Author: News Desk

Ecuador: Citizens in Ecuador have participated in presidential and congressional elections amid widespread violence. Around 100,000 police and soldiers were deployed to protect the polls. According to partial results, left-winger Ms. Luisa Gonzalez and businessman Mr. Daniel Noboa took 33 percent and 24 percent of the vote, respectively, and will go through to a second round of voting. Earlier in August, a presidential candidate was murdered in the country. The snap election was called after President Mr. Guillermo Lasso, a conservative former banker, dissolved parliament to avoid impeachment. The new president will take office on October 26 and will serve…

Spain: Thousands of Tenerife residents in the Canary Islands in Spain have been asked to flee their homes due to a wildfire that authorities deemed “out of control and that raged on for a fourth day. The regional government for the Canary Islands reported that 4,000 more people were ordered to evacuate. Those were in addition to the 4,500 people who, on August 18, were forced to move out of harm’s way on the Atlantic island that is home to about 1 million people. The figure of more than 8,000 evacuees is expected to rise sharply in the coming days.…

Russia: Russia has reported an “abnormal situation” during the landing of the Luna-25 spacecraft, which launched earlier in August 2023. The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, stated that the spacecraft ran into unspecified trouble while trying to enter a pre-landing orbit, and its specialists were analysing the situation. “During the operation, an abnormal situation occurred onboard the automatic station, which did not allow the manoeuvre to be performed with the specified parameters,” Roscosmos said in a Telegram post. The agency did not specify whether the incident would prevent Luna-25 from making a landing. The spacecraft is scheduled to land on the south…

Niger: Niger’s coup leader has suggested a three-year transition to civilian rule after meeting a delegation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The coup leader warned that any attack on the country would “not be a walk in the park” for those involved. General Abdourahmane Tchiani gave no details on the planned transition of power, saying only that the principles for the move would be decided within 30 days at a dialogue to be hosted by the ruling military council. “Neither the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland nor the people of Niger want war…

China: China has launched air and sea drills around Taiwan to send a “stern warning.” This comes following a recent visit by Taiwan’s Vice President, Mr. William Lai, to the United States. Taiwan has responded, saying the drills emphasised Beijing’s “militaristic mentality” that combat aircraft, naval ships, and land-based missile systems had been tasked with monitoring Chinese forces. The Eastern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army, responsible for the Taiwan region, issued a brief statement on Saturday announcing joint naval and air combat readiness patrols in the vicinity of Taiwan. The eastern command explained that the exercises primarily centred…

Canada: Canada’s British Columbia province in the west has declared a state of emergency due to a swiftly spreading wildfire that is endangering more homes in the vicinity of West Kelowna city. Premiere Mr. David Eby said authorities were “facing the worst wildfire season ever”, as thousands were evacuated from cities east of Vancouver. Mr. Eby has also warned that “the situation has evolved rapidly, and we are in for an extremely challenging situation in the days ahead.” The McDougall Creek, a province, wildfire expanded from 64 to 6,800 hectares within a day. Approximately 4,800 individuals have been issued evacuation…

Belgium: The songs of American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift are going to be study material at a Belgian university. A literature professor in Belgium is using Taylor Swift’s songs as the basis for a course that explores classic English literature and its themes, highlighting the bookish qualities of Swift’s lyrics. “I’ve never had so many emails from excited students asking if they can take the course, and actually non-students as well, people who are not part of the university and who want to participate in some way,” said McCausland, an assistant professor at the Belgian university. McCausland proposed a unique elective…

United Kingdom: A new analysis has found that adding a blue-light filter to your eyeglasses may not ease eye strain from computer work, protect the retina, or help with sleep at night. The report, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, studied data from 17 randomised controlled clinical trials conducted in six countries that lasted from a few days to a few months. The review is part of the nonprofit Cochrane Collaboration, an independent, international network of researchers that uses some of the highest standards in evidence-based research. “We found there may be no short-term advantages with using blue-light…

Columbia: According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude has struck the Colombian capital, Bogota. This was followed by dozens of aftershocks. There were no immediate indications of significant harm from the earthquake on 17th August 2023, which Colombia’s national geological service recorded as having a magnitude of 6.1. The Colombian agency stated that it struck at 12:04 PM (17:04 GMT), with its epicentre in the town of El Calvario, 40km (25 miles) southeast of Bogota. It hit at a depth of less than 30km (19 miles). Mayor Ms. Claudia Lopez said one woman fell…

United States: Major Chinese real estate company Evergrande has sought bankruptcy protection in the United States as the real estate situation worsens in China. This move will enable the financially burdened company to safeguard its US assets while it negotiates a multi-billion-dollar agreement with its creditors. In 2021, Evergrande failed to meet its substantial debts, causing significant ripples in worldwide financial markets. This action occurs as issues within China’s real estate market contribute to worries about the world’s second-largest economy. On 17th August 2023, China Evergrande Group submitted a filing for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in a New York court.…