Author: News Desk

United States: The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has predicted that the nation’s forests will release increasingly more carbon than they store by 2070. Experts have said that within the next 50 years, forests across the US, except for those in Alaska, will stop absorbing 150 million metric tonnes of carbon annually. This carbon amount is about the same as emissions from approximately 40 coal power plants. The USDA report warns that “the ability of forests to provide the goods and services that society depends upon will be challenged over the next 50 years.” The US Forest Service has announced a pathway…

Russia: Russia’s defence ministry stated that it has destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones over the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula. No one was injured, as per the report. The attack occurred early morning, on 12th August 2023. The ministry said that fourteen drones were destroyed by air defence systems and six were suppressed by electronic warfare. Mr. Sergei Kryuchkov, an adviser to the Russia-installed governor of Crimea, commented earlier that air defence systems were engaged in repelling air attacks in different parts of the peninsula. According to the Crimea transport authorities, traffic on the Crimean Bridge was suspended for about two hours at…

United States: Mr. Elon Musk has reportedly discussed with the Italian government about the possibility of arranging his proposed cage fight against Meta owner Mr. Mark Zuckerberg at a historic location in Italy. In June 2023, the CEO of Facebook initially mentioned the concept of a one-on-one scrap through a series of posts on social media. This proposal emerged as Mr. Zuckerberg was getting ready to introduce Threads, a competing microblogging platform, while Mr. Musk had renamed his Twitter platform. The Italian Culture Minister, Mr. Gennaro Sangiuliano, stated that, “I had a long and friendly phone conversation with Elon Musk. We talked…

London, UK: England’s captain Harry Kane got permission from Tottenham to fly to Germany for a medical ahead of his potential move to Bayern Munich. Kane is the all-time record scorer for Tottenham (Spurs), with 280 goals in 435 appearances. Once Kane was informed that an agreement had been reached between the two clubs, he chose to accept the offer presented by Bayern. On 10th August 2023, Bayern and Spurs reached a deal exceeding $110 million for the 30-year-old player. The caption had one year left on the contract and was unlikely to stay with the club. Kane reportedly went…

United States: A newly released report has shown that the United States recorded its highest number of suicides in 2022, with more than 49,000 people taking their own lives. According to the analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicides were becoming more common in the US than at any time since World War II. The suicide rate steadily rose from the early 2000s until 2018, when the national rate hit its highest level since 1941. That year saw about 48,300 suicide deaths, or 14.2 for every 100,000 Americans. The rate fell slightly in 2019 and dropped…

China: China’s Ministry of State Security has revealed a suspected spy for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The individual, a Chinese national employed by a military-industrial organisation, allegedly received monetary incentives and the promise of US immigration in return for sharing sensitive military data. On 11th August 2023, the Ministry of State Security reported that a 52-year-old individual named Mr. Zeng had been sent to Italy for educational purposes. During his time there, he developed a friendship with a CIA agent working at the US embassy in Rome. The Ministry also revealed that an embassy official convinced Mr. Zeng…

India: Mr. Narendra Modi, India’s Prime Minister, has won a no-confidence vote in parliament after a three-day debate. The Modi government was expected to win the vote as his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have a majority. This is the second time that Mr. Modi’s government has defeated a no-confidence motion since it came to power in 2014. The Indian PM criticised the vote as an attempt by opposition parties to “defame India.” According to the opposition leaders, the vote was moved to force him to speak on the ethnic clashes in Manipur state. More than 150 people…

United States: Virginia Tech University researchers have discovered a new method to convert old plastic into soap. The research was published in the academic journal Science. Plastics can now be transformed into high-value chemicals known as surfactants, which are used to create soap, detergent, and more. Mr. Guoliang Liu, an associate professor of chemistry at Virginia Tech and author of the paper, has suggested that it should be possible to convert polyethylene into fatty acids and then into soap. The challenge was how to break a long polyethylene chain into many short chains and how to do it efficiently, as…

Russia: Russia has launched Luna 25, its first mission to the moon in nearly 50 years. The move is widely viewed as part of Russia’s space race with India, which is also aiming to land a lunar craft this month. The launch of the new lunar lander was Russia’s first since 1976, when it was part of the Soviet Union. Furthermore, it was conducted without assistance from the European Space Agency, which ended cooperation with Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. According to the Russian space agency Roscosmos, the launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Far East took place…

Ecuador: Ecuadorian President Mr. Guillermo Lasso has declared a nationwide state of emergency for 60 days following the killing of presidential candidate Mr. Fernando Villavicencio at a campaign rally in the capital, Quito. The 59-year-old Mr. Villavicencio was killed at the campaign event amid a surge in violence, reportedly caused by drug traffickers. “The armed forces as of this moment are mobilised throughout the national territory to guarantee the security of citizens, the tranquilly of the country, and the free and democratic elections of August 20,” Mr. Lasso stated. According to reports, some 30 shots had been fired at an…