Month: December 2022
China-US chip war
Chipmakers are under pressure to make more advanced chips to support new products. Advanced chips are used to power supercomputers, artificial intelligence and military hardware. The US says China’s use of the technology poses a threat to its own national security. The US is rapidly ramping up efforts to try to hobble China’s progress in
Manipulating Hong Kong’s national anthem search results
Glory to Hong Kong was heard at a rugby game in South Korea last month instead of the Chinese national anthem March of the Volunteers. Hong Kong had demanded that the search engine bury results for Glory to Hong Kong, a popular protest song and Instead, China’s national anthem should appear as the top search
Christmas and New Year ceasefire in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had offered Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine this Christmas, but the move was completely rejected by the Russian government. This very week, the Kremlin has affirmed that it has not received any proposal to declare a ceasefire in Ukraine coinciding with Christmas, although it has made clear that this
High inflation/ low wages in Romania
Romania’s net wages posted real negative performances in three of the past three quarters. Over the past two quarters, the negative performance was larger than 2% YoY as inflation accelerated, and the wages could not keep up with it. The net average wage in Romania rose by over 13% YoY in nominal terms to RON
Vote of no confidence on Slovakia’s government
The motion was tabled by Slovakia’s main opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party over soaring energy costs and inflation and if the government falls, Slovakian President Zuzana Čaputová could either allow Heger to remain in place in a caretaker capacity or appoint a new, possibly technocrat cabinet. At least 76 votes are needed in the
Crypto regulation in Europe
Recent events have prompted other jurisdictions to re-evaluate their own public policies towards crypto. In the immediate aftermath of the FTX crash, some European policymakers wasted no time in commenting that the event would not have happened if Markets in Cryptoassets Regulation (or equivalents) had been implemented on a global scale. Stablecoin issuers will need
protesters facing execution in Iran
It is difficult to get a full picture of who is at imminent risk of execution, because the judiciary has not disclosed their identities and other authorities have been pressuring their families to not speak to the media. Authorities in Iran have executed two men convicted of vaguely defined national security charges linked to the
Russian charged in United States regarding money laundering claims
The US has charged five Russians and two Americans with conspiracy related to procurement and money laundering on behalf of the government in Moscow. According to the document, the defendants unlawfully purchased and exported highly sensitive and heavily regulated electronic components, some of which can be used in the development of nuclear and hypersonic weapons,
‘kamikaze’ drones in Russia-Ukraine war
It’s believed Russia has been using Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones in the Ukraine conflict since mid-September. The Shahed-136 has a wingspan of about 2.5m (8.2ft) and can be hard to detect on radar. It’s unclear exactly how many Russia has, but the US has said Iran planned to send hundreds to Russia. Ukraine has accused Russia
cryptocurrency platform risks
The world’s biggest cryptocurrency Bitcoin has lost more than 60% of its value this year, while other digital assets have also fallen sharply. Cryptocurrencies are not currencies in the traditional sense, but are stored online and act more like investment vehicles or securities – often with a high degree of volatility. Their anonymity means they