Author: News Desk

Indonesia: A woman in Indonesia has been sentenced to two years for violating the nation’s blasphemy laws through a TikTok video about food that she shared in March 2023. Ms. Lina Lutfiawati’s video on TikTok gained millions of views as it depicted her saying a Muslim prayer before consuming crispy pork skin. In Islamic law, pork is deemed ‘haram,’ meaning it’s not allowed or permissible. On September 19, 2023, in the city of Palembang, Indonesia, the court ruled that the 33-year-old woman intentionally “spread information that was intended to incite hate or individual/group enmity based on religion.” She was also…

Poland: Poland has announced that it will no longer supply weapons to Ukraine amid rising tension between Warsaw and Kyiv in a dispute over grain exports. The Poland Prime Minister Mr. Mateusz Morawiecki stated that the nation would instead focus on arming itself with more modern weapons. “We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons,” the Prime Minister commented. Poland has been among Ukraine’s strongest supporters since the Russian invasion and is one of Kyiv’s primary weapons suppliers. Tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv escalated due to Poland’s imposition of a…

United States: United States President Mr. Joe Biden has launched a new “climate corps” programme, a longstanding demand from environmental groups. The initiative will offer paid training to 20,000 young people in order to help them attain high-paying jobs in the fight against climate change. The move comes after efforts to create a similar programme failed last year in the US Congress amid opposition from Republicans. “Today, we are mobilising the next generation of clean energy, conservation, and climate resilience workers,” Mr. Biden wrote on X. The US President has promised to implement a wider transition to a clean energy…

United States: The US military has announced that its soldiers will complete a joint military exercise with Armenian forces in Armenia as planned, and the exercise was not affected by the launch of a major military operation by neighbouring Azerbaijan. According to a US military spokesperson, there had been no change to the 10-day Eagle Partner 2023 exercise involving 85 US soldiers and 175 Armenians, despite Azerbaijan’s launch of an “antiterrorist” operation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. “We were aware that they were conducting operations, but we didn’t assess there to be any risk to our soldiers at the time, so…

Spain: The Spanish secretary of state for sports, Mr. Victor Francos, has stated that most of the players in the Spain women’s team have agreed to end their boycott. They reached this decision after 7 hours of discussion. Two players of the 23-player squad for this month’s Nations League games have decided to withdraw. Mr. Francos mentioned that the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) promised swift and significant changes. The players started the boycott when RFEF president Mr. Luis Rubiales kissed forward Ms. Jenni Hermoso after Spain’s victory over England in the Women’s World Cup final last month. The non-consensual kiss,…

United States: A new study has suggested that exercising in the morning helps with weight loss. The study published in the journal Obesity found that workouts between 7 AM and 9 AM have been associated with having a lower waist circumference and body mass index than people who work out during the midday or evening. The research team studied health and activity data from 5,285 people who had participated in the 2003 to 2006 cycles of the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. After participants had their BMI and waist circumference recorded, they…

United States: The lawyer of Mr. Hunter Biden, son of US President Mr. Joe Biden, has said that he will plead not guilty to three criminal charges relating to a gun purchase he made in 2018. The attorney, Mr. Abbe Lowell, confirmed the planned plea in a letter to the judge and requested that the first court appearance be conducted remotely. The US President was also accused last week of having a gun while using illegal drugs and providing false information to purchase it. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison, as per the statement. Mr.…

Argentina: Argentina’s Navy School of Mechanics (ESMA) has been named as a United Nations World Heritage site. ESMA was a military school turned secret detention centre. “The Navy School of Mechanics conveyed the absolute worst aspects of state-sponsored terrorism,” President Mr. Alberto Fernández told the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in a video message. Mr. Fernández has thanked UNESCO for designating ESMA as a heritage site. Mr. Fernández stated that, “Memory must be kept alive,” referencing the “horrors” experienced at the former school. A military group overthrew President Mr. Isabel Perón in 1976, beginning a period of dictatorship…

United States: Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the Brazilian President, has warned that Guatemala faces a “risk of coup.” The statement made during his address to the United Nations General Assembly prompted a rebuke from the Guatemala’s outgoing President Mr. Alejandro Giammattei. Speaking from the UN headquarters in New York, Mr. Lula raised concerns that the result of Guatemala’s 2023 presidential elections could be overturned. “In Guatemala, there is a risk of a coup, which would impede the inauguration of the winner of democratic elections,” the Brazilian President said during the general debate. Hours later, Mr. Giammattei pushed back…

United States: The world’s top business magnet Mr. Elon Musk has stated that his online platform X, formerly known as Twitter, could introduce a monthly fee for all users to cut down on bots. The tech billionaire has made numerous changes to the site after purchasing it for $44 billion in October last year. Mr. Musk has fired many employees, added a paid premium choice, reduced content oversight, and allowed previously banned accounts, including former US President Mr. Donald Trump’s. In July 2023, he mentioned that the platform’s advertising revenue had dropped by about 50 percent. Bots, which are automated…