Iran Guards said they fired missiles at Israel and US forces in bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain; crude oil prices fall sharply in early trading Trump’s rehashed 15-point Iran plan unlikely to appease Tehran Disruptions to international fertiliser supplies caused by the closing of the strait of Hormuz will cause food scarcity and high prices, the World Trade Organisation’s deputy director gener...
Iran Guards said they fired missiles at Israel and US forces in bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain; crude oil prices fall sharply in early trading Trump’s rehashed 15-point Iran plan unlikely to appease Tehran Disruptions to international fertiliser supplies caused by the closing of the strait of Hormuz will cause food scarcity and high prices, the World Trade Organisation’s deputy director general, Jean-Marie Paugam , told Agence France-Press. A third of the world’s fertilisers normally transit the strait , which has been virtually closed by Iran since the start of the war. Continue reading...
Sundry Photography Merck & Co. ( MRK ) is close to an approximately $6 billion all-cash deal to buy US biotech firm Terns Pharmaceuticals ( TERN ) as it seeks to boost its drug pipeline ahead of cancer treatment Keytruda’s patent expiry, the Financial Times reported. The talks are at an advanced stage and could be finalized in the coming days, the FT reported, citing people it didn’t identify. Ter...
Sundry Photography Merck & Co. ( MRK ) is close to an approximately $6 billion all-cash deal to buy US biotech firm Terns Pharmaceuticals ( TERN ) as it seeks to boost its drug pipeline ahead of cancer treatment Keytruda’s patent expiry, the Financial Times reported. The talks are at an advanced stage and could be finalized in the coming days, the FT reported, citing people it didn’t identify. Terns ( TERN ) had a $5.4 billion market capitalization as of Tuesday’s close. Merck and Terns didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment from the FT. Following the news, shares of Terns Pharma, which focuses on developing treatments for chronic myeloid leukemia, rose about 10% in after-hours trading. Merck ( MRK ) has been pursuing deals to strengthen its pipeline, with CEO Rob Davis spearheading a strategy to diversify the company's portfolio ahead of the 2028 patent expiration for its blockbuster cancer drug, Keytruda. More on Merck, Terns Pharmaceuticals Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Presents at TD Cowen 46th Annual Health Care Conference Transcript Health Care Q4 Dividend Roundup: Merck Offers Thicker Dividend Cushion Than AbbVie Merck: Why Investors Should Remain Bullish Despite Patent Risks U.S. starts seeking drugmakers’ views in turning Trump's pricing deals into law Merck granted FDA approval to expand Bravecto label for tick species in dogs
We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Top Chinese nuclear, radar and missile experts vanish from engineering body site The profile of one of China’s top nuclear weapons scientists has been scrubbed from the website of the nation’s engineering brains...
We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Top Chinese nuclear, radar and missile experts vanish from engineering body site The profile of one of China’s top nuclear weapons scientists has been scrubbed from the website of the nation’s engineering brains trust. Similar online references to radar specialist Wu Manqing, 60, and missile designer Wei...
