USA - In the first quarter of 2024, the two biggest manufacturers of electronic vehicles, Tesla and its Chinese rival BYD reports dramatic sales drops compared against the same time last year. Elon Musk's announcement that Tesla will lay off ten percent of its workforce shocked many but it may be inline with figures that suggest the global demand for electronic vehicles is slumping across the world. BYD cut prices on its vehicles across China accompanied with a catchy slogan: 'Electricity is cheaper than oil,' in order to help stem the tide.

JAPAN - The tremor occurred off the southwestern coast of the island Wednesday night. A 6.3-magnitude earthquake has rocked the island of Shokoku in Japan. The quake occurred off the southwestern coast of the island, according to the US Geological Survey. It happened at around 11:14 pm local time. No tsunami warnings have been issued so far, and US authorities find that there is little to no chance of landslides or liquefaction, which happens when the ground loses its strength, placing buildings at risk of collapse.

AUSTRALIA - The powerful earthquake hit South Australia on Wednesday, with one local reporting the shock was felt "far and wide". A powerful earthquake has hit Australia, with shockwaves being reportedly felt several kilometres away from the epicentre. The earthquake hit Jamestown, around 200km north of Adelaide. One local wrote on social media: "Sounded like a train going down Sixth Street, no wonder my poor old house is cracking up!"

INDONESIA - Authorities in Indonesia have issued a tsunami alert after a volcano erupted five times in the province of North Sulawesi, spewing a column of smoke more than a mile into the sky and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people from their homes. Mount Ruang, a stratovolcano, first erupted at 9.45pm local time on Tuesday and then four times on Wednesday, Indonesia’s volcanology agency said. Officials worry that part of the volcano could collapse into the sea and cause a tsunami, as happened in 1871. Tagulandang island to the volcano’s north-east is again at risk. The alert level for the volcano, which has a peak of 725 metres above sea level, was raised on Wednesday evening from three to four, the highest level in the four-tiered system.

USA - Someone is making ridiculous, absurd, insane decisions. Someone wants America destroyed. Someone wants America weak and impotent. Someone wants to turn Americans into serfs and slaves, dependent on government to survive. Someone wants America part of a One World government with all other poor and powerless nations of the world.

UK - The number of people on long-term sick leave has soared to a new high in a worrying sign about the state of Britain's workforce. Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed 2.829 million people were described as long-term sick between last December and February – up by 16,000. In all, long-term sickness accounted for 30.1 per cent of 16 to 64-year-olds considered to be economically inactive. Economists warned that long-term sickness, particularly among younger workers, risked 'scarring careers'. Charlie McCurdy, economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: 'Britain is in the midst of the longest sustained rise in economic inactivity due to ill-health since the 1990s. This rise has affected all age groups – but especially young people and older generations. The rise among the young – driven primarily by poor mental health – is worrying, as long periods out of work can permanently scar their careers.'

UK - Sitting on a bench with a can of beer in hand, 38-year-old James explains that he has not had a job for eight years and is content to live on welfare. 'At the end of the day, working — it's not worth it for me,' he says. 'I get my housing costs paid for and I get £1,300 a month. To be honest, I'm better off not working.' It appears that the younger generation are more likely to be afflicted by negativity about their mental health. Strikingly, the think tank found that some 12 per cent of people in their 20s and early 30s say they are 'disabled' because of their mental health — more than in any other age group. In place of ambition and personal responsibility, there is now a mood of entitlement, fatalism, lethargy and fragility, epitomised by demands for more generous benefits and attacks on politicians who attempt to address the issue.

MIDDLE EAST - A member of the Saudi Arabian royal family had reportedly told the broadcaster Kan that, in his view, Iran had started the Gaza war by instructing its proxy group Hamas to massacre Israelis on October 7. Tehran's intention, according to this nameless royal, was to thwart the imminent normalisation of diplomatic relations between Israel and the Saudis. Why is that so important? Because it symbolises the extraordinary transformation under way in the politics of the Middle East. For a Saudi royal to express such a view – that a Muslim country instigated the conflict for the purpose of spreading discord – would have been unimaginable only a few years ago.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - The typically scorching UAE heavily relies on cloud-seeding - a technique which sees aircraft fire salt flares into clouds to speed up condensation and induce rainfall - to provide its groundwater. Flight-tracking data analysed by the Associated Press showed one aircraft affiliated with the UAE's cloud-seeding efforts flew around the country on Sunday. Meanwhile, Ahmed Habib, a meteorologist at the National Centre for Meteorology (NCM), told Bloomberg several cloud-seeding sorties were flown in the days before the unprecedented rainfall hit. The rains began late on Monday, soaking the sands and roadways of Dubai with some 0.79 inches of rain, according to meteorological data collected at Dubai International Airport. The storms intensified at around 9am local time on Tuesday and continued throughout the day, dumping more rain and hail onto the overwhelmed city. By the end of Tuesday, more than 5.59 inches of rainfall had soaked Dubai over 24 hours. An average year sees 3.73 inches of rain at Dubai International Airport.

UK - Going vegan won't improve your health, an experiment suggests. Researchers have discovered plant-based meat products offer no 'clear benefit' for heart health. People who ate fake sausages, burgers and mince also seemingly had worse blood pressure than their meat-consuming counterparts. Experts today labelled the 'health halo' surrounding plant-based meats unjustifiable and urged the food industry to 're-evaluate the development of the next generation of meat alternatives'. Study co-author, Dr Sumanto Haldar, a lecturer in nutrition science at Bournemouth University said: 'At present, producing these plant based meat alternatives often involves a substantial amount of processing.' People who ate fake sausages, burgers and mince also seemingly had worse blood pressure than their meat-consuming counterparts. Experts today labelled the 'health halo' surrounding plant-based meats unjustifiable and urged the food industry to 're-evaluate the development of the next generation of meat alternatives'