NICOSIA, Cyprus — The announcement by Ethiopia that it completed the second phase of filling the giant Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD), Africa’s largest dam, angered Egypt and Sudan. Egypt, which used diplomatic means to prevent the quick filling of the dam and has even threatened to use military force against Ethiopia, saw its efforts fall flat and ignored by Addis Ababa. Egypt and Sudan have been locked in a decades-long dispute with Ethiopia over the dam due to Addis Ababa’s insistence to fill the dam’s reservoir without reaching a binding agreement with its downstream neighbors. “Today, July 19, 2021, the GERD reservoir…
Author: zenger.news
BEIJING — China’s market regulator, the State Administration for Market Regulation, has ordered Tencent Holdings Limited and its affiliated companies to relinquish exclusive rights to music labels. “To restore market competition, Tencent and its affiliated companies must end their exclusive music copyrights within 30 days and stop charging high prepayment and other copyright fees,” the State Administration for Market Regulation said in a statement on July 24. The multinational tech holding company cannot demand superior treatment compared to competitors from copyright owners without justified reasons, the statement said. Tencent was also fined about $77,340, as per the statement. “In accordance with the Anti-Monopoly Law, the State Administration…
BEIJING — The island country Taiwan has said it is using several measures to guard itself against technological vulnerabilities amidst China’s building military pressure. “Taiwan has been able to defend itself against the overwhelming majority of attacks,” said Chien Hung-Wei, Head of Taiwan’s Department of Cyber Security, to a news channel. “Successful breaches number in the hundreds, while only a handful are what the government classifies as serious. But the enormous number — and where Taiwan thinks they’re coming from — has compelled the government to take the issue seriously.” Taiwan is using dramatic measures to guard against technological vulnerabilities —…
NEW DELHI — New research by India’s apex child rights body National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), has said that only 10.1 percent of children use their smartphones for online learning and education. However, 59.2 percent use smartphones for instant messaging applications. “Around 59.2 percent of children use their smartphones/internet devices for chatting [using WhatsApp/Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat],” the study states. “But only 10.1 percent of children like to use smartphones for online learning and education.” “It is also interesting to note that 30.2 percent of the children of all age groups [8 to 18 years] already possess their own smartphones and use the same…
MUMBAI, India — The most populous Indian state, Maharashtra, will soon have a separate National Defense Rescue Force-style mechanism to be set up in flood-affected districts of the state. This was announced by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on July 25. During his visit to flood-affected district Chiplun, Thackeray said that a financial review of the flood damage in the state would be carried out in a couple of days, as per the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s office. He also directed the concerned District Collectors to immediately provide food, medicine, clothes, and other necessities to the flood victims. “Given the recurrence of crises,…
WASHINGTON — Tesla founder Elon Musk on July 25 said that his company wants to launch cars in India, however, the country’s import duties on electric vehicles (EVs) are “highest in the world by far.” “We want to do [launch EVs in India] so, but import duties are the highest in the world by far of any large country,” Musk tweeted in reply to a Twitter user who requested Musk to launch Tesla cars in India. “Moreover, clean energy vehicles are treated the same as diesel or petrol, which does not seem entirely consistent with the climate goals of India.” Musk was…
NEW DELHI — With Covid-19 cases in the Indian capital Delhi now under control, movie theaters and cinemas are all set to cautiously reopen and welcome customers back after months of closure due to a spike in Covid-19 cases. Halls are being carefully sanitized, and Ultra Violet lights are being installed in several theaters. “Snacks will not be allowed in the halls, and only seal-packed eatables will be available for sale,” said J.J. Verma, manager at the Delite Cinema Hall. Amid declining Covid-19 cases in the national capital, the Delhi government, on July 24, 2021, issued orders allowing cinemas/theatres/multiplexes to reopen…
NEW DELHI — “Dil Bechara,” starring late actor Sushant Singh Rajput and Sanjana Sanghi, completed a year of its release on July 24, 2021. Taking to Instagram, Sanghi penned an emotional note thanking everyone for showering her with love for her debut film as a lead actor. “A year ago today, upon the eve of Dil Bechara’s release, my nervousness knew no bounds,” Sanghi said in the post. “And today, as we complete 1 YEAR of Dil Bechara … becoming yours forever, all I have in my heart is unsurmountable heaps of gratitude for the kind of love, admiration, and support you all…
MUMBAI, India — Actor Ayushmann Khurrana, on the occasion of Guru Purnima, on July 24, 2021, shared the impact that late singer-actor Kishore Kumar has had on his life and career. In India, “Guru Purnima” is celebrated every year to express gratitude to teachers and “gurus” who have been the guiding light in a student’s life. Khurrana, who is known for essaying diverse roles, revealed that Kumar had been a massive inspiration for him. “Kishore Kumar is not just a legend and an icon, he is an institution,” he said. “He has always been a beacon of inspiration for me, his songs…
SYDNEY — Australia’s southeastern state of New South Wales is making a crucial decision to optimize its vaccine rollout to contain the state capital’s Sydney, Covid-19 outbreak. The state reported 136 new local cases on July 23, a new daily high for the current outbreak, which started in mid-June. Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant advised for the first time on the same day that the outbreak was a “national emergency.” Covid-19 is spreading particularly quickly among young workers in critical industries who live in Sydney’s west and southwest, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said, and more first vaccine doses in those hot spots could slow the…