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Zambia’s President is Upset by Stone-throwing Demonstrators

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AFP via Getty Images A head and shoulders image of Hakainde Hichilema speaking. A golden eagle from the Zambian flag can be seen behind him.AFP via Getty Images

Hakainde Hichilema says that his government’s investments will take time to bear fruit

Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema has come out fighting after a bruising month that saw him come under attack by stone throwers as he was trying to make a speech.

Video clips of him crouching and then being whisked away from a rally in the Copperbelt province shocked Zambians and many people, irrespective of their political affiliation, condemned what happened.

But with nine months to go until elections and a run for a second term, the president is under pressure.

On Tuesday, in his first press conference for 18 months, Hichilema set out to defend his record and laid out his achievements on the key issues of the economy and power generation.

“This level of hatred is shocking, you can see and even touch the venom,” he said, while appealing for Zambians to love each other.

But the message may not hit home with those who are continuing to struggle day to day.

The president has lost touch with “the real pulse of the people”, according to an opposition candidate to be mayor of the capital, Lusaka, Simon Mwila, who was trying to explain why people were throwing stones “rather than flowers”.

Sishuwa Sishuwa, a Zambian historian and senior lecturer at South Africa’s Stellenbosch University, argues that the president has turned his back on what he once stood for.

“In power and over the last four years, Hichilema has turned out to be nearly everything he detested about his predecessor, Edgar Lungu, and, in some cases, much worse,” the academic told the BBC.

This is a charge rejected by the president, who pointed out his record on solving the debt crisis that he inherited and stabilising government finances.

On 8 November, Hichilema may have hoped for a friendlier reception in Chingola town, particularly as he had arrived with $450,000 (£340,000) to go towards rebuilding a local market that had been destroyed in a fire.

Instead, an angry crowd forced him to abandon his address.

Police blamed the trouble on “unruly members of the public” who were allegedly looting local shops. At least 27 people have been arrested for violence and arson.

At his press conference this week, Hichilema accused illegal artisanal miners of being behind the violence as his government was trying to crack down on this unregistered work.

“We will not allow any thuggery to return ever again,” he said.

X President Hakainde Hichilema crouches behind a microphone. A hand can be seen reaching out from the left hand side of the frame touching the president on the back. A man behind the president is looking nervous.X

A grainy video captured the moment that President Hakainde Hichilema (crouching behind the microphone) came under attack

In the 2021 elections, Hichilema, who had already made five unsuccessful runs for the presidency, surfed a wave of popularity that swept him into power in a landslide victory over Lungu.

By polling day, the country had defaulted on its debts, annual price inflation was touching 25% and there were frequent power blackouts.

Under the slogan “Bally will fix it” (“bally” is Zambian slang for father), he positioned himself as the solution to virtually all the problems the country faced.

Debt repayments have since been renegotiated and inflation has come down.

This week, Hichilema said that whereas four years ago there was a “huge debt mountain” and “we were living beyond our means”, now Zambia’s credit rating had improved and it was attracting investment from all over the world.

He also argued that the country’s vital mining sector was rebounding.

But with the August 2026 election approaching, Hichilema is finding out that he is not necessarily thanked for what he has achieved but rather criticised for what has not changed.

Economist Trevor Hambayi has described the progress with the nation’s finances as an “overriding success story”.

Better budgetary controls have helped boost investment in infrastructure, education, social programmes, health and the recruitment of essential government workers.

Annual inflation has come down to just below 12%, and the currency, the kwacha, has recently strengthened following a precipitous decline in the early years of the Hichilema presidency.

But Mr Hambayi told the BBC that the failure to resolve the power crisis had had a big impact on people, along with the “high cost of living and the lack of employment opportunities”.

“These are the metrics that speak to the ordinary Zambian.”

In its October report, the Lusaka-based Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, which monitors the cost of living, said people were being squeezed by high prices for essential food and non-food items that “continue to absorb a growing share of household income”.

It added that although inflation had eased, “many families still cannot meet basic needs without reducing food quality or skipping meals”.

