Author: News Desk

North Korea: North Korea has announced that it is closing several diplomatic missions abroad over international sanctions that disrupt the country’s ability to finance its offices overseas. The closures have already affected Spain, Hong Kong, Angola, and Uganda. According to reports, Pyongyang may close as many as 10 missions and embassies in total, which amounts to 20 percent of its current diplomatic presence. “We are carrying out operations to withdraw and establish diplomatic missions in accordance with changing global environments and national foreign policy,” a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement. The statement also noted that “while…

India: The Indian capital, Delhi, has shut down all primary schools for two days due to worsening levels of air pollution. According to authorities, air quality in the city dropped to severe levels for the first time this season. Scientists stated that “it is expected to deteriorate further in the next two weeks.” Mr. Gopal Rai, the environment minister of Delhi, has called an emergency meeting to review the situation in the capital, which is one of the world’s most polluted cities. Delhi’s air turns especially toxic in winter due to several factors, including the burning of crop remains by…

London, UK: The X and Tesla CEO, Mr. Elon Musk, and Britain’s Prime Minister, Mr. Rishi Sunak, have discussed Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) risks and advantages following a world-first AI summit at Bletchley Park in the UK. “AI will be a force for good, most likely. But the probability of it going bad is not zero percent,” Mr. Musk said. The Tesla CEO predicted that in the future, no jobs would be needed. Mr. Musk warned that everybody should be concerned about humanoid robots that can follow people anywhere. The billionaire quoted that,”it’s something we should be quite concerned about. If…

Switzerland: United Nations experts have demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, noting that time was running out for the Palestinian people, who are at “grave risk of genocide”. According to reports, the continuing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in retaliation for attacks by Hamas gunmen in southern Israel on October 7 has killed more than 9,000 people. “We remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide. We demand a humanitarian ceasefire to ensure that aid reaches those who need it the most,” the group of experts, made up of seven UN special rapporteurs, said…

London, UK: Storm Ciarán has battered parts of south-west England with winds of 80mph and very heavy rain. The United Kingdom’s national weather service (MET Office) has been updating Amber weather warnings across southern England. Hundreds of schools closed, and roads, flights, bus services, and rail routes have been disrupted. The UK Environment Agency had issued 65 flood warnings and 156 flood alerts for England. Natural Resources Wales cautioned that river levels in the far southwest could reach historic highs. Additionally, approximately 10,000 homes in southwest England were experiencing power outages. A heavy storm hit the Channel Islands on November…

United States: The United States President Mr. Joe Biden has stated that there should be a humanitarian “pause” to Israel’s war in Gaza. The statement comes as the country presses to evacuate all Americans trapped in the besieged Palestinian enclave. “I think we need a pause,” Mr. Biden said during a campaign speech after he was interrupted by a protester who urged for an immediate ceasefire. “By the word ‘pause,’ Mr. Biden meant it was time to release the prisoners from Hamas, the group that rules Gaza,” the White House later clarified. The US President’s comments are widely analyzed as…

United States: The Department of State has announced that US Secretary of State, Mr. Antony Blinken, will travel to Israel and Jordan at the end of the week. Mr. Blinken will also visit Japan, South Korea, and India after his Middle East trip. “He will reiterate US support for Israel’s right to defend itself, in accordance with international humanitarian law, and discuss the need to take all precautions to minimise civilian casualties, as well as our work to deliver humanitarian assistance,” State Department spokesman Mr. Matthew Miller remarked. The spokesman said he will depart on November 3, 2023, and he…

United Kingdom: A news study has found that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused sustained damage to the brain health of people aged 50 or over, accelerating cognitive decline regardless of whether they contracted the disease or not. The study noted that cognitive function and working memory in older adults declined more quickly during the first year of the pandemic between March 2020 and February 2021. “The acceleration in cognitive decline has been exacerbated by a number of factors since the arrival of COVID,” the researchers noted. These factors comprise increased loneliness and depression, reduced exercise, and higher alcohol consumption, as…

Palestine: The United Nations human rights office has stated that the Israeli air attack on the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza could amount to a war crime. The statement comes amid growing concerns about the rising number of civilians killed in the nearly month-long war. The camp, in a densely populated part of Gaza City, was hit by missiles in adjacent days. According to a report from the government of Gaza, at least 195 people had been killed, with more than 100 thought to be missing beneath the rubble. Also, some 777 people were injured in the attacks. “Given the…

London, UK: The dictionary publisher Collins has chosen “AI” as the word of the year. Artificial Intelligence (AI) was picked because it “has accelerated at such a fast pace and become the dominant conversation of 2023” and the word’s usage has quadrupled this year, the publisher stated. “We know that AI has been a big focus this year in the way that it has developed and has quickly become as ubiquitous and embedded in our lives as email, streaming, or any other once futuristic, now everyday technology,” the publisher remarked. The annual word of the year is chosen by lexicographers…