Author: Trainee Reporter

Australia: Victoria will become the first Australian state to ban the sale of machetes, after a violent brawl concerning the weapon erupted at a Melbourne shopping centre. The move comes after rival youth gangs clashed at Northland Shopping Centre in Preston, initiating police and emergency services to respond to reports of up to 10 people fighting. Four people, including two teenagers aged 15 and 16, have been charged, and more arrests are anticipated as the investigation continues. One man, 20, remains in hospital in a serious condition. Police have recovered three of the four machetes thought to have been used…

Kerala: A major environmental alert has been issued along Kerala’s coast after a Liberian-flagged cargo vessel, MSC ELSA 3, capsized in the Arabian Sea, leaking oil and hazardous materials. The vessel, which was en route from Vizhinjam port to Kochi, began tilting dangerously before sinking around 38 nautical miles off the coast. Authorities say the ship was carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous cargo and 12 containing calcium carbide, a chemical that releases flammable gas when it comes in contact with seawater. Though all 24 crew members were rescued in a dramatic hours-long operation by the Indian Navy, officials…

Ukraine: At least 12 people, including three children, have been killed and dozens more injured in a wave of overnight Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine, according to Ukrainian emergency services and regional officials. The strikes, which targeted multiple regions, mark one of the deadliest assaults and come just a day after Kyiv endured one of the most intense bombardments since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. In Zhytomyr, west of the capital, three children aged 8, 12, and 17 were killed in their homes. Ten others were injured in the region, and several houses were destroyed or…

France: An Iranian thriller tackling state violence and corruption has won the Palme d’Or, the highest honour at the Cannes Film Festival. It Was Just an Accident, directed by acclaimed dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi, was awarded the prestigious prize. The festival’s final day was briefly disrupted by a power outage that swept across southeastern France, but the ceremony resumed with a thunderous standing ovation for Panahi, who has long faced persecution in Iran for his politically charged films. Banned from leaving Iran for over 15 years and frequently imprisoned, Panahi has continued to create cinema in defiance of censorship. Inspired…

Japan: Japan is facing a growing rice crisis as prices for its most beloved staple soar, nearly doubling over the past year and putting severe pressure on household budgets and political leadership alike. Government data released shows the price of rice surged by 98.4 percent year-on-year in April, following a 92.5 percent rise in March. The cost of a 5 kg (11-pound) bag of the popular Koshihikari brand now stands at around $35, while other varieties are selling for approximately $29. Efforts to stabilize prices, including emergency releases from government rice reserves, have failed to ease the crisis. During a…

Denmark: Denmark is set to claim the highest retirement age in Europe following the passage of a new law that will gradually raise the official age to 70 by the year 2040. The legislation, sanctioned by the Danish parliament with 81 votes in favour and 21 against, will apply to all individuals born after 31 December 1970. Since 2006, Denmark has linked its retirement age to life expectancy, revising it every five years. The current retirement age is 67, with scheduled increases to 68 in 2030 and 69 in 2035. The new benchmark of 70 will be raised five years…

Canada: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has confirmed that high level discussions are underway with the United States about joining the ambitious new Golden Dome missile defence project, a multibillion-dollar initiative announced by US President Donald Trump. The system is billed as a next-generation defence platform aimed at countering progressive aerial threats, including hypersonic missiles and space-based weapons. While Canada’s involvement is not yet confirmed, Carney said the government is actively evaluating the proposal. Carney remarked that, “It’s something that we are looking at and something that has been discussed at a high level.” However, he declined to offer specifics…

United Kingdom: Sir Keir Starmer is set to sign a historic agreement that will see the United Kingdom relinquish sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while maintaining strategic military operations in the region. The deal will be formalised during a virtual signing ceremony between the UK Prime Minister and representatives from the Mauritian government. Under the terms, Mauritius will take sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago, officially known as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), but will lease back the key military base on Diego Garcia to the UK and the US for an initial period of 99 years. In…

India: Indian writer-lawyer-activist Banu Mushtaq has made history as the first Kannada author to win the prestigious International Booker Prize, awarded for her short story anthology, Heart Lamp. The collection, translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi, features 12 poignant tales written over three decades, highlighting the lived experiences of Muslim women in southern India. Heart Lamp’s win celebrates a milestone for regional Indian literature on the global stage. The stories, set in Karnataka’s deeply patriarchal and religiously conservative settings, reflect Mushtaq’s lifelong engagement with themes of gender, faith, and resistance. Mushtaq’s journey from a small-town Muslim girl studying the Quran…

United States: The United States has selected a design for its next-generation missile defence system, dubbed the ‘Golden Dome’, according to President Donald Trump, who announced the development from the Oval Office. He said the system would be functional before the end of his current term. The futuristic defence shield, inspired in part by Israel’s Iron Dome but envisioned on a far larger scale, is intended to rescue the US from a wide array of evolving aerial threats, including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons, and even space-based attacks. Just days into his second term, President Trump had called the…