ICYMI: News Round-Up for April 8-12, 2024

Here are just a few of the news events that took place around the world this week:

1. Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC announced plans to build a third advanced semiconductor plant in Arizona. The Biden Administration, which is looking to boost domestic chip production, will support the company’s local expansion with $6.6B in grants from the CHIPS Act.
2. A solar eclipse traversed North America. An estimated 30 million people live with the path of totality, with another 150 million people living within a short drive. Estimates vary, but the economic impact of eclipse tourism could have been over a billion dollars.
3. America's environmental agency, the EPA, set national limits on PFAS in drinking water. These so-called “forever chemicals” pose a wide range of health risks in both humans and animals. PFAS is common in non-stick cookware, as well as stain and fire resistant applications.
4. Meta unveiled a new AI chip, a day after Google and Intel revealed new chips amid fierce competition to power the AI boom.
5. On the six month milestone of the initial attack, Israel withdrew most of its troops from southern Gaza. Palestinian residents returning to Khan Younis were greeted by widespread damage. Estimates indicate that over half of the area's buildings have been damaged or destroyed.
6. Authorities in Vietnam handed down a death sentence to Truong My Lan. The property developer perpetrated one of the largest bank fraud cases ever, taking $44 billion from Saigon Commercial Bank. Given the massive scale of fraud, questions have been raise over how Truong My Lan was able to get away with it for so long.
7. A series of Russian airstrikes destroyed a major power station near Kyiv yesterday. The power company's chairman stated, "the scale of destruction is terrifying". In addition to the power plant, Russian missiles and drones target a number of sites around the country in the early hours of Thursday morning.
8. Ukraine’s parliament passed a law to boost military conscription. Under the law, men between the ages of 18 and 60 will need to carry documents proving their military registration. The move comes on the heels of another controversial decision to lower the draft age to 25 from 27.