Author: Editorial Desk

Italy: Venice will introduce a fee for day tourists to enter the city’s overcrowded historic centre from next April. Through the scheme, Venice authorities aim to reduce crowds, encourage longer visits, and improve the quality of life for residents. The system is designed to control the flow of tourists at periods when visitor numbers are at their highest, local authorities stated. Under the scheme, day visitors will pay $5.45 to enter the city centre between 8:30 am and 4 pm during the peak tourist season from April 25 to May 5. The city Mayor, Mr. Luigi Brugnaro, commented that, “It…

Switzerland: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a warning that the misuse of antibiotics is denting their efficacy and spawning resistant bacteria which could be responsible for 10 million deaths worldwide by 2050. This warning came following a survey on the use of antibiotics conducted by the WHO. A study carried out by the WHO’s European chapter revealed that antibiotics were prescribed for common colds (24 percent of cases), flu-like symptoms (16 percent), sore throats (21 percent), and coughs (18 percent). The survey was carried out in 14 countries, mostly in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. “While AMR (antimicrobial…

United States: Google has updated its Bard AI chatbot, which can now answer questions about YouTube videos. According to reports, Bard already had the ability to analyse YouTube videos with the launch of the YouTube extension but with the latest update, the chatbot can now give you specific answers to queries related to the content of a video. “We are taking the first steps in Bard’s ability to understand YouTube videos. For example, if you are looking for videos on how to make olive oil cake, you can now also ask how many eggs the recipe in the first video…

United States: US-based computer chip maker, Broadcom has completed its acquisition of cloud computing firm VMware after China approved the $69 billion deal. The approval comes after the Chinese President, Mr. Xi Jinping, and the US President, Mr. Joe Biden, met last week at the APEC summit in San Francisco. Mr. Hock Tan, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Broadcom, stated that, “We are excited to welcome VMware to Broadcom and bring together our engineering-first, innovation-centric teams as we take another important step forward in building the world’s leading infrastructure technology company.” “Broadcom has a long track record of investing…

Pakistan: Pakistan’s Supreme Court has accepted a bail application from detained former Prime Minister, Mr. Imran Khan. The decision comes shortly after another court declared his trial illegal for leaking state secrets. The former cricket star is hoping to secure bail and lead his party’s campaign for a February 8 general election. On August 5, Mr. Khan was sentenced to three years in prison for selling gifts from the state without authorization while serving as Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022. “A decision will come in the next hearing after arguments from both sides,” lawyer, Mr. Naeem Panjutha said in…

Ethiopia: Ethiopia’s government has stated that the second round of peace talks with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a rebel group from the country’s most populous region, Oromia, ended without a deal. The negotiations in Tanzania between the government and the OLA followed talks in April and May that also failed to produce an agreement. This was the latest attempt by the Ethiopian government and the OLA to end a five-year-long insurgency in the Oromia region. As per the statement, the OLA is an outlawed splinter group of a formerly banned opposition party that returned from exile in 2018. The…

United States:  Mr. Changpeng Zhao, the founder and CEO of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has resigned from his role after pleading guilty to money laundering violations. According to the US Department of Justice (DoJ), Binance must pay $4.3 billion in penalties and forfeitures. The announcement is the most recent setback for the cryptocurrency industry. Cryptocurrency has also come under scrutiny for being used as a tool by illicit groups to circumvent global financial safeguards. “I made mistakes, and I must take responsibility. This is best for our community, for Binance, and for myself”, Mr. Zhao wrote on X,…

Papua New Guinea: Ulawun, the most active volcano in the South Pacific, has erupted forcing residents to evacuate and the island’s airport to cancel flights. According to the country’s Geohazards Management Division, the volcano, which is located in a remote island of Papua New Guinea, send smoke up to 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) into the sky, marking its first major outburst in many years. The eruption on New Britain island prompted officials to coordinate evacuation plans and cancel flights at the region’s Hoskins airport. The ash plume continued to rise and reach at least 5 kilometres (3.1 miles), but the…

South Africa:  The South African President Office has stated that the BRICS groups of nations will hold an Extraordinary Joint Meeting on November 21, 2023, to discuss the situation in Gaza. According to the statement, South African President, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, will chair the virtual meeting, which will also be attended by the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Significantly, Mr. Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations, will also take part in the meeting. As per the statement, in the meeting, the South African President will deliver an opening speech, followed by speeches from invited states…

Washington, United States: US Defense Secretary, Mr. Lloyd Austin, has made a surprise visit to Ukraine with an additional $100 million in security assistance for the war-torn nation. Mr. Austin met with Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, Mr. Rustem Umerov, the Defense Minister, and Mr. Valerii Zaluzhny, the Commander-in-Chief General, during his first visit to Kyiv since April 2022. The Defense Secretary promised the US would remain a supporter of Ukraine in the long run. “The message that I bring you today, Mr. President, is that the United States of America is with you. We will remain with you…