Undersea Google internet cable will connect Togo to Europe

The first branch of Google’s Equiano underwater internet cable — which will eventually run from Cape Town, South Africa to Lisbon, Portugal — has landed in Lomé, Togo, the company announced Friday. The massive fiber optic cable will be Google’s first t…

Impostor poses as Ukraine’s Prime Minister in video call with UK defense secretary

The British defense secretary has ordered an inquiry into a video call he received on Thursday from an imposter pretending to be Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s prime minister. In a series of tweets, the Right Honorable Ben Wallace disclosed that the man aske…

Zelensky signs bill legalizing crypto industry in Ukraine

Cryptocurrency will soon be a legal asset class in Ukraine, thanks to a new bill signed into law by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation tweeted today that both foreign and Ukrainian cryptocurrency exchanges are cleared to operate in the country. Crypto companies will soon be able to open accounts in Ukrainian banks as well. The world has sent an estimated $100 million in crypto donations to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, including the Ukrainian military, aid groups, hacktivists and everyday citizens.

“The signing of this Law by the President is another important step towards bringing the crypto sector out of the shadows and launching a legal market for virtual assets in Ukraine,” wrote Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation in its announcement of the law’s signing.

Cryptocurrency has technically not been illegal in Ukraine (hence the millions in donations and the nation’s status as the leading country for crypto adoption). But digital assets in Ukraine have more or less operated in a legal gray area. Neither people nor companies in Ukraine could own or trade crypto in the market, for example. A spike in crypto crime and money laundering in Ukraine and Eastern Europe in recent years led to the nation’s government cracking down on the industry.

The new law sets forth a legal framework for Ukraine’s burgeoning crypto industry to exist, as well as taps the National Bank of Ukraine and its National Commission on Securities and Stock Market to serve as regulators. It also paves the way for more laws and a tax code on crypto, which, hopefully, will further legitimize the crypto industry in Ukraine. 

Two master skydivers will swap planes mid-air in Hulu livestream

Skydivers Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington will attempt a feat that has never been done before (and likely for good reason): The two cousins and professional daredevils will each fly their own Cessna 182 “experimental aircraft” to an elevation of 14,000 feet, simultaneously pitch the planes into a vertical nosedive and then proceed to leap into each other’s’ respective aircraft. Hulu will be livestreaming the aeronautical feat, courtesy of Red Bull TV, on April 24th.

Both Aikin and Farrington regularly perform aerial acts that are not for the faint of heart as members of the Red Bull Air Force, the members of which are some of the best professional skydivers and wingsuit flyers in the world. Aikin made history in 2016 by becoming the first person to jump 7600 meters without a parachute, engineers designed what amounts to a human-sized fish net to break his fall. Andy Farrington’s career highlights include winning the Red Bull ACES championship — a global wingsuit racing competition — twice. Despite being the youngest member of the Red Bull Airforce, the 39-year old has more skydives, BASE jumps and flying hours under his belt than any other member of the team.

The act of plane swapping wouldn’t be technically possible without significant alterations to the aircraft themselves. Aircraft engineer Dr. Paulo Iscold designed a custom airbrake system that allows for both planes to maintain a controlled vertical descent after the cousins disembark. In other words, both planes will descend in a more controlled fashion, roughly at the speed of the skydivers’ descent.

Plane Swap will be livestreamed on Hulu on Sunday, April 24th at 4:00 pm PT/7:00 pm ET.

‘Ted Lasso’ takes home best comedy series at the Critics Choice Awards

The fish-out-of-water sitcom Ted Lasso took home four major awards Sunday at the 27th annual Critics Choice Awards, a night that was dominated by the streaming platforms. The Apple TV+ original nabbed best comedy series, beating out other critically-ac…

Uber adds fuel surcharge due to spike in gas prices

Unusually high gas prices throughout the US and Canada has led to Uber tacking on a fuel surcharge to rides and deliveries, according to a blog post on the company’s website. This likely won’t surprise anyone who’s gotten behind the wheel recently. A rapid spike in crude oil and gas prices due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made paying anywhere from $50 to $80 to fill a tank the norm.

“We know that prices have been going up across the economy, so we’ve done our best to help drivers and couriers without placing too much additional burden on consumers. Over the coming weeks we plan to listen closely to feedback from consumers, couriers and drivers. We’ll also continue to track gas price movements to determine if we need to make additional changes,” wrote Uber spokesperson Liza Winship on the company’s website.

Uber’s fuel surcharge will vary by state and by the amount of miles driven. For Uber rides, the fuel surcharge will be anywhere between $0.45 to $0.55 per trip. For Uber Eats deliveries, the fee will be between $0.35 to $0.45 per trip. The company says the additional fee will go straight to Uber drivers, who pay for mileage out of their own pockets. The policy won’t apply at all in New York City, where drivers have a pay floor and the majority of delivery drivers are on bikes.

Interestingly enough, riders will have to pay the fuel surcharge even if they’re riding in an EV. According to The Verge, Uber hopes this will be an additional incentive for drivers to switch to electric vehicles. But given that Uber already charges passengers an additional $1 for its Uber Green option — which only deploys hybrid or electric vehicles— this could lead to some Uber Green customers opting for cheaper ride options.

High gas prices have led to some Uber drivers working for below minimum wage, especially in California, where the average price of a gallon of regular gas on Friday was $5.802, significantly higher than the national average. Some Uber drivers have opted to not work at all due to the price of gas.

Uber’s fuel surcharge will go into effect on March 16th, 2021, after which the company will re-evaluate the policy.