The new year is just over one month away and it is going to be the biggest election year in history yet.
40 countries are scheduled to vote in 2024 across the globe which, as calculated by Bloomberg Economics, represent 41% of the world’s population and 42% of its global GDP.
The marathon will begin with Taiwan in January and end with the US in November.
Here are some of the prominent countries lined up for elections: Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Gambia, and Libya in Africa; Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, the United States, and Venezuela in the Americas; Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Australia, and Pakistan in Asia and Oceania; Austria, Belarus, Belgium, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom in Europe.
There are, however, four elections that the world has eyes on — elections that are expected to alter geopolitics in the next decade.
Russia will elect the new president in March who will govern until 2030, putting Russia-NATO relations at the forefront.
In April-May, India will hold elections and as per analysts, Modi’s loss can push back investors.
The European Union will conduct bloc-wide polls in June to appoint members of the European Parliament for the 2024-2029 which will be pertinent for the increasing friction between right-wing and left-wing policymakers on issues like immigration and Ukraine.
The United States will hold legislative and presidential elections in November for 2025-2028, while everyone curiously waits whether Republicans will return to the White House or not.
Netflix released a reality television show based on the popular Korean series ‘Squid Games’, featuring contestants competing in a series of games for a coveted prize. However, news reports reveal that contestants are taking legal action against Netflix and the producers by claiming they suffered extensive injuries during filming.
The players spoke about their experience in shooting some of the popular games from the show including ‘Red Light, Green Light’, in which players must try to reach the finish line without drawing the attention of the robot doll. British law firm Express Solicitors is representing two clients who had taken part in the contest. Both have said they had no idea about the risks they had to take while shooting during cold periods for long months. Filming for the games took place at Cardington Studios in Bedfordshire during a cold winter in Britain. Several participants required medical treatment.
“Contestants thought they were taking part in something fun and those injured did not expect to suffer as they did. Now they have been left with injuries after spending time being stuck in painful stress positions in cold temperatures,” said the CEO of Express Solicitors Daniel Slade to The Guardian.
Slade recalled one client who witnessed “seeing someone faint, then people shouting for medics. We have a case where someone complains of hypothermia. One had his hands turn purple from the cold.”
The reality television series comes after the successful Korean drama, the most-watched show on Netflix, surpassing the popular British period drama “Bridgerton”. It received several Primetime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Drama Series, with Lee Jung-Jae winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama series, becoming the first Asian actor to do so.
The series follows broke father Seong Gi-Hun, who decides to enroll in the games in order to provide for his mother, and win custody of his daughter.
Binance boss Changpeng Zhao has become the most powerful cryptocurrency figure to fall in a two-year period chaotic even by the standards of the notoriously volatile industry.
Zhao stepped down as CEO of Binance — the largest crypto exchange in the world — after he and the company pleaded guilty on Tuesday to sweeping US money laundering violations and agreed to fines of more than $4 billion.
Here are three of the highest-profile crypto executives who have fallen foul of the law since last year:
Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao
Born in China in 1977, Zhao moved with his family to Canada in the 1980s and later got a degree in computer science from McGill University, according to his profile in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Zhao Changpeng, chief executive officer of Binance, speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. The world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange keeps getting bigger. Binance.com is adding “a couple of million” registered users every week, with 240,000 people signing up in just an hour on Wednesday, said Zhao. Photographer: Akio Kon/Bloomberg
He founded Binance in 2017 in Shanghai, and led the company’s explosive growth into the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange.
An outspoken celebrity in the crypto world with 8.7 million followers on X, Zhao became the richest known figure in the nascent industry. His net worth peaked at around $65 billion in 2022, according to a Forbes index.
With the prestige and wealth came increased scrutiny of Binance’s operations, as prominent crypto firms around the world began to buckle under a wave of criminal investigations.
The United States accused Zhao and Binance of multiple violations, including knowingly allowing transactions to militant groups such as the Islamic State and in barred jurisdictions such as North Korea and Iran.
On Tuesday, they pleaded guilty. The firm has agreed to total penalties of nearly $4.4 billion, while he will pay $50 million, according to court documents.
Zhao resigned as CEO of Binance and while he will reportedly retain his shares in the company, he has been banned from any involvement in its business. He is expected to face sentencing later.
Forbes listed his net worth as $10.2 billion as of Wednesday.
Sam Bankman-Fried
If Zhao was the richest and most powerful person in crypto, Sam Bankman-Fried was easily the most famous.
Born to Stanford University professors, Bankman-Fried graduated from MIT with a degree in physics.
In 2019, he founded FTX, which skyrocketed to become the world’s second-largest crypto exchange.
Along the way, Bankman-Fried built up his image as the unofficial ambassador for the cryptocurrency industry, with high-profile appearances in the media and even the US Congress.
At one point in 2022, he had a net worth of $24 billion, according to Forbes.
