YOUR WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE
1. The Pentagon made the decision to change its security protocols after an investigation into a major leak of classified information revealed officials had problems keeping track of the number of staff employees with top-secret access. Introducing electronic device detection systems and hiring officers to control who has access to top-secret information are new initiatives. In order to prevent the use of electronic devices inside areas that store secret material and could potentially be used to photograph or record private information or images.
2. After Hong Kong placed rewards on the heads of eight pro-democracy activists who fled the region, China claimed that the UK was harbouring fugitives. China’s embassy in London released the statement after the UK declared it would not put up with any attempts by China to intimidate people there or abroad. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong pleaded with them to surrender, warning that they would live in fear all the time. Beijing claims that the security measure is needed to stabilise the city, while others claim it is intended to stop opposition.
3. The proposal by Japan to release waste water from the tsunami-damaged Fukushima nuclear facility into the sea adheres to international rules, according to a UN watchdog. It was stated that the emissions would have a small environmental impact. The water that was used to cool nuclear reactors at the site is running out of storage space. South Korea and China have protested Japan’s plan. Three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant were flooded in 2011 by a tsunami brought on by an earthquake, the deadliest with a magnitude of 9.0.
4. The Dutch government has announced plans to ban devices, including mobile phones, from classrooms to prevent them from interfering with instruction. The programme is being launched in partnership with schools and will go into effect at the beginning of the following year. Limiting children’s screen time has been linked to better cognition and focus. The government stated that it would be left to individual schools to decide on the specific guidelines with instructors and students, including if they wished to fully prohibit gadgets in schools.
5. Cutting back on oil and gas production, according to the CEO of Shell, would be risky and reckless. Wael Sawan claimed that the need for oil and gas remained great since renewable energy sources were not developing quickly enough to take their place. He warns that rising demand from China and a harsh winter in Europe will result in another increase in energy costs. Since world leaders have committed to preventing global warming of more than 1.5 C this century, there is a race to replace fossil fuels with environmentally friendly alternatives.
6. Biden’s administration’s discussions with social media corporations, aimed at controlling their content, have been restricted by a US federal judge. In a 155-page decision, Judge Terry Doughty prohibited the White House from contacting businesses about content that contained protected free speech. The dispute over the government’s role in policing content that it judged inaccurate became one of the most hotly contested First Amendment issues. The US Department of Justice was reportedly considering its next steps after studying the judgement.
Date: 7/7/23
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