Author: Trainee Reporter

Ottawa: Air Canada will start suspending flights after the union representing its flight attendants issued a 72-hour strike notice, raising the prospect of major travel disruptions during the peak summer season. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 10,000 flight attendants, delivered the notice after months of stalled contract negotiations. The union says the airline has failed to address core issues, including fair wages and unpaid work for hours spent boarding and waiting at airports. In response, Air Canada issued its 72-hour lockout notice and rejected a union counterproposal it described as seeking ‘exorbitant increases.’ The airline says…

Washington, D.C.: The Trump administration has released a significantly altered version of the US State Department’s annual global human rights report, drawing sharp criticism from rights advocates and former officials. Once considered the most comprehensive government-led assessment of human rights abuses worldwide, the 2025 edition has been heavily reduced in scope, with entire sections on government corruption, persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals, and gender-based crimes removed. Officials said the changes were intended to remove redundancies and increase readability, but critics argue the edits represent a deliberate softening of language toward key allies and a narrowing of focus on certain issues. The…

United States: Artificial intelligence start-up Perplexity has made an unexpected $34.5 billion (£25.6 billion) takeover offer for Google’s Chrome browser, in a move it claims would benefit the public by shifting the platform to an independent operator focused on user safety. In a letter to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Perplexity said it would preserve Chrome’s default search setting for Google while allowing users to adjust preferences, and would continue support for Chromium, the open-source platform that powers Chrome and other browsers like Microsoft Edge and Opera. The proposal comes despite no indication that Google plans to sell Chrome, which boasts…

Pennsylvania: A second person has been confirmed dead following a powerful explosion at the US Steel Clairton Coke Works near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The body was found during an extensive search operation that continued into the evening at the facility, located about 15 miles (24 km) south of Pittsburgh. Police reported one fatality and at least 10 injuries in the blast, which destroyed part of the plant. Five of the injured remain in critical but stable condition, while the others have been discharged from the hospital. Authorities guaranteed that no other workers were missing. The first victim has been identified by…

Perth: Western Australia’s world-famous coral reefs have experienced their most severe bleaching event on record following the state’s ‘longest, largest and most intense’ marine heatwave, scientists have confirmed. Between August 2024 and May 2025, prolonged above-average sea temperatures caused unprecedented heat stress, causing coral to expel the algae that provide them with life and colour, a process known as bleaching, which is often fatal. The impact spans 1,500 km of coastline, affecting areas that had previously escaped the worst effects of climate change. The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) said many reefs endured between 15 and 30 weeks of…

Canberra: Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session in September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced. This move follows similar recent recognitions by the UK, France, and Canada. Albanese stated that Australia’s decision comes after receiving key commitments from the Palestinian Authority (PA), including pledges to demilitarise, hold general elections, and continue recognising Israel’s right to exist. Albanese stated that, “A two-state solution is humanity’s best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza.” The announcement arrives with…

China: Chip giants Nvidia and AMD have agreed to pay the US government 15 percent of their semiconductor revenues from sales in China. This deal is part of a broader agreement to secure export licences to the world’s second-largest economy with ongoing US-China tech tensions. Nvidia will pay 15 percent of its revenues from its H20 chip sales in China, while AMD will contribute the same percentage from its MI308 chip revenues, according to a report by the Financial Times. These chips are key components in artificial intelligence applications. Nvidia stated that, “We follow rules the US government sets for…

Alaska: European allies have reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine, warning that any peace deal with Russia must directly involve Kyiv. The united stance comes just days before US President Donald Trump is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. In a joint statement, leaders from the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland, and the European Commission stressed that ‘international borders must not be changed by force’ and vowed to continue providing Ukraine with diplomatic, military, and financial aid. The declaration tracks reports that the White House is exploring a potential agreement that would allow Russia to retain…

California: Four astronauts have returned safely to Earth after a five-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), carried out to relieve stranded Boeing Starliner test pilots. The crew, NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russia’s Kirill Peskov have splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the Southern California coast, just a day after departing the orbiting laboratory. Their SpaceX Dragon capsule marked the company’s third crewed Pacific splashdown, and the first NASA crew to land in the Pacific in 50 years. The last such return took place during the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission, a landmark Cold…

London: A luxury apartment development in east London has barred food delivery riders from Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats from entering its premises, citing media reports alleging some couriers were undocumented workers. The move by Parkgate Aspen, which manages the Canary Riverside complex in Canary Wharf, comes with heightened tensions over nearby protests linked to asylum seekers housed at the Britannia International hotel. In a security notice to residents, management said the ban was prompted by concerns about the appropriation of the hotel for migrant accommodation and resultant unrest. While Parkgate Aspen claimed the policy had been in discussion…