World News: 17 January 2023

Australian Open bans Russian and Belarusian flags from tournament
Flags from Russia and Belarus were banned from the site of the Australian Open on Tuesday after more than one was brought into the stands by spectators on Day 1 of the year's first Grand Slam tournament.
Normally, flags can be displayed during matches at Melbourne Park. But Tennis Australia reversed that policy for the two countries involved in the invasion of Ukraine that began nearly a year ago.

Read more...


Elon Musk drama shifts from Twitter, to tweets about Tesla
Long before Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion in October, he had set his sights on Tesla, the electric automaker where he continues to serve as CEO and from which he derives most of his wealth and fame.
Musk claimed in a August 7, 2018 tweet that he had lined up the financing to pay for a $72 billion buyout of Tesla, which he then amplified with a follow-up statement that made a deal seem imminent.

Read more...


China's population falls for first time since 1961
China's demography is at crossroads after it marked a population decline for the first time since 1961. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the country had 850,000 fewer people at the end of 2022 than over the previous year. 
That leaves China's population at 1.411.75 billion, with 9.56 million births against 10.41 million deaths. The figures, however, only counts the people of mainland China and not Hong Kong and Macao as well as foreign residents. 
The decline comes in the wake of predictions that India will surpass China as the world's most populous nation this year.

Read more...



Kevin Spacey given lifetime achievement award in Italy
In his first official speaking engagement since the #MeToo-era allegations came to light, the 63-year-old visited the city of Turin where he was honoured with an award for contributing to the growth of cinema.
The two-time Academy Award winner was also scheduled to teach a masterclass and introduce a screening of the 1999 film American Beauty.

Read more...


Wintry weather brings jams to roads in Croatia and Austria
Croatia announced a ban on lorries with trailers in the mountainous Lika and Gorski Kotar regions and also reduced speed limits and closed lanes and stretches of the A1 and A6 motorways.
In southern Austria, a fresh fall of 10-20 cm of snow created half-metre drifts, bringing down trees and disrupting power supplies. More than 10,000 households were without power and there were also road closures.

Read more...


South Africa faces legal action over power crisis
The blackouts have persisted for more than a decade, amid poor management and corruption at state firm Eskom
Recently the country has been having up to 10 hours of power cuts daily.
The problem has prompted the president to cancel a trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos to hold meetings at home with business and labour leaders.

Read more...



Comments