Preparations

• Southeast Asian soccer teams are initiating early preparations for the 2030 World Cup following the conclusion of the 2026 tournament. • Vietnam's head coach, Kim Sang-sik, stated that he and his players are motivated to compete on the world stage after watching recent high-level matches. • The region is currently focused on the ASEAN Cup, where Thailand—the tournament's most successful team with seven titles—competes in Group B alongside Malaysia, Laos, Philippines, and Myanmar.

• DeepSeek, the Chinese AI firm known for disrupting the global AI market, has entered preliminary talks with investors for a new funding round. • The company aims to secure capital to expand its computing infrastructure, construct new data centers, and acquire AI chips to support more powerful models. • This fundraising effort follows the completion of DeepSeek's first external financing and serves as a strategic step as the company begins preparations for an IPO.

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