Author: HeraldStar

In a significant victory for European Union antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s top court has upheld her crackdown on Apple’s Irish tax deal and Google’s anticompetitive practices. The court rulings, announced on Tuesday, confirm Vestager’s efforts to hold Big Tech accountable for their tax arrangements and business practices in the EU, sending a strong message that the days of exploiting loopholes and stifling competition are over. Apple’s Irish Tax Deal: A Sweetheart Arrangement Exposed The court sided with Vestager’s 2016 decision, ordering Apple to pay 13 billion euros ($14.4 billion) in back taxes to Ireland. The judges found that…

In a shocking revelation, victims of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh have come forward to share their harrowing experiences in secret prisons allegedly run by the country’s military intelligence. The testimonies of Michael Chakma, a Bangladeshi Indigenous rights activist, and Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem, a lawyer, expose the brutal conditions and dehumanizing treatment of detainees in these clandestine facilities. Chakma, who was held for five years, described his detention as “harrowing and filled with unending despair.” He was kept in a windowless room, handcuffed and shackled, with no way to tell time or whether it was day or night. “I was…

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Israeli military acknowledged that its soldiers likely fired the shot that killed Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old American-Turkish woman, during a protest in the occupied West Bank last week. The military expressed “deep regret” over the incident, stating that Eygi’s death was unintentional. According to the Israeli military, Eygi was participating in a demonstration against settlement expansion in Beita, a village near Nablus, when she was shot. The military claimed that soldiers were targeting a “key instigator of the riot” and that Eygi was hit indirectly. The incident has sparked international condemnation, with…

Voters in the US go to the polls on 5 November to elect their next president. The election was initially a rematch of 2020 but it was upended in July when President Joe Biden ended his campaign and endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris. The big question now is – will the result mean a second Donald Trump term or America’s first woman president? As election day approaches, we’ll be keeping track of the polls and seeing what effect big events like Tuesday’s presidential debate have on the race for the White House. Who is leading national polls? In the months leading…

In a tragic turn of events, the former boyfriend of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who brutally killed her by setting her on fire, has died from burns sustained in the attack. Dickson Ndiema, who had been admitted to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya with burns on over 40% of his body, succumbed to his injuries on Monday night. Cheptegei, a talented marathon runner who represented Uganda at the Paris Olympics, was attacked by Ndiema as she returned home from church over a week ago. She suffered horrific burns to over 80% of her body and died last…

According to Societe Generale data, trend-following hedge funds experienced significant losses in August due to their bets on the New Zealand dollar and Japanese stocks and bonds. The funds, which use algorithms to identify and ride price movements, finished August with long positions in Japanese government debt, US equities, and the Australian and New Zealand dollars. However, some of the asset classes favored by these funds have proven to be loss-making this year. The worst-performing bets in August included 10-year Japanese government bonds, the Nikkei 225, the New Zealand dollar, and German and Italian stock markets. In contrast, some assets…

In a move to further tighten its grip on online activity, the Russian government has announced plans to allocate nearly 60 billion roubles ($660 million) over the next five years to enhance its internet censorship system, known as TSPU. This significant investment aims to improve the system’s capabilities to block access to virtual private networks (VPNs) and other online tools used to circumvent government restrictions. The modernization effort is part of a broader crackdown on free expression in Russia, which has intensified since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The government has been targeting VPNs, which are used by millions…

In a significant development, the Dutch government has issued a clarification on export restrictions for ASML, Europe’s largest technology firm, stating that the company requires a license to provide spare parts and software updates for certain chipmaking equipment sold to Chinese customers. This move is part of the Netherlands’ efforts to align its export policy with that of the United States, amidst ongoing trade tensions between the US and China. The Foreign Ministry’s clarification follows confusion over potential additional servicing restrictions on ASML, which dominates the global market for lithography tools essential for chipmakers. The company has been at the…

In a heartwarming and candid interview with Vanity Fair, published on Monday, Selena Gomez shared her personal struggles with health issues that have led her to consider alternative paths to motherhood. The 32-year-old actress, singer, and Rare Beauty founder revealed that she is unable to carry a pregnancy due to her ongoing battles with lupus and bipolar disorder. Gomez, who has been open about her health journey since her diagnosis with lupus in 2015, explained that her medical conditions would put her life and a baby’s life at risk during pregnancy. This realization led to a period of grief, as…

In a stern and unequivocal warning, Ukraine’s foreign ministry has threatened to sever diplomatic ties with Iran if reports of Russia receiving ballistic missiles from Tehran are confirmed. The warning comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed that Russia had already received the missiles, which are expected to be used in the coming weeks, further escalating the already volatile situation in the region. Ukraine has been grappling with an increase in Russian missile and drone attacks, causing significant damage and loss of life. The potential use of Iranian-supplied ballistic missiles has raised concerns about devastating consequences for the…