But he had been walking a dangerous path — his team used customers’ money for everything from buying posh real estate to covering risky moves by affiliate Alameda Research.
It all came crashing down when these moves were revealed in the media in November 2022. Within hours, rival CZ Zhao said Binance would sell all the FTX tokens it held.
It sparked a stunning collapse of FTX and Bankman-Fried’s empire, his fame turning to notoriety.
Arrested in the Bahamas in January, he was found guilty this month of what US prosecutors described as “one of the biggest financial frauds in American history”. He faces up to 110 years in prison.
During his trial, the 31-year-old admitted to making “mistakes” but denied trying to defraud anyone.
Do Kwon
South Korean entrepreneur Do Kwon co-founded Terraform Labs in 2018, developing the cryptocurrencies TerraUSD and Luna.
Do Kwon, co-founder and chief executive officer of Terraform Labs, poses in the company’s office in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, April 14, 2022. Kwon is counting on the oldest cryptocurrency as a backstop for his stablecoin, which some critics liken to a ginormous Ponzi scheme. Photographer: Woohae Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Stanford grad successfully marketed them as the next big thing in crypto, attracting billions in investments and global hype.
Media reports in South Korea described him as a “genius”.
But in May last year, the value of these currencies — marketed as “stablecoins” — plummeted, wiping out around $40 billion in investments and sending a shock wave through the rest of the industry.
It led to more than $500 billion in further losses on global crypto markets, industry data suggested.
Experts said Do Kwon — whose full name is Kwon Do-kyung — had marketed a glorified Ponzi scheme.
Brash and outspoken on social media, Do Kwon left South Korea before the collapse and spent months on the run.
He was arrested in Montenegro this year after being caught trying to catch a flight using fake Costa Rican travel documents.
He faces multiple criminal charges in the United States and South Korea.
A South Korean man was misidentified as a box by a robot that crushed him to death, local media has reported.
The incident took place when the worker, reportedly in his 40s, was inspecting the robot’s sensor at a warehouse for agricultural products.
Yonhap news agency reports that the robot was lifting boxes of bell peppers when it mistook the man for a receptacle.
According to police sources, the “Mechanical arm pushed the man’s upper body onto a conveyor belt and crushed his face and chest”.
The man later died in hospital.
In an official statement released by the Donggoseong Export Agricultural Complex, the plant owner, called for a “precise and safe” system to be established.
Sky News reports that in March, another South Korean man in his 50s, endured serious injuries after getting trapped by a robot while working at a vehicle parts manufacturing plant.
BTS band member Namjoon recently did a livestream with fans on Weverse where he looked quite taken aback when fans asked him about his girlfriend. The rapper responded to rumours saying he did not have a girlfriend, and cheekily added he’s still looking.
“Introduce your girlfriend.’ Oh s**t, I really want to but I have none right now. Can you introduce me to someone?”
: “introduce your girlfriend? oh shit i really want to but i have none…right now ㅋㅋ” pic.twitter.com/SqarWo3z7O
Jungkook recently also addressed rumours during a livestream surrounding his relationship status, responding to a fan’s question by saying he does not have a girlfriend at the moment and asked everyone to respect his privacy.
“Do I have a girlfriend? Why do you keep asking that? I don’t have a girlfriend! So, you don’t need to ask questions like this. I only have ARMY’s..I’m only looking at ARMY’s..ARMY’s be my girlfriend..okay?”
BTS band member Jungkook has unveiled the name and release date of his upcoming solo album ‘Golden’. In a statement released by his management BigHit Entertainment on the South Korean social media platform ‘Weverse’, it was stated that the album’s name was inspired by some of the golden moments of the singer’s career.
Hello. This is BIGHIT MUSIC. We are excited to announce the release of BTS member Jung Kook’s solo album “GOLDEN.” “GOLDEN” is an album inspired by the golden moments of Jung Kook, the golden maknae of BTS and a solo artist.”
The statement further said that the album will consist of 11 tracks, including ‘Seven’ featuring Lattoo and ‘3D’ with Jack Harlow, and will be released on November 3. Jungkook will also be making special appearances and performances ahead of the release.
Fans can start preordering the album from October 4.
Jungkook has so far released two songs from album, including ‘3D’ which was met with acclaim from fans and music critics. The song quickly became a global hit by dominating 30 global iTunes charts in more than 100 countries. The other single ‘Seven’, released on July 14, rose up on the Billboard 200 charts.
South Korean actor Gong Yoo cemented himself as an international star after his critically acclaimed drama ‘Guardian: The Great and Lonely God’ aired on Netflix in 2016. The quest for an immortal man or ‘Goblin’, to find his bride who might undo his curse was an instant hit.
At a recent appearance at the South Korean talk show Pinggyego, Gong Yoo revealed that the success of ‘Goblin’ began taking a toll on his mental health.
