Author: News Desk

United States: American singer-songwriter Joe Jonas and actress Sophie Turner are reportedly separating after four years of marriage. The singer has filed a petition for divorce in Florida, as per the reports. The petition says the marriage can’t be fixed and should end. Jonas and Turner, who have two daughters born in 2020 and 2022, are both seeking shared custody. They have a prenuptial agreement, as stated in the filing. They started dating in 2016 and got engaged in 2017. Jonas shared a photo on his official Instagram account, featuring Turner proudly wearing her engagement ring, along with the caption,…

United States: California lawmakers have voted to pass a bill that bans discrimination based on caste. The bill further adds protections for people of South Asian descent who say they have been left out of traditional American safeguards for fairness in employment and housing. The first-of-its-kind bill in the US now heads to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who must decide whether to sign it into law. The move gives added protections to people from countries like Nepal, India, and Bangladesh who weren’t included in pre-existing anti-discrimination laws. The state Senate voted 31-5 to approve the bill that would redefine “ancestry”…

London, UK: The United Nations (UN) warns that approximately six billion tonnes of sand are extracted from the world’s oceans annually, posing threats to marine life and coastal communities. Sand is the second most exploited natural resource globally, following water, and it’s essential for making concrete and glass. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) stated that some vessels were acting as vacuum cleaners, dredging both sand and microorganisms that fish feed on. The release of fresh data coincides with the introduction of a new tool called Marine Sand Watch. This tool employs marine tracking and artificial intelligence to monitor dredging activities.…

United States: A White House official has stated that North Korea will pay “a price” if it sells arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine. The statement comes after Washington warned that Pyongyang was in talks with Moscow about a potential arms deal. US National Security Adviser Mr. Jake Sullivan remarked that the United States believes the negotiations between North Korea and Russia are “actively advancing.” “Providing weapons to Russia for use on the battlefield to attack grain silos and the heating infrastructure of major cities as we head into winter, to try to conquer territory that belongs to…

London, UK: In a new study, scientists suggest that an oral medication approved for treating Multiple Sclerosis (MS) could potentially help to slow down the harmful inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The pharmaceutical drug Ponesimod received approval from both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to treat multiple sclerosis in 2021 after successfully completing clinical trials. Experiments carried out by University of Kentucky researchers have provided evidence that the drug can inhibit excessive immune activity in the nervous system, a process believed to be crucial in the development of dementia. “We are the…

Ethiopia: Amnesty International has accused Eritrean troops allied with Ethiopia’s government of having “committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity” in Tigray. In a report released, the rights group noted how Eritrean soldiers extrajudicially executed civilians and sexually enslaved women for months after the signing of a peace agreement in 2022. The war, which broke out in November 2020, was between regional forces from Tigray and Ethiopia’s federal army, as well as its allies, which included forces from other regions and neighbouring Eritrea. In 2021, Eritrea was sanctioned by the United States for sending troops into Tigray in support…

United States: A UN assessment has found that invasive species are costing the world at least $423 billion every year and have become a threat to biodiversity on Earth. According to reports, at least 3,500 harmful invasive species have been recorded globally in every region, spread by human travel and trade. The impact is destructive for humans and wildlife, as it may lead to extinctions and permanently damage the healthy functioning of an ecosystem. “Invasive alien species are a major threat to biodiversity and can cause irreversible damage to nature, including local and global species extinctions, and also threaten human…

Israel: The army and defence ministry have stated that Israeli forces ordered the suspension of all commercial goods leaving the Gaza Strip following an alleged attempt to smuggle explosives. Israel’s military, responsible for overseeing the border crossings between Israel and the Palestinian enclave, announced that they discovered multiple kilograms of high-quality explosives concealed within a clothing delivery transported by three trucks at the Kerem Shalom crossing. This information was released by the army and ministry in a statement issued on September 4, 2023. The halting of all “commercial deliveries from Gaza to Israel” is being carried out to allow “security adjustments…

Australia: Australia’s Qantas Airways has reportedly announced that its CEO, Mr. Alan Joyce, is retiring amid a publicity firestorm following an accusation of illegal ticket sales. The Chief Financial Officer Ms. Vanessa Hudson will take over the role after Mr. Joyce. The long-serving CEO decided to retire in November 2023 but announced that he was leaving two months early due to “the focus on Qantas and events of the past” in the last few weeks. Australia’s consumer watchdog filed a lawsuit against Qantas, accusing the airline of selling tickets for about 8,000 flights in mid-2022 that had already been cancelled,…

United States: A White House official has stated that North Korean leader Mr. Kim Jong Un is expected to hold a meeting with Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin. Ms. Adrienne Watson, a United States National Security Council spokeswoman, noted that the meeting would be part of ongoing discussions over weapons sales between the two countries. “As we have warned publicly, arms negotiations between Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) are actively advancing. We have information that Mr. Kim Jong Un expects these discussions to continue, including leader-level diplomatic engagement in Russia,” Ms. Watson commented. Previously, the White…