WAO ART #81

NASA has released stunning images and animations of black holes each day for "Black Hole Week" from May 1-5. The US space agency kicked off the week by publishing an animation comparing the sizes of objects in the solar system to black holes of different sizes.

El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, has signed a law that eliminates all taxes on technology innovations, software and app programming, AI, computer, and communications hardware manufacturing. The move is expected to boost the country's technology sector, generate more jobs, and attract investment.

Vietnam has objected to Australia's release of a limited edition two-dollar coin featuring the yellow flag of South Vietnam, which was used during the Vietnam War. Vietnam has urged Australia to halt the coin's circulation, saying it defies positive bilateral ties.

Several African leaders, mostly from Commonwealth countries, have arrived in London for King Charles's coronation on Saturday. Among those attending are Rwanda's Paul Kagame, King Mswati III of Eswatini, Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi, Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, and Liberia's George Weah.

Binance has listed meme coin PEPE, which has seen its market cap hit $1B. The world's largest crypto exchange by volume has added both Pepecoin and Floki Inu to its innovation zone. FLOKI has soared 57% and PEPE has risen another 77%, pushing the frog-inspired token's market capitalization across the $1B.

The leader of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has announced that he will withdraw his troops from the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on 10 May due to ammunition shortages. Prigozhin blamed top Russian defence officials for the lack of ammunition.

HSBC has successfully fought off an attempt by its largest shareholder, Chinese insurer Ping An, to break up the bank. Ping An, which holds an 8% stake in HSBC, has been trying for over a year to split the bank, arguing that its profitable Asian operations are subsidising weaker areas of the business.