Author: News Desk

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…

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…