- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has enabled trade transactions with Sri Lanka to be conducted in Indian Rupees (INR) outside of the Asian Clearing Union (ACU) mechanism, as exporters struggle to receive payment from the island nation. The Indian government backed a $1 billion loan to Sri Lanka from the State Bank of India to help fund the purchase of crucial commodities and services like food, medicines, petroleum, and industrial raw materials.
- Mansukh Mandaviya, the Minister of Health, emphasised the importance of establishing a strong global supply chain to ensure equitable access to vaccinations and medicines. The minister pushed for strengthening WHO by simplifying vaccination and treatment approval processes and developing a more strong global health security infrastructure at the 75th World Health Assembly in Geneva. India’s commitment to strengthening the global health security framework was underlined by Shri Mandaviya.
- After four cases of monkeypox were reported, Belgium became the first country to make a 21-day quarantine mandatory for patients. The decision was made by Belgian health officials, according to the Saudi Gazette, which cited Belgian media. The chance of a large outbreak in Belgium, according to the Belgian Institute of Tropical Medicine, is minimal. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the first country in the Gulf to disclose a monkeypox case. The Czech Republic and Slovenia have joined 18 other countries to become the first non-African countries to reveal cases. While that number is expected to rise even further, experts warn that the overall risk to the public is still low.
- Anthony Albanese, the head of Australia’s Labor Party, was sworn in as the country’s new Prime Minister. Albanese won the election, ending his nine-year wait for power, and becoming the country’s 31st prime minister. Outgoing Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who leads the Liberal-National coalition, has conceded defeat.
- The National Geographic Society has installed the “highest weather station in the world” on Mount Everest at an altitude of 8,830 metres to automatically measure various meteorological phenomena. The autonomous weather station was built a few metres below the top point last week, according to Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM), because snow and ice on the summit make it impossible to fix sensors.
- Passengers can now cross the world’s largest suspension bridge in the Czech Republic. This bridge, which had been under construction for nearly two years, has finally been completed. Sky Bridge 721, as it is known, was built. The resort promises breathtaking vistas of the cloud-covered Jesenki Mountains as well as an exhilarating but potentially risky experience.
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- Since the war on Ukraine, Western countries and Russia have been at odds. On the one hand, western countries have shown their support for Ukraine by visiting the country. On the other side, after America, Russia has threatened France and Germany. France and Germany, like America, are making a mistake by selling weaponry to Ukraine, said Russian President Vladimir Putin. If they do not stop this supply, the consequences will be bad. Their interference may worsen the situation in Ukraine.
- Late Wednesday evening in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, four explosions erupted one after the other. In the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, three explosions rocked a mosque and a passenger van. The blast at the mosque claimed the lives of five people. An explosion at a mosque in Kabul injured two persons, according to a police spokesman in Kabul. In a tweet, Kabul’s emergency hospital reported it has discovered five bodies and more than a dozen injured patients as a result of the incident. At the same time, a Taliban official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, reported that at least 11 people were killed in the mosque’s pulpit blasts.
- Heartbreaking news came from the US state of Texas on Tuesday afternoon. An 18-year-old man opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Yuvalde, Texas. 19 students and 2 teachers died in this attack. 13 children, school staff members and some policemen were also injured in the firing. The attacker also shot his grandmother before firing at the school.
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- For “Tomb of Sand,” Indian novelist Geetanjali Shree and American translator Daisy Rockwell won the International Booker Prize. It is the first book published in any Indian language to win the prestigious award, which honours works from all around the world that have been translated into English. Mr. and Rockwell of New Delhi, who live in Vermont, will split the £50,000 ($63,000) award money.