Author: News Desk

London, UK: Former Real Madrid and Arsenal midfielder Mesut Özil has announced his retirement from professional football. Özil, previously regarded as one of the top players in the world at his position, won four FA Cups with Arsenal between 2014 and 2020 in addition to the La Liga title with Real Madrid in 2012. Moreover, he played for Germany in 2010, 2014, and 2018 World Cups and scored 23 goals in 92 games. “I’ve had the privilege to be a professional football player for almost 17 years now and I feel incredible thankful for the opportunity. But in recent weeks…

Canada: A new study by the researchers at a Canadian university has resulted in a breakthrough that they hope will dramatically shorten the lifespan of the thousands of toxic “forever chemicals” that persist in clothing, household items, and the environment. Through the study published in the journal  Chemosphere, scientists at the University of British Columbia announced that they had developed a new silica-based material with the ability to absorb a wider range of harmful chemicals and new tools to break them apart. “This is very exciting because we can target these difficult-to-break chemical bonds and break them for good,” researcher…

Ukraine: Mr. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has issued a warning that if the United Kingdom gives Ukraine depleted uranium-tipped armour-piercing tank ammunition, Russia will be “forced to react.” Mr. Putin reacted to reports that Challenger 2 battle tanks and ammunition containing depleted uranium were being transferred to Ukraine as part of a military aid package, according to the UK’s state secretary for defence, Ms. Annabel Goldie. “The United Kingdom… announced not only the supply of tanks to Ukraine but also shells with depleted uranium. If this happens, Russia will be forced to react,” Mr. Putin told reporters after…

United states: A new study has found that cases of a dangerous fungus tripled in the United States over just three years, and more than half of the states have now reported it. According to the study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the COVID-19 pandemic likely drove part of the increase. “Hospital workers were strained by coronavirus patients, and that likely shifted their focus away from disinfecting some other kinds of germs, the researchers at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who conducted the study, remarked. The fungus Candida auris is a form of yeast that is…

China: TikTok CEO Mr. Shou Zi Chew will assure senators that the Chinese-owned video app will never share user data with Beijing due to the rising push in the US to outright ban the platform. Mr. Chew will appear before the Energy and Commerce Committee of the US House of Representatives on 23rd March 2023. There, he is likely to face questions over allegations that the Chinese Communist Party might manipulate the app. Last week, the business confirmed rumours that the White House had ordered TikTok to sever relations with its Chinese owners or risk being banned. “TikTok has never…

Uganda: Uganda’s Parliament has passed a controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill that would make homosexual acts punishable by death, invoking strong opposition from rights campaigners. About 389 legislators voted in favour of the anti-homosexuality bill, which imposes capital and life imprisonment sentences for gay sex and “recruitment, promotion, and funding” of same-sex “activities”. The bill presented by Ms. Robina Rwakoojo, the chairperson for legal and parliamentary affairs, stated that “a person who commits the offence of aggravated homosexuality is liable, on conviction, to suffer death.” Only two MPs from the ruling party, Mr. Fox Odoi-Oywelowo and Mr. Paul Kwizera Bucyana, opposed the…

London, UK: In a report’s foreword, United Nations Secretary-General Mr. Antonio Guterres warned that the world is “blindly travelling a dangerous path” as “unsustainable water use, pollution, and unchecked global warming are draining humanity’s lifeblood.” The report was released hours before the first significant UN meeting on water resources in nearly 50 years. The UN warned in the report released hours before a major summit on the issue was scheduled to start on 22nd March 2023  that water, the “lifeblood” of humanity, is increasingly in danger owing to “vampiric overconsumption and overdevelopment.” The UN Water Conference, which is being co-hosted…

Taiwan: The office of Taiwan President Ms. Tsai Ing-wen has announced that the country’s head will make unofficial stops in the United States as she travels to visit two Central American allies, Guatemala and Belize. In the wake of the new announcement, the administration of US President Joe Biden has tried to underscore the “personal” nature of the stops in order to avoid escalating tensions with China. “These are called transits. Not uncommon. President Tsai has done it six times. Every single Taiwan president in recent memory has done this,” US National Security Council spokesperson Mr. John Kirby commented on…

Israel: The Israeli government has passed a bill that would allow Israelis to resettle four illegal settlements in the northern occupied West Bank that were evacuated in 2005. The second and third readings of the legislation were passed  in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, with a majority of 31 votes in support and 18 who voted against. The development could see Israelis resettle in the evacuated settlements of Homesh, Sa-Nur, Kadim, and Ganim, all of which are located around the Palestinian cities of Jenin and Nablus. While the government has passed the amendment, the Israeli military must still issue a military…

France: Following Hugo Lloris’ retirement, Didier Deschamps has appointed Kylian Mbappe as France’s new captain. As his country’s 2024 European Championship qualifying campaign gets underway this week, Mbappe, 24, will carry the armband. The Tottenham goalie, who announced his retirement from international football following their World Cup final loss to Argentina, is succeeded by the star goalkeeper of Paris Saint-Germain. Mbappe will wear the captain’s armband when his nation’s qualifying campaign for the 2024 European Championships gets underway this week. Following their World Cup final loss to Argentina, the Tottenham goalie declared his retirement from international football. The great goalkeeper…