At China’s annual political meetings (the “Two Sessions”), one theme resonates more than most in this year’s Government Work Report: the strategic push for a high-quality “silver economy.” The message signals a shift in how policymakers view the country’s rapidly aging population: not merely as a social welfare challenge, but as a potential driver of consumption and economic transformation.

Boosting domestic demand has long been a pillar of China’s economic strategy. Yet as demographic change accelerates, seniors are increasingly expected to play a larger role in that effort. The central question is no longer whether the “silver economy” will grow—it already is—but whether it can evolve in a way that delivers high-quality development, emphasizing innovation, safety, and meaningful participation by older adults themselves.

Beyond “Grandparenting”: The Consumption Myth

But what does “encouraging the elderly to spend” actually look like in practice? Is it merely a matter of grandparents purchasing more toys and extracurriculars for their grandchildren? Or is it about designing products, services, and experiences that fundamentally enhance their own quality of life?

China is navigating one of the world’s fastest demographic shifts. While the “Silver Industry” has been discussed for years, 2026 marks a critical pivot. We are moving beyond a “survival-based” model toward a “quality-based” one. This raises a pressing question: Can China build a “silver economy” that is as sophisticated and inclusive as its policy ambitions suggest?

The prevailing image of a Chinese senior is still that of the selfless caregiver, spending their golden years—and their hard-earned savings—on the next generation. Yet, official policy now envisions them as active, self-actualized consumers in a burgeoning market.

This article (China’s Aging Boom) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

dannyhennesy posted a photo:

...I apologize for the messy room, but a battle agains time happens here every day in an attempt to make common matter in to gold...

Peace and Noise!

/ Mushroombrain the alchemist of art

BEIJING, June 17 — Investors have valued Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek at more than US$50 billion (RM203 billion) in the company’s first fundraising round, reports said.

The firm released its latest AI model in April, having stunned the world in 2025 with a low-cost chatbot that matched the power of US rivals.

It recently raised more than 50 billion yuan, the Wall Street Journal and The Information said this week, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

That values the company at more than US$50 billion, they said. DeepSeek did not respond to AFP’s request for comment.

Training and running cutting-edge AI models is an expensive business, requiring billions of dollars in computing infrastructure.

But despite their grand ambitions, for now the world’s biggest AI companies are loss-making ventures trying to work out how to turn a profit in the future.

Washington says DeepSeek’s latest model — among China’s most advanced — is about eight months behind the top offerings from US companies.

US startup Anthropic is valued at US$965 billion following a US$65 billion fundraising round, while ChatGPT-maker OpenAI was valued at $852 billion in March.

Both US firms have filed to go public in recent weeks — suggesting the process of raising record amounts of private investment may have reached its limits.

The Wall Street Journal and The Information said DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng made the biggest investment of the round at around 20 billion yuan.

Liang has set up an unusual fundraising structure that allows him to retain control of DeepSeek through a limited partnership that he manages, they said.

The outlets added that China’s government-backed National Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund also invested around one billion yuan directly into DeepSeek.

Other investors reportedly included Chinese tech giant Tencent, e-commerce firm JD.com, battery maker CATL and video game publisher NetEase. All the companies declined to comment or did not reply to AFP.

DeepSeek’s systems are open-source — meaning their inner workings are public, allowing programmers to customise parts of the software to suit their needs.

But like other Chinese chatbots, DeepSeek’s AI tools eschew topics usually censored in the world’s second-largest economy, such as the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. — AFP 

A local man who also has Indonesian citizenship was given the maximum jail sentence of three years for defaulting on National Service (NS) for 21 years and nine months. He was also fined S$3,000.

The judge in his case, James Elisha Lee, said that Zao’s behaviour falls under the worst category of NS defaulters. Edmond Yao Zhi Hai’s lawyers filed an appeal against the conviction after he was sentenced on Tuesday (May 26).

Yao, now 47, was supposed to report for enlistment into full-time NS in January 1997, but failed to do so. In his sentencing, Justice Lee noted how the Defence Ministry’s Defence Central Manpower Base (CMPB) had repeatedly informed Yao and his parents of his obligation to serve the NS requirement, but this was “blatantly” ignored over the years.

