A series of significant events unfolded across the globe, including a U.S. military strike in the Pacific, an attack on a high-ranking Russian general in Moscow, a privacy breach in a Chinese hotel, a downturn in Bitcoin's value, and funding challenges for UK research.
A U.S. military strike in the eastern Pacific Ocean resulted in the deaths of two individuals, according to the U.S. Southern Command (Source 1). The strike, authorized by the new Southcom commander, Gen. Francis L. Donovan, targeted a boat suspected of drug trafficking. This marked the 37th strike announced by the Trump administration in the ongoing campaign, which began in September, and brought the total number of lives lost in these strikes to 128, according to a tracker maintained by The New York Times (Source 1).
In Moscow, Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alexeyev, a high-profile figure in Russia's military, was shot multiple times and wounded in an attack (Source 2). The general, who holds the position of number two in the main directorate of Russia's GRU military intelligence, was immediately taken to the hospital. The attack occurred in a residential area on the outskirts of the capital. Alexeyev had been placed under European Union and UK sanctions after the GRU was accused of being behind the 2018 nerve agent attack (Source 2).
Meanwhile, in China, a couple's intimate moments were secretly recorded in a hotel room and broadcast to thousands of viewers on a social media platform (Source 3). The couple, identified as Eric and his girlfriend, were unaware that their private moments were being captured by a hidden camera. The footage was shared on a platform Eric used to access pornography (Source 3).
The price of Bitcoin experienced a significant drop, falling to its lowest level in 16 months (Source 4). A single Bitcoin reached $60,000, its lowest point since September 2024, before slightly recovering. This decline occurred despite former U.S. President Donald Trump's public support for cryptocurrency (Source 4). "Those who bet too big, borrowed too much or assumed prices only go up are now finding out the hard way what real market volatility and risk management look like," Joshua Chu, co-chair of the Hong Kong Web3 Association, told Reuters (Source 4).
In the UK, the £8 billion research fund, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), faces "hard decisions" as it pauses new grants (Source 5). Ian Chapman, the head of UKRI, warned that the organization must "focus and do fewer things better," which "will result in negative outcomes for some" (Source 5). This reorganisation of how Britain's scientific research and innovation is funded with public money has angered many in the research community (Source 5). Chapman expects the changes to be fully implemented by a future date (Source 5).
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