The president did acknowledge the energy problem in September, saying that the government feels “the pain and frustration of power outages faced by our citizens”.

Getty Images A family scene showing people dealing with power cuts. On the left, a woman is cooking by the light of a mobile phone and in the right, two people are looking at a phone.Getty Images

Power shortages are making the lives of ordinary people very hard

And this week he said Zambia’s generation capacity had been “decapitated” by a recent drought owing to its reliance on hydroelectricity.

“This challenge was a wake-up call. Now we have woken up,” he added, promising more solar and thermal energy projects.

Throughout his 15 years in opposition, Hichilema portrayed himself as an upholder of democratic values.

But once in state house, he has been accused of passing oppressive measures which he had previously opposed, such as the Cybersecurity Law.

This legislation, while seen as necessary for dealing with things like online fraud and child pornography, has been criticised for allowing the surveillance of anyone the state sees as undesirable.

Academic Dr Sishuwa also accused Hichilema of using the law against his opponents – exactly what he had criticised under the previous administration.

“After he commendably abolished the law on defamation of the president, he quickly turned to other repressive statutes to arrest critics and political opponents on a variety of charges such as sedition, criminal libel, hate speech, espionage and unlawful assembly,” he said.

The president insists that his government respects the rule of law and has not targeted anyone for political reasons.

Hichilema has also backed a controversial constitutional review process, including a plan to increase the number of constituencies so there would be more MPs in parliament.

While in opposition, he successfully campaigned against a review that incorporated a similar idea, saying this would enable then-President Lungu to stay in power and that it was too close to elections to embark on such a huge change.

He now argues that, according to the constitution, Zambia needs to create new constituencies every 10 years.

The president says that the delimitation exercise, or the increase in the number of constituencies, is important to ensure that resources are distributed equally.

And he has hit out at critics who are planning to hold national prayers to protest against the process on Friday, saying there is already a consultation process and discussions at state house, as well as legal avenues to object.

With the clock ticking down towards next year’s election, the president appears concerned about the way that people are responding to him.

While calling for tempers to cool, Hichilema has urged patience, saying it takes time for long-term development and investment programmes to have an impact.

But as the volley of stones thrown his way attests, patience may be wearing thin for some.

More about Zambia from the BBC:
Getty Images/BBC A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News AfricaGetty Images/BBC

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Two National Guards Injured in Washington DC Shooting, Suspect in Custody – Latest Donald Trump News

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Form 6K submission for Golden Heaven Group Holdings Ltd. on 26 November

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Form 6K GOLDEN HEAVEN GROUP HOLDINGS LTD. For: 26 November

Judge in Georgia dismisses 2020 election interference case against Trump

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A Georgia judge has dismissed the sprawling 2020 election interference case against Donald Trump, ending the final effort to prosecute the president for allegedly attempting to overturn his loss to Joe Biden.

Peter Skandalakis, who took over the case after the initial prosecutor’s removal, asked Judge Scott McAfee to dismiss the charges on Wednesday.

Trump’s lawyer Steve Sadow praised the decision to end the “political persecution” against the president.

The dismissal concludes the last of Trump’s four criminal cases, only one of which saw trial and resulted in a conviction.

A Georgia appeals court removed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the case after it determined a romantic relationship with a special prosecutor created an “appearance of impropriety”.

Skandalakis, executive director of the nonpartisan agency Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, appointed himself to the case after Willis’ disqualification and when other state prosecutors declined to take the case.

In Wednesday’s motion to a Fulton County judge, he said he was discontinuing the case “to serve the interests of justice and promote judicial finality”.

“As a former elected official who ran as both a Democrat and a Republican and now is the Executive Director of a non-partisan agency, this decision is not guided by a desire to advance an agenda but is based on my beliefs and understanding of the law,” Skandalakis added.

Around five million votes for president were cast in Georgia in 2020, with Biden winning the critical swing state by just under 12,000 votes.

Trump and some of his allies refused to accept the result, and the state quickly became a focal point for efforts to overturn the election.

