Author: Trainee Reporter

Malaysia: More than a decade after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished in one of aviation’s greatest mysteries, a new search has been initiated, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced. Maritime exploration firm Ocean Infinity has continued its efforts to locate the missing aircraft, though specific contract details between the Malaysian government and the company are still being finalised. Loke welcomed Ocean Infinity’s proactive approach, stating that their ships had already been deployed for the search. However, he did not specify when the renewed hunt officially commenced or how long it is expected to last. MH370 disappeared from radar shortly after…

United Kingdom: Shares in electric vehicle giant Tesla has tumbled more than 9 percent after sales in the European Union and the UK plummeted by nearly 50 percent in January. The decline caused Tesla’s market valuation to fall below the $1 trillion mark for the first time since November 2024. Despite overall European electric car sales rising by more than a third in January, Tesla’s sales dropped sharply—falling over 45 percent across the EU, EFTA, and UK, and more than 50 percent in the EU alone, according to trade body Acea. This follows Tesla’s first annual sales decline in over…

United States: Starbucks is eliminating 1,100 corporate jobs and reducing its menu by nearly a third to boost its struggling US business. The changes, set to take effect on March 4, will see the removal of several drinks, including the Royal English Breakfast Latte, White Hot Chocolate, and select frappuccinos. The company said the menu cuts strive to reduce wait times, improve quality, and enhance efficiency. Starbucks stated that, “We’re simplifying our menu to focus on fewer, more popular items, executed with excellence.” The job cuts will primarily involve corporate “support partner” roles and will not impact store-level employees or…

Pennsylvania: Mars, known for its barren landscape and harsh radiation, may have once featured sandy shorelines, according to new research. Scientists examining subsurface imaging from China’s Zhurong rover have identified buried beaches, adding weight to the long-debated theory that the Red Planet once had vast oceans. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study underscores findings from the southern Utopia Planitia region, where paleoshorelines had previously been mapped using satellite data. Ground-penetrating radar detected sediment features sloping toward the northern lowlands, comparing Earth’s coastal formations. Dr. Benjamin Cardenas of Penn State University stated that, “The beach…

Los Angeles: Timothee Chalamet has delivered a major surprise at the 2025 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, taking home the award for Best Male Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. The win disrupted a season-long dominance by The Brutalist star Adrien Brody, who had previously claimed the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Critics’ Choice Awards. Chalamet stated that, “I was not expecting this at all, truly. I poured everything I had into playing this incomparable artist.” Demi Moore won Best Female Actor in a Leading Role for her performance in the body…

Washington, D.C.: US President Donald Trump has named conservative commentator and former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino as FBI Deputy Director. Announcing the appointment on social media, Trump depicted Bongino as “a man of incredible love and passion for our Country,” adding that he would serve under newly confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel. Bongino, 50, previously served in the NYPD and as a Secret Service agent, protecting Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. In recent years, he has gained importance as a right-wing media figure, hosting The Dan Bongino Show, a podcast known for its strong conservative stance. His…

Germany: Germans have headed to the polls in a highly anticipated election that will determine the country’s next leader, following an intense campaign dominated by economic concerns and national security issues. Conservative leader Friedrich Merz, 69, is the frontrunner to succeed Olaf Scholz as chancellor, with his Christian Democrats (CDU) positioned to win the most votes. However, he will likely need to form a coalition, potentially with Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), whose government collapsed late last year. Polling stations opened at 08:00 (07:00 GMT) and will close at 18:00, with preliminary results expected in the evening. While millions have already…

United States: Health officials in Texas and New Mexico are tracking escalating measles outbreaks, with nearly 100 reported cases across both states. The Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed 90 cases in the past month, predominantly in the South Plains region. Of these, 77 infections were recorded among children and teenagers under 17. In neighbouring New Mexico, at least nine cases have been identified in Lea County, which borders Texas. Officials fear the actual number of infections could be higher, as some cases may go unreported. Measles, one of the most infectious infectious diseases, can lead to severe complications,…

United States: The United States has deported more than 177 Venezuelan migrants from the Guantanamo Bay military base, transferring them to Venezuela via Honduras, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed. Venezuelan authorities took custody of the deportees at Soto Cano, a joint US-Honduras military airbase, before flying them to Caracas on a Conviasa flight. Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello was present at the airport to welcome the arrivals. President Nicolas Maduro described the handover as a “direct request” from his government, calling the action a “rescue” of Venezuelan nationals. A spokesperson from the US Department of Homeland Security stated…

New Zealand: An ancient, gummy-textured worm-like creature with a bizarre hunting strategy has been crowned New Zealand’s Bug of the Year. Peripatoides novaezealandiae, a member of the velvet worm family, secured the title with 2,652 votes in the country’s annual competition, narrowly beating an apple-green praying mantis. Despite their soft, unassuming appearance, velvet worms are skilled predators. Using specialised oral papillae, they eject jets of sticky fluid to ensnare their prey, before liquefying it into a digestible soup. These invertebrates, known as Ngāokeoke in Māori, have remained virtually unchanged for 500 million years, earning them the status of “living fossils.”…