本周,苹果正式官宣全球开发者大会(WWDC)2026 将于北京时间 6 月 9 日在 Apple Park 拉开帷幕。 以往 WWDC 的叙事中心,几乎都围绕新一代操作系统展开。这一次,苹果官方直接在新闻稿中宣布将分享「AI 进展」,优先级还比「软件更新」更高。 苹果官方新闻稿 当然,这也因为去年的 iOS 26 刚刚用「液态玻璃」完成了一次大更新,今年的 iOS 27 会聚焦于稳定性。 但换个角度看,这样的排序调整同样释放出一个更明确的信号:苹果正在主动抬高 AI 在 WWDC 这场舞台上的权重。 Siri 即将无处不在,还能控制 iPhone 2 年前 WWDC 上发布的 AI Siri 还没踪影,下一个新版 Siri 已经蓄势待发了。 彭博社最新报道,苹果正在开发一个独立的 Siri 应用,代号为「Campo」,预计将和 iOS 27、iPadOS 27、macOS 27 一同亮相。 新版 Siri 将采用类似 iMessage 的对话形式,支持历史会话回溯、对话置顶与搜索、文件及图片上传分析,以及语音与文字模式的自由切换,启动新对话时,Siri 会根据使用习惯推荐提示词。 简单来说,就是苹果把 Siri,改造成了一个和 ChatGPT、Gemini 类似的「聊天机器人」。根据爆料,新 Siri 底层将由 Apple Foundation Models 与 Google Gemini 共同驱动。 虽然有独立的应用,但用户依旧可以和以往一样,通过「嘿 Siri」语音指令以及长按电源键呼出 Siri,苹果在测试几种不同的新版 Siri 设计方案,替换 iOS 18 引入的发光边缘界面。 其中一个方案,Siri 将以「灵动岛」的方式出现在屏幕顶部,提示用户进行搜索或询问;处理请求时,屏幕上会出现一个提示「正在搜索」的药丸状指示器,以及一个发光的 Siri 图标。生成的结果,会以一个扩展的半透明「液态玻璃」面板弹出,用户可以进一步拉长面板,进入 Siri 深度对话。 除了独立的 Siri 应用,苹果还打算将这个全新的 Siri 引擎集成到系统的方方面面之中。Spotlight 搜索将被 Siri 取代,帮助用户更全面地检索本地内容,或提交更广泛的查询。 「Ask Siri」(询问 Siri)将出现在所有内置应用之中。用户可以选中文段发送给 Siri 进行询问,也可以让...
peshkov/iStock via Getty Images By Vijay Sumon U.S. equities returned 16%* in 2025, fueled by the AI boom, resilient consumer spending and three straight rate cuts toward the end of the year. As markets move through 2026, investor attention remains fixed on shifting geopolitical tensions – from Venezuela to Greenland to Iran – and the upcoming transition of the Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair from Pow...
peshkov/iStock via Getty Images By Vijay Sumon U.S. equities returned 16%* in 2025, fueled by the AI boom, resilient consumer spending and three straight rate cuts toward the end of the year. As markets move through 2026, investor attention remains fixed on shifting geopolitical tensions – from Venezuela to Greenland to Iran – and the upcoming transition of the Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair from Powell to Warsh this May. Also in focus are uncertainties surrounding trade policy, the U.S. labor market, inflation and the U.S. mid-terms, all of which serve as potential catalysts for market volatility. How Does Geopolitical Volatility Impact Market Volatility? Any shifts in geopolitical flashpoints can affect market sentiment and lead to repositioning as investors respond tactically. This dynamic was evident in January, when short-dated at-the-money (ATM) implied volatility in E-mini S&P 500 ( ES ) options – as represented on a rolling seven-day basis – rose from 9.75% to 11.31% (+1.57%) in response to U.S. action in Venezuela. Similarly, that same volatility metric spiked from 10.49% to 16.50% (+6.01%) following U.S.-EU trade tensions over Greenland. While some investors responded by hedging portfolios via a pronounced shift to defensive strategies, others sought opportunity in navigating a new geopolitical environment. A look at how investors positioned themselves in January using equity index options – as represented by the short-dated January and February, followed by March and June 2026 expiries – reveals a distinct evolution in sentiment. While the market began January with a "protection" mindset across all maturities, by January 30 positioning had shifted. Immediate risks were largely ignored in favor of aggressive upside speculative targets. Short-term positioning was heavily defensive, characterized by significant hedging (put options) at lower levels. However, as the timeline extended into the March and June quarterly expiries, sentiment shifted significantly tow...
Alibaba’s Qwen launches AI ride-hailing feature to rival Didi Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s artificial intelligence chatbot Qwen rolled out a ride-hailing feature on Monday, intensifying competition with market leader Didi to integrate generative AI into daily transport services. Users can now book rides, select vehicle types, schedule trips, and pay directly within the Qwen app. The service is pow...
Alibaba’s Qwen launches AI ride-hailing feature to rival Didi Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s artificial intelligence chatbot Qwen rolled out a ride-hailing feature on Monday, intensifying competition with market leader Didi to integrate generative AI into daily transport services. Users can now book rides, select vehicle types, schedule trips, and pay directly within the Qwen app. The service is powered by Alibaba’s mapping platform Amap. This upgrades an earlier integration introduced in December, which generated visual decision cards but required users to open the separate Amap application to complete a booking. Didi launched its own AI assistant, Xiaodi, within its main app last week after initiating public testing in September.