Author: Buzzo

President Trump’s sweeping executive order to halt foreign aid threatens to freeze a U.S. program supporting security forces inside a notorious camp in the Syrian desert that holds tens of thousands of Islamic State members and their families, Syrian and U.S. officials said.The order has also wreaked havoc on another U.S. organization in Syria that was forced to briefly stop operations inside the camp, known as Al Hol, where the large concentration of ISIS members is seen as a security threat.Concerns over an ISIS comeback have been rising, with Syria in a state of flux as its new leaders try…

Ian WafulaAfrica security correspondent, BBC NewsEPAIt has been a humiliating week for nearly 300 Romanian mercenaries recruited to fight on the side of the army in the Democratic Republic of Congo.Their surrender following a rebel assault on the eastern city of Goma has also shattered the dreams of those who signed up for the job to earn big money.The BBC has seen contracts that show that these hired soldiers were being paid around $5,000 (£4,000) a month, while regular military recruits get around $100, or sometimes go unpaid.The Romanians were contracted to help the army fight the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels,…

By JOSH BOAKWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said his 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico are coming on Saturday, but he’s still considering whether to include oil from those countries as part of his import taxes.“We may or may not,” Trump told reporters Thursday in the Oval Office about tariffing oil from Canada and Mexico. “We’re going to make that determination probably tonight.”Trump said his decision will be based on whether the price of oil charged by the two trading partners is fair, although the basis of his threatened tariffs pertains to stopping illegal immigration and the smuggling of…

Washington: Indian American Kash Patel on Thursday told lawmakers that he has been subjected to racism while growing up as an individual.”Unfortunately, Senator, yes. I don’t want to get into those details with my family here,” Patel, 44, told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing to be the FBI Director.If confirmed, he would be the first Hindu and Indian American to be FBI Director. Patel was responding to a question from Senator Lindsey Graham if he has ever been subject to racism as an individual.”If you look at the record from January 6th, where I testified…

A group of moms in one Massachusetts public school district were condemned for questioning Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s (DEI) influence on local education, but now the district itself is changing course.Carey Goldberg, a contributing writer for Globe Ideas, wrote an extensive opinion piece about how a trio of mothers in the tony Boston suburb braved public backlash to warn against far-left school policy changes. The three moms, all of whom were Democratic Party voters, began to question Newton public school district policies in 2022.”At first we were just trying to understand the drastic changes that took place while no one…

An “epidemic of violence against women and girls” in the UK is getting worse despite years of government promises and strategies, a highly critical report from Whitehall’s spending watchdog has said.The National Audit Office report comes four years after a major government response to violence against women and girls (VAWG) was launched after the murders of Sabina Nessa and Sarah Everard.The watchdog found “disjointed” efforts meant VAWG was a “significant and growing problem” affecting one in 12 women in England and Wales and causing physical, mental, social and financial harm to survivors.A review of the previous government’s 2021 strategy to…

Israel and Hamas exchanged a new group of hostages and prisoners on Thursday in a handover that devolved into chaos as the armed militants struggled to control a chanting, jostling crowd of Palestinians trying to catch a glimpse of Israelis held captive during 15 months of war.Hamas released a total of eight Israeli and Thai hostages in the Gaza Strip, including the tightly choreographed handover of an Israeli soldier, Agam Berger, 20, in the northern town of Jabaliya.But the tumult surrounding the release of two other Israeli hostages — Arbel Yehud, 29, and Gadi Moses, 80, in the city of…

BBCA friend got Zoe her AI-created book as a Christmas presentFor Christmas I received an interesting gift from a friend – my very own “best-selling” book.”Tech-Splaining for Dummies” (great title) bears my name and my photo on its cover, and it has glowing reviews.Yet it was entirely written by AI, with a few simple prompts about me supplied by my friend Janet.It’s an interesting read, and very funny in parts. But it also meanders quite a lot, and is somewhere between a self-help book and a stream of anecdotes.It mimics my chatty style of writing, but it’s also a bit…

I love this smashed chickpea salad! It’s great on sandwiches and wraps, and I also like it on top of salads. Like tuna or egg salad, it’s quick, easy to make, and perfect for lunch. I love how easy this smashed chickpea salad is to make. It’s my go-to lunch during the week. This salad is quick and uses just a few inexpensive ingredients. It’s a lifesaver mid-week when I need something delicious, filling, and healthy. For those of you who’ve been following along, you know we love chickpeas and have many chickpea recipes on Inspired Taste. This one is…

LISTEN: Audio of air traffic controllers seemingly directing the helicopter to avoid the planeRachel LookerBBC News, WashingtonThe aviation world is struggling to understand how a deadly mid-air collision between a passenger plane and military helicopter was able to happen in what one expert described as “the most controlled bit of airspace in the world”.A US Army Black Hawk helicopter with a crew of three collided with an American Airlines jet carrying 64 people seconds before the passenger aircraft was due to land at Washington National airport.Both aircraft were sent careering into the icy Potomac River on Wednesday night.The exact cause…