Author: Trainee Reporter

United Kingdom: The Terms of Reference for the Omagh Bombing Inquiry has released by the UK government. Following the Chair of the Inquiry, Lord Turnbull’s agreement, Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris MP announced the terms of reference for the Omagh bombing inquiry. The UK Government confirmed last year that it would set up an independent statutory inquiry into the possible prevention of the August 1998 Omagh bombing. The atrocity was carried out by the Real IRA, which resulted in the death of 29 people, as well as the death of two unborn children, and the injury of 220…

United Kingdom: A boost in military spending spurred by Russia’s war on Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza conflict helped British arms maker BAE Systems record profits, and further increases are expected in the future. The FTSE 100 company made underlying profits before interest and tax of £2.7 billion in 2023 on record sales of £25.3 billion. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 showed an impact in the shares of arms manufacturers have risen over the past two years. Also, it prompted governments to revise their plans for military spending. Tensions have escalated across the Middle East since October 7,…

United States: China has criticised the United States for vetoing a UN resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. Beijing responded that the move sent the “wrong message” and effectively gave a “green light to the continued slaughter.” The White House stated that the resolution proposal from Algeria would “jeopardize” talks to end the war. The United States has proposed a temporary ceasefire resolution, warning Israel not to attack the town of Rafah. As fighting continues in Gaza, the US decision to block Algeria’s resolution has been widely condemned. 13 of the 15 UN Security Council members supported it, with the…

United Kingdom : A rare test launch of a Trident missile by a British nuclear submarine has misfired and crashed off the coast of Florida. The Defence Ministry has confirmed that this “anomaly” ensued during a drill involving HMS Vanguard. However, a representative has emphasized that the UK’s nuclear deterrent, which is the cornerstone of its defences, “remains safe, secure, and effective.” The malfunction was caused by a test firing, which a source claimed would have been successful if a nuclear warhead had been used. The Royal Navy’s ageing nuclear weapons fleet has experienced its second Trident missile failure in a row,…

United States: Alexander Smirnov, the informant of Hunter Biden who has been accused of lying, has revealed that he has Russian ties. The newly filed court documents say the accused of a fabricated story about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden each receiving $5 million in bribes had high-level Russian intelligence ties. Special Counsel David Weiss reveals in the filing that Alexander Smirnov told the FBI after his arrest last week, “that officials with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story” about Hunter Biden. Prosecutors argued that Smirnov should wait without trial, Weiss said, citing Smirnov’s claims that he…

United Kingdom: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak assured farmers at the National Farmers Union (NFU) conference that he would “change the culture” of government around agriculture. Sunak was the first PM to address the NFU conference since Gordon Brown in 2008, taking three Defra ministers with him to put the Conservative case to farmers. The PM is earmarked to enhance food security in the UK and spoke of concern about low self-sufficiency in “things like tomatoes, pears, plums, lettuces and apples.” Sunak also told that he had “once milked a cow.” He asked two questions from the audience. In response to…

United Kingdom: Pseudoephedrine is licensed for the relief of nasal and sinus congestion in colds, flu, and allergies and has been used by millions of people in the UK for decades. All medicines containing pseudoephedrine in the UK are intended for short-term oral use. They come in a variety of forms such as tablets, capsules, powders, liquids, or syrups. None of the nasal sprays approved in the UK contain Pseudoephedrine. As a result of Pseudoephedrine, Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES) and Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome (RCVS) have been reported in rare cases. These are infrequent side effects of Pseudoephedrine-containing medicines…

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…