Author: News Desk

United States: Former United States President Mr. Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty in New York City to a string of charges linked to hush money payments ahead of the 2016 presidential vote, including one made to an adult film star. Mr. Trump, who is the first former president to be criminally prosecuted in the country’s history, entered a Manhattan courtroom to formally hear the accusations against him. “The Republican leader faces 34 felony charges of falsifying New York business records to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election,” the Manhattan district…

United States: Former US President Mr. Donald Trump has reportedly been seeking legal counsel at Trump Tower in New York City, as he faces the possibility of criminal charges. Mr. Trump has been facing an investigation over allegations of paying hush money to a porn star just before the 2016 election with whom he is accused of having sex. However, he has denied any wrongdoing in this regard. The authorities have implemented additional security measures in anticipation of protests outside the Manhattan court on 4th April 2023. Before travelling from his Florida residence to New York on 3rd April 2023,…

China: A decade-long study has suggested that regularly enjoying a good night’s sleep could significantly reduce the risk of developing asthma. The study found that poor sleep patterns may bolster genetic susceptibility to asthma, potentially doubling the risk of being diagnosed with the condition. The findings were published in the journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research. The research team from Shandong University in China used data from the UK Biobank study to examine 455,405 people aged 38 to 73. The researchers further developed a model of risk and sleep traits and followed participants for more than a decade. People were asked…

Switzerland: A new report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that about one-sixth of people around the world are affected by infertility during their lifetime, indicating the importance of access to affordable, high-quality fertility care. According to the UN’s health agency, about 17.5 percent of the adult population experiences infertility, with little variation in the prevalence of infertility between different parts of the world. The lifetime prevalence was 17.8 percent in high-income countries and 16.5 percent in low- and middle-income countries. “The report reveals an important truth: infertility does not discriminate,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s Director-General, remarked…

France: French beauty giant L’Oreal has acquired Australian luxury skincare brand Aesop in a deal worth $2.53 billion. The acquisition was made with Brazil’s Natura & Co, which had owned Aesop since 2012. The deal is expected to be completed in the second half of this year, pending approval from regulatory authorities. L’Oreal said in a statement that the acquisition would enable it to further expand its portfolio of high-end skincare brands. “Aesop taps into all of today’s ascending currents and L’Oreal will contribute to unleash its massive growth potential, notably in China and travel retail,” L’Oreal CEO Mr. Nicolas…

Australia: In line with other Western nations, the Australian government has prohibited the utilization of the Chinese social media platform TikTok on its official devices. Mr. Mark Dreyfus, the Attorney General, has approved the secretary of his department to issue a compulsory directive to forbid the use of TikTok on devices given out by Commonwealth departments and agencies. The government’s protective security direction accompanying the prohibition reveals that TikTok has been identified as a significant security and privacy threat to non-corporate Commonwealth entities. This is due to the app’s extensive collection of user data and susceptibility to extrajudicial commands from…

United States: The United States space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has revealed the four-member crew for its upcoming mission around the moon, including the first woman, the first person of colour, and the first Canadian assigned to a lunar mission. NASA announced that Mr. Reid Wiseman, Mr. Victor Glover, Ms. Christina Hammock Koch, and Mr. Jeremy Hansen would crew the Artemis II mission for a 10-day flight, marking the agency’s first manned moon voyage in over half a century. “For the first time in more than 50 years, these individuals will be the first humans to fly…

London, UK: In a surprising move, struggling cinema chain Cineworld has announced the termination of its plans to sell its UK, US, and Ireland businesses. The decision comes as a shock to industry insiders who expected the sale to be a lifeline for the beleaguered company, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The move is expected to have significant implications for the cinema industry and the future of the company itself. The company also disclosed its intention to secure new funding of $2.26 billion to help it emerge from bankruptcy protection. In September 2022, Cineworld, which operates…

Japan: A new government survey has found that almost 1.5 million people of working age in Japan are living as social recluses, with one fifth of cases attributed to the pressures unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Large numbers of hikikomori, or people who withdraw from society, spending all or almost all of their time isolated at home, stated that they had begun retreating from mainstream society due to relationship issues and after losing or leaving their jobs. A significant proportion commented that their predicament had been triggered by changes in lifestyle imposed during the pandemic. The survey found that hikikomori…

London, UK: The UK Prime Minister Mr. Rishi Sunak is set to unveil new measures to address the problem of grooming gangs in the UK. Mr. Sunak has stated that political correctness will not impede the government’s efforts to crack down on this issue, which has been a source of concern for many years. The announcement comes amid ongoing controversy over the language used by some politicians and officials in discussing child sexual exploitation. However, the Home Secretary has been criticized for her use of “dog whistle” language in this context, with some accusing her of stoking racial tensions and…