Author: Trainee Reporter

Puerto Rico: Nearly 90 percent of Puerto Rico’s 1.5 million electricity customers were left in darkness on New Year’s Eve following a nearly island-wide blackout, according to Luma Energy, the territory’s primary power distributor. Over 700,000 customers, including essential services such as Puerto Rico’s water and sewer company and 16 hospitals, had their power restored. However, frustration scaled as the outage reignited debates over the island’s chronic power issues that have persisted since Hurricane Maria in 2017. Luma spokesperson Hugo Sorrentini stated that, “A cascading failure arising from an electric line at the Costa Sur power plant was recognised as…

Tunisia: The Pentagon has announced the release of Ridah bin Saleh al-Yazidi, a Tunisian detainee held in Guantanamo Bay since the prison camp’s opening in 2002. Al-Yazidi, 59, was repatriated to Tunisia, marking the fourth such transfer by the Biden administration in two weeks. According to the Department of Defence, al-Yazidi was considered eligible for transfer following a “rigorous interagency review process.” Despite being cleared for release over a decade ago, an agreement with Tunisia was only recently finalised. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin informed Congress of the repatriation plan on January 31, 2024. Al-Yazidi, captured by Pakistani forces near…

China: The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on China to provide greater clearness and share data on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, marking five years since the virus first emerged in Wuhan. In a statement released, the organisation emphasised that understanding the virus’s origins is both a “moral and scientific imperative.” WHO stated that, “Without transparency, sharing, and co-operation among countries, the world cannot sufficiently prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.” While many scientists consider the virus jumped naturally from animals to humans, doubts persist regarding the possibility of a laboratory leak in Wuhan. China has…

South Korea: South Korean authorities have requested an arrest warrant for suspended President Yoon Suk-yeol, charging him with insurrection and abuse of power after his brief imposition of martial law earlier this month. If approved, it would mark an exceptional moment in the nation’s history. The Joint Investigation Headquarters, a coalition of officials from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), the police, and the Ministry of Defence, announced the move. The team stated that Yoon had skipped three summonses to appear for questioning, prompting the request for his detention. A court will now decide whether to allocate the…

United States: Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, passed away at the age of 100. Jimmy Carter entered hospice care in February 2023 after years of declining health. Diagnosed with cancer in 2015, he became the longest-lived U.S. president, achieving a milestone century in October 2024. Carter’s post-presidential humanitarian work, including disease eradication and election monitoring, gained him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. His presidency, marked by a groundbreaking Middle East peace accord, was hindered by domestic economic challenges and the Iranian hostage crisis. Born in rural Georgia during the Great Depression, Carter’s upbringing on a…

United States: Donald Trump has expressed his full support for the H-1B visa programme for foreign tech workers, backing comments made by billionaire tech CEO Elon Musk. Musk, who has become an influential figure in the Trump administration’s transition, took to social media to defend the programme, vowing to “go to war” to protect it from growing opposition among hard-right activists. Trump, who limited the use of the visa during his first term, switched his stance in an interview. Trump called the H-1B visa programme “great,” stating that, “I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer…

UK: The UK’s major airports have been hit by severe delays and cancellations for the second consecutive day due to persistent heavy fog. Gatwick and Stansted were among the worst affected, with disruptions expected. Heathrow, Birmingham, and Manchester also reported significant delays, causing widespread inconvenience for travellers. Passengers have been urged to check their flight status before travelling, as visibility issues persist to cause problems. The UK’s air traffic control provider, Nats, stated that temporary air restrictions stay in place for areas with low visibility, with the situation being closely monitored. At Gatwick’s South Terminal, frustrated passengers were seen sitting…

United States: The United States has observed “early indications” that Russia may have played a role in the Azerbaijan Airlines crash on December 25, which resulted in the deaths of 38 people, according to White House spokesman John Kirby. While Kirby did not deliver specific details, he confirmed that the US has offered aid in the ongoing investigation. Aviation experts and eyewitnesses have raised distrust that Russian air defence systems may have targeted the Embraer 190 aircraft as it attempted to land in Chechnya, forcing it to divert across the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan, where it ultimately crashed. The Kremlin…

United States: US President-elect Donald Trump has requested that the US Supreme Court delay a proposed TikTok ban, as he works toward a “political resolution” after taking office. In a legal brief filed, Trump’s lawyer argued that the former president resists the ban and should be allowed to resolve the matter through political means rather than legal battles. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on January 10 regarding a US law requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app to an American company or face a ban by January 19, one day before Trump’s inauguration. The…

Panama: Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino has dismissed recent accusations by US president-elect Donald Trump, who claimed that Chinese soldiers are stationed at the Panama Canal. Trump’s comments, made via his Truth Social account, indicated that China is “illegally” operating the canal, a claim Mulino called “nonsense” and unequivocally denied. In response to Trump’s claims, Mulino stated that, “There is not a single Chinese soldier in the canal,” emphasising that there is “absolutely no Chinese interference.” Mulino also rejected Trump’s demand for lower tolls for US ships, strengthening that the canal is entirely under Panamanian control and that there would…