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Global Events Dominate News Cycle: Ukraine Faces Power Outages, US-Russia Treaty Expiration Looms, and Tech Companies Make Headlines
Several significant global events unfolded recently, ranging from renewed Russian attacks in Ukraine to the expiration of a crucial nuclear arms treaty between the US and Russia, and controversies within tech companies.
In Ukraine, thousands remained without power amidst freezing temperatures following renewed Russian strikes targeting the country's energy sector, according to the BBC. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that over 200 repair crews were working to restore power in Kyiv, where more than 1,100 apartment buildings were still without electricity. The BBC reported that in Druzhkivka, eastern Ukraine, seven people were killed and fifteen injured in Russian cluster bomb strikes, according to the regional head. Zelensky said he had spoken to officials about supporting communities in other affected parts of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the last nuclear weapons control treaty between the US and Russia, known as "New START," was due to expire on Thursday, raising fears of a new arms race, reported the BBC. Signed in 2010, the treaty capped the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads for each party to 1,550. It also established transparency measures, including data transfer, notifications, and on-site inspections. The treaty's expiry effectively marks an end to the agreement.
In the technology sector, Pinterest recently sacked two engineers for creating a tool to track which workers lost their jobs in a recent round of layoffs, according to BBC Technology. The company had announced job cuts, with Chief Executive Bill Ready stating in an email he was "doubling down on an AI-forward approach," according to an employee who posted some of the memo on LinkedIn. Pinterest told investors the move would impact about 15% of the workforce, or roughly 700 roles, without specifying which teams or workers were affected. The engineers then wrote custom scripts improperly accessing confidential company information to identify the locations and names of all dismissed employees.
In other tech news, China has banned hidden door handles on electric vehicles (EVs) over safety concerns, reported BBC Technology. The new regulations, set to take effect on January 1, 2027, require cars to have a mechanical release both on the inside and outside of their doors. This decision follows scrutiny of EVs by safety watchdogs after deadly incidents, including two fatal crashes in China involving Xiaomi EVs where power failures were suspected to have prevented doors from being opened.
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