Author: Trainee Reporter

Cambridgeshire, England: A network of 16 modern slavery victims have been forced to work at a McDonald’s branch and a bakery supplying major UK supermarkets went undetected for years. The gang, convicted in two trials, forced vulnerable individuals from the Czech Republic into labour, with wages paid into accounts controlled by the traffickers. Despite working long hours, victims earned just a few pounds a day, while the gang used the stolen wages to fund a lavish lifestyle. Companies, including McDonald’s and supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s, failed to identify red flags like shared bank accounts, excessive working hours, and…

Austria: Austria is heading to the general election that could see the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) achieve a historic first-place victory. The FPO, led by Herbert Kickl, has steadily gained support and currently leads in the opinion polls, narrowly overtaking the ruling conservative Austrian People’s Party (OVP) led by Chancellor Karl Nehammer. The opposition Social Democrats hold third place. Kickl’s party, which is polling around 27%, has successfully tapped into voter concerns about migration, rising inflation, and dissatisfaction with how the government handled the Covid-19 pandemic. Herbert Kickl’s note has resonated with many Austrians, even though his controversial rhetoric and…

Arizona: U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris has visited the U.S.-Mexico border to counter Republican criticism of her handling of immigration. This points to her first trip to the border since 2021, as she prosecuted former President Donald Trump for focusing on “scapegoating instead of solutions” and “rhetoric instead of results.” Harris’s visit to Cochise County, a key place that has observed record-high border crossings, was set against a backdrop of criticism from Republican opponents. The Democratic nominee examined the border wall and spoke with local officials, delivering a message of toughness. In a campaign event in the border town of Douglas,…

Hobart, Australia: A controversial women-only exhibit at the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Tasmania will be reopened after a legal battle. The exhibit, known as the Ladies Lounge, was coordinated to keep out male visitors as part of a broader observation on historic misogyny and female exclusion. In this landmark decision, Tasmanian Supreme Court Justice Shane Marshall discovered that the exhibit, despite its exclusion of men, did not violate anti-discrimination laws. Instead, he ruled that it promoted “equal opportunity” for a marginalised group, namely women, in line with provisions in Tasmanian law that allow for such practices…

Washington DC: The world is looking upto the momentous Trump-Zelenskyy meeting which is arranged for 09:45 ET (14:45 BST) on 27th September at the Trump Tower. The meeting is in line with the Ukrainian President’s high-profile visit to Washington, D.C. Former President Donald Trump agreed with the meeting after Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris. White house discussion follows Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia and his “victory plan” aimed at pressuring Moscow into negotiating a diplomatic end to the war. During the White House meeting, Biden supported an additional $7.9 billion (£ 5.8 Billion) military…

New York: Mayor Eric Adams, who was elected nearly three years ago on a platform promising to reduce crime, has faced federal criminal charges. Adams, 64, stands at the centre of multiple federal corruption probes, with the details of formal charges. If the charges continue, Adams would become the first sitting mayor in New York City’s history to face criminal charges while in office. Adams promised to fight the charges and remain in the position, appealing for prayers and patience from New Yorkers. Adams claimed that, “I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit.”…

Moscow: President Vladimir Putin has declared that Russia may revise its nuclear doctrine, potentially broadening the conditions under which it would deploy its nuclear armoury. Putin implied that Moscow could consider an attack by a non-nuclear state, if backed by a nuclear-armed nation, as a joint attack, a veiled warning aimed at Ukraine and its Western allies. This development comes as Ukraine continues to seek permission to use long-range Western missiles to strike military targets within Russian territory. The Kremlin leader’s comments appear to escalate the ongoing fight, which has seen Ukraine make advances into Russian-held areas this year while…

New York: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared negotiations to make an end to the war, by focusing Ukraine-Russia peace, as addressed to the United Nations Security Council. Zelenskyy urged that Russia must be forced into peace following its numerous violations of international law. During meetings with officials from 14 member nations excluding Russia, Zelenskyy characterized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions as an international crime that would not stop without external pressure. Zelenskyy stated that, “This war can’t simply fade away. Russia can only be forced into peace.” This statement emphasises that Ukraine’s sovereignty could not be secured through mere…

United States: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a major antitrust lawsuit against Visa, accusing the financial giant of competition to maintain a monopoly in the debit card market. The government claimed that Visa used exclusive contracts and other restrictive practices to block rivals and drive up costs for American consumers and businesses. According to the DOJ, Visa punished companies that tried to use alternative payment networks and paid off potential competitors to maintain its dominance. These tactics, the DOJ alleges, have slowed innovation and contributed to $7 billion in annual fees that Visa collects from merchants and…

Beijing: People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has declared regulatory measures for stimulating lending and cutting borrowing costs in light of reignited growth in the world’s second-largest economy. The initiative progresses as China faces challenges, with recent data pointing to the possibility that the country could miss its 5% GDP growth target for the year. PBOC Governor Pan Gongsheng conveyed to cut the reserve requirement ratios (RRR) for banks, reducing the amount of cash banks are required to hold in reserve by half a percentage point. This adjustment is expected to free up around 1 trillion yuan (£106 billion) for new…