U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman during an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 18, 2025. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters Gulf states issued a joint statement on Thursday condemning Iran's "blatant" and "criminal" attacks against their energy infrastructure, signaling a readiness to act in "...
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman during an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 18, 2025. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters Gulf states issued a joint statement on Thursday condemning Iran's "blatant" and "criminal" attacks against their energy infrastructure, signaling a readiness to act in "self defense" in the future. The Gulf states stressed that attacks launched from Iraqi territory by armed factions and proxies loyal to Iran were a particular grievance, and a breach of international law. "While we value our fraternal relations with the Republic of Iraq, we call on the Iraqi government to take the necessary measures to immediately halt the attacks ... toward neighboring countries," the joint statement by the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan commented Thursday, An end to such attacks is necessary "in order to preserve brotherly relations and avoid further escalation," according to the statement. The Gulf states reaffirmed their "full and inherent right to self-defense against these criminal attacks," in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, which guarantees the right of states to self-defense, individually and collectively, in the event of aggression. They also reserved the right "to take all necessary measures to safeguard our sovereignty, security, and stability." Iran's Gulf neighbors have been repeatedly targeted and hit by Iranian drones and missiles as part of the Islamic Republic's retaliatory strikes against the U.S. and Israel's bombardment since late February. The attacks, launched both from within Iran and outside by allied groups loyal to the regime , have damaged oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, causing several years' worth of costly repairs in some cases. It's not the first time the Gulf states have issued strongly-worded statements condemning Iranian attacks on energ...
作者:杰西卡・E・莱辛、阿米尔・埃夫拉蒂、艾琳・吴 苹果 与 谷歌 达成的人工智能合作,旨在帮助苹果优化 Siri 智能助手及其他早已官宣的 AI 功能,双方合作深度远超外界此前所知。 我们此前曾报道,苹果可对谷歌 Gemini AI 模型版本进行调整与微调,使其按照苹果的需求响应查询。而实际协议赋予了苹果在谷歌技术使用上更大的自由度。 据一位了解合作细节的知情人士透露,苹果可在自有数据中心设施内...
作者:杰西卡・E・莱辛、阿米尔・埃夫拉蒂、艾琳・吴 苹果 与 谷歌 达成的人工智能合作,旨在帮助苹果优化 Siri 智能助手及其他早已官宣的 AI 功能,双方合作深度远超外界此前所知。 我们此前曾报道,苹果可对谷歌 Gemini AI 模型版本进行调整与微调,使其按照苹果的需求响应查询。而实际协议赋予了苹果在谷歌技术使用上更大的自由度。 据一位了解合作细节的知情人士透露,苹果可在自有数据中心设施内完整访问 Gemini 模型。借助这一权限,苹果能生成轻量化模型,用于支撑特定任务,或使其体积小到可直接在苹果设备上运行,从而提升任务执行速度。 这种生成轻量化模型的技术被称为 模型蒸馏 ,其核心是将知识从作为 “教师” 的大语言模型,迁移到作为 “学生” 的另一模型中。 具体而言,苹果可让 Gemini 主模型执行一系列任务,生成高质量结果或答案,包括模型逐步推理的 “思维链” 过程。苹果可将这些答案与结果作为训练数据,输入到体积更小、成本更低的模型中,最终得到蒸馏后的轻量化模型。 由于苹果可完整访问 Gemini,其 “学生模型” 还能模仿 Gemini 得出答案的内部计算逻辑,这比单纯模仿输出的答案效果更为出色。 经蒸馏得到的轻量化模型,性能可接近顶尖的 “教师模型”,但运行所需算力却大幅降低。 不过该人士表示,这一技术落地存在难点:Gemini 主要针对聊天机器人、企业应用或编程场景优化,与苹果对 Siri 的定位并不完全契合。 该人士称,此次合作并不意味着苹果放弃自研专属 AI 模型,苹果基础模型团队仍在持续推进自研工作,目前尚不清楚苹果为此投入的具体资金规模。 外界或许会认为,苹果基础模型团队可能会以蒸馏版 Gemini 为基础开发新模型。但参与相关项目的人士对此持怀疑态度,因为该团队似乎并未计划打造直接对标 Gemini 的竞品。 目前尚不明确苹果基础模型团队的具体研发方向,但可以确定的是,团队目标之一同样是开发可在苹果设备上运行的自研轻量化模型。 现阶段 Siri 将依托 Gemini 生成回答,具备问答、讲故事、提供情感支持,以及协助用户完成预订行程等任务的能力。 部分新功能预计将在苹果 6 月年度开发者大会上公布,包括 Siri 记忆历史对话的能力,以及主动提醒用户提前出发、避开机场接机路段拥堵等智能预判功能。 尽管苹果与谷歌达成的合作堪称过去 20 年...
Meituan reported a modest 4.1% increase in sales as the company’s expansion outside China helped offset pressure from an intensifying price war with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and JD.com Inc. at home. China’s food delivery leader posted revenue of 92.1 billion yuan ($13.3 billion) for the December quarter, meeting the average analyst projection. Adjusted net loss was 15.1 billion yuan, surpassing ...
Meituan reported a modest 4.1% increase in sales as the company’s expansion outside China helped offset pressure from an intensifying price war with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and JD.com Inc. at home. China’s food delivery leader posted revenue of 92.1 billion yuan ($13.3 billion) for the December quarter, meeting the average analyst projection. Adjusted net loss was 15.1 billion yuan, surpassing an estimate of 13 billion yuan. Meituan swung into the red for the first time in almost three years in the September quarter, posting an adjusted net loss of 16 billion yuan. China’s food delivery leader has been locked in a costly war to defend its market share at home, spending billions on subsidies and marketing. It warned in February of an annual loss between 23.3 billion and 24.3 billion yuan for 2025, and it is unlikely to turn a profit in the first quarter. Meituan’s on-demand delivery market share declined to about 50% at the end of 2025, from about 70% at the end of 2024, according to S&P Global. The company’s stock prices shed 44% over the past year. Meituan’s competitors are suffering too. JD.com posted its first quarterly loss in nearly four years for the December quarter, after its sudden entry into the food delivery market early last year triggered a price war. Alibaba saw its revenue plunge 67% during the same period partially due to its heavy investment in instant commerce. The intensifying rivalry has attracted growing regulatory scrutiny. Chinese officials have held multiple meetings warning the companies and launched investigations to end the price war that has been squeezing merchants and drivers. What Bloomberg Intelligence Says: Subsidies across the industry should become more disciplined in 2026, limiting further cost-per-order inflation even as Meituan chases volume. Still, lackluster demand and structurally tougher competition will prevent a sharp profit rebound. - Catherine Lim Click here for the research To mitigate the impact from cut-throat comp...
Hong Kong’s Baptist University plans to spin off its School of Continuing Education (SCE) as a private university of applied sciences (UAS) next year, according to its president. Unveiling the plan at a media briefing on Thursday, Professor Alexander Wai Ping-kong said a private institution would be more agile and responsive to societal changes than public universities, which often face lengthy fu...
Hong Kong’s Baptist University plans to spin off its School of Continuing Education (SCE) as a private university of applied sciences (UAS) next year, according to its president. Unveiling the plan at a media briefing on Thursday, Professor Alexander Wai Ping-kong said a private institution would be more agile and responsive to societal changes than public universities, which often face lengthy funding approvals. “HKBU [Hong Kong Baptist University] will spare no effort to ensure the success of...