紐約男子被判犯有充當中國未註冊代理人罪

Recently The Guardian reported the following:

Lu Jianwang (Source: The Guardian)

New York man found guilty of acting as unregistered agent of China

Lu Jianwang was accused of operating a ‘secret police station’ in Manhattan’s Chinatown at the behest of Beijing

Guardian staff & agencies - Reuters contributed reporting

Wed 13 May 2026 19.58 EDT

A New York man was found guilty on Wednesday of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government after he was accused of operating a “secret police station” on behalf of Beijing in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood.

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said Lu Jianwang, 64, should have alerted the US attorney general that he was a Chinese agent when he helped open the so-called police station in 2022. They also said he helped China’s government locate a pro-democracy activist living in California.

Lu was arrested in April 2023. He had pleaded not guilty to the three felony charges he faced: conspiracy to act as an unregistered foreign agent, acting as an unregistered agent of China and obstruction of justice.

A jury in Brooklyn federal court reached the verdict after a weeklong trial. Lu faces up to 30 years in prison.

“May today’s verdict send a message to other foreign agents – the FBI maintains its unwavering resolve to reveal and disrupt the clandestine operations of adversarial nations,” said FBI assistant director in charge James Barnacle in an announcement of the verdict.

The justice department has in recent years been ramping up inquiries into what it calls “transnational repression” by US adversaries such as China and Iran to intimidate political opponents living in the United States.

China’s government has called the charges in the case “fabricated” and part of an effort to smear the country’s image. Beijing has said there are centers outside China run by local volunteers, not Chinese police officers, that aim to help Chinese citizens renew documents and offer other services.

In her opening statement on 6 May, prosecutor Lindsey Oken said Lu – a naturalized US citizen – had ties to Chinese law enforcement and met with officials who tasked him with opening the station during a trip to China in 2022.

Oken said Lu ran the station out of a nondescript office building in Chinatown. She said he started out by helping Chinese nationals living in New York with renewing driver’s licenses, which alone is a crime if not disclosed to the US government.

Oken said Lu also agreed to help the Chinese government locate a pro-democracy activist living in the United States. Prosecutors did not allege that the activist was harmed.

John Carman, a lawyer for Lu, said his client agreed to open the center to help Chinese nationals who were unable to travel to the country to renew documents due to the Covid pandemic. But Carman said Lu was not tasked with doing so by the Chinese government.

A co-defendant arrested alongside Lu, Chen Jinping, pleaded guilty in 2024 to conspiring to act as an unregistered Chinese agent.

The arrests followed a 2022 investigation published by Spain-based advocacy group Safeguard Defenders that reported China had set up overseas “service stations”, including in New York, that illegally worked with Chinese police to pressure fugitives to return to China.

The verdict comes two days after the mayor of Arcadia, California, agreed to plead guilty to charges of acting as an illegal agent of China. Eileen Wang, who resigned her position as the plea deal was announced, had coordinated with China to post pro-China propaganda to a website billed as a news source for the area’s Chinese American community.

Translation

紐約男子被判犯有充當中國未註冊代理人罪

盧建旺被控受北京指使，在曼哈頓唐人街設立“秘密警察局”

一名紐約男子週三被判犯有充當中國政府未註冊代理人罪成，此前他被控代表北京在曼哈頓唐人街設立「秘密警察局」。

布魯克林聯邦檢察官表示，64歲的盧建旺在2022年協助開設該「警察局」時，本應向美國司法部長報告其中國代理人的身分。他們也表示，盧建旺曾協助中國政府找出一名居住在加州的支持民主活動人士。

盧某於2023年4月被捕。他否認了三項重罪指控：共謀充當未註冊外國代理人、充當中國未註冊代理人以及妨礙司法公正。

經過一週的審判，布魯克林聯邦法院陪審團做出裁決。盧某面臨最高30年的監禁。

負責的聯邦調查局助理局長James Barnacle在發佈判決結果時表示:「希望今天的判決能向其他外國代理人發出明確的信息 - 聯邦調查局將堅定不移地揭露並打擊敵對國家的秘密行動」。

