Blue Scuti beats Tetris video game
The popular video game – which sees players arrange falling blocks into perfect horizontal lines at increasing speeds – was originally created in 1984 by Soviet engineer Alexey Pajitnov, and gained popularity after its debut on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Nintendo’s Game Boy handheld console in 1989. Today, the game can be played
China’s BYD overtakes Tesla’s on sales
As BYD has accelerated into the fast lane, it’s fresh evidence of just how competitive the EV market has become and how hard it will be for Tesla to swerve back to head the pack.The company made a name for itself as a manufacturer of rechargeable batteries – used in smartphones, laptops and other electronics
Attacks on shipping in the Red Sea
So missile and drone attacks by Houthi militants in Yemen on ships passing through the narrow strait of Bab al-Mandab, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, apparently in support of Palestinians in Gaza, look like the latest blow to the shipping industry and to its customers but alternative routes are a
Adoption of Generative artificial intelligence
In 2023 tech giants gained, as investors grew more excited about the prospects of generative Artificial Intelligence . An equally weighted share-price index of big companies grew by nearly 80% (see chart). Tech firms benefited because they supply either the Artificial Intelligence models themselves, or the infrastructure that powers and delivers them. Generative artificial intelligence
Ransomware threats
Companies that are hacked or pay a ransom are reluctant to own up to it. Rising numbers can reflect better detection rather than more attacks. But what is clear is that, after a lull in 2022, caused in part by a split between Russian and Ukrainian hackers, ransomware attacks are back at their peak. Financially
AI nationalism
Ever since Openai, an American firm, launched Chatgpt, its human-like conversationalist, in November 2022, just about every month has brought a flurry of similar news. Against that backdrop, the three latest announcements might look unexceptional. Look closer, though, and they hint at something more profound. The three companies are, in their own distinct ways, vying
Xi Jinping and China in 2024
Just over a year ago, Mr Xi abandoned his strict “zero-covid” measures, which had been in force for nearly three years and had led to ever more frequent, brutally enforced lockdowns. The economy failed to gather momentum. Youth unemployment soared and the property market continued to slump. Foreign investors in China grew more nervous. The
BRICS De-Dollarization Change
Established in 2009 as an informal alliance, the BRICS group, which was initiated by Russia is aimed at providing a platform for its members to counter the dominance of the United States and its Western allies in the global order.The rationale for the expansion of the alliance lies in the quest for alternative arrangements to
China to sanction Taiwan
Taiwan this month accused China of economic coercion and election interference after Beijing announced the end of tariff cuts on some chemical imports from the island, saying Taipei violated a trade agreement between the two sides signed in 2010.That came after China said it had determined Taiwan had put up trade barriers in contravention of
Uganda frustrated with non-tariff barriers on other East Africa member countries
In his end-of-year message yesterday, President Museveni said people who are subjecting non-tariff barriers to member states are doing it to milk popularity but if mobilisation is done to show how their policies hurt all people of their countries, they would be exposed. Although President Museveni didn’t name the countries that have imposed non-tariff barriers,