Author: Amanda Martinez

Hamas announced the names of three hostages set for release Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners amid rising ceasefire tensions. The hostages include Russian-Israeli Alexander Troufanov, Argentine-Israeli Yair Horn, and US-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen. Israeli leaders warned that airstrikes would resume if Hamas failed to free them as planned. Israel’s warning followed Hamas’ claim that it had postponed the release over alleged ceasefire violations. President Trump insisted Israel should abandon the ceasefire if Hamas failed to release all hostages in Gaza by midday Saturday. The fragile truce, which began on January 19, has already seen 16 Israeli and five Thai nationals…

A car rammed into a protest in Munich on Thursday, injuring at least 36 people just days before national elections in Germany. Authorities arrested a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker at the scene, suspecting possible extremist motives. Police spokesperson Guido Limmer stated that officers found evidence suggesting an Islamist orientation after seizing his phone. Munich police vice-president Christan Huber confirmed that two victims suffered grave injuries, including a child, while eight sustained severe wounds. The number of casualties may rise as more reports surface. The attack occurred near the city’s central train station, prompting a more extensive security operation due to…

TikTok returned to the US’s Apple and Google app stores after Trump extended the TikTok ban deadline to April 5. The app briefly disappeared last month as officials prepared to enforce a law requiring its sale or ban. Trump signed an executive order giving TikTok 75 more days to comply, preventing an immediate shutdown. Apple and Google reinstated TikTok after receiving assurances from the administration that enforcement would not begin yet.  The app used by 170 million Americans has remained at the centre of a political battle over data privacy and national security. The US Congress passed the ban with…

Japanese carmakers Honda and Nissan’s merger talks collapsed after they failed to agree on a leadership structure for their planned $60 billion tie-up. Honda, Nisan, and junior partner Mitsubishi aimed to merge and compete with global rivals, especially in China. The deal would have formed the world’s fourth-largest fourth-largest automaker, trailing Toyota, Volkswagen, and Hyundai. However, disagreements over Nissan’s role in the merger halted progress, with Honda insisting on its leadership. Nissan has faced turmoil since former chief Carlos Ghosn’s arrest in 2018 over allegations of financial misconduct, which he denies. His controversial escape to Lebanon in 2019 deepened the…

Elon Musk defended his role in reducing government jobs as President Donald Trump granted him more power to streamline federal spending. Speaking from the White House, Musk dismissed claims of a hostile takeover, calling job reductions necessary to control the government’s budget. Trump signed an order expanding Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and requiring federal agencies to follow its cost-cutting directives. Critics say DOGE lacks transparency, and legal challenges have slowed its efforts. Despite pushback over Elon Musk’s federal workforce cuts, he called it common sense.  “That’s what democracy is all about,” stated Musk. He argued that federal employees…

Coca-Cola might shift towards using more plastic bottles in the US as President Donald Trump’s tariffs on aluminum increased can costs. The beverage giant’s CEO, James Quincey, addressed investors, explaining the company would adjust packaging strategies based on affordability concerns. Trump imposed a 25% import tax on all aluminum and steel entering the US, making cans more expensive for the beverage industry. The United States Geological Survey reports that the US imports nearly half of its aluminum, so tariffs could significantly raise production costs. In 2018, some can makers received exemptions from Trump’s earlier tariffs on steel, but this time,…

Google Maps has updated its app to display the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America for users in the United States. This change follows President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the body of water in US government documents. According to Google, the change is part of their longstanding practice of following name changes updated by official government sources. However, the name change will not apply to users in Mexico, who will continue to see the traditional name, Gulf of Mexico. Users elsewhere in the world will see a dual designation: “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)”. This…

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged a strong response to Trump’s Canada steel tariffs, calling them an unjustified attack on trade. President Donald Trump announced a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminum products entering the US from March 12. Both countries now have a month to negotiate before the tariffs take effect. Canada remains the largest steel and aluminum exporter to the US, sending six million tonnes of steel and three million tonnes of aluminum annually. Industry leaders and politicians across Canada condemned the move, warning of economic damage on both sides of the border. François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s…

Authorities in South Korea are investigating the Daejeon elementary school stabbing, where a teacher fatally attacked an eight-year-old girl on Monday evening. The female teacher in her 40s confessed to the crime, prompting national outrage and demands for stricter safety measures.  Police found the young student with stab wounds on the second floor of the school. Emergency responders rushed her to a hospital, but doctors pronounced her dead upon arrival. Officers also discovered the teacher nearby, including a wound on her neck that required stitches. Acting president Choi Sang-mok revealed that the teacher had requested a six-month leave in December…

Researchers have discovered Earth’s inner core deformation. The core has changed shape over the past 20 years, altering previous scientific assumptions about its structure. Often imagined as a perfect sphere, the inner core appears to have deformed by more than 100 meters in some areas. Professor John Vidale from the University of Southern California led the study published in Nature Geoscience. Earth’s core is the planet’s engine, generating a magnetic field shielding life from harmful solar radiation. The inner core rotates independently of the outer core, and the rest of Earth keeps the planet habitable. Without this movement, Earth would…

US President Donald Trump reaffirmed his Gaza resettlement plan, stating that the two million Palestinians relocated to neighboring countries would lose their right to return. Trump emphasized that displaced Palestinians would receive much better housing under his proposed initiative to rebuild Gaza. Trump’s comments followed his controversial declaration that he was committed to buying and owning Gaza, which has drawn strong international criticism. Palestinian leaders from both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas rejected the proposal, stating that Palestinian land is not for sale. The United Nations issued a warning declaring that forcibly displaced civilians from occupied territories violates international law…

A federal judge stopped Musk’s doge financial records case from moving forward. The judge blocked Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) from accessing personal financial data. Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued a preliminary injunction on Saturday, ordering Musk and his team to destroy any records they had obtained.  Nineteen state attorneys general sued the Trump administration after officials granted Doge access to Treasury Department records. They contended that Doge was an unauthorized organization and Musk, a “special government employee,” lacked the legal capacity to handle private information. The complaint named the Treasury Department, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and President…