Author: Trainee Reporter

United States: Zhou Si Chew, TikTok CEO,  has stated that the platform’s ban in the US would cost small businesses and creators billions of dollars. Zhou Si Chew said that the firm would apply legal prerogatives to avoid the ban after the House of Representatives passed a bill. Delegates voted to give ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, six months to sell its US assets or face a ban. The bill passed 352-65 in a bipartisan vote, but some senators prefer a different strategy to controlling foreign-owned apps that increase safety concerns. US President Joe Biden said that he would…

Denmark: The government of Denmark has announced plans for female conscription to respond to Europe’s changing security climate. Mette Frederiksen, the Prime Minister of Denmark, stated that the modified policy was organised to expand the number of young individuals taking up military service. Conscripts are anticipated to serve a more elongated period of military service, 11 months compared to the present four months. Referring to Russia’s recent military moves, Frederiksen said that, “We are not rearming because we want war, destruction, or suffering. We are rearming right now to avoid war and in a world where the international order is…

United Kingdom: A Horizon Europe campaign has been launched by the UK in Italy and Spain to encourage collaboration between institutions and researchers. Horizon Europe is the world’s largest research association program worth £80 billion. Following a custom-made agreement secured last year, the UK will be able to work with associates from more than 40 countries, including Italy and Spain, on the biggest challenges such as climate change and healthcare. The PR campaign will pave the way to new accessible opportunities for the UK’s best-in-class expertise in space and life sciences from the UK’s world-leading researchers and their Italian and…

Europe: Members of the European Parliament (MEP) have approved the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, which ensures safety and respect for fundamental rights while promoting innovation. This AI Law is intended to protect fundamental rights, democracy, the rule of law, and environmental sustainability from high-risk AI while promoting invention and positioning Europe as an AI leader. As an outcome of this rule, AI is subject to obligations that are determined by its level of risk and impact. The new laws bar specific AI applications that endanger citizens’ rights, including biometric categorisation systems based on sensitive characteristics that indiscriminately scrape faces from the…

United Kingdom: The Pirbright Institute and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have launched research to develop vaccines against the deadly Henipaviruses. The Henipavirus is a genus or a group of viruses including the Nipah virus. The research will be funded by the Medical Research Council. The Nipah virus can be transferred from animals to humans and can induce a range of signs, including extreme respiratory sickness and encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain. The virus remains a threat to current and future global health due to the high mortality rate of infection and the lack of licensed vaccines or treatments…

Australia: Clive Palmer, the Australian billionaire, has relaunched the project to build Titanic II, a replica of the ill-fated ship that sank in 1912 with more than 2,200 people on board. Palmer held a press conference to announce that his vision of building a scale replica of the doomed ocean liner would finally become a reality. The Australian billionaire promised his company, Blue Star Line, would build the ‘ship of love and the ultimate in style and luxury.’ This project was first launched by Palmer in 2012. Clive Palmer involved in various activities since serving as a federal MP. He…

Paris: The International Energy Agency (IEA) has reported that methane emissions from the energy sector approached record highs last year. According to the IEA, greenhouse gas emissions from the fossil fuel industry, which accounts for 30 percent of global warming, exceeded 120 million metric tons in 2023. Despite the sector’s assurances that it would use freely available technology to reduce emissions, it came close to the record set in 2019. The oil and gas industry had pledged to reduce large-scale emissions spikes by addressing infrastructure leaks. However, last year, there was a 50 percent increase in these spikes compared to…

United States: Ken Buck, US Representative, has announced that he will leave Congress at the end of next week. Buck previously confirmed that he would not seek re-election. Republican Representative said in a statement that, “It has been an honour to serve the people of Colorado’s 4th District in Congress for the past 9 years. I want to thank them for their support and encouragement through the years.” Buck’s resignation will directly affect House Speaker Mike Johnson’s majority. Republicans would lose just two members of the conference if there was a party-line vote on the legislation because of his withdrawal.…

United Kingdom: Texas and the UK governments will sign a trade agreement to boost investment and trade cooperation. UK Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch and Texas Governor Greg Abbott will meet in London to sign the deal. Texas is the second largest economic state in the US, with a GDP of £1.9 trillion in 2022, bigger than Italy and Canada. This would make it the UK’s most economically significant trade deal with a US state. The agreement aims to increase trade and investment between the UK and Texas by reducing trade barriers and making it easier and cheaper to…

World Glaucoma Association (WGA) is celebrating World Glaucoma Day to raise awareness of the common disease. ‘Unity for a Glaucoma Free World’ is the theme of World Glaucoma Day 2024. The initiative aims to increase awareness about glaucoma, a disease that is directly associated with diabetes, which affects millions of people and is expected to grow in the coming years. Getting to know glaucoma Glaucoma is a medical condition that comprises a group of eye conditions. These conditions can damage the optic nerve, which can often occur due to increased pressure within the eye. If left untreated, it can cause…