Author: Trainee Reporter

Canberra: Australia has lifted its remaining restrictions on American beef imports, marking a significant shift in trade policy following a 20-year ban. The move ends a barrier that had drawn sharp criticism from US President Donald Trump and had become a flashpoint in bilateral trade tensions. Beef imports from the US were originally banned in 2003 after an outbreak of mad cow disease. Although the technical ban was lifted in 2019, practical restrictions remained due to concerns over cattle from Mexico and Canada, which share a supply chain with the US. US authorities welcomed the change, calling it a major…

Russia: A passenger plane carrying 49 people has crashed in Russia’s remote Far East region near the Chinese border, according to local authorities. The Angara Airlines flight, en route to the town of Tynda in the Amur region, disappeared from radar and lost contact with air traffic control shortly before it was due to land. Emergency officials reported that aerial reconnaissance located the wreckage of the An-24 aircraft about 15km from Tynda airport on a forested mountainside. Initial observations confirmed no survivors at the scene, but authorities said the search would continue on foot with hopes of locating possible survivors.…

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced a raft of measures to ease the financial burden on citizens with mounting pressure over rising living costs and growing public discontent. Anwar said the government would distribute a one-off cash aid of 100 ringgit (approximately $24) to all adult citizens, benefiting more than 22 million Malaysians. The handout will be redeemable at over 4,000 participating outlets nationwide from August 31 to December 31. As part of the broader relief package, the price of subsidised RON95 petrol will be reduced from 2.05 ringgit to 1.99 ringgit per litre. In addition, planned…

Washington, D.C.: US President Donald Trump has declared that the United States will impose a 19 percent tariff on imports from the Philippines, following a meeting at the White House. The move, which Trump described as part of a broader agreement, also includes the removal of duties on American goods by the Philippines and new military cooperation between the two nations. Trump stated that, “It was a beautiful visit, and we concluded our Trade Deal.” The Philippines has yet to confirm the deal publicly, and the country’s embassy in Washington, DC, has not issued a statement. The proposed tariff surpasses…

Gaza: The World Health Organization (WHO) has condemned attacks on its facilities and staff in central Gaza, stating that its operations in the war-torn enclave have been crippled by Israel’s ongoing ground offensive in Deir al-Balah. The UN agency said its staff residence in Deir al-Balah was struck three times, with air strikes triggering fires and significant damage. WHO officials reported that women and children were forced to flee on foot with active conflict, while male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint by Israeli forces. Two WHO employees and two relatives…

Beijing: China has begun construction of the world’s largest hydroelectric dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River in southeastern Tibet. Chinese state media confirmed that Premier Li Qiang attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the project in the city of Nyingchi, near the Himalayan foothills. The mega-dam, estimated to cost 1.2 trillion yuan (approximately $167.1 billion), will include five interconnected hydropower stations and is expected to surpass the Three Gorges Dam in energy output once completed. The Yarlung Zangbo River, known as the Brahmaputra in India and the Jamuna in Bangladesh, originates in Tibet and flows through two other densely populated countries…

Deir al-Balah: Israeli forces have launched a combined ground and air assault on Deir al-Balah, triggering a fresh wave of displacement among civilians already uprooted by months of conflict. The assault came just hours after the Israeli military ordered evacuations from six residential blocks in the city’s southwest. The densely packed area, sheltering thousands displaced from Rafah and Khan Younis, was hit with intense artillery and airstrikes. The renewed assault forced thousands of residents to flee overnight toward al-Mawasi, a coastal zone near Khan Younis that remains one of the few areas not yet subject to major offensives. Just spoken…

Tokyo: Japan’s ruling coalition, led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, has lost its majority in the country’s upper house following tightly contested elections. The result is a powerful political setback, driven by public frustration over inflation, economic concerns, and rising nationalist sentiment. Despite the defeat, Ishiba told that, he would not resign, stating he solemnly accepts the harsh result but remains focused on ongoing trade negotiations, especially with the United States. The coalition—comprising the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner Komeito won just 47 seats, falling short of the 50 needed to maintain control of the 248-seat chamber.…

Caribbean: Trinidad and Tobago has declared its second state of emergency this year with heightened fears of coordinated action by organised crime gangs operating both inside and outside the nation’s prisons. Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro made the announcement, citing intelligence received a day earlier indicating that several gangs had united into a single crime syndicate with plans to carry out assassinations, robberies and kidnappings. Guevarro stated that, “There are persons who seem hellbent on facilitating the communication of these persons with the outside. So by removing them from this environment and placing them in one where they are much more…

Brasília: Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro has been ordered by the Supreme Court to wear an electronic ankle monitor and comply with a nighttime curfew, as part of a series of restrictions imposed with concerns he may attempt to flee the country while facing trial for alleged coup plotting. The right-wing leader, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022, is accused of conspiring to prevent the lawful inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in January 2023. Bolsonaro rejected all allegations and labelled the restrictions a supreme humiliation, insisting he never intended to leave Brazil. The sweeping court order,…