“Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar on Sunday accused Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government of spying on him and his staff. Speaking at a press conference in Budapest, Magyar said he was blowing the lid off what he called a ‘Hungarian Watergate,’ referring to the wiretapping political scandal that led to United States President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974. ‘Intelligence officers who serve their country and not a mafia government have confided in me that my apartment, our offices and our vehicles have been bugged for months,’ said Magyar, who leads the opposition Tisza party.” (11/11/24)
“President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Rep. Elise Stefanik to serve as his ambassador to the United Nations, picking a loyal ally with little foreign policy experience to represent the U.S. at the international organization. ‘Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,’ Trump said in a statement Monday announcing his pick for the role — his first selection that will require Senate confirmation. Stefanik, 40, who serves as House Republican Conference Chair, has long been one of Trump’s most loyal allies in the House, and was among those discussed as a potential vice presidential choice. She will be thrown into the world body’s deep divisions from the wars in the Mideast and Ukraine to reining in nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran.” (11/11/24)
“Mauritius'[s] ruling coalition is set for a ‘huge defeat’ following Sunday’s parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth told reporters Monday, acknowledging the rejection of his Militant Socialist Movement even as vote-counting continued. Jugnauth, in office since 2017, had been seeking another five-year term in the Indian Ocean island nation, but his government faced corruption allegations after recordings of politicians and business people were leaked online. The Alliance for Change coalition, led by former prime minister Navin Ramgoolam, appeared poised for victory. They had no immediate comment.” (11/12/24)
“Amazon is reportedly developing smart glasses for its delivery drivers, according to sources who spoke to Reuters. These glasses are intended to cut ‘seconds’ from each delivery because, well, productivity or whatever. Sources say that they are an extension of the pre-existing Echo Frames smart glasses and are known by the internal code Amelia. These seconds will be shaved off in a couple of ways. First of all, the glasses reportedly include an embedded display to guide delivery drivers around and within buildings. They will allegedly also provide drivers with ‘turn-by-turn navigation’ instructions while driving. Finally, wearing AR glasses means that drivers won’t have to carry a handheld GPS device.” (11/11/24)
“It started as a social media quest for breakfast dumplings, but ended with thousands of cyclists bringing traffic gridlock between two cities in central China. What should have been a boost to the ancient city of Kaifeng’s economy backfired when the trend went viral — tens of thousands on rented bikes cycled through the night from nearby Zhenghou. A six-lane expressway between the two cities quickly filled with cyclists as police took to loudspeakers urging them to leave. Bike rental firms warned they would remotely lock bikes taken out of Zhengzhou. The event is part of a trend where young Chinese are travelling cheaply at a time when the economy is faltering and job prospects are scarce. It began with four university students who cycled for 50km (30 miles) from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng in June to try guantangbao, a type of soup dumpling.” (11/11/24)
“The International Criminal Court’s (ICC’s) governing body has confirmed it is seeking an ‘external probe’ into allegations of sexual misconduct by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan. … Khan, who had previously denied the allegations, said on Monday he would press ahead with his duties while the investigation is ongoing. … In May, Khan requested arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his then-defence chief and three Hamas leaders who have since been killed. The ICC has not yet made a decision on whether to grant the warrants. Khan said the misconduct allegations align with a misinformation campaign against his office.” (11/11/24)
“A Church of England bishop has called on the Archbishop of Canterbury to resign, calling his position ‘untenable’ after a damning report into a prolific child abuser associated with the Church. Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley is the most senior member of the Church to call on the Most Reverend Justin Welby to stand down, following the ‘horrific, horrendous and shocking’ report. Mr Welby is facing mounting pressure to resign after it emerged last week that he did not follow up rigorously enough on reports of John Smyth QC’s ‘abhorrent’ abuse of more than 100 boys and young men. A review of the Church’s handling of Smyth’s case said the archbishop ‘could and should’ have reported the case to authorities when details were presented to him in 2013.” (11/11/24)
“A 76-year-old monk died on Monday after being attacked by a man shouting ‘I am Jesus Christ’ in a monastery in southeastern Spain, the religious order said on Monday. Two others were injured in the rampage on Saturday morning on the Santo Espiritu del Monte monastery in the hills above Gilet, a village 30km (19 miles) north of Valencia. The middle-aged man broke into the cloister while the brothers were having their breakfast and attacked three of them with a blunt object, the Franciscan order to which the monastery belongs said in a press release.” (11/11/24)
“A gut punch for most defendants, Donald Trump turned his criminal conviction into a rallying cry. His supporters put ‘I’m Voting for the Felon’ on T-shirts, hats and lawn signs. ‘The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people,’ Trump proclaimed after his conviction in New York last spring on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Now, just a week after Trump’s resounding election victory, a Manhattan judge is poised to decide whether to uphold the hush money verdict or dismiss it because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision in July that gave presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution. Judge Juan M. Merchan has said he will issue a written opinion Tuesday on Trump’s request to toss his conviction and either order a new trial or dismiss the indictment entirely.” (11/11/24)
“Collapsed crypto exchange FTX is suing Binance and its former chief executive Changpeng Zhao for $1.8bn, over an allegedly ‘fraudulent’ share deal. The dispute relates to a July 2021 deal in which Binance, Zhao and other executives sold their roughly 20 per cent stake in FTX back to the company in exchange for crypto tokens valued at $1.76bn. The transaction, part of a repurchase deal agreed with founder Sam Bankman-Fried, should not have taken place, according to the lawsuit, which seeks to claw back the tokens for the FTX bankruptcy estate.” (11/11/24)
