Author: News Desk

United States: The United States National Security Adviser Mr. Jake Sullivan has announced that a prisoner swap deal between the United States and Iran is “on track.” The statement comes less than two weeks after Tehran moved five detained US citizens to house arrest. Mr. Sullivan’s comments are interpreted as a rare public expression of confidence from Washington that the prisoner swap would take place. “We believe that things are proceeding according to the understanding that we have reached with Iran,” Mr. Sullivan told reporters. “I do not have an exact timetable for you because there are steps that need…

South Africa: Chinese President, Mr. Xi Jinping, has arrived in South Africa for his fourth state visit to the country. The visit coincides with the 15th BRICS Summit. The South African President, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, has received the Chinese President at OR Tambo International Airport. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) welcomed the Chinese President with a military parade. Mr. Ramaphosa will host the Chinese leader in the executive capital, Pretoria, ahead of the BRICS summit, which runs from 22nd  to 24th August 2023. BRICS is a group of emerging economies consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South…

Palestine: The United Nations Middle East envoy has stated that more than 200 Palestinians and nearly 30 Israelis have been killed so far in 2023 in the occupied West Bank and Israel, the highest number of fatalities since 2005. Mr. Tor Wennesland, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the UN Security Council that rising violence is being fuelled by Palestinians’ growing uncertainty about the future, including achieving an independent state. “Palestinians and Israelis are killed and injured in near-daily violence, including just hours before this briefing when another fatal shooting attack killed an Israeli in the…

London, UK: A new study found that using MRI scans to screen men for prostate cancer could reduce deaths from the disease significantly. The scans were much better at detecting cancer than blood tests that rely on high PSA protein levels. Researchers have found that current tests, which measure the amount of the protein prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood, are associated with the problem of overdiagnosing and overtreating low-risk cancers. UCLH NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London conducted the study, and its findings were published in the medical journal BMJ Oncology. Professor Caroline Moore, a consultant surgeon at…

Ukraine: Ukraine’s President Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Greece will take part in the training of Ukrainian Air Force pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets. Greece’s offer comes after Denmark and the Netherlands announced they would supply the first United States-built F-16 warplanes to the Ukrainian Air Force. “Today, we have an important result for the aviation coalition. Greece will participate in the training of our pilots for the F-16. I am grateful for this proposal,” Mr. Zelenskyy stated during a joint press conference with Greek Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens. The Greek Air Force consists mostly…

Somalia: Somalia’s communications minister has announced a ban on TikTok, Telegram, and 1XBet to reduce the dissemination of inappropriate content and propaganda. Internet service providers were instructed to comply with the order by 24th August 2023. “The minister of communications orders internet companies to stop the aforementioned applications, which terrorists and immoral groups use to spread constant horrific images and misinformation to the public,” the minister, Mr. Jama Hassan Khalif, stated. Al-Shabab militants frequently share information about their actions on platforms like TikTok and Telegram. The decision was made shortly after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia announced a military…

North Korea: Japan has stated that North Korea plans to launch a military satellite in the coming days, months after its first effort ended in failure when the satellite crashed into the sea. The office of Japanese Prime Minister Mr. Fumio Kishida noted that Pyongyang had informed Japan of the planned launch. According to reports, Mr. Kishida had instructed his government to work with the United States, South Korea, and other nations to urge its cancellation. “We strongly urge North Korea to exercise restraint and refrain from conducting a launch,” Mr. Kishida’s office wrote on X. The Japan Coast Guard remarked…

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,…