Author: News Desk

New Zealand: New Zealand’s economy has officially entered into a recession as the country’s central bank aggressively raised interest rates to a 14-year high, according to official figures. The gross domestic product (GDP) recorded a contraction of 0.1 percent in the first quarter of the year, following a 0.7 percent decline in the previous quarter, meeting the technical definition of a recession. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has been progressively increasing borrowing costs since October 2021, making it one of the first countries to raise rates in response to the pandemic. It has outpaced the US Federal Reserve…

Canada: Canada has announced that it will suspend its relations with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), led by China, while it conducts an investigation into allegations made by a former senior staff member that the institution is under the control of the Chinese Communist Party. Finance Minister Ms. Chrystia Freeland made the announcement following the resignation of Mr. Bob Pickard, the AIIB’s global communications director, who publicly criticised the bank for being “dominated by the Communist Party.” Ms. Freeland expressed that the investigation could lead to various outcomes, indicating the possibility of Canada withdrawing from the AIIB, which it…

Poland: Thousands of people took to the streets of Poland in a wave of protests against the country’s restrictive abortion law following the tragic death of a woman who was five months pregnant. The woman, named Ms. Dorota Lalik, died of sepsis, becoming the latest victim since the law was tightened. The protesters, chanting “Stop killing us,” marched through Warsaw towards the health ministry headquarters, displaying placards demanding “We want doctors, not missionaries” and expressing outrage with slogans like “Hell for women.” Poland’s abortion laws are already known to be among the strictest in Europe, and they have been a…

United States: The United States has confirmed that top diplomat Mr. Antony Blinken will visit China, a long-anticipated trip that had been postponed in February amid rising tension between the two superpowers. Mr. Blinken will become the highest-ranking Biden administration official to visit China on a trip that spans June 16 to 21 and will also include a visit to London, the Department of State remarked in a statement. In Beijing, the US Secretary of State will meet senior Chinese officials to discuss the “importance of maintaining open lines of communication” between the US and China. According to the statement,…

Taiwan: Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Mr. Joseph Wu has visited the Czech capital, Prague, calling for European support in securing peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait shared with China. “In order for Taiwan to stay strong and resilient and to have the courage to continue the policy of maintaining the status quo, we do need support from European friends,” Mr. Wu stated in a speech at a conference in Prague. The Foreign Minister was in the European Union nation for a meeting with Mr. Milos Vystrcil, the President of the Czech Senate, who has been trying to foster the republic’s…

United States: China’s Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, has called on the United States to cease meddling in its internal affairs and refrain from harming its security. The phone call with US Secretary of State Mr. Antony Blinken took place just days before Blinken’s anticipated visit to Beijing. In the call, Mr. Qin emphasized the importance of respecting China’s “core concerns,” such as the Taiwan issue, and urged the US to refrain from interfering in China’s internal matters or compromising its sovereignty, security, and development interests. The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement outlining Mr. Qin’s message on 14th June 2023.…

Ukraine: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has revealed that the global number of displaced individuals has reached a staggering record of 110 million. The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan have particularly contributed to this dire situation, forcing millions to flee their homes. According to the UNHCR’s annual Forced Displacement report, approximately 19 million people were displaced in the past year alone, marking the largest annual increase ever recorded and bringing the total number to 108.4 million by the end of last year. Since the report’s release, the figures have continued to rise, with Sudan’s eight-week-old conflict…

Fiji: New Zealand and Fiji have signed a defence agreement to strengthen military training and maritime security, which comes amid rising tensions over security in the region. The agreement, signed by New Zealand’s Defence Minister Mr. Andrew Little and Fiji’s Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration Mr. Pio Tikoduadua in Suva, sets a legal framework for military cooperation between the two countries in each other’s territories. The agreement will also address disaster and humanitarian response coordination and the challenges of climate change. Mr. Little stated that the deal “reflects the value New Zealand places on our relationship with Fiji,” adding that…

United States: Entertainment giant Walt Disney Co. recently announced the release dates for the highly anticipated film series, Avatar. The release of Avatar 3 has been delayed by a year, extending its arrival from December 2024 to December 2025. Avatar 4 is now scheduled for December 2029, while Avatar 5 is slated for its cinematic debut in December 2031. The updates in release dates have sparked curiosity and anticipation among movie enthusiasts, who eagerly await the next captivating chapters of the Avatar saga. Director James Cameron, who initiated the Avatar series in 2009, has hinted that he may not direct…

China: A new report has stated that the number of marriages in China last year dropped to 6.83 million, the lowest since records began in 1986. Data released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs showed the number of couples tying the knot in 2022 fell by about 800,000 compared with 2021, beating that year’s record low. China’s marriage rate has declined rapidly over the past 10 years, since peaking in 2013 when nearly 13.5 million couples wed, nearly double 2022’s count. Policymakers in China are increasingly worried about the stubborn downward trend in marriage and birth rates. In 2022, China’s…