“Guardian: The Lonely and the Great God did very well, but I wasn’t happy. I was happy it did well, but apart from that, there was a time when I felt so empty and I couldn’t wake myself up. It’s not that the work was hard or that it went well, I wasn’t able to enjoy spotlight when projects were a success,” the actor confessed.
The ‘Coffee Prince’ actor further elaborated that it wasn’t easy to open up about the mental health issues he was dealing with, because it would have made other people seem like he wasn’t grateful for the success the show achieved.
“It feels like I’m not grateful. After going through a hard time like that, the way I look at people around me changed. I felt like I was more nosy in that I didn’t want them to go through the same hurt.”
‘Guardian: The Great and Lonely God’ centers around the Goryeo Dynasty military general Kim-Shin (played by Gong Yoo) who is cursed with immortality after he’s killed by the King. He must live on for generations until he finds the Goblin’s bride: a woman who has the power to pull out the sword in his chest to end his immortality. The drama also stars prominent Korean actress Kim Go-eun and Lee Dong-Wook. On it’s release, ‘Goblin’ was declared a cultural phenomenon in Korea and won numerous awards, including Best Actor for Gong Yoo, and Best Writer for script writer Kim Eun-Sook.
Golden maknae Jungkook of BTS is back at it again with another banger single. The K-Pop singer has released the music video for his new single ‘3D’ which features American rapper Jack Harlow, and was described by the singer’s management BigHit Entertainment as a “more mature side of Jungkook.”
Jungkook previously teased the single during his performance at the 2023 Global Citizen Festival. The music video is getting praise from fans and music critics.
The single has broken international records, dominating iTunes charts of more than a 100 countries across the globe, according to BIgHit music, and the music video becoming the number 1 top trending videos on Youtube in USA and UK.
Jungkook has revealed to Audacy that his solo album was set to come out by the end of 2023, ending it with a bang.
Korean band BTS’s management BigHit Entertainment has announced that they’re taking legal action against fans who are sending packages directly to the band members homes. The band comprises of seven members: Suga, Jungkook, Namjoon, V, J-Hope, Jimin and Jin.
In a statement released on Weverse, the management said a criminal case was filed against the people and investigations are currently underway:
“Hello. This is BigHit Music. Our company regularly initiates legal proceedings against perpetrators of malicious activities related to BTS, including defamation, personal attacks, sexual harassment, the spread of groundless information, and ill-intentioned criticism. We would like to provide an update on these important activities. During this quarter, we filed multiple criminal complaints with law enforcement agencies based on evidence related to acts infringing on the rights of the artists, including defamation, submitted by our fans as well as collected through our own monitoring.”
The statement shared details of some of the packages the fans had sent to the singers homes, which were directly causing harm to their family members.
“In particular, we gathered ongoing evidence regarding individuals who repeatedly sent mails and packages to the artists’ residences, even causing harm to the artists’ families, and filed criminal complaints against them on charges of violating laws regarding stalking crimes (Act on Punishment of Crime of Stalking). The court has issued an interim restraining order, and a prosecutor’s investigation is underway. We remain committed to an upcompromising, zero-tolerance policy in addressing stalking crimes that infringe on the privacy and safety of our artists.”
“A decision was handed down in the second quarter of 2022 declaring a non-suit and halting the investigations against some of the suspects, and we filed objections and requested reinvestigation of these cases. As a result, through prosecution referrals, the suspects were ultimately found guilty of personal attacks and defamation against the artists, and legal penalties were imposed.”
Ending the note, the management requested for the fans to cooperate with them in this investigation.
Popular Korean dramas ‘Reborn Rich’ and ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ have been nominated for the prestigious International Daytime Emmy awards. ‘Reborn Rich’ which starred Song Joong-Ki and Lee Sung-Min, was nominated for the category of Best TV Movie/ Mini-Series while the Netflix series ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is nominated for the ‘Best Drama Series’ category.
‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ received critical acclaim for its exploration of autism and bullying. The series depicted the struggle of a woman Woo Young Woo (played by Park Eun-Bin), an aspiring lawyer with Asperger’s Syndrome, who applies for a job at Seoul’s prestigious law firm.
‘Reborn Rich’ centeres around Yoon Hyun-Woo (played by Joong-Ki), an employee working for the elite Soonyang Group, who is betrayed and murdered by a member of the Soonyang family to cover up a tax fraud. However, Hyun-Woo is re-born as the youngest grandson Jin Do-Jun, and plots his revenge to expel members of the family and take over the family company.
Meanwhile prominent Bollywood stars have also been included as the final nominees for the Emmy awards. Actor Jim Sarbh secured a nomination for ‘Best Performance by an Actor’ for his portrayal in the series ‘Rocket Boys’, while actress Shefali Shah was nominated for the category of ‘Best Performance By An Actress’ for her role in the Netflix series ‘Delhi Crime’ Season 2.
