The logo of Alibaba Group is seen at its office in Beijing, China, January 5, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (9988.HK) on Tuesday unveiled Tongyi Qianwen, an AI large language model similar to GPT that it plans to integrate into all of the company's business applications in the near future.
It will first be integrated into DingTalk, Alibaba's workplace messaging app and can be used to summarise meeting notes, write emails and draft business proposals. It will also be added to Tmall Genie, Alibaba's voice assistant.
"We are at a technological watershed moment driven by generative AI and cloud computing, and businesses across all sectors have started to embrace intelligence transformation to stay ahead of the game," CEO Daniel Zhang said in a statement.
Shares in Alibaba rose 3% in morning trade.
Alibaba Cloud plans to open Tongyi Qianwen to its clients so they can build their own customized large language models.
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Global interest in generative AI, which learns how to take actions from past data to create new content, has surged since the release of chatbot sensation ChatGPT by Microsoft-backed (MSFT.O) OpenAI late last year.
Others including Alphabet Inc's Google (GOOGL.O) and Baidu Inc (9888.HK) have since promoted their AI models and released similar chatbots.
Tongyi Qianwen is based on Tongyi, Alibaba's proprietary pre-trained model framework that unifies various AI models.
Israeli settlers walk around the outpost of Eviatar in the West Bank, Monday, April 10, 2023. (AP)
Israeli forces killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy on Monday in a raid on a West Bank camp, amid wider clashes during a settler march and a mass intrusion into the grounds of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Palestinian medical sources said Mohammed Balhan was killed as Israeli forces stormed the Aqabat Jaber near Jericho in the West Bank. Balhan was hit with three bullets to the head, abdomen and pelvis during clashes.
Two other civilians suffered bullet wounds to their lower bodies and five other civilians were arrested.
The Israeli army has killed 96 Palestinians in the West Bank this year, seven of whom were from Jericho. More than 100 Palestinians have been arrested in that time.
His death came amid reports that 191 Palestinians were injured during clashes with Israeli forces around Mount Abu Sbeih near Beita, south of Nablus, as residents staged a counter-protest against a march by thousands of Israeli settlers attempting to reclaim the nearby abandoned hilltop outpost known as “Avitar.”
The march, from the Za’tara checkpoint, was protected by a battalion-sized Israeli force and led by seven government ministers including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. More than a dozen other members of the Knesset took part.
The settlers demanded the legalization of Avitar, which was initially established in 2013 and finally evacuated by Supreme Court order last year following repeated bouts of violence in which 12 Palestinians were killed and thousands injured.
Israeli media reported that some marchers have vowed to take and remain on the site to “impose a reality on the ground.”
Mahmoud Barham, mayor of Beita, told Arab News that hundreds of residents confronted the Israeli army.
Barham, whose brother was killed in previous clashes over Avitar, said that the presence of Israeli ministers, MPs and settlement leaders was designed to send a message that Israel was determined to control the area.
“We are ready to confront and resist and to start a new round of popular resistance against them,” he told Arab News. “We were and will remain guards of Mount Abu Sbeih, even if the number of martyrs, wounded and prisoners among us doubles.”
Ghassan Daghlas, responsible for the settlement file in the northern West Bank of the Palestinian Presidency, told Arab News that the march aimed to legitimize the theft of Palestinian lands.
“We are facing a new settlement battle with this extreme right-wing Israeli government,” he said. “If their policies are not met with a strong Palestinian and international popular response, they will reactivate settlements in the northern West Bank and rebuild the settlements that were evacuated in 2005.”
Meanwhile, more than 1,500 settlers guarded by Israeli police stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on the fifth day of the Jewish Passover holiday.
The Islamic Awqaf Department said the numbers were higher than the incursions before Passover. Hundreds of Palestinians and Turks were present in Al-Aqsa’s squares during the incursion, it added.
Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif Al-Qanou said that both incidents showed Israel’s aggression and push to Judaize Palestinian land and sanctities. He called on Palestinians to resist what he described as a fascist occupation government.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said that the Israeli government must be held accountable for its daily crimes, the aggression at Al-Aqsa, the pro-settlement march of ministers and Knesset members, and the invasions that have led to the deaths of many Palestinians such as Mohammed Balhan in Jericho on Monday.
