Author: Trainee Reporter

Brazil: At least 16 people, including four children, were killed after a bus returning from a religious festival veered off the road on a curve and overturned in northeast Brazil. The bus was carrying around 60 passengers when it crashed in a rural area of Alagoas state, ejecting some occupants while others were trapped beneath the wreckage. Rescue teams described the operation as complex due to the severity of the accident. In a statement, the Alagoas regional government confirmed that the victims included seven women, five men and four children. Authorities said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.…

Beijing: China and Uruguay have agreed to deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership, signing a series of cooperation agreements during high-level talks in Beijing, even as the United States pushes to curb Chinese influence in Latin America. The agreements were signed, following a meeting between Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, covering areas including science, technology and trade. The move signals Montevideo’s intent to expand its engagement with Beijing despite warnings from US President Donald Trump, who has sought to reassert Washington’s dominance in the Western Hemisphere. In a social media post after the meeting, Orsi said Uruguay…

United States: Elon Musk’s SpaceX has confirmed it is acquiring xAI, the billionaire’s artificial intelligence start-up behind the Grok chatbot, in a move that further consolidates Musk’s sprawling business interests. In a memo posted on SpaceX’s website, Musk said the merger would create a powerful ‘innovation engine’ combining artificial intelligence, rockets, space-based internet and media within a single organisation. Financial terms were not disclosed, but a source familiar with the transaction said xAI was valued at around $125 billion (£91 billion), while SpaceX was valued at $1 trillion, a level that would make it the most valuable private company in…

Washington: Gold and silver prices have extended steep losses, marking a sharp reversal from the record-breaking rally that pushed precious metals to historic highs earlier this year. In Asian trading, spot gold fell more than 9 percent to around $4,403 (£3,222) an ounce, while silver slumped nearly 15 percent to below $72 an ounce. The declines followed an even more dramatic sell-off, when gold recorded its biggest single-day fall since 1983 and silver plunged by more than 27 percent. The pullback comes after a strong start to the year for precious metals. Prices surged to fresh records in January as…

Washington: United States President Donald Trump has announced plans to shut down the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts for nearly two years beginning in July, citing the need for large-scale renovation and rebuilding of the iconic cultural venue. The announcement, made on Trump’s Truth Social platform, comes with mounting controversy and a wave of high-profile cancellations by artists following his takeover as chairman of the Kennedy Center’s board. Trump stated that, “I have determined that the fastest way to bring The Trump Kennedy Centre to the highest level of success, beauty, and grandeur is to cease…

New Delhi: India’s annual budget has doubled down on manufacturing-led growth, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman outlining a reform-heavy roadmap aimed at accelerating economic expansion with a volatile global backdrop. Presenting the budget for the next financial year, Sitharaman said the government will prioritise structural reforms in manufacturing, strengthen the financial sector, and increase investments in cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence. The strategy is aimed at boosting growth, attracting private investment and creating jobs for millions entering the workforce each year. The Modi government has long sought to raise manufacturing’s share of GDP from under 20 percent to 25…

South Texas: Elon Musk’s SpaceX has applied to US regulators for permission to deploy up to one million satellites into Earth’s orbit, proposing what it calls ‘orbital data centres’ to meet the surging demand for artificial intelligence (AI) computing power. In an application filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the company said the rapid expansion of AI is already pushing traditional, Earth-based data centres beyond their limits. SpaceX argues that processing data in space would be more cost- and energy-efficient than relying solely on massive terrestrial facilities packed with high-performance computers. If approved, the plan would dramatically expand SpaceX’s…

Hyderabad: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the risk of the deadly Nipah virus spreading from India remains low and does not warrant any travel or trade restrictions, following the confirmation of two infections in the country. The WHO said there is currently no evidence of increased human-to-human transmission linked to the two cases. The agency added that Indian health authorities have the capacity and experience to contain such outbreaks and that it is working closely with them to monitor the situation. Several Asian locations, including Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, have nevertheless stepped up airport screening…

Caracas: Venezuela’s National Assembly has approved a sweeping overhaul of the country’s hydrocarbons law, opening the door for greater participation by private companies, including foreign firms, in the nation’s lucrative oil sector. Once signed into law by Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, the reform is expected to significantly improve Venezuela’s ability to attract foreign investment into an industry that has suffered from decades of mismanagement, under-investment, and international sanctions. The new legislation relaxes long-standing rules that required the state-owned oil company PDVSA to hold majority control over oil projects. Under the revised framework, private firms with approved contracts will be allowed…

Australia: Astronomers have identified a potentially habitable, Earth-sized planet located about 146 light-years from Earth, raising fresh hopes in the search for life beyond our solar system. The candidate planet, named HD 137010 b, is estimated to be around 6 percent larger than Earth and orbits a star similar to the Sun. The discovery was made by an international team of scientists from Australia, the UK, the US and Denmark, using data collected in 2017 by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope during its extended K2 mission. According to Dr. Chelsea Huang from the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), the planet completes one…