Month: March 2024
Biden Popularirty in Michigan
While the Democratic presidential primary is not considered competitive with a sitting president, the vote in Michigan served as a warning to Biden who won the crucial state in 2020 against Donald Trump by just over 150,000 votes and has been trailing the former president in recent battleground state polls.Michigan is home to the largest
fentanyl epidemic in America
States are starting to receive millions of dollars in settlement money from pharmaceutical companies and distributors who promoted the widespread use of prescription opioid pills in the 1990s and 2000s, getting many Americans hooked. States are starting to receive millions of dollars in settlement money from pharmaceutical companies and distributors who promoted the widespread use
exporting autocracies to diasporas
Autocrats are trying to export autocracy. Targeted action against particular people helps create a broad climate of fear. Tyrannical regimes know that self-censorship the pre-emptive quashing of dissent is their most powerful tool. Over the past 30 years open borders have created vastly larger diasporas in foreign lands. Technology has amplified individuals’ voices and their connection to
Electric vehicles Batteries
The lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries that power most evs are their single most-expensive component, typically representing some 40% of the price of the vehicle when new. The materials these batteries are made from define its performance, hence they help determine how far an ev can travel on a single charge, how fast it can go and
US military food aid to Gaza
Since the war began on Oct. 7, Israel has barred entry of food, water, medicine and other supplies, except for a trickle of aid entering the south from Egypt at the Rafah crossing and Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing. The United Nations says one-quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million people face starvation. Aid officials have said that
UK-owned cargo ship sinks in Red Sea
World leaders have called for an investigation and a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war after at least 104 people were reported killed among a crowd of Palestinians gathered to receive humanitarian aid in Gaza City. There were conflicting reports about events leading up to the deaths. As one of the chief exporters of arms to
Elon Musk sues ChatGPT-maker
OpenAI was created with the intention of building what’s known as artificial general intelligence (AGI) – AI that can perform any task a human being is capable of. Elon Musk is suing OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT, arguing it has breached the principles he agreed to when he helped found it in 2015. The lawsuit
Binance rodered to pay $10 billion to Nigerian government
Cryptocurrencies are not illegal in Nigeria but firms must register in order to operate there. The Nigerian government says it has demanded almost $10bn (£8bn) in compensation from the cryptocurrency firm, Binance. It says Binance manipulated foreign exchange rates through currency speculation and rate-fixing, which have seen the naira lose nearly 70% of its value
Banks the Bitcoin whales
Cryptocurrency exchanges act like banks for crypto-users. You can exchange your traditional money like dollars or pounds for Bitcoin and other digital tokens. Investment firms like Grayscale, BlackRock and Fidelity, are pouring billions of dollars into buying the volatile digital asset. Because of Bitcoin’s system there will only ever be 21 million bitcoins. 19 million
UNRWA involvement in 7 October Hamas attack
A month after Israeli allegations that a dozen United Nations staff were involved in the 7 October Hamas attack, UN investigators have yet to receive any evidence from Israel to support the claims, though they expect some material to be forthcoming “shortly”.The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) launched an investigation on 29 January