Author: News Desk

Taiwan: A new report has stated that Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election will be a ‘window of opportunity’ to restart discussions between Taipei and Beijing, with the aim of reducing tensions and lowering the risk of conflict. The report by the International Crisis Group noted that a war over Taiwan is not inevitable, but “the current trajectory is dangerous.” Taiwan is now functioning as the greatest potential flashpoint for conflict between China and the US, Taiwan’s strongest supporter. Beijing claims Taiwan to be a Chinese province and has insisted it will be “reunified.” Taiwan’s government, led by the Democratic Progress Party’s…

Malaysia: Malaysia’s royal family has selected a prominent sultan from Johor in the south as the nation’s next king. While largely ceremonial, the role involves significant duties such as appointing the prime minister and serving as the head of Islam in the Muslim-majority country, as well as being the commander-in-chief of its armed forces. Malaysia follows a constitutional monarchy system with a distinctive practice where the throne rotates every five years among the rulers of the nine Malaysian states, each led by longstanding Islamic royalty. Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar was designated as the 17th king of Malaysia following a meeting…

United States: A new study has stated that pigeons’s way of problem-solving matches artificial intelligence (AI). It has previously been found that pigeons are highly intelligent animals that can remember faces, see the world in vivid colours, navigate complex routes, deliver news, and even save lives. In the new study, 24 pigeons were given a variety of visual tasks, some of which they learned to categorise in days and others in weeks. The researchers noted that the mechanism through which pigeons make correct choices is similar to the method that AI models use to make the right predictions. “Pigeon behaviour…

United States: The Pentagon has announced that the US carried out airstrikes on two facilities in Syria that were being used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran-backed groups. This action followed a series of attacks against US forces in both Iraq and Syria. These airstrikes occurred in response to the commitment of President Mr. Joe Biden’s administration to retaliate against attacks on US personnel that have been attributed to armed groups supported by Iran. “The United States does not seek conflict and has no intention nor desire to engage in further hostilities, but these Iranian-backed attacks against US…

Brussels: European Union leaders have demanded humanitarian pauses in the Israel-Gaza war. During an EU summit in Brussels, the leaders issued a declaration calling for an end to the fighting and giving much-needed aid to Gaza. “The European Council expresses its gravest concern for the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and calls for continued, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need through all necessary measures, including humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs,” the declaration shared. The declaration was issued as the Middle East countries severely criticised Israel’s air raids and a “complete siege”…

Israel: Israeli forces, including troops and tanks, conducted a significant overnight ground operation in Gaza, with a full-scale ground invasion widely anticipated following nearly three weeks of intense air raids on the besieged Palestinian territory. A video released by the Israeli army showed an overnight operation, featuring armoured vehicles moving through a sandy border area. In the footage, bulldozer levels a raised bank, tanks fire shells, and explosions can be observed near or within a line of damaged buildings. Israel has conducted a series of small-scale advances into the Gaza Strip during the last two and a half weeks. However,…

China: A news study has found that tai chi, a Chinese martial art, can help slow down the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease for several years. According to researchers, the patients who practiced tai chi twice a week had fewer complications and a better quality of life than those who didn’t. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition that leads to tremors and slow movement, and currently, there is no known cure. The study, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, analysed the health of hundreds of Parkinson’s patients for up to five years. Among these, one group of 147…

China: China has sent a new crew to its Tiangong space station as part of its expanding space programme, with the goal of sending humans to the Moon by 2030. The Chinese spaceflight Shenzhou-17 took off from the Jiuquan launch site in northwest China at 11:14 am, carrying a crew of three astronauts with the youngest average age ever for the space station’s construction. During a farewell ceremony, hundreds of supporters, waving the Chinese national flag and holding yellow flowers, enthusiastically cheered on the three astronauts. Tiangong, also known as the Tiangong space station, is a space station built by…

Australia: Australian authorities have returned three historical artefacts to Beijing that are believed to have been illegally exported from China. According to reports, the artefacts returned to Chinese officials in Canberra include a dinosaur fossil aged more than 100 million years and two Tang Dynasty figurines. The police working at the Australian border seized the items and referred them to authorities for investigation. The handover comes shortly before Australian Prime Minister Mr. Anthony Albanese’s visit to China in November. “Today we’ve witnessed how two nations can work effectively together to return cultural property to its rightful home. Whether it’s items…

United States: United States President Mr. Joe Biden has demanded an end to the attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Settler attacks against Palestinians have surged since the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 and Israel’s continuing bombardment in Gaza. According to Palestinian authorities, settler violence has killed several Palestinians. Rights groups stated that settlers have torched cars and attacked several small Bedouin communities, as well as forced them to evacuate to other areas. Mr. Biden noted that attacks by “extremist settlers” must end. “It has to stop. They have to be held…