Author: News Desk

Europe: A new report has found that anti-Black racism is rising throughout Europe, with the first half of people of African descent facing discrimination in their daily lives. The study, conducted by the European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), found that 46 percent of first- and second-generation black immigrants in 13 EU countries have experienced discrimination. This may range from verbal harassment to being denied a home or job. The result reveals a six percent jump since 2016. Discrimination is particularly high in Germany and Austria, the countries that have witnessed the revival of anti-migrant, populist movements. In these nations,…

Japan: Japan’s Supreme Court has declared that it is unconstitutional to mandate sterilisation before individuals can legally change their gender. In 2004, a law defined that gender change was only allowed if individuals had no ability to reproduce. The recent ruling on October 25, 2023, followed a petition by a transgender woman who challenged this law. Human Rights Watch has described it as “abusive and outdated.” Japan is among 18 nations that enforce mandatory sterilisation surgery, a requirement that the World Health Organisation (WHO) also opposes. The woman’s attorney argued that her capacity for reproduction had already been reduced due…

China: China’s Ministry of Defence has criticised the recent US report on Beijing’s growing military strength and nuclear arsenal. “We express our strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to this report,” Defence Ministry spokesperson Mr. Wu Qian said in a statement, calling the report “exaggerated hype about a non-existent Chinese military threat.’’ Mr. Wu noted that China’s growing military strength is necessary for safeguarding its national interests and as a deterrent to future wars. According to reports, China is in the midst of two major campaigns to turn its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into a “world-class military” by 2027 and achieve…

Canada: A new study suggests that our favourite music can act as an effective pain reliever. Music has been known for a while to ease pain, and recent studies indicate this pain relief might extend to babies. Furthermore, research shows that the music we prefer can provide stronger pain relief than the soothing music chosen for us. Scientists suggest that the emotions stirred by the music are also significant. “We can approximate that favourite music reduced pain by about one point on a 10-point scale, which is at least as strong as an over-the-counter painkiller like Advil under the same…

Palestine: The United Nations chief Mr. Antonio Guterres has repeated his demand for a ceasefire in Gaza, remarking that international law is being violated in the Israel-Hamas war. In recent days, Israel has continuously bombarded the besieged Gaza Strip since Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7. After the attack, Israel cut off supplies of water, food, fuel, and electricity to the enclave’s 2.3 million residents. It also launched an assault on the territory, killing at least 5,791 people. Speaking before the 15-member UN Security Council, Mr. Guterres pleaded for protection for civilians and warned that…

South Korea: The Seoul military has announced that a small boat carrying suspected defectors from North Korea has been detained after it entered South Korea’s waters. The crossing was detected on South Korea’s side of the Northern Limit Line, the maritime boundary between the two countries. The Joint Chiefs of Staff noted that the four people on board were “presumed to have defected” from North Korea. Defections have become more difficult after North Korean leader Mr. Kim Jong Un came to power in 2011. Border controls were also tightened further since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. South Korean authorities did…

Iceland: Thousands of women, including the Prime Minister, in Iceland are on strike against the gender pay gap and gender-based violence. Sectors like healthcare and education, where women make up the majority of the workforce, are particularly impacted. The upcoming strike is the first all-day women’s walkout since 1975. Women and non-binary individuals have been encouraged to decline both paid and unpaid tasks on October 24, 2023, which include household chores. “I will not work this day, as I expect all the women will do as well,” Iceland’s PM, Ms. Katrín Jakobsdóttir, told a website ahead of the protest. Ms.…

Canada: Canada has reported a disinformation campaign led by China that has targeted dozens of its politicians, including Prime Minister Mr. Justin Trudeau. The Foreign Ministry noted that the “spamouflage” campaign used waves of online posts to discredit Canadian MPs. Earlier, China denied any allegations of interference in Canadian affairs. Global Affairs Canada revealed that its Rapid Response Mechanism, which was set up to monitor foreign state-sponsored disinformation efforts, detected a “spamouflage” campaign in August connected with China. According to the department, the campaign featured a bot network that “left thousands of comments” in Canada’s two official languages, English and…

London, UK: Over 19,000 people in Lebanon have been displaced since early October 2023 due to escalated tensions near the Israel-Lebanon border following the Israel-Hamas conflict. This was released by the United Nations (UN) migration agency. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that 19,646 people in Lebanon have been displaced since they began monitoring movements on October 8, 2023. This displacement occurred in the aftermath of an attack on Israel by Hamas fighters and an Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip. The majority of these movements were made by people escaping from southern Lebanon, although some individuals from other…

Antarctica: A news study has stated that the accelerated ice melt in west Antarctica will continue for the rest of the century, no matter how much carbon emissions are cut. According to scientists, the consequences of sea level rise are “dire,” and some coastal cities may have to be abandoned. The  study noted that  ice sheet of west Antarctica would push up the oceans by 5 meters if lost completely. Previous researchers have shown that it is doomed to collapse over the course of centuries, but the new study shows that even drastic emissions cuts in the coming decades may…