Top World News
'Hoodwinked and ashamed': Man who brokered Trump's Scottish golf resort has deep regrets
Mar 29, 2024 - World
The man who helped broker the deal for former President Donald Trump to set up a golf resort in Scotland now has deep regrets.The BBC reports that Neil Hobday, the project director for Trump's golf resort in Aberdeenshire, has apologized for pushing through a deal that he says has not delivered on its promises to local residents.Hobday tells the BBC that he now thinks Trump was lying when he vowed to invest £1 billion into the project to make it a massive tourist destination that would provide the community with an economic boom."I don't think even if he could raise the money to build the whole thing out, he wanted the golf course and that was it," he tells BBC. "He was willing to fight the environmental battle and create this impression that this was a $1 billion project and Scotland absolutely needed it. But I think he never really had the money or the intention of finishing it."ALSO READ: A criminologist explains why Judge Cannon must step away from Trump trial immediatelyThe BBC then goes into detail about the promises the Trump Organization made to Aberdeenshire and the reality of how the project really unfolded."The original proposal also included approval for a 450-room hotel, 950 holiday apartments, 36 golf villas and 500 houses for sale," reports BBC. "None of these elements, and the thousands of new jobs promised, have materialized so far -- and the golf resort has yet to turn a profit, racking up £13.3m in losses since it opened."All of this has led Hobday to have a profound feeling of regret for his role in helping Trump secure the rights to build the course."I feel very hoodwinked and ashamed that I fell for it and Scotland fell for it," he said. "We all fell for it. He was never going to do it."
Israeli airstrike in Syria kills more than 40 people, says war monitor
Mar 29, 2024 - World
Strike near Aleppo weapons depot reportedly killed Hezbollah and Syrian troops, while civilians also said to be among deadMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsraeli airstrikes on Syria’s Aleppo province have killed more than 40 people, including members of Hezbollah and a large number of Syrian soldiers in an area near the militant Lebanese organisation’s weapons depots, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.As many as 42 people were killed in what contradictory reports described as air and drone strikes in the early hours of Friday that hit missile depots for Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group in Aleppo’s southern suburb of Jibreen, near Aleppo’s international airport, and a nearby town that houses a military facility. Continue reading...
Easter processions cancelled in southern Spain due to rainstorms
Mar 29, 2024 - World
Spain is hit by strong winds and rain from Storm Nelson and four drown on storm-battered coastsEaster processions in southern Spain have been cancelled after heavy rain from Storm Nelson, as the country was hit by strong winds and four people drowned on its storm-battered coasts.All of the big processions in Seville on Holy Thursday were cancelled because of the rainstorms that were otherwise welcome in a region that has been experiencing a severe drought. Continue reading...
An Israeli airstrike on Syria | First Thing
Mar 29, 2024 - World
War monitor reports Israeli airstrike in Syria has killed more than 40 people, mainly troops. Plus: ecocide in GazaDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up herGood morning.At least 36 Syrian soldiers were killed in an Israeli airstrike on an area near Hezbollah weapons depots in Syria’s Aleppo province, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said.Why is Israel attacking Syria? Since civil war began in Syria in 2011, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes on targets there as it seeks to cut off the Hamas ally Hezbollah’s supply routes to Lebanon. The frequency of these strikes has increased since Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza began after the 7 October attacks. While Iran-backed Hezbollah is Lebanese, it has sent militants into Syria to support its ally, President Bashar al-Assad.What has Israel done to combat Hezbollah in Lebanon? Israel has exchanged near-daily, cross-border fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon since the Gaza war began, creating fears of a major regional conflagration. An Agence France-Presse tally estimates that at least 346 people have been killed in Lebanon – mostly Hezbollah fighters, but also including at least 68 civilians – in clashes with Israel over the past six months. Continue reading...
Low-income California Latinos at higher risk from Parkinson’s-linked weedkiller
Mar 29, 2024 - World
Analysis finds majority of paraquat, banned in 60 countries, is used in counties where Latinos make up 75% of the population or higherLow-income Latinos living in California are disproportionately threatened by paraquat, a highly toxic herbicide widely used on US cropland, a new analysis of state data finds.The notorious weedkiller is banned in more than 60 countries and for some uses in the US, like golf courses, because it is so dangerous. But the US government still allows its use on crops, putting agricultural workers or those living in communities near where it is spread at risk. Continue reading...