外媒每日新闻 Glacier Collapse & AI Boom Edition

Russia bombarded cities across Ukraine with missiles and drones in an onslaught that began after nightfall on Wednesday and continued into Thursday morning, with explosions echoing around the capital Kyiv. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces carried out a "massive" overnight strike on targets in nine Ukrainian cities, describing them as military-related, including industrial facilities, oil refineries, logistics hubs, and port infrastructure. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 258 drones, 7 ballistic Iskander/KN-23 missiles, 3 Banderol missiles, and 2 Oniks missiles overnight. Ukrainian defenses shot down or neutralized 222 drones, 7 ballistic missiles, and 1 Oniks missile. Civilian areas, including apartment buildings, suffered extensive damage. The barrage killed a 78-year-old woman in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and another person in the northern Kharkiv region, with at least nine wounded elsewhere. In Odesa, a 16-story residential building and two educational facilities were damaged, along with a grain elevator. A shopping center was struck in Kharkiv. Ukraine is desperately short of U.S.-made Patriot air defense missiles. Meanwhile, Russia said its air defenses downed 267 Ukrainian drones over 14 Russian regions, as Kyiv targeted Ozon, Russia's second-largest e-commerce company, hitting logistics facilities in Orenburg and Ufa. President Zelenskyy visited neighboring Moldova to commemorate its Independence Day.^[1]

Regional powers sought an off-ramp from the war with Iran as another tanker attack was reported in the Strait of Hormuz, and the Iranian government dismissed the Trump administration's latest sanctions. Qatar's Foreign Ministry announced that Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani would visit Tehran on Thursday for talks on "ways to de-escalate tensions & create the conditions conducive to dialogue." Pakistan also said it was continuing diplomatic efforts, with Field Marshal Asim Munir's recent visit to Tehran aimed at reviving the June memorandum of understanding to reopen the strait. The UK Maritime Trade Organization reported an oil tanker was hit by an unknown projectile between Oman and Iran on Tuesday, causing it to catch fire. The crew was reported safe. President Trump told Al Jazeera by phone that he has "no time schedule" to wrap up the conflict, which reaches the six-month mark on Friday, adding that the U.S. is "winning very big." Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei called the U.S. sanctions coalition with Bahrain "pure parody," while Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf thanked China for rejecting the U.S. "economic D-Day" policies. Israel's Gaza strikes drew a sharp rebuke from Nickolay Mladenov, head of Trump's Board of Peace, who told the U.N. Security Council that continued Israeli strikes since the ceasefire road map was accepted remain the biggest risk to the peace process. Separately, Israel's Foreign Ministry removed two Dutch diplomats from the Gaza ceasefire coordination center, in apparent retaliation for the Netherlands' ban on products from occupied West Bank settlements.^[2]

An ICE agent charged in Minnesota with firing his gun through a house door, striking a man in his leg, and then lying to justify the shooting, could walk out of a South Texas jail on Thursday after a federal judge denied Minnesota's bid to compel his extradition. Christian Castro, an agent for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is charged with assault and falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 wounding of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. Prosecutors say Castro fired through the front door of a Minneapolis home, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg with a bullet that lodged in a child's bedroom wall, then falsely accused Sosa-Celis and another man of attacking an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel. Texas law requires his release after 90 days of detention, which falls on Thursday. U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. wrote that he couldn't prevent a county sheriff from releasing Castro or order Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to sign his extradition warrant. Minnesota officials believe Castro could flee the country. Abbott said he would not respond to the extradition request, citing ongoing investigations of fraud in government social service programs in Minnesota, which Trump used to justify his immigration crackdown there.^[3]

Nvidia's latest quarterly results once again blew past Wall Street's expectations as revenue for the chipmaker's high-end artificial intelligence chips soared, the latest sign that AI infrastructure spending remains strong. The company reported net income of $59.69 billion, or $2.46 per share, for the May-July period, compared to $26.42 billion ($1.08 per share) a year earlier. Excluding certain items, earnings were $2.22 per share, well above the $2.09 consensus forecast. Revenue more than doubled from a year earlier to $96.22 billion, surpassing analysts' average forecast of $92.27 billion. "AI has reached its inflection point. It's doing useful work. Its tokens are productive and profitable. Now, compute is revenue," said CEO Jensen Huang. Nvidia forecast revenue of about $108 billion for the current quarter, above analysts' $104.86 billion estimate. Data center revenue hit $89 billion, up more than twofold from a year earlier. Capital spending by the top five hyperscalers is expected to reach nearly $800 billion this year and $1.3 trillion in 2027. Nvidia and Amazon Web Services announced a plan to deploy 2 million additional Nvidia GPUs. However, Huang emphasized supply constraints: "Our entire supply chain is challenged. At this point we have supply for 70%. Our demand is much higher than that." Nvidia's shares rose 4.1% in after-hours trading. The company said it's not assuming any data center compute revenue from China in its outlook.^[5]