In January 2021, The Washington Post published a recording of Trump speaking with Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

“I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state,” Trump said in the recording.

Willis began investigating Trump’s activities soon after the report, convening a special grand jury to weigh the facts.

Willis filed an indictment in August 2023 alleging that Trump conspired with 18 other defendants to interfere in the election result. The charges included racketeering and other state offences.

The group “refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and wilfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump”.

Four co-defendants took plea deals with prosecutors that resulted mostly in fines, suspended sentences and community service, including attorneys Sidney Powell, Kenneth Cheseboro, and Jenna Ellis.

Wednesday’s dismissal also applies to the remaining co-defendants, including former New York mayor and Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows, chief of staff during Trump’s first presidency.

Mr Sadow, president Trump’s lead attorney in the case, praised the decision to drop the charges.

“The political persecution of President Trump by disqualified DA Fani Willis is finally over,” he said. “This case should never have been brought. A fair and impartial prosecutor has put an end to this lawfare.”

The Georgia election interference case was once considered the most threatening of Trump’s four criminal indictments, because he could not pardon himself from state-level charges if he returned to office.

Prosecutors brought Trump to the Fulton County Jail, where they took his mugshot.

Legal experts who closely followed the case were not surprised by its dismissal. A judge tossed out several of the charges in 2024, and Willis was disqualified a few months later.

Willis’ removal raised doubts about whether a replacement would take up such a complicated prosecution. Trump’s 2024 election essentially put his case on hold until his term ends in 2029.

“It was incredibly unlikely it was going to go forward anyway, because the amount of financial resources and man hours necessary to take on this case didn’t seem to be within the scope of what Peter Skandalakis had,” said Anthony Michael Kreis, a professor at the Georgia State College of Law.

However, Mr Kries was surprised by some of Skandalakis’ reasoning for dropping the case.

“I think the report itself to me is a little more surprising because it seems to give the president and some of his allies a lot of benefit of the doubt, given what the evidence brought forth looked like,” he said.

Trump has also faced a series of other criminal proceedings.

These include a 2024 conviction in a New York hush-money case, and he is appealing against it.

Two additional federal cases – one alleging he conspired to overturn the 2020 election and another accusing him of unlawfully retaining classified documents – were dropped following his return to the White House.

He also faces several high-profile civil lawsuits which are progressing through the appeals courts.

Earlier this month, Trump asked the US Supreme Court to review the $5m (£3.6m) civil case brought by writer E Jean Carroll, after a federal appeals court upheld the award and declined to rehear the matter. The court said he defamed and sexually abused Ms Carroll, allegations he denies.

In August, a New York appeals court threw out a $500m civil fraud penalty against Trump that resulted from a separate, civil fraud lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Nobel laureate Paul Krugman links Bitcoin’s collapse to Trump’s diminishing influence: ‘It’s the undoing of the Trump trade’

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It’s no coincidence that Bitcoin’s collapsing price has coincided with signs of President Donald Trump’s diminishing political power, according to Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize-winning economist and professor of economics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Fresh off its all-time high of $126,000 last month, Bitcoin has been in freefall for the past month, sitting at about $87,000 as of Wednesday after falling to a six-month low of about $81,000 last week. Cryptocurrency’s broader $1 trillion selloff has even cost the Trump family—with its ample ventures in crypto—$1 billion of its fortunes, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

To Krugman, formerly an outspoken and longtime New York Times columnist, Bitcoin’s latest rout is an indication that Trump has lost his edge. Krugman notes that Trump has long been friendly to the crypto industry, in addition to having significant investments in the sector.

“How should we understand Bitcoin’s recent crash? Think of it as the unraveling of the Trump trade,” Krugman said in a Substack post on Monday. “Trump remains as determined as ever to reward the industry that made his family rich, and those around him are as determined as ever to make America safe for predators of all kinds.”

“But Trump’s power is visibly diminishing, so the price of Bitcoin, which has in effect become a bet on Trumpism, has plunged,” he added.

