Author: News Desk

United States: The US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had a medical procedure and temporarily delegated authority to his deputy as per the Pentagon. The non-surgical, elective operation had nothing to do with his cancer diagnosis. Late last year, Mr. Austin, 70, received a prostate cancer diagnosis. He received criticism for not disclosing his December and January hospital stays. Maj Gen Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement on Friday night that Mr. Austin transferred authority during a “successful, elective, and minimally invasive” procedure. The defence secretary’s bladder problems after his cancer treatment continue to bother him. According to…

United States: Judges at the International Court of Justice have ruled Israel to stop its attacking on the southern Gaza city of Rafah and evacuate the territory on response to South Africa’s accusation of genocide against Israel, which cited “immense risk” to the Palestinian population. With its ruling on Friday, the 15-judge panel sought to reduce the number of deaths and ease the suffering of Gaza’s civilian population for the third time this year. Although court orders are legally valid, there are no police to carry them out. The president of the International Court of Justice, often known as the…

China: The Chinese military has launched its second day of war games near Taiwan, claiming that the purpose of the exercises was to evaluate the military’s capacity to “seize power” and seize control of strategic locations within the self-governing democracy. China labelled the Joint Sword-2024A exercises as “punishment” as the first day of the exercises began on Thursday. This was in response to Taiwan’s new president, William Lai Ching-te, stating during his inauguration speech that Taiwan was a “sovereign and independent nation with sovereignty resting in the people.” In addition, Lai emphasized that Taiwan would not compromise its liberties and…

United States: The US will examine its relations with the state and impose visa restrictions due to a contentious “foreign agent” measure that has prompted widespread protests throughout Georgia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that those who had undermined Georgia’s democracy, along with their relatives, would be subject to visa restrictions. “US support for Georgia’s democracy is longstanding and foundational to our bilateral relationship. Anyone who undermines democratic processes or institutions in Georgia – including in the lead-up to, during, and following Georgia’s October 2024 elections – may be found ineligible for US visas under this policy and…

United States: TikTok has announced additional restrictions on state-affiliated media in response to worries about foreign meddling in a crucial election year. State-affiliated media accounts will no longer be suggested in users’ feeds or permitted to advertise to audiences outside of their own nations, the Chinese-owned platform announced on Thursday. “This is an additional measure to prevent accounts from attempting to reach wider communities on these topics,” TikTok said in a statement. TikTok announced that it will also reveal more details regarding operations that it had previously deleted and launch a new Transparency Report specifically focused on covert influence operations.…

United Kingdom: Nigel Farage, the founder of Reform UK and current honorary president, has declared he would not run in the general election scheduled for July 4. There were rumours that Reform leader Richard Tice would present him as a candidate. However, he had already said that, given the existing Westminster first-past-the-post electoral system, he would not seek reelection an eighth time to become an MP. He promised to “do my bit to help in the campaign” this morning. Reform is specifically aiming to win over disenchanted Conservative supporters, primarily by focusing on immigration and net zero. In a video…

France: French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that French troops will stay in New Caledonia “for as long as needed” following over a week of turmoil sparked by French proposals to alter electoral regulations in the Pacific island territory. Since the violence started, over 3,000 soldiers have been transferred out of Paris, and they may remain there until the July 26–27 Olympic Games in Paris, according to Macron. Since the protests started and a state of emergency was imposed, six people—three of them young Kanaks—had died and around 280 have been taken into custody. Macron said he would be against…

United States: Nvidia, the chipmaker at the epicentre of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, has sent its stock to a record high with its announcement of a seven-fold increase in earnings. The Santa Clara, California-based business reported on Wednesday that its net income increased from $2.04 billion to $14.88 billion in the first quarter of the previous year. Revenue exceeded analysts’ predictions by more than trebling to $26.04 billion. Nvidia said that second-quarter revenue will reach $28 billion, give or take 2 percent, exceeding analysts’ projections. To increase shareholder accessibility, Nvidia also declared that it will split its stock 10-for-1…

Vietnam: Public security minister To Lam was approved by the rubber-stamp parliament of Vietnam to become the country’s next president following the resignation of his predecessor due to a significant anticorruption effort. Following the customary processes of the one-party state, the National Assembly unanimously confirmed Lam’s election, 66, following a secret poll in which he was the sole contender for the position. The voting came one week after the ruling Communist Party nominated him. The “blazing furnace” corruption crackdown has affected thousands of people, including high-ranking government and corporate officials. Lam, the deputy head of the anti-corruption steering committee, has…

Russia: Russia has started the first round of tactical nuclear weapons training using Iskander and Kinzhal missiles in territories bordering Ukraine. The exercises are being held in Russia’s Southern Military District, which borders and encompasses areas of Ukraine that Moscow has unlawfully seized and occupied since its full-scale invasion started in February 2022, according to a statement released by the Russian Ministry of Defense on Tuesday. The precise site of the drills was not disclosed by the ministry. It is also anticipated that Belarus, where Russia claimed last year to be putting tactical nuclear weapons, will participate. Since commencing its…