Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

A state of emergency has been declared in New York City and across New Jersey as a powerful storm system barrels through the US east coast, bringing torrential rainfall, dangerous flash flooding, and widespread disruption from New York to Washington DC. Forecasters had warned of the potential for extreme rainfall, with precipitation rates reaching up to 3 inches per hour in some areas. Isolated locations could see as much as 5 to 8 inches of rain, prompting fears of life-threatening flooding. In New York City, officials issued urgent warnings that floodwaters could inundate streets, submerge basements, and disrupt parts of…

Pop star Justin Timberlake has revealed he has been diagnosed with Lyme disease, shedding light on recent speculation surrounding his health and performances during his extensive world tour. In a candid Instagram post, Timberlake wrote: “I’ve been battling some health issues, and was diagnosed with Lyme disease, which I don’t say so you feel bad for me, but to shed some light on what I’ve been up against behind the scenes.” Lyme disease, a serious bacterial illness typically contracted via tick bites, has become increasingly prevalent across the United States in recent years, as rising temperatures allow tick populations to…

Canada will formally recognise a Palestinian state in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced, becoming the third G7 nation in recent days to signal a shift in stance amid mounting pressure and international outrage over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Carney said the recognition would depend on democratic reforms within the Palestinian Authority, including the holding of national elections next year without the involvement of Hamas. He stressed that Canada’s longstanding commitment to a two-state solution had become untenable in the face of increasing violence, political deadlock, and worsening conditions on the ground. “The level of human suffering in…

United States President Donald Trump’s approval rating has dropped to 40%, the lowest point of his second term,  as Americans voice increasing dissatisfaction with his handling of key issues such as immigration and the economy. The findings come from a three-day poll conducted by Reuters and Ipsos, which concluded on Monday. The survey included 1,023 adults nationwide and carries a margin of error of three percentage points. In mid-July, Trump’s approval rating stood at 41%, reflecting a modest but notable decline. The poll results underscore a starkly polarised nation: 83% of Republicans said they approved of the president’s performance, compared…

Donald Trump has claimed that Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender with whom he socialised for over a decade, “stole” Virginia Giuffre and other young female staff members from his Mar-a-Lago resort in the early 2000s. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, as he returned to Washington from Scotland, Trump was pressed to elaborate on remarks he made earlier in the week about falling out with Epstein. On Monday, the president stated that he had expelled Epstein from Mar-a-Lago “because he did something inappropriate,” specifically, that “he stole people that worked for me”. Senior White House…

The United States of America (USA) has been placed on a global civic space watchlist by a coalition of international civil society organisations, joining countries such as Turkey, Serbia, El Salvador, Indonesia, and Kenya as areas of urgent concern.

Tensions flared once again along the Thai-Cambodian border as Thailand accused Cambodia of launching an overnight assault in breach of a newly agreed ceasefire aimed at ending days of deadly cross-border fighting. According to Thailand’s foreign ministry, troops stationed in Sisaket province came under sustained fire from Cambodian forces on Tuesday night, with reports of small arms and grenade attacks continuing into Wednesday morning. “This represents a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” read a statement from the ministry. The accusations come just a day after the two neighbours formally agreed to a truce following five days of clashes that…

A group of prominent Israeli public figures, including artists, academics, and intellectuals, has issued an extraordinary plea for the international community to impose “crippling sanctions” on Israel, in response to what they describe as the state’s brutal campaign of starvation against Palestinians in Gaza. In a letter published by The Guardian, the 31 signatories, among them an Academy Award winner and a former attorney general, accuse Israel of deliberately starving the population of Gaza and contemplating the forced expulsion of millions. They call on the international community to act decisively to end what they describe as a humanitarian catastrophe. “The…

The US deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, has held a second in-person meeting with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, as calls mount for full transparency over the federal investigation into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Blanche met Maxwell behind closed doors on Thursday and again on Friday at the federal prosecutor’s office inside the courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, where Maxwell is currently serving a 20 year prison sentence for her role in Epstein’s abuse network. Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, confirmed that the questioning concluded on Friday afternoon. “We started this morning at 9 o’clock and wrapped just after lunch,…

Children under the age of 16 will be banned from having YouTube accounts from December, following a major policy reversal by the Albanese government. The Google-owned platform had previously been exempt from Australia’s national under-16s social media ban, but will now be included alongside other major services such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. The change will be formally announced on Wednesday by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Communications Minister Anika Wells. It follows advice from the eSafety commissioner, who warned that YouTube poses a significant risk to young users despite operating differently from traditional social media platforms. Minister Wells…