Newsletter Aug 24, 2023

BRICS leaders agree to expand membership at summit

BRICS leaders have agreed to expand the club of major emerging economies and adopted conditions for entry, South Africa said Wednesday, as the bloc pursues greater clout to shape the world order.

Stocks advance on fall in bond yields as Nvidia optimism boosts Nasdaq

Global stocks mostly rose Wednesday following lackluster economic reports that mitigated worries about further central bank tightening.

Putin greeted with cheers while Xi Jinping misses important BRICS summit speech

China's leader Xi Jinping failed to attend the most recent BRICS summit. Meanwhile, President Putin was greeted with applause as he delivered a pre-recorded speech.

Wagner chief Prigozhin among 10 killed in plane crash: Russian officials

The head of the Wagner mercenary group, which in June attempted to topple Russia's military leadership, was on board a plane that crashed on Wednesday, with all passengers killed, Russian officials said.

UK government's recycling scheme could cost more than £1.8 billion

Amidst the government's ambitious push for a £1.8 billion annual DRS, retailers clash over its soaring costs, while Tesco electrifies its delivery fleet, making strides toward sustainability and cleaner air.

Eurozone economic downturn deepens in August

The eurozone economy is contracting at its fastest rate in three years as a steep decline in manufacturing begins to spread to services, a key survey said Wednesday.

Japan to release water from Fukushima nuclear plant

Engineers at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant were due to start releasing wastewater on Thursday in an operation that Japan insists is safe but which has angered China and caused unease elsewhere.

India's Chandrayaan-3 achieved the world's first soft landing on the south pole of the moon

India completed the world's first soft landing on the lunar south pole on Wednesday, making it the only nation to land on the far side of the moon thus far.

Elon Musk reacts to Chandrayaan-3 having less budget than 'Interstellar'

Chandrayaan-3 launched to the moon on July 14, 2023 from a Space Center in Sriharikota, India.

Google is testing an A.I. Assistant that offers life advice

Google has combined the DeepMind research lab with the Brain AI team to develop a model that can respond to critical questions using artificial intelligence.

ChatGPT creator Sam Altman says Elon Musk's exit was tough on OpenAI

OpenAI's current CEO Sam Altman says he had to reorient his life and make sure there was sufficient funding for the company after Elon Musk left.

Schools are being urged to prioritise cybersecurity learning with the industry expanding

The education platform Cyber Explorers is designed to help young students grasp cybersecurity and encourage them to have a potential career in the cyber sector.

UK court concludes teenager behind huge hacking campaign

The 17-year-old was on Wednesday found guilty of fraud and blackmail.

New wildfires break out close to Athens; is it safe to travel to Greece?

Greece has been struck by several wildfires over the last couple of months.

Holidaymakers in Italy warned over dangerous health risks in coming days

Italy has been struck with a third heatwave in as many as two months.

Mason Greenwood big money Saudi deal could be ruined by Cristiano Ronaldo

Greenwood's negative comments in the past could come back to haunt him.