Author: Trainee Reporter

Washington: US President Donald Trump has announced a fresh wave of tariffs targeting multiple industries, including a 100 percent levy on branded or patented drug imports from October 1, unless manufacturers are building factories in the United States. The new measures also include a 25 percent import tax on heavy-duty trucks and 50 percent duties on kitchen and bathroom cabinets, along with a 30 percent tariff on upholstered furniture. Trump said the move was necessary to counter the flooding of US markets with foreign products and to protect domestic manufacturers. “Starting October 1st, 2025, we will be imposing a 100%…

Seoul: South Korea has legalised tattoo artistry by non-medical professionals for the first time in more than 30 years, marking a major shift for the country’s tattoo industry. Until now, offering tattoos was restricted to medical professionals following a 1992 Supreme Court ruling. Anyone practising without medical credentials faced up to five years in prison or fines of up to $35,000 (50 million Korean won; £28,000). The new Tattooist Act, passed by the General Assembly allows non-medical tattooists who make up the majority of the industry to obtain a licence and work legally. Lim Bo-ran, president of the Korea Tattoo…

Caracas: A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck northwest Venezuela, according to multiple geological research organisations, sending tremors across the South American nation, including the capital, Caracas. Tremors were reported in several Venezuelan states and across the border in neighbouring Colombia, prompting evacuations of residential and office buildings along the frontier. Authorities have not reported any casualties or significant damage so far. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake’s epicentre was located 24km (15 miles) from the town of Mene Grande in Zulia state, approximately 600km (370 miles) west of Caracas. The quake was recorded at a depth of 7.8km…

British Columbia: Canada’s Supreme Court has temporarily halted the planned execution of nearly 400 ostriches at a farm in British Columbia, following an appeal by the owners against a cull order issued after an avian flu outbreak. The court’s decision, issued by Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin, requires the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to maintain custody of the birds and provide veterinary care, while barring the farm owners from interfering until the appeal is considered. The CFIA must respond to the appeal by October 3. The case has drawn international attention, with US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy earlier urging the…

Texas: OpenAI, Oracle, and Japan’s SoftBank have planned to construct five new artificial intelligence (AI) data centres across the United States as part of their massive $500 billion Stargate initiative. Launched earlier this year under the leadership of US President Donald Trump alongside top tech executives, Stargate aims to build the AI infrastructure needed to power the next generation of computing. OpenAI revealed it will open three new sites with Oracle in Shackelford County, Texas, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, and another undisclosed location in the Midwest. Two additional facilities are planned for Lordstown, Ohio, and Milam County, Texas, in…

New York: United States President Donald Trump has declared that Ukraine has the potential to recover all territory lost since Russia’s 2022 invasion, in what is being seen as his strongest statement of support for Kyiv to date. The president made the remarks on Truth Social after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York, asserting that Moscow’s economy was facing severe strain. Trump stated that, “I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,” adding that the war had exposed Russia as…

Washington, D.C.: United States President Donald Trump has urged pregnant women to avoid taking Tylenol, the widely used painkiller known generically as paracetamol or acetaminophen, citing unproven links to autism. The comments, made during a White House news conference, prompted swift criticism from doctors and scientists. Trump remarked that, “Don’t take Tylenol. Don’t take it. Fight like hell not to take it. There may be a point where you have to, and that you’ll have to work out with yourself.” Trump also cast doubt on the medical consensus around childhood vaccinations, suggesting that measles, mumps, and rubella inoculations should be…

California: US chipmaking giant Nvidia has announced plans to invest up to $100 billion (£73 billion) in OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, in what both companies have described as a strategic partnership. The deal will see Nvidia supply advanced processors and build data centres to accelerate OpenAI’s push toward next-generation artificial intelligence infrastructure. The move marks one of the largest single commitments in the global AI race, where China continues to emerge as a rival force. Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company, said the funding would support OpenAI’s mission to build artificial general intelligence (AGI) that benefits all of humanity.…

Manila: Thousands of residents in the Philippines have been evacuated as the nation prepares for Super Typhoon Ragasa, described by regional authorities as potentially ‘catastrophic.’ Ragasa, packing wind gusts of up to 230 km/h (143 mph), is forecast to make landfall over the sparsely populated northern islands before moving westward toward southern China. The Philippine weather bureau has issued a warning of a ‘high risk of life-threatening storm surge,’ with peak heights expected to exceed 3 metres (10 feet). Authorities have closed schools and government offices in large parts of the country, including the capital Manila, and have warned of…

Canberra: Australian officials have warned that telecommunications giant Optus will face significant consequences following a nationwide outage that left millions without emergency access and has been linked to several deaths. The 13-hour disruption prevented hundreds of people across more than half of the country from calling triple-0. Optus, one of Australia’s two major telecom providers, has since confirmed that at least three people died during the outage, while police in Western Australia believe a fourth person also lost their life after failing to connect to emergency services. Optus chief executive Stephen Rue apologised to the families of the victims and…