Moves are, however, afoot in the US, with a bipartisan bill in the US Senate aiming to launch a regulatory initiative to counter non-dollar linked stablecoin issues and checkmate the threat to the greenback
World
Internet
US grants licence for telecom infrastructure project in sanctioned Syria despite ongoing conflict
The approval comes as Syria faces renewed violence, with rebel groups recently capturing Aleppo from government forces in a major escalation of the country’s protracted civil war
China
Trump threatens China, Mexico tariffs in global trade shake-up
The president-elect’s proposed tarrifs on the U.S.’s largest trading partners could push its import duties to 1930s levels, triggering inflation and forcing a major reorganisation of global supply chains
US court indictment fallout: Adani’s Colombo Port Project under scrutiny
A US agency that agreed to lend more than $500 million to a Sri Lanka port development backed by the Adani Group is reportedly still conducting due diligence on the project
Benjamin Netanyahu
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant for Israeli PM Netanyahu
The charges include the war crime of using starvation as a method of warfare and crimes against humanity including murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts
Google
US regulators push for Google breakup, seek sale of Chrome web browser and restrictions on Android
Trying to break up Google harks back to a similar punishment initially imposed on Microsoft a quarter century ago following another major antitrust trial, which was subsequently overturned
Bitcoin
Bitcoin hits all-time high of $96,000 as Trump’s pro-crypto stance fuel market optimism
BTC price has more than doubled this year and is up about 40% in the two weeks since Trump was voted in as the next US president
Medication
Ozempic: Users look for ‘quick’ weight loss fuelled by celebrities, experts warn drugs are ‘tools, not solutions’
The growing popularity of weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Wegovy raises concerns about accessibility, sustainability, and holistic health approaches – but, what is driving this demand?
Cybercriminals
Hackers hijack 22,000 software packages in massive Q3 supply chain attack: Report
The large-scale attack, dubbed “Revival Hijack,” exploited policies around removed packages to secretly inject malicious code into software updates
clean energy
Climate disasters strip up to 5% off GDP as clean energy investment hits $2tn, says UN climate official at COP29
“No nation is winning this fight” against increasingly brutal climate impacts as every economy is now “being besieged by climate disasters,” Simon Stiell says at COP29 in Baku
Automotive
Spaniard José Muñoz to take over as first foreign CEO of Hyundai Motors
The 59-year-old has a PhD in nuclear engineering and over two decades of experience in the automobile industry
Artificial intelligence
Zero Gravity Labs secures $290mn to build world’s first decentralised AI operating system
As the world’s first decentralized AI operating system, dAIOS will operate at the intersection of web3 and artificial intelligence
inflation
US Fed Chair Powell says no need to hurry rate cuts with economy strong
Powell’s remarks prompted traders to pare back expectations for a December rate cut
Masdar, SOCAR, ACWA Power partner on 3.5 GW offshore wind projects in Azerbaijan
The agreement supports plans by Azerbaijan to develop renewable energy, green hydrogen and water desalination projects
Artificial intelligence
Metaverse, AI, VR: Did overhype kill Web3?
The future of Web3 lies not in replacing existing systems but in complementing them
climate crisis
Climate crisis to cost ‘impossible’ $1 trillion for world’s poorest as divisions deepen at COP29
“The signs are that it will be hard to reach an agreement in Baku,” expert says as COP29 marked by more division than unity
azerbaijan
UN chief slams ‘inadequate’ climate loss and damage funding at COP29 in Baku
The fund’s current size fails to match the scale of climate-induced destruction faced by developing nations, says UN chief Gueterres