The creators of Cards Against Humanity, known for their edgy party game, are suing SpaceX. The lawsuit, filed in Texas District Court, claims SpaceX used an undeveloped property owned by CAH as a storage site without permission and then made a “lowball” offer to buy it. In a playful twist, CAH joked that negotiating with SpaceX felt like “swallowing an unopened can of beer.”
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Last week, TikTok, the popular short-form video app owned by China’s ByteDance, launched its legal challenge against the US government’s divest-or-ban law, arguing it violates the Constitution. This significant lawsuit comes at a time when US regulators are intensifying their broader crackdown on Big Tech, creating a high-stakes backdrop for the trial.
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After two months of a post-election deadlock that left France, the world’s seventh-largest economy, in political paralysis and worsened its public finances, President Emmanuel Macron appointed a new finance minister, Antoine Armand, a civil servant who was elected to the National Assembly for Macron’s Renaissance party two years ago, now faces the task of addressing a budget deficit that could reach 6% of GDP this year.

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Last week, reports revealed that LinkedIn, the job platform-turned-social network where users share personal stories linked to business sales, has been opting users into data scraping to train its language models. This is part of LinkedIn’s effort to expand its role beyond a classifieds board.

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Two major chipmakers have reportedly discussed building new factories in the UAE to meet global demand for AI chips. The UAE has committed significant funds to chipmaking and AI investments and has engaged with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to boost production. However, TSMC plans to produce its most advanced chips exclusively in Taiwan, keeping that technology closely controlled.

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The UAE is reportedly smuggling arms into Sudan under the guise of delivering humanitarian aid, according to The New York Times. The investigation indicates that the UAE has been supplying the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces with Chinese-made drones and other weapons, which breach a UN arms embargo. This revelation challenges the UAE’s narrative of focusing on humanitarian efforts and ceasefire promotion, especially as it comes before a state visit to Washington where the Emirati and US presidents will discuss Sudan.
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Two major research firms suggested that 2024 could mark the beginning of a global decline in carbon emissions. BloombergNEF and Climate Analytics indicated that the swift adoption of renewable energy and a reduction in fossil fuel use, especially in China, might mean that 2023 was a peak for emissions, though confirmation will take a few months. The economy is changing: Norway has become the first country with more electric cars than petrol vehicles, and 14 of the largest banks announced an increased support for nuclear energy projects to align with COP28 commitments to triple global capacity by 2050.

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China’s central bank has reduced a short-term interest rate and increased market liquidity to stimulate economic activity. The growth forecast for this year stands at only 4.6%, the lowest in decades outside of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, efforts to rejuvenate the economy have faced challenges due to government crackdowns on businesses, which have made young individuals wary of entering lucrative sectors and have hindered entrepreneurship.
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Kenyan President William Ruto stated that 600 more police officers would be sent to Haiti to help address gang activity. During his visit, he expressed his support for converting this deployment into a permanent UN peacekeeping mission, as reported by the BBC. Although the mission has brought stability to certain areas of Port-au-Prince, much of Haiti remains under gang control, severely affecting the economy and raising concerns about hunger in the country.
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More than 100 people are dead or missing due to clashes between rival factions of a cartel in Mexico’s Sinaloa state. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blamed US authorities for triggering the conflict after they arrested a faction leader without informing his government, while the US ambassador pointed out that the crisis in Sinaloa is part of a larger issue of violence in the country.
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A nuclear reactor at the Three Mile Island plant is being brought back online to provide energy for Microsoft. The tech company has secured a 20-year contract to access vital energy from this source to further its AI projects.
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Chinese startups, unable to buy foreign chips for AI models due to a US ban, are developing alternative solutions that Western companies are now exploring. Since the 2022 ban, Chinese firms have created software to address the hardware shortage, including DeepSeek’s AI with multiple sub-networks to reduce computation costs. US companies like Meta, Nvidia, and Google are adopting similar strategies.
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Coca-Cola plans to invest a significant amount in its Nigeria operations over the next five years, according to Nigeria’s presidency. The announcement followed a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and Coca-Cola executives. Since 2013, the company has invested $1.5 billion in Nigeria to expand production, enhance the supply chain, and support training, with the new investment efforts aimed at attracting foreign investment after an economic downturn linked to recent reforms and currency devaluation.
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Kenya is working to prepare its stadiums for CHAN 2025 and AFCON 2027, which it will co-host with Uganda and Tanzania. CAF President Patrice Motsepe inspected the progress and noted there is still work to be done before CHAN. President William Ruto assured both CAF and the public that the stadiums would be completed in time, following Kenya’s previous loss of CHAN 2018 hosting rights due to delays.

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