Author: News Desk

United States: Two scientists behind the mRNA COVID vaccine technology have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Hungarian scientist Professor Katalin Kariko and American physician and scientist Professor Drew Weissman will share the prize. The Nobel Prize committee stated that, “the laureates contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times.” Vaccines help the immune system identify and combat viruses and bacteria. The technology is used worldwide to protect millions from severe COVID-19. The mRNA technology is now being studied for various diseases, including cancer. Conventional…

Brazil: Brazil’s government has started expelling thousands of non-Indigenous people from their native territories. The latest move is expected to affect thousands of people who live within the core of the Amazon rainforest. According to the Brazilian intelligence agency ABIN, indigenous land trespassing action was initiated to return to the original peoples the right to ownership and exclusive use of their territories, including the Apyterewa and Trincheira Bacaja lands in Para State, as determined by Article 231 of the Federal Constitution. The territories are located around the municipalities of Sao Felix do Xingu, Altamira, Anapu, and Senador Jose Porfirio in…

Brazil: Experts have suspected that severe drought and heat may have caused the discovery of 120 river dolphin carcasses floating in a tributary of the Amazon River in Brazil over the last week. The Mamiraua Institute, a research group under Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, reported the discovery of two additional deceased dolphins in the Tefe Lake region. Experts think that the main reason for the dolphin deaths is the high water temperatures. Temperatures in the Tefe Lake region have been consistently above 39°C (102°F) since last week. “We have documented 120 carcasses in the last week,” stated…

Haiti: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has authorised international forces to assist in Haiti amid widespread gang violence in the Caribbean nation. The 15-member council voted in favour of the foreign security missions, with 13 approving a Kenya-led mission to Haiti. The remaining two countries on the council, Russia and China, refrained due to fears over Haiti’s “troubled history with foreign involvement.” Haitian Prime Minister Mr. Ariel Henry has repeatedly requested international assistance since gang violence in the country led to ever-growing insecurity and vigilante reprisals. According to UN records, 5.2 million people, or nearly half the population, currently…

Indonesia: Indonesia has unveiled the first-ever bullet train in Southeast Asia, a high-speed rail system linking two major cities in the country. The 86-mile (138-kilometre) fast train, officially called WHOOSH (which stands for “time-saving, optimal operation, reliable system” in Indonesian), operates on electricity, causing no direct carbon emissions. The $7.3 billion project, funded largely by Chinese state-owned firms as part of China’s Belt and Road initiative, was finally opened to the public. A big inaugural event took place at Jakarta’s Halim railway station. President Mr. Joko Widodo, First Lady Ms. Iriana, and several cabinet ministers were in attendance. “The Jakarta-Bandung…

Haiti: The UN Security Council will discuss endorsing an international force to support Haiti’s police in their fight against criminal gangs, as per the published agenda. Haitian Prime Minister Mr. Ariel Henry and UN Secretary-General Mr. Antonio Guterres have been urging for a force to deal with Haiti’s worsening security situation for the past year. Finding a country willing to lead the effort to address Haiti’s current security challenges is challenging due to the risks associated with past peacekeeping efforts in Haiti and the complexities of interfering in the current situation. In late July 2023, Kenya declared its readiness to…

United States: American actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks has warned his fans about a fake dental plan advertisement featuring his image, clarifying that it was created using artificial intelligence. In a post to his 9.5 million Instagram followers, the actor shared that his image was used without consent. “BEWARE!! There’s a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it,” Hanks wrote alongside a screenshot of the computer-generated image of himself from the clip. Tom Hanks appeared as a CGI character in the 2004 animated Christmas movie, The Polar…

New Zealand: Mr. Chris Hipkins, Prime Minister of New Zealand, has tested positive for COVID-19 amid campaigning ahead of the election on October 14. Mr. Hipkins cancelled his upcoming campaign plans after the Labour leader tested positive in Auckland. A spokesman for the Prime Minister stated that “Mr. Hipkins has cold and flu symptoms that began yesterday. He will be isolating for five days or until he returns a negative test.” “The PM will continue with engagements he can undertake via Zoom,” the spokesman added. Mr. Hipkins posted on Instagram that he would try to keep up campaign engagements remotely.…

Maldives: The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) candidate Mr. Mohamed Muizzu has won the presidential election after a second-round run-off against Mr. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) leader Mr. Solih conceded defeat shortly before midnight after the Elections Commission of the Maldives said Mr. Muizzu had won 54.06 percent of the vote in the run-off contest. “Congratulations to president-elect Mr. Muizzu,” Mr. Solih posted on X. “Thank you for the beautiful democratic example shown by the people in the elections,” the MDP candidate added. The 61-year-old will remain as caretaker president until his successor’s inauguration on November…

Armenia: The Armenian government has stated that over 100,000 people have fled the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Mr. Nazeli Baghdasaryan, the press secretary to Armenian Prime Minister Mr. Nikol Pashinyan, noted that 100,417 people had arrived in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh, which had a population of approximately 120,000. “A total of 21,043 vehicles have crossed the Hakari Bridge, which links Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, since last week,” Mr. Baghdasaryan said, adding that “some lined up for days because the winding mountain road that is the only route to Armenia became jammed.” Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly rejected the accusations, saying the mass migration…