Author: Amanda Martinez

Paris’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral reopens on December 7, five years after the devastating fire destroyed its spire and roof. French President Emmanuel Macron led a televised tour on Friday, showcasing the remarkable restoration of the Gothic masterpiece.  Macron revealed the Cathedral’s stunning renovated interior, which now shines with restored murals and gleaming white walls. Macron’s wife, Brigitte, and the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, accompanied him during the tour.  The medieval church is updated with a golden cross and a modern altar and restored to its original form, the spire towers above Paris once more as a representation of…

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating Uber Technologies Inc. for alleged consumer rights violations connected to its Uber One service. Many customers complained about potential issues with the subscription plan’s cancellation and sign-in, launching the FTC investigation into Uber One. Customers have claimed that they signed up for the plan without their knowledge and faced issues when they tried to cancel it. Uber One is a subscription service that offers discounts on rides and delivers to its 25 million members globally. However, the FTC received reports indicating that users were improperly signed up during routine app transactions. Furthermore, customers…

An incident occurred this week consisting of bomb threats targeting Trump’s cabinet and white house team. Federal law enforcement agencies have launched investigations into the alarming bomb threats, which affected at least nine appointees from the President-elect’s cabinet. Among the targets were nominees for the Departments of Defense, Agriculture, and Labor and Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the UN, Elise Stefanik. Police responded to the threats instantly, ensuring the safety of the nominees and their families. The FBI confirmed that it’s investigating Trump’s Cabinet bomb threats in collaboration with other agencies.  Stefanik stated that her family home was targeted…

Officials from China, Canada, and Mexico have reacted strongly to Trump’s tariff pledge, warning of severe economic consequences. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized the plan, saying retaliatory tariffs would jeopardize mutual businesses while addressing illegal immigration and drug issues. On Monday night, Trump pledged to impose 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada and an extra 10% on Chinese products. He stated that these actions will stop drug trafficking and illegal immigration. Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, spoke with Trump right after the announcement about the possible consequences and his intention to meet the provincial leader to…

Early on Wednesday, an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement was signed for a truce in Lebanon to put an end to the 14-month-long ongoing war. According to the ceasefire, France and the U.S. mediated calls for Hezbollah to evacuate its troops from southern Lebanon while Israeli forces will also move back across the border. Thousands of Lebanese military and UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon will enforce this truce while an international panel will monitor compliance. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would respond forcefully to any violations, emphasizing that the military remains on alert. He stated that they would attack…

Donald Trump announced plans to impose sweeping tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico, which was one of his first tasks after his inauguration in January 2025. Former president Trump’s new tariffs plan is to use this as leverage to address illegal immigration and drug smuggling in the US. Trump clarified that these tariffs will not be lifted until these nations take strong steps to address the problem. This proposed approach could potentially worsen trade disputes with the US’s main trading partners. Together, Canada, China, and Mexico are responsible for almost 40% of all US imports, which are worth $3.2 trillion…

Thousands of Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s supporters clashed with security forces after breaking through barricades in Islamabad. Protestors demanded Khan’s release and the resignation of the current federal government.  Conflicting reports emerged about the deaths of the four security officers. The interior ministry claimed that a vehicle carrying protesters ran over the officers, killing them. At the same time, eyewitnesses have stated that it was the security forces vehicle that ran them over while they were running away. Shehbaz Sharif, the current prime minister of Pakistan, condemned the violence, labeling it as extremism. Police used tear gas to stop…

A DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near Lithuania’s Vilnius airport early Monday, killing one person and injuring three. The Boeing 737-400, operated by Swiftair for DHL, approached Vilnius airport at 3:30 GMT after departing Leipzig, Germany. Officials reported the plane hit the ground, broke into pieces, and slid over 100 meters before hitting the house. Twelve residents were evacuated safely, and no ground casualties were reported. As firefighters attempted to put out the fire, smoke and flames surrounded the crash site. While firefighters doused the burning debris north of the runway with water, nearby streets were blocked off. …

Thousands of employees and activists plan to stage Amazon Black Friday protests in over 20 countries, demanding better labor rights and environmental accountability. Scheduled between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, these actions target one of retail’s busiest shopping periods, from November 29th to December 2nd. The Make Amazon Pay campaign organized these protests worldwide, which represents more than 80 unions and advocacy organizations. Major cities in the US, India, the UK, Japan, Brazil, Turkey, Canada, Germany, and other countries will host protests by workers and representatives.  The protestors want more significant environmental regulations, better workplace safety, fair taxation ecological regulations,…

Jaguar rebrand controversy sparked intense backlash, with critics labeling the bold rebrand as woke and alienating. Jaguar, renowned for its luxurious and high-performance vehicles, launched the “Copy Nothing” campaign to attract younger, first-time buyers.   The campaign featured vibrant technicolor visuals showcasing models but omitted cars, triggering immediate criticism on social media platforms like X. Elon Musk, CEO of X, mocked the advertisement, asking, “Does Jaguar even sell cars anymore?” Jaguar’s managing director, Rawdon Glover, defended the rebrand, denouncing the hateful comments directed at those in the ad. The rebrand replaces Jaguar’s iconic roaring cat logo and bold font with a…

The third assessment of Sri Lanka’s $2.9 billion bailout was authorized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), emphasizing the country’s continued economic shortcomings. The IMF announced the release of $333 million on Saturday, raising the total funding provided to $1.3 billion. While signs of economic recovery are visible, the nation still faces significant financial challenges amid the IMF bailout for Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka must finalize the restructuring of $12.5 billion in bondholder debt and $10 billion owed to bilateral creditors, including Japan, China, and India. The IMF bailout, secured in March last year, played a crucial role in stabilizing…

An Israeli airstrike leveled an eight-story residential building in Beirut’s Basta district early Saturday, killing 11 and injuring 60. The attack, carried out at 4:00 a.m. local time, struck the densely populated area without prior warning. Eyewitnesses described chaos as explosions rocked the city and emergency teams scrambled to rescue survivors trapped under the rubble. “We were deep asleep and then the strike happened and then a second strike,” said Nemir Zarariya, a resident. His wife, daughter, and aunt were hospitalized after the Beirut residential building airstrike. Rescue workers continued to search through the debris as plumes of smoke rose…