Krugman’s argument of a ‘Trump trade’ collapse

Krugman, who has made no secret of his contempt for cryptocurrencies (or of Trump and Trumpism), argues their rise is inextricably linked with the Trump administration’s raft of friendly policies and actions toward crypto investors and exchanges. That includes calling for the creation of a government Bitcoin reserve, as well as signing an executive order in August to allow U.S. citizens to invest retirement savings in cryptocurrency, as well as other assets. Last month, Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who pleaded guilty in 2023 for violating U.S. money laundering laws while CEO of the crypto exchange. 

Trump himself holds an estimated $870 million in Bitcoin, making him one of the largest investors in the currency, and his family has grown its own crypto empire over the last few years. In September, American Bitcoin, a Bitcoin mining company backed by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., began trading under Nasdaq and notched a $5 billion valuation in its debut. A Fortune analysis published in March found Trump’s crypto holdings made up about $3 billion of his net worth.

Trump’s broader policy moves have been correlated with past crypto selloffs, including last month, when a crash coincided with the president weighing an additional 100% tariff on China.

But lately, Krugman noted, Trump’s partisan influence has wavered, evidenced by near-unanimous bipartisan support for the release of the Epstein files, as well as waning Republican approval for the president’s handling of the economy following growing concern over a “K-shaped economy.” That’s on top of blowout Democratic victories at the polls, including the election of democratic socialist mayors in New York and Seattle.

In Krugman’s eyes, these election defeats and increased scrutiny of Trump’s handling of the economy loosen Republicans’ willingness to show “lockstep obedience” with the president. He cites blogger and journalist Josh Marshall, who has posited that “power is unitary,” or that weakness in any part of the president’s image translates to an overall perception of weakness, which extends in his influence in the crypto sector.

“A weakened Trump is less able to work his will on all fronts, including his efforts to promote crypto,” Krugman said.

To be sure, Krugman may be generous in how much credit he gives Trump for his control over cryptocurrency, which operates in its own environment, only adjacent to whomever holds political power. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said the Trump administration is implementing policies meant to help cryptocurrency prosper and rebuked the idea that non-policy factors in Trump’s presidency would have the ability to move the price of Bitcoin.

“Only a moron would ignore these policies and attribute price fluctuations for a privately traded cryptocurrency to non-economic matters concerning the President,” Desai told Fortune in a statement.

Pope Leo bestows blessings upon enthusiastic rave crowd in Slovakia

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new video loaded: Pope Leo Blesses Rave Crowd in Slovakia

transcript

transcript

Pope Leo Blesses Rave Crowd in Slovakia

Pope Leo XIV blessed hundreds of people at a rave in Slovakia via a video message in early November. The event was hosted by Guilherme Peixoto, a Portuguese priest who doubles as an electronic D.J.

“[Your presence] is a tangible sign of the fraternity and peace that is instilled in our hearts by friendship with Christ. And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit come upon you and remain with you always. Amen.” “This is for our beloved archbishop brethren. Come, come.” [cheering]

Pope Leo XIV blessed hundreds of people at a rave in Slovakia via a video message in early November. The event was hosted by Guilherme Peixoto, a Portuguese priest who doubles as an electronic D.J.

By Axel Boada

November 26, 2025

‘Pause’: UMG UK Unveils a Studio Transforming Music Video Stills into Artwork

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Universal Music Group UK has launched Pause, a studio that turns stills from music videos into collectible, one-of-a-kind art prints.

The Pause player allows users to scan a music video, find a frame they particularly like, and have it turned into a print on either A3- or A2-sized paper. Every frame of a video is only ever used once, ensuring a unique collectible product.

Pause is launching with Amy Winehouse’s You Know I’m No Good, a track off the legendary artist’s second and final album Back to Black. For every print sold, UMG UK will donate to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, a charity that helps vulnerable and disadvantaged young people, with a focus on substance abuse. The charity says it has reached over 440,000 people since it was launched in 2011, in the wake of Winehouse’s premature death.

