Author: News Desk

Los Angeles: The animated musical KPop Demon Hunters has climbed Netflix’s charts to become the platform’s most-viewed movie ever. Since its release in June, the film has been streamed over 236 million times, surpassing the action-comedy Red Notice to claim the top spot. The film has also achieved remarkable success in music, with songs from its soundtrack becoming some of the most-streamed globally on Spotify. The track Golden reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this month, marking one of several chart-topping accomplishments for the movie. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, KPop Demon Hunters follows the fictional K-pop…

Gaborone: Botswana has declared a public health emergency as the country faces critical shortages of essential medicines and medical equipment. President Duma Boko announced the decision during a televised address, outlining a multimillion-pound plan to rectify the medical supply chain under military oversight. The President acknowledged the challenge of addressing the shortages, noting that it would be ‘highly price sensitive due to our limited coffers.’ The nation’s economy has been severely impacted by a downturn in the international diamond market, as Botswana is one of the world’s leading diamond producers. This economic strain, compounded by cuts to US aid, has…

Mumbai/Chennai: At McDonald’s outlets in South India, a 30-cent burger topping has been selling out quickly. Unlike extra cheese or fancy salsa, the item is a vegetarian protein slice co-developed with Indian government food scientists, marking McDonald’s first such offering globally. McDonald’s has joined forces with India’s largest dairy, Amul, several startups, and a company backed by Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh to launch an aggressive marketing campaign. Celebrity chefs and cricketers are promoting protein as a daily nutritional necessity for people of all ages, not just a gym trend. Ordering kiosks at McDonald’s do not display calories but highlight high…

Maryland / Washington DC: The United States has confirmed its first case of a human infection with the flesh-eating screwworm parasite. The infected individual, from Maryland, had recently traveled from Guatemala and received prompt treatment, with preventive measures swiftly implemented, officials said. Beth Thompson, South Dakota’s state veterinarian, confirmed she was notified of the case within the past week, and a Maryland state government official also verified the report. Screwworms are parasitic flies whose larvae feed on the living flesh of warm-blooded animals. The female fly lays eggs in open wounds, and once hatched, hundreds of larvae burrow into the…

New York: Filipina tennis star Alexandra Eala made Grand Slam history at the US Open, advancing to the second round of a major tournament for the first time in her career. The 20-year-old world number 75 defeated Danish 14th seed Clara Tauson 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11) in a gripping first-round match on the Grandstand court at Flushing Meadows, marking her maiden singles main draw victory at a Grand Slam. Eala had never previously won a singles match at a major, falling in three-set battles at both the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year. However, backed by a raucous crowd…

Stockholm: Spotify has confirmed that subscription price hikes will continue to be a regular strategy as the company pushes toward profitability and expands its offerings. Alex Norström, Spotify’s co-president and chief business officer, said price rises are now ‘part of our toolbox’ after years of keeping them flat. Norström stressed that these increases would come alongside added features and services, explaining, “essentially we want the consumer to win.” Spotify first raised prices only two years ago, a move that reassured investors focused on profitability after years of user growth. That strategy, combined with cost-cutting, led to its first annual profit…

London: The British government has announced new sentencing plans that could prevent offenders from going to pubs, attending music concerts, or entering sports events such as football matches, in a bid to ease the country’s severe prison overcrowding crisis. Under the proposals, judges will gain broader powers to restrict offenders’ freedoms through measures including travel bans, driving limits, and confinement to designated zones. The government said that these restrictions are designed to keep offenders ‘on the straight-and-narrow’ while allowing justice to be served outside prison walls. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood explained the rationale, stating that, “When criminals break society’s rules,…

Frankfurt: German postal services group DHL (DHLn.DE) has announced that it will suspend the shipment of standard parcels for businesses to the United States, aligning with similar actions by other European postal operators. The move is a response to looming US customs duties on low-value packages. A DHL spokesperson stated that the company does not reveal the number of parcels potentially affected by the suspension and could not provide a timeline for when services might resume. The restriction, the spokesperson clarified, applies exclusively to DHL’s operations in Germany. The Trump administration announced last month that it would end the global…

London: Scientists are urging the establishment of an international framework to tackle air pollution caused by the space industry, as emissions from rocket launches and satellite mega-constellations continue to rise. A team led by Prof Eloise Marais at University College London (UCL) has been monitoring space activity since 2020. Their latest data shows 259 rocket launches in 2024 and 223 in 2023, consuming over 153,000 tonnes of fuel. Prof Marais warned that, “More pollutants are being released into the atmosphere from rockets and satellites than ever before. Humans have never added this much air pollution to the upper atmosphere. If…

Moscow: Russia has announced that MAX, a newly introduced state-backed messaging app positioned as a domestic alternative to WhatsApp, will become mandatory on all mobile phones and tablets sold in the country from September 1. The app, developed by state-controlled tech giant VK, is integrated with government services and is seen as part of Moscow’s drive for tighter control over its digital space. Critics, however, warn that it could facilitate state surveillance. The rollout of MAX coincides with Moscow’s growing restrictions on foreign-owned messaging platforms. Earlier this month, authorities began limiting certain call functions on WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms,…