Author: News Desk

United States: Strong thunderstorms and tornadoes swept across Tennessee, resulting in at least six fatalities. Emergency management officials reported that three people had been confirmed dead in Madison, Tennessee, which is located just north of Nashville. “We have teams assessing damage and looking for patients. Unfortunately, we can confirm there are three fatalities as a result of the severe weather on Nesbitt Lane,” the Nashville Office of Emergency Management shared on X. “At this time we can confirm that three people are deceased, two adults and one child as a result of the tornado that touched down this afternoon. Additionally,…

Germany: Justine Triet’s French courtroom drama thriller Anatomy of a Fall has won Best Film at the 2023 European Film Awards (EFA). A two-time nominee for best actress, Sandra Hüller took home the prize for her barnstorming performance as a writer who may have killed her husband in Anatomy of a Fall. Hüller asked the audience to “silently, strongly, vividly, imagine peace” during a moment of silence as she accepted her prize. She then addressed the various conflicts that are currently raging in and around Europe. In addition to sharing the best screenplay award with Arthur Harari for their collaborative…

United States: The US Secretary of State, Mr. Antony Blinken, has urged Israel to end and make public the investigation into the artillery strikes in Lebanon that resulted in the death of a journalist and the injuries of six others. Mr. Blinken said that an active investigation by Israel into the October 13, 2023 strike in southern Lebanon is “important and appropriate.” “My understanding is that Israel has initiated such an investigation, and it will be important to see that investigation come to a conclusion and to see the results of the investigation,” Mr. Blinken stated in a news conference.…

United States: The tech giant Meta has stated that all conversations on Facebook and Messenger will be automatically encrypted. Only the sender and recipient can read calls and messages that are encrypted end-to-end (E2EE). While encrypted messages have always been an option, they will now always be the default setting. The UK government and police are among the critics who argue that the switch to default encryption will make it more difficult to identify child sexual abuse on Messenger. According to Ms. Loredana Crisan, the head of Messenger, “unless you choose to report a message to us,” nobody, not even…

Australia: Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) have signed a bilateral security deal that will strengthen the Pacific state that has been courted persistently by China. The agreement, which was inked in Canberra by PNG’s Mr. James Marape and Australian Prime Minister, Mr. Anthony Albanese, follows PNG’s May signing of a defence agreement with the US to modernise its military bases. During a joint press conference, Mr. Marape informed reporters that the agreement with Australia demonstrated the two nations’ status as “brother and sister nations.” Before PNG gained independence 48 years ago, Australia set up the country’s borders, public service,…

United States: McDonald’s, an American multinational fast food company, has introduced CosMc’s, a beverage-led concept small-format restaurant. In a test launch, the first CosMc’s store will open this month in Bolingbrook, Illinois, and a few more will follow in the upcoming months. By 2027, the fast-food chain also intends to open about 10,000 McDonald’s locations worldwide, with a large number of those locations in China. The announcement was in line with the company’s investor day. Executives revealed long-term goals for the development of a new restaurant, plans to sign up 100 million new members for the loyalty programme, and a…

United States: SAG-AFTRA members have ratified a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents major studios and streamers, according to the Hollywood actors union. Members of SAG-AFTRA voted, with roughly 78 percent in favour, to ratify the contract. The union said about 38 percent of members turned out to vote. The contract will end on June 30, 2026. “SAG-AFTRA members have remained incredibly engaged throughout this process, and I know they’ll continue their advocacy throughout our next negotiation cycle,” SAG-AFTRA President, Ms. Fran Drescher, said in a statement. “The AMPTP member companies congratulate SAG-AFTRA on…

Yemen: The World Food Programme (WFP) has stated that it is stopping food distribution in northern Yemeni areas under Houthi control because of a decrease in funding and disagreements with the organisation regarding prioritising the region’s poorest residents. The World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it reached the decision after discussions with donors and over a year of negotiations that resulted in failure to bring the total number of individuals in need of assistance down to 6.5 million from 9.5 million. Since the Yemen war broke out in 2014 between the Saudi-backed government and the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, who took…

Dubai, UAE: The number of fossil fuel lobbyists at this year’s UN climate talks has reportedly increased fourfold, which is at least 2,456. Under the direction of the president of the national oil company of the United Arab Emirates, the UN summit this year is being influenced by the fossil fuel industry, as evidenced by the record-breaking figure calculated by the Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) coalition. With nearly four times as many industry-affiliated lobbyists as there were registered for Cop27 in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, which was a record year in and of itself, the oil and gas influence in…

United Kingdom: The British government has unveiled a series of measures to reduce net migration to the country, including raising the minimum wage needed for foreign workers to qualify for a work visa. The minimum salary needed for foreign workers to qualify for a work visa will be raised as part of a package of measures announced by the British government to reduce net migration to the country. For over ten years, the political landscape of Britain has been dominated by high levels of legal migration, as per the statement. With his record called into question by members of his…