Author: News Desk

India: Mr. Rishi Sunak has challenged the Chinese premier Mr. Li Qiang over Chinese interference in the UK parliament after two men were arrested amid allegations that a parliamentary researcher spied for Beijing. The UK Prime Minister met Mr. Li on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi in an unplanned meeting hours after reports revealed the researcher, who is understood to have had links to senior Conservative MPs, had been arrested along with another man. Downing Street said after the meeting that b”the prime minister met Premier Mr. Li Qiang and conveyed his significant concerns about Chinese interference…

Ukraine: Ukrainian authorities have reported downing more than two dozen Russian drones over the country’s capital, Kyiv. The statement comes after Russia’s Defence Ministry announced the destruction of eight Ukrainian drones near the annexed Crimean peninsula. The extent of the damage from the rival attacks was not immediately clear. Kyiv Mayor Mr. Vitali Klitschko stated that at least one person was wounded in the city’s historic Podil neighbourhood after a fire broke out near one of its parks. “Debris from downed drones fell on the Darnytskyi, Solomianskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, and Podil districts,” Mr. Klitschko and the city’s military administration said.…

United States: US tennis player Coco Gauff has beaten Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka (2-6, 6-3, 6-2) in the US Open women’s final, winning her first Grand Slam title. The sixth-seeded Gauff became the first American to win a US Open singles title since Sloane Stephens in 2017. The 19-year-old Gauff energised her adoring home crowd with a fantastic comeback in the second set, maintained momentum till the end, and ultimately won the match held at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Sabalenka had an impressive start but could not keep the momentum going, and she closed her 2023 Grand Slam run, which…

Kenya: In a new study researchers have discovered that wild savannah elephants in Kenya call each other with specific vocal sounds, which they use to communicate. The research hasn’t undergone peer review yet. But if the findings can be confirmed, elephants could become the only non-human animal to use random names in communication. Bottlenose dolphins can mimic unique signature whistles to communicate with specific individuals, but scientists note that this differs slightly from human communication. Behavioural ecologist Mr. Michael Pardo from Colorado State said his team’s findings could potentially “blur the line” between “what we think is unique to human…

Morocco: The Moroccan interior ministry said that a strong earthquake of magnitude 6.8 has struck central Morocco. It reportedly caused the deaths of 632 people. The epicentre was located in the High Atlas Mountains, 71km (44 miles) southwest of Marrakesh, at a depth of 18.5km, as reported by the US Geological Survey. The earthquake occurred at 23:11 local time, followed by a 4.9 aftershock just 19 minutes later. The ministry reported casualties in Marrakesh and various southern areas. “According to a provisional report, the earthquake killed 296 people in the provinces and municipalities of al-Haouz, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua, and…

India: US President Mr. Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi have pledged to deepen ties between their two countries. It was held during direct talks ahead of a Group of 20 summit in New Delhi at the weekend. After Mr. Biden arrived in the Indian capital, the US and India together restated their backing for an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, inclusive, and strong. They are part of the Quad alliance, which also includes Australia and Japan. The discussions were the second face-to-face meeting between Biden and Modi since June 2023. During that visit, the Indian leader…

Sri Lanka: Former Sri Lankan President Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa has denied claims from a British TV program that suggested he used ISIL (ISIS)-inspired attackers for 2019 suicide bombings to destabilize the country and secure his election victory later that year. “To claim that a group of Islamic extremists launched suicide attacks in order to make me president is absurd,” Mr. Rajapaksa said in a public statement. The former President said the documentary on Britain’s Channel 4 television was “mostly an anti-Rajapaksa tirade.” During a broadcast, Channel 4 interviewed a person who claimed to have organized a meeting between a local…

Lebanon: Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Mr. Najib Mikati has expressed concerns about the influx of Syrian refugees into the country, saying it could affect the nation’s demography. Over the past months, thousands of Syrian citizens have reached Lebanon through illegal crossing points, seeking a better life. At the start of a cabinet meeting, Mr. Mikati stated that the fleeing Syrians “could create harsh imbalances. “What is most worrying is that most of the refugees are young men and women,” the Lebanon PM commented. “That threatens our entity’s independence and could create harsh imbalances that could affect Lebanon’s demographic balance,” Mr.…

London, UK: King Charles III has shared a message and released a photo of Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate the one-year anniversary of her passing. In his message, the King mentioned that he remembered the late Queen’s “devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.” The King picked a photograph that features a youthful Queen, who was 42 years old at the time, during an official portrait session in 1968. Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96 in Balmoral Castle on September 8, 2022. This occurred just a few months after she celebrated her platinum…

United Kingdom: The United Kingdom Prime Minister Mr. Rishi Sunak has stated that he is looking forward to a “special” trip to New Delhi, which will be “India’s son-in-law’s” first visit to the country since entering Downing Street. The Prime Minister will land in the capital city ahead of this weekend’s G20 summit, marking the first time he has been to India since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Downing Street is hoping Mr. Sunak’s Indian heritage and the presence of his wife, Mr. Akshata Murty, the daughter of one of India’s richest men, will help guarantee a warm reception from locals…