Author: Trainee Reporter

Beijing: China has begun construction of the world’s largest hydroelectric dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River in southeastern Tibet. Chinese state media confirmed that Premier Li Qiang attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the project in the city of Nyingchi, near the Himalayan foothills. The mega-dam, estimated to cost 1.2 trillion yuan (approximately $167.1 billion), will include five interconnected hydropower stations and is expected to surpass the Three Gorges Dam in energy output once completed. The Yarlung Zangbo River, known as the Brahmaputra in India and the Jamuna in Bangladesh, originates in Tibet and flows through two other densely populated countries…

Deir al-Balah: Israeli forces have launched a combined ground and air assault on Deir al-Balah, triggering a fresh wave of displacement among civilians already uprooted by months of conflict. The assault came just hours after the Israeli military ordered evacuations from six residential blocks in the city’s southwest. The densely packed area, sheltering thousands displaced from Rafah and Khan Younis, was hit with intense artillery and airstrikes. The renewed assault forced thousands of residents to flee overnight toward al-Mawasi, a coastal zone near Khan Younis that remains one of the few areas not yet subject to major offensives. Just spoken…

Tokyo: Japan’s ruling coalition, led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, has lost its majority in the country’s upper house following tightly contested elections. The result is a powerful political setback, driven by public frustration over inflation, economic concerns, and rising nationalist sentiment. Despite the defeat, Ishiba told that, he would not resign, stating he solemnly accepts the harsh result but remains focused on ongoing trade negotiations, especially with the United States. The coalition—comprising the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner Komeito won just 47 seats, falling short of the 50 needed to maintain control of the 248-seat chamber.…

Caribbean: Trinidad and Tobago has declared its second state of emergency this year with heightened fears of coordinated action by organised crime gangs operating both inside and outside the nation’s prisons. Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro made the announcement, citing intelligence received a day earlier indicating that several gangs had united into a single crime syndicate with plans to carry out assassinations, robberies and kidnappings. Guevarro stated that, “There are persons who seem hellbent on facilitating the communication of these persons with the outside. So by removing them from this environment and placing them in one where they are much more…

Brasília: Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro has been ordered by the Supreme Court to wear an electronic ankle monitor and comply with a nighttime curfew, as part of a series of restrictions imposed with concerns he may attempt to flee the country while facing trial for alleged coup plotting. The right-wing leader, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022, is accused of conspiring to prevent the lawful inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in January 2023. Bolsonaro rejected all allegations and labelled the restrictions a supreme humiliation, insisting he never intended to leave Brazil. The sweeping court order,…

Pyongyang: North Korea has announced that its newly opened seaside resort, the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, will not be receiving foreign tourists, despite earlier promotion of the destination to international travellers. Opened on July 1, the resort was hailed as a flagship project of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s strategy to revive tourism. Stretching across 4km of beachfront in the city of Wonsan, the resort features hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, and a water park, with the capacity to host up to 20,000 people, according to state media. Although initially marketed to both domestic and foreign visitors, a recent…

Seoul: Four people have died and over 1,300 have been evacuated as record-breaking torrential rains continue to batter South Korea, prompting the government to administer its highest-level weather disaster alert. Among the deceased are two elderly men in their 80s, one of whom reportedly died while attempting to drain floodwaters from the basement of his home. Another man lost his life after a wall collapsed onto his car. He had phoned his wife, saying his vehicle was being swept away, according to local authorities. The fourth victim suffered a fatal cardiac arrest. In Gwangju, a city in the country’s south,…

Pakistan: At least 63 people have lost their lives and 290 others have been injured in Pakistan’s Punjab province within the last 24 hours, as relentless monsoon rains triggered widespread devastation across the region. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), most fatalities occurred due to building collapses, while others were caused by drowning and electrocution. The deluge began, submerging towns and overwhelming infrastructure. In Rawalpindi, adjacent to the capital Islamabad, authorities declared as a public holiday and urged residents near the rising Leh Nullah river to evacuate immediately. Emergency alerts were issued as swollen rivers and inundated streets…

London: Eight babies have been born in the UK using DNA from three people, in a groundbreaking medical advance aimed at preventing mitochondrial disease, a severe and often fatal inherited condition that affects energy production in the body. The procedure, developed over a decade ago by scientists at Newcastle University and the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is now yielding successful results, with children born free of the disease and meeting developmental milestones. Mitochondrial disease, passed down only through mothers, can result in heart failure, brain damage, seizures, muscle weakness, and death in infants. The three-person IVF method,…

Paris: France Prime Minister François Bayrou has proposed cutting two national public holidays, Easter Monday and May 8, as part of the 2026 budget. The proposal comes alongside sweeping austerity measures, including a freeze on public spending, cuts to civil service numbers, and scrapping tax breaks for the wealthy. Bayrou, who only took office in December, argued the nation was at risk of being crushed by debt, warning that France must slash more than €40 billion ($46.4 billion) to stay financially afloat. Bayrou cited the month of May, known for its scattered bank holidays, as a productivity vacuum, comparing it…