近年來，美國司法部一直在加強調查其所謂的「跨國鎮壓」行動，這些行動涉及中國和伊朗等美國敵對國家，旨在恐嚇其居住在美國的政治反對派。

中國政府稱此案中的指控是“捏造的”，是抹黑中國形象的陰謀的一部分。北京方面表示，中國境外存在一些由當地義工而非中國警察去營運的中心，旨在幫助中國公民更新證件並提供其他服務。

5月6日，檢察官Lindsey Oken在開庭陳述中指出，盧某（已入籍美國）與中國執法部門有聯繫，並於2022年訪華期間與一些官員會面，後者指派他開設該中心。

Oken表示，盧某在唐人街一棟不起眼的辦公大樓內經營該中心。她說，盧某最初幫助居住在紐約的中國公民更新駕照，而僅此一項，若未向美國政府申報，就構成犯罪。

Oken表示，盧某也同意幫助中國政府尋找一名居住在美國的支持民主活動人士。檢控方並無指該活動人士受到傷害。

盧某的律師John Carman表示，他的當事人同意開設該中心，是為了幫助那些因新冠疫情而無法前往中國更新證件的中國公民。但 Carman表示，盧某並非受中國政府指派從事此類活動。

與盧某一同被捕的被告 Lu Chen Jinping 於2024年認罪，承認串謀充當未註冊的中國代理人。

這項逮捕行動源自於總部位於西班牙的維權組織「守護者」（Safeguard Defenders）於2022年發佈的一項調查報告。該報告指出，中國在包括紐約在內的海外地區設立了“服務站”，這些服務站與中國警方非法合作，向已逃離中國人仕施壓，迫使其返回中國。

在這判決結果出來前兩天，加州阿卡迪亞市長Eileen Wang同意承認充當中國非法代理人的指控。市長Eileen Wang在認罪協議公佈後辭職。她曾與中國方面協調，在一個標榜為當地華裔社區新聞來源的網站上發佈親華宣傳內容。

So, a man in New York was found guilty of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government after he was accused of operating a “secret police station” on behalf of Beijing in Manhattan. This verdict came two days after Eileen Wang, the mayor of Arcadia in California, agreed to plead guilty to charges of acting as an illegal agent of China. Apparently, the US is getting serious about its national security.

In the AI Era, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Proposes Revising High School Japanese Language Subject Structure to Focus on Literature

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

AI時代に文学の学びを 高校国語の科目構成を見直す案 文科省

2026年5月12日6:59

文部科学省

文部科学省は、高校の国語の科目構成を大幅に見直し、文学作品を重点的に学ぶ科目などを新設する案を示しました。AIやSNSが普及する中、対話する力や人間の感性を育むのが狙いです。

小中学校や高校の教育目標と内容を定めた学習指導要領はおおむね10年ごとに改訂されていて、中教審＝中央教育審議会は教科ごとの専門部会に分かれて検討を進めています。

11日、国語の専門部会が開かれ、これまでの高校生の課題として理系の生徒を中心に文学の学びが不足する一方で、AIやSNSの普及で対話する力や人間の感性を育む必要があるとして、科目構成を大幅に見直す案が示されました。

具体的には高校2年生以降の選択科目の中に小説などの文学作品や古典を重点的に学び感性を育む「言語文化II（2）」や論説文や批評文の読解、それにディベート方法を学ぶ「現代の国語II（2）」などを新たに設けるとしています。

また、さらに学習を深めたい生徒向けの科目として、「論説と批評」や「対話と表現」「文学と叙述」、「古典と文化」の4つを新設するとしています。

中教審は、専門部会での議論をことしの夏ごろまでに終えて今年度中に答申し、高校では2032年度以降に実施される予定です。

Translation

In the AI Era, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Proposes Revising High School Japanese Language Subject Structure to Focus on Literature

May 12, 2026, 6:59 AM

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology had proposed a major revision of the high school Japanese language subject structure, including the creation of new subjects that focus on the study of literary works. The aim was to cultivate communication skills and human sensitivity amidst the spread of AI and social media.

The curriculum guidelines, which defined the educational goals and content for elementary, junior high, and high schools, were revised approximately every 10 years. The Central Council for Education (CEC) conducted these revisions through specialized subcommittees for individual subject.

