Author: News Desk

Dhaka: The Bangladesh government has decided to impose a curfew across the country and deploy the army amid widening student-led protests against government job quotas said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s press secretary, Nayeemul Islam Khan. Telecommunications were disrupted, and television news channels went off the air, while authorities cut some mobile telephone services to neutralise the protests. Train services had been suspended nationwide as protesters blocked roads and threw bricks at security officials. The death toll had reached 105, according to hospital reports. The U.S. Embassy in Dhaka indicated over 40 deaths and ‘hundreds to possibly thousands’ of injuries across…

London: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at a high-profile meeting with his top ministers. The visit underscores the UK’s ongoing support for Ukraine and will feature the introduction of a new initiative aimed at disrupting Russia’s evasion of shipping sanctions. Starmer is continuing his push to enhance Britain’s international influence by inviting Zelenskiy to address his cabinet following a European leaders forum at Blenheim Palace. The last foreign leader to do so was U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1997, according to Starmer’s office. New sanctions initiative Zelenskiy is set to launch ‘call to action’…

Pyongyang: North Korea’s long-delayed Wonsan-Kalma beach resort is finally set to open in May 2025, according to state media reports after leader Kim Jong Un visited the site. The resort, a key part of North Korea’s strategy to boost tourism, has been under construction since early 2018 but has faced repeated delays due to missed deadlines and the COVID-19 pandemic. Resort details and construction update The ambitious project envisioned as a ‘world-level coastal tourist city,’ extends approximately 605 acres (245 hectares) along a 3.5-mile (5.5-km) stretch of white-sand beach. It includes thousands of hotel rooms and hundreds of buildings. Recent…

Australia: Several Australian institutions, including major banks, media outlets, and airlines, have reported a large IT outage. Sydney airport has grounded flights, supermarket checkout lines are chaotic, and television networks are struggling to stay on air due to computer, graphics, and autocue malfunctions. Just hours before significant effects reached Australia, a few US airlines also reported needing to cancel or postpone flights because of IT problems. Although the exact reason for the outage is unknown, numerous impacted parties have connected Microsoft PC operating systems to it. Information vanished from departure boards at Sydney Airport. Budget airline Jetstar said it was…

United States: Netflix will begin removing its Basic plan, the cheapest ad-free option at $11.99 per month in the US. The business had previously stopped taking new sign-ups for the Basic plan and directed users to the $6.99/month, ad-supported Netflix option. Existing customers, however, were permitted to maintain their basic package. The online streaming giant said in January that it would discontinue its least expensive ad-free plan in the UK and Canada. The US and France will be next, and the business will be announced on Thursday. These days, two options are available to US basic users who want to…

United States: Alphabet’s Google announced that it will integrate artificial intelligence into the U.S. broadcast of the Paris Olympics. The collaboration with NBCUniversal and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee will allow sports commentators to use AI to explain competitions. Google will become the official search AI partner of Team USA, marking the first partnership between a tech company and the sports nonprofit. The significant move comes as NBCUniversal, the U.S. broadcaster of the Games, seeks to modernize its coverage to attract viewers who prefer digital media over live television. NBCUniversal plans to launch personalized AI-generated daily recaps narrated by…

United Kingdom: The UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has announced £84 million in funding to help African and Middle Eastern countries address the migration crisis at “its source.” According to the government, the increased money for job possibilities, education, and humanitarian relief would help address the issues that cause people to flee their homes. Addressing the European Political Community (EPC) at its fourth summit, which the UK hosted at Oxfordshire’s Blenheim Palace, Sir Keir concurred with French President Emmanuel Macron that there was “no easy silver bullet” to prevent tiny boats from navigating the English Channel. However, the PM stated…

Strasbourg: The European Parliament will vote to decide whether Ursula von der Leyen to be re-elected for another five-year term as president of the European Commission. The vote carries significant implications for continuity within the EU’s central institution amid rising challenges both within and outside the 27-nation bloc, including high support for far-right and eurosceptic parties. With no clear alternative candidate, supporters of von der Leyen identifies the vote as a choice between stability and chaos, as her rejection would create a political deadlock. “It would be seen as rolling out the red carpet for the far-right,” remarked Sean Kelly,…

Germany: Germany is planning to cut its military aid to Ukraine nearly in half next year, reducing it from about $8.7 billion to around $4.4 billion, according to a draft budget approved by the government. Ukrainian financing, according to Finance Minister Christian Lindner, is “secure for the foreseeable future” because of a plan by the G7 group of wealthy countries to generate $50 billion in interest on Russian assets that have been frozen. After the United States, Germany is the second-largest military provider to Ukraine. Berlin has allocated over $8.25 billion for Kyiv in 2024. The proposed aid drop results…

United States: Technology stocks worldwide have dropped due to concerns over the global computer chip industry. The selloff was triggered by reports suggesting that the Joe Biden administration might further tighten restrictions on exports of semiconductor equipment to China. Adding more to the issue, former US President Donald Trump remarked that Taiwan, the leading producer of chips, should finance its defence. In the US, the tech-heavy Nasdaq index fell by 2.7 percent. Major chip stocks, including Nvidia and AMD, experienced significant losses in Europe and Asia. Nvidia closed 6.6 percent lower, while AMD saw a decline of over 10 percent.…