According to Zao, he was following Indonesian law, which does not allow its citizens to serve in the armed forces of another country.

However, the judge said that Zao’s “failure to contact CMPB to resolve his NS liabilities can only be attributable to an outright refusal to acknowledge his NS obligations.”

Zao’s backstory

Zao was born in 1978 to a Singaporean woman married to an Indonesian man. While his father registered him as an Indonesian and obtained an Indonesian passport for him, a deed poll stating that Yao was a minor and a citizen of Singapore was made by his mother when Yao was 8 years old.

This article (3-year jail sentence given to man who evaded National Service for over 20 years) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

LONDON, June 11 — Homelessness in the UK is “entirely preventable” thanks to AI-supported technology, Prince William told the London Tech Week conference yesterday.

The heir to the British throne spoke as his homeless charity, Homewards, launched the Homelessness Data Lab — a national collaboration it said can improve how data and technology flag “clear warning signs long before” someone loses their home.

This could involve the sharing of personal data on an individual’s finances, welfare benefits and health between different bodies, prompting some cautionary comments elsewhere at London Tech Week surrounding data privacy.

“Homelessness is not inevitable, it is entirely preventable, it is predictable,” William said during a panel discussion.

The prince said “data and the technology” can be used “to keep people in their homes, their jobs, their communities, families, at school”.

“In life, prevention is better than the cure,” the royal told a packed conference hall.

Homewards notes that there are more than 430,000 people in the UK experiencing homelessness, half of whom are children.

Data privacy 

Dan Hughes, a trustee of the property sector charity LandAid that is partnering with Homewards to deliver the data lab, cautioned that data privacy needed to be respected while seeking to tackle homelessness with the help of tech.

“We can throw huge amounts of data at solving this, but a lot of it is about individuals and people,” he told a separate London Tech Week event yesterday.

“We need to make sure that we take best practice on personal data and how we can leverage that information without risking privacy.”

Zahra Bahrololoumi, chief executive of Salesforce UK and Ireland, a tech company also involved with the data lab, said “AI will help... identify the interventions that will actually work” in preventing homelessness.

“Our mission is to reduce the administrative burden on frontline workers,” she said sat alongside William.

“We are applying AI tooling... (that) will enable the frontline worker to focus on the individuals and families that need the support the most,” she added. — AFP

The Tamchy Special Financial Investment Territory (Tamchy SFIT) has opened its first business centre on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul as the financial zone moves toward operational launch and resident onboarding.

The 3,850-square-metre facility will house the offices of the management company and includes co-working space, conference halls and meeting rooms. A restaurant and café are expected to open at the site in the coming months.

The opening follows several preparatory steps taken by the territory’s management council, including the establishment of a management company, approval of a development plan and the adoption of an initial regulatory framework. A selection process for the chair and judges of the planned International Centre for Dispute Resolution is also under way.

Tamchy SFIT was established under legislation passed by the Kyrgyz Republic in July 2025 and spans approximately 6,000 hectares along the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. The territory is designed to operate under principles based on English common law and offers a range of incentives, including a zero-tax rate for 49 years and unrestricted repatriation of profits.

Officials say the financial zone aims to attract international businesses serving markets across Central Asia, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa. By 2035, the project targets more than 3,900 resident companies and the creation of over 10,000 jobs.

This article (Central Asia’s Tamchy SFIT opens first business centre on Lake Issyk-Kul) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

HONG KONG: In the same week as a principal resigned after videos of him shouting at security guards during a school trip to Singapore went viral, the behaviour of another of the city’s educators has been under the spotlight. 

However, authorities had already dealt with the matter when it first came to light.

After photos of the teacher carrying a female student like how a groom carries a bride in his arms were shared online, Hong Kong’s Education Bureau told the South China Morning Post that in 2024, upon learning of the incident, they had already taken action.

