A massive power outage, affecting millions across Chile, plunged large portions of the country into darkness, including parts of the capital, Santiago. Reports indicate partial power restoration, but a state of emergency remains in effect. The blackout, attributed to a system failure, disrupted essential services, including transportation, and forced the cancellation of the Viña del Mar music festival. President Gabriel Boric condemned the outage, promising to hold responsible parties accountable. Emergency generators are supporting critical infrastructure like hospitals and prisons.
Author: Web Desk
Apple faces pressure to adjust its diversity practices as legal challenges to DEI programs rise in the US. Despite a shareholder vote rejecting a proposal to end its DEI policies, Apple acknowledges potential changes may be needed to comply with evolving laws, while maintaining its core values of inclusion.
Despite a population of 1.4 billion, India’s consumer market is effectively limited to 130-140 million people, according to a Blume Ventures report. This “consuming class” mirrors the size of Mexico’s population. Another 300 million are “aspirant” consumers, but their spending remains cautious. India’s wealth is “deepening” rather than “widening,” meaning the rich are getting richer, but the number of wealthy individuals isn’t significantly increasing. This trend fuels “premiumisation,” where brands prioritize high-end products over mass-market offerings. Evidence includes booming sales of luxury housing and premium phones, while affordable housing’s market share has shrunk from 40% to 18% in five years.…
The UK has stopped some of its aid to Rwanda, calling it a “punitive” move. This action follows accusations that Rwanda supports the M23 rebel group, which has seized areas in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). While Rwanda initially denied backing the M23, it now says its actions are to protect its own security due to fighting near the DRC border. The conflict has led to thousands of deaths and many people fleeing their homes. The UK says the DRC’s humanitarian situation is “critical.” The aid cut excludes support for the most vulnerable. The UK is also considering sanctions…
Apple addressed a technical glitch in its voice-to-text dictation system that was briefly substituting the word “Trump” for “racist.” iPhone users reported the error, where the system would initially type “Trump” when they spoke “racist,” before correcting itself. Apple acknowledged the bug, attributing it to an issue with its speech recognition model affecting words with “r” consonants, and released a fix. The company explained that occasional phonetic overlaps can cause such errors, but did not elaborate on why “Trump” was specifically suggested. This issue occurred after Apple announced a significant U.S. investment, which was followed by social media posts about…
BP has announced a significant strategic shift, drastically reducing its investment in renewable energy while increasing spending on oil and gas. The company will now allocate $10 billion annually to oil and gas, aiming to boost profits and shareholder returns. This move reverses previous commitments to reduce fossil fuel production and expand renewable energy investments. The oil giant has cut its planned annual investment in energy transition businesses by over $5 billion, now budgeting between $1.5 billion and $2 billion per year. CEO Murray Auchincloss emphasized a “reset BP” focused on shareholder value, stating they will be “very selective” in…
A historic Louisiana landscape, featuring centuries-old sugar cane plantations and Afro-Creole culture along the Mississippi River, has lost its eligibility for federal protection as a National Historic Landmark. The decision reverses a multi-year review by the National Park Service. State officials requested the withdrawal of the 11-mile Great River Road stretch, citing economic development priorities. Community organizations, however, decry the move as undermining efforts to preserve the area’s rich cultural heritage, particularly the legacies of free African American communities. The region, located in Louisiana’s heavily industrialized Chemical Corridor, has been a battleground between grassroots groups opposing industrial expansion and officials…
On a festive December evening in West Hollywood, Bamby Salcedo, surrounded by trans immigrants and allies, reflected on the stark contrast to her early days in the U.S. Decades ago, she struggled with homelessness, incarceration, and detention. These experiences fueled her dedication to co-founding the TransLatin@ Coalition, a support network for trans and gender non-conforming immigrants. However, with the Trump administration’s policies, Salcedo and her community now fear a return to marginalization. They express concern that the federal government is specifically targeting transgender individuals. While anti-trans violence persisted during the previous administration and saw high deportation rates, many feel that…
Investigations into two controversial lottery jackpots in Texas have highlighted the role of online lottery ticketing firms, known as lottery couriers, both within the state and across the nation. This week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott requested the Texas Rangers to investigate two Lotto Texas jackpots involving virtual ticket sales: an $83.5 million prize this month and a $95 million jackpot in 2023 won by an investor group. State officials have expressed concerns that these cases are eroding public trust in the lottery. Critics argue that some courier services can be used to purchase tickets in bulk. This practice faced scrutiny…
LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) – The European Central Bank (ECB) is likely to authorize Italy’s UniCredit to increase its stake in German competitor Commerzbank, according to a source familiar with the situation. This move could potentially lead to the largest cross-border banking merger in Europe since the global financial crisis. ECB staff are expected to finalize their review of UniCredit’s acquisition of a 29.9% stake in Commerzbank by early March, paving the way for the regulator’s Supervisory Board to approve the deal later in the same month, the source revealed. The most recent assessment by ECB supervisory experts, which considered…
