After a news-heavy week, it’s time to sit back and enjoy. A lot happened in the week gone by — from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago where Kamala Harris accepted the party’s nomination to a superyacht, named the Bayesian, sinking off the coast of Sicily in Italy, killing seven people, including tech mogul Mike Lynch — also known as UK’s Bill Gates. The mpox outbreak and the subsequent public health emergency being declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) also continues to make headlines around the world, with many wondering if the world has enough vaccines to fight the virus.
The Bangladesh political turmoil also persists. After her ouster, the Muhammad Yunus led government has also cancelled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s diplomatic passport. And circling back to the US, there’s been uproar and outrage over the super commute that Starbucks’ new CEO, Brian Niccol, will undertake once he takes charge of the coffee giant.
All this and more in our weekly wrap from around the world. 1) In the early hours of Monday, one of the world’s largest and most luxurious sailing superyacht, the 56-metre Bayesian, sank off the coast of Sicily, Italy. The sinking of the ship, which was owned by UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch , has led to the death of seven people, while another 15 escaped.
As divers carried out rescue operations, several theories and some conspiracies emerged about the tragedy. But what actually caused the superyacht to sink? Read our explainer to know more. 2) This week also saw the Democratic National Convention being held in Chicago.
Held from August 19 to 22, several Democratic leaders and celebrities came out to rally support for its candidate in the US presidential elections, Kamala Harris. Of the many who appeared on the DNC stage, the Obamas were the most anticipated, and they didn’t disappoint. On the last day of the event, the US vice president took the podium and gave a message of optimism and hope.
She also leaned on the memory of Dr Shyamala Gopalan in her speech. But who is this woman? We explain . 3) It’s been over two weeks since Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of prime minister in Bangladesh and fled the country.
A new interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. And on Thursday (August 22), the interim government announced that it had revoked the diplomatic passport granted to Sheikh Hasina and other members of her Cabinet. Why is this significant? We have the answer here .
4) The US presidential elections are not far and both candidates — Donald Trump and Kamala Harris — are locked in. Amid their presidential campaign, Trump, last Sunday, put up on social media several images of pop icon Taylor Swift and her fans, implying that she had endorsed him. However, it later turned out that they were AI-generated images.
Swifties, as they are known, quickly pointed out that the Republican candidate could be sued by the pop queen. But is that true? What does the law say? 5) This week also saw several countries outside of Africa reporting mpox cases. As the cases continue to rise, many have asked if there are enough vaccines against the virus.
To that, Danish biotech firm Bavarian Nordic has responded with a yes. Interestingly, the mpox outbreak is also helping the Danish firm to boost its earnings. How, you ask? Read our report to find out.
6) How long is too long a work commute? Ask Brian Niccol, the new CEO of Starbucks, who will start next month. When the 50-year-old takes the rein of the coffee giant, he will be expected to make a 1,600 km-long commute — from his home in Newport Beach, California to Starbucks’ Seattle headquarters at least thrice a week. But don’t sweat it.
He won’t have too tough a time making this travel, as he will be provided the company jet. Talk about a carbon footprint. Read here to find out more about Niccol’s deal with the company and the reactions its evoked.
And with this, you are all covered for the week. If you like what we do and want to read more, bookmark this page..
