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🇧🇾 Belarus hands long sentences to two journalists. Uladzimir Yanukevich, a rights defender and former journalism union leader, got 14 years. Andrei Pakalenka, a journalist who worked with Deutsche Welle (DW), received 12 years. A Minsk court convicted both men of high treason after proceedings held behind closed doors. Prosecutors alleged Pakalenka passed information that reached the German embassy. Media groups say Belarus now holds 28 journalists in prison and has detained 600+ since 2020. Rights monitors count 1,143 political prisoners across the country. The crackdown accelerated after the 2020 election and mass protests that produced 65K arrests. President Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, calls dissent extremism. The verdicts treat reporting as a security threat, not a civic duty.

🇭🇰 Anna Kwok says Hong Kong jailed her father to reach her. A Hong Kong court jailed Kwok Yin-sang, the father of exiled activist Anna Kwok. Judges gave the 69-year-old an eight-month sentence over an attempted $11K cash withdrawal. Prosecutors argued the money was meant to support his daughter’s advocacy work abroad. Anna Kwok leads the Hong Kong Democracy Council from Washington and remains a wanted figure at home. Police have offered a HK$1M bounty for information leading to her arrest, she said. Kwok called her father’s case collective punishment designed to intimidate her. She said she cannot speak freely with family and has lost regular contact. Officials insist the prosecutions enforce national security, not politics. Rights advocates describe the strategy as pressure that crosses borders through relatives. In a city built on capital flows, even cash becomes a political signal.

🏛️ Bill Clinton denies wrongdoing as Epstein questions turn numeric. Former President Bill Clinton told House investigators he did nothing wrong with Jeffrey Epstein. The closed-door deposition in Washington ran more than six hours, his spokesperson said. Questioners pressed visitor logs showing Epstein entered the White House 17 times. Investigators also cited records showing Clinton flew on Epstein’s plane 27 times. Clinton said the relationship was social and that he never witnessed criminal conduct. He said he cut contact after learning details of Epstein’s 2008 sex-crimes case. House Oversight Chair James Comer said the inquiry will follow documents and testimony. Democrats criticized the probe as partisan, while Republicans framed it as accountability. Clinton repeated that he regrets any association that gave Epstein legitimacy. In Washington, proximity can outlive denial, and the paper trail keeps talking.

🪶 Freedmen descendants face uneven treatment across tribal nations. Freedmen, citizens descended from enslaved Africans once held by several tribes, descendants face uneven treatment in tribal nations according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. Post-Civil War treaties promised citizenship, yet benefits and recognition vary by nation. The report said the Cherokee Nation provides full citizenship rights to Freedmen, while others impose limits. Leaders cite sovereignty and membership rules, and Freedmen advocates cite treaty obligations. Programs require proof of Indian blood, not just tribal citizenship, the report found. That can restrict scholarships, housing support, and health services for eligible families. Federal agencies said oversight is difficult because authority is split across many departments. Lawmakers have held hearings, but enforcement tools remain blunt and inconsistent. The result is a modern caste line drawn through old treaties and newer paperwork.

🧱 Block cuts 4K+ jobs, arguing AI makes it leaner. Block ($SQ) said it will cut 4K+ jobs as it reorganizes. CEO Jack Dorsey told staff the company is reshaping teams and roles. Block had about 10K employees, so the reduction lands near a two-fifths trim. Dorsey pointed to faster output and efficiency gains, including from artificial intelligence (AI). The company said the cuts include layoffs and the elimination of open positions. Block reported 2024 gross profit up 24% to $6.5B. Investors applauded, pushing shares up about 20% in premarket trading. Supporters call it discipline, and critics call it spreadsheet cruelty. Cash App and Square sit at the center of Block’s push for software margins. In fintech, the future arrives with better code and fewer desks.

🧠 OpenAI lands $110B as Big Tech bets on bigger brains. OpenAI raised $110B in new funding led by Amazon ($AMZN). Nvidia Corporation ($NVDA) and SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) each pledged $30B. Amazon committed $50B, making it the anchor check in the round. Sources said the deal values OpenAI at $730B before the new money. Chief executive officer (CEO) Sam Altman pitched the cash as fuel for larger models and infrastructure. OpenAI said ChatGPT now has about 900M weekly active users. It also reported 50M consumer subscribers paying for premium access. Amazon Web Services (AWS) becomes OpenAI’s exclusive third-party cloud distributor. Microsoft ($MSFT) will expand its existing cloud partnership by $100B over eight years. The numbers are breathtaking, and so is the cost of building intelligence at scale.

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