Author: News Desk

United States: NASA’s InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) Lander has announced that it is preparing to sign off because of low power. “My power’s really low, so this may be the last image I can send. Don’t worry about me though, my time here has been both productive and serene. If I can keep talking to my mission team, I will, but I’ll be signing off here soon. Thanks for staying with me,” InSight stated on Twitter to inform the conclusion of its mission. The lander has sent what may be its last image of…

London, UK: The Bank of England has announced that the first banknotes featuring the image of King Charles III would go into circulation by the middle of 2024. The UK central bank stated that the king’s portrait would appear on existing designs of all four of its polymer banknotes currently in circulation including £5, £10, £20 and £50. The king’s image will appear on the front of the banknotes and in the see-through security window on the notes made from polymer plastic. Notes bearing the image of Queen Elizabeth II will also continue to remain legal tender, allowing the public…

United States: The twitter owner Mr. Elon Musk has tweeted for the first time after more than 10 million people voted for him to step down as twitter’s chief executive, remarking that only paid Twitter Blue subscribers will be able to vote in future policy-related polls. Recently, Mr. Musk asked users of the social media platform whether he should step down as the head of the company. The Twitter owner has also promised that he would abide by the results of the poll. When the poll was closed, 57.5 percent voted that he should step down. Mr. Musk did not…

China: The Chinese authorities are hustling to increase the number of intensive care beds, medical personnel, and medical supplies as COVID-19 spreads rapidly across the nation. Since the abrupt removal of the strict zero-COVID rule cases has exploded in China. A full picture of the impact is difficult to gauge. According to the statement, authorities have conceded it is “impossible” for the testing system to keep track, and the narrow parameters for attributing deaths to the virus mean the official count – fewer than 10 this week – is at odds with widespread anecdotal reports of fatalities and high traffic…

France: Ballon d’Or 2022 winner Karim Benzema has declared that he is retiring from international football, the day after France lost the World Cup final to Argentina. “I made the effort and the mistakes it took to be where I am today and I’m proud of it! I wrote my story and ours ends,” Benzema tweeted. https://twitter.com/Benzema/status/1604845466981654532?s=20&t=EOkLw8Uy0oVgNs5LxLMQTA Before France’s opening World Cup game, the 35-year-old Benzema, who had scored 37 goals for France in 97 appearances, was forced to withdraw from the team due to a left thigh injury. The Ballon d’Or-winning Real Madrid player, who missed out on being…

United Kingdom: Mr. Terry Hall, the lead singer of the Specials and a former member of Fun Boy Three, has died at the age of 63. “Terry was a wonderful husband and father and one of the kindest, funniest, and most genuine of souls. His music and his performances encapsulated the very essence of life, the joy, the pain, the humour, the fight for justice, but mostly the love,” the Specials shared. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing, following a brief illness, of Terry, our beautiful friend, brother and one of the most brilliant singers, songwriters…

Australia: American tennis player, Venus Williams has been awarded a wild card entry to play at the Australian Open next month, after competing in the Grand Slam competition for the first time 25 years ago. Williams, 42, lost to her younger sister, Serena, in the 2017 title match after making it to the final twice in Australia. The player will compete in the season-opening major for the 22nd time. “I am very excited to be returning to Melbourne to compete at the Australian Open in January,” the seven-time major winner stated “I’ve been competing in the country for over 20…

China: According to a new study from Hongkong, about 1 million people in China may die from COVID-19 as the government rapidly abandons zero-COVID policy. The preventive strategy of the Chinese government, that is, strict lockdowns, centralised quarantines, mass testing, and rigorous contact tracing to control the spread of the virus, was abandoned earlier this month following an explosion of protests across the country against stringent restrictions that have upended businesses and daily life. Based on the projections by three professors at the University of Hong Kong, a nationwide reopening could result in up to 684 deaths per million people.…

South Africa: The President of South Africa, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, has once again become the leader of the governing African National Congress (ANC) by defeating his rival Mr. Zweli Mkhize by 579 votes. Mr. Ramaphosa was elected despite allegations of money laundering and a surge in support for Mr. Mkhize, who has also been accused of corruption. Both leaders denied the allegations. The victory enables the president to lead the ANC in the 2024 election. Mr. Ramaphosa is still at risk, as he is involved in an accusation and is being investigated by the police, the tax office, and the central…

Thailand: Thailand’s military sent ships, helicopters, and planes to search for the missing sailors after a navy ship sank in the Gulf of Thailand during a storm. According to the Royal Thai Navy, the HTMS Sukhothai was carrying 106 people when it went down late. The military reported that as of December 19th morning, 31 sailors remained in the water and 75 had already been rescued. At least three of the survivors had “severe injuries,” as per the report. The HTMS Sukhothai had taken on seawater after it was hit by strong waves, causing it to tilt to one side.…