Author: Buzzo

Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has been named president for the “transitional period”, state media report, seven weeks after he led the rebel offensive that overthrew Bashar al-Assad.Rebel military commander Hassan Abdul Ghani also announced the cancellation of Syria’s 2012 constitution and the dissolution of the former regime’s parliament, army and security agencies, according to the Sana news agency.As president, Sharaa would form an interim legislative council to help govern until a new constitution was approved, he said.All rebel groups which opposed Assad in the 13-year civil war would be dissolved and integrated into state institutions, he added.The announcements…

With the release of its latest artificial-intelligence (AI) model, DeepSeek, an obscure Chinese firm, has laid waste to several years of American policy meant to hold back Chinese innovation—and, in the process, blown a hole in the valuations of companies from Nvidia, America’s AI chip champion, to Siemens Energy, a manufacturer of electrical equipment used in data centres (see previous article). In demonstrating its ability to innovate around American export restrictions, DeepSeek has raised doubts as to whether access to piles of cutting-edge semiconductors and related equipment is as important as previously thought when it comes to training AI models.

Every abortion is a “tragedy,” President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., told lawmakers Wednesday. While Kennedy previously voiced support for abortion even in the late stages of pregnancy, Kennedy told the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday he would carry out Trump’s policy priorities concerning abortion. “I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy,” Kennedy said at his confirmation hearing. “I agree with him that we cannot be a moral nation if we have 1.2 million abortions a year. I agree with him that the states should control abortion. President Trump has told me that…

Key eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureWelcomeGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories before Rafqa Touma takes the controls.More than 100 counter-terrorism police will be continuing their investigation today into who was behind the stockpiling of explosives in a caravan on the outskirts of Sydney with indications the materials could have been used in an antisemitic attack. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, promised to bring the “full force of the law” against those responsible, while Jewish groups condemned the apparent plot as the “most severe…

PoliticusUSA is ad-free, completely independent, and will bend the knee to no one. Please support us by becoming a subscriber.In a moment that showed that Trump can be beaten, a White House official confirmed that Trump’s OMB federal funding freeze order has been rescinded.The Washington Post reported:The White House budget office on Wednesday rescinded an order freezing federal grants, according to a copy of a new memo obtained by The Washington Post, after the administration’s move to halt spending earlier this week provoked a backlash.In a memo dated Wednesday and distributed to federal agencies, Matthew J. Vaeth, acting director of…

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Wednesday that her government will send a letter to Google after the internet giant said it would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico for users of Google Maps in the United States. Sheinbaum said the Mexican government is currently drafting a letter that will be sent to Google to explain the composition of the seas and their powers after the company said it would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico.“We are sending a letter to Google first to tell it: I suppose Google Maps will know about this international division,…

João da Silva & Graham FraserBusiness & technology reportersGetty ImagesThe maker of ChatGPT, OpenAI, has complained that rivals, including those in China, are using its work to make rapid advances in developing their own artificial intelligence (AI) tools.The status of OpenAI – and other US firms – as the world leaders in AI has been dramatically undermined this week by the sudden emergence of DeepSeek, a Chinese app that can emulate the performance of ChatGPT, apparently at a fraction of the cost.Bloomberg has reported that Microsoft is investigating whether data belonging to OpenAI – which it is a major investor…

Amid a nationwide crackdown on known criminal aliens in the first days of President Donald Trump’s second arrival at the White House, police and federal agents have stumbled upon dozens of Chinese migrants in Coral Gables, Florida, and arrested at least four suspected smugglers from Cuba and another from Haiti.Now local authorities are hoping that more resources from the state and federal government will help them protect the coastal enclave, just west of Miami.The waterfront city has more coastline to protect than Miami Beach.SMUGGLERS TRANSPORTING VANS PACKED WITH 26 CHINESE MIGRANTS DETAINED IN FLORIDA: POLICE Multiple law enforcement officers processed…

The German parliament has narrowly passed a motion urging tough restrictions on immigration that was highly controversial because it was backed by the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party.The motion was brought by the conservative opposition CDU-CSU and backed by, among others, the AfD, breaking a longstanding taboo on cooperation with the anti-immigration party.MPs passed it in a vote on Wednesday with 348 votes in favour, 345 against and 10 abstentions.Earlier the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, warned the opposition it would be “an unforgivable mistake” to pass the proposals with AfD help.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to This is EuropeThe most pressing…

Sam FrancisPolitical reporterGetty ImagesRachel Reeves has set out a series of major announcements on infrastructure projects, including backing plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport.She promised to go “further and faster” than previous governments after years of sluggish growth in the UK.So what did she announce?Heathrow expansionReeves confirmed the government is backing plans to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport, arguing it could create 100,000 jobs.The plans received parliamentary approval in June 2018, but have been stuck in limbo after legal challenges ever since.She invited Heathrow to submit plans to expand the airport by the end of the…