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China temporarily bans helium exports as US-Iran tensions flare again

China announced on Friday a temporary ban on helium exports, effective immediately, as renewed military conflict in the Middle East threatens to trigger fresh shortages of the gas, which is critical for semiconductor manufacturing. Earlier this year, the US-Israeli war on Iran caused helium shortages, disrupting companies worldwide, including in China, where the artificial intelligence industry increasingly relies on domestically produced chips to train and run AI models. Helium is essential for heat management during semiconductor production. The export ban is the latest example of Beijing seeking to prevent domestic shortages of critical materials by restricting overseas shipments. China has previously imposed similar export curbs on fuel, fertilisers and sulphuric acid. China is also seeking to expand domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity and reduce the industry's reliance on advanced Nvidia chips that are subject to US export controls. China re-exports helium ...
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Floods, reservoir breach kill 39 in southern China

At least 39 people have been killed and nine others remain missing due to floods, which also triggered a reservoir breach, in southern China, local authorities said Thursday. The casualties were reported across the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, which borders Vietnam, state-run media reported. The breach occurred in the Liulan Reservoir in the regional capital, Nanning, officials said. Search, rescue and relief efforts are ongoing. Several parts of China have witnessed heavy thunderstorms, torrential rains, landslides and floods in recent days. Read: China issues 'backdoor' security alert over Anthropic's Claude Code Nearly 900 snakes escaped from a farm in the Hengzhou area of the autonomous region after floodwaters caused its walls to collapse. In the northwestern Gansu province, at least 21 people were killed when a landslide struck a village in Tanchang county, state media had reported Wednesday.

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At least 32 miners dead after bridge fails at cobalt site in southeast DR Congo

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