“Amy Winehouse’s legacy continues to resonate across generations, and we’re excited to give fans a new way to connect with her work. It’s about celebrating the creativity and artistry that went into her music videos, and recognizing music videos as an important cultural medium in their own right,” said James Wheatley, Senior Director, Commercial Development & Technology at UMG.

“The beauty of Pause and what excites us about the proposition is that it is easy to articulate to artists, management and fans alike, everyone gets it and recognizes the value. To be able to choose a favorite moment from the artist you love as a one-of-one art piece that no-one else can ever own feels truly special.”

Each print from the Pause studio comes with a certificate of authentication. Prices range from GBP £65 (USD $89) for an A3-sized print without frame, to £495 ($655) for an A2-sized Collector Edition with a walnut frame featuring a magnetic closing system.

“To be able to choose a favorite moment from the artist you love as a one-of-one art piece that no-one else can ever own feels truly special.”

James Wheatley, Universal Music Group

“Music videos are some of the most creative, emotional, and culturally influential pieces of visual storytelling we have. Yet too often they disappear into the digital ether after release,” Pause Co-Founder Steven O’Connor said.

“At Pause, our mission is to resurrect these moments as art, turning single frames from iconic videos into lasting, collectible artworks. We want to give fans the opportunity to own a piece of music history, and in doing so, help people rediscover and celebrate the artistry of the music video.”

Pause Co-Founder Wai Hung Young said the studio’s products are “a bridge between music, creativity, and the tangible world. Our goal is to elevate the music video from a transient screen experience to a collectible art form, inspiring a new generation of collectors while preserving the cultural and emotional significance of these works.”

Young added that the Amy Winehouse collection “is one of our largest launches in the UK and a significant step in building a broader category where visual music culture is valued as art.”

Other artists working with Pause are Norwegian singer Aurora, alt-rock band Keane, singer Self Esteem, and actor and singer Jeff Goldblum.

While its prints are at present focused on music videos, the company says it plans to expand its visual collectibles into film, gaming, TV, fashion, and sport.Music Business Worldwide

Mitchell and Cunningham Top NBA 2K26 Ratings Update – Basketball Insiders

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NBA 2K26 has released its newest ratings update, and several rising stars gained ground after strong recent play. The changes reflect real production across the league, and the biggest jumps belong to Donovan Mitchell, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Johnson.

Mitchell Reaches New High at 94 OVR

Donovan Mitchell continues to deliver elite scoring for the Cleveland Cavaliers. His latest stretch pushed him to a 94 OVR, up one point. Mitchell has averaged 32.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.4 assists over the last two weeks. The numbers match the best rhythm of his career, and the game now mirrors that surge.

Cleveland saw more movement in this update. Jarrett Allen climbed to 85 OVR, while Evan Mobley dropped one point to 88. De’Andre Hunter, Jaylon Tyson and others also improved.

Cunningham Climbs After Huge Triple-Double

Cade Cunningham also rose by one point, landing at a 93 OVR. His jump follows a massive triple-double: 46 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals and two blocks. At just 24 years old, he continues to trend upward.

Detroit had several upgrades. Jalen Duren moved to 87 OVR after a three-point rise. Daniss Jenkins posted the biggest leap for the Pistons, climbing nine points to 79 OVR.

Donovan Mitchell On Cavs' Disappointing Season 'Let City Down'Donovan Mitchell On Cavs' Disappointing Season 'Let City Down'

Jalen Johnson Continues Breakout Rise

Jalen Johnson’s stock has risen faster than almost anyone in the league. At launch, he barely cracked the top-100 players list. Since then, he has climbed four points and gained two more in this update. He now sits at an 87 OVR for Atlanta. Johnson has stepped into a major role with Trae Young out, and 2K rewarded that growth.

Young Hawks teammate Kon Knueppel also jumped to 82 OVR after a three-point boost.

Notable Movers Across the League

Devin Booker rose to 93 OVR, Tyrese Maxey reached 90 OVR, and Paolo Banchero dropped one point to 89. Lauri Markkanen moved to 88 OVR, while Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes both improved.

