Author: News Desk

Scientists have discovered the world’s oldest known seagrass in Finland, using a new method to determine the age of aquatic plants that put it at 1,403 years old. By measuring the number of genetic mutations occurring over time in seagrass, which reproduces by cloning itself over and over again, the scientists were able to determine the age of the original ancestor plant with groundbreaking precision. “This is the first really reliable clone age estimate,” study co-author Thorsten Reusch told AFP. Researchers used the new method, dubbed a “genetic clock,” at 20 sites across the world and found that a lush…

Arizona: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned in Arizona on Friday, aiming to challenge Republican Donald Trump in key Western states. Meanwhile, Trump rallied in Montana to support a Republican Senate candidate. Harris, recently named Democratic presidential candidate, is on a weeklong tour across seven states that could decide the November 5 election. In Phoenix, she addressed volunteers and voters, winning the endorsement of LULAC Adelante, a political action committee of the oldest Latino civil rights group in the U.S. During her Glendale rally, attended by over 15,000 people, Harris addressed pro-Palestinian demonstrators critical of her stance on Israel’s conflict…

Bangladesh: Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has been named Bangladesh’s interim leader, following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Yunus, 84, was named chief adviser to the temporary government just a day after Hasina left the country amid weeks of violent protests. Yunus, a longtime political foe of Hasina, has been praised for his innovative use of microloans to help the poor. However, Hasina has viewed him as a public adversary and recently, a local court sentenced him to six months in prison in a case he claims was politically motivated. Student protesters had demanded that Yunus lead…

United States: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has cautioned G7 ministers that Iran and Hezbollah are likely to attack Israel in the coming 24 to 48 hours. The assessment of Antony Blinken, which he told to Axios news, has also made Israel to consider launching a preemptive strike to deter Iran if it uncovered airtight evidence that Tehran was preparing to mount an attack. The speculations came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened Israel’s security chiefs for a meeting on Sunday evening. The meeting, attended by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, Mossad head…

Columbus: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) invites the media and public to explore cutting-edge advancements in space food technology at the Deep Space Food Challenge symposium. The event will take place at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Centre in Columbus, Ohio, on August 16. Launched in 2019 in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Deep Space Food Challenge is a multi-year international initiative aimed at developing sustainable food systems for extended space missions, including future trips to the Moon and Mars. Since the first phase in 2021, over 300 teams from 32 countries have…

Washington: US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has revoked plea agreements made earlier this week with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11 attacks, and two of his accomplices currently held at Guantanamo Bay. The decision marks a significant shift in the handling of the high-profile case. Plea Deals Reversed The Pentagon initially announced on July 31st, that plea deals had been reached but provided no specific details. Sources indicated that the agreements likely involved guilty pleas in exchange for removing the death penalty as a potential sentence. However, Secretary Austin intervened on August 2nd, removing Susan Escallier,…

Washington: The US Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance by accusing them of failing to safeguard children’s privacy on the social media platform. The legal action represents a significant move in the Biden administration’s ongoing scrutiny of the popular app. The lawsuit alleges that TikTok breached the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which mandates that services aimed at children must obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from users under the age of 13. With approximately 170 million users in the US, TikTok has been at the centre of regulatory and political…

Lagos: Nigerian troops and police have tightened security measures in Lagos and the capital, Abuja, as nationwide protests over the increasing cost of living. Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa is struggling with soaring inflation and a sharply devalued Nigerian Naira currency after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms were introduced a year ago. The protest movement, tagged #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria, has gained momentum through online campaigns among the Nigerians grappling with food inflation at 40 percent and tripled fuel prices since the implementation of Tinubu’s reforms. On August 1st, clashes erupted as police deployed tear gas to disperse protesters in…

Washington: In a landmark development, the US and Russia have executed their largest prisoner exchange in decades in a significant moment for President Joe Biden’s foreign policy legacy. The prisoner swap, which includes the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and ex-Marine Paul Whelan, could enhance Biden’s standing on the global stage and potentially encourage Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential bid. Diplomatic Achievement The exchange represents a notable diplomatic relation against the backdrop of strained US-Russia relations caused by the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Despite the complexity of the deal and the ongoing tensions…

Washington: The United States has reached plea agreements with three men held at Guantanamo Bay including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, attacks. The Pentagon has not disclosed the full details of the agreements, but reports suggest that the men will plead guilty in exchange for life sentences instead of facing the death penalty. The three men-Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi were scheduled to stand trial in a military court at the high-security facility, but their cases have been in legal delays for many years. The plea deals are seen as a crucial…