In Hebron, Israeli forces closed the Bab Al-Zawiya area and Beersheba Street in the city center in preparation for a settler march, forcing store owners to shut their businesses and preventing shoppers preparing for Eid in Al-Shuhada Street and the Tal Rumeida area.
The Israeli authorities still prevent citizens and visitors from reaching the Ibrahimi Mosque to perform prayers there under the pretext of the settlers’ celebration of their Jewish holiday.
Russian air defense forces intercepted two rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and destroyed 11 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Monday.
"During the last 24-hour period, air defense capabilities intercepted two rockets of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system. In addition, they destroyed 11 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Naugolnoye and Chervonopopovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Tokarevka in the Kharkov Region, Vesyoloye, Peski, Blagoveshchenka and Opytnoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.
Russian forces wipe out Ukrainian ammo depot in Kupyansk area
Russian forces struck Ukrainian army units in the Kupyansk area, eliminating over 30 enemy troops and an ammunition depot in the Kharkov Region over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the Kupyansk direction, operational/tactical and army aviation aircraft and artillery of the western battlegroup struck the enemy units in areas near the settlements of Rozovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Sinkovka, Timkovka, Krakhmalnoye and Pershotravnevoye in the Kharkov Region. In the area of the settlement of Staritsa in the Kharkov Region, an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army’s 67th mechanized brigade was destroyed," the spokesman said.
The strikes eliminated enemy manpower and equipment, the general said.
"The enemy’s losses [in the Kupyansk direction] amounted to over 30 personnel, two armored combat vehicles, three motor vehicles, a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, and also a D-20 howitzer," Konashenkov reported.
Russian forces destroy over 120 Ukrainian troops in Krasny Liman area
Russian forces destroyed over 120 Ukrainian troops and a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery gun in the Krasny Liman area over the past day, he said.
"In the Krasny Liman direction, operational/tactical and army aviation aircraft, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems of the battlegroup Center struck the enemy units near the settlements of Terny, Torskoye and Serebryanka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Chervonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.
The strikes eliminated over 120 Ukrainian personnel, five armored combat vehicles, three motor vehicles, a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system and a D-20 howitzer, the general specified.
Russian forces destroy Ukrainian ammo depot in LPR
Russian forces destroyed an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
In the Krasny Liman direction, aircraft, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems of the battlegroup Center struck the enemy troops in some areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, the spokesman said.
"In the area of the settlement of Novolyubovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic, an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army’s 66th mechanized brigade was destroyed," the general specified.
Russian forces eliminate over 290 Ukrainian troops in Donetsk advance
Russian forces eliminated over 290 Ukrainian troops in their advance in the Donetsk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the Donetsk direction, over 290 Ukrainian personnel, five armored combat vehicles, four motor vehicles, a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, and also Msta-B and D-20 howitzers were destroyed in the past 24 hours as a result of active operations by units of the southern battlegroup, strikes by its operational/tactical aircraft and artillery fire," the spokesman said.
In the area of the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Russian forces obliterated an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army’s 54th mechanized brigade, the general said.
Russian forces destroy 50 Ukrainian troops in southern Donetsk, Zaporozhye areas
Russian forces destroyed roughly 50 Ukrainian troops in the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
In the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, operational/tactical aircraft and artillery of the Russian battlegroup East struck the Ukrainian army units near the settlements of Malaya Tokmachka, Chervonaya Krinitsa, Omelnik and Preobrazhenka in the Zaporozhye Region, the spokesman specified.
"The enemy’s losses in those areas in the past 24 hours amounted to 50 Ukrainian personnel, an armored combat vehicle, two pickup trucks, and also a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system," the general said.
Russian forces destroy 40 Ukrainian troops in Kherson area
Russian forces destroyed roughly 40 Ukrainian troops and a US-made M777 artillery system in the Kherson area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the Kherson direction, as many as 40 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, 15 motor vehicles, a US-made M777 artillery system, a D-30 howitzer, and also a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery gun were destroyed as a result of damage inflicted by firepower," the spokesman said.
Russian forces strike Ukrainian army’s command posts in DPR, Kherson area
Russian forces struck the command posts of two Ukrainian army brigades in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the Kherson area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the areas of the settlements of Yampolovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Novoberislav in the Kherson Region, the command posts of the 125th and 126th territorial defense brigades were struck," the spokesman said.
