Month: January 2024
Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister convicted
On Tuesday morning the verdict was in. Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister, was found guilty of making public the contents of a confidential diplomatic cable sent from Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington to the government in Islamabad, and sentenced to ten years in prison under the Official Secrets Act. The immediate cause of Mr Khan’s
Ukraine’s president and army chief feud
It is not unusual for civilian leaders to change commanders, even the top ones, in war. Sometimes that occurs because of insubordination.Anxiety at the very top of Ukraine’s wartime government has been laid bare, after rumours swept Kyiv on January 29th that the president, Volodymyr Zelensky, was about to fire his armed-forces commander, General Valery Zaluzhny, following
Rescinding $56 billion Elon Musk Tesla pay
Following years of legal argument, a week-long trial commenced in November 2022 where Tesla directors argued the huge pay award was designed to ensure that Mr Musk, one of the world’s most dynamic entrepreneurs, would continue to dedicate his attention to the company. Tesla shareholder Richard Tornetta felt the tycoon was being overpaid. Despite owning
Universal Music songs to be removed from TikTok
Music companies earn royalty payments when their songs are played on streaming and social media platforms. Universal Music is set to pull its millions of songs from TikTok after a breakdown in talks over payments. Universal accused TikTok of “bullying” and said it wanted to pay a “fraction” of the rate other social media sites
FitBit Charge 5 update
Fitbit – which was founded in California – helped pioneer the fitness tracker market. It launched its first device in 2009, and has sold more than 120 million units worldwide since then. It was bought by Google in 2019 for $2.1bn (£1.66bn). But the wearable tech market has been challenged in recent years by the
Rebuilding Ukraine
Ukraine has been at war for nearly two years, and in all that time, Russia has destroyed countless settlements and homes. However, the Ukrainians have been slowly rebuilding in a fight that represents a different kind of frontline. The state is funding the reconstruction efforts as a means to help develop the skills that will
Brazil’s fiscal mess
In brazil an overhaul of consumption taxes passed by Congress in December has been called “historic”, “revolutionary” and a “miracle”.The tax overhaul is the latest and most significant in a series of structural reforms in Brazil. In 2017 labour laws were modernised under Michel Temer, a centre-right president. Under Mr Temer’s right-wing populist successor, Jair
united nations Relief and Works Agency in a mix in the Israel October 7th attack
On Friday January 26th Israel said it had evidence that at least a dozen of the organisation’s 13,000 staff members based in Gaza were involved in Hamas’s assault on Israel on October 7th. In response more than ten governments, including those of America and Germany its two largest funders have announced that they are freezing
The few British army
Britain was also quick off the mark to deploy army battlegroups across Europe in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It has often led the way in supplying Ukraine with the equipment it most needs. Alone among its allies, America could count on Britain to join its recent attacks on Houthi rebels
Neuralink implanted wireless brain chip
Technology billionaire Elon Musk has claimed his Neuralink company has successfully implanted one of its wireless brain chips in a human. The company’s goal is to connect human brains to computers to help tackle complex neurological conditions. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he said “promising” brain activity had been detected after the procedure