JQJO — General news · Page 16

Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon signaled no letup in AI outlays, lifting data center spending to meet surging demand. Google, Microsoft and Amazon together spent $112 billion on capex in the past three months; the foursome topped $360 billion over 12 months. Concerns about a budding bubble grew, and the Bank of England flagged rising debt risks if AI underdelivers. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said today's investments differ from the dot com era, citing profitable business models. Amazon plans $125 billion this year; Meta raised its target to at least $70 billion, while its shares fell 11 percent.

Reeling after a 28-6 prime time home loss, the Dolphins fell to 2-7, reviving questions about owner Stephen Ross's next move. He resisted changes after a Week 7 defeat and briefly found relief with a Week 8 upset of the Falcons, but frustration at Hard Rock Stadium was unmistakable: boos, paper bags, even a popcorn bucket with eye holes. With a mini bye before hosting the Bills and traveling to Madrid to face the Commanders, Ross must decide whether to stay the course or consider major changes involving coach Mike McDaniel or GM Chris Grier.

At the APEC summit in Gyeongju, Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to defend global free trade and multilateral cooperation, urging stability in supply chains and collaboration on green industries. The two-day gathering was overshadowed by Xi’s earlier meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, who left South Korea after announcing tariff cuts on China and Chinese moves to export rare earths and buy U.S. soybeans. With the United States represented by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, hosts pushed for consensus amid tensions, as Xi met regional leaders and South Korea emphasized AI and demographic challenges.

Lamar Jackson returned from a hamstring injury and threw four touchdown passes as the Baltimore Ravens beat the Miami Dolphins 28-6. Sidelined for three games after being hurt in a 37-20 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs on September 28, the two-time NFL MVP completed 18 of 23 passes for 204 yards with no interceptions. “He’s a two-time MVP for a reason,” tight end Mark Andrews said. Baltimore (3-5) have won successive games and are bidding to become just the fifth team in NFL history to reach the play-offs after a 1-5 start; Miami fell to 2-7.

Three billionaires—Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Samsung's Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai's Chung Eui-sun—stunned patrons at Seoul’s Kkanbu Chicken by paying for everyone’s meal, handing out snacks and toasting with beer and soju ahead of the APEC summit in Gyeongju. The next day, Huang met South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung and said Nvidia will supply more than 260,000 GPUs to South Korean companies, collaborating with Samsung, Hyundai, Naver and SK on physical AI, including AI-driven autonomous vehicles. The outing unfolded as regional leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, gathered and as access to cutting-edge AI chips was among the issues.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says more than 580,000 bottles of prazosin hydrochloride have been voluntarily recalled nationwide over possible nitrosamine impurities considered potentially cancer causing. New Jersey-based Teva Pharmaceuticals USA and distributor Amerisource Health Services initiated the recall of multiple capsule strengths earlier this month. The FDA assigned the affected lots a Class II risk, noting that prazosin relaxes blood vessels to lower blood pressure and is sometimes used for PTSD-related nightmares and sleep disturbances.

Children whose mothers had Covid-19 during pregnancy were more likely to receive neurodevelopmental diagnoses by age 3, a Massachusetts General Hospital study of more than 18,000 births found. Risk was 1.3 times higher after adjustments, with over 16% affected versus under 10% among unexposed pregnancies. The link was stronger in boys and when infection occurred in the third trimester. Common diagnoses included speech and motor delays and autism; autism rates were 2.7% versus 1.1%. Conducted largely in an unvaccinated cohort, the study appears in Obstetrics and Gynecology and urges prevention and early evaluation.

Donald Trump struck a triumphant note after his first meeting with Xi Jinping since returning to office in January, even as it suggested he had to give as much as he got. Speaking Thursday aboard Air Force One, the US president said the leaders had settled one of their thorniest disputes: access to China's rare earths, a major source of Beijing's leverage. He said there is no roadblock on rare earth and hoped the issue would disappear from our vocabulary for a little while.

Apple’s iPhone generated $49.02 billion, narrowly missing the $49.33 billion Wall Street forecast. The stock fell 3% after the report before climbing 5% after hours. Executives said capex will rise in the holiday quarter to back expanding AI work, with CFO Kevan Parekh noting continued investment in the product roadmap. Tim Cook expects China revenue to return to growth after a supply‑driven 4% yearly decline and said an overhauled Siri should launch next year. Guidance calls for 10–12% revenue growth and double‑digit iPhone sales, potentially making the holiday period Apple’s best quarter ever.

Amazon cut 14,000 jobs this week, with CEO Andy Jassy saying the move was driven by culture rather than costs or AI. He outlined a push to raise performance standards, enforce discipline, and strip away layers that have slowed decisions as the company seeks to move faster amid an AI transformation. The reduction, announced by senior vice president Beth Galetti, is Amazon’s largest since 27,000 roles were eliminated in late 2022. Amazon also said last quarter’s layoffs carried an estimated $1.8 billion in severance costs.