Month: October 2022
China’s most audacious leader for decades
Mr Xi used the 20th congress to defy a convention that general secretaries limit themselves to two five-year terms. Originally this was introduced to preserve the principles of collective leadership and to prevent a return to Mao Zedong’s practice of lifelong rule. The cult of personality is also back. T he changes in policy, politics
battle over Kherson
The authorities installed by the Russians are evacuating thousands of the city’s remaining residents across the Dnieper river, deeper into Russian-controlled territory. For decades, the stone and bronze busts of Fyodor Ushakov and Alexander Suvorov, a pair of 18th-century Russian commanders, looked over the centre of Kherson, a city in Ukraine’s south. In late October,
Back to country wars
In a rambling speech three days before Russian missiles started falling on Ukrainian cities in February, Mr Putin lamented the loss of the “territory of the former Russian empire”. Eight months into the invasion his forces now occupy some 15% of Ukrainian soil and on September 30th, following sham referendums, Russia announced it had annexed
The end of Apple manufacturing in China
Apple banked on China-based factories, which now churn out more than 90% of its products, and wooed Chinese consumers, who in some years contributed up to a quarter of its revenue. Apple’s extraordinarily successful past two decades revenue up 70-fold, share price up 600-fold, a market value of $2.4trn is partly the result of a
Advertising duopoly of Google (in search ads) and Meta being challenged
The digital advertising industry has been dominated by the duopoly of Google (in search ads) and Meta (in social media), they are now being challenged simultaneously . As China’s economy slows and the West’s slides towards a recession, companies everywhere are squeezing their marketing budgets. Until recently, that would have meant cutting non-digital ads but
Indian rocket launches Oneweb satellites
OneWeb’s efforts to deploy its telecommunications network had been on hold since March when it was forced to suspend use of Russian Soyuz rockets. OneWeb, is back on track with the launch of another 36 spacecraft for its global broadband internet system. Sunday’s flight brings the number of satellites now in orbit above the Earth
Huge tankers with full of gas waiting off Europe’s coast
After invading Ukraine in February, Russia curtailed gas supplies to Europe, sparking an energy crisis that sent the price of gas soaring. That led to fears of energy shortages and eye-watering bills for consumers.The huge tankers are waiting. Off the coasts of Spain, Portugal, the UK and other European nations lie dozens of giant ships
Chinese shares in the US
Chinese technology giants Alibaba and Baidu fell by over 12% in New York as Investors fear the world’s second largest economy will be held back by its tough coronavirus restrictions. Shares of Chinese firms listed in the US have slumped on concerns that President Xi Jinping will continue with his ideology-driven approach at the cost
sextortion criminals
suspects are using popular social media sites such as Instagram and Snapchat to target children and young people. Victims are often tricked into sending intimate images or videos of themselves on online chats to people they believe are genuine. Most social media sites have policies against sharing intimate or indecent content which makes getting it
Slow Economy affects Alphabet and Microsoft
Big tech firms saw their sales jump in the pandemic as locked-down consumers and workers came to rely more on their technology. But the sector’s fortunes look bleaker in the current climate. Sales at the tech giants Alphabet and Microsoft have slowed sharply, adding to fears of a downturn in the economy. Microsoft said demand