Russian forces hammer 102 Ukrainian artillery units in past day
Russian combat aircraft, missile troops and artillery struck 102 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"During the last 24-hour period, operational/tactical and army aviation aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian group of forces struck 102 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions, manpower and equipment in 134 areas," the spokesman said.
In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 406 Ukrainian warplanes, 228 helicopters, 3,727 unmanned aerial vehicles, 415 surface-to-air missile systems, 8,608 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,078 multiple rocket launchers, 4,554 field artillery guns and mortars and 9,414 special military motor vehicles since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, Konashenkov reported.
A French peace proposal for the Ukraine conflict is difficult to imagine at the moment, because Paris has openly taken the side of Kiev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said on Monday.
“Paris can hardly aspire to be a mediator at this time, because Paris actually takes the side of one of the participants in the conflict,” Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that France is “directly and indirectly” involved on the side of Ukraine.
Peskov was commenting on reports from the recent visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to China. During a dinner with Macron in Guangzhou, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his visitor that Beijing welcomed French proposals for a political and diplomatic resolution of the Ukraine conflict, and would be willing to support them.
China has proposed a 12-point road map for ending the conflict, which the US openly rejected before any of its NATO allies – including France – or Ukraine itself had a chance to react.
If Macron has offered his own peace platform, it has not been made public yet. During his visit to China, the French leader demanded Beijing denounce the Russian “invasion” and side with the West, which Xi declined to do.
France has been on board with all ten rounds of EU sanctions against Russia, while sending Ukraine a variety of weapons systems, including Caesar self-propelled howitzers, Crotale air defense missiles, and AMX-10 light tanks. Paris has also trained Ukrainian troops on French soil as part of an EU program of aiding Kiev.
Macron drew criticism from the US on Monday for his comments about the EU’s “strategic autonomy” when it comes to relations with China. The French leader had said it was not in the bloc’s interest to stoke the conflict over Taiwan or “become followers on this topic and take our cue from the US agenda.”
Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the US was spending a lot of money on a “European war” and should perhaps leave the EU to “handle Ukraine” on its own instead.
Francois Hollande has confirmed that the European Union and France are directly participating in the armed conflict in Ukraine, despite Paris officially denying such claims.
The former French president unwittingly spoke at length about the situation in Ukraine with Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus, who were pretending to be former Ukrainian president Pyotr Poroshenko.
During the conversation, Hollande declared that he was on Kiev’s side and “fully supports Ukraine,” adding that “wherever I can speak, I always ask to provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs.”
He admitted to ‘Poroshenko’ that the EU and France are “participants” in the conflict but explained that they don’t want to openly declare their involvement, fearing that Russia could retaliate.
“They don’t want to become a warring side in the sense that Russia could use their support as an excuse to take action against a neighboring European country and drag the world into a war that will go beyond Ukraine,” Hollande said.
The former president predicted that the outcome of the Ukrainian conflict would shape the new world power balance and that “if Ukraine wins, which is something I wholeheartedly want, then it would serve as a rebuff to authoritarian regimes” such as China, Iran and Turkey.
Hollande insisted that there could be no negotiations at the moment and that European leaders should avoid even mentioning the idea until Ukraine pushes Russian forces out of the territories Kiev claims as its own and so long as the Ukrainian people still wish to fight to the last.
He also commented on the Minsk accords, which were signed in 2014 by Russia, France and Germany as a roadmap to establishing peace in Ukraine after tensions erupted in the country following the armed Maidan coup that ousted President Viktor Yanukovich. Hollande admitted that the real purpose of the accords was to buy time to arm and train Ukraine’s forces.
The former French leader also noted Poroshenko’s “key role” in ousting Yanukovich and pushing Ukraine towards the EU. He said that, if Poroshenko hadn’t come to Paris in 2013, there “wouldn’t have been a Maidan and you wouldn’t have achieved your victory.”
Hollande is the latest Western official to have been duped by the Russian pranksters, admitting things they avoid saying publicly. Last month, the pair had a conversation with former UK foreign secretary William Hague, who stated that the West’s “ideal” scenario was a military coup in Russia that would oust Putin.