On the 11th the Japanese language subcommittee had a meeting, noting to date a challenge for high school students was the lack of literature education, particularly among science students. It presented a proposal to significantly revise the subject structure. In light of the spread of AI and social media there was a need to cultivate communication skills and human sensitivity,

Specifically, the plan proposed adding new elective subjects for second-year high school students and above, such as "Language and Culture II (2)," which would focus on studying literary works like novels and classical literature so as to cultivate sensitivity, and "Modern Japanese Language II (2)," which would teach the reading of expository essays and critical essays, as well as debating methods.

Furthermore, for students who wished to deepen their learning, four new subjects would be created: " Expository Essays and Critical Essays," "Dialogue and Expression," "Literature and Narrative," and "Classical Literature and Culture."

The Central Council for Education planned to complete discussions in its expert subcommittees by this summer and submit its recommendations within this fiscal year, with implementation in high schools scheduled for 2032 and beyond.

So, amidst the spread of AI and social media, Japan has proposed a major revision of the high school Japanese language subject structure. Specifically, they propose to increase studying time on the learning of literary works like novels and classical literature so as to cultivate human sensitivity, and also to teach expository essays and critical essays, as well as debating skills. Apparently, AI is affecting students’ face to face communication skills, among other things.

US Consumer Price Index Rises 3.8% Year-on-Year, Highest Level in 2 Years and 11 Months

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

CPI in the United State (Source: NHK)

米消費者物価指数 去年同月比3.8％上昇 2年11か月ぶりの高水準

2026年5月12日21:55

(2026年5月12日23:41更新)

アメリカ

アメリカのインフレの動向を示す先月の消費者物価指数は、去年の同じ月と比べて3.8％の上昇となりました。イラン情勢を受けてガソリン価格などが大きく上昇したためで、伸び率は2年11か月ぶりの高い水準となっています。

アメリカ労働省が12日に発表した先月の消費者物価指数は去年の同じ月と比べて3.8％の上昇となりました。

伸び率は前の月から0.5ポイント拡大し、2023年5月以来、2年11か月ぶりの高い水準となっています。

伸び率の拡大は2か月連続です。

ホルムズ海峡の事実上の封鎖の影響などで原油価格の高騰が続いていることを背景に、ガソリン価格の上昇率が28.4％となるなどエネルギー価格の大幅な上昇が全体を押し上げました。

変動の大きい食品やエネルギーを除いたいわゆるコアの物価指数も去年の同じ月と比べて2.8％の上昇と、伸び率が前の月から0.2ポイント拡大しました。

トランプ大統領がFRB＝連邦準備制度理事会に対して繰り返し利下げを求めるなか、インフレが再び進んでいることがアメリカの景気やFRBの金融政策のかじ取りにどのような影響を及ぼすかが焦点となりそうです。

Translation

US Consumer Price Index Rises 3.8% Year-on-Year, Highest Level in 2 Years and 11 Months

May 12, 2026 21:55

(Updated May 12, 2026 23:41)

United States

The US Consumer Price Index (CPI), which indicated inflation trends, rose 3.8% last month compared to the same month last year. This was due to a significant increase in gasoline prices and other factors as a result of the situation in Iran, and the rate of increase was the highest in 2 years and 11 months.

The US Department of Labor announced on the 12th that the CPI of last month rose 3.8% compared to the same month last year.

The rate of increase expanded by 0.5 percentage points from the previous month, reaching the highest level in 2 years and 11 months since May 2023.

This marked the second consecutive month in rate increase expansion.

Against the backdrop of soaring crude oil prices due to the de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a significant rise in energy prices, including a 28.4% increase in gasoline prices, pushed up the overall index.

The so-called core inflation index, which excluded volatile food and energy prices, rose 2.8% compared to the same month last year, the growth rate increased by 0.2 points from the previous month.

With President Trump repeatedly calling on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, the focus would likely be on how the renewed inflation could affect the US economy and the Federal Reserve's monetary policy.

So, the CPI in the US which indicates inflation trends rose 3.8% last month compared to the same month last year. This is due to factors mostly related to the situation in Iran. Apparently, how a renewed inflationary trend may affect the US economy and the Federal Reserve's monetary policy will attract attention from economists.

