Markets

The operator of “Sakura Anime,” a Chinese website illegally distributing Japanese anime, has been sentenced to two years and three months imprisonment and fined RMB 15,000 for copyright infringement and forging documents. The Chengdu Intermediate People’s Court upheld the original ruling after an appeal. The website allegedly disseminated over 2,100 anime series without permission, ignoring requests from licensed distributors to remove the content. The case highlights the fight against digital copyright infringement.

Shell plc (SHEL) has initiated a $3.5 billion share buyback program spanning approximately three months, concluding by October 24, 2025. Executed via two $1.75 billion contracts on London and Netherlands exchanges, the program aims to reduce issued share capital by cancelling all repurchased shares, up to 602,100,000. Completion is expected before Shell’s Q3 2025 results, contingent on market conditions. The buyback demonstrates financial strength and boosts shareholder value.

A viral moment at the 2024 Beijing Auto Show involving Li Auto’s CEO Li Xiang and Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun sparked online buzz. Li Xiang closed the door on Lei Jun while showcasing the Li Auto L6, leading to humorous speculation about Li “locking” him in. Xiaomi’s Xu Jieyun clarified that Lei Jun was examining the armrest design. Li Xiang explained he closed the door to allow Lei Jun to better experience the car’s interior.

Khaby Lame, the world’s second-most-followed influencer with 259 million followers, has joined Weibo, launching his first video and generating considerable interest. Known for his signature silent comedy and deadpan reactions, Lame’s move follows other foreign influencers finding success in China, such as Kai Cenat. Lame’s team hints at plans for him to fully integrate into Chinese social media and potentially travel to China, signaling a strategic expansion into the lucrative market. Forbes estimates Lame’s annual income at $20 million.

Alibaba’s Tongyi Qianwen introduced Qwen3-30B-A3B-Thinking-2507, a revamped reasoning model with significant upgrades in math and coding. It outperforms competitors like Gemini 2.5-Flash on benchmarks like AIME25 and LiveCodeBench v6. The model also shows improved performance in knowledge assessments, writing, agent functionality, and multi-lingual instruction understanding. Its expanded “thinking length” allows for more complex problem-solving. The model and Qwen Chat platform are available on open-source platforms, providing developers with a robust AI tool.

Tigo Energy and Haier Renewable Energy have announced a compatibility certification, ensuring seamless operation between Tigo’s Flex MLPE products and Haier’s hybrid solar inverters. This collaboration aims to deliver enhanced performance and value for residential energy consumers. A joint webinar will be held for installers in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, highlighting the partnership’s technical advantages. The integration underscores the importance of interoperability in simplifying solar deployments and accelerating the energy transition.

Logitech is actively diversifying its manufacturing footprint outside of China to mitigate U.S. tariffs, aiming to reduce its U.S. imports made in China to under 10% by year-end. The company is relocating production to countries like Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam. The CEO stated this diversification has been successful without increasing material costs. Logitech previously implemented a price increase to offset tariffs but currently has no plans for further adjustments.

A woman in Nantong, China, drew a license plate with the sequence “88888,” sparking social media buzz. Rumors circulated about a quick resale for $388,000, but she and the dealership deny these claims. While offers reportedly reached $153,000, she intends to keep the car. Chinese regulations usually prevent direct plate sales, although valuable “leopard number” plates are sometimes auctioned, with some fetching exorbitant prices, like the “Yue V99999” which sold for $445,000.

Prime Medicine (PRME) announced a public offering of 38 million shares at $3.30 per share, expecting $125.4 million in gross proceeds. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will purchase 1.8 million shares without underwriter commissions. Underwriters have an option to purchase 5.7 million additional shares. The offering, managed by TD Cowen and BMO Capital Markets, is set to close around August 1, 2025. Proceeds will bolster Prime Medicine’s gene therapy pipeline advancement. The offering may cause dilution for existing shareholders.

iKang Healthcare CEO Zhang Ligang’s recent remarks questioning the predictive capabilities of general health screenings have sparked controversy. Zhang stated that routine check-ups are opportunistic and cannot reliably predict specific future cancer diagnoses, citing the lack of reliable tumor markers for early kidney cancer detection. This viewpoint has been criticized, with some questioning the value of screenings. iKang has responded, claiming Zhang’s comments were selectively reported and his words were distorted, damaging the company’s reputation.