Author: News Desk

Niger: West African leaders have threatened military intervention against Niger’s junta following their seizure of power in a coup. The leaders gave the junta seven days to release President Mr. Mohamed Bazoum, who is currently held captive. Earlier, the junta warned it would resist any “plan of aggression against Niger” by either regional or Western powers. Leaders from ECOWAS, the bloc of West African nations, held crisis talks in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, to discuss the latest coup. According to a statement read out after the summit, ECOWAS had “zero tolerance” for coups. The bloc would “take all measures necessary to…

Iraq: As temperatures rise, a fire broke out at a power station in southern Iraq, and multiple explosions have further impacted the country’s already struggling national electricity grid. According to an announcement from Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity, a fire erupted at the Al-Bkir station in the southern city of Basra shortly after noon. Consequently, the incident led to the disconnection of transmission lines that connected the southern and central regions, resulting in a complete shutdown of the electrical system in the affected area, as stated by the Ministry of Electricity. On 29th July 2023, three electricity towers in the northern…

Russia: The Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin, has acknowledged that an initiative put forward by African leaders might serve as a potential foundation for peace in the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Ukraine. However, Mr. Putin pointed out that the attacks coming from Kyiv have created a situation where achieving a ceasefire has become extremely challenging. In Moscow on 29th July 2023, the Russian leader addressed the media following a meeting with African leaders in St Petersburg. During the meeting, the African leaders urged Russia to proceed with their plan, prompting Putin to make the comments. “There are things that…

United States: Twitter, recently rebranded as X, has reinstated American rapper Mr. Kanye West’s account after an eight-month ban over offensive tweets. The rapper was accused of violating the platform’s rules prohibiting incitement to violence. As of 1st December 2022, Mr. Kanye’s account displayed his final post just one day before it got suspended. Back then, Mr. Musk stated that Mr. Ye had breached their policy concerning incitement to violence, which led to the suspension of the account. Following a series of offensive tweets by the musician, one of which seemingly displayed a symbol merging a swastika and the Star…

United Kingdom: A new study, published in the journal Current Biology, has stated that scientists have succeeded in genetically engineering female fruit flies that can have offspring without needing a male. This marks the first time ‘virgin birth’ has been induced in an animal. Scientists stated that they identified the genes that enable one species of fruit fly to produce young without their eggs being fertilized by sperm. Virgin birth, also called parthenogenesis, is rare but not impossible in the animal kingdom. Sexual reproduction usually involves a female’s egg being fertilized by sperm from a male. But for parthenogenesis, the…

United States: The United States Secretary of State Mr. Antony Blinken has offered his “unflagging support” to Niger’s ousted President Mr. Mohamed Bazoum, warning his captors that hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance could be at risk if democratic norms are not restored. “The US top diplomat told Mr. Bazoum that Washington would work to reestablish the constitutional order after the West African leader was toppled in a military coup,” the State Department noted. According to reports, Mr. Blinken also “praised Mr. Bazoum’s role in promoting security not only in Niger but in the wider West Africa region.” Mr.…

United States: The White House has announced a military aid package worth $345 million for Taiwan as part of its support for the self-ruled island that is claimed by China. “The package will include “defence articles,” military education, and training,” US President Mr. Joe Biden’s administration noted in a statement. The announcement did not provide details about the weapons or equipment that would be provided. According to reports citing unnamed officials, the supplies would include portable air defence systems, small arms munitions, and reconnaissance equipment. The move prompted an immediate response from Beijing, which has promised to “reunify” democratically ruled Taiwan…

United States: A new criminal charge has been filed against former US President Mr. Donald Trump for pressuring an employee to delete security footage at his Florida home. The new accusation includes three more charges in addition to the existing 37, bringing the total charges in this case to 40. The new charges are related to the intentional withholding of defence information and obstruction of justice. Mr. Trump has denied all the accusations and called the prosecutor “deranged.” The former President is already facing multiple cases. Mr. Carlos de Oliveira, a staff member at the former US president’s Mar-a-Lago estate,…

United States: A news study has found that the rate of Americans developing a rare meat allergy from tick bites is increasing and may have already impacted as many as 450,000 people. New data released by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed a steep increase in cases of alpha-gal syndrome. The allergy can lead to a potentially life-threatening reaction to various kinds of meat or animal products. US scientists have linked alpha-gal to the saliva of the lone star tick. The tick is identified by the white spot on its back and is mostly found in the…

Singapore: Singapore has reportedly executed a 45-year-old woman who was found guilty of trafficking 30 grammes (1.06oz) of heroin in 2018. The execution is the first in almost 20 years, as per the officials. Ms. Saridewi Binte Djamani is the second drug convict executed this week. Singapore has some of the world’s toughest anti-drug laws, which it says are necessary to protect society, as per the statement. The law specifies that the death penalty will be imposed on anyone caught trafficking more than 500 grammes of cannabis or 15 grammes of heroin. Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said that Ms.…