The United Kingdom wants to turn the territory of Ukraine into a "scorched earth" by supplying Kiev with depleted uranium munitions, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
The diplomat drew attention to statements from the UK Ministry of Defense, which said the day before that the impact of depleted uranium munitions on the health of military personnel and the environment would likely be "small."
"The UK, by supplying depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine, wants to turn its territory into a scorched and desolate land. No Russian will be spoken there, no Ukrainian will be spoken there, there will only be silence. Like in Pripyat and Chernobyl," she wrote on her Telegram channel on Monday.
Zakharova recalled that depleted uranium munitions were mass-produced and used in NATO operations. "To a large extent, operations with such munitions in the NATO contingent were carried out by Italian servicemen.... Italian soldiers' area of responsibility in Yugoslavia included territories where more than half of all the depleted uranium munitions were fired," she added.
"The Serbs were the first victims and the Italians second in line, studying how depleted uranium affects the personnel using it," Zakharova said. She pointed to the growing number of lawsuits filed by Italians against the country's defense ministry. "The underlying reason is the same - cancer. Cancer from handling depleted uranium munitions," she said.
British Parliamentary Secretary of State Baroness Annabel Goldie said in a written response to a question by a member of the House of Lords in March that the United Kingdom would supply Ukraine with shells containing depleted uranium and having increased efficiency in destroying armored vehicles. The British Defense Ministry described depleted uranium as a standard component of armor-piercing ammunition, which has been used for decades.
Commenting on the decision of the British authorities, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would be forced to respond accordingly to the fact that "the West is already starting to use weapons with a nuclear component."
The Russian embassy in the UK warned London against transferring depleted uranium ammunition to Kiev. The diplomatic mission's commentary stressed that the move was fraught with an escalation of the conflict, while the use of such munitions in Ukraine would affect the health of the local population.
Five people were killed and eight others were wounded in a shooting attack on Monday at a bank in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, the city's police department said.
Shortly after confirming the attack, police said the shooter was dead, without giving further details. It was unclear whether the death toll of five included the shooter, who police described as either a current or former employee of the bank.
Police were still trying to determine whether the shooter shot himself or was shot by police, Paul Humphrey, a Louisville Metro Police Department deputy chief, told reporters.
The attacker was killed not long after the 8:30 a.m. ET shooting unfolded at the Old National Bank on East Main Street, Louisville Metro Police Department Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey said.
Responding officers exchanged gunfire with the gunman, police said, but it wasn’t immediately clear if the shooter died from police gunfire or a self-inflicted wound.
Gov. Andy Beshear fought back tears, telling reporters two of the dead and one of the wounded were friends of his.
Police respond to a shooting Monday in Louisville, Ky.Luke Sharrett / Getty Images
"This is awful," Beshear said. "I have a very close friend who didn't make it today, and I have another close friend who didn't either, and one who is at the hospital that I hope is going to make it through."
The gunman is believed to be an employee and may have had mental health issues, according to a federal law enforcement source who has been briefed on the attack.
Two officers were wounded, with one rushed into surgery and another with a non-life-threatening injury, Humphrey police said.
The wounded were taken to the University of Louisville Hospital and two of them, including the officer, were listed in critical condition, Humphrey said.
Their names were not immediately released.
"We believe this is a lone gunman involved in this, that did have a connection to the bank," Humphrey said. "It appears he was a previous employee."
The fast response of officers prevented more deaths and injuries, Louisville police said.
"It is clear from the officers' response that they absolutely saved peoples' lives," Humphrey said. "This was a tragic event but it was the heroic response of officers that made sure that no more people were more seriously injured than what happened."
Police cars, ambulances and fire trucks flooded Main Street between North Floyd and North Preston Streets, in the heart of Kentucky's largest city.
The bank executive called for "keeping everyone affected by this tragedy in our thoughts and prayers."
The incident unfolded in the shadows of Slugger Field, home of the Cincinnati Reds triple-A affiliate, the Louisville Bats.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his wife Elaine Chao, thanked police.
"Elaine and I are devastated by the news coming out of Louisville this morning," the Kentucky Republican said in a statement. "Thank you to LMPD and our first responders for your bravery at the scene. We send our prayers to the victims, their families, and the city of Louisville as we await more information."
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the Louisville shooting, a White House official told NBC News.
Monday's gunfire was the latest mass shooting in America and just two weeks after six people, including three young children, were gunned down at a private Christian school in Nashville
