The last nuclear weapons control treaty between the U.S. and Russia was set to expire on Thursday, raising fears of a new arms race, according to the BBC. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as "New START," signed in 2010, limited the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads for each party to 1,550.
The treaty's expiration effectively marked an end to a series of agreements designed to help prevent a catastrophic nuclear war, the BBC reported. New START also established transparency through data transfer, notifications, and on-site inspections.
In other news, Melinda French Gates addressed her ex-husband, Bill Gates, being named in new files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Speaking on an NPR podcast, French Gates said it dredged up "painful times in my marriage," according to the BBC. She expressed "unbelievable sadness" and stated that "whatever questions remain" needed to be answered by those named in the records, including her ex-husband. "I am so happy to be away from all the muck," she said, according to the BBC. The couple divorced in 2021. Records released by the U.S. Justice Department included an allegation by Epstein that Bill Gates caught a sexually.
Meanwhile, Netflix faced scrutiny regarding its proposed $82 billion takeover of Warner Bros Discovery. During a U.S. Senate antitrust subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, lawmakers from both parties raised concerns about reduced competition, potential price rises, and the future of cinemas if the merger proceeds, the BBC reported. The deal is currently under review by the Department of Justice (DoJ).
Separately, a global surge in popularity of Korean culture has led to rising prices for dried seaweed, known as gim, in South Korea, the BBC reported. Lee Hyang-ran, a gim vendor in Seoul for 47 years, noted the increased demand from Western countries. "In the past, people from Western countries thought Koreans were eating something weird that looks like a piece of black paper," she said, according to the BBC. "I never thought I'd be selling gim to them. But now, they all come here."
In the United States, the Trump administration's efforts to slow or revoke federal approvals for wind and solar projects were detailed by the New York Times. A key environmental review of the Jackalope Wind project in Wyoming, which would span an area the size of Chicago, was stalled for months, effectively killing the project, according to the NY Times. The project would have generated clean electricity by 2027. The NY Times reported that similar stories are unfolding nationwide, with the administration hobbling solar and wind energy projects on land by halting or delaying approvals.
Discussion
AI Experts & Community
Be the first to comment