Not only had it immediately recommended that the school follow up on the incident, but it had also given support to the students involved in the photo to “effectively safeguard their welfare,” a spokesman for the Bureau also said.

Moreover, it had also “taken appropriate action in accordance with the nature and severity of the incident, and has dealt with the teacher’s professional conduct matters with the utmost seriousness.”

SCMP said three photos from the incident have surfaced: one of the man holding the student in the “princess carry” position, another that showed the girl running after him, and a third showing her with her arms around his waist.

She had captioned the photos with “da best class teacher ever” and thanked him for the “unforgettable” opportunity she had been given to work on a school play.

The spokesman also underlined what the bureau’s Guidelines on Teachers’ Professional Conduct says, that educators are expected to behave in a way that safeguards student welfare. Their conduct must also “comply with professional standards, so that students can learn in a safe and orderly school environment,” he added.

School principal who shouted at guards in Singapore resigned

On May 29, Lee Cheuk-hing, who used to head San Wui Commercial Society Secondary School in Tuen Mun, resigned from his position as principal. 

At an undisclosed location in Jurong on May 22, he was caught on camera shouting at two female security guards who were asking for the vehicle he and his students were using to be moved. He went on to taunt the guards, despite efforts from at least three onlookers to get him to calm down. 

Afterwards, it was reported that the incident was under investigation in Singapore, as well as by Hong Kong’s Education Bureau. The school issued a public apology for the incident, and its manager said that Mr Lee had been suspended as his conduct during the incident did not meet public expectations. /TISG

Read also: We ‘stand firmly behind our officers’ — Singapore’s Union of Security Employees defends personnel on duty after they were verbally abused by Hong Kong school principal, who later apologised

This article (Action taken against Hong Kong teacher who carried student like a bride) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

HONG KONG: It appears that the saga over the school principal from Hong Kong who was caught on camera shouting at security guards in Singapore during a trip to the city-state is not yet over.

Although Lee Cheuk-hing was fired last week from San Wui Commercial Society Secondary School in Tuen Mun, he has said that he will be seeking legal advice. 

According to reporting from The Standard on June 7 (Sunday), Mr Lee has asked his legal counsel regarding employment contract rights in the wake of his dismissal. 

After a video of his behaviour went viral and investigations into the incident both in Singapore and Hong Kong began, Mr Lee was suspended, and then tendered his resignation. The former principal had asked in his resignation letter at the Tuen Mun school would be on August 31, as this would satisfy the required notice period stated in his contract. However, this was rejected by the school management, who chose to dismiss him with immediate effect instead.

Mr Lee was quoted in the report as saying that this decision caused him to be “deeply shocked and filled with regret.” 

He issued a statement where he apologised again for his behaviour and sought to provide a context for his conduct.

The report quotes him as saying that the bus company the school had hired for the trip had, as a matter of routine, brought passengers outside the gates of venues in past trips.

The security guard had warned the bus driver in English, but because of a language barrier, he could not communicate clearly, and this caused the disagreement.

The former principal underlined that he had stepped in only to protect his students’ safety, as he wanted to avoid the students getting stranded in another country at a venue they were unfamiliar with, though he acknowledged that there are no reasons for an educator to behave improperly.

The shouting incident

At an undisclosed location in Jurong on May 22, Mr Lee got into an argument with two female security guards over a parking issue. When the guards reportedly asked that the vehicle he and his students were using be moved, the former school head grew angry, yelling at and even taunting the guards, despite efforts from at least three onlookers to get him to calm down.

The school issued a public apology for the incident, and its manager said that Mr Lee had been suspended as his conduct during the incident did not meet public expectations. On Friday (May 29), Mr Lee resigned from his position and issued a tearful apology via video. 

The school, however, issued a statement on Wednesday (June 3) saying that the former principal’s “vulgar” behaviour is against the school’s code of conduct for its educators, particularly the guidelines that had been stipulated by the Education Bureau, CNA reported.

“This constitutes the immediate dismissal of Mr Lee and the removal of all his duties at the school,” the statement from the school’s management committee read.

