Author: Trainee Reporter

London: Intermittent fasting is no more effective for shedding excess weight than standard calorie-controlled diets and offers only minimal benefits over not dieting at all, according to a major global review of scientific evidence. The analysis of 22 international studies found that adults who were overweight or living with obesity lost roughly the same amount of weight through traditional dietary advice as those following fasting plans such as the 5:2 approach popularised by Michael Mosley. On average, participants lost only about 3 percent of their body weight through fasting, below the 5 percent reduction doctors consider clinically meaningful. Researchers said…

Kyiv: Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced cautious optimism over renewed peace negotiations with Russia, expected to take place this week under mediation from the United States, while warning that Ukraine is being asked to shoulder disproportionate concessions. Speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference, the Ukrainian president stressed that any path to ending the war must rest on clear security guarantees for Ukraine. His remarks come as US President Donald Trump intensifies efforts to broker a settlement to Europe’s largest conflict since World War II. Recent rounds of negotiations mediated by Washington in Abu Dhabi were described as constructive but yielded…

Canberra: Australia will spend at least $30 billion to build a construction yard in South Australia to support the future production of nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS security pact, despite lingering uncertainty over the trilateral agreement. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the federal government has committed an initial $3.9 billion as a ‘down payment’ for the submarine construction yard in Osborne, in Adelaide’s north. The facility will form the backbone of Australia’s plan to domestically build nuclear-powered submarines in partnership with the United States and the United Kingdom. The government estimates the project will create around 10,000 jobs in design and…

Madagascar: At least 38 people have been killed and more than 12,000 displaced after Cyclone Gezani struck eastern Madagascar, causing widespread destruction in the coastal hub of Toamasina earlier this week. Authorities warned that the storm could intensify again as it moves toward Mozambique. Madagascar’s disaster management agency reported hundreds of injuries and several people still missing as rescue teams continued search operations in hard-hit neighbourhoods. Entire communities were left in ruins after winds of up to 250 km/h tore off roofs, flattened homes and uprooted trees. The government declared a national disaster, appealing for international assistance as relief agencies…

Washington: US President Donald Trump has moved to overturn a landmark 2009 scientific determination that has anchored US federal action on climate change for over a decade, drawing sharp praise from industry allies and fierce backlash from environmental groups. The decision targets the so-called ‘endangerment finding,’ issued during the presidency of Barack Obama, which concluded that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane pose a threat to public health and welfare. That determination empowered the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate emissions across sectors, including vehicles, power plants and oil and gas operations. White House touts cost savings The White…

Washington: United States President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to purchase electricity generated by coal-fired power plants, in a fresh move aimed at reviving demand for the fossil fuel despite its declining competitiveness and climate concerns. In an executive order signed, Trump instructed the US Department of Defence to enter into long-term agreements with coal-fired facilities and prioritise the preservation and strategic utilisation of coal-based energy assets. The order did not specify the volume of electricity to be procured or the financial terms of the agreements. Speaking at a White House event attended by coal industry executives and miners,…

Moscow: Russia has initiated the process of removing its citizens from Cuba with a deepening jet fuel crisis on the island that has disrupted aviation services and forced airlines to alter operations. Russian aviation regulator Rosaviatsia said authorities are arranging outbound-only flights to bring travellers home after Cuba effectively ran out of jet fuel due to a United States-driven oil blockade. Two Russian airlines, Rossiya and Nordwind Airlines, will operate flights only from Havana and Varadero to Moscow in the coming days to ensure Russian tourists can return safely. Once this repatriation phase concludes, regular two-way services are expected to…

Kharkiv: Overnight Russian air strikes have killed at least four people, including three young children, in Ukraine’s north-eastern Kharkiv region, according to local officials. Kharkiv regional head Oleh Synegubov said two two-year-old boys, a one-year-old girl and a 34-year-old man were killed after a drone struck their home in the town of Bohodukhiv. A 35-year-old pregnant woman and a 73-year-old woman were injured in the same attack. The latest aerial assault comes as Moscow resumes strikes following a week-long pause that US President Donald Trump had urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to observe during a period of extreme cold across…

British Columbia: At least 10 people, including the suspected attacker, have died following a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in the small town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, authorities said. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed that six people were found dead inside the school, while another died en route to the hospital. Two more victims were found at a nearby home linked to the incident. Police have not disclosed the ages of the victims. The RCMP described the event as an ‘active shooter’ situation. A female suspect, described in a public alert as wearing a dress…

Canberra: An Australian author has been found guilty of creating child sexual abuse material after a New South Wales (NSW) court ruled that an erotic age-gap romance novel she wrote sexually objectified children. The NSW court heard the book centres on a relationship between an 18-year-old woman and her father’s 45-year-old best friend, depicting the older man’s desires that began when the protagonist was a child and including scenes in which the character adopts toddler-like behaviour. The author, Lauren Mastrosa, 34, argued that the protagonist is clearly identified as an adult throughout the novel. However, Magistrate Bree Chisholm rejected that…