Author: News Desk

United States: Pop icon Beyonce set the record for most career victories at the Grammy Awards, but she was defeated once more by British singer Harry Styles in the prestigious album of the year category. Beyonce acquired four more Grammys, raising her overall total to 32, surpassing the late conductor of classical music, Georg Solti. This year, she received nine nominations for prizes. Despite years of success, the 41-year-old “Break My Soul” singer has never won the best album award despite receiving four nominations. Styles received that award for “Harry’s House.” “I’ve been so inspired by every artist in this…

Hong Kong: Hong Kong’s largest national security trial has started, involving 47 of the city’s most high-profile democracy advocates in a hearing that is widely considered a trial of the territory’s pro-democracy movement itself. A group of former politicians, activists, campaigners, and community workers are accused of “conspiracy to commit subversion” over the holding of unofficial pre-election primaries in July 2020. The case is at the centre of the Hong Kong and Beijing governments’ crackdown on opposition and dissent in the city after the mass pro-democracy protests in 2019. The accused people include legal academic Mr. Benny Tai, former lawmakers…

Ukraine: Mr. David Arakhamia, chief of the Ukranian President’s Servant of the People parliamentary bloc, has announced that the country’s Defence Minister, under pressure from a corruption scandal, will be removed from his position as Russian forces close in on Bakhmut amid heavy fighting. The position of Mr. Oleksii Reznikov, one of Ukraine’s better-known figures internationally, has been under threat after it emerged the defence ministry paid twice or three times the supermarket price of food to supply troops on the frontline. Mr. Arakhamia stated that the defence ministry would be headed up by Mr, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s…

Syria: Turkey and Syria were slammed by a strong 7.8-magnitude earthquake that killed numerous people, destroyed homes while people were still sleeping, and caused vibrations to be felt as far away as the island of Cyprus. Although the initial death toll in Turkey was put at 53, it threatened to rise significantly higher because it struck while the majority of people were still asleep at home. According to official media, at least 42 individuals also perished in northern Syria’s areas under government control. https://twitter.com/USGS_Quakes/status/1622424153184948225?s=20&t=gTL8WDRraTSmRX9-OQeL1w The United States agency reported that, the earthquake occurred at 04:17 local time (0117 GMT) at…

Sudan: Pope Francis and the leaders of protestant churches in England and Scotland have denounced the criminalisation of homosexuality. During his return journey from South Sudan, the Pope remarked that such laws were a sin and “an injustice.” “This is not right. Persons with homosexual tendencies are children of God. God loves them. God accompanies them. Condemning a person like this is a sin,” the Pope shared. The Pope’s comments were backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Dr. Iian Greenshields, Moderator of the Church of Scotland. “I entirely agree with every word he said there,” Archbishop Justin Welby commented,…

China: The Biden administration applauded the Pentagon for shooting down a purported Chinese surveillance balloon near the US Atlantic coast but China vehemently expressed its “strong dissatisfaction” with the action and threatened to take “necessary responses.” The craft spent many days flying over North America before it was shot down by a missile fired from an F-22 off the coast of South Carolina, according to Pentagon officials. The missile caused the aeroplane to crash into relatively shallow water that was only 47 feet (14 metres) deep. According to US Secretary of Defense Mr. Lloyd Austin, The operation was a  “deliberate…

Dubai: Mr. Pervez Musharraf, a four-star General, who governed Pakistan for almost ten years after taking the throne in a bloodless coup in 1999, passed away in Dubai. The 79-year-old Mr. Musharraf died in a hospital after a long illness and years of self-imposed exile. The Pakistani military released a statement confirming his passing with “heartfelt condolences on the sad demise of General Pervez Musharaf, former President, CJCSC and Chief of Army Staff.” “May Allah bless the departed soul and give strength to the bereaved family,” the statement cited. According to a statement from his office, Pakistan’s president Arif Alvi…

Africa: Pope Francis renewed a strong call for peace in the war-torn country on 4th February 2023, urging South Sudan’s leaders to restore “dignity” to the millions of their citizens afflicted by the conflict. Mr. Francis heard from youngsters who have spent a large portion of their lives running from violence on the second day of his visit to South Sudan, a country that has been at war for approximately half its history. The 86-year-old pontiff has been pressuring South Sudan’s leaders to mend differences for the sake of a nation traumatised by the legacy of a five-year civil war…

Brazil: Brazil has sunk a decommissioned aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Ocean despite warnings from environmental groups that the ageing warship was packed with toxic materials. The Brazilian Navy remarked in a statement that the “planned and controlled sinking” occurred some 350 km (220 miles) off the Brazilian coast in the Atlantic Ocean, in an area with an “approximate depth of 5,000 metres.” Though defence officials stated that they would sink the Sau Paulo warship in the “safest area,” environmentalists expressed concerns over the act, claiming that the warship contained tonnes of asbestos, heavy metals, and other toxic materials that…

United States: The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his visit to China, calling the Chinese decision to fly an apparent spy balloon over the country “unacceptable and irresponsible.” The top American diplomat’s trip to Beijing was supposed to be the first high-level US-China meeting there in years. Earlier, China expressed regret over the balloon, saying that it was a weather airship that had been blown astray into American airspace. Later, the Pentagon reported that a second Chinese spy balloon had been spotted over Latin America. “We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America. “We now…