兩名男子首次在英國史上被判為中國從事間諜活動（2/2）

 Recently The Guardian reported the following:

Two men first in British history to be found guilty of spying for China (2/2)

Chi Leung Wai and Chung Biu Yuen convicted over surveillance of dissidents in ‘shadow policing’ operation

The Guardian - Daniel Boffey, and Amy Hawkins in Beijing

Thu 7 May 2026 12.43 EDT

(continue)

The spying ring was uncovered when police thwarted an apparent attempt to kidnap Monica Kwong, a personal assistant who had fled Hong Kong in 2023 after being accused of defrauding her employer, Tina Zhou, out of £16m.

Wai was arrested on 1 May 2024 in Kwong’s flat in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, along with Trickett, then a serving Home Office immigration officer, as well as Zhou and two former Hong Kong police officers who had flown to London to confront the personal assistant over the alleged fraud.

The group had sought to trick their way into Kwong’s home by posing as electricians who had come to repair a fuse, the court heard. Trickett poured bottled water on the floor to simulate a fake flood as part of one failed ruse to get Kwong out of the flat.

When the group subsequently broke in to Kwong’s home, police who had been bugging them were waiting to take the suspects into custody.

Wai, who was known to associates as Fatboy, denied he had been providing intelligence to Chinese authorities for years.

As a teenager he joined the Royal Navy in an engineering role, and he was placed on attachment with the Royal Marines before joining the Royal Navy police. He was also an instructor in the traditional Chinese martial art of lion dancing and his troupe had performed at 10 Downing Street.

He claimed that a chat group on which he was accused of sharing intelligence was to do with a company run by his lion dancing master and that he was simply passing on information about UK life. But jurors were shown messages between Yuen and Wai that the prosecution said showed them discussing plans to target activists, who were referred to as “cockroaches”.

In response to the convictions, Home Office minister Dan Jarvis said: “The activities carried out by these men, on behalf of China, are an infringement of our sovereignty and will never be tolerated.

“We will continue to hold China to account and challenge them directly for actions which put the safety of people in our country at risk. That is why the Foreign Office will summon the Chinese Ambassador to make it clear activity like this was, and will always be, unacceptable on UK soil.

“This case proves the strength of the powers we have to protect us from hostile activity carried out by foreign states and these convictions should send a clear message – there will be serious consequences for anyone who seeks to undermine our security.”

A Chinese embassy spokesperson said: “The facts of this case clearly show that this is nothing but a political move of abusing the law and manipulating the judicial process by the UK side. Its sole purpose is to embolden those anti-China elements who are hiding in the UK and bent on destabilizing Hong Kong”

Translation

兩名男子首次在英國史上被判為中國從事間諜活動（2/2）

衛志樑和袁松彪因參與「影子警察」行動監視異見人士而被定罪

（繼續）

警方因挫敗了一單綁架Monica Kwong的企圖而揭露了這個間諜集團。Kwong是一名私人助理，她於2023年逃離香港，此前她被指控詐騙其雇主Tina Zhou 1,600萬英鎊。

2024年5月1日，衛某在西約克郡Pontefract的 Kwong的公寓內被捕。一同被捕的還有當時在英國內政部擔任移民官的Trickett，以及Zhou和兩名前香港警察。這兩名警察飛往倫敦，就Kwong涉嫌詐騙一事進行對質。

法庭得悉，該集團假扮成前來修理保險絲的電工，試圖騙取Kwong的信任進入其家中。Trickett曾將瓶裝水倒在地板上，模擬水浸，試圖以此騙Kwong離開公寓，但最終失敗。

隨後，當該團夥之後闖入Kwong 的住所時，監聽他們的警察早已等候多時，準備將嫌疑人逮捕。

衛某，綽號“胖子”，否認自己多年來一直向中國當局提供情報。

他十幾歲時加入英國皇家海軍，擔任工程相關角色，之後被派往皇家海軍陸戰隊服役，最後加入皇家海軍警察部隊。他也是中國傳統武術舞獅的教練，他的舞獅隊曾在唐寧街10號表演。

他聲稱，他被指控洩露情報的聊天群組與他的舞獅師傅經營的一家公司有關，但只是在傳遞有關英國生活的訊息。檢控方給陪審團看到了袁和衛之間的訊息，又稱這些訊息顯示他們討論了針對活動人士的計劃，並將這些活動人士稱為「蟑螂」。

