From the mysterious liver disease to US officials and Zelenskiy meeting – Here is your April 25 news briefing
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Mysterious liver disease in children found
A mysterious severe acute hepatitis has been found in 12 countries, including the US and the UK, which has led to over 12 children needing a liver transplant and one dying, said the World Health Organization (WHO). Around 170 children have been affected by this liver disease since April 21, with all the kids between 1 month to 16 years old. Health officials are still trying to figure out the source. The WHO has also said that it’s not too clear whether this increased number is because of an actual increase in cases or an increase in awareness, but it expects more cases to be reported in the coming days.
Tech giants like Google may need to spill the tea on their algorithms
Over the weekend EU lawmakers were again busy cracking down on tech giants. The group broadly came to an agreement on a Digital Services Act (DSA), which essentially will find ways to make tech giants like Google and Meta more accountable for the content that appears on the platforms. The final draft of the DSA is yet to be released, but it says things like platforms that suggest content to you should be transparent about their methods and users should be able to easily flag illicit content. If a company doesn’t listen, it can be fined up to 6% of its turnover.
US officials meet with Zelenskiy
The US sent two of its top diplomats, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Zelenskiy on Sunday. The two are the highest-level officials to go to Ukraine since the start of the war in February, and their visit comes right after President Biden announced another US$800 million in aid to the country.
Outrage continues over Shanghai lockdown
Citizens in Shanghai are getting fed up, to say the least, over the harsh COVID regulations being imposed in response to the country’s worst outbreak since Wuhan. Now, metal fences have been put up outside COVID-hit buildings, sparking a fresh outcry. On social media, residents have fought censorship, criticizing the lack of food and medicine and the heavy-handed lockdown enforcement.
Rehab for crypto-traders
Some cryptocurrency traders are now going to rehab. Yes, we’re 100% serious. Think luxurious clinics in Switzerland for US$90,000 weekly for treatment to less expensive telehealth options. Our team found a clinic In New York that defines this peculiar, modern illness as “a pathological obsession and compulsion to buy and/or sell cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum … and may also involve a preoccupation with staying updated on changes in price by constantly observing charts, reading crypto news, and engaging in other means of informing oneself of potential price action.”
In other news …
🇫🇷France’s Macron beats Le Pen to win another term as president.
🇸🇬In Singapore, masks have come off and travel is back on, with the country easing most quarantine requirements from March 29.
🇭🇰Hong Kong will open to non-residents starting next month for the first time since 2020.
💰A source with inside intel on the sitch has said that Twitter and Musk are meeting today as execs grow a bit more receptive to his offer.
⌚️Unsurprisingly, Google’s new watch will be called … the Pixel Watch.
Written and put together by Jake Shropshire, Christine Dulion and Krystal Lai
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