Author: News Desk

Sydney, Australia: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that he will call the national election “imminently” as the May 17 deadline for electing a new parliament approaches. Albanese is set to visit Governor-General Sam Mostyn in Canberra on Friday, the 28th of March, to formally call the election. The governor-general, who represents King Charles as Australia’s head of state, must authorize the dissolution of parliament before a general election can be declared. The vote is expected to take place on May 3, though Albanese’s office has not confirmed this date. Ahead of the election, Albanese’s Labor Party has introduced…

London: Ever been so overwhelmed by cuteness that you had the urge to clench your fists or pinch something? There’s now a word for that: gigil. Recently added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), gigil (pronounced ghee-gill) is a Tagalog word describing an intense feeling that compels someone to squeeze or pinch something irresistibly adorable. It is one of many “untranslatable” words—those lacking direct English equivalents—now officially recognized in the dictionary. Another addition is alamak, a common exclamation in Singapore and Malaysia used to express shock or dismay. The latest OED update highlights how speakers of English alongside other languages…

Istanbul: Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Turkey for a seventh consecutive night, protesting the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption charges. More than 1,400 people, including students, journalists, and lawyers, have been detained since the protests began last Wednesday. The arrest of Imamoglu, a key political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has drawn international criticism, with rights groups and the UN condemning both the detentions and the police response. Imamoglu has dismissed the charges as politically motivated, a claim denied by the Turkish government. Speaking at a Ramadan fast-breaking event in Ankara, President…

Port Moresby, PNG: Papua New Guinea has imposed a sudden ban on Facebook, citing a “test” aimed at reducing hate speech, misinformation, and explicit content. The move, which took effect earlier this week, has sparked backlash from opposition leaders and media advocates, who see it as a threat to free speech. Police Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jr defended the decision, stating that the government has a duty to protect citizens from harmful online content rather than restrict free expression. With approximately 1.3 million users, Facebook remains the most widely used social media platform in the country, serving as a crucial tool…

Wellington, New Zealand: Authorities have urged people in coastal areas of New Zealand’s South Island to stay out of the water and move away from beaches following a powerful 6.7 magnitude earthquake that struck on Tuesday, 25th of March. The National Emergency Management Agency advised residents in the Southland and Fiordland regions to avoid marine areas due to the risk of strong and unusual currents. Officials also warned those on boats, live-aboards, and marinas to evacuate their vessels and remain onshore until further notice. More than 4,700 people reported feeling the tremor, according to government seismic monitor Geonet. New Zealand…

London: A mysterious glowing spiral appeared in the night sky over the UK and Ireland on Monday, 24th of March evening, leaving many stargazers intrigued. The phenomenon was visible for several minutes before gradually fading, with observers as far north as Denmark and as far south as Milan in Italy reporting similar sightings. The Met Office addressed the spectacle in a post on X, explaining that the spiral was likely caused by frozen exhaust smoke from Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The agency stated that the rocket’s frozen exhaust plume appeared to spin in the atmosphere while reflecting sunlight,…

Hong Kong: South Korean K-pop group NewJeans has announced a pause in all activities after a court ruled against them in their ongoing legal dispute with their record label, Ador. During their performance at ComplexCon Hong Kong on Sunday 23rd of March, the five-member group—who have attempted to rebrand as NJZ—told fans, “This will be our last performance for a little while,” after debuting their new song, Pit Stop. The court ruling, issued on Friday, 21st of March, prohibits the group from organizing their performances, producing music, or signing independent advertising deals while their legal battle with Ador continues. Despite…

Victoria, Australia: Victoria has achieved the highest cardiac arrest survival rate in Australia and the third-best in the world, thanks to rapid CPR intervention and widespread use of defibrillators. The 2023/24 Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry annual report highlights that 41% of patients survived to hospital discharge—surpassing previous records and ranking just behind King County in the US and Denmark. Seventeen-year-old Austin Blight is one such survivor. He collapsed at the gym with no prior warning signs of cardiac arrest. Quick-thinking staff immediately performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator (AED) to restore his heartbeat before paramedics arrived. Thanks…

Washington DC: The Trump administration has announced it will revoke the temporary legal status of more than 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV), instructing them to leave the US before April 24 when their permits and deportation shields expire. The affected individuals were admitted under the Biden-era CHNV sponsorship program, which Trump suspended upon taking office. CHNV, introduced in 2022, initially covered Venezuelans before expanding to other nationalities. It allowed migrants and their immediate families to enter the US legally with an American sponsor and remain under a two-year temporary parole status. The Biden administration had argued…

London, UK: Uber has launched a new initiative offering 20 hours of free childcare to all UK drivers for the rest of 2025. The move is part of an effort to attract more women to the profession by making it easier for parents to balance work and family life. The childcare will be provided through the babysitting and nannying app Bubble, and drivers can use the allowance flexibly, even outside of working hours. Uber UK General Manager Andrew Brem emphasized the company’s commitment to increasing female participation in ride-hailing. “We really, really would like to attract more female drivers onto…