitate 25,000 new tech jobs in the country by 2030. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Teens across Asia migrate to Taiwan for promises of semiconductor jobs

Student-interns are paid for low-skill factory tasks and spend little time in the classroom. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Pakistan’s electric rickshaws are accelerating the country’s EV revolution

Automaker Sazgar is focused on meeting local needs as Pakistan pushes for EV adoption, but high costs remain a barrier for some drivers. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Chinese Temu sellers use fake U.S. postage labels to boost their profits

Some vendors have figured out how to maintain ultralow prices: Trick the U.S. postal service into delivering products for free. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

U.S. tariffs on China can’t slow the impact of Chinese imports worldwide

New tariffs on China imposed by Trump — and an end to direct e-commerce shipping to U.S. consumers — could impact Shein and Temu, but their influence extends globally. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

DeepSeek’s rise shows why China’s top AI talent is skipping Silicon Valley

Young Chinese engineers focus on homegrown innovation, drawn by fewer visa hurdles and the chance to build a future on their own terms. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Is Google Maps fatally misleading drivers in India? It’s complicated

Maintaining accurate maps is a daunting task in a country where road names and addresses are not standardized. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Indonesia, home to the world’s largest nickel reserves, struggles to achieve its EV dreams

China’s growing involvement and the rapid shift to lithium batteries dissuade investors. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Brazil’s push for comprehensive AI regulation

Brazil’s AI bill is one window into a global effort to define the role that artificial intelligence will play in democratic societies. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Non-Western founders say DeepSeek is proof that innovation need not cost billions of dollars

The Chinese app has just “blown the roof off” and “shifted the power dynamics.” | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

An AI chatbot in Paraguay is trying to humanize prisoners

“Eva” is based on in-depth interviews with a woman in prison for drug trafficking and organized crime. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

India’s open arms approach to AI

The Modi government has dedicated $1.2 billion to building the country’s AI capabilities, and U.S. firms are receiving a warm welcome. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Filipino tech workers demand protections in AI bill after Rest of World report

New coalition calls for labor and free speech protections as AI tools make call center work both more efficient and demanding. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Vietnam’s military-run postal service is building robots to deliver on the country’s e-commerce boom

From warehouse sorting robots to delivery drones, Viettel Post is pinning its hopes on tech as the salve to an inefficient logistics sector. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

The secret sauce of Chinese social media apps

Addictive algorithms fuse social networking with shopping and entertainment. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

“TikTok refugees” drove a global Xiaohongshu boom

People far beyond the short-lived ban’s reach are downloading RedNote in droves. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

The winners of Rest of World’s photography contest

From Cape Verde to Bhutan, we received 227 entries from over 45 countries around the world, featuring everything from sprawling mines to biometric facial scans. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Why Amazon is struggling to crack Argentina

The company, which recently launched free shipping to Argentina, faces major challenges from regional rival MercadoLibre and a network of smugglers. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

The global struggle over how to regulate AI

Big AI companies have come out hard against comprehensive regulatory efforts in the West — but are receiving a warm welcome from leaders in many other countries. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

EV sales in Ecuador are surging despite crippling power cuts

While EV users have been left in the dark during a prolonged energy crisis, many still prefer dealing with the hassle to the high cost of gas. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Everything you need to know about Xiaohongshu

As fears of a TikTok ban grow, Americans are turning to Xiaohongshu, which translates to “little red book.” Here’s how the lifestyle app became a global phenomenon. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 1 month ago

Despite tensions, US-China AI research collaborations are alive and well

Over the past 10 years, the U.S. and China have been the most frequent partners in AI research. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 months ago

U.S. TikTokers flock to Xiaohongshu, baffling and bonding with Chinese users

Americans are joining the Chinese social media app en masse to protest an imminent TikTok ban. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 months ago

Singapore is turning to AI to care for its rapidly aging population

The country has a dire shortage of nurses, so to fill the manpower gap, it’s using AI for preventive care. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 months ago

Global fact-checkers were disappointed, not surprised, Meta ended its program

Groups in Pakistan, Argentina, and Brazil have been diversifying revenue streams and many saw the change coming. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 months ago

Exclusive: Foxconn stops sending Chinese workers to India iPhone factories

In addition, equipment shipments are delayed, potentially disrupting next-generation iPhone production in India. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 months ago

Starlink is now cheaper than leading internet provider in some African countries

In Ghana, Starlink is half the price of the local ISP. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 months ago

The little ride-hailing app that could catch up to Uber and Bolt in Kenya

Founder Kamal Budhabhatti’s winning strategy targets corporate clients. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 months ago

YouTube Shopping wants to unseat TikTok Shop in Southeast Asia 

The platform is partnering with Shopee to target the region’s growing shoppertainment spending. | Continue reading


@restofworld.org | 2 months ago