Rookies and role players saw major shifts as well. Grayson Allen climbed four points to 82 OVR, Derik Queen rose six points to 80, and Brandon Williams jumped four points to 77.

The update shows how quickly the league can change. Strong stretches keep pushing young players forward, and NBA 2K26 continues to mirror that movement.

Innovative Electrostatic Car Speakers Produce Immense Soundstage

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If the listening experience inside your car just isn’t cutting it, perk up your ears: a UK-based hi-fi audio company has returned to its physics textbooks to build a new speaker system that makes your music sound like it’s playing in a space 10 times bigger than the cabin.

The bold claim comes from Warwick Acoustics, which makes super high-end headphones and amplifiers for discerning audiophiles – we’re talking around US$S50,000 for a pair and a companion DAC.

It specializes in electrostatic speaker technology, where you’ll see an ultra-thin, electrically charged diaphragm sandwiched between two perforated metal plates that act as electrodes. When an audio signal passes through these plates, it creates a varying electrostatic field that pushes and pulls the diaphragm back and forth, producing sound waves.

In electrostatic speakers, when an audio signal passes through a pair of ‘electrodes,’ a varying electrostatic field pushes and pulls the sandwiched electrically charged diaphragm, producing sound waves

Warwick Acoustics

This sort of speaker can be much thinner than conventional dynamic speakers that have cones and voice coils. In fact, Warwick’s approach for automotive audio involves speakers that measure just 1 mm in thickness, and are said to weigh 90% less than regular ones. The housing adds a bit of thickness, but even so, they’re basically just flat panels.

A conventional dynamic speaker (top), compared to a Warwick Acoustics electrostatic speaker for cars, measuring just 12 mm thick including its housing (bottom)
A conventional dynamic speaker (top), compared to a Warwick Acoustics electrostatic speaker for cars, measuring just 12 mm thick including its housing (bottom)

Warwick Acoustics

Interestingly, electrostatic speakers don’t contain any rare earth elements, and Warwick says it makes its speakers entirely from upcycled and recycled materials – so there’s a small sustainability win there. Warwick says it’ll be the first to produce an automotive speaker system using this tech. The company’s been working on this specifically for cars for years now, and it’s close to production.

So where does the magic of this 10x soundstage enlargement happen? First, we’ll need to understand in-car audio a bit. As soundwaves travel through the air, they flatten and spread out, and the human ear can perceive where the sound is coming from – and from how far away. With conventional speakers in the confines of a car, there’s not a lot of room for the sound to appear to be coming from anywhere but your immediate surroundings.

Warwick Acoustics says its slim speakers generate planar, or “near-flat”, sound waves that initially sound flat – without soaring highs or booming bass. “We then perceive this as a sound that has begun further away – in some cases up to 30 m (nearly 100 ft) – from our ears, and thus representative of a venue much bigger than the physical size of the car cabin. The speed and accuracy of Warwick Acoustics’ electrostatic speakers also reduces the need to manipulate sound using digital techniques giving the potential to reduce the size, cost and energy consumptions of the digital signal processing (DSP) components,” explains the company’s CCO, Ian Hubbard.

Warwick Acoustics expects to debut its electrostatic automotive speaker system in a luxury car from a major brand in 2026
Warwick Acoustics expects to debut its electrostatic automotive speaker system in a luxury car from a major brand in 2026

Warwick Acoustics

Along with this, the tech allows for the flexibility of placing the speakers at or above ear level, such as in the A-pillars and the roof lining. This further enhances these electrostatic speakers’ ability to mimic the experience of listening to music in a large hall.

Getting the speakers into locations at or above ear level can help your music sound like it's being played in a large space
Getting the speakers into locations at or above ear level can help your music sound like it’s being played in a large space

Warwick Acoustics

That all sounds like a treat – and remarkably different than the descriptions of audio systems for most cars on the market today. We won’t have to wait long to hear this in action: Warwick says its tech will feature in a vehicle from a “global luxury car maker” sometime next year. My ears are ready.

Source: Warwick Acoustics