Author: Amanda Martinez

Trash continues to choke Birmingham’s streets as the Birmingham garbage strike enters its fifth week with no resolution. Garbage truck workers, represented by the Unite union, began striking on March 11 over job cuts and reduced pay. Residents now live among rotting trash bags, discarded furniture, and burned rubbish, with some rats reportedly the size of domestic cats. Birmingham City Council, facing bankruptcy from a historic pay discrimination settlement, has slashed its budget by £300 million over two years. The Labour-run council says it can only afford legally mandated services, including waste collection while eliminating redundant positions. Talks between Unite…

North Korea welcomed 200 foreign runners to the Pyongyang International Marathon 2024, the country’s first since 2019. The marathon returned after a six-year hiatus, drawing global attention to the streets of Pyongyang on April Sunday. Launched in 1981, the event honors the birthday of Kim Il Sung and traditionally features a route through Pyongyang’s landmarks. Before COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, the last edition saw 950 international participants in what was then an annual celebration. Since then, North Korea has maintained a strict border closure, with only Russian tourists admitted into Pyongyang starting in 2023. Foreigners participating in Sunday’s race had…

Global stock markets plunged as Asian indexes suffered record losses following President Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping US tariffs last week. Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Sydney markets fell sharply on Monday, experiencing steepest declines in decades. The Hang Seng Index dropped to 13.22%, marking its worst day since the 2008 financial crisis. Japan’s Nikkei 225 sank 7.8%, while the Shanghai Composite closed at 7.3% after being shut down on Friday for a holiday.  Taiwan’s Weighted Index Collapsed by 9.7%, its largest recorded single-day fall. South Korea’s Kospi ended 5.6% lower, while Australia’s ASX 200 lost 4.2%, adding to regional…

Tencent, China’s largest technology company, has invested €1.2 billion in a spin-off from Ubisoft, boosting its gaming portfolio. The new subsidiary, valued at €4 billion, will oversee Ubisoft’s major franchises, including Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. Tencent now owns roughly 25% of the business, while Ubisoft retains 75%. Ubisoft’s co-founder and CEO, Yves Guillemot, called this development a “new chapter” for the French gaming giant. Tencent, which already owns a stake of nearly 10% in Ubisoft, has become the company’s second-largest shareholder. Tencent’s president, Martin Lau, expressed excitement about deepening their long-term partnership with Ubisoft through this strategic…

During an underwater adventure in the Red Sea of Egypt on Thursday, six Russian tourists perished in the Hurghada submarine accident. Around 10 am, the tragedy happened close to Hurghada, a well-known tourist city located 480 kilometers southeast of Cairo. Forty-five people from Russia, India, Norway, and Sweden were on board the Sindbad Submarines ship when it sank a kilometer off the coast. Four tourists are still in serious condition at the local hospital, while other visitors were safely rescued, according to Maj—-Gen—Amr Hanafy, who verified the deaths. The Russian consulate in Hurghada revealed that the submarine crashed during its…

A stabbing attack in Amsterdam near the bustling Dam Square on Thursday left four people injured, prompting a swift police response. The incident occurred around 3:30 pm on a busy street adjacent to Dam Square, a popular area in the heart of Amsterdam. Police arrested the suspect with the assistance of a bystander after the assailant reportedly injured his leg during the scuffle. Emergency services, including ambulances and a trauma helicopter, rushed to the scene to provide medical aid to the victims. Images from local news outlets showed one victim being transported on a stretcher into an ambulance. Police initially…

Demanding that Hamas give up power, hundreds of Palestinians staged the biggest anti-Hamas protests in Gaza since the start of the conflict with Israel. As tensions increased, protesters marched in northern Gaza Beit Lahia on Tuesday.  The protests followed an Israeli evacuation order for large parts of Beit Lahia after Islamic Jihad gunmen launched rockets at Israel. This move sparked public outrage as residents blamed Hamas for the escalation and resulting displacement.  Hamas militants moved swiftly to break up the protest by using force. Several protesters were injured when masked men brandishing weapons and batons attacked them. Pro-Hamas supporters backed the…

A motorcyclist died after falling into a massive sinkhole that suddenly appeared in Seoul’s Guangdong district on Monday evening. The incident captured on dashcam footage shows the road collapsing near a busy intersection at approximately 09:30 GMT. The rider plunged into the 20-meter wide, 20-meter deep sinkhole while a car ahead narrowly avoided falling in. Rescuers located the man’s body underground on Tuesday morning, roughly 50 meters from where he fell. The authorities have not named the victim, reportedly in his 30s. Emergency workers also retrieved the man’s mobile phone and motorcycle from the sinkhole, which contained over 2000 tons…

In January and February, Tesla’s sales in Europe fell 49%, highlighting the company’s difficulties in the face of growing EV market competition. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), the number of new Tesla registrations in the EU dropped from 37,000 last year to 19,046 in the first two months.  Tesla’s market share decreased from 2.1% to 1.1% despite a 28.4% increase in EV sales throughout Europe. In February alone, Tesla commanded 1.8% of the overall car market and 10.3% of the Better-Electric Vehicle (BEV) segment compared to 2.8% and 21.6%, respectively, in the same month last year. Analysts…

Anne Wojcicki, the CEO of DNA testing company 23andMe, has immediately resigned and filed for bankruptcy protection. Previously valued at $6 billion, the corporation intends to sell its operations while keeping its services under court supervision. Due to 23andMe’s financial problems, the Attorney General of California sent out a consumer advisory advising customers to remove their data on Friday. Customers’ anxieties are still intense even after the company assures them their data is secure. With its saliva-based test kit, 23andMe, founded in 2006, gained immense popularity, attracting endorsements from celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Snoop Dogg. However, the company struggled…

On Monday, the Constitutional Court of South Korea reinstated Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as acting president after overturning his impeachment. Political unrest in South Korea, which has been worse since President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached, has taken a dramatic turn with this decision.  Following Yoon’s impeachment due to his contentious effort to impose martial law, Han Duck-soo took over as interim president in December last year. Just two weeks later, Parliament impeached Han, accusing him of refusing to appoint justices to the Constitutional Court and obstructing an investigation into President Yoon and First Lady Kim Keon-hee.  The opposition-led Parliament…

The price of gold has surged 35% since the beginning of 2024, reaching an all-time high of over $3,000 per ounce. This increase has sent shockwaves through the mining industry. Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, CEO of Contango Ore, said, “We’re in uncharted territory. And we’ve gotten here very quickly.” The company is developing several gold deposits in Alaska. The gold mining industry is a significant sector of Alaska’s economy. The state has a rich mining history, with many mines operating for decades. The recent surge in gold prices has breathed new life into the industry. Meanwhile, Kinross Gold Corp. reported a…