Author: News Desk

United Kingdom: AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is being withdrawn globally as a result of a “surplus of available updated vaccines” that target novel viral variations. The news comes after the pharmaceutical business decided to voluntarily remove its marketing authorization from the European Union in March. This authorization allows the company to sell medicines in member states. The vaccine is no longer authorized for use, according to a notice published by the European Medicines Agency on May 7. AstraZeneca said in a statement that the choice was made in light of the availability of several more recent vaccinations that have been modified…

Scotland: John Swinney, the newly elected leader of the Scottish National party, will become the seventh first minister of Scotland with the support of MSPs. As is customary, opposition leaders backed by 64 SNP MSPs voted against Swinney in the vote, which he won just eight days after Humza Yousaf abruptly announced his resignation. The seven Scottish Greens abstained. Swinney, who accepted the nomination, talked about how he had debated whether to run for leadership, a position he won on Monday without a challenger. In addition, he acknowledged his role in the increasing divisiveness of the legislature, pointing out that…

United States: The owner of the social media site TikTok, ByteDance, has sued the US government in an attempt to overturn a bill that would require it to sell off its US holdings. ByteDance’s attorneys argued that the law was “obviously unconstitutional” when they filed the complaint in the US Court of Appeals in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. Less than two weeks ago, on April 24, President Joe Biden signed the legislation as part of a package that also contained humanitarian help for Gaza and foreign aid to Israel and Ukraine. ByteDance is given nine months by law to sell…

United States: Boeing has cancelled the first crewed flight of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft due to a rocket valve malfunction that was discovered by engineers. About an hour after the two NASA astronauts had buckled into the spacecraft and two hours before the planned liftoff on Monday, the launch was cancelled. During a live NASA webcast, the postponement, which was attributed to a valve issue with the Atlas V rocket, was disclosed. “Standing down on tonight’s attempt to launch. As I’ve said before, @NASA’s first priority is safety. We go when we’re ready,” NASA chief Bill Nelson said in a…

United Kingdom: The UK Ministry of Defence has experienced a major data breach, resulting in the hacking of personal information belonging to UK military personnel. The hack targeted a third-party payroll system used by the MoD that contains the bank account information and names of both former and current members of the armed services. It’s also possible that a very small number of addresses were accessed. With prompt action, the department disconnected the contractor-run external network. As a precaution, affected service staff will be notified and given expert guidance. To find out if their information is being used or if…

Russia: The majority of European Union countries and the United States have said that they will not send envoys to Vladimir Putin’s inauguration as Russian president. Vladimir Putin, 71, won a fifth term in office in an election held in March that some criticized for lacking democratic legitimacy. Weeks after the unexpected death of his most outspoken foe, Alexey Navalny, in an Arctic prison, he received 87.28 percent of the vote. “We will not have a representative at his inauguration. We certainly did not consider that election free and fair but he is the president of Russia and he is…

Israel: Israel’s military has ordered people in eastern Rafah to leave quickly. This request comes after the defense minister told troops in Gaza to prepare for significant operations in Rafah soon. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that “announcements, text messages, phone calls, and media broadcasts in Arabic” will be used to make the evacuation announcement. “This matter will proceed in a gradual manner in accordance with ongoing situation assessments that will take place on an ongoing basis,” the statement continued. According to the IDF, the operation would require the relocation of roughly 100,000 individuals and had…

Australia: Australia’s flag carrier Qantas has agreed to pay 120 million Australian dollars ($79 million) to resolve a lawsuit regarding the sale of tickets for flights that have already been cancelled. After advertising seats for thousands of “ghost flights” in 2021 and 2022, the airline will pay a fine of 100 million Australian dollars ($66 million) and compensate more than 86,000 passengers with 20 million Australian dollars ($13 million). “Qantas’ conduct was egregious and unacceptable. Many consumers will have made holiday, business and travel plans after booking on a phantom flight that had been cancelled,” said Australian Competition and Consumer…

France: Ursula von der Leyen, the chief of the European Union, plans to advocate for fair competition, without distortion, when discussing China with President Xi Jinping. President of the European Commission Christine von der Leyen stated, “I have made clear that the current imbalances in market access are not sustainable and need to be addressed,” hours before she, Xi, and French President Emmanuel Macron were to meet in Paris. As EU investigators comb into the trade policies of Chinese companies doing business in the EU, Xi started a three-nation tour of the continent on Sunday. Last week, the European Commission…

Jerusalem: Israeli authorities have closed the local Al Jazeera offices, citing national security threats. This action follows the recent enactment of a law allowing the temporary shutdown of foreign broadcasters deemed a threat. The decision was made amid ongoing, albeit faltering, ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the closure on social media after a unanimous cabinet vote. The government’s actions include confiscating Al Jazeera’s broadcast equipment, terminating its cable and satellite connections, and blocking its websites. Al Jazeera, funded by Qatar and often critical of Israeli policies, especially regarding the war in Gaza, has denounced…