Author: News Desk

Australia: Australia’s online safety regulator has released new standards to tackle terrorist content and child abuse material but won’t compromise end-to-end encryption. In June this year, the eSafety commissioner, Ms. Julie Inman Grant, turned down two industry-made rules as they didn’t mandate cloud storage, email, or encrypted messaging services to spot child abuse material. Instead, the regulator started crafting compulsory standards, which were shared in draft form on November 20. The suggested standards ask cloud and messaging service operators to spot and delete known child abuse and pro-terror content where possible. They also aim to prevent and discourage the creation…

United Kingdom: The National Trust has called on the UK Government to introduce climate resilience legislation to establish climate change adaptation as a legal requirement for public bodies. In a new report, the trust said it is already experiencing first-hand the consequences of more frequent extreme weather events, such as drought, heavy rain, and wildfires, on its properties. They’re proposing a “Climate Resilience Act” to establish goals for dealing with higher temperatures and extreme weather. They emphasize the urgent need for focused attention on this matter. The National Trust will release a significant report detailing its efforts in adaptation. This includes…

Taiwan: Mr. William Lai, the frontrunner for the presidency in Taiwan’s 2024 election, has announced Ms. Hsiao Bi-khim as vice presidential nominee. Ms. Hsiao was Taiwan’s former envoy to the United States. Mr. Lai, the candidate for the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), commented that 52-year-old Ms. Hsiao was the right person for the job. In a social media post, the Taiwanese leader noted that he would soon formally present Ms. Hsiao as his running mate. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had accepted Ms. Hsiao’s resignation. “I believe that Bi-khim is definitely an excellent person when it…

France: Mr. Emmanuel Macron, the French President, has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the importance of establishing an immediate humanitarian truce leading to a ceasefire. During a phone call with Mr. Netanyahu, the President also said there were “too many civilian losses” in Gaza. The French president reminded Mr. Netanyahu of the “absolute necessity to distinguish terrorists from the population” and “the importance of achieving an immediate humanitarian truce leading to a ceasefire.” Mr. Macron announced new humanitarian assistance for the Gaza people. Israel stated that it wants to destroy the Palestinian armed group Hamas, which killed about 1200…

India: Australia have won their sixth title by beating host and tournament favorites India by six wickets in the final held in Ahmedabad. The 2023 World Cup victory extended Australia’s record of title wins to seven. Australia, having won the toss, made a strategic decision by opting to bowl. The Australian bowling attack dominated after a fast-paced powerplay, restricting India to a total of 240. Indian captain Rohit Sharma displayed an aggressive start, scoring 47 runs from 31 balls, but the Australian bowlers, led by a disciplined performance, took control. Facing a target of 241 to win the World Cup,…

Palestine: The World Health Organization (WHO) has called al-Shifa hospital in Gaza a “death zone” after visiting the complex. A joint United Nations team led by the WHO assessed the hospital for one hour following the Israeli occupation and evacuation. The team stated that they saw evidence of shelling and gunfire and observed a mass grave at the hospital’s entrance with the remains of 80 people. After evacuation by the Israeli army, 300 critically ill patients remain in al-Shifa, the largest hospital in Gaza. The WHO commented that it was trying to arrange the urgent evacuation of remaining patients and…

United States: SpaceX’s uncrewed spacecraft Starship has exploded in space during its second test. The spacecraft, developed to carry astronauts to the moon and beyond, failed in space shortly after lifting, making it further than an earlier attempt that ended in an explosion. The two-stage rocketship blasted off from the Elon Musk-owned company’s Starbase launch site near Boca Chica in Texas, on a planned 90-minute uncrewed flight into space. If successful, the rocket would have ended up landing in the Pacific ocean near Hawaii. The company hopes the rocket can eventually manage a trip around the Earth, which could take…

Australia: Australia has accused the Chinese navy of using sonar pulses in international waters that caused divers to suffer injuries. ‘Sonar pulses’ refers to the emission of underwater sound waves by a sonar system. Mr. Richard Marles, Defence Minister of Australia, stated that a Chinese warship had resorted to “unsafe and unprofessional actions during the encounter off Japan earlier this week.” According to reports, the warship approached an Australian frigate as divers were clearing fishing nets from its propellers. “The Chinese ship then emitted dangerous sonar pulses. This had posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers, who…

United States: Big US firms like Disney and Warner Bros. have withdrawn advertising and promotions from X, citing a recent antisemitic remark posted by Mr. Elon Musk. Mr. Musk, Chairman of X, agreed with a post on X that wrongly stated Jewish individuals were inciting hate against white people. He supported the user who mentioned the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, stating they were sharing “the real truth.” A Lionsgate, an entertainment company, spokesperson said that the entertainment company “has suspended advertising on X because of Elon Musk’s recent antisemitic tweet.” Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Warner Bros. noted that the company…

United States: Mr. Sam Altman, the CEO of Open AI, has been ousted by his company’s board of directors. OpenAI stated that its board of directors decided on the “leadership transition” after losing confidence in Mr. Altman’s ability to lead the firm. “Mr Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities,” the company said in a statement on its blog. The board of directors said that they’re grateful for Mr. Altman’s contributions, saying that “new leadership is…