Three news stories summarized & contextualized by analytic journalist Colin Wright.

Taiwan's strongest earthquake in 25 years kills 9 people, with 50 still missing

Summary: At least nine people have been confirmed killed, hundreds were injured, and at least 50 people are still missing following a magnitude-7.4 earthquake that hit just off Taiwan’s coast, followed by more than 100 aftershocks—some of them also quite powerful.

Context: This is the most powerful quake to hit Taiwan near-directly for about two-and-a-half decades, and it’s damaged several large buildings, which officials have said they’re assessing for safety, and there are also concerns that chip fabrication plants owned by semiconductor giant TSMC may have been damaged, though at the moment the company is saying their safety systems are operating normally, and that their employees are returning to work, which could allay some of the macro-scale concerns about this quake, specifically that it could amplify an existing high-end chip shortage.

—Reuters

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Netanyahu says Israel will shut down Al Jazeera in Israel

Summary: Following the passage of a new law that allows the government to temporarily shutter foreign news agencies if it deems said agency to be a national security risk, the Israeli government has said it will close the local wing of Al Jazeera.

Context: Al Jazeera is headquartered in Qatar, and it’s one of the most-viewed and generally well-regarded news entities in the Middle East, though its regional coverage is slanted toward stories that are of interest to its primarily Arab audience, and many foreign governments have criticized its coverage over the years, particularly its coverage of their own military efforts in the area; the nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists has criticized this new law, and Israel’s government has been accused of intentionally targeting journalists in Gaza, some reports indicating that at least 90 Palestinian, two Israeli, and three Lebanese journalists have been killed by Israel’s military since October 7.

—The New York Times

Prosecutors widen illicit enrichment probe against Peru’s president to include jewelry worth $500,000

Summary: What began as an investigation into Peruvian President Boluarte’s ownership of three high-end Rolex watches has expanded to encompass her ownership of something like half-a-million dollars-worth of jewelry, and monetary transactions worth close to the same.

Context: Those money transactions in the President’s bank accounts reportedly include deposits from unknown sources valued at nearly $300,000, and while she has denied any kind of corruption, she also hasn’t, thus far, answered questions asked by reporters about the origin of all that jewelry and money, neither of which were listed on an asset declaration form when she stepped into office; all of which is newsworthy because before becoming President, Boluarte earned a relatively modest salary, raising questions as to whether she might be enriching herself at the expense of the nation; that said, there are questions as to whether this investigation might be politically motivated, and it’s worth noting that these sorts of investigations into Peruvian Presidents are common, no President having finished a full term in the country since 2016.

—The Associated Press

About 60% of Brazilians now say crime is their top concern, while only 15% say the economy is their primary issue, which is reportedly disconcerting for President Lula, who has made bolstering the economy and combating poverty his primary issue, thus far.

—Bloomberg

386,810

Number of vehicles delivered by Tesla, globally, in the first three months of 2024—a decrease of about 8.5% from a year earlier.

That’s a not-insignificant number of EVs, but it’s the lowest since the third quarter of 2022 for Tesla, and it’s one more downward-sloping data-point for a company that’s facing a slew of newly assertive international competitors, and coping with some lawsuits and internal issues, as well.

—The Wall Street Journal

Trust Click

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