World News Daily(2024-09-28) : California Apologizes for Slavery and Takes Steps Towards Reparations
California Apologizes for Slavery and Takes Steps Towards Reparations
California has formally apologized for its role in slavery and its lingering effects on Black Americans. Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation acknowledging the state's historical complicity in the institution of slavery and its enduring racial disparities.
California's 1849 constitution declared slavery intolerable but lacked explicit laws to criminalize it or protect Black freedom, creating legal ambiguity that enslavers exploited. In 1852, a fugitive slave law was enacted, allowing escaped enslaved people to be arrested and returned to the South.
Despite resistance to cash payments, a UCLA study indicates most Californians support some form of compensation to address anti-Black racism. Newsom approved a $297.9 billion budget, including $12 million for reparations legislation.
The state has also taken steps to improve protections against hair discrimination and increase oversight over banned books in prisons. A new law mandates transparency in the prison book-banning process, requiring the office of the inspector general to review and post the list of banned books.
California leads other states in reparations efforts, with local initiatives like returning Bruce’s Beach to its original Black owners and ongoing demands for reparations in Palm Springs. However, the absence of widespread direct payments to African Americans has frustrated some advocates.
Key Terms:
- Eminent domain: The power of the government to seize private property for public use, often with compensation.
- Reparations: Compensation offered to address past injustices, particularly slavery and its effects.
Politics
Iranian Operatives Charged in Trump Campaign Hack
The US Justice Department charged three Iranian operatives with hacking Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. The hackers aimed to undermine Trump’s bid by leaking stolen documents to media outlets. Despite the leaks, major news organizations like Politico, the New York Times, and the Washington Post chose not to publish the sensitive information.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland noted a surge in Iranian cyber activity during this election cycle. Intelligence linked Iran to not only the Trump campaign hack but also an attempted breach of the Biden-Harris campaign. The operation sought to sow discord and influence the election outcome, seen as crucial to Iran’s national security.
Iran also sent unsolicited emails with hacked information to Biden campaign associates, though none responded. The Harris campaign labeled these emails as spam or phishing attempts.
The indictment comes amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran, including suspected Iranian plots to assassinate Trump. US intelligence briefed Trump on these threats, unrelated to previous failed assassination attempts.
ScoresSociety
Massive Floods Devastate Six African Countries, Impacting Millions
More than four million people across six African countries—Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria—have been hit by severe floods. The disaster, unprecedented in scale, has displaced over 500,000, destroyed 300,000 homes, and claimed over 1,000 lives.
In Maiduguri, Nigeria, residents describe houses swept away, a prison washed out, and streets filled with floating corpses. Saleh Bukar, a local, recounts being roused by neighbors screaming, "Water is flooding everywhere!" Many drowned in their sleep.
Aishatu Ba'agana, a mother of three, lost her newborn to the flood. She hasn't seen her family since. The flood destroyed crucial infrastructure, including a dam that unleashed 540 billion liters of water, collapsing bridges and turning the city into a river.
Canoe trips now cost more than a month's wage. Falmata Muhammed, a mother of three, was charged $50 for a short trip, more than her monthly income. She laments, "After losing almost everything to floods, she was upset that some are making it a big business, using the disaster to make a huge amount of money."
In Niger, over 841,000 people are affected. Harira Adamou, a single mother of six, lost her mud hut in Agadez. She says, "The rooms are destroyed; the walls fell down." Unemployed and widowed, she lives in a temporary shelter, fearing more rain.
Africa, despite contributing little to global greenhouse gas emissions, is highly vulnerable to extreme weather. The cost of adapting to such events in sub-Saharan Africa is estimated at $30-50 billion annually over the next decade. By 2030, up to 118 million Africans could be impacted.
ScoresShanghai introduces car trade-in subsidy policy, up to 20,000 yuan.
Shanghai has introduced a car trade-in subsidy policy, where consumers can receive subsidies ranging from 12,000 to 20,000 yuan after scrapping or transferring their old vehicles and purchasing new ones. This initiative aims to align with the national policy of promoting equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-ins, thereby unlocking consumption potential.
