Author: Trainee Reporter

Tanzania: Tanzania’s opposition leaders freed on bail following a mass arrest. Leaders of the main opposition party, Chadema, including its chairman Freeman Mbowe and his deputy Tundu Lissu, were released a day after being detained in the southwestern town of Mbeya on the eve of a Youth Day rally. Nearly 520 people were jailed in a nationwide crackdown to prevent Chadema from holding a parade through Mbeya. According to the police, some of those arrested remain in jail as they failed to meet the requirements for bail. Although the late President John Magufuli’s restrictions on opposition gatherings were lifted, and…

Washington: Science experts suggests that Mars may harbour a substantial amount of water, potentially enough to form an ocean, trapped within the fractures and crevices of subsurface rocks. These conclusions were drawn from seismic data collected by NASA’s Mars InSight lander, which shut down two years ago after detecting over 1,300 earthquakes. Using a combination of computer modelling and InSight data, including quake velocity, scientists determined that subsurface water was the most likely cause of the detected seismic signals. Their study was published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Lead researcher Vashan Wright from the…

Virginia: Amid growing unease in the Middle East, US has stepped up its military presence by dispatching a guided missile submarine and expediting the arrival of an aircraft carrier, as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin seeks to counter potential threats and prevent further escalation. This follows the recent assassinations of prominent Hezbollah and Hamas leaders. Iran is being closely observed for any indication of when and how it will react to the 31 July assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, in Tehran. Iran has threatened to punish Israel for Haniyeh’s death on Iranian soil, holding them accountable. Although…

Paris: The 2024 Summer Olympic flame in Paris have come to a spectacular end, concluding 19 days of unforgettable moments, breathtaking athletic feats, and thunderous applause from fans around the world. The closing ceremony saw an array of sports legends, Hollywood stars, and music icons gather to celebrate the conclusion of the 33rd Olympic Games. In a memorable handover to Los Angeles, which will host the next Games in 2028, actor Tom Cruise made a dramatic entrance by descending from the roof of Stade de France to collect the Olympic flag, before speeding off on a motorcycle. The event was…

Paris: American hurdler and sprinter, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has smashed her own world record in Paris Olympics. The greatest women’s hurdler in history, McLaughlin-Levrone, outperformed Femke Bol, the Dutch track and field athlete, and everyone else by running faster, harder, and stronger down the straightaway, earning her second Olympic gold and a legitimate claim to the title of best track athlete of her time. Femke Bol was exactly where she wanted to be, as the women’s 400-metre hurdles in Paris Olympics drew to a close. She trailed Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone by precisely the margin her coach, Laurent Meuwly, had anticipated – two…

England: A groundbreaking gene therapy, costing over £1.6 million per treatment, will soon be available to patients in England with an inherited blood disorder, making them the first in Europe to benefit from it, remarked by the National health service (NHS). The treatment, known as Casgevy (also referred to as exa-cel), utilises ‘molecular scissors’ to rectify a damaged gene responsible for the debilitating condition beta thalassaemia. Clinical trials have shown that approximately 90% of patients were cured by the primary treatment with Casgevy. Currently, individuals severely affected by the disease require frequent blood transfusions, as their red blood cells fail…

Vienna: Three of the scheduled shows of pop singer Taylor Swift in Vienna have been cancelled due to a potential security risk. The shows which was the part of Swift’s Eras tour, had been scheduled to be at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Previous day, two persons were detained on suspicion of organizing Islamic attacks on major gatherings in the vicinity of the Austrian capital. A statement from the organisers stated that, “Due to confirmation by government officials of a planned terrorist attack at the Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the…

United Kingdom: Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has dealt a blow to the Conservative Party by winning several regional mayoral polls. After a disappointing series of local council results, the Tories were hoping for a victory from incumbent Andy Street in the West Midlands. However, Street lost to Labour’s Richard Parker by a narrow margin of just 1,508 votes, further damaging the position of Chancellor Rishi Sunak. With a general election expected to take place within months, the Prime Minister now faces the challenge of rallying his party and rebuilding their morale. The Conservatives suffered a loss in the West Midlands, which was verified after a nail-biting…

London: King Charles III has visited a London cancer treatment centre where he shared his experiences after being diagnosed with cancer. In his first public-facing engagement since his diagnosis, he and the queen met cancer specialists and patients receiving chemotherapy at the University College hospital’s Macmillan Cancer Centre in a visit aimed at highlighting the importance of early diagnosis. His Majesty offered compassion to a cancer patient who was receiving chemotherapy alongside many others. He expressed that being diagnosed with cancer is always a shock. When asked about his health, the monarch responded to one patient that, “I’m all right, thank you very much, not too bad.” Another patient,…

Brussels: The European Commission has initiated an inquiry into social media giant Meta for spreading false information. The EU charged the US-based organisation, which operates Facebook and Instagram, with disregarding online content regulations in the bloc. In light of the upcoming EU elections in June, Brussels is strengthening its measures to combat the spread of misinformation. The commission stated that Meta’s moderation exertions are not enough in addressing deceptive advertising and disinformation. The Digital Services Act (DSA) that reached impact last year requires that ‘Big Tech’ take further movement in countering destructive and illegal content present on social media platforms. EU digital chief Margrethe Vestager remarked in a statement that, “We suspect that Meta’s moderation is…