diff --git a/.env b/.env
index eb38b90c..54edc54f 100644
--- a/.env
+++ b/.env
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@ ROCKET_CHAT_TOKEN=w91TYgkH-Z67Oz72usYdkW5TZLLRwnre7qyAhp7aHJB
 ROCKET_CHAT_USER_ID=Tpuww59PJKsrGNQJB
 LEANTIME_TOKEN=lt_lsdShQdoYHaPUWuL07XZR1Rf3GeySsIs_UDlll3VJPk5EwAuILpMC4BwzJ9MZFRrb
 LEANTIME_API_URL=https://agilite.slm-lab.net
-<<<<<<< HEAD
 
 
 DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/calendar_db?schema=public"
@@ -59,3 +58,9 @@ DB_PASSWORD=Sict33711###
 DB_NAME=rivacube
 DB_HOST=cube.governance-labs.com
 
+# Database Configuration
+DB_HOST=cube.governance-labs.com
+DB_PORT=5432
+DB_USER=alma
+DB_PASSWORD=Sict33711
+DB_NAME=rivacube
diff --git a/app/api/news/route.ts b/app/api/news/route.ts
index b3e70fb0..2d526289 100644
--- a/app/api/news/route.ts
+++ b/app/api/news/route.ts
@@ -1,30 +1,72 @@
 import { NextResponse } from 'next/server';
 import { Pool } from 'pg';
 
+// Get database configuration from environment variables
+const DB_HOST = process.env.DB_HOST || 'cube.governance-labs.com';
+const DB_PORT = process.env.DB_PORT || '5432';
+const DB_USER = process.env.DB_USER || 'alma';
+const DB_PASSWORD = process.env.DB_PASSWORD;
+const DB_NAME = process.env.DB_NAME || 'rivacube';
+
+// Validate required environment variables
+if (!DB_PASSWORD) {
+  console.error('DB_PASSWORD environment variable is not set');
+  throw new Error('Database password is not configured');
+}
+
+// Construct connection string from components
+const connectionString = `postgresql://${DB_USER}:${DB_PASSWORD}@${DB_HOST}:${DB_PORT}/${DB_NAME}`;
+
+// Log the connection string (with password masked for security)
+const maskedConnectionString = connectionString.replace(/\/\/[^:]+:[^@]+@/, '//***:***@');
+console.log('Using connection string:', maskedConnectionString);
+
 const pool = new Pool({
-  connectionString: process.env.NEWSDB_URL,
+  connectionString,
+  ssl: {
+    rejectUnauthorized: false // Required for some remote connections
+  },
+  // Add connection timeout
+  connectionTimeoutMillis: 5000,
+  // Add query timeout
+  query_timeout: 5000,
 });
 
 export async function GET() {
+  let client;
   try {
-    const client = await pool.connect();
-    try {
-      const result = await client.query(
-        `SELECT id, title, date, source, description, category, url 
-         FROM news 
-         ORDER BY date DESC 
-         LIMIT 5`
-      );
-      
-      return NextResponse.json(result.rows);
-    } finally {
-      client.release();
-    }
+    console.log(`Attempting to connect to database at ${DB_HOST}:${DB_PORT}...`);
+    client = await pool.connect();
+    console.log('Database connection successful');
+
+    const result = await client.query(
+      `SELECT id, title, date, source, description, category, url 
+       FROM news 
+       ORDER BY date DESC 
+       LIMIT 5`
+    );
+    
+    console.log(`Successfully fetched ${result.rows.length} news articles`);
+    return NextResponse.json(result.rows);
   } catch (error) {
-    console.error('Error fetching news:', error);
+    console.error('Error in news API:', {
+      error: error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Unknown error',
+      host: DB_HOST,
+      port: DB_PORT,
+      database: DB_NAME,
+      stack: error instanceof Error ? error.stack : undefined
+    });
     return NextResponse.json(
-      { error: 'Failed to fetch news' },
+      { 
+        error: 'Failed to fetch news', 
+        details: error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Unknown error',
+        server: DB_HOST
+      },
       { status: 500 }
     );
+  } finally {
+    if (client) {
+      client.release();
+    }
   }
 } 
\ No newline at end of file