Author: News Desk

Afghanistan: Following the Taliban regime’s decision to restrict women from working for non-governmental organisations, four significant international aid organizations have ceased their operations in Afghanistan. Save the Children, the International Rescue Committee, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE stated that they could not effectively reach people in desperate need without the women in their workforces. The NGO ban was introduced a day earlier, allegedly because women were not wearing the Islamic headscarf correctly. In the midst of worsening humanitarian conditions, the four NGOs have been offering support and services in the areas of healthcare, education, child protection, and nutrition. The…

Taiwan: According to reports from the Taiwan government, 71 Chinese air force aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, have entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone. The Taiwanese Defense Ministry claimed that 47 aircraft were spotted either crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entering Taiwan’s southwestern air defence identification zone. Seven Chinese navy warships were also detected in the region by the Defence Ministry. In recent years, China has intensified military harassment of self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims to own. Taiwan’s president, Ms. Tsai Ing-wen, reiterated the need for Taiwan to boost its defence capacity due to “the…

Egypt: According to the statement, Minister of International Cooperation of Government of Egypt Ms. Rania Al-Mashat stated that the World Bank had given Egypt a new $500 million to fund the “Takaful and Karama” program. Ms. Al-Mashat remarked the program protects the most vulnerable classes from the effects of external shocks and global economic crises. The Minister pointed out that the additional funding strengthens Egypt’s institutional capacities by providing technical support and funding for investments in payment and accountancy system registration, control, and verification. The financing also improves cash plus inputs and boosts usage of digital technology, the minister cited. Ms.…

Indonesia: Dozens of Rohingya refugees have reached a beach in Indonesia’s northernmost province of Aceh after spending weeks at sea. The Rohingya are a persecuted ethnic minority in their original home of Myanmar. According to the local police chief Mr. Rolly Yuiza Away, a group of 58 men arrived on Indrapatra beach at Ladong, a fishing village in Aceh Besar district. “They look very weak from hunger and dehydration. Some of them are sick after a long and severe voyage at sea,” Mr. Away shared while adding that the men received food and water from villagers and others as they…

United States: 21 people have died there as the US struggles with a winter storm that has seen temperatures drop as low as -45C. More than 200 million people – around 60 percent of the US population are under some form of weather warning or advisory, with the brutal cold expected to continue through the Christmas weekend. The Kansas Highway Patrol stated that three people died in separate car accidents as a result of drivers losing control of their vehicles on icy roads. According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in inland states have plunged, the Des Moines, Iowa, feeling like it…

China: The National Health Commission (NHC) of China has announced that the country will no longer publish daily figures for COVID-19 cases and deaths, ending a practice that began in early 2020. The country’s top health authority stated that “relevant outbreak information” will be published by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], a sub-department managed by the NHC. The NHC did not explain the reason for its decision to stop releasing daily COVID data. From today, we will no longer publish daily information on the epidemic. The CDC will publish information about the outbreak for reference and…

Russia: Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin stated that he was ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the war in Ukraine but that Kyiv and its Western backers had refused to cooperate. The most lethal conflict in Europe since World War II and the largest standoff between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis were both triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24th February 2022. The war still has a ways to go until it is over. While Kiev claims it won’t stop until every Russian soldier is gone from all of its land, including…

Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s Taliban-run government ordered all domestic and international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) to prohibit female employees from coming to work in the latest restriction on women’s rights. The letter, confirmed by economy ministry spokesperson Mr. Abdulrahman Habib, stated that the female employees were not allowed to work until further notice because some had not adhered to the administration’s interpretation of the Islamic dress code for women. The Taliban-led government had imposed a ban on women attending universities, drawing widespread international condemnation as well as domestic protests and harsh criticism days after. The Taliban and representatives of the civic society were…

Kurdish: New conflicts between police and Kurdish community members erupted in Paris as a result of the killing of three of their community members on 23rd December 2022. Several cars were overturned and small fires set alight near Republic Square, the traditional venue for demonstrations in the city where Kurds earlier held a peaceful protest, as per the reports. Conflict broke out as some protesters exited the square. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. In a busy area of Paris’ 10th district, a gunman shot and killed two people at a Kurdish cultural centre and a neighbouring cafe shocking…

United  States: The United States House of Representatives has passed a $1.7 trillion spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown. The spending bill survived a Republican-led motion to postpone, passing 225 to 201 along party lines.  The bill will be sent to President Mr. Joe Biden to be signed into law. The massive spending bill for fiscal year 2023 includes $772.5 billion for non-defense, domestic programs and $858 billion in defense funding. The bill provides roughly $45 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine and NATO allies and roughly $40 billion to respond to natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires and…