針對判決結果，內政部大臣Dan Jarvis表示：「這些人代表中國進行的活動侵犯了我們的主權，我們絕不容忍這種行為。

我們將繼續追究中國的責任，並就其危及我國人民安全的行為直接質疑中國。因此，外交部將召見中國大使，明確表示此類活動在英國領土上過去是、將來也永遠是不可接受的。 」

「此案證明了我們擁有強大的力量來保護我們免受外國敵對活動的侵害，這些判決應該發出一個明確的信息 - 任何企圖破壞我們安全的人都將承擔嚴重的後果」。

中國駐英國大使館發言人表示：“此案的事實清楚地表明，這完全是英方濫用法律、操縱司法程序的政治伎倆。其唯一目的就是鼓舞那些藏匿在英國、企圖破壞香港穩定的反華分子。”

So, a UK border force officer and a Hong Kong trade official based in London have been found guilty of spying for China and surveilling dissidents through a “shadow policing” operation. This case shows that the UK is quite serious about hostile activity carried out by foreign states. Apparently, China spies will be smarter next time.

兩名男子首次在英國史上被判為中國從事間諜活動（1/2）

 Recently The Guardian reported the following:

Two men first in British history to be found guilty of spying for China (1/2)

Chi Leung Wai and Chung Biu Yuen convicted over surveillance of dissidents in ‘shadow policing’ operation

The Guardian - Daniel Boffey, and Amy Hawkins in Beijing

Thu 7 May 2026 12.43 EDT

A UK Border Force officer and Hong Kong trade official based in London have been found guilty of spying for China and surveilling dissidents through a “shadow policing” operation.

Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, 38, and Chung Biu Yuen, 65, also known as Bill, were found guilty at the Old Bailey of assisting a foreign intelligence service, making them the first people in British history to be convicted of spying for China.

Wai, who worked for Border Force at Heathrow airport and volunteered as a City of London special constable, was also found guilty of misconduct in public office in relation to unauthorised searches of Home Office databases.

The two men, who had denied the charges, were found guilty by majority verdicts. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb will sentence the men, who are both dual Chinese and British nationals, at a later date.

Yuen, who was accused of giving Wai the targets to surveil, looked down as the verdict was heard. Wai stared ahead.

After 23 hours and 38 minutes of deliberation, jurors could not reach a verdict on charges against the men of foreign interference, a separate offence under the National Security Act. The prosecution said it would not seek a retrial.

A third accused man, 37-year-old former Royal Marine Matthew Trickett, who was charged under the National Security Act alongside Yuen and Wai in May 2024, was found dead in a park near his home in Maidenhead, Berkshire, a week after being bailed.

Prosecutors had asked the court to remand Trickett in custody for his own protection after he tried to take his own life in a police cell following his arrest. He told custody sergeants he would kill himself when he was released.

A nine-week trial heard that Wai gathered intelligence on the orders of Yuen, who was a senior manager at the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office (HKETO) in London, which was said to be an extension in the UK of the Hong Kong government.

The court heard that the targets included Nathan Law, an exiled politician who led the student protest movement in Hong Kong. Law was the subject of multiple spying operations and has had a £100,000 bounty put on his head by the Chinese authorities.

The jury was told that Wai infiltrated Hong Kong pro-democracy groups and sought to gather information on British politicians including the former Conservative cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith and the Labour peer Helena Kennedy.

(to be continued)

Translation

兩名男子首次在英國史上被判為中國從事間諜活動（1/2）

衛志樑和袁松彪因參與「影子警察」行動監視異見人士而被定罪

一名英國邊境部隊官員和一名常駐倫敦的香港貿易官員被判犯有為中國從事間諜活動並透過「影子警察」行動監視異見人士的罪行。

38歲的衛志樑（又稱 Peter）和65歲的袁松彪（又稱 Bill）在Old Bailey法院被判犯有協助外國情報機構的罪行，成為英國歷史上首批被判犯有為中國從事間諜活動罪的人。

