Author: News Desk

Holland: The International Criminal Court (ICC) has made a ruling allowing its prosecutors to recommence an investigation into alleged human rights violations in Venezuela. The investigation, initially suspended in April 2022 at Venezuela’s request to conduct its own probe, was reignited due to Venezuela’s failure to adequately address the accusations against government officials. The ICC expressed concerns about Venezuela’s internal investigation, citing “periods of unexplained investigative inactivity” and a lack of attention to issues of persecution and sexual crimes. Additionally, the Venezuelan probe predominantly focused on lower-level perpetrators, rather than senior-level officials, disappointing the expectations of ICC prosecutors. Human Rights…

South Korea: South Korea’s new age-counting system, abandoning its old and unpopular method, has resulted in every South Korean being instantly considered a year or two younger. Previously, individuals were considered one year old at birth, with an additional year added every January 1. This peculiar custom meant that a baby born on New Year’s Eve would be considered two years old as soon as midnight struck. The revised system now aligns with the internationally accepted method of age calculation for most administrative and civil matters, including official documents and contracts. The change was approved by the national assembly in…

Sierra Leone: President Mr. Julius Maada Bio has emerged victorious in Sierra Leone’s highly contested presidential election, as officially confirmed by the election commission. However, his primary opponent wasted no time in dismissing the outcome. The Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, announced that Mr. Bio, aged 59, secured re-election with a majority of 56.17 percent in the vote held on Saturday. Mr. Samura Kamara, the prominent rival from the All People’s Congress (APC) party, secured the second position with 41.16 percent of the votes. “By the powers invested in me, I hereby certify that Bio Julius Maada is…

India: India will be hosting Pakistan in a thrilling match at the upcoming 2023 ICC World Cup. The match is to take place on 15th October in Ahmedabad, a city in India. The World Cup will witness a total of 48 matches played across 12 different venues. The grand finale will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 19th November 2023. This confirmation follows months of speculation regarding Pakistan’s participation in the tournament. The two nations have a historically strained relationship, which has often affected their sporting engagements. Earlier, Pakistan had even threatened to boycott the World…

Pakistan: Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the United States embassy’s deputy chief of mission to express concern over a statement last week by US President Mr. Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi that called on Pakistan to ensure its territory was not used as a base for attacks by armed groups. The US-India statement was released after a meeting between Mr. Biden and Mr. Modi at the White House and received criticism from Pakistan, which called it contrary to diplomatic norms. “It was stressed that the United States should refrain from issuing statements that may be construed…

Canada: Ms. Olivia Chow, a Chinese-Canadian, has elected as the new mayor of Toronto on 26th June 2023. During her victory speech, Ms. Chow expressed the mandate for change that the voters of Toronto had relied upon her with. The new mayor acknowledged her gratitude to supporters and conveyed a message of hope, stating that the results of the election were a clear response to any doubts or uncertainties about what can be accomplished when people come together and work towards a better future. Ms. Chow secured victory with 37.2 percent of the vote, surpassing Ms. Ana Bailao who received…

Colombia: Colombian President Mr. Gustavo Petro has honored both Indigenous and military rescuers involved in a mission to locate four children who were lost in the Amazon jungle for 40 days after surviving a plane crash. In recognition of their efforts, medals were bestowed on these brave individuals. The children, ranging in age from one to 13, miraculously survived the crash that tragically claimed the lives of their mother, the pilot, and another adult on May 1. After an extensive and intricate search operation, volunteers from the Indigenous Muruy community discovered the children on June 9. The Columbian President expressed…

United States: The technology giant Meta has introduced Meta Quest+, a subscription service for its virtual reality (VR) headsets, that will provide its users access to two games each month. Mr. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, announced that starting from 26th June 2023, people can subscribe to Meta Quest+ for their Quest 2, Pro, and upcoming Quest 3 devices. The subscription will cost $7.99 per month or $59.99 per year. As per the statement, during the initial quarter of the year, the VR unit of Meta, the parent company of Instagram, incurred a loss of $4 billion. Meta is…

United States: A UN expert has urged the United States to apologise for the torture inflicted upon prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, take responsibility for the abuses, and permanently close down the well-known US-operated detention centre in Cuba. In a recently published report, Ms. Fionnuala Ni Aolain, the UN Special Rapporteur, expressed gratitude to the administration of US President Mr. Joe Biden for granting her access to the facility earlier this year. The UN expert emphasised the urgency of addressing the violations committed against detainees. Mr. Ni Aolain stated that the torture endured by prisoners at undisclosed locations known as black…

United Kingdom: A new study has revealed that greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping industry could be reduced by 50 percent by 2030 without negatively impacting global trade. This comes as countries gear up to discuss the implementation of a potential carbon tax on emissions produced by ships. Currently, maritime transportation accounts for approximately 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, with limited alternatives to the cheap, heavy, and polluting diesel oil commonly used by ships. The shipping sector has been slow in adopting emissions reduction technologies, prompting an increasing number of countries to advocate for a tax on shipping…