Author: OMN AI

Trump hails action as warning to drug traffickers President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that US forces had launched a lethal strike against a boat allegedly tied to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua cartel, killing 11 people in the southern Caribbean. The incident took place in international waters, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio confirmed the vessel had sailed from Venezuela, describing the action as part of a broader campaign against cartel operations in the region. Trump outlines mission On Truth Social, Trump said: “This morning, under my direction, US forces carried out a kinetic operation targeting identified Tren de…

New Zealand is racing to protect its critically endangered birds, including the flightless kākāpō, from the deadly H5 avian influenza before spring migration brings infected birds to its shores. With fewer than 250 kākāpō remaining, even a single outbreak could be catastrophic. In a world-first trial, the Department of Conservation vaccinated up to 10 birds from five endangered species, including kākāpō, takahē, kakī, tūturuatu, and kākāriki. Using a licensed poultry vaccine, four species developed strong antibodies lasting six months, offering hope for protecting key breeding populations in captivity and managed island populations. New Zealand’s program comes amid global efforts to…

Gold has surged to its highest level ever as global uncertainty drives demand for security. On Tuesday morning, the spot price reached $3,508.50 per ounce. The rally has lifted the metal by nearly a third since the start of the year. Trade tensions fuel rally Gold usually gains when markets face instability. Earlier this year, prices spiked after President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs. The measures disrupted global trade and encouraged investors to seek safer assets. Analysts also expect the US central bank to cut interest rates, boosting gold’s appeal further. Adrian Ash, research director at BullionVault, said Trump’s policies…

Rescue efforts slowed by landslides and damaged roads A powerful magnitude-6 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday, killing over 800 people and injuring around 2,500, Taliban officials reported. Relief teams are struggling to reach remote mountain villages as landslides and collapsed roads block access. The quake’s epicenter was near the Pakistan border, with Kunar province sustaining the worst damage. Its shallow depth increased the intensity of destruction, while aftershocks continued into Monday, shaking areas as far away as Kabul, more than 100 miles from the epicenter. Hospitals overwhelmed by casualties Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the death toll is expected…

A simple cheek-swab test may allow doctors to identify children at risk of a potentially fatal heart condition up to five years before conventional diagnosis, new research suggests. The condition, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), is often genetic and is responsible for over 10% of sudden cardiac deaths in children. ACM occurs when abnormalities in the proteins between heart cells disrupt the heart’s structure and electrical activity, sometimes striking without warning. Researchers found that these protein changes can also be detected in the lining of the cheeks, leading to the development of a two-minute swab test. The findings were presented at the…

Shares of Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD fell by as much as 8% on Monday. The decline followed weaker profits, pressured by fierce competition and aggressive discounting in the market. Quarterly earnings take a hit On Friday, BYD reported net profit of 6.4bn yuan ($900m; £660m) for April to June. That represented a 30% drop compared with the same period last year. The company said escalating price competition among EV brands had weighed heavily on results. Rivals push prices lower The Shenzhen-based automaker faces rising pressure from Nio, XPeng, and Tesla. All have slashed prices to attract buyers. BYD shares…

Court intervenes following urgent legal motion A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Sunday issued an emergency order preventing the Trump administration from deporting a group of Guatemalan minors. The injunction was prompted by last-minute filings from attorneys who contended that the planned removals were unlawful. Ten minors involved, protections extend to all in custody The case centers on 10 unaccompanied children between the ages of 10 and 17, who lawyers said were hours from being flown to Guatemala late Saturday. Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan blocked the deportations for 14 days and directed that the children remain under the care…

Oscar Piastri delivered a commanding pole-to-flag victory at the Dutch Grand Prix, widening his lead in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship, while teammate Lando Norris suffered heartbreak with a late retirement. From the first corner, the 24-year-old Australian led confidently, weathering light rain and three safety-car restarts to secure a flawless win. The result gives Piastri a 34-point advantage over Norris, a significant swing in the tightly contested title race with just nine rounds remaining. For Norris, the day ended in cruel fashion. Running second, the British driver’s cockpit filled with smoke due to an oil leak with only seven…

Beer drinking in Germany is falling, while alcohol-free varieties are gaining popularity. The federal statistics office reports that sales of alcohol-free beer have grown by 109 percent since 2013. Meanwhile, overall beer sales are at their lowest level in more than 30 years. For the first time, total sales dropped below four billion liters in a six-month period. Between January and June 2025, German breweries sold around 3.9 billion liters. That represents a decline of 6.3 percent, or 262 million liters, compared with the same period in 2024. breweries respond to changing tastes The Erdinger brewery near Munich has produced…

A new study in the United States has found that children aged four and five diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are often prescribed medication far sooner than guidelines recommend. Official guidance advises that young children should first undergo six months of behavioural therapy before starting drugs such as Ritalin or Concerta. The analysis, published in JAMA Network Open, included more than 9,700 children and revealed that 42.2% were prescribed medication within one month of diagnosis, while only 14.1% received it after six months or more. Dr Yair Bannett, the lead author and assistant professor of paediatrics at Stanford University, described…