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Wednesday, June 11, 2025

US warns against attending UN conference on Israel-Palestinian two-state solution

 U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is discouraging governments around the world from attending a United Nations conference next week in New York on a possible two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

The cable, sent on June 10, says countries which take "anti-Israel actions" on the heels of the conference will be viewed as acting in opposition to U.S. foreign policy interests and could face diplomatic consequences from the U.S.

It adds that Washington would oppose any steps that would unilaterally recognise a conjectural Palestinian state.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

https://www.aol.com/news/exclusive-us-warns-against-attending-160358955.html

Amazon Announces 3 AI-Powered Innovations To Get Packages To Customers Faster

 Amazon has unveiled three groundbreaking AI innovations that create real-world value for our customers, employees, and delivery partners. The new advancements—which include Wellspring, a generative AI mapping technology; an AI-powered demand forecasting model that’s powering Amazon’s supply chain; and new agentic AI capabilities for robotics—represent Amazon's continued investment in cutting-edge, practical AI applications that solve real-world logistics challenges.

While these systems work behind the scenes, customers will certainly experience their benefits: more accurate delivery locations, faster shipping options, and improved availability of the products they want, when they want them.

Here’s a look at what we’re developing:

Generative AI mapping: Wellspring

Map on the left displays all delivery location geocodes where Amazon delivery drivers were asked to drop off packages. Map on the right displays where to drop off Amazon delivery packages by mail room entrance.Before (left): All locations of where to deliver packages, based on delivery history and geographic coordinates. After (right): AI-powered technology that accurately identifies entrances, parking spots, and individual units within an apartment complex and displays shared delivery locations.
Wellspring is an initiative to improve delivery accuracy for customers. Powered by generative AI, this new system harnesses data from dozens of sources, including satellite imagery, road networks, building footprints, customer instructions, information from prior deliveries, and street imagery, to create a comprehensive delivery solution for millions of locations. This technology helps drivers better navigate complex and varied environments—like multi-building apartment complexes or brand-new neighborhoods that don't yet appear on navigation apps—so they're able to deliver packages to customers where they want them.
With Wellspring, we're able to better identify which apartment numbers correspond to a specific building in an apartment complex, which parking spots and entrance points provide the most convenient route for package drop-off, and the location of a shared mailroom—supporting drivers in navigating diverse delivery landscapes. Before Wellspring and generative AI technology, we were not able to leverage the wide range of locational information that helps us create a better understanding and depiction of the physical world for delivery partners.
When we started testing Wellspring in the U.S. in October 2024, the results were significant—the system mapped over 2.8 million apartment addresses to their corresponding buildings across more than 14,000 complexes, while also identifying convenient parking locations at 4 million addresses. Earlier, this view of the physical world would have taken us years to understand. The technology also detects building entrances and mailroom locations by analyzing proof-of-delivery photos and location data from past deliveries. These improvements help drivers navigate unique environments with greater confidence, ensuring packages arrive where customers expect them.
Amazon’s supply chain has a new foundational AI forecasting model designed to predict what customers will want, where they’ll want it, and when—for hundreds of millions of products per day. While our previous systems used sales history to guide inventory planning decisions, this foundation model adds time-bound data like weather patterns and holiday schedules to place the right products in the right locations more accurately.
By analyzing regional differences—like sunscreen sales in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the summer months, or ski goggles in Boulder, Colorado, during peak ski season—we’re able to accurately and efficiently cater to the different needs of the communities we serve. These forecasts have contributed to a 10% improvement in long-term national forecasts for deal events, and a 20% improvement in regional forecasts for millions of popular items, boosting productivity and shrinking our network’s carbon footprint.
The technology’s benefits are tangible: Packages arrive faster (sometimes same-day instead of within two days), delivery partners travel fewer miles, traffic is reduced, carbon emissions decrease, and carbon emissions are avoided. Operations networks in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Brazil are already using this technology, with future expansion coming soon.

China puts six-month limit on its ease of rare-earth export licenses

 China is putting a six-month limit on rare-earth export licenses for U.S. automakers and manufacturers, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday citing people familiar with the matter.

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/china-puts-six-month-limit-161039268.html

Bessent Predicts US Budget Deficit Nearing 7% This Year

 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US is suffering from "the biggest blow out for the deficit in history," and blamed Democrats for the current tax year budget deficit coming in between 6.5% and 6.7%. Bessent spoke during an exchange with Rep. Richard Neal, a Democrat from Massachusetts, before the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday.

https://finance.yahoo.com/video/bessent-predicts-us-budget-deficit-153911080.html

Capricor cited in FDA plant inspection

 

  • U.S. FDA successfully completed Pre-License Inspection; Company expects facility will meet all requirements to support licensure
  • Advisory Committee meeting scheduled for July 30, 2025
  • Mid-cycle meeting recently completed with no significant issues or major deficiencies; late-cycle meeting planned for mid-July
  • Biologics License Application remains under priority review with PDUFA target action date of August 31, 2025

Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CAPR), a biotechnology company developing transformative cell and exosome-based therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases, today announced the successful completion of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Pre-License Inspection (PLI) of its San Diego manufacturing facility for Deramiocel, the Company’s lead cell therapy candidate with a Biologics License Application (BLA) under FDA review for potential approval in the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). The inspection concluded with a Form 483 containing several observations. The Company has submitted its responses to the FDA, none of which required material changes to the cGMP process or facility. The observations were primarily related to routine quality systems and documentation practices. The Company is confident that the facility will meet the necessary requirements to support product licensure and, pending approval, commercial launch.

“This inspection outcome is a major regulatory milestone, particularly in a field where standards are exceptionally high,” said Linda Marbán, Ph.D., Capricor’s Chief Executive Officer. “It reflects the strength of our manufacturing capabilities and positions us well as we advance toward potential approval. With the FDA Advisory Committee meeting now scheduled, we look forward to the opportunity to present the totality of evidence supporting the approval of Deramiocel for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. With all key review activities progressing on track, we remain focused on delivering this much-needed therapy to the Duchenne community.”

The FDA informed Capricor of its intent to hold the Advisory Committee meeting on July 30, 2025, although that date is pending confirmation by the FDA. At the time of the mid-cycle review, no significant issues or major deficiencies were noted. A late-cycle meeting is planned for mid-July 2025. The BLA for Deramiocel remains under priority review with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of August 31, 2025.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/06/11/3097631/0/en/Capricor-Therapeutics-Announces-Key-Regulatory-Updates-for-its-Duchenne-Muscular-Dystrophy-Program.html

Leerink Partners Starts Summit Therapeutics plc (SMMT) at Underperform

 Leerink Partners analyst Daina Graybosch initiates coverage on Summit Therapeutics plc

https://www.streetinsider.com/Analyst+Comments/Leerink+Partners+Starts+Summit+Therapeutics+plc+%28SMMT%29+at+Underperform/24922676.html

JAMA Psychiatry article argues against marijuana rescheduling

 Detailed in an article published in JAMA Psychiatry was written by a former Justice Department lawyer and a scientist who worked on an opioid commission

https://seekingalpha.com/news/4457322-jama-psychiatry-article-argues-against-marijuana-rescheduling