Author: Trainee Reporter

New York: The National Rifle Association (NRA) and its top officials have been ordered by a jury to pay $6.35 million (£5 million) after being found guilty in a civil corruption trial. The New York jury found that retired NRA Chief Wayne LaPierre cost the gun rights group millions of dollars through extravagant spending on himself. The NRA and LaPierre were accused by New York Attorney General Letitia James of violating state law. Just before the trial began, Wayne LaPierre resigned from his position. According to the jury, it cost Mr. LaPierre’s group $5.4 million, more than $1 million of which…

United Kingdom: The Defence Ministry of the UK has announced aid of a £245 million munitions package for Ukraine. The UK government will spend a billion pounds over next year to stock up and boost supply chains to produce urgently needed artillery ammunition to boost Ukraine’s stockpiles. The announcement comes just two years after Putin invaded Ukraine illegally. The UK has been providing international support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) for 10 years since Russia first invaded Crimea in 2014. They have trained 60,000 recruits since 2015 and have provided nearly £12 billion in financial, humanitarian, and military aid…

Dubai: Gulfood 2024, the world’s largest annual food and beverage event, has concluded its five-day run successfully at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). The five-day event featured a star-studded line-up of internationally famous chefs who shared their expertise in over 90 masterclasses. They showcased traditional cooking methods, elevated authentic ingredients, and revealed the stories behind the world’s best-loved dishes. In Chef Talks, established and emerging chefs shared tips and insights on popular dishes of the year that will shape the cooking industry’s future. Top-listed participants in the event include Chef Alain Passard of L’Arpege, Chef Enrico Cerea of da…

United States: Chuck Schumer, US Senate Majority Leader along with four other Democratic senators toured Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy assuring the America’s support to Ukraine. The visit coincides with a dispute in Washington over military aid to the war-torn nation. Zelenskyy warned the US and other allies that his army was running out of weapons. He also said that Russia would try to gain the upper hand if they didn’t get immediate help. Last week Ukrainian troops retreated from the city of Avdiivka, a key frontline battleground. US aid to Ukraine has been suspended by Congress since…

New York: Vice Media, which has traditionally catered to younger audiences, has announced that it will cease operations on its flagship website and lay off hundreds of employees. This latest announcement dealt another blow to the struggling media industry. Vice was bought by New York-based Fortress Investment Group for $350 million. The media outlet filed for bankruptcy in May before the sale. News outlet Vice has failed to turn its future around, despite a series of cost-cutting measures, including job cuts and the cancellation of its Vice News Tonight show, mirroring the broader struggles of the industry in the digital age.…

London: Scottish scientists have recently publicised the discovery of a 240-million-year-old “Chinese dragon” fossil, which they describe as being “very strange.” An international team from the National Museum of Scotland has discovered Dinocephalosaurus orientalis, a 5-meter-long aquatic reptile from China’s Triassic Period, 240 million years ago, in Guizhou Province. The scientists said that, “With 32 separate neck vertebrae Dinocephalosaurus orientalis had an extraordinarily long neck that draws comparison with that of Tanystropheus hydroides, another strange marine reptile from the Middle Triassic of both Europe and China.” “Both reptiles were of similar size and have several features of the skull in common,…

United States: Two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, the US government will impose more than 500 sanctions against Russia, its suppliers and its war machine, a Treasury Department representative reported. According to officials, the sanctions will contain additional efforts planned to punish the Kremlin for its role in the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. In San Francisco, President Joe Biden met with Navalny’s widow and daughter and previewed the move, saying sanctions would be brought against Putin. A high-level State Department official has described the coming sanctions as “crushing.” Speaking at an event in Washington, Under Secretary for Political Affairs,…

United States: Intuitive Machines, a Houston-based space company, has made history by moon landing with its Odysseus robot. Odysseus landed near the lunar south pole. At first, it took a few minutes for controllers to confirm that the aircraft had landed, but they finally received a signal. Flight director, Tim Crain announced that, “What we can confirm, without a doubt, is our equipment is on the surface of the Moon and we are transmitting.” The whole team at the company cheered and clapped upon hearing the news. It was a pivotal moment for the US space program, with significant implications for commercial…

Portugal: Bobi, the world’s oldest dog, has had his crown stripped due to a controversy surrounding his true age. Guinness World Records (GWR) officials removed the once record-breaking dog from his position after determining there was no proof he was as old as his owners claimed. GWR noted in their statement that, “It had concluded it no longer has the evidence it needs to support Bobi’s claim as the record holder.” When Bobi died in October, eight months after GWR named him the world’s oldest living dog and the oldest canine in history, he was 31 years and five months…

United Kingdom: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has launched a public consultation on key principles underpinning its business authorization scheme. The changes under consideration represent a significant change in the way SIA approves businesses under the scheme. A primary goal of the new scheme is to ensure public protection through the redefining of standards for security businesses. The SIA approves approximately 750 security businesses in the UK. Out of these, the 85 largest businesses by turnover make up around 40 percent of the private security market in the UK and employ about 30 percent of all SIA licence holders. The Business…