Merck KGaA flags steeper profit drop on lower orders from drugmakers

By Ludwig Burger FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Germany’s Merck KGaA on Thursday warned of a steeper earnings decline due to a slump in demand for materials used to produce pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, as its high-tech niche markets get drawn into a wider downturn. In a statement, it cited “persistently high inventory levels of our Life Science customers,…

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Wagner fighters seek to unsettle NATO’s eastern flank, Polish PM says

WARSAW (Reuters) -Fighters from Russia’s private Wagner mercenary force are being moved close to NATO’s eastern flank to destabilise the military alliance, Poland’s prime minister said on Thursday. Wagner soldiers have begun training with the Belarus national army, prompting Poland to start moving more than 1,000 troops closer to the border. On Tuesday it accused…

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Infineon shares slump on Q4 warning, eyes Malaysia expansion

BERLIN (Reuters) – Shares of German chipmaker Infineon tumbled 10% on Thursday after it forecast fourth-quarter revenue would come in below market expectations, weighed down by weak demand from makers of personal computers and smartphones. While demand for chips used in computers and smartphones has weakened following the pandemic-era, work-from-home boost, chipmakers are investing in…

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China’s Tencent says it is internally testing its ‘Hunyuan’ AI model

By Josh Ye HONG KONG (Reuters) – China’s Tencent Holdings said that its self-developed artificial intelligence (AI) model has entered the internal testing stage and is now integrated with multiple internal services and products. In a statement sent to Reuters, Tencent said its foundation AI model named “Hunyuan” has been integrated with a range of…

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