Author: Grace Johnson

South Korea has passed a nationwide law banning smartphones and other smart devices during school hours. The country joins other nations restricting phone use to protect students’ education and wellbeing. The law will take effect in March 2026. Lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties supported the measure. They argue it is needed to fight smartphone addiction, which research increasingly links to negative effects. Parents and politicians push for restrictions Supporters say phones disrupt lessons and reduce academic performance. Children spend too much time scrolling instead of studying or socialising. Parents worry devices prevent their children from building friendships or…

US President Donald Trump has announced plans to dismiss Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook immediately. The decision marks a sharp escalation in his conflict with the central bank. Trump argued there was “sufficient reason” to accuse Cook of providing false information in mortgage filings. He cited constitutional powers that he claimed allow him to act. Cook rejected the order, saying the president has no legal authority to remove her. She stressed she would not resign. No president has ever attempted to fire a Federal Reserve governor. Trump’s move follows his criticism of the bank and its chair Jerome Powell. He…

Vintage once ruled the wine world In wine, the vintage has always been king. Every bottle of red, white, or rosé almost always carries the year of harvest on the label. Non-vintage still wine, which blends grapes from several years, has long been seen as cheap and undesirable. It is also far less common. But climate change is now shaking this tradition. Heatwaves, droughts, and extreme weather push winemakers to seek consistency. A small but growing group of respected wineries now release non-vintage bottles. They argue blending ensures quality when nature brings chaos. Napa Valley feels the heat Chris Howell,…

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker denounced President Donald Trump’s plan to send troops to Chicago. He called the decision an abuse of power. Pritzker said no emergency justifies bringing the National Guard to Illinois. He accused Trump of fabricating a crisis for political purposes. Trump has already deployed about 2,000 troops to Washington DC. The city’s Democratic leaders oppose the move. Trump presents the deployment as part of a crackdown on urban crime. On Friday, he announced that Chicago and New York could be targeted next. Chicago mayor warns of rising conflict Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he had not received…

US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick announced on Friday that Washington will acquire a 10% holding in Intel. “This historic agreement strengthens American leadership in semiconductors. It will boost our economy and secure our technological edge,” Lutnick wrote on X. He shared the message alongside a photo with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. President Donald Trump revealed the deal earlier in the Oval Office. He called it “a great deal for them.” Shares of the Santa Clara-based chipmaker climbed more than 5% on Friday. Intel confirmed that the US government will invest $8.9bn (£6.6bn) in its common stock. Money redirected from…

Elon Musk and his social media firm X have agreed to settle with former employees. The workers had sued the company for $500 million in severance pay. The deal was revealed in a court filing on Wednesday. Both parties asked the San Francisco appeals court to delay a scheduled hearing. They want time to complete the settlement paperwork. Mass job cuts sparked lawsuit The conflict followed Musk’s decision in 2022 to cut about 6,000 jobs. That represented more than half of the company’s workforce. Many of the dismissed workers challenged the severance packages offered. So far, lawyers for the staff…

Sony announced that it will increase the cost of the PlayStation 5 in the US by around $50 starting Thursday. The Japanese electronics group struggles with rising operational costs and a slowdown in the gaming market. Sony executive Isabelle Tomatis explained in a blog post that the company faces a “challenging economic environment.” All three models of the console will become more expensive. The Pro version will now retail for $749.99. Tariffs escalate financial pressure The move follows tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump against several of America’s trading partners, including Japan. These trade measures have raised concerns about higher…

The Kremlin has brushed aside speculation about an imminent summit between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. At the same time, Donald Trump renewed his push for both leaders to meet and try to end the war in Ukraine. The idea of direct negotiations emerged after Trump’s meeting with Putin in Alaska last week. On Monday, he hosted Zelensky and seven European leaders at the White House. Trump admitted the conflict was difficult to resolve. He warned that Putin might not want to halt the fighting. “We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks,” he…

An Australian court has fined airline giant Qantas 90 million Australian dollars for unlawful sackings during the Covid-19 crisis. The company had dismissed more than 1,800 ground staff in 2020. Australia’s Transport Workers’ Union welcomed the decision. It called the fine the largest in history for breaches of industrial relations law. Court delivers a clear warning Federal Court Justice Michael Lee said the penalty must serve as real deterrence. He stressed that employers must know such conduct has consequences. Qantas accepted the ruling and announced it will pay the fine. The company admitted it caused harm to its workers. “We…

A US senator has started an investigation into Meta. A leaked internal paper reportedly showed the company’s artificial intelligence enabled “sensual” and “romantic” conversations with children. Leaked standards raise concern According to Reuters, the document carried the title “GenAI: Content Risk Standards.” Republican Senator Josh Hawley condemned the content as “reprehensible and outrageous.” He demanded the full document and a list of the products it covers. Meta dismissed the claims. A spokesperson stated: “The examples and notes in question were erroneous and inconsistent with our policies.” The company stressed it had “clear rules” restricting chatbot replies. Those rules “prohibit content…