Author: Trainee Reporter

Alabama: A tragic mass shooting unfolded late last night in the bustling Five Points South district, taking the lives of four people and leaving dozens injured. Birmingham police officer Truman Fitzgerald found out that “multiple shooters fired multiple shots at a group of people” in the popular nightlife area. Police arrived at the sight of Magnolia Avenue, where they discovered the bodies of two men and one woman. A fourth victim later surrendered to their injuries at a local hospital. Authorities are looking into whether the shooters approached the crowd on foot or from a vehicle. As of now, no…

Israel: Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has reported that more than 100 rockets were launched across the border overnight. Northern Israel woke up with Siren with 85 rockets fired later in the morning and unverified footage has shown a fire in a residential area near Haifa, intensifying concerns. In response to the attack, Israel’s air force has been conducting airstrikes in southern Lebanon. The IDF has verified the destruction of about 180 places and thousands of rocket launcher barrels targeting Hezbollah positions. This proceeding follows reports of Hezbollah preparing to fire toward Israeli territory. IDF spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari emphasised…

Sri Lanka: Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leftist leader of the National People’s Power (NPP), has moved forward in Sri Lanka’s presidential election, following a significant vote. This debut presidential race is surrounded by the country’s worst economic crisis in decades. The promise of good governance and the anti-corruption platform raised by the Dissanayake attracted the voters, who wished for strict moderation. The election occurred since mass protests ousted the former president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in 2022 in which a candidate must secure at least 51% to claim victory outright. The early results show Dissanayake leading with close to 50% of the…

United States: The United States Secret Service has admitted to significant failures in security during a July campaign rally where former President Donald Trump was shot at and injured. The shooting took place on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman opened fire from a rooftop, grazing Trump in the ear and injuring three others, one of whom died. The acting director, Ronald Rowe explained a five-page review identifying limitations in advanced security planning and coordination with local law enforcement. Rowe stated that, “While some members of the advance team were very careful, there was complacency on the part…

Lebanon: Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has condemned a cartoon presented by National Review, which describes a racist attack against Arab and Muslim communities. The cartoon depicted Tlaib holding an igniting pager, with resemblance to recent explosions of communication devices in Lebanon. The attacks, which happened earlier in the week, have been attributed to Israel and resulted in the passing away of at least 37 people, with nearly 3,000 others injured. Tlaib expressed her disgrace in a statement, warning that such depictions incite further hatred and violence against already vulnerable Arab and Muslim populations. Tlaib expressed that, “Our community is already…

Sri Lanka: Sri Lankans have headed to the polls in their debut presidential election since the 2022 mass protests that dropped the government in the wake of the nation’s worst-ever economic crisis. The vote is being considered a poll on the economic reforms introduced to drive Sri Lanka towards recovery, but the cost of living, inflation, and poverty remain significant issues for the voter. Financial distress has intensified due to tax lifts and cuts to subsidies and welfare. There were reforms focused on stabilising the economy, but many Sri Lankans are still struggling to meet needs. Soumya Bhowmick, an associate…

Beijing: The National Bureau of Statistics has reported that China has made remarkable advancements in energy development over the past 75 years. The achievements significantly accelerated its transition towards green, low-carbon energy and improve efficient energy utilisation. The report declared by China Central Television (CCTV) has highlighted that China’s total primary energy output reached 4.83 billion tonnes of standard coal, marking a 202.6-fold increase since 1949. The country has seen an average annual growth rate of 7.4 per cent in energy output over this period. Power production capacity has seen notable improvements, with electricity generation skyrocketing from 4.3 billion kWh…

Taipei: Taiwan has rejected the role of components used in explosive pagers in Lebanon. Taiwan’s Economy Minister Kuo Jyh-huei has disapproved that components used in thousands of pagers, which exploded in Lebanon earlier this week in a deadly attack linked to Hezbollah, were made in Taiwan. As per the report to the investigators, Kuo stated that, “I can say with certainty they were not manufactured in Taiwan.” The explosions resulted in the killing of 37 people and wounded around 3,000. The pagers, traced back to Budapest-based company BAC, were branded by Gold Apollo, a Taiwan-based electronics company. Gold Apollo has…

Washington: Donald Trump has blamed ‘Democrat Curse’ for struggles with Jewish voters at Israeli-American Council national summit held in Washington. Donald Trump raised frustration over ongoing struggles to win support from Jewish voters. Facing the crowd, Trump expressed that Democrats had placed a “curse” on Jewish voters, regretting that his efforts to strengthen ties with Israel had not converted into Jewish support at the ballot box. Trump noted that his Jewish voter backing increased gradually from 25% in 2016 to 29% in 2020, but argued that of his record, “I should be at 100%.” Trump clarified that he had been…

Hong Kong: Hong Kong’s Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) has investigated whether an engine fire on a Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 was caused by a fuel leak which in turn warned about the aircraft’s safety. The incident occurred shortly after takeoff from Hong Kong on a flight bound for Zurich, ensuring the airline to ground several planes for further inspection.The fire broke out in the Trent XWB-97 engine, manufactured by British engineering company Rolls-Royce. Investigators reported that the fire resulted from a damaged fuel hose which was found during the inspection of the engine. The aircraft, carrying 348 passengers and…