Key Points:
- Subsidy range: 12,000 to 20,000 yuan
- Policy objective: Promote equipment upgrades, release consumption potential
- Implementation period: 2024
Event Tracking:
- September 25, 2024: The Ministry of Commerce received over 1.13 million applications for scrappage and renewal subsidies
- July 19, 2024: Shanghai relaxed the conditions for auto consumption credit applications
- June 3, 2024: The Ministry of Finance allocated 6.44 billion yuan for car trade-in subsidies
Personal Insight: This policy effectively stimulates the automotive market, promotes consumption upgrades, and drives the development of environmental protection and new energy vehicles.
ScoresHurricane Helene Leaves 44 Dead and Millions Without Power
Hurricane Helene, once a 140 mph (225 kph) monster, ravaged Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia, resulting in at least 44 fatalities. The storm weakened but continued to flood Tennessee, prompting rescue operations.
In Erwin, Tennessee, the Unicoi County Hospital was inundated; patients were evacuated by raft. Over three million people lost power across Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas, with additional outages reported in Ohio and Indiana.
Tornadoes spawned by the storm injured four in North Carolina. Atlanta experienced its heaviest rainfall in history—11.2 inches (28.4 cm) over two days.
Helene struck Florida’s Big Bend, a quiet coastal region. It also disrupted Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba, cutting power to 200,000 homes.
President Biden approved emergency aid for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. He and Vice President Harris offered prayers for the victims.
Explanation:
- Post-tropical cyclone: A storm that loses its tropical characteristics but still carries strong winds and rain.
- Intubated patients: Patients who have a tube inserted into their windpipe to help them breathe.
Hanoi's New Metro Line 3 Gains Popularity Among Commuters
Hanoi's new Metro Line 3, an 8.5-kilometer above-ground stretch connecting Nhon and Cau Giay, has quickly won over commuters. In its first 15 days, over 750,000 passengers rode for free. Regular fares start at 8,000 dong (30 cents), with a day pass at 24,000 dong.
The line, adorned with vibrant Vietnamese imagery, offers a scenic ride akin to a mini-trip. Many riders are students and tech workers, drawn by the universities and companies along the route. Beyond the city center, the line serves high-rise residential areas, promising relief from traffic congestion.
Currently, the line stops short of Hanoi Station, with construction ongoing on a 4-km underground section. Despite this, the line's potential to spur development in outlying areas is clear.
Hanoi Metro's revenue rose 7% in 2023 to 515.2 billion dong, with net profit nearly sextupling to 13.1 billion dong, thanks to strong ridership on Line 2A. With Line 3 now operational, further growth is expected in 2024.
Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City's subway, backed by Japan, faces delays due to administrative issues and COVID-19.
ScoresEconomy
ByteDance's Massive Loan and the Automotive Industry's Intelligent Transformation
ByteDance is set to sign a $10.8 billion loan, marking the largest corporate loan in Asia outside of Japan. Feng Xingya, General Manager of GAC Group, believes that autonomous driving technology is no longer the "soul" of automakers, and intelligent driving features may soon become standard in the market. Wan Gang, Chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology, proposed that the automotive industry should explore high-level autonomous driving generative AI solutions that integrate vehicle, cloud, and road. CATL has launched a full-scenario zero-carbon solution, betting on the "new infrastructure" transformation. Sunwoda has begun mass production and delivery of HEV products to overseas car manufacturers, with expectations for strong future shipments. Jaguar Land Rover announced a £500 million investment in electric vehicle production. China's August trade surplus in goods reached the highest level since statistics began. China Post is expanding its cross-border e-commerce services, enhancing shipping capabilities, and streamlining end-to-end processes.
ScoresTechnology
China's Computing Power Reaches 246EFLOPS by Mid-2024
By the end of June 2024, China's total computing power capacity reached 246 EFLOPS, with intelligent computing power exceeding 76 EFLOPS. The number of data center racks reached 8.3 million standard racks, with over 13,000 computing power application cases covering multiple fields. There are more than 4,500 artificial intelligence enterprises. Interconnectivity achieved regional cluster latency of 5 milliseconds and national hub node latency of 20 milliseconds.
China ranks second globally in computing power scale and first in the number of supercomputers. The number of 5G base stations exceeded 4 million, accounting for 33.5%. The intelligent computing power scale of central enterprises doubled year-on-year. Internet business revenue grew by 5.6% year-on-year.
EFLOPS: ExaFLOPS, quintillion floating-point operations per second.
