Morning Bird: China has started the battle for chips. Self-employed will be able to treat children, the law was signed by President Pavel
China accuses the American computer chip manufacturing company Nvidia of monopolistic behavior. President Pavel signed a legislative amendment allowing support for the care of family members also for self-employed people. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will testify in court, which accuses him of corruption. Additional F-16 planes from Danish armament have arrived in Ukraine.
China accuses Nvidia of monopoly, war over chips is behind it all
China has initiated an antitrust investigation into the American chip manufacturer Nvidia, which according to Chinese state media is the world's largest supplier of processors for artificial intelligence. This investigation serves as the latest escalation in the fight for dominance in the field of artificial intelligence, which is key to national security according to both the United States and China.
China Central Television reported on Monday that the Chinese government believes Nvidia's purchase of Israeli networking company Mellanox could violate the country's antitrust laws, although the report did not specify how the merger potentially violates the law. China approved the acquisition in 2020, however. Nvidia's shares fell by almost 2% on Monday. They are among the hottest on the market, increasing by almost 200% this year because the artificial intelligence boom has boosted demand for the company's chips. Its market value exceeds 3 trillion dollars, which is second only to Apple, CNN reported.
President Petr Pavel signed a law on sick pay for entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs and the self-employed will now be entitled to support when caring for a family member, which is most often used by parents with young children. However, the condition is that they regularly pay sick insurance for at least three months. The amendment to the law will also treat people with "part-time" employment in the same way, i.e. people working on the basis of employment contracts. The statutory measure was signed by President Petr Pavel and nothing is stopping its practical implementation, ČTK reported.
Netanyahu to testify in court for the first time as a witness
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make his first appearance as a witness in a corruption trial on Tuesday; a critical point in his ongoing case, which is taking place while he is leading a war in Gaza and facing an international arrest warrant on charges of war crimes.
Netanyahu is being tried at home on charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes. Netanyahu denies the wrongdoing, but his testimony will be the darkest point in his decade-long political career and will contrast with the image of a cultivated and respected leader he strives to maintain. The trial will take a part of Netanyahu's time at a crucial moment for Israel. While he will be appearing from the defendant's bench for several weeks, he will still be tasked with leading the war in Gaza, maintaining a fragile ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and monitoring threats from the broader Middle East, including Iran, according to the AP agency.
More Danish F-16s have arrived in Ukraine
Denmark has delivered a second batch of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. The news was announced on Saturday by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived in Paris for a meeting with the highest politicians and officials. In a message on Telegram, Zelensky praised Denmark and expressed regret over the insufficient involvement of other allies. The message about the delivery of advanced aviation technology, which the Ukrainian army has been lacking for a long time, comes at a time when Ukraine has suffered further missile attacks from Russia, in which at least 10 civilians were killed, the AP agency reported.
Sources: apnews.com, cnn.com, CTK
