Author: Grace Johnson

South Korea has passed a law banning smartphones and other smart devices during school hours. The country joins a growing number of 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 it. They say it is necessary to curb smartphone addiction, which research increasingly links to harmful effects. Parents and lawmakers push for action Supporters argue phones disrupt lessons and lower academic performance. Children spend too much time scrolling instead of studying or socialising. Parents worry devices prevent children from forming friendships or…

US President Donald Trump has announced he will immediately remove Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook. The decision escalates his ongoing conflict with the central bank. Trump alleged Cook submitted false information on mortgage documents and claimed constitutional authority gives him the power to remove her. Cook rejected the claim, insisting the president has no legal right to fire her. She confirmed she will not resign. No US president has ever attempted to dismiss a Federal Reserve governor. Trump’s action follows months of criticism toward the Fed and its chair Jerome Powell. He accuses Powell of refusing to lower interest rates…

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 criticized President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy the National Guard in Chicago. He called it an abuse of power. Pritzker argued no emergency exists that justifies sending troops into Illinois. He accused Trump of creating a crisis for political purposes. Trump already sent about 2,000 troops to Washington DC. The city’s Democratic leadership opposed the deployment. Trump presents the mission as part of a nationwide effort to crack down on crime. On Friday, he said Chicago and New York could be next. Chicago mayor warns of conflict and setbacks Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he received…

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

Elon Musk and his company X have reached a settlement with former employees. The staff had sued for $500 million in unpaid severance. The agreement was revealed in a court filing on Wednesday. Both parties asked the San Francisco appeals court to delay a scheduled hearing. They said more time was needed to complete the paperwork. Lawsuit followed massive job cuts The case arose after Musk dismissed about 6,000 employees in 2022. That accounted for more than half of the company’s workforce. Many of the affected workers challenged the severance packages in court. Representatives of X and the employees’ lawyers…

Sony will raise the price of the PlayStation 5 in the United States by roughly $50 starting Thursday. The Japanese company faces higher production costs and slowing demand in the gaming sector. Sony executive Isabelle Tomatis said in a blog post that the company operates in a “challenging economic environment.” All three console models will become more expensive. The Pro edition will now retail for $749.99. Tariffs push prices higher The increase follows tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on several trade partners, including Japan. These measures raised fears of rising costs for US consumers. Tomatis explained: “We made the…

The Kremlin has dismissed talk of an imminent summit between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. Donald Trump meanwhile urged the two leaders to meet and seek an end to the war in Ukraine. His remarks followed a meeting with Putin in Alaska last week. On Monday, he hosted Zelensky and seven European leaders at the White House. Trump admitted the conflict would be difficult to solve. He warned that Putin might not be interested in peace. “We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks,” he said on Tuesday. “It’s possible that he doesn’t want…

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…

Leaked report ignites public outrage A US senator has launched an investigation into Meta after a leaked internal report suggested the company’s artificial intelligence engaged in “sensual” and “romantic” conversations with children. Reuters reported that the document carried the title “GenAI: Content Risk Standards.” Republican Senator Josh Hawley described the contents as “reprehensible and outrageous.” He demanded full access to the document and detailed explanations of the products involved. Meta denied the allegations. A spokesperson said the examples and notes were “erroneous and inconsistent with our policies.” They emphasized that Meta enforces strict rules for chatbot responses, including prohibitions on…