曾在希斯路機場邊境部隊工作並擔任倫敦金融城特別警員的衛某，因擅自搜尋內政部資料庫而被判犯了公職人員行為不當罪。

兩名男子否認了所有指控，但最終被陪審團以多數票裁定有罪。法官Cheema-Grubb女仕將在稍後日期對這兩名擁有中英雙重國籍的男子進行量刑。

在宣判時，被控向衛某提供監視目標的袁某低下了頭。衛某則目視前方。

經過23小時38分鐘的審議，陪審團未能就兩名男子涉嫌干涉外國事務的指控達成一致意見，該指控是《國家安全法》下的另一項罪名。檢方表示不會尋求重審。

第三名被告，37歲的前皇家海軍陸戰隊員Matthew Trickett於2024年5月與袁和衛一同被控違反《國家安全法》。他在獲得保釋一週後，被發現死於伯克郡Maidenhead住所附近的一個公園。

Trickett被捕後曾在警局牢房內試圖自殺，檢控一方因此要求法庭將其拘留候審，以保護其人身安全。他曾告訴拘留他的警佐，稱他在不被拘留之時會自殺。

為期九週的庭審顯示，衛某奉袁某之命蒐集情報。袁某是香港駐倫敦經濟貿易辦事處（HKETO）的高級經理，該辦事處被認為是香港政府在英國的延伸機構。

法庭得悉，情報目標包括領導香港學生運動的流亡政治人物羅冠聰(Nathan Law)。羅冠聰曾多次遭到間諜活動監視，中國當局曾懸賞10萬英鎊捉拿他。

陪審團獲悉，衛某曾滲透香港民主派團體，試圖收集包括前保守黨內閣大臣 Iain Duncan Smith和工黨同僚Helena Kennedy在內的英國政界人士的情報。

（待續）

蘋果公司就其人工智能系統Apple Intelligence的誤導指控達成2.5億美元和解協議

Recently The New York Times reported the following:

Apple Reaches $250 Million Settlement Over Claims It Misled People on A.I.

Some iPhone owners will be eligible to receive $25 to $95 over claims that the tech giant oversold its artificial intelligence system, Apple Intelligence.

The NYT Times- By David McCabe and Kalley Huang - David McCabe reported from Washington and Kalley Huang from San Francisco.

May 5, 2026

Apple agreed on Tuesday to pay $250 million to settle legal claims that it misled consumers about the abilities of its artificial intelligence system, Apple Intelligence, according to court filings.

The settlement resolves a handful of class action lawsuits filed against Apple last year, which claimed the company oversold what its product could do during its rollout in 2024. Those suits were consolidated last year by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, where a judge still needs to approve the settlement.

Consumers who purchased an iPhone 16 and some models of the iPhone 15 between June 2024 and March 2025 will be eligible to collect up to $95 per device, according to the filings. As part of the settlement, Apple denied any wrongdoing.

The settlement underscores Apple’s challenges in a global technology race to dominate A.I. The iPhone maker has largely sat it out, in part because it hasn’t built its own A.I. models like Google’s Gemini. Tech companies like Microsoft and Nvidia soared in value as they bet heavily on the technology.

Since “the launch of Apple Intelligence, we have introduced dozens of features across many languages that are integrated across Apple’s platforms,” Marni Goldberg, an Apple spokeswoman, said in a statement. “We resolved this matter to stay focused on doing what we do best, delivering the most innovative products and services to our users.”

Apple first teased Apple Intelligence in June 2024 as an answer to products like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The company promised big improvements to its personal assistant, Siri, which has been part of its devices for more than a decade.

Apple also said it planned to introduce A.I. features to summarize notifications and offer help on improving writing in emails and text messages. In advertisements, the actor Bella Ramsey used Apple Intelligence to remember someone’s name and to catch up on an email.

But those features weren’t available on the iPhones that Apple shipped in September 2024. Instead, the company gradually rolled out the promised features and soon ran into problems. Notification summaries misrepresented news reports, for example, and Apple disabled that feature. In March 2025, Apple delayed the release of an upgraded Siri over quality problems.

Apple misrepresented the “capabilities of the series 16 iPhone and deceived millions of consumers into spending hundreds of dollars on a phone they did not need, based on features that do not exist,” according to one of the class action lawsuits.

In December, Apple announced the retirement of its head of A.I., John Giannandrea. In January, the company said it would use Google’s Gemini to power its A.I. products, including Siri.

