Author: News Desk

Washington DC: US President Donald Trump has come under fire from Catholic groups and political figures after posting an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the Pope on official White House social media accounts. The image was released just days after the death of Pope Francis on April 21, as Catholics around the world prepare for the papal conclave to choose the next pontiff. The digitally created image shows Trump wearing a traditional white cassock and a pointed bishop’s miter, with a large cross around his neck. His solemn pose, with a finger raised, closely resembles papal iconography. The post…

Canberra, Australia: Australia’s center-left Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has won a resounding second term with a crushing victory over opposition leader Peter Dutton, whose campaign faltered and saw him lose his seat. Albanese’s Labor Party scored an unexpectedly comfortable win after a five-week election campaign dominated by concerns over the cost of living and global economic uncertainty. Despite facing a tough start to the year with poor poll numbers, Labor capitalized on Dutton’s missteps, with many commentators labeling his campaign one of the worst in Australian political history. Dutton struggled to dissociate himself from comparisons to Donald Trump, particularly as…

Boca Chica, Texas: In a remote coastal patch of south Texas, a unique election is taking place: a vote to turn the unincorporated community of Boca Chica into an official city named Starbase, a bold vision long championed by billionaire Elon Musk. This move could effectively give Musk, through SpaceX, significant influence over a modern-day company town. The election is being decided by a small population of just over 500 residents, most of whom are SpaceX employees and their families. As a result, the vote is almost guaranteed to pass, granting the new city power to pass ordinances and manage…

San Francisco, USA: Scientists say a major step toward developing a universal antivenom has emerged from the blood of Tim Friede, a US man who deliberately injected himself with snake venom over 18 years. Friede’s blood contains powerful antibodies that, in lab tests, protected animals from lethal doses of venom from a wide range of deadly snake species. His unique immune response offers a new avenue for creating broad-spectrum antivenoms, addressing a major global health problem that causes up to 140,000 deaths and leaves over 400,000 people annually with amputations or lifelong disabilities. Current antivenoms must match the specific species…

Menlo Park: Meta has issued a warning that European users may encounter a significantly diminished user experience following a critical decision by the European Commission, which fined the company €200 million ($215 million) for non-compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The fine stems from Meta’s implementation of a ‘consent or pay’ model, which requires users to either pay for a monthly subscription or permit Meta to collect and combine data from Facebook and Instagram for targeted advertising. According to the European Commission, this model violates EU rules by failing to allow users to provide ‘freely given’ consent regarding how…

Washington DC: The US has signed a deal with Ukraine on the joint exploitation of its energy and mineral resources, including the creation of a reconstruction investment fund to drive Ukraine’s economic recovery from the ongoing war with Russia. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the agreement, emphasizing that it reflects a shared commitment to peace, prosperity, and long-term growth in Ukraine. Bessent stated that the deal would help ‘unlock Ukraine’s growth assets.’ The fund also acknowledges the significant financial and material support provided by the US since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. https://twitter.com/SecScottBessent/status/1917697018551754802 What does agreement say?…

Seattle: Starbucks is shifting its strategy by expanding its barista workforce and pulling back on automation, as part of broader efforts by CEO Brian Niccol to revive the coffee chain’s performance and reconnect with customers. The move comes while intensifying industry reliance on technology to cut costs, but Starbucks is choosing a different path following declining sales and customer dissatisfaction. Niccol, who took over leadership of the company in September 2024, revealed during a recent investor call, that the previous approach of reducing labor in stores and relying on automated systems had fallen short. “Over the last couple of years,…

Detroit, Michigan: US President Donald Trump commemorated the 100th day of his second term with a fiery rally in a Detroit suburb, delivering a campaign-style address to a crowd of supporters. In his speech, Trump declared a ‘revolution of common sense’ and pledged to bring about ‘profound change,’ using the occasion to spotlight his administration’s early accomplishments while also lambasting political opponents and institutions. Trump renewed attacks on Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, mocking his mental acuity and even his appearance in a swimsuit. The President again reiterated the unfounded claim that he was the rightful winner of the 2020 election…

San Francisco: ChatGPT has expanded its capabilities by adding shopping features, entering a space traditionally dominated by tech giants like Amazon and Google. The new update allows users to easily view prices, reviews, and personalized product recommendations, along with direct purchase links. OpenAI, ChatGPT’s parent company, emphasized that these selections are independent and not advertisements. Launched last year, ChatGPT’s search tool has quickly become one of its most popular features, with over a billion web searches in just the past week. While Google remains the dominant player in search, capturing about 89 percent of global traffic, its market share has…

Kourou, French Guiana: A groundbreaking satellite, Biomass, designed to transform understanding of Earth’s forests is scheduled for launch, offering scientists an unprecedented ability to measure the carbon stored in trees, a crucial element in combating climate change. Developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), the Biomass satellite can penetrate cloud cover and dense tree canopies to ‘weigh’ the world’s forests, providing insights into the amount of carbon locked in vegetation, which helps to remove harmful carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Until now, accurately calculating the amount of carbon contained in the world’s approximately 1.5 trillion rainforest trees has been beyond…