Author: Trainee Reporter

United States: President Joe Biden has raised a combined $42 million in January for the committees who are supporting his re-election effort, fueled by seven-figure hauls from small-dollar donors in the days following Donald Trump’s victory in the lead-off Iowa GOP caucuses. The Biden campaign, along with the Democratic National Committee and other related fundraising committees, reported a balance of $130 million in their accounts at the end of January. This was also the best month for grassroots fundraising since the beginning of the campaign, according to the Biden campaign. Julie Chavez Rodriguez, the campaign manager has stated that, “January’s…

Guinea: The military in Guinea, which overthrew the government more than two years ago, has announced plans to dissolve the interim government and install a new administration. Army leaders released a video statement saying that cabinet directors, secretaries-general and their deputies will remain in charge until a new government is formed. The government is in power from July 2022. The Secretary-General of the Presidency, Amara Camara, was accompanied by a group of military officials and several armed and masked soldiers in the pre-recorded video as he delivered the unexpected news. Camara did not provide specific details such as how the…

United Kingdom:  The UK Government has affirmed new funding for two prominent British organizations – the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) and The Halo Trust (HALO). Last year’s funding supported over 50,000 people via programs in 10 countries, including Ukraine and Afghanistan. This new funding will be utilized to aid in the clearance of mines and to educate communities about the risks associated with them in eight countries, including Angola, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Laos, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, and Zimbabwe. MAG and The HALO Trust are expecting to free up to 17 million square meters of land in 10 countries from mines with the…

North Korea: Russian President Vladimir Putin has presented a car to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in recognition of their special personal relationship. According to reports, the Russian-made car was delivered to Kim’s top aides, including his sister Kim Yo Jong, for the North Korean leader’s “personal use.” The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) states that, Kim Yo Jong has courteously conveyed Kim Jong Un’s thanks to President Putin to the Russian side, stating that the gift demonstrates the special relationship between the top leaders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Russia. Putin’s gift seems…

Russia: Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Alexei Navalny, has posted a video address in which she vowed to continue her late husband’s political work and called on Russians to rally around her to fight for a free Russia. Navalnaya’s impactful nine-minute video was posted on social media. In the video, she made a strong statement that, “I will continue Alexei Navalny’s work. I want to live in a free Russia, I want to build a free Russia.” The widow of Alexei, accused the Russian authorities of murdering her husband, hiding his body, and waiting for traces of the nerve agent Novichok to…

Hungary: China has promised to deepen security cooperation with Hungary, emphasising Budapest’s warming associations with Beijing just as Hungarian officials slighted a visiting panel from Washington. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with China’s Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong. According to reports, Wang expressed his desire to enhance cooperation in several areas such as counter-terrorism, combating transnational crimes, and security and law enforcement capacity building under the Belt and Road Initiative. The Chinese minister aims to prioritize law enforcement and security cooperation to strengthen bilateral relations. Budapest, which has closer ties to Moscow than any other EU member, is…

New Zealand’s fertility rate has hit a record low in 2023 as the total number of births declined, according to official data. Fertility rate is a measure of the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime. In New Zealand, as well as in many other countries, this number has decreased in recent years due to various factors such as increased education and workforce participation among women, as well as greater access to contraception. Statistics New Zealand reported that, there were 1,932 fewer babies in the year ending than in the previous year, the lowest number of births…

Germany: Ursula von der Leyen will announce her bid for a second term as European Commission President at a conference of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in Berlin. The head of Brussels’ most powerful institution, von der Leyen, 65, has been cautiously safeguarding her intentions, deflecting all questions on the matter for the past year. As a result of announcing her candidacy for another five years, she is embarking on a four-month battle for election that may involve a broader field, with some speculators suggesting Estonia’s prime minister, Kaja Kallas, may be a candidate for the job in the…

Papua New Guinea: A fresh outbreak of tribal violence in the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea has killed dozens of men, according to the police. Enga Provincial Police Commander George Kakas said that they were killed in a serious gunfire. According to him, people from two tribes ambushed and killed another group. The police commander has stated that, “Some dead bodies are still in the bushes and yet to be retrieved by neighbouring tribes. The situation is still tense but the highway is clear for travelling public.” Authorities initially reported that, at least 53 people had been killed in the ambush, later…

United Kingdom: William, Prince of Wales, has come forward with plans to build 24 homes on land in the Duchy of Cornwall to tackle homelessness. The Duchy said that the construction of the homes at Nansledan, Newquay, would begin in September and the first homes would be completed by autumn 2025. They are produced in partnership with homelessness charity St Petrocs. The prince has announced a five-year campaign set to begin in 2023 with the goal of ending homelessness. The Duchy stated that, “The first phase of the development will focus on creating high-quality temporary accommodation that feels like home.” St Petrocs will provide…