Author: Trainee Reporter

Sidoarjo: Indonesia has halted its search for victims at a collapsed Islamic boarding school after recovering more than 60 bodies, officials said. The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) announced that teams were stepping down after more than a week of efforts to recover victims trapped beneath the rubble at the al-Khoziny school. The building partially caved in on September 29 while students were attending afternoon prayers. Basarnas head Mohammad Syafii remarked that, “Entering the 9th day, we have concluded the search and rescue operation for the victims.” Authorities said all debris had been cleared from the site, and no…

London: Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant BYD has announced that the UK has become its largest market outside China, following an 880 percent year-on-year surge in sales during September. The company sold 11,271 cars in the UK, with the plug-in hybrid version of its Seal U SUV accounting for the majority of the sales. BYD’s UK market share climbed to 3.6 percent, marking a major milestone for the brand’s expansion in Europe. UK’s EV market on the rise The surge in BYD’s sales aligns with data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which reported that UK EV…

Jaipur: Six critically ill patients were killed after a fire broke out at the intensive care unit (ICU) of Sawai Man Singh Hospital, one of Rajasthan’s largest state-run medical facilities. Eleven patients were in the ICU at the time of the incident. The fire, believed to have been triggered by a short circuit, started in the storage area of the trauma centre and quickly spread through the building. Fourteen patients from a nearby ICU were evacuated as thick smoke engulfed the room. Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly two hours, breaking windows to gain access before bringing it under control.…

Paris: France’s President Emmanuel Macron has announced a new government lineup in an attempt to steer the country out of a deepening political crisis, while opposition parties immediately warned that the administration could be short-lived if it failed to break with his past policies. The new cabinet, presented nearly a month after the appointment of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, aims to ensure cross-party backing in an increasingly fractured National Assembly. Lecornu – Macron’s seventh prime minister – named Roland Lescure, a longtime Macron ally and former Socialist, as finance minister in what observers viewed as a symbolic gesture toward the…

California: More than 800,000 ride-hailing drivers in California will soon be able to join a union and negotiate for higher wages and improved benefits under a new measure signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. Supporters say the legislation marks the largest development of private-sector collective bargaining rights in California’s history, ending years of conflict between labour unions and tech companies. California becomes the second state where Uber and Lyft drivers can unionise as independent contractors, following Massachusetts, where voters approved a similar measure in November. Drivers in Illinois and Minnesota are also pushing for comparable rights. Governor Newsom emphasised the state’s…

London: Electric vehicle (EV) sales in the UK have surged to a record high in September, with battery-powered and hybrid models making up more than half of all new car registrations, according to the latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Strong growth in EV registrations Sales of pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) jumped by nearly a third to 72,779 in September, while plug-in hybrid cars posted even faster growth. In total, new vehicle registrations reached 312,887, the strongest September since 2020. The SMMT said growth was fuelled by a combination of manufacturer discounts, wider model…

California: A fire has erupted at Chevron’s El Segundo refinery in California, authorities confirmed, though the flames were reportedly confined to a single area of the plant. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Firefighters were dispatched to the Los Angeles County facility following reports of an explosion. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office said it is coordinating with local and state agencies to ensure public safety. Police confirmed there were no immediate reports of injuries or evacuations. Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell stated that crews had contained the fire to one section of the refinery. In a…

Munich: Munich airport was forced to cancel more than a dozen flights and divert several others after unidentified drones were spotted in its airspace, leaving nearly 3,000 passengers stranded overnight. Authorities confirmed that at least 17 flights were grounded and a further 15 diverted to nearby airports including Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna, and Frankfurt. Flights departing from Munich were also temporarily suspended as air traffic control took emergency measures. Federal Police said drones were first detected at 21:30 local time (19:30 GMT) and again an hour later, though their origin, size, and type could not be immediately verified due to poor…

Miami: Bermuda has been lashed by Hurricane Imelda, a Category 2 storm that struck the British territory, bringing destructive winds, heavy rain, and coastal flooding. According to the US National Weather Service in Miami, Imelda made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 100mph (161km/h), its core passing directly over Bermuda before tracking east-northeast. The National Hurricane Centre warned of damaging waves and flash flooding that were expected to continue, though conditions were forecast to improve as the storm moved northeast of the island. Authorities in Bermuda took swift measures ahead of the hurricane, deploying 100 soldiers to secure critical infrastructure…

Kabul: Afghans have poured into the streets of Kabul to celebrate the restoration of internet and telecom services, after a 48-hour shutdown by the Taliban government drew widespread criticism at home and abroad. Local reporters confirmed that communications were gradually resuming, while the global internet monitoring service NetBlocks reported a ‘partial restoration’ of connectivity. Media sources conveyed that the order to restore services came directly from the Taliban prime minister. The internet blackout disrupted businesses, grounded flights, and restricted access to emergency services. It raised fears of further isolating Afghan women and girls, whose rights have been severely curtailed since…