ScoresiPhone 16 Features Streamlined Battery Removal Process
iFixit's teardown of the iPhone 16 reveals a streamlined battery removal process. The new adhesive debonds with a low electrical current, cutting removal time to about a minute and a half. This innovation earns the iPhone 16 a 7/10 on iFixit's repairability scale. Apple's focus on repairability is evident, marking a significant improvement over previous models.
ScoresGoogle Rehires AI Expert Noam Shazeer for $27 Billion After Character.AI Co-Founding
Noam Shazeer, a prominent AI researcher, left Google in 2021 due to frustration with the company's cautious approach to deploying AI. He co-founded Character.AI, a startup focused on advanced chatbots. Recently, Google rehired Shazeer for a staggering $27 billion, primarily to secure his expertise and the technology developed at Character.AI.
Shazeer's journey at Google was marked by significant contributions, including the foundational paper "Attention is All You Need," which laid the groundwork for generative AI. His departure stemmed from Google's reluctance to release their AI tools, despite their potential.
Character.AI quickly gained traction, becoming the second most popular AI chat tool in the U.S. behind OpenAI's ChatGPT. However, the startup faced financial pressures and ethical challenges, such as managing inappropriate user interactions.
Google's acquisition of Character.AI's technology and Shazeer's return signify a strategic shift towards more aggressive AI development. Shazeer now leads key projects, including the development of Gemini, Google's most powerful AI system.
This move underscores the high stakes in the AI race, where talent and innovation are valued at unprecedented levels. Shazeer's return is seen as a significant boost for Google's AI ambitions, potentially tipping the scales in their favor.
ScoresVideo Game
Saudi Arabia's Qiddiya Investment Showcases Future City at Tokyo Game Show
Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya Investment showcased its future city at the Tokyo Game Show 2024. The booth, bathed in neon blue and pink, featured a DJ booth, bar, and crane game. Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, vice chair of Savvy Games Group, expressed hope for collaboration between Saudi Arabia and Japan.
Qiddiya, a planned city near Riyadh, aims to be a hub for entertainment, sports, and the arts. It’s part of Saudi Vision 2030, a strategy to diversify the economy away from oil. Qiddiya Investment, under the Public Investment Fund (PIF), is driving this development. PIF holds stakes in Japanese gaming companies like Nintendo, Capcom, and Koei Tecmo Holdings.
Shigenori Araki, an advisory board member of Qiddiya Gaming, noted a surge in inquiries from media and companies. Layla Albabtain, founder of Player One, a Saudi game development studio, showcased her work at the show, finding positive feedback.
Prince Faisal is excited about AI’s potential in gaming, envisioning games that evolve with each play. He views Japan as the “birthplace of gaming and esports.” For him, meaningful conversations pave the way for collaboration, investment, and friendship.
ScoresEntertainment
Marvel and DC Lose 'Super Hero' Trademark Battle
A U.S. Trademark Office tribunal has canceled Marvel and DC's "Super Hero" trademarks. London-based Superbabies Ltd argued that the marks should not monopolize the superhero genre. Marvel and DC failed to respond. Superbabies attorney Adam Adler called it a "victory for creativity and innovation." The ruling opens the term "Super Heroes" to all storytellers.
ScoresHealth
Taiwan Class Action Lawsuit Against Kobayashi Pharma Over Red Yeast Rice Supplements
A class action lawsuit has been filed in Taiwan against Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, alleging that the company's red yeast rice dietary supplements harmed 55 people. The supplements have been linked to over 100 deaths in Japan. The lawsuit seeks $5.32 million in damages. Puberulic acid, found in the supplements, can cause renal tubular necrosis, according to Japan's health ministry. Kobayashi Pharmaceutical announced in August it will discontinue its red yeast rice business.
Renal tubular necrosis: a condition where the small tubes in the kidneys that help filter waste are damaged.
ScoresInvestigation Progress on the Wuxi Hongqiao Hospital Insurance Fraud Incident
The fraudulent insurance claims case at Wuxi Hongqiao Hospital has drawn attention. Whistleblower Zhu Chenggang revealed that the radiology department's manual registration records for imaging examinations were not destroyed but were instead transferred in advance by the director to protect the evidence. Zhu has provided the record book to relevant authorities and has preserved some evidence. The National Healthcare Security Administration's flying inspection team has arrived at the hospital, but the record book has mysteriously disappeared. Zhu stated that after the incident was exposed, he received protection and is considering temporarily leaving Wuxi. The investigation is ongoing.
Scores