Author: News Desk

South Africa: Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of South Africa, has warned that any attempt to arrest Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin when he visits the country next month would be a declaration of war with Russia. Mr. Ramaphosa remarked in court papers that “Russia has made it clear that arresting its sitting President would be a declaration of war.” Mr. Putin has been invited to a BRICS summit in Johannesburg in August. But the Russian President is also the target of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. The leading opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), is trying to force…

United Kingdom: A new study has stated that the new drug donanemab will become a turning point in the fight against Alzheimer’s. The study’s global trial has confirmed its remarkable ability to slow cognitive decline among patients. This antibody medication demonstrates efficacy in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, primarily by targeting and eliminating a protein that accumulates in the brains of affected individuals. Although it doesn’t offer a complete cure, the study’s findings, published in the journal JAMA, represent a major breakthrough, suggesting a new era where Alzheimer’s can be effectively treated. In the trials, it appears to have slowed…

Saudi Arabia: Turkish President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has successfully secured a deal with Saudi Arabia for the purchase of Turkish drones in an effort to strengthen Turkey’s economy. This agreement marks a significant milestone for Turkey as it strives to achieve stability amidst economic challenges. According to the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey, President Mr. Erdogan arrived in Saudi Arabia on 17th July 2023, accompanied by an entourage of some 200 businesspeople as part of a three-stop tour of the region. Both countries signed several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in many fields, including energy, direct investments, and defence…

China: Mr. John Kerry, the United States’s envoy on climate, has held talks with China’s top diplomat Mr. Wang Yi in Beijing, calling for cooperation to address global warming and to redefine the troubled diplomatic relations between the world’s two biggest greenhouse gas emitters. The US envoy told Mr. Wang that climate talks could provide a new start between the countries, which have been disturbed over issues including trade, technology, and the self-governed island of Taiwan. “Our hope is that this can be the beginning of a new definition of cooperation and capacity to resolve differences between us,” Mr. Kerry…

Australia: The Australian state of Victoria has cancelled hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to major cost blowouts. State Premier Mr. Daniel Andrews has expressed concerns regarding the cost of hosting the Games. The Premier stated that the initial estimated budget of $1.36 billion would most likely exceed $5 billion, which he deemed excessively high. “I’ve made a lot of difficult calls and a lot of very difficult decisions in this job. This is not one of them. Frankly, $7 billion for a sporting event, we are not doing that,” Mr. Andrews said at a press conference in Melbourne. “I…

Ukraine: Ukrainian President Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has commented on Moscow’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal, saying no one has the right to destroy the food security of any nation and the world has an opportunity to show Russia that it does not allow blackmail. Mr. Zelenskyy stated that the export of grain from Ukraine’s seaports should continue, with or without Russia’s participation. The President also observed that Ukraine’s exports have ensured food security for a staggering 400 million individuals. It is imperative that Russia is not permitted to wield this crucial supply as a hostage to its capricious…

Taiwan: Taiwan’s Vice President Mr. William Lai, a frontrunner in the 2024 presidential race, has announced plans to stop in the United States as he travels to Paraguay in August 2023. The visit was revealed as part of Mr. Lai’s plans to attend the August 15 inauguration of Paraguay’s President-elect Mr. Santiago Peña, a politician who campaigned on enhancing ties with Taiwan. Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, referred to the Vice President’s US visit as a transit stop, but Chinese officials have expressed outrage, calling the move a surreptitious means of generating support for Mr. Lai’s “separatist” agenda. “China…

Russia: The Kremlin has announced that Russia has suspended its participation in the Black Sea grain export deal. The country’s decision to halt its participation in the deal is widely viewed as a severe blow to global food security. The United Nations and Turkey brokered the landmark accord with Ukraine and Russia in July 2022, which came with a separate agreement to facilitate shipments of Russian food and fertiliser that Moscow insists has not been applied. The Black Sea deal, which was aimed at assisting war-torn Ukraine in shipping grain through the Black Sea to regions in need, has been…

United States: The veteran singer Ms. Taylor Swift has become the first woman and the third artist ever to have four albums in the Top 10 of the US album chart simultaneously. The American singer-songwriter has broken a record set by Ms. Barbra Streisand to become the female artist with the most No. 1 albums in history. The 33-year-old’s latest album, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), has debuted at the top spot on the Billboard 200 with 716,000 album-equivalent units, a figure that combines physical sales with digital sales and streaming figures. It is the largest week for any album in…

Tunisia: The European Union and Tunisia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a “strategic and comprehensive partnership” to deal with irregular migration. The partnership further seeks to boost economic ties between the bloc and the North African country, which lies on a major route for migrants and refugees travelling to Europe. Tunisian President Mr. Kais Saied met with European Commission President Ms. Ursula Von der Leyen, Dutch Prime Minister Mr. Mark Rutte, and Italian Prime Minister Ms. Giorgia Meloni for renewed talks. The move comes amid a rising number of migrants and refugees departing from Tunisia and trying…