Microsoft Xbox showcase in 2023
After Sony’s summer offering was widely seen as a disappointment, the expectations for Microsoft’s own showcase were cautious. It would be unreasonable to expect any showcase to be filled with back-to-back big reveals, and quite a few expansions to existing games were announced. Xbox fans have finally got a long-awaited look at the console’s upcoming
Protest on Reddit changes
Reddit is introducing controversial charges to developers of third-party apps, which are used to browse the social media platform. Reddit relies heavily on community moderation but on Monday more than 7,000 subreddits shut down but moderators of some of the biggest subreddits have hit back by making their communities private for 48 hours. Thousands of
End of Marburg Virus Disease
The national health authorities, with support from Africa CDC and other partners, have established an epidemic response mechanism to effectively control any spread of the virus in Guinea and other affected countries. The mandatory 42-day countdown was triggered after the last case tested negative. Today, Equatorial Guinea announced the end of the outbreak of Marburg
Russian Patriarch Kirill banned from entering Estonia
The patriarch, who is considered a sympathiser of Russian President Vladimir Putin, joins a new list of 58 people who are no longer allowed to enter the country. The head of the church is internationally regarded as an avid supporter of the war in Ukraine ordered by Putin, and has repeatedly defended it in the
Turkey first female central bank governor
Elected president Erdogan has appointed former Wall Street executive Hafize Gaye Erkan as the central bank governor as part of his attempts to overhaul his economic team. Erkan was the first woman under the age of 40 to hold the title of president or CEO at one of America’s 100 largest banks. Economists believe that
Ukraine counteroffensive
Recent Western injections of billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment some of it high-tech and top-of-the-line to Ukraine has raised expectations about when it would be used, and to what effect against dug-in Russian lines. For months, Ukrainian commanders in the eastern city of Bakhmut which was largely devastated in a months-long fight that
Europe compulsory military service
After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, universal conscription seemed to be on the way out in Europe. Over the past 20 years, if not earlier, compulsory military service has been abolished in most countries on the continent. Germany suspended military service in 2011, but it can be
Ukraine air raid shelters row
Last week, two adults and a child were killed by Russian rockets in Kiev, and it later emerged that some air raid shelters had been closed against instructions. An investigation, which is still ongoing, revealed that of around 3,800 Kiev shelters already inspected, around 680 were either not operational or only partially operational. Kiev Mayor
Russia build drone factory east of Moscow with the help of “Iran”
President Joe Biden’s administration publicly stated in December that it believed Tehran and Moscow were considering standing up a drone assembly line in Russia for the Ukraine war. The new intelligence suggests that the project, in the Yelabuga region of Tatarstan, has moved beyond conception. Iran is providing Russia with materials to build a drone
Twitch removes ad changes
Twitch usually pays them 50% of the money it collects from their subscribers, though some of the biggest streamers receive a 70-30 “revenue split”. But the platform receives none of the revenue streamers make from ads or donations. Twitch is scrapping its own new advertising rules, following a backlash that saw streamers leave the platform.