Amazon and Sony among firms that may have sourced coltan, used in phones, from supply chains controlled by the M23 rebels, says Global Witness
Leading global brands including Amazon, Ericsson and Sony are “likely” to have sourced minerals linked to a militia accused of widespread sexual violence, summary executions and torture, a new investigation claims.
The companies allegedly, but unknowingly, acquired coltan smuggled from mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that are occupied by the M23 militia, which has committed myriad atrocities in eastern DRC.
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© Photograph: Camille Laffont/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: Camille Laffont/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: Camille Laffont/AFP/Getty Images
Abu Dhabi’s state-owned investment firm Mubadala is preparing a bid for the operator of Burger King in Portugal and Spain, which has been owned by British private equity group Cinven
The post Abu Dhabi investor eyes Burger King in Portugal and Spain appeared first on Portugal Resident.
Lisbon was the world’s leading destination for international association congresses and meetings in 2025, according to the latest ranking published by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), cementing the
The post Lisbon tops global rankings for international congresses in 2025 appeared first on Portugal Resident.
Set against the natural backdrop of the Ria Formosa, Quinta do Lago offers a lifestyle centred around openness, wellbeing and a deep connection to the surrounding environment. From early morning
The post A lifestyle shaped by nature appeared first on Portugal Resident.
As last week got underway, Donald Trump used his social media platform to take swipe at, of all people, communists. “Communists always do well with the Voters or, as they would say, THE PEOPLE, in the Early Years!” the president wrote for reasons that were unclear. “But, in the end, the Country, State, or City, GOES TO HELL!”
He added soon after, “Has anyone ever seen a Happy Communist?”
With this rhetorical question still rattling around the algorithm, it was rather ironic to see the Republican end the week calling for a government stake in yet another private industry. The New York Times reported:
President Trump told reporters on Friday that he would soon meet with artificial intelligence companies to discuss partnerships that would give the United States government a stake in the burgeoning industry.
“There’s so much money and it’s so big,” Trump said, according to a pool report from his flight to Wisconsin on Air Force One. Trump added that in the deals he envisions “the American public essentially becomes a partner” in the growth of A.I.
Asked which private AI companies he was eyeing, the president replied, “All of them. All the big ones.”
The comment came just days after independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a self-described socialist, wrote an opinion piece for the Times touting a congressional proposal he had introduced that would “give the public a direct ownership stake in the largest A.I. companies in our country.” The proposal was predictably panned soon after by the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal as “the road to AI state socialism.”
It was around this same time that Trump not only endorsed the same idea, he also told reporters that there was some overlap between his economic vision and the Vermont socialist’s.
Trump: Bernie Sanders lost, you know that I got many of his people — they voted for me. Because, as far as economics is concerned, we have certain things that are not that far apart pic.twitter.com/ZMaks3WS2Z
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 5, 2026
The debate can and should continue about the merits of such a policy, but it’s hard not to notice the familiarity of the circumstances. On the one hand, Trump seems to like condemning those who disagree with him as communists. On the other hand, he also seems oddly interested in having the government taking ownership of parts of a variety of private industries.
In fact, late last year, after the government became the largest shareholder in a company developing extreme ultraviolet lithography tools that are seen as key to the development of semiconductors, my MS NOW colleague Ja’han Jones noted that this extended the Republican administration’s “socialist — if not blatantly authoritarian — trend of making the government a stakeholder in supposed ‘free market’ enterprises.”
Indeed, Jones added, “This trend stands in clear contrast with an administration that publicly decries socialism and a conservative movement that has labeled things like free buses and government-owned grocery stores as anathema to private industry and the American way of life.”
There’s no reason to assume the list won’t keep growing. The president, by his own admission, isn’t eyeing stakes only in AI companies, he and his team have also raised the prospect of seeking ownership stakes in oil companies, pharmaceutical companies and, in one recent instance, the rare-earth metals industry.
This is the same Republican president who’s also spoken publicly about limiting private companies’ profits, dictating private industries’ prices and cutting salaries for some private sector executives.
The Wall Street Journal’s Greg Ip published a provocative analysis on this last summer, noting that Trump’s vision doesn’t quite constitute “socialism,” because it more closely resembles “state capitalism, a hybrid between socialism and capitalism in which the state guides the decisions of nominally private enterprises.”
During the 2024 race, when many business leaders lined up behind the GOP ticket, they likely thought Republican rule would mean corporate tax breaks and fewer regulations. And while those assumptions have proved correct — the White House has delivered corporate tax breaks and freed polluters from regulatory burdens — those same business leaders have also ended up with more than they probably bargained for.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
The post Trump eyes a government stake in AI companies, adding to an unexpected pattern appeared first on MS NOW.
There was a genuine sense of pure celebration in the air as Authentic Restaurant, in Quinta do Lago, marked its second anniversary last Saturday (June 6) with a special evening
The post Authentic Restaurant celebrates two years of success in Quinta do Lago appeared first on Portugal Resident.
If you love art, color, design, beautiful stationery, tools for visual creation, and artist materials of all kinds, in all shapes and sizes, you are in luck. In the central
The post Artists find a miracle in the Algarve appeared first on Portugal Resident.
The Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK has announced the launch of its 2026 Summer Webinar Series, designed for British nationals who are considering moving to, living in, investing
The post Moving to Portugal: 2026 Summer Webinar Series appeared first on Portugal Resident.
Businesses in Albufeira say they have been left facing “panic and anguish” after the municipality introduced new restrictions on nightlife in some of the Algarve’s busiest tourism areas, according to Expresso newspaper.
The post Albufeira nightlife crackdown sparks fears for summer tourism appeared first on Portugal Resident.
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