Author: News Desk

United States: Microsoft is killing off the old browser’s desktop application with an upgrade to the more modern Edge browser after nearly 30 years. The defunct browser’s remnants will be removed from the start menus and taskbars, and users will be routed to Edge. Additional changes are scheduled for the summer of 2023. “The change to use Microsoft Edge update to disable IE [Internet Explorer] is intended to provide a better user experience and help organisations transition their last remaining IE11 users to Microsoft Edge,” the company remarked. It explained that customers who click on Internet Explorer will be forwarded…

United States: The UN secretary-general António Guterres has warned that an increase in the pace at which sea levels are rising threatens “a mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale.” Mr. Guterres stated that global sea levels have risen faster since 1900, and their relentless increase puts countries like Bangladesh, China, India, and the Netherlands at risk. According to the UN chief, the climate crisis is causing sea levels to rise faster than they have in 3,000 years, bringing a “torrent of trouble” to almost a billion people, from London to Los Angeles and Bangkok to Buenos Aires.…

Delhi, India: Indian income tax authorities have conducted a search of BBC headquarters as part of their investigation. This comes weeks after the broadcaster aired a documentary critical of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the UK. The BBC stated that it was “fully cooperating” with authorities. When students gathered to watch the movie last month in Delhi, authorities detained some of them. The prime minister’s involvement in anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002, while he was the state’s chief minister, was the subject of the documentary. According to Mr. KC Venugopal, general secretary of the opposition Congress party, the…

Australia: Days after the country’s defence minister declared his department would remove the devices from its premises out of concerns for security, Australian officials stated that dozens of security cameras made in China will be torn out of the offices of legislators. According to data published this week, over 250 Australian government sites, including the facilities for the Department of Defense, had at least 913 security cameras made in China installed. Mr. Richard Marles, the Australian Defense Minister, announced last week that all of the cameras within his department’s buildings would be taken down in order to  “make sure that…

Myanmar: The military regime in Myanmar will allow civilians deemed “loyal to the state” to apply for licences to carry weapons. According to reports, the military generals, who seized power from the elected government in 2021, planned to allow citizens over the age of 18 to be licensed to carry several types of guns and ammunition. Public servants and retired military personnel would also be among those allowed to keep weapons. A 15-page document about the new gun policy attributed to the Ministry of Home Affairs and published by pro-military and independent news outlets stated that the policy had been…

Japan: The recovery of Japan’s economy took longer than anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2022 even though the country’s borders were reopened. According to government data released, the second-largest economy in Asia expanded by just 0.2 percent between October and December 2022, suggesting that the global economic slowdown may be hindering the nation’s recovery. After two and a half years of arguably the strictest travel restrictions in the world due to the pandemic, Japan welcomed the return of mass tourism. Before the country closed its borders in response to the entrance of COVID-19, a record 31.9 million foreign visitors…

Nicaragua: The United States has called for the Nicaraguan government to free Bishop Rolando Alvarez of Matagalpa, who was imprisoned and stripped of his citizenship after his refusal to join a group of 222 political prisoners who were released and sent to the US. Mr. Brian Nichols, US Assistant Secretary of State, put pressure on Nicaragua to release the bishop, who was sentenced to 26 years in prison recently over charges of “conspiracy” and “fake news.” “We condemn the Nicaraguan government’s sentencing of Bishop Rolando Alvarez to 26 years in prison, as well as the decision to strip him and…

New Zealand: As devastating tropical storm Gabrielle stormed over New Zealand flooding houses, destroying roads, and knocking out electricity for tens of thousands of people, the country issued a state of emergency. The nation’s North Island experienced what officials described as an “unprecedented weather event” over the course of the previous night. “It’s been a big night for New Zealanders. A lot of families are displaced, a lot of homes are without power,” Prime Minister Mr. Chris Hipkins cited in a statement. Daylight revealed the severity of the disaster: roads eaten away by landslips and collapsed homes buried in mud, silt…

Iran: The Iranian President Mr. Ebrahim Raisi is expected to depart Tehran as he leads a large delegation to China at the invitation of President Mr. Xi Jinping. The three-day trip is Mr. Raisi’s first state visit to the world’s most populous country and the first by an Iranian president in 20 years. Mr. Raisi and Mr. Xi first met as presidents on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan in September 2022. China had supported Iran’s now-successful bid to become a full member of the organization. The Iranian President, who took office in August 2021,…

Israel: Thousands of people are protesting in front of the Israeli parliament as lawmakers engaged in a contentious debate over a plan that would give politicians more control over choosing judges. Widespread opposition has been voiced to the plans, which would give right-wing Prime Minister Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu more influence over nominations to the Supreme Court bench. Many protesters carried the Israeli flag, which is blue and white, as well as signs denouncing what they viewed as an assault on the nation’s democratic institutions. They shouted, “Shame! Shame!” “Save Israel Democracy” and “The entire world is watching” were written on…