Author: News Desk

China: The People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the central bank of the country, has reduced a significant interest rate due to worries regarding the post-pandemic rebound. The central bank has cut the one-year loan prime rate, a benchmark for corporate loans, from 3.55 percent to 3.45 percent. PBOC held the five-year LPR, which is used to price mortgages, steady at 4.2 percent, as per the statement. China’s recovery after COVID-19 has faced obstacles, including reduced demand for Chinese products due to global economic uncertainty and internal issues such as a declining property market and an all-time low birth rate. Increasing…

Saudi Arabia: A prominent rights group has stated that Saudi Arabia’s border guards have engaged in a large-scale and brutal killing of African refugees and migrants at its borders with Yemen. In a report published recently, Human Rights Watch (HRW) noted “widespread and systematic” abuses committed by Saudi border guards against mostly Ethiopian refugees who flee armed conflict, economic hardships, and droughts in their homelands. The nongovernmental organisation remarked that hundreds, and likely thousands, have been murdered by Saudi border guards between March 2022 and June 2023, and killings are continuing. According to the report, witnesses said they were targeted…

Pakistan: Mr. Arif Alvi, President of Pakistan, has denied approving two controversial bills that seek to enhance the military’s powers. Mr. Alvi posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he returned the bills unsigned but that his staff “undermined his will.” According to the two laws, it is an offense to expose the identities of military intelligence officers, and they also include provisions for imprisonment in cases of defaming the army. The President’s statement could call the legality of the two laws into question. However, Pakistan’s interim law minister Mr. Ahmed Irfan Aslam told reporters that under the constitution,…

North Korea: North Korean leader Mr. Kim Jong Un has supervised a cruise missile test amid South Korea and US joint military exercises. Pyongyang sees this as war rehearsals, as per the report. The state-run news agency KCNA reported that the test took place as Mr. Kim visited a naval unit on the east coast, where he was pictured standing on the deck of a vessel surrounded by officers. Another photo showed Mr. Kim on the quay watching a missile being fired. KCNA stated that the launch was intended to verify the “combat function of the ship and the features…

United States: The former US President, Mr. Donald Trump, has confirmed that he will not attend the first Republican primary debate, which is scheduled for 23rd August 2023. The ex-president has announced on his social media platform, Truth Social, that “New CBS poll, just out, has me leading the field by ‘legendary’ numbers… I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES.” The initial debate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination will take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For weeks, Mr. Trump has been wondering in private conversations with his advisors and mentioning at his public rallies whether he should participate in…

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…