Read also: Hong Kong principal who swore at Singapore security guards fired after resignation was rejected

This article (Hong Kong principal dismissed after shouting at guards in Singapore says he’ll pursue legal advice) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

What’s the weirdest thing you learned this week? Well, whatever it is, we promise you’ll have an even weirder answer if you listen to Popular Science’s hit podcast. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week hits Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere else you listen to podcasts every-other Wednesday morning. It’s your new favorite source for the strangest science-adjacent facts, figures, and Wikipedia spirals the editors of Popular Science can muster. If you like the stories in this post, we guarantee you’ll love the show.

FACT: Marie Antoinette probably had braces

By Rachel Feltman

The idea of Marie Antoinette in orthodontic braces probably sounds like something out of my favorite Sofia Coppola film, but it’s not as anachronistic as it sounds. While I couldn’t find a definitive primary source on the subject, there are historical mentions of Marie Antoinette undergoing orthodontic treatment. And in some ways, it would be more surprising if she didn’t do a stint in braces: modern dentistry as we know it was essentially invented in France in the early 1700s, and by the time Marie and Louis got hitched, French people were practically known for having straight, pretty teeth. We know that Marie Antoinette was given an intense French makeover in all things before being shipped off to Versailles, so it’s plausible that she had a bit of dental work done, too. 

If the idea of 18th century orthodontia makes you want to put your head between your knees, you’re not wrong. The hardware designed by Pierre Fauchard, called a bandolet or bandeau, used a horseshoe-shaped piece of metal that pressed against the inside or outside of the dental arch. Dentists would manually tie individual teeth to the appliance using either silk threads or thin metal wires. That is, admittedly, pretty identical to how braces work today—they exert constant pressure on teeth to help move them into new positions, then hold them there while everything settles into place. But modern braces are designed to move teeth more effectively and with as little pain as possible, and the bandeau was much more of a blunt instrument. 

For a fun French dental bonus fact, I dug into the weird social history of smiling on the eve of the Revolution. Check out this week’s episode to learn more! 

FACT: One woman’s cells have fueled most medical research for decades 

Featuring Hari Kondabolu and Dr. Priyanka Wali

Today’s special guests are comedian Hari Kondabolu and physician-slash-comedian Priyanka Wali. Together they host the podcast Health Stuff, where they dive into everything from earwax to sleep hygiene.

On this week’s episode of Weirdest Thing, Hari and Priyanka share the story of Henrietta Lacks. While being treated for cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins in the 1950s, this African American mother of five unknowingly—and involuntarily—changed the course of medical history. Cancer cells from one of her biopsies were sent off for research without her knowledge or consent. Unlike other cancer cells in the lab, hers kept doubling instead of dying off. They were the first human cells that were discovered to multiply easily in a lab setting, making them perfect for studying the impact of various drugs, hormones, viruses, and toxins. While the cell line that originates from Henrietta Lacks’ tissues—called the HeLa line—has been used in research that’s saved countless lives over the decades, they also serve as a reminder of the entrenched racism of our medical system.

Listen to this week’s episode to learn more about Henrietta’s story. And for a deeper dive, check out “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” 

FACT: It’s possible that neanderthals knew how to treat cavities 

By Rachel Feltman

Surprise, more teeth! Scientists recently reported that a 59,000-year-old tooth—a neanderthal molar, to be precise—could conceivably have been drilled to treat a cavity. They came to that conclusion by tinkering with three modern teeth, AKA subjecting them to the horrors of prehistoric dental treatment, to show that the ancient chomper showed signs of the same. 

Unsurprisingly, not everyone is 100 percent convinced by the experimental evidence. But even if hominids weren’t drilling cavities that long ago, there’s good reason to believe we’ve been at it for longer than you might guess. A couple of teeth from the Stone Age (about 13,000 years ago) show less ambiguous signs of dental drilling, and dentistry has been a flourishing (if often misguided) practice for thousands of years. Many of our ancient ancestors even wore dental bridges made out of gold and other precious metals—so grills have a long, proud history. 

The post Marie Antoinette probably got braces to straighten her teeth appeared first on Popular Science.