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This morning’s 3-by-3 travels across a Kenyan human rights inquiry, Google’s investment in Malaysia, record-high temperatures in India, and more. Let’s fly!

Politics

• Trump becomes America’s first felon president

A New York jury found former President Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsified business records, making him the first U.S. president in history to be convicted of a crime. The 5-week “hush money” trial revealed that Trump approved a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence (just before the 2016 general election) and then reimbursed his former fixer Michael Cohen for the payment via falsified invoices and ledger entries under the pretence of legal services. Only the first of four criminal prosecutions that Trump is currently facing, the Biden campaign is urging voters to respond to the verdict at the polls in November, while Trump’s attorneys see it as a political attack and plan to appeal the decision.

• Kenya investigates UK soldiers for human rights violations

Kenya’s parliament held 4 public hearings this week to investigate allegations of human rights violations, physical abuse, and murder — seeking to prosecute any British troops who committed crimes against locals while stationed at the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk). Dozens of testimonies revealed a woman who was abandoned by a British soldier once pregnant, a hit-and-run by a British army truck that left the victim in a wheelchair, a four-day fire started by British soldiers that destroyed 12,000 acres of land, and a 21-year-old’s murder that was allegedly covered up by Batuk and Kenyan authorities alike. Though Kenya and Britain have maintained a strong military and economic relationship since the African nation gained independence in 1964, with Batuk employing 1,500 locals, Kenya’s defense minister is committed to delivering justice and has received cooperation from the UK High Commission in Kenya.

• Ukraine can use U.S. weapons to strike Russia

After an intense three-week deliberation involving the secretary of defense, the national security adviser, the secretary of state, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and NATO leaders, President Biden has permitted Ukraine to use American-provided weapons to strike inside Russia. The go-ahead only intends to help Ukraine defend against an active invasion of Kharkiv, its second-largest city just 12 miles from the border, and still prohibits Ukraine from using U.S. long-range missiles to attack deeper into Russia. Knowing that an overly aggressive use of American weaponry will escalate conflict with Moscow, the Biden administration has been wary of yet receptive to pleas from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.

Business

• Google invests $2 billion in Malaysia’s data infrastructure

Google is the latest tech giant to invest in Malaysia, recently committing $2 billion to build its first data center and Google Cloud hub in the region. Following Microsoft’s announcement to invest $2.2 billion in the country’s cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure, Google will pursue its growing interests in cloud services, AI product development, and AI literary programs — benefiting from Malaysia’s central location in Southeast Asia and “Cloud First Policy” (an initiative to accelerate cloud adoption and migrate public data). The developments are projected to create 26,500 jobs by 2030 and generate $3.2 billion for the national economy.

• TikTok is separating its algorithm for America

In April, President Biden signed a bipartisan bill that seeks to protect American data privacy by forcing the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations, prompting TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance to sue in federal court. Even so, their engineers are actively separating millions of lines of code to create a recommendation algorithm that is entirely separate from the Chinese version of TikTok and devoid of any information connected to Chinese users — aiming to run independently of TikTok apps in other regions. While TikTok continues to insist that a sale of its U.S. assets is legally wrong and practically impossible, the company’s recent activity to produce a U.S.-only version suggests an appreciation of the political risks at hand.

• Billions in African gold smuggled out each year

A Swissaid report using UN import and export data found that over $30 billion in gold was smuggled out of Africa in 2022, most often landing in the United Arab Emirates to be refined and sold globally. Ghana, Mali, and South Africa were the largest producers on the continent, and between 32% and 41% of all African gold was undeclared, undermining local workers and underscoring the need for more responsible supply chains. The UAE and Switzerland governments are committed to improving the traceability of commodity flows, given that both countries imported notably high amounts of illegal gold in 2022 — at least 425 metric tons combined.

Culture

• India’s capital New Delhi hits 127 degrees

New Delhi experienced its highest temperature ever on Wednesday, reaching 127.22 degrees Fahrenheit in its Mungeshpur area. The heat wave is thought to be caused by an unusual transition from El Nino (the warming of Pacific waters) to La Nina (the cooling of Pacific waters) and the absence of moisture-carrying winds, all likely effects of climate change. As streets in Delhi remain empty and shops stay closed, the local government has also implemented a fine of 2,000 rupees ($24) on anyone who wastes the city’s limited water supply.

• Argentina court delays trial on Maradona’s death

Diego Maradona, Argentinian legend and one of the greatest soccer players in history, died in November 2020 due to a cardiorespiratory arrest, leading family members to investigate the doctors and nurses who were treating him at the time. A lawsuit was filed accusing 8 medical workers of homicide, citing a 20-person medical panel’s report that showed Maradona was in pain and without care for at least 12 hours before his death. While the trial was originally set for June 4 with around 200 witnesses expected to speak, several “unresolved questions” have forced the court to postpone to October 1.

• Sale of Queen’s catalog could be the biggest ever

Sony Music is in talks to purchase the music catalog and all related intellectual property of iconic rock band Queen, potentially at a record-breaking price of $1 billion. Catalog sales have been particularly popular in recent years among record labels, investment funds, and private equity companies alike, with Justin Bieber, Bob Dylan, Beyonce, and many more artists releasing their rights to some extent. Though slightly complicated by Disney’s ownership of Queen’s recorded music in North America, a successful sale would surpass Sony’s acquisitions of Bruce Springsteen’s catalog for $500 million and 50% of Michael Jackson’s catalog for $600 million.

Written by Outer Voice founders

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