Author: News Desk

Honduras: Honduras has ended its decades-long diplomatic ties with Taiwan, paving the way for the Central American country to begin a formal relationship with China. The Honduras Foreign Ministry posted on Twitter that “the government of Honduras recognises the existence of just one China in the world. And the government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government that represents all of China.” “Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory,” the statement added. According to the statement, Honduras had notified Taiwan of its decision to break ties and that it would not return to having any…

France: France has banned the “recreational” use of TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and other apps on the phones of government employees because of worries about inadequate data security measures. According to a tweet from the Ministry of Public Sector Reform and the Civil Service, the restriction will take effect right away. “In order to guarantee the cybersecurity of our administrations and civil servants, the government has decided to ban recreational applications such as TikTok on the professional phones of civil servants,” Mr. Stanislas Guerini remarked. Mr. Guerini continued by saying that several of France’s European and international allies had implemented restrictions…

New Zealand: New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Ms. Nanaia Mahuta stated that she had voiced her concerns regarding the South China Sea and the tensions in the Taiwan Strait. In a statement, Ms. Mahuta added that during her discussion with Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Mr. Qin Gang, she noted New Zealand’s profound concerns regarding the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the loss of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong. The Foreign Minister raised worries over developments in the South China Sea and rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia was once again condemned by…

Tunisia: Officials have reported that at least 34 refugees are still missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia, the latest tragedy this month. According to Mr. Fawzi El Masmoudi, a port city court spokesman, the boat departed from a location close to Sfax and was attempting to sail the Mediterranean to reach Italy. As other ships moved towards Italy, the event brought the overall number of missing people to 67. Hours after at least five individuals perished and 33 went missing in an attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Tunisia, the Italian coastguard announced that it…

Saudi Arabia: According to Saudi state media, Saudi Arabia and Syria are in discussions for resuming consular services between the two nations, a sign of potential rapprochement. In 2012, Saudi Arabia closed its embassy in Damascus and expelled the Syrian ambassador because it had supported the Syrian opposition in the civil conflict. The most significant advancement in Arab states’ efforts to normalise relations with al-Assad would be the restoration of ties between Riyadh and Damascus. Al-Assad was shunned by many Western and Arab nations after Syria’s civil conflict started in 2011. According to a second local source close to Damascus,…

India: Mr. Rahul Gandhi, the leader of India’s main opposition, was stripped of his right to serve in parliament a day after being found guilty of defamation and given a two-year prison sentence. “Rahul Gandhi … stands disqualified from the member of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction,” a notice issued by the parliament stated referring to the lower house. In a case involving his speech prior to the 2019 general elections, in which he referred to robbers as having the last name Mr. Modi, 52-year-old Mr. Gandhi was convicted guilty. Mr. Gandhi, a scion of the Nehru-Gandhi…

Utah, United States: The Governor of Utah Mr. Spencer Cox has signed controversial social media legislation requiring explicit parental permissions for anyone under 18 to use platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. The head of the US state also signed a bill prohibiting social media companies from employing techniques that could cause minors to develop an “addiction” to the platforms. This is the first state law in the US prohibiting social media services from allowing access to minors without parental consent. The state’s Republican-controlled legislature passed both bills earlier in March 2023, despite opposition from civil liberties groups. “We…

United States: US lawmakers grilled TikTok CEO Mr. Shou Zi Chew for 6 hours on national security concerns about the Chinese-owned video app. Mr. Shou Zi Chew’s testimony before Congress did little to allay American concerns about ByteDance, the parent firm of TikTok, which is based in China. Instead, it gave legislators’ proposals to outlaw the platform nationally new impetus. Throughout the five hours of evidence, Mr. Chew insisted the platform was doing all possible to protect the safety of its 150 million US users and denied the app shared data or had any connections to the Chinese Communist Party.…

Spain: The Spanish Prime Minister Mr. Pedro Sanchez has announced that he would discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine with Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping during a state visit to China in order to reach a lasting peace in Ukraine. Mr. Sánchez’s trip to China was revealed as Mr. Xi, who is attempting to position himself as a mediator in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, returned from a symbolic two-day visit to Moscow. The Spanish PM described China as a “top-tier global actor” and thanked Mr. Xi for the invitation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Spain and China’s…

Monaco: World Athletics has voted to prohibit transgender women who have reached male puberty from participating in elite female competitions. The rule, which takes effect on March 31, was adopted to “protect the future of the female category.” Mr. Seb Coe, President of World Athletics, acknowledged that the decision would be contentious, but stated that his sport was guided by the “overarching principle” of fairness, as well as the science of physical performance and male advantage. “Decisions are always difficult when they involve conflicting needs and rights between different groups, but we continue to take the view that we must…