Translation

蘋果公司就其人工智能系統Apple Intelligence的誤導指控達成2.5億美元和解協議

部分iPhone用戶將有資格獲得25至95美元的賠償，原因是該公司被指控誇大了其人工智能系統Apple Intelligence的功能

根據法庭文件，蘋果週二同意支付2.5億美元，以和解有關其在人工智能系統Apple Intelligence的功能方面有誤導消費者的法律指控。

和解協議解決了去年針對蘋果公司提起的多起集體訴訟，這些訴訟指控該公司在2024年發佈產品時誇大了其產品的功能。這些訴訟已於去年由加州北區地方法院合併審理，目前和解協議仍需法官批准。

根據提交的文件，在2024年6月至2025年3月期間購買了iPhone 16和部分iPhone 15機型的消費者，每部設備最高可獲得95美元的賠償。作為和解協議的一部分，蘋果否認有任何不當行為。

這項和解協議凸顯了蘋果在全球人工智能（AI）技術競賽中所面臨的挑戰。這家iPhone製造商在很大程度上沒有參與技術上的競爭，部分原因是它沒有像Google的Gemini那樣開發自己的AI模型。微軟和英偉達等科技公司由於大力投資這項技術而市值飆升。

蘋果發言人Marni Goldberg在一份聲明中表示：“自Apple Intelligence推出以來，我們已在多種語言中推出了數十項功能，這些功能已整合到 Apple 的各個平台中。我們解決此事是為了繼續專注於我們最擅長的領域，為用戶提供最具創新性的產品和服務。”

蘋果公司於 2024 年 6 月首次預告了 Apple Intelligence，旨在與 OpenAI 的 ChatGPT 等產品競爭。該公司承諾對其個人助理 Siri 進行重大改進，這項技術已在其設備中應用超過十年。

蘋果還表示，計劃引入人工智能功能，用於整理和概述通告，並幫助用戶改進電子郵件和簡訊的寫作。在廣告中，演員Bella Ramsey使用 Apple Intelligence 記住了某人的名字並查看最新的電子郵件。 

但這些功能並未出現在蘋果於 2024 年 9 月發售的 iPhone 上。相反，當該公司逐步推出了承諾的功能，很快就遇到了問題。例如，整理和概述通告錯誤地呈現了新聞報道，蘋果因此停用了該功能。 2025 年 3 月，由於素質問題，蘋果推遲了升級版 Siri 的發佈。

其中一起集體訴訟稱，蘋果「虛假宣傳了iPhone 16系列的功能，並基於根本不存在的功能，欺騙數百萬消費者花費數百美元購買他們不需要的手機」。

去年12月，蘋果宣佈其人工智能主管John Giannandrea退休。今年1月，該公司表示將使用Google的Gemini平台為其人工智能產品（包括Siri）提供支援。

So, Apple agrees to pay a sum to settle legal claims about its artificial intelligence system, Apple Intelligence. The class action lawsuits say that Apple has misrepresented the “capabilities of the series 16 iPhone and deceived millions of consumers into spending hundreds of dollars on a phone they did not need, based on features that do not exist.” Apparently, Apple needs outside help such as Google’s Gemini to improve its A.I. products.

China Passenger Plane Crash That Killed 132: Suspicion of Intentional Action Grows, Cockpit Switch Operation Data Recording

Recently CNN.com reported the following:

132人死亡の中国旅客機墜落、故意の疑い強まる　操縦席のスイッチ操作をデータが記録

2026.05.05 Tue posted at 09:59 JST132

（CNN） 中国東方航空の旅客機が墜落して132人の搭乗者全員が死亡した2022年の事故をめぐり、操縦室にいた人物が故意に両エンジンへの燃料供給を停止した可能性があることが、米国家運輸安全委員会（NTSB）の調査報告書で明らかになった。

中国東方航空MU5735便（ボーイング737-800型機）は22年3月21日、中国南部・広西チワン族自治区の山中に墜落した。同国航空史上最悪級の事故だったにもかかわらず、中国民用航空局（CAAC）は原因の究明には至っていない。

しかし情報公開請求に基づき公開されたNTSBの報告書によれば、同機は墜落前に、両方のエンジンへの燃料供給が同時に停止されていた。

このデータは同機のフライトデータレコーダーに記録されていた。データレコーダーは全運航情報を記録する2個の「ブラックボックス」のうち一つで、機体の残骸から回収されて、首都ワシントンのNTSBで解析が行われた（ボーイングが米国の航空機メーカーだったことからNTSBが調査にかかわった）。

