Author: Amanda Martinez

South Korea has blocked new downloads of China´s DeepSeek AI Chatbot due to violations of personal data protection laws. The Personal Information Protection Commission announced the DeepSeek ban in South Korea on Saturday evening, forcing Apple and Google to remove the app from their stores.  Officials stated that DeepSeek could return once the company fixes its compliance issues. After making global headlines, DeepSeek quickly gained popularity in South Korea, drawing over a million weekly users. The chatbot´s rapid rise, however, raised privacy and security concerns among regulators worldwide. Several South Korean government agencies reacted by prohibiting employees from installing DeepSeek…

US Vice President JD Vance stunned delegates at the Munich Security Conference on Friday by attacking Washington’s allies instead of discussing Ukraine. Leaders gathered to debate ending the war without concessions to Russia, but Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference ignored the topic, focusing on misinformation.  His harsh criticism of European governments’ policies on migration and censorship left the audience silent, and even his jokes fell flat. The 20-minute speech received a poor reception from European leaders who expected stronger commitments to Ukraine’s defense and NATO unity. A US commentator noted that the speech was likely aimed at American…

Dutch drug kingpin Marco Ebben, one of Europe’s most wanted criminals, died in a shootout near Mexico City on Thursday. Authorities confirmed that gunfire erupted in a parking lot in Atizapan de Zaragoza, a town 25 kilometers from the capital. Experts later identified Ebben’s body, ending his years-long run from law enforcement across multiple countries. Europol had placed Ebben on its most wanted fugitives list for smuggling cocaine from Brazil to the Netherlands. In 2020, a Dutch court sentenced him in abestina to more than 7 years in prison, but he successfully avoided capture. Between 2014 and 2015, investigators linked…

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…