Author: News Desk

London, UK: The American multinational investment bank and financial services company, Morgan Stanley, has been fined $6.83 million by the UK’s energy regulator. Ofgem, the energy regulator for the UK, said that the company has breached rules that require firms to record messages relating to trading wholesale energy. The banking company had discussions with traders over WhatsApp between January 2018 and March 2020. This is the first fine to be issued under transparency rules intended to protect consumers from market manipulation and insider trading. Insider trading is the buying and selling of a listed company’s shares or other securities, such…

United States: A new study has found that bacteria that consume the greenhouse gas methane could slow the rate of global warming. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas emitted from energy (natural gas and petroleum systems), industry, agriculture, land use, and waste management activities. The researchers from California University Long Beach suggested a method of removing methane by using a group of bacteria known as methanotrophs to naturally convert methane to carbon dioxide and biomass. The lead researcher Ms. Mary E. Lidstrom noted that “all the bacteria in this group ‘eat’ methane, removing it from the air and converting part…

United States: The United States said it was imposing visa sanctions on Chinese officials pursuing “forced assimilation” of children in Tibet. It comes after UN experts said one million children have been separated from their families. In the most recent actions taken by the US concerning Beijing, despite ongoing high-level talks, Secretary of State Mr. Antony Blinken has announced that the US will limit visas for Chinese officials responsible for the state boarding school policy. “These coercive policies seek to eliminate Tibet’s distinct linguistic, cultural, and religious traditions among younger generations of Tibetans,” Mr. Blinken said. “We urge PRC authorities…

India: India is preparing to create history with its lunar mission set to land on the Moon, Earth’s only natural satellite. Chandrayaan-3, which means “mooncraft” in Sanskrit, is scheduled to put down its Vikram lander shortly after 6 PM India time near the little-explored lunar south pole in what would be a world first for any space programme. The latest mission comes just days after Russia’s first moon mission in almost 50 years, destined for the same region, crashed on the lunar surface. If Chandrayaan-3 is successful, India will be the first country to land near the Moon’s not-so-explored south…

South Africa: The Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin, said at the BRICS summit that it should become a trading bloc representing the “global majority.” But, during the summit, the BRICS group, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, showed disagreements about allowing new members and whether to make BRICS a geopolitical force against the Western world. The Brazilian President, Mr. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, stated that it was not the group’s aim to compete with western institutions. “We do not want to be a counterpoint to the G7, G20, or the United States, we just want to organise ourselves,”…

United States: The United States National Security Adviser Mr. Jake Sullivan has announced that a prisoner swap deal between the United States and Iran is “on track.” The statement comes less than two weeks after Tehran moved five detained US citizens to house arrest. Mr. Sullivan’s comments are interpreted as a rare public expression of confidence from Washington that the prisoner swap would take place. “We believe that things are proceeding according to the understanding that we have reached with Iran,” Mr. Sullivan told reporters. “I do not have an exact timetable for you because there are steps that need…

South Africa: Chinese President, Mr. Xi Jinping, has arrived in South Africa for his fourth state visit to the country. The visit coincides with the 15th BRICS Summit. The South African President, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, has received the Chinese President at OR Tambo International Airport. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) welcomed the Chinese President with a military parade. Mr. Ramaphosa will host the Chinese leader in the executive capital, Pretoria, ahead of the BRICS summit, which runs from 22nd  to 24th August 2023. BRICS is a group of emerging economies consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South…

Palestine: The United Nations Middle East envoy has stated that more than 200 Palestinians and nearly 30 Israelis have been killed so far in 2023 in the occupied West Bank and Israel, the highest number of fatalities since 2005. Mr. Tor Wennesland, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the UN Security Council that rising violence is being fuelled by Palestinians’ growing uncertainty about the future, including achieving an independent state. “Palestinians and Israelis are killed and injured in near-daily violence, including just hours before this briefing when another fatal shooting attack killed an Israeli in the…

London, UK: A new study found that using MRI scans to screen men for prostate cancer could reduce deaths from the disease significantly. The scans were much better at detecting cancer than blood tests that rely on high PSA protein levels. Researchers have found that current tests, which measure the amount of the protein prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood, are associated with the problem of overdiagnosing and overtreating low-risk cancers. UCLH NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London conducted the study, and its findings were published in the medical journal BMJ Oncology. Professor Caroline Moore, a consultant surgeon at…

Ukraine: Ukraine’s President Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Greece will take part in the training of Ukrainian Air Force pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets. Greece’s offer comes after Denmark and the Netherlands announced they would supply the first United States-built F-16 warplanes to the Ukrainian Air Force. “Today, we have an important result for the aviation coalition. Greece will participate in the training of our pilots for the F-16. I am grateful for this proposal,” Mr. Zelenskyy stated during a joint press conference with Greek Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens. The Greek Air Force consists mostly…