Author: News Desk

Japan: Mr. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), arrived in Japan to present a review of Tokyo’s proposal to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. The Fukushima plant suffered a nuclear accident in 2011 when several reactors went into meltdown after a massive tsunami overwhelmed the cooling systems. The subsequent clean-up has spanned over a decade, and while most radiation-affected areas have reopened, decommissioning the plant itself will take many more years. The immediate challenge faced by the plant’s operator, TEPCO, is the accumulated 1.33 million cubic meters of water…

United States: Meta, the company behind Facebook, is set to launch a new app called Threads to compete with Twitter. The app, which can be pre-ordered on the Apple App Store, will be linked to Instagram and features a dashboard resembling Twitter. Described as a “text-based conversation app,” Threads is expected to be a free service without restrictions on post visibility. However, it will collect user data, including location, purchases, and browsing history. The rivalry between Meta’s Mr. Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Mr. Elon Musk has escalated recently. In a playful yet ambiguous gesture, the two CEOs agreed to a…

China: China has announced that the country will restrict exports of rare metals used to manufacture semiconductors due to concerns over national security. According to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Commerce and China Customs, Chinese exporters will need approval to send certain gallium and germanium products overseas from August 1 to “preserve security and national interests.” The announcement comes as the United States is reportedly considering new curbs on the export of advanced chips to China. Gallium, which has been designated a critical raw material by the European Union, is used in the production of integrated circuits, LEDs…

Iran: Iran has criticized France for permitting a meeting and rally held by the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), a group blacklisted by Iran and referred to as the People’s Mujahidin Organization. Iran considers this support for “terrorism” and has urged French officials to rectify their past support for the “murderers of Iranian people.” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Mr. Nasser Kanani stated that France should address its own internal crisis and discriminatory treatment of its citizens, referencing the recent violence and unrest following the killing of a teenager by a French police officer. “Instead, they create the grounds for a rally of…

Israel: Israel has stated that its pending decision regarding recognition of Morocco’s claim on Western Sahara is linked to the hosting of the Negev Forum, a gathering of foreign ministers involved in a United States-led regional normalization initiative. Israeli Foreign Minister Mr. Eli Cohen announced on 3rd July 2023 that they are currently working on the issue and plan to make their final decision during the Negev Forum, which is expected to take place in September or October. The Western Sahara has been a subject of dispute between Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front for many years. The Polisario Front…

China: China is sending the navy’s “Peace Ark” hospital ship on a tour of the South Pacific at a time of growing tensions with the United States and its allies for influence in the region. According to a statement from the defence ministry, the 14,300-metric-tonne vessel will make stops at Kiribati, Tonga, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and East Timor, offering medical aid to both Chinese nationals and local residents. “It is to present our image as a responsible big country,” Navy spokesperson Mr. Liu Wensheng commented. The ship, painted white with red crosses on its sides, employs more than 100…

United States: Tesla, led by Mr. Elon Musk, achieved a remarkable milestone in the second quarter as the company delivered a record number of vehicles. The electric carmaker reported delivering 466,000 vehicles between April and June 2023, surpassing the average analyst forecast of 455,000. This figure represents a 10 percent increase compared to the previous quarter and a significant 83 percent increase compared to the same period last year. The company, currently the world’s most valuable carmaker with a market value of $820 billion, also produced 480,000 vehicles during the quarter. Tesla’s strategy of reducing prices proved to be successful…

Sweden: The Swedish government has denounced the recent burning of a Quran outside the main mosque in Stockholm, describing it as an “Islamophobic” act. The condemnation came in response to a call for action by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a Saudi-based international body representing 57 member states, aimed at preventing future desecration of the Muslim holy book. In a statement released by the foreign ministry on 2nd July 2023, the Swedish government expressed its understanding of the offensive nature of the Islamophobic acts committed by individuals during demonstrations in Sweden. The government strongly condemned these acts, emphasizing that…

United States: Ms. Janet Yellen, the United States Treasury Secretary, will make a trip to Beijing this week, marking the second visit by a prominent official in a short span of time as the two largest economies in the world aim to mend strained relations. According to a statement from the US Treasury Department, Ms. Yellen will be travelling to Beijing from July 6–9. China’s Finance Ministry also confirmed the visit in a statement. During her visit, Ms. Yellen is expected to emphasise the importance of responsible management of the relationship between the two countries, direct communication regarding areas of…

United States: The Twitter owner Mr. Elon Musk has stated that the social media platform is limiting how many tweets various accounts can read per day in a bid to discourage “extreme levels” of data scraping and system manipulation. “The restrictions began to have ripple effects early on Saturday, causing more than 7,500 people at one point to report problems using the social media service,” Downdetector, a website that tracks online outages, stated. Although that’s a relatively small number of Twitter’s more than 200 million worldwide users, the trouble was widespread enough to cause the #TwitterDown hashtag to trend in some…