TOKYO – China gave global investors one of 2026’s biggest AI thrills. Yet the country that helped ignite excitement about artificial intelligence is home to one of the worst-performing major stock markets. While AI fever has propelled Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo higher, Chinese shares are stuck in reverse.

So what gives? Several forces, actually. Weak household demand, for one. Consumer spending continues to disappoint, weighing on the earnings potential of mainland internet companies, automakers, and retailers.

The post Why China is missing the big AI rally appeared first on Asia Times.

Clay tablets containing cuneiform exercises reveal how students in ancient Babylonia studied the gods, temples, and religious customs, reports Phys.org—based on a study published in the journal *Iraq*. Research by Shana Zaia of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam shows that religious knowledge was not taught as a separate subject. Instead, it was part of the general education […]