Author: News Desk

Guam: Super Typhoon Bavi has made landfall across Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, bringing destructive winds, torrential rain, and dangerous storm surges to the US Pacific territories. The storm is packing sustained winds of nearly 290 km/h (180 mph) with gusts reaching 350 km/h, according to the US National Weather Service (NWS). Forecasters have warned that the ‘very dangerous’ system could inflict catastrophic damage, with waves expected to reach heights of nearly 11 metres (35 feet). The Northern Mariana Islands are experiencing the brunt of the storm, with Rota, the southernmost inhabited island, located about 50 kilometres northeast of…

Miami: Lionel Messi once again proved why he remains Argentina’s most influential player, delivering another match-winning performance as the reigning world champions edged Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time in a thrilling World Cup clash. The victory highlighted Messi’s enduring brilliance but also reinforced concerns that Argentina continues to rely heavily on their captain in crucial moments. Having inspired Argentina to their long-awaited World Cup triumph in 2022, Messi once again stepped up when it mattered most, dictating play and providing the spark whenever his teammates struggled to break down their opponents. https://twitter.com/Argentina/status/2073240382914109483 The 39-year-old has now matched his tally…

Lima: Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori has been declared the winner of Peru’s closely contested presidential election, nearly a month after the runoff vote, following certification of the final results by the country’s electoral court. Fujimori secured 50.135 percent of the vote in the June 7 runoff, narrowly defeating left-wing rival Roberto Sánchez, who received 49.865 percent. The difference amounted to fewer than 50,000 votes, making it one of Peru’s closest presidential contests in recent history. The victory marks Fujimori’s first successful presidential campaign after three previous unsuccessful bids in 2011, 2016, and 2021. Keiko is the daughter of former Peruvian President…

Beijing: Chinese technology giant Alibaba has reportedly prohibited employees from using Anthropic’s Claude Code for work, following concerns over features in the AI coding assistant that could help identify users linked to China. According to a person familiar with the matter, Alibaba has instructed employees to switch to the company’s own AI-powered coding platform, Qoder, instead of Claude Code. Claude Code is Anthropic’s artificial intelligence assistant designed to help software developers write and manage code. Despite Anthropic restricting access to users and organisations in China, the tool has gained significant popularity among Chinese programmers. The reported move follows growing scrutiny…

A lightning bolt heats the surrounding air almost instantly to temperatures of up to 30,000°C, causing the air to expand explosively. This rapid expansion creates a supersonic shock wave, which we hear as thunder. However, the way thunder sounds depends largely on how far a person is from the lightning strike. When lightning strikes nearby, it often produces a sharp crack, snap, or loud explosive boom. Larger and more complex lightning bolts, made up of multiple branches, can generate a rolling peal of thunder as sound from different sections of the bolt reaches the listener at slightly different times. Thunder…

New Delhi: India has directed WhatsApp to explain its planned username feature and temporarily halt its rollout in the country, citing concerns that it could increase online fraud and reduce user traceability. According to a government letter, the authorities have asked the Meta-owned messaging platform to respond within three days and refrain from launching the feature until consultations with the government are complete. WhatsApp recently announced the phased global rollout of usernames, allowing users to create unique identifiers and communicate without sharing their phone numbers. The company said that the feature would gradually become available later this year, including in…

Chicago: US authorities have arrested and charged a teenager accused of being part of the cybercriminal group Scattered Spider, which has been linked to several high-profile cyberattacks, including incidents targeting Marks & Spencer (M&S) and Transport for London (TfL). The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Department of Justice announced that Peter Stokes, a 19-year-old dual citizen of the United States and Estonia, was extradited from Finland to the US to face charges of conspiracy, cyber intrusion, and fraud. Stokes was arrested in Finland in April after an Interpol Red Notice was issued, requesting international law enforcement agencies…

Glasgow: A patient who was being assessed for a suspected Ebola infection at a hospital in Scotland has tested negative, easing concerns over what could have been the country’s first confirmed case linked to the latest outbreak in Central Africa. The individual was admitted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow during the early hours of June 30, prompting part of a ward in the hospital’s acute receiving unit to be temporarily closed while precautionary measures were implemented. Health authorities noted that the standard infection prevention and control protocols were immediately activated, and the patient underwent precautionary testing…

The world’s oceans recorded their hottest June on record, with scientists warning that temperatures could continue to climb in the coming months as climate change and the developing El Niño weather pattern combine to intensify global warming. According to a new report released by the European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service, the average global sea surface temperature reached a record 21.0°C (69.8°F) in June, surpassing the previous June records set in 2023 and 2024. The report noted that the first half of 2026 was marked by persistently high sea surface temperatures and widespread marine heatwaves across much of the world’s oceans.…

London: A new study by University College London (UCL) has found that blanket smartphone bans in schools are viewed by many young people as overly simplistic and punitive, raising concerns about their effectiveness just as England introduces a nationwide phone-free school policy. The study surveyed 732 secondary school students aged 11 to 18, alongside 27 teachers and 41 parents, using questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups to explore attitudes towards smartphone restrictions in schools. While there was broad agreement that smartphones can disrupt classroom learning, the findings revealed a clear divide between adults and students. 87 percent of teachers and 88…