Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow on June 18, in this picture obtained from social media. Several regions of Russia are facing fuel shortages again after Ukraine resumed almost daily attacks on oil refineries in the country. The Orenburg region in Russia's Urals introduced a rationing system starting Wednesday that allows sales based on vehicle license plates, limits gasoline and diesel sales per driver at the pump and bans the filling of fuel canisters. That followed Ukraine's drone strike Tuesday on the Orsk refinery in the region that's some 1,500 kilometers southeast of Moscow, which officials said could take as long as six months to repair. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

Apple trains its own AI model for China market with Alibaba's support, sources say People walk past a booth showcasing Apple's suppliers during the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on June 22. Apple has trained a large language model specifically for the China market, three people familiar with the matter said, a departure from the iPhone maker's strategy of relying on third-party models to power AI features in the country. The AI model was developed in partnership with Alibaba Group and trained with the Chinese tech giant's support, the people said, declining to be named as the information is sensitive and not public. Apple's training of its own China-specific model has not been reported before. The company had previously leaned toward domestic partners' models to bring generative AI to iPhones and other devices sold in China, where U.S. models such as Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's ChatGPT, which Apple pairs with its own technology in its home market, are not available.

According to the Environment Ministry, elderly people accounted for about 85% of heatstroke fatalities in 2024, with most deaths occurring at home. The Environment Ministry has launched a pilot project to help protect elderly people from heatstroke by utilizing artificial intelligence and sensors to encourage them to use air conditioners properly. The initiative aims to identify heatstroke risks proactively as extreme heat continues to claim the lives of many elderly people indoors. The project features three programs -- an AI-based system that estimates core body temperatures and notifies users of the risk of heatstroke via a smartwatch, a monitoring system that notifies registered family members through an app when indoor temperatures exceed certain levels, and a system that automatically activates air conditioners based on room temperatures. The test uses commercially available products developed by medical device manufacturers.