The Know Daily - Tuesday 9 January 2024

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Female artists had a record year on the UK singles chart in 2023, topping the chart as solo artists or in collaboration with other musicians for 31 out of 52 weeks. This was “the most weeks spent by female artists at number one since records began in 1952”, said the BBC.

 🌊 Norway’s deep-sea mining plan  

In a controversial vote later today, Norway’s parliament is set to give the go-ahead to commercial-scale deep-sea mining. 

What’s the story? 
While the country’s parliament still needs to formally approve the plan - which is aimed at sourcing precious metals needed for green technologies - it is expected to pass “without hindrance”, said the BBC, having already secured cross-party backing.

What exactly are they looking for?
Seabeds in Norway and elsewhere are thought to contain “vast deposits” of minerals like copper and cobalt, which are needed for “electric batteries, wind turbines and other green industries”, explained the Financial Times (FT).

While these minerals are available on land, they are “concentrated in a few countries”, said the BBC. Norway’s government is also looking to “reduce reliance on China in the supply chain of many green industries”, added the FT. 

Under the plans, Norway would open up 280,000 sq km of national waters for companies to mine. 

How’s the news gone down?
Not very well. The FT described the plans as “deeply controversial”, adding that environmentalists say the consequences of seabed extraction are “unknown” but “likely to damage fragile ecosystems”. 

“Green activists, scientists, fishermen and investors” have all called on Oslo to reconsider, said Politico, with Norway’s plan also putting it “at odds” with the EU and UK, who back an international moratorium on deep-sea mining.

Norway’s government insists it will only begin issuing licences to companies once thorough environmental studies have been carried out.

🪫 The “Batterygate” saga

Apple has begun payouts in the US over claims it deliberately slowed down certain iPhones.

Go on…
The so-called “Batterygate” saga began in 2017, when Apple confirmed what many iPhone owners already suspected: that it had deliberately slowed down some older devices. While the tech giant declined to provide an explanation straight away, it later said that its goal was to prolong a phone’s lifespan as the battery aged.

This prompted a slew of class action lawsuits, which claimed that Apple’s actions “drove people to upgrade early”, said The Verge.

And Apple has agreed to pay out?
Yep. The tech site MacRumors reported that cheques began landing in claimants’ inboxes this week, with each receiving around $92.

It’s worth noting that Apple has repeatedly denied the allegations, previously calling the lawsuit “baseless”. It said it had agreed to the settlement only to “avoid burdensome and costly litigation”.

Is it just US-based users who are benefitting?
For the time being, yes - but Apple is currently facing a similar lawsuit in the UK, noted Verdict. Last autumn, a UK court gave the go-ahead to a case brought by consumer champion Justin Gutmann after Apple failed to block the lawsuit.

🥶 Cold weather warnings: An amber cold health alert is in place for much of England until Friday, with temperatures dropping below zero in some parts of the country overnight.

🍳 Free school meals extended: Under plans put forward by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, disadvantaged primary school students in the capital will receive free lunches for another year.

🇰🇷 Dog meat ban: South Korea has passed a bill banning the breeding and slaughter of dogs for consumption, ending what CNN described as “the traditional yet controversial practice”.

👂 Tackling tinnitus: Researchers say that a new app called MindEar, which combines cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with sound therapy and other techniques, can reduce the impact of tinnitus.

⛳ End of an era: Tiger Woods and Nike have ended their 27-year partnership - a sponsorship deal which began as a £31.5m five-year contract back in 1996, when Woods was 20 years old.

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Trivia answer: A) Fleabag actor Andrew Scott revealed on a podcast that he was forced to halt a 2017 production of Shakespeare’s play after an audience member took out their laptop and started sending emails.

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