Asian stocks were mixed on Thursday following modest losses on Wall Street, while oil prices declined. U.S. futures traded higher after Nvidia's earnings beat expectations. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 slipped 0.2% to 66,162.72. South Korea's Kospi rose 1.5% to 6,909.81, with Samsung Electronics up 2%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.4% to 25,548.83, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.6% to 3,935.99. China reported industrial profit growth slowed to 11.2% in July, down from 15.1% in June. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was 0.9% lower. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 fell less than 0.1% but remained near record highs. The Dow lost 0.2%, and the Nasdaq dipped 0.1%. The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation measure sat at 3.7% in July, unchanged from June and above the 3.6% economists expected. GDP grew at a revised 1.5% annual pace in the April-June period. Brent crude lost 0.5% to $86.49 per barrel, still far above the $72 level seen before the Iran war began. Benchmark U.S. crude fell 0.5% to $81.84. Meta Platforms added 1.1% after agreeing to pay up to $18 billion and add child-safety measures to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction.^[6]

Rescue teams searched on Thursday for hundreds of missing people along the Nepal-China border, where a catastrophic torrent of water and mud several stories high swept through communities a day earlier following a glacier collapse. At least 353 people were killed — 270 in Nepal and 3 in Tibet, with more bodies found hundreds of kilometers downstream — and more than 1,300 are missing, including 517 foreigners from over 30 countries. The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake early Wednesday but later updated its analysis to a magnitude 5.2 glacier collapse. Climate experts at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said water levels on the Trishuli River rose by as much as 9 meters (27 feet) in half an hour. Dozens of bridges were destroyed and nearly 40 kilometers (25 miles) of roads damaged. The Nepalese army rescued more than 100 people via helicopter. Among the missing are 178 people from India, more than 60 from the U.S., and citizens from the U.K., Ukraine, South Africa, and Japan — many on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet. Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Gyirong to direct rescue efforts. Chinese authorities warned that a barrier lake formed at the confluence of two rivers is overflowing and may burst. The UN released $2 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund. This disaster follows similar flash floods in August 2025, when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed due to high temperatures. The Himalayan region is warming faster than the rest of the world, with glacier ice loss rates doubling since 2000.^[7]

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who splashed her signature polka dots on paintings, sculptures, and museum installations around the world, has died, her studio said Thursday. She was 97. Kusama died Aug. 14 at a hospital in Tokyo, Yayoi Kusama Studio said, without specifying the cause of death. "She continued to paint until her final days, never setting aside her brush, and continued exploration of forever love and eternal soul," the studio's statement said. Kusama, one of Japan's most respected contemporary artists, was widely exhibited around the world, including at MoMA, the Whitney Museum in New York, and the Museum Ludwig in Germany. Repetitive motifs were her trademark — most often dots, dancing on canvases, or sparkling as balls of light in her installations. "Polka dots are fabulous," Kusama said in a 2012 AP interview. "I want to create a thousand paintings, maybe two thousand paintings, as many as I can draw. I will keep painting until I die." In 2008, Christie's auctioned her work for $5.8 million. In 2016, she received Japan's Order of Culture. She arrived in New York in 1957, suffering years of poverty and obscurity, but befriended Andy Warhol and Georgia O'Keeffe. She signed with Louis Vuitton and other brands in her later years. "I feel there is little left in my life, but I am now still fighting to the death for my art," she said upon receiving the Order of Culture. Messages of mourning came from Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike and artist Yoshitomo Nara, who wrote "RIP Kusama-sensei" on X.^[8]

Norwegian King Harald's health deteriorated while in the hospital and his condition is now "very serious," the royal court said Thursday, prompting the queen and Crown Prince Haakon to cancel all scheduled engagements. The 89-year-old monarch, who has hemolytic anemia and has been on sick leave for several weeks, was admitted to the National Hospital in Oslo on August 17. He had initially been receiving antibiotics for a bacterial blood infection and had shown signs of stabilization, but the palace said Thursday that his condition had worsened. Crown Prince Haakon and Queen Sonja were seen arriving at Oslo University Hospital. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre canceled a trip to Germany because of the king's health. "The whole nation is with us in this difficult time," a palace spokesperson said. Harald, Europe's oldest living monarch and Norway's ceremonial head of state since 1991, has been in and out of the hospital several times in recent years. He received a temporary pacemaker during a vacation in Malaysia two years ago and was later fitted with a permanent one. In February, he was hospitalized in Spain's Canary Islands for a skin infection. Haakon has been serving as regent during the king's sick leave.^[9]

