How gain-of-function research, pandemics and efforts to push mpox vaccine in Africa contributed to US exit from WHO
President Donald Trump’s move to exit WHO came as no surprise. As early as December 2023, his transition team was pushing for an exit from the WHO on day one of the new administration. US law requires a one-year notice and the payment of any outstanding fees when the country withdraws from the WHO. That means the final full withdrawal will take effect in early 2026.
Saudi Arabia World Cup: Why widow of slain Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi wants Fifa to honour husband’s fight for free speech
The human rights strategy in Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid, carried out by law firm AS&H Clifford Chance, does not mention Khashoggi or free speech once across its 28 pages. Under the scope and methodology section of the report by AS&H Clifford Chance, the firm says the scope of its assessment was “determined by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation in agreement with FIFA”.
Taylor Swift tsunami of sports bets yielded tonnes of dollars, now there’s a rethink in betting business
Taylor Swift had been mainstreamed in the multibillion-dollar sports betting industry, was mentioned on betting podcasts, integrated into sportsbook social media promotions, and inspired prop bets on which millions of dollars have since been wagered worldwide.
How clustering knowledge systems into monoliths called faculties fosters intellectual imperialism in Uganda, jargonises academia
In the context of Uganda, universities remain, as in the past, the main knowledge centres where knowledge is organised, authorised and governed. Here, our universities have continued to organise, authorise and govern knowledge within units or pockets of knowledge called disciplines within which the knowledge workers specialise in small bits of knowledge within each discipline.
Proud Boys leaders free after Trump releases all January 6 rioters
The FBI classified the Capitol riot as an act of domestic terrorism, and the DOJ has spent the years since trying to hold those involved in the riot to account, a massive and costly undertaking. Nearly 1,600 defendants have been hit with federal charges in connection to the riot.
There are fears Trump’s executive order that repurposes an existing agency is designed to shield super-rich from public scrutiny
A former USDS employee called the repurposing of the Digital Service into DOGE an “A+ bureaucratic jiujitsu move.” It will give Musk and his associates access to unclassified data in every government agency.
Day after billionaire Bezos’s space company launched giant New Glenn rocket, his rival Musk’s SpaceX Starship explodes in flight test
The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates private launch activities, said it had briefly slowed and diverted planes around the area where space debris was falling, but normal operations had since resumed.
Biden: Under Trump free press will crumble because of ‘tech industrial complex’, avalanche of misinformation, disinformation, abuse of power
Biden hands over power to Trump at noon (1700 GMT) on Monday. Trump has enlisted billionaire Elon Musk, who helped his election efforts, as a special adviser charged with cutting costs from the federal government.
Smartphones on cusp of becoming ‘old news’ as Big Tech develops easy-to-use smart glasses
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg thinks that within 10 years, smart glasses will overtake smartphones in both popularity and usefulness. By the time we hit the 2030s, he predicts people will be keeping their phones tucked away more than they’re using them.
In new revelations, Meta chief Zuckerberg delves into how White House ‘scream’ and ‘curse’ at Facebook staff to purge Covid content
Mark Zuckerberg said demands from the Biden administration to censor posts grew after the Covid-19 vaccines were rolled out, after which government officials began pressuring Meta “super hard” to remove specific posts.