Author: News Desk

Japan: The European Union has lifted restrictions on Japanese food imports imposed after the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The move comes weeks before Japan is expected to start pumping wastewater from the facility into the Pacific Ocean. China and other countries have threatened to further restrict Japanese seafood imports if the water discharge goes ahead. The EU announcement came after talks at a summit in Brussels between the European Council President Mr. Charles Michel, the European Commission President Ms. Ursula von der Leyen, and the Japanese Prime Minister Mr. Fumio Kishida. The EU’s decision to lift all…

United States: The United States has banned former Panamanian President Mr. Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez from entering the country due to his involvement in significant corruption while in office. The comments, made by Secretary of State Mr. Antony Blinken, accuse Mr. Varela of accepting bribes in exchange for granting government contracts. “This designation reaffirms the commitment of the United States to combat endemic corruption in Panama. It is our hope that today’s action will prompt Panama’s elected representatives and authorities to tackle entrenched corruption and empower all those who stand up for the rule of law,” Mr. Blinken noted in…

Australia: Australia’s central bank has announced the appointment of the first woman to lead the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). Ms. Michele Bullock, currently the RBA’s deputy governor, is breaking the 63-year male-dominated history of the bank. Ms. Bullock will take over after Mr. Philip Lowe, the current governor, on 18th September 2023. Mr. Lowe has been the RBA’s head for seven years. The current Australian economy is struggling with inflation, and the RBA is facing a major shakeup. As per the statement, this situation is going to be tough for Ms. Bullock as the head. “It is a challenging…

India: The Indian Space Agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has started the countdown to launch its Chandrayaan-3 moon mission from the southeastern island of Sriharikota. The Chandrayaan, ‘Moon Vehicle’ In Sanskrit, is expected to launch on Indian time at 2:35 PM on 14th July 2023. It’s the second attempt by ISRO, as the first attempt (Chandrayan-2) for the soft landing was a failure. ISRO’s first lunar probe, the Chandrayaan-1, orbited the moon and crash-landed onto the lunar surface in 2008. India will be the fourth country, including the United States, Russia, and China, to soft-land on the moon’s surface…

Russia: Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin has stated that foreign-made tanks are a “priority target” for Russian forces in Ukraine, adding that the supply of Western weaponry to Kyiv will not change the course of the war. Mr. Putin further reaffirmed that Ukraine’s membership in NATO would threaten Russia’s security, while the provision of Western arms had only intensified global tensions and prolonged the conflict. When asked about France’s decision to supply Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles, which can travel 250 kilometres (155 miles), Mr. Putin replied that “yes, they cause damage, but nothing critical happens in the war zone…

United States: A union representing Hollywood actors has chosen to go on strike after negotiations with major studios and streaming services have failed. Ms. Fran Drescher, president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the union, cited in a statement the studio management’s offers were insulting and disrespectful. The union, which includes about 16,000 actors, said its negotiating committee had unanimously recommended a strike. In the early July of 2023, US Actors’ Union and Hollywood Studios announced the two sides had agreed to extend their current labour deal through 12th July 2023, hours before a…

China: China’s exports fell the most in three years due to a decrease in global demand for Chinese goods. Customs data released on the 12th of July 2023 revealed that Chinese exports recorded a 12.4 percent decline in June 2023 compared to the same period last year. Amidst rising interest rates, the latest data shows the challenging global economic outlook as China, the world’s largest exporter, witnessed a 7.5 percent decline in exports in May 2023, followed by recent figures indicating a continued difficult environment. The strict lockdowns and tests as part of the country’s zero COVID policy have affected…

United States: A United Nation report has stated that approximately 3.3 billion people, which is almost half of humanity, now live in countries that spend more money paying interest on their debts than on education or health. “Half our world is sinking into a development disaster, fuelled by a crushing debt crisis,” UN Secretary General Mr. Antonio Guterres told a press conference launching a report on the state of the world’s debt on Wednesday. “In 2022, global public debt reached a record $92 trillion, and developing countries shoulder a disproportionate amount,” the UN chief noted. Financial markets may not seem…

United States: Mr. Elon Musk has announced the launch of his new AI company xAI, an Alternative to ChatGPT to ”understand the true nature of the universe”. The team of the firm includes former employees of OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Tesla, DeepMind and the University of Toronto. The firm will lead by the Tesla CEO, who had concerns over AI’s potential for “civilizational destruction.” As per the website, there will be a Twitter Spaces event on 14th July 2023. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1679164661869182976?s=20 Mr. Musk has expressed constant worry that the development of AI should be paused and that the sector needed regulation, as…

Ukraine: Britain’s Defence Secretary and the US National Security Adviser have stated that Ukraine ought to show more gratitude for the help it has received from the west, in response to Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s complaints that his country has not been issued a firm timetable or set of conditions for joining NATO. The officials’ comments during separate events on the sidelines of the second day of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, seemed to influence a shift in the Ukrainian leader’s stance. On Wednesday, the Ukrainian leader expressed gratitude to all leaders of NATO countries for their support and assistance. Mr.…