Author: Trainee Reporter

Chinnatekuru, Andhra Pradesh: A passenger bus has caught fire after colliding with a motorcycle, killing at least 25 people and injuring several others, police confirmed. The tragic incident occurred on a highway near Kurnool district in southern India. According to senior police official Vikrant Patil, the fire spread within minutes, trapping dozens of passengers, many of whom were asleep at the time. While some managed to smash windows and escape with minor injuries, others were burned before help could arrive. Eighteen passengers who escaped the burning vehicle are receiving treatment for injuries. It remains unclear if there were additional survivors.…

United States: Alaska Airlines has temporarily grounded all flights across the United States, following a widespread IT outage that disrupted its operations. In a statement, the Seattle-based carrier said it was experiencing an IT outage affecting operations and had issued ‘a temporary ground stop.’ The airline did not specify how long the disruption would last or how many flights had been impacted, but added that teams were actively restoring our operations. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the outage also affected Horizon Air, a regional airline operated by Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airlines, part of The Alaska Air Group, operates…

United States: Tesla has reported record quarterly revenue of $28 billion for the three months ending September, up 12 percent compared with the same period last year, as US buyers rushed to claim federal tax credits on electric vehicles before the incentives expired. Despite the revenue boost, the company’s profits fell sharply by 37 percent, impacted by higher costs linked to tariffs and research and development, particularly in its artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics initiatives. Tesla’s finance chief, Vaibhav Taneja, told investors that tariffs imposed on car parts and raw materials by the US government alone cost the company more…

Wellington: Strong winds of up to 155 km/h (96 mph) have swept across New Zealand, leaving nearly 90,000 homes without power and forcing the cancellation of more than 100 flights, according to local media reports. The MetService has issued rare red wind warnings, the country’s highest alert level, for parts of Canterbury and Wellington, while heavy rain alerts are in place for sections of the South Island. Officials have urged residents to stay indoors, avoid travel, and prepare for possible power and communication outages. Coastal parts of Clutha and Southland, including Stewart Island, have just been upgraded to a Red…

Bentonville: Walmart has decided to pause hiring candidates requiring H-1B visas, with new fees imposed by the Trump administration. The move comes after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order introducing a $100,000 (£74,000) charge for H-1B applicants, citing misuse of the programme and concerns over its impact on American workers. The retail giant, the largest private employer in the US with roughly 1.6 million employees, has been a major beneficiary of the H-1B programme, with over 2,000 visas approved in the first half of 2025 alone. While H-1B visas are typically associated with the US tech sector, Walmart…

Kyiv: Ukraine has struck a key Russian chemical facility using UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, the country’s military confirmed. In a statement, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine described the attack as ‘a successful hit’ that breached Russian air defences, adding that a full assessment of the massive combined missile and air strike is still underway. According to Ukrainian officials, the target was the Bryansk Chemical Plant, a major component of Russia’s military-industrial network. The facility reportedly produces gunpowder, explosives, and rocket fuel used in Russian ammunition and missile systems. Ukrainian military stated that, “The Bryansk Chemical Plant…

United States: Amazon Web Services (AWS) has resolved a major outage that disrupted hundreds of websites and apps worldwide, highlighting the risks of over-reliance on a few dominant cloud providers. The disruption impacted more than 1,000 platforms, including social media services like Snapchat, popular apps such as Duolingo, online games including Fortnite, and major banks like Lloyds and Halifax. According to the platform outage monitor Downdetector, user reports of problems surged to over 11 million globally during the incident. Reports first began around 07:00 BST, and within a few hours, Downdetector recorded over four million problem reports from 500 different…

Washington DC: The United States and Australia have signed a landmark agreement to boost supplies of rare earths and other critical minerals, in a move aimed at reducing reliance on China and strengthening supply chain security for both nations. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the deal would help fast-track a pipeline of $8.5 billion (A$13 billion) in ‘ready-to-go’ projects to expand Australia’s mining and processing capacity. According to a framework text released by the White House, $1 billion will be jointly invested by the two countries over the next six months in projects located across the US and Australia.…

Washington: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived in Washington DC for a long-awaited meeting with US President Donald Trump, with discussions expected to focus on the Aukus security pact, defence cooperation, trade, tariffs, and a potential deal for Australia to supply critical minerals to the United States. Albanese landed in Maryland, where he was welcomed by Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, and other diplomatic officials. Stepping off the plane in heavy rain, Albanese described it as ‘wonderful to be here,’ before travelling by motorcade into the US capital. The Oval Office meeting is scheduled, followed by a…

Bolivia: Bolivians have elected Rodrigo Paz of the centre-right Christian Democratic Party (PDC) as their new president, marking the end of nearly 20 years of governance by the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party. With 97 percent of ballots counted, Paz secured 54.5 percent of the vote in run-off election, defeating former interim President Jorge ‘Tuto’ Quiroga, who garnered 45.4 percent, according to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE). Paz, 58, follows in the political footsteps of his father, former left-wing President Jaime Zamora. After studying economics in the United States, he returned to Bolivia and served as mayor of Tarija before…