Author: News Desk

United States: Tech giant Apple is planning to adopt a messaging standard that will bring iMessage features to Android users. The new Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard will bring several messaging features, including read receipts, typing indicators, sharing high-quality images and videos, and so on. RCS can work over mobile data or Wi-Fi. Currently, Android phones and carriers support the RCS messaging standard. The feature is said to reach iPhone models through a software update next year. RCS operates on both mobile data and Wi-Fi and is currently supported by Android phones and carriers. It’s expected that iPhone models will…

Ukraine: A new report has stated that Belarus and Russia have forcibly transferred thousands of Ukrainian children from Ukraine. According to an analysis from Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), the transfer was done through a program “directly overseen” by Belarusian President Mr. Alexander Lukashenko. The report noted that at least 2,442 children aged between six and 17 years old had been taken to 13 facilities across Belarus since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war. “Russia and Belarus are targeting children for removal from Ukraine, coordinating their transport from occupied Ukraine through Russia to Belarus, and subjecting…

United States: US Secretary of State Mr. Antony Blinken has called on Israel to take “urgent” steps to end the violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Mr. Blinken made a telephone call with Mr. Benny Gantz, a centrist opposition leader who joined Israeli Prime Minister Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu’s wartime cabinet. “The US diplomat stressed the urgent need for affirmative steps to de-escalate tensions in the West Bank, including by confronting rising levels of settler extremist violence,” the State Department said in a statement. The State Department further added that “Mr. Blinken discussed efforts to augment…

Ukraine: The United Kingdom’s new Foreign Secretary Mr. David Cameron has visited Ukrainian President Mr. Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Lord Cameron reaffirmed the UK’s support for Ukraine, promising moral, diplomatic, and “above all military support for however long it takes.” Mr. Zelensky congratulated Mr. Cameron on his new post and thanked him for the UK’s continued backing. The Ukrainian President congratulated Mr. Cameron on his new appointment as Foreign Secretary and thanked him for making his first working visit to Kyiv in his new position. “This is very important, especially now, when the world is paying attention not only to…

United States: US President Mr. Joe Biden has stated that he has made it clear to Israeli Prime Minister Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu that taking over Gaza would be “a big mistake.” The President suggested that a two-state solution was the only way to put an end to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. “I made it clear to the Israelis I think it’s a big mistake for them to think they’re going to occupy Gaza and maintain Gaza. I don’t think that works,” Mr. Biden said in a statement to the media. The Israeli Prime Minister said earlier this month that after the…

United Kingdom: A study around the world found that magicians are less prone to mental health difficulties than other groups or the general population. The research, led by Aberystwyth University’s psychology department, assessed the psychopathological traits of almost 200 magicians and compared the results with those of other artistic groups and the general population. The study, published in the journal BJPsych Open, concluded that magicians scored significantly lower than other types of creatives and “normal” folk. “Despite their job involving the illusion of delving into mystery, magicians were less likely to have unusual experiences such as hallucinations or cognitive disorganization,”…

France: France has issued an arrest warrant for Syria’s president, Mr. Bashar al-Assad, over using banned chemical weapons against civilians in Syria. The French judicial department has ordered the arrest warrant for Syria’s president, his brother, Mr. Maher, and military generals Mr. Ghassan Abbas and Mr. Bassam al-Hassan. As per the reports, they were charged with complicity in crimes against humanity and complicity in war crimes. According to the rights group Civil Rights Defenders, Mr. Maher al-Assad heads a Syrian military unit; meanwhile, Mr. Ghassan Abbas and Mr. Bassam al-Hassan work with a Syrian research agency suspected of developing chemical…

United States: The United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution for “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses throughout the Gaza Strip.” The resolution called for allowing aid delivery and medical evacuations after four previous failed attempts to stop the war. The resolution, introduced by Malta, further demanded for “corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a sufficient number of days” to safeguard civilians, particularly children. It additionally asked for the unconditional release of captives held in Gaza. The resolution was adopted by 12 votes in favour, zero against, and three abstentions, including Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The…

Taiwan: Taiwan’s two rival opposition parties are set to collaborate in the upcoming presidential election, in a move analysed as a major political upset for the East Asian democracy. The deal will bring together the Kuomintang (KMT), one of Taiwan’s two major political parties, and the independent Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) to compete in a joint ticket for the presidency and legislature in the national vote to be held on January 13, 2024. Both parties did not reveal further details of the collaboration. According to reports, they would base their decisions on the results of polling, which has been under…

London, UK: Ms. Suella Braverman, the UK’s sacked home secretary, has accused Mr. Rishi Sunak, the UK’s Prime Minister, of “betraying” a secret deal they made to secure her backing during the Tory leadership contest that led the way for him to become prime minister. In a letter after being fired as home secretary, the Conservative Member of Parliament criticized Mr. Sunak, stating that he had continuously failed to fulfil important policies. Ms. Braverman wrote that Mr. Sunak is “weak, uncertain, and lacking in leadership qualities.” The sacked home secretary noted that she agreed to join Mr. Sunak’s cabinet with…