「高度2万9000フィート（約8840メートル）で飛行中、両エンジンの燃料スイッチが稼働から停止に切り替わったことが判明した。この燃料スイッチの切り替え後、エンジンが減速した」。NTSBは報告書にそう記している。

民間航空機は燃料スイッチでエンジンへの燃料の流れを物理的に制御する。737型機の場合、稼働から停止に切り替えるためには操縦士がスイッチを押し上げる必要がある。

専門家はフライトデータレコーダーの記録について、「墜落の直前に燃料スイッチが手動で停止位置に置かれたことをはっきり示している」と指摘。「スイッチが稼働位置に戻された形跡はない。つまり、エンジン再始動の試みはなかった」「もし誤ってエンジンが停止されていたとすれば、操縦士が再始動を試みていたはずだ」との見方を示した。

NTSBの報告書によると、フライトデータレコーダーは発電機が電力を喪失した高度2万6000フィートで記録を停止し、最後の瞬間はとらえていなかった。一方、操縦室の音声を記録するボイスレコーダーは、補助電源で記録を続けた。

米当局は損傷したボイスレコーダーから4本の音声記録を入手することに成功し、中国民用航空局に提供した。しかし、NTSBはこの音声ファイルの複製を保持しなかった。

中国民用航空局は、墜落が故意だったとの見方を否定していた。

オーストラリアの航空専門家トニー・スタントン氏は、今回のNTSBの報告書について「公開された資料だけでは、動機も意図も、誰がスイッチを操作したのかも証明できない」と述べ、最終事故報告書とみなすべきではないとの見解を示した。

Translation

China Passenger Plane Crash That Killed 132: Suspicion of Intentional Action Grows, Cockpit Switch Operation Data Recording

2026.05.05 Tue posted at 09:59 JST132

(CNN) A report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had revealed that a person in the cockpit might have intentionally shut off the fuel supply to both engines in the 2022 crash of a China Eastern Airlines passenger plane that killed all 132 people on board.

China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 (a Boeing 737-800) crashed in the mountains of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China on March 21, 2022. Despite being one of the worst accidents in Chinese aviation history, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) had not yet determined the cause.

However, according to the NTSB report released based on a Freedom of Information Request, the fuel supply to both engines of the aircraft was shut off simultaneously before the crash.

This data was recorded in the aircraft's flight data recorder. The data recorder, one of two "black boxes" that recorded all flight information, was recovered from the wreckage and analyzed by the NTSB in Washington, D.C. (The NTSB was involved in the investigation because Boeing was a US aircraft manufacturer).

"It was found that while flying at an altitude of 29,000 feet (approximately 8,840 meters), the fuel switches on both engines were switched from operational to shut down. After switching this fuel switch, the engines decelerated," the NTSB wrote down these in its report.

Commercial aircraft used fuel switches to physically control the flow of fuel to the engines. In the case of the 737, the pilot needed to push the switch up to switch from operational to shut down.

Experts pointed out that the flight data recorder's recording "clearly indicates that the fuel switches were manually placed in the shutdown position immediately before the crash." They expressed the view that "There is no evidence that the switch was returned to the operational position. In other words, there was no attempt to restart the engine," and "If the engine had been accidentally shut down, the pilot could have attempted to restart it".

According to the NTSB report, the flight data recorder stopped recording at an altitude of 26,000 feet where the generator lost power, and did not capture the final moments. Meanwhile, the voice recorder, which recorded cockpit audio, continued recording using auxiliary power.

U.S. authorities succeeded in obtaining four audio recordings from the damaged voice recorder and provided them to the Civil Aviation Administration of China. However, the NTSB did not retain copies of these audio files.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China denied that the crash was intentional.

Australian aviation expert Tony Stanton stated that the NTSB report should not be considered the final accident report, saying, "Based on the released materials alone, it is impossible to prove the motive, intent, or who managed the switch."

So, the NTSB has revealed that a person in the cockpit may have intentionally shut off the fuel supply to both engines in the 2022 plane crash that killed all 132 people on board. Yet China’s CAAC has not yet determined the cause. It is noted that the voice recorder, which records cockpit audio, continued recording. The U.S. authorities has succeeded in recovering four audio recordings and I am interested in knowing what is inside these tapes, and look forward to hearing something from CAAC eventually.