WORLD BRIEFING: August 6, 2024
A US judge has ruled Google acted illegally to crush its competition and maintain a monopoly on online search and related advertising. The landmark decision on Monday is a major blow to Alphabet, Google's parent company, and could reshape how technology giants do business. Google was sued by the US Department of Justice in 2020 over its control of about 90% of the online search market.In his decision, US District Judge Amit Mehta said Google had paid billions to ensure it is the default search engine on smartphones and browsers. “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” Judge Mehta wrote in his 277-page opinion. Alphabet said it plans to appeal against the ruling. -BBC
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned Monday and fled to India, ending her 15-year rule amid weeks of deadly protests against a quota system for government jobs. Hasina abandoned her official residence in Dhaka, the capital, boarded a military helicopter with her sister, and flew across the border to India the day after nearly 100 people were killed in clashes with authorities. Her ultimate destination was not immediately clear. Bangladesh's army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, speaking on state television, told the predominantly Muslim South Asian nation of 170 million people that Hasina, 76, had resigned and that the military would form an interim government. General Waker-uz-Zaman, dressed in military fatigues, said, "The country has suffered a lot, the economy has been hit, many people have been killed — it is time to stop the violence. I hope after my speech, the situation will improve." The army chief said he had held talks with the main opposition parties and civil society members but not Hasina's Awami League. He said the military would investigate the crackdown on student-led protests that has fueled outrage against the government and left at least 300 dead since early July. - RFE/RL
Several U.S. personnel were injured in a suspected rocket attack at a military base in Iraq, U.S. defense officials said Monday, in what has been a recent uptick in strikes on American forces by Iranian-backed militias. The attack comes as tensions across the Middle East are spiking following the killings last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’ top political leader in Iran, in suspected Israeli strikes. Both groups are backed by Iran. The U.S. defense officials said troops at al-Asad air base were still assessing the injuries and damage, and it appeared that as many as seven military troops and civilians were injured. Earlier Monday, Iraqi security officials confirmed the attack, but no group has claimed responsibility. - AP
Separately, U.S. President Joe Biden called Jordan’s King Abdullah II, the day after the Jordanian foreign minister made a rare trip to Iran: “The leaders discussed their efforts to de-escalate regional tensions, including through an immediate ceasefire and hostage release deal.”
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 share index soared as much as 10.7% early Tuesday, a day after it plunged the most in 37 years. The index gave up some of those gains as it wavered throughout the day but closed 10.2% higher at 34,675.46. Other Asian markets also were higher after sharp losses on Wall Street that were dramatic but not on the same scale as Monday’s 12.4% nosedive in Tokyo. Many shares rose by double-digit percentages similar to their losses a day before, with automaker Toyota Motor Corp. rocketed 12.8%. - AP
Shipments of Russian liquified natural gas to France more than doubled the first half of this year, according to new analyses of trade data, at a time when Europe has tried to pull back from energy purchases that help finance the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. Europe has restricted oil imports from Russia, but natural gas is still allowed. And while companies in France are importing the most, one analysis found EU countries overall imported 7% more Russian LNG, natural gas that has been chilled and liquified for easier ocean transport, in the first half of this year compared to the same period a year ago. European governments have said banning Russian gas imports entirely would send energy and heating bills skyrocketing, and industrial users of gas would suffer, too. - Euronews
