Author: News Desk

United States: A joint statement issued after talks between the US and Japanese foreign and defence ministers stated that the two countries have unveiled plans to strengthen security cooperation in the face of shared worries about China. According to the statement, China presented an “unprecedented” threat to international order, and the two countries pledged to position their alliance to “prevail in a new era of strategic competition.” The statement from Secretary of State Mr. Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Mr. Lloyd Austin, and their Japanese counterparts, Mr. Yoshimasa Hayashi and Mr. Yasukazu Hamada, remarked that “China’s foreign policy seeks to reshape…

Israel: A recent study claims that long COVID sufferers who had a mild bout of the virus should expect their symptoms to resolve within a year. After-illness patients have been worried that their persistent symptoms won’t go away. However, according to academics, “mild disease does not lead to serious or chronic long-term morbidity.” The Israeli research team compared data on COVID-19-negative individuals with people who had the virus but had only minor symptoms and did not need hospital treatment. They also examined data on post-infection symptoms in both vaccines- and non-vaccinated individuals. Almost two million people’s information was looked at…

United Kingdom: The veteran rock guitarist Mr. Jeff Beck has died at age 78 after “suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis.” “On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away. His family asks for privacy while they process this tremendous loss,” Mr. Jeff Beck’s team posted on the musician’s official social media page. Mr. Beck’s real name was Geoffrey Arnold Beck, and he was born in Surrey, England. The legendary artist is known for giving iconic single hits like “Heart Full…

Washington, US: The World Bank warned on 10th January 2023 that weaker growth in all three of the world’s largest economies including the United States, Europe, and China will bring the global economy “perilously close” to a recession this year. The World Bank, which provides loans to less developed nations for development initiatives, stated in an annual report that it has nearly halved its earlier expectation for global growth this year from 3 percent to just 1.7 percent. If that prediction came true, it would rank behind only the severe recessions brought on by the 2008 global financial crisis and…

Germany: A study published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences found that the world’s oceans recorded the highest temperature in 2022, demonstrating the inevitable impacts of human-caused emissions on the planet’s climate. The study found that more than 90 percent of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions is absorbed in the oceans. The records, starting in 1958, show an inexorable rise in ocean temperature, with an acceleration in warming after 1990. Sea surface temperatures can influence the world’s weather on a large scale. Hotter oceans will contribute to supercharging extreme weather, leading to more intense hurricanes and…

United States: California is facing torrential rainfall as a slew of storms left much of the state in chaos. Power outages collapsed roads, landslides, and dangerous flooding were all throughout much of the state. Southern California has been hit particularly hard the last 24 to 48 hours with more than a foot of rainfall. “Nearly all of California has seen much above average rainfall totals over the past several weeks, with totals 400-600 percent above average values,” as per the report. In a matter of days, California went from being in a severe drought to being in an extreme flood,…

United States: Austin Butler, a young “Elvis” star, and Michelle Yeoh, a veteran actor, won the top prizes for movies at the Golden Globes ceremony as Hollywood celebrated a program that had been banned from television due to diversity and ethics issues. Butler, 31, who played rock music great Elvis Presley in the film, won the award for best actor. “I’m in this room with all my heroes, I can’t believe I’m here,” Butler noted. “Brad, I love you. When I was 12 years old, Quentin, I printed out the Pulp Fiction script when I was 12 years old,” the…

United States: Republican representatives in the US House have voted to launch an investigation into what they term as Democratic President Mr. Joe Biden’s “weaponization” of the federal government. The Republicans voted to create a panel to probe Biden administration investigations, including “ongoing criminal investigations” at the Justice Department such as those involving the former president, Mr. Donald Trump. The party-line vote aimed at setting up a “Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.” The body is set to launch an inquiry into Democrat Mr. Joe Biden’s administration, which Republicans accuse of “weaponizing the FBI against Mr. Trump.”…

Greece: Greece’s former ruler Mr. Constantine II, the last king of the country who spent decades in exile, has died at age 82. Mr. Constantine, a cousin of British monarch King Charles III, died “of a stroke.” Recently, the former king was admitted to an hospital in Athens with breathing problems. Mr. Constantine was born on June 2, 1940, in Athens to Princess Frederica of Hanover and Prince Paul, the younger brother of King George II. The older sister of the exiled king, Ms. Sophia, is the wife of former King Juan Carlos I of Spain. Mr. Constantine was also…

Pakistan: Donors at an international conference in Geneva have pledged to give more than $9 billion to help it rebuild following last year’s devastating floods in Pakistan. The country seeks international assistance to cover around half of a total $16.3 billion recovery bill. Prime Minister Mr. Shehbaz Sharif and United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Mr. Antonio Guterres kicked off the one-day conference, attended by officials from nearly 40 other countries as well as private donors and international financial institutions. The unprecedented floods caused by melting glaciers and record monsoon rains last year affected more than 33 million Pakistanis, killing more than 1,700…