Author: News Desk

Jordan: Jordan’s Umm al-Jimal village was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List and was praised by the tourism minister as a “great achievement.” UNESCO, hosting a World Heritage Committee meeting in New Delhi, announced on X that the oldest structures found at Umm al-Jimal date back to the 1st century AD, when the region was part of the Nabataean Kingdom. “Greek, Nabataean, Safaitic, Latin, and Arabic uncovered on the site… sheds light on the changes in its inhabitants’ religious beliefs,” it continued. The town, which is 86 kilometres (53 miles) north of Amman, the capital of Jordan, is close…

Tokyo: Foreign ministers from Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, collectively known as the ‘Quad,’ have gathered in Tokyo for high-stakes discussions centered on maritime security and bolstering cyber defences. The meeting featured Australia’s Penny Wong, India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Japan’s Yoko Kamikawa, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The talks followed security discussions between Tokyo and Washington, where the allies identified China as the region’s ‘greatest strategic challenge.’ Wong opened the Quad discussions by acknowledging the transformative changes affecting the region and emphasised the need to safeguard peace, stability, and prosperity. Kamikawa underscored the importance of enhancing cybersecurity…

United Kingdom: Kemi Badenoch has joined the Conservative leadership race, pledging honesty to voters. The sixth candidate to stand is the shadow housing secretary, who was the previous government’s commerce and trade secretary. She enters the contest alongside Priti Patel, who announced her bid over the weekend, James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat, Robert Jenrick, and Mel Stride, who declared last week. Suella Braverman, who was also anticipated to run, announced that she has decided not participate, even though she secured the support of the ten MPs required prior to Monday’s 2.30 p.m. deadline. The former home secretary wrote in an article…

Tokyo: The defence chiefs from the United States, South Korea, and Japan have committed to bolstering their cooperation to counter ‘nuclear and missile threats’ from North Korea. The historic meeting, the first of its kind in 15 years, underscores the countries’ efforts to enhance coordination in an increasingly tense region. Trilateral meeting historical context The trilateral meeting took place nearly a year after a landmark summit at Camp David hosted by US President Joe Biden. The summit aimed to strengthen ties between the US and its key Asian allies in response to North Korean provocations and Chinese aggression. In a…

Northern California: The Park Fire in Northern California has scorched over 350,000 acres (141,640 hectares) approximately 90 miles north of Sacramento, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). Thousands of firefighters are battling a rapidly expanding wildfire, which has more than doubled in size within 24 hours. Cooler temperatures and increased humidity are forecasted for the region, potentially aiding the efforts to slow the fire’s progression. Despite these favourable weather conditions, the fire was only 10 percent contained till now. The Park Fire has already destroyed 134 structures, prompting widespread evacuation orders and warnings across…

United States: Data regulators are putting pressure on Elon Musk’s X platform after it was discovered that users are giving their authorisation for their postings to be utilised as a basis for artificial intelligence systems through an app default option. The data watchdogs in the UK and Ireland have stated that they have been in contact with X regarding the apparent attempt to obtain user consent for data harvesting without the users’ knowledge. An X user brought attention to the problem on Friday, pointing to an app setting that was activated by default and allowed posts made by the account…

United States: After days of conjecture, Barack Obama has officially backed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic contender for president. In a joint statement, former First Lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama expressed their belief that Harris possesses the “vision, the character, and the strength that this critical moment demands”. According to reports, Harris spoke with over 100 notable Democrats, including Obama, following President Joe Biden’s announcement last Sunday that he was withdrawing from the race. Obama wasn’t directly backing Harris in the statement he made at the time, but he did applaud Biden’s resignation. The US…

China: Typhoon Gaemi hits mainland China after causing chaos in Taiwan, the Philippines. In advance of the storm, more than 150,000 residents in the province of Fujian in southeast China have been moved to safer locations. It follows extensive flooding and at least 21 fatal landslides in Taiwan and the Philippines. Following the capsize and sinking of a tanker carrying 1.5 million litres of industrial fuel off the coast of the nation, the Philippines claims it is “racing against time” to stop the oil spill. The ship was one of two that sank in the area on Thursday; the other…

United Kingdom: Researchers have found that the approved shingles vaccine, Shingrix, may significantly reduce the risk of developing dementia. The discovery, based on a study of US medical records, highlights a potential new benefit of the vaccine beyond its primary purpose of preventing shingles, a painful condition caused by the herpes zoster virus. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford, analysed the health records of over 200,000 US citizens vaccinated for shingles. It found that those who received Shingrix, the newer and more effective vaccine introduced in October 2017, had a 17 percent lower risk of developing…

United States: OpenAI is enhancing its artificial intelligence (AI) bot with new capabilities, aiming to surpass Google as the preferred search engine. The company announced that it is testing a search function that enables real-time information to be integrated into its ChatGPT product. This feature enables the bot to provide users with links and current information in response to their inquiries. Currently, only a small number of US users have access to the tool. However, it is anticipated to eventually be integrated into the business’s ChatGPT bot, which was responsible for sparking the initial enthusiasm surrounding AI when it emerged…