Author: News Desk

New York: The World Ushered in New Year 2025 with Stunning Celebrations, beginning in the South Pacific and Culminating in the Americas. New Zealand led the festivities, with thousands gathering in Auckland to witness spectacular fireworks displays from volcanic peaks. Meanwhile, American Samoa prepared to be among the last to greet the new year, a full 24 hours after New Zealand. In New York, the Times Square ball drop, a tradition spanning nearly 120 years and interrupted only in 1942 and 1943 due to World War II nighttime dimouts, marked the arrival of 2025. A Waterford crystal-encrusted, five-tonne ball, illuminated by…

Edinburgh: The outdoor celebrations of Edinburgh, Hogmanay Festival have been canceled due to UK weather, with severe conditions including wind, rain, and snow expected across the country. The Met Office has issued eight weather warnings for the coming days, forecasting stormy conditions with wind gusts reaching up to 70mph (112km/h) in some areas. An amber warning for rain is in place for parts of Scotland, along with flood alerts and even a rare severe  across the nation. Due to the weather, Edinburgh’s street party, fireworks display, and outdoor concert headlined by Texas were canceled on public safety grounds after the…

Washington: A Chinese state-sponsored hacking group infiltrated the US Treasury Department’s systems in early December, accessing employee workstations and certain unclassified documents, officials confirmed in a letter to lawmakers. The breach has been classified as a “major incident” by the Treasury, which is collaborating with the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and third-party forensic investigators to assess the impact. The intrusion was facilitated through BeyondTrust, a third-party service provider offering remote technical support. Hackers exploited a security key to bypass safeguards, gaining remote access to several user workstations. Suspicious activity was first detected on December 2, and BeyondTrust…

 Sidama, Ethiopia: A tragic road accident in Sidama state, Southern Ethiopia, has claimed the lives of at least 71 people according to the official report. A truck packed with passengers plunged into a river, approximately 300km south of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. According to the Sidama Police Commission, 68 males and three females have been confirmed dead, while five people remain in critical condition and are being treated at Bona General Hospital. Regional spokesperson Wosenyeleh Simion confirmed the toll, adding that the victims were mostly passengers returning from a wedding. Many families have lost multiple members in the tragedy. Images…

New York: Magnus Carlsen, the former World Chess Champion (2013-2023), will return to the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York after initially withdrawing due to a dress code dispute. Carlsen had quit the tournament after being barred from a round for wearing jeans, which violated the tournament’s dress code regulations. However, in an interview with the 34-year-old confirmed he would return to the competition. Carlsen said that, “To make a long story short: I’ll be playing at least one more day here in New York. If I do well, another day after that.” The chess grandmaster also revealed…

Muan, South Korea: The Jeju Air Boeing 737-800, carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, crashed at Muan International Airport after attempting a second crash landing due to landing gear failure. The plane veered off the runway, crashed into a wall, and burst into flames. Two crew members were rescued, but all other missing individuals are presumed dead. The crash is believed to have been caused by a bird strike, which may have led to the landing gear malfunction. The airport’s control tower warned the plane about the bird strike ahead of the crash, according to South Korea’s Transport Ministry.…

Tbilisi, Georgia: Thousands of protesters formed a human chain in Tbilisi, signalling deepening political unrest as Georgia prepares for a controversial presidential inauguration. Demonstrators, waving Georgian and EU flags, called for the country’s alignment with its pro-European aspirations, amid growing discontent with the ruling Georgian Dream party. On Sunday December 29th, Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former Manchester City footballer and ally of Georgian Dream, will be sworn in as President. However, outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili has refused to step down, labeling Kavelashvili’s election illegitimate. She denounced the electoral college process that confirmed his victory, where he was the sole candidate, as…

Gaza: The Israeli military has forcibly evacuated Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of northern Gaza’s last remaining functional hospitals, after a series of airstrikes reportedly killed dozens in the area. Medics confirmed the evacuation, saying that, the military gave the hospital administration just 15 minutes to evacuate patients and staff into the courtyard. Israeli troops then entered the hospital and began removing the remaining patients. The Israeli military stated that it was conducting an operation in the area, which it labelled a “Hamas terrorist stronghold.” It also claimed to have facilitated the evacuation of civilians, patients, and medical personnel before beginning…

Washington DC: The number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States has surged by 18% over the past year, reaching an all-time high of more than 771,000, according to a report released by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The count, conducted on a single night in January 2024, includes individuals in emergency shelters, safe havens, transitional housing, or unsheltered locations but excludes those staying with friends or family due to housing instability. HUD identified the lack of affordable housing as the primary driver of the increase, further exacerbated by rising inflation, stagnant wages for middle-…

Beijing: China has approved the construction of what will be the world’s largest hydropower dam on the lower Yarlung Tsangpo River, sparking concerns over displacement of Tibetan communities, environmental risks, and downstream impacts in India and Bangladesh. The dam, expected to generate three times more energy than the Three Gorges Dam, will require four 20-kilometer-long tunnels drilled through the Namcha Barwa mountain to divert the river. Chinese state media describes it as a “safe project prioritizing ecological protection” that will promote local development and support Beijing’s climate neutrality goals. Human rights groups and experts warn of significant risks, including altering…