Author: News Desk

United States: The Oscar nominations for a year in which the big-screen box office finally returned from the pandemic. Academy members are anticipated to honour blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” for their role in saving movie theatres. The most likely nominee for best picture, Hollywood’s most coveted prize, is Tom Cruise’s much-anticipated follow-up to his big 1986 smash, but other well-liked sequels like “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” may also receive a nod. They will have competition from a wide spectrum of films, including the buzz-generating sci-fi hit “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and Steven…

United States: The United States President Joe Biden has nominated a special envoy for human rights in North Korea. The position has been vacant since January 2017, when the envoy under Barack Obama, Robert King, stepped down as part of the presidential transition. According to the White House statement, Mr. Biden nominated Ms. Julie Turner, a Korean-speaking career diplomat who currently heads the Asia section of the State Department’s human rights bureau. Ms. Turner previously worked on North Korean human rights as a special assistant in the envoy’s office, the statement added. The appointment needs further confirmation from the Senate.…

Morocco: Moroccan Lawmakers unanimously agreed to review their ties with the European Parliament, accusing it of meddling after a resolution urging the kingdom to protect press freedom. In response to the non-binding European legislation adopted members of both chambers of Morocco’s parliament convened in the capital city of Rabat for a joint session. The Moroccan lawmakers described the European resolution as “an unacceptable attack against the sovereignty, dignity, and independence of judicial institutions in the kingdom” in a statement following their meeting. They claimed it badly damaged their relationship’s foundational trust. According to Mr. Rachid Talbi Alami, as a result…

Switzerland: The World Health Organization has called for “immediate and concerted action” to protect children from contaminated medicines after a large number of child deaths linked to cough syrups in 2022. According to the WHO statement, more than 300 children deaths, mainly under the age of 5, in the Gambia, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan died of acute kidney injury, that were associated with contaminated medicines. The medicines, over-the-counter cough syrups, had high levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. WHO noted that these contaminants are toxic chemicals used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents that can be fatal in even small…

India: The Indian government has invoked emergency rules in order to stop a BBC documentary about Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s role in rioting in the western state of Gujarat in 2002. India: The Modi Question, a two-part documentary that followed his ascent through the ranks of the Bharatiya Janata party and his nomination as Gujarat’s chief minister, has caused controversy. The BBC also found memos indicating that the British government and western diplomats had criticised Mr. Modi’s conduct at the time. Allegations that Mr. Modi engaged in violence during the Gujarat riots, which broke out when 59 Hindu pilgrims…

United Kingdom: A new study has found that widely used antidepressants can cause “emotional blunting.” According to the study, healthy volunteers became less responsive to positive and negative feedback after taking a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drug for three weeks. The “blunting” of negative emotions could be part of how the drugs help people recover from depression but could also explain a common side effect. According to the National Health Service, more than 8.3 million patients in England received an antidepressant drug in the years 2021–2022. One of the most widely used classes of antidepressants, particularly for persistent or…

Pakistan: After a national grid failure on 23rd January, power was out across Pakistan. According to media sources, power was down in all major cities, including Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar. The grid experienced a “widespread breakdown” at 7.34 AM, as per the tweet from Pakistan’s Ministry of Energy. The National Grid’s system frequency decreased at 7:34 this morning. The power system experienced a widespread breakdown. The tweet stated that “system maintenance work is progressing quickly.” https://twitter.com/MoWP15/status/1617368399621017601?s=20&t=hUjU4Jk2CuUuNHshGu6ITw Mr. Khurrum Dastagir stated that, “This is not a major crisis,” and some grids in the country had already been restored. “I can assure…

Brazil: Brazil’s new President, Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has accused former President Mr. Jair Bolsonaro’s administration of “committing genocide against the Yanomami people of the Amazon.” Recently, the Ministry of Health declared a medical emergency in the Yanomami territory, the country’s largest indigenous reservation bordering Venezuela, following reports of children dying of malnutrition and other diseases caused by illegal gold mining. Mr. Lula visited the Amazon state of Roraima to denounce the plight of the Yanomami, whose supposedly protected lands fell into crisis due to government ignorance and the explosion of illegal mining. “More than a humanitarian crisis,…

United States: “Avatar: The Way of Water” showed no signs of giving up its dominance at the box office, earning an estimated $19.7 million in its sixth weekend of release in North America, as per the report. James Cameron directed sci-fi epic easily surpassed the $2 billion milestone globally, setting a record for the pandemic age with total ticket sales of $598 million domestically and $1.42 billion internationally. The Disney/20th Century picture is only the sixth movie to cross the $2 billion mark with the original “Avatar” still the all-time leader by $1.5 billion. Universal’s family-friendly “Puss in Boots: The…

Turkey: Turkey’s President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced the country’s next parliamentary and presidential elections on May 14. Mr. Erdogan, who plans to seek re-election, made the announcement during a youth conference in the northwestern Bursa province. Earlier in January 2023, the Turkish President indicated that Ankara might reschedule the general elections from June 18 to an earlier date “in light of seasonal circumstances.” “I thank God that we are destined to share our path with you, our valued youth, who will vote for the first time in the elections that will be held on May 14,” Mr. Erdogan…