Author: News Desk

Sudan: Sudan’s army chief Mr. Abdul Fattah al-Burhan has warned the United Nations that months of war in his country could spill over into the region. Mr. Burhan, speaking at the UN following a string of foreign trips, urged the international community to designate the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as a “terrorist” organisation and to target its sponsors outside Sudan’s borders, indicating ties with Russia’s Wagner mercenaries. According to the army leader, the war is “a threat to regional and international peace and security as those rebels have sought the support of outlaws and terrorist groups from different countries…

Brazil: Brazil’s Supreme Court has blocked attempts to reduce Indigenous land rights. It marks a significant win for the country’s native populations as activists celebrate this historic achievement. Out of the court’s 11 members, nine voted against the “time limit trick,” a move supported by agribusiness that aimed to hinder Indigenous communities from claiming land they weren’t inhabited in 1988, as labeled by rights groups. Outside the Supreme Court in Brasília on September 21, 2023, a majority rallied behind a ruling in favor of Indigenous rights. Activists expressed their joy through tears and dancing. “Long live Indigenous resistance,” tweeted Mr.…

United States: President Mr. Joe Biden has announced that the US will provide Ukraine with an additional $325 million in military aid. The statement was made during a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The package includes air defense capabilities, cluster munitions, anti-tank weapons, and other equipment. “Today I approved the next tranche of U.S. security assistance to Ukraine, including more artillery, more ammunition, and more anti-tank weapons. Next week, the first U.S. Abrams tanks will be delivered to Ukraine. We also focused on strengthening Ukraine’s air defense capabilities to protect the critical infrastructure that provides heat…

Canada: India has reportedly halted visa services for Canadians due to a growing dispute over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian territory. Visa service provider BLS posted a message saying Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice due to “operational reasons.” BLS International is an Indian service provider for government and diplomatic missions worldwide. “Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 September 2023, Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice,” BLS posted. Tensions escalated this week when Canada stated that it was investigating believable claims linking India to…

London, UK: UK Prime Minister Mr. Rishi Sunak said that Britain has delayed the ban on new petrol and diesel cars. It signals a significant shift in the government’s strategy to achieve net zero by 2050. The Prime Minister has revealed changes in important green policies, including exemptions and delays. The PM also mentioned a 50 percent boost in cash incentives for replacing gas boilers. Mr. Sunak has stated that the government could not impose “unacceptable costs” linked to reducing emissions on British families. This move has sparked strong criticism from the opposition and certain industry leaders. Mr. Sunak has…

United Kingdom: A new study has found that eating greater amounts of ultraprocessed food and drinks, especially artificially sweetened items, may lead to the development of depression in women. Ultraprocessed foods include prepackaged soups, sauces, frozen pizza, ready-to-eat meals, and pleasure foods such as hot dogs, sausages, French fries, sodas, store-bought cookies, cakes, candies, doughnuts, and ice cream, as well as many more foods and drinks containing artificial sweeteners. The study co-author Dr. Andrew T. Chan, a Daniel K. Podolsky professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of…

Indonesia: A woman in Indonesia has been sentenced to two years for violating the nation’s blasphemy laws through a TikTok video about food that she shared in March 2023. Ms. Lina Lutfiawati’s video on TikTok gained millions of views as it depicted her saying a Muslim prayer before consuming crispy pork skin. In Islamic law, pork is deemed ‘haram,’ meaning it’s not allowed or permissible. On September 19, 2023, in the city of Palembang, Indonesia, the court ruled that the 33-year-old woman intentionally “spread information that was intended to incite hate or individual/group enmity based on religion.” She was also…

Poland: Poland has announced that it will no longer supply weapons to Ukraine amid rising tension between Warsaw and Kyiv in a dispute over grain exports. The Poland Prime Minister Mr. Mateusz Morawiecki stated that the nation would instead focus on arming itself with more modern weapons. “We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons,” the Prime Minister commented. Poland has been among Ukraine’s strongest supporters since the Russian invasion and is one of Kyiv’s primary weapons suppliers. Tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv escalated due to Poland’s imposition of a…

United States: United States President Mr. Joe Biden has launched a new “climate corps” programme, a longstanding demand from environmental groups. The initiative will offer paid training to 20,000 young people in order to help them attain high-paying jobs in the fight against climate change. The move comes after efforts to create a similar programme failed last year in the US Congress amid opposition from Republicans. “Today, we are mobilising the next generation of clean energy, conservation, and climate resilience workers,” Mr. Biden wrote on X. The US President has promised to implement a wider transition to a clean energy…

United States: The US military has announced that its soldiers will complete a joint military exercise with Armenian forces in Armenia as planned, and the exercise was not affected by the launch of a major military operation by neighbouring Azerbaijan. According to a US military spokesperson, there had been no change to the 10-day Eagle Partner 2023 exercise involving 85 US soldiers and 175 Armenians, despite Azerbaijan’s launch of an “antiterrorist” operation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. “We were aware that they were conducting operations, but we didn’t assess there to be any risk to our soldiers at the time, so…