Nvidia's blockbuster Q2 earnings have confirmed that the AI investment boom is accelerating rather than cooling. The company reported revenue of $96.22 billion, more than double last year, and forecast $108 billion for the current quarter — implying roughly 89% year-over-year growth. The company expects revenue to grow about 70% in fiscal year 2028, with CFO Colette Kress noting that growth would be closer to double if not for supply constraints. CEO Jensen Huang said the company's entire supply chain is "challenged," with supply only meeting 70% of demand. Capital spending by the top five hyperscalers — Amazon, Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle — is expected to reach nearly $800 billion this year and $1.3 trillion in 2027. Nvidia and AWS announced plans to deploy 2 million additional GPUs, incorporating Nvidia chips to power Amazon's fleet of warehouse robots. The company's data center segment reported $89 billion in revenue, up more than twofold. Its edge computing segment, including AI-powered features for computers and robotics, posted $7.2 billion. Nvidia's market value has soared from $400 billion at the end of 2022 to roughly $5.2 trillion. Despite the stellar results, investors worry about a jarring comedown after a three-year boom, and the AI industry faces growing pushback over data center expansion and fears of widespread job losses.^[11]

The hashtag #NepalFloods trended globally on X as the death toll from the catastrophic glacier collapse in Nepal and Tibet soared past 353 with over 1,300 missing. The most viral content was not text but video: CCTV footage from Gyirong Port showed floodwaters and debris sweeping through the border crossing, while amateur videos captured people running before the floodwaters swallowed them. A particularly harrowing thread by a journalist whose parents live in the affected Nuwakot district went viral: "There is no update till now. I fear there won't be any update." Climate scientists dominated the conversation, with experts from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development explaining that the Himalayan region is warming faster than the rest of the world. One viral post from a climate researcher noted: "This is not a natural disaster. This is a climate disaster. The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in fourteen months. In a warming Himalaya, early warning is the first line of adaptation." The revelation that 517 foreigners from over 30 countries were among the missing — including a pilgrimage group of 77 people caught at the immigration office — drew global engagement. Indian spiritual guru Sadhguru's emotional video appeal about 22 U.S. nationals in his missing pilgrimage group was widely shared. The UN's quick release of $2 million from its emergency fund was both praised and criticized as insufficient.^[13]

The hashtag #RIPKusama trended worldwide after Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's studio announced her death at age 97. The art world flooded X with tributes, sharing images of her iconic Infinity Mirror Rooms, polka-dot-covered pumpkins, and immersive installations. Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara wrote "RIP Kusama-sensei" on his X account, respectfully calling her a teacher. Museums worldwide posted photos of her exhibitions — MoMA, the Whitney, the Tate Modern, and the Museum Ludwig in Cologne all shared their Kusama collections. A particularly viral thread broke down her extraordinary life: born in 1929 to a family that wanted her to marry, not paint; arrived in New York in 1957; befriended Andy Warhol and Georgia O'Keeffe; suffered years of poverty and obscurity; voluntarily lived in a psychiatric institution for decades while becoming one of the world's most exhibited artists; collaborated with Louis Vuitton; and in 2016 became the first woman to receive Japan's Order of Culture. The most shared quote was her 2012 AP interview: "I will keep painting until I die." The fact that she died on August 14 but the announcement was delayed until August 27 drew curiosity, with many speculating it was to allow her studio to prepare a dignified farewell. Her final words from the studio's statement resonated: "She continued to paint until her final days, never setting aside her brush."^[14]

The hashtag #NvidiaEarnings dominated X's technology and finance discussions after the company reported Q2 revenue of $96.22 billion, more than double last year, and forecast $108 billion for the current quarter. The results split X into two camps. AI bulls pointed to Jensen Huang's declaration that "AI has reached its inflection point" and the staggering capital spending forecasts — $800 billion from top hyperscalers this year, $1.3 trillion in 2027 — as proof that the AI boom is structural, not speculative. One prominent tech investor's thread went viral: "Nvidia's Q2 revenue ($96B) is larger than the GDP of 130 countries. Their forecast for next quarter ($108B) is larger than the GDP of 140 countries. This is the most extraordinary business in human history." Skeptics, however, seized on Huang's admission that "our entire supply chain is challenged" and supply only meets 70% of demand. A former semiconductor analyst's counter-thread challenged the bulls: "Every bubble in history had 'structural' demand and 'supply constraints.' The question isn't whether AI is real. It's whether $5.2 trillion in market value is justified by the current revenue trajectory." Others noted the irony that Nvidia explicitly excluded China revenue from its forecast — meaning the numbers could be even higher but for U.S. export restrictions. The AI bubble debate was further amplified by the Bank of England and IMF, both of which recently issued warnings about AI investment sustainability. Meanwhile, the Nvidia-AWS partnership to deploy 2 million GPUs drew attention to the rapidly expanding physical footprint of AI infrastructure.^[15]