Author: News Desk

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…

Israel: Despite concerns that it would be designed to protect the current Prime Minister Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu from any negative effects of his corruption prosecutions, Israel has adopted a law restricting the circumstances under which a prime minister can be ousted. With a final vote of 61 to 47 the Knesset approved the law, which stipulates that the Knesset or three-quarters of cabinet ministers can only proclaim a prime minister to be physically or mentally unfit and order them to resign. The opposition claims that judicial independence is in jeopardy, while the coalition asserts that the proposals aim to restrain the…

Russia: The International Criminal Court (ICC) has expressed concern over “threats” from Russia after the issuance of a war crimes arrest warrant for President Mr. Vladimir Putin. Following a threat by former Russian President Mr. Dmitry Medvedev to launch hypersonic missiles against the war crimes court in the Hague, the ICC expressed its concern on 22nd March 2023. It also came after Russia’s top investigative body filed a criminal complaint against the judges who authorised Putin’s arrest order as well as ICC Prosecutor Mr. Karim Khan. The presidency of the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties stated that it “regrets these…

United States: The United States Secretary of State Mr. Antony Blinken has dismissed the deepening ties between China and Russia as a “marriage of convenience.” Mr. Blinken made the comments after Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were filmed saying warm goodbyes at the end of two days of closely watched meetings in Moscow. “In part as a result of having this very different worldview than we do, they have a marriage of convenience. I am not sure if it’s conviction,” Mr. Blinken told the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Secretary of State commented…

Columbia: A new report from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has found that violence between armed groups in Colombia leads to widespread displacement and insecurity among civilians. In its annual report on the country’s humanitarian situation, the ICRC noted that even though violence between the Colombian military and armed groups has decreased, more than 180,000 civilians were displaced in 2022 as non-state organisations fought for territories and resources. According to the ICRC report, about 39,000 people were confined to their villages for days or weeks at a time due to the threat of violence. Medical missions were…