Author: Trainee Reporter

Philippines: Ferdinand Marcos Jr., President of the Philippines, has announced that he will retaliate against China as a result of last week’s skirmishes in the South China Sea. Filipino soldiers were wounded and ships were damaged in the attack. Macros said in a statement that, “We seek no conflict with any nation, more so nations that purport and claim to be our friends but we will not be cowed into silence, submission, or subservience.” The President remarked that, “The Philippines would respond with a ‘countermeasure package that is proportionate, deliberate, and reasonable in the face of the open, unabating, and…

China: The government of China has announced it will scrap significant taxes on Australian wine as ties between the two countries improve. Amid a string of economic blows to Australian exports in 2020, Beijing imposed tariffs of over 200 percent on Australian coal, barley, timber, and lobsters in a wider political fall-out. Since the new government was elected in Canberra in 2022, China-Australia linkages enhanced. Anthony Albanese, the Australian Prime Minister, welcomed the Chinese Commerce Ministry’s announcement, noting that his governance was also handled to relieve other trade obstacles. Australian barley, another key product targeted by China, was exempted from tariffs…

Ireland: The government of Ireland has announced that it will intervene in South Africa’s genocide lawsuit against Israel. It shows the strongest indication yet of Dublin’s concern about the war in Gaza. In a statement made by Micheal Martin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, he underlined that although it is up to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to determine whether genocide was being executed, Hamas’ attack in October and recent occurrences in Gaza portray the ‘blatant violation of international humanitarian law on a mass scale.” Martine further said that, “The taking of hostages. The purposeful withholding of humanitarian assistance to civilians.…

United Kingdom: The government of UK has announced a £16.6 million investment for semiconductor researchers and businesses to access new equipment. This will allow them to test and construct chips for use in high-energy machines like electric cars and manufacturing equipment. £14 million of the funding is targeted specifically towards semiconductors used in ‘power electronics.’ These chips are responsible for restoring and handling power in energy-intensive engines such as electric vehicles (EVs) and manufacturing equipment. The newly developed tools, primarily located in Newcastle and Strathclyde, will aid researchers and businesses of all sizes in testing new inventions in power electronics and…

United Kingdom: Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder, has been granted the opportunity to fight against his extradition to the United States. Two judges ruled in his favour, allowing him to take his case to an appeal hearing. However, this will only happen if the Biden administration fails to provide the court with appropriate assurances. The President of the King’s Bench Division, Victoria Sharp, and Mr Justice Johnson declared that Julian Assange holds real chances of success on three out of the nine grounds claimed. However, they adjourned the leave to plead application to give the US government three weeks to deliver reassurance…

United Kingdom: The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has launched a new themed competition, the ‘AUKUS Electronic Warfare Challenge (EW).’ This follows the ministerial declaration in December 2023 to establish an innovation challenge series under the Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS) collaboration. The Innovation Challenge Series is the first of its kind under AUKUS Pillar 2. This challenge is organised by three associations – the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) in Australia, DASA in the United Kingdom, and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in the United States. The challenge was agreed upon by all three parties…

United States: The Supreme Court of the United States will listen to oral arguments on whether to limit access to ‘Mifepristone,’ a common abortion drug. The pill was legalised in 2000. This is the most important reproductive privileges lawsuit since June 2022, when the court ceased the nationwide right to abortion. According to the Biden administration, as a result of safety concerns raised by anti-abortion groups, the court may overturn the decision to limit access to the drug. An umbrella group of anti-abortion doctors and activists, known as the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)…

Venezuela: The main opposition coalition of Venezuela has claimed it was unable to register its presidential candidate, Corina Yoris. The Plataforma Unitaria Democrática (PUD) also known as the Democratic Unitary Platform, argued that it was prevented from fielding their candidate against President Nicolás Maduro. The coalition stated in a video that it could not register Yoris on the electoral authority’s online registration system before the midnight deadline. It raised concerns in neighbouring states that President Maduro deliberately blocked his chief opponents from the July vote. Omar Barboza, a Coalition official, stated that, “They haven’t let us get in.” He also…

Japan: The cabinet of Japan has authorised the export of new fighter jets that are being developed in partnership with the UK and Italy. This decision marks a significant shift from Japan’s pacifist policies. The country alleviated its arms export regulations to enable the sale of these fighter jets to countries that signed defence pacts with Japan, and where there is no ongoing conflict. Japan promised to double its military spending by 2027, mentioning the dangers posed by China and North Korea. The government also said that each fighter jet sale would require cabinet consent. In December 2022, Japan joined a…

New Zealand: The government of New Zealand has blamed Chinese state-sponsored hackers for entering their country’s parliament. The allegations come after US and UK authorities accused Beijing of malicious cyber activity. Winston Peters, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, expressed his displeasure with the cyberattack and conveyed his country’s concerns directly to Beijing. Foreign Minister said that, “Foreign interference of this nature is unacceptable, and we have urged China to refrain from such activity in future. New Zealand will continue to speak out – consistently and predictably – where we see concerning behaviours like this.” Peters stated that New Zealand and China…