Author: Suman Sengupta

Batgirl movie was awaiting release in cinemas which was budgeted at more than $70 million and on HBO Max later this year. However, Warner Bros scrapped it after a poor reaction to test screenings, says New York Post. On the other hand, Warner Bros said it reflected “its leadership’s strategic shift”. Change of Leadership Among Other Factors about Batgirl Batgirl was extensively shot and produced at Glasgow and is said to have brought significant economic benefits to the city. It was based on the DC comics character Barbara Gordon- Batgirl. Leslie Grace played the role of Batgirl. She was also…

The Razoni was the first ship to leave Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in mid-February. A team of officials from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN checked her cargo of 26,000 tonnes of corn. Highlights •Razoni, the first ship to have left Ukraine was extensively checked for three hours by JCC officials in Bosporus •Ship then departed for Tripoli. The JCC plans to move 3 ships per day, but no ship has left Ukraine so far in 48 hours. •An estimated 20 million tonnes of cargo are still on hold in Ukraine. On Monday cargo ship Razoni left the…

Beyoncé amidst criticism by disability charities and activists over a lyric which they consider “ableist” and “offensive”, Rihanna has decided to remove them from her new album Renaissance. In the song Heated, Rihanna had apparently used “ spaz”, a derogatory word for Sphastic Diplegia. Sphastic Diplegia is a form of Cerebral Palsy. Rihanna had co-written the song with the Canadian rapper Drake. The lyrics were: “ Spazzin on that ass, spazz on that ass”. Her representative says that the Rihanna will change the lyric. “ The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced”. Lizzo too like…

Russia has snapped natural gas supplies to Germany via Nord Stream 1 to 20% capacity. The suspension has led to Germany debating should they switch off their nuclear power plants. After the Russian reduction of gas supply to Germany, the Germans have been pondering fuel rationing. Currently, Germans are debating whether they should switch off their three nuclear power plants. In mid-July, Germany’s Economy Ministry announced a new “stress test” on the security of electricity supplies. These tests were to ascertain the sustainability of Germany’s electricity supplies in a tougher scenario. Since then, Russia has reduced gas supplies to Germany…

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi is set to visit Taiwan, say Taiwanese and US officials. Pelosi is visiting Taiwan despite warnings by the Biden administration. US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi is scheduled to visit Taiwan on Tuesday, say US and Taiwanese officials. Pelosi intends to visit Taiwan despite warnings from the Biden administration, which is concerned about China’s response to her visit. This is the first time in 25 years that a US House of Representatives speaker has set foot in Taipei. Newt Gingrich was the last House of Representatives speaker who visited Taiwan in 1997.…

Russian energy giant Gazprom says to have snapped gas supplies to Latvia. It accuses the latter of violating purchase. Latvia is the latest EU member to face such actions amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine. Highlights of Gazprom • Russian state-run fuel company Gazprom snaps gas supplies to Latvia citing alleged violations of supply conditions •Russia has also halted gas supplies to Germany, Finland, Poland, Netherlands, and Bulgaria. Latvia is the most recent EU country to face Russian fuel suspensions after refusing to adhere to Gazprom’s payments system. Gazprom has recently accused Latvia of violating conditions of purchase but has given…

Zelensky was speaking during his visit to the port of Chornomorsk. He was accompanied by representatives from the G7 nations  Ukraine’s first batch of grain shipment is ready and is waiting for the signal to leave port, said President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday. He was visiting the port of Chornomorsk, a week after a UN-led agreement to resume grain exports. Zelensky’s visit to the port was mainly to convey that Ukraine’s ports are ready, the President’s press service claimed. So far, Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports has led to a food crisis due to grain shortages and rising prices. Western…

The aircraft carrier has an overall indigenous content of 76%, the navy said. It is also a perfect example of the government’s quest for Atmanirbhar Bharat and provides a thrust for its make-in-India initiative, it added. On Thursday, Cochin handed over the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant to the Indian Navy. The Navy’s in house Directorate of Naval Design designed the vessel and will commission it on 15th August. The ship is named after India’s first aircraft carrier which participated in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. INS Vikrant (R11) was originally a Majestic class aircraft carrier. It was laid down by…

Police and demonstrators have clashed with each other during the third day of violent anti-UN protests in Congo Highlights •Violent protests have been waged against UN forces in DR Congo • Two Indian soldiers and a third member of the UN Peace Keeping Force dead as protestors storm UN bases in Goma and Butembo. • UN has been accused of failing to maintain peace in conflict-ridden DR Congo. Clashes between the police and protestors have killed at least 19 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The town of Goma saw protests after people accused the UN of failing to…

Samantha Power was addressing an event at IIT Delhi. She particularly mentioned the US Capitol attack on 6th January 2021 after Donald Trump was defeated. There are forces in India and the United States which seek to sow division, pit ethnicities, and religions against each other, bend laws, and abuse institutions, said USAID administrator Samantha Power. Addressing an event in IIT Delhi,  she particularly addressed the US Capitol riots last year. “The headwinds against democratic rule are strong the world over. Within the United States. Within the United States and India, there are forces who seek to sow division, who…