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    Trump administration eliminating 1,600 USAID jobs in the US

    President Donald Trump’s administration said on Sunday it was placing all personnel at the foreign assistance agency USAID, except leaders and critical staff, on paid administrative leave and eliminating 1,600 positions in the United States. Billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has led an effort to gut the U.S. Agency for International Development, the main delivery…
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      Conservative opposition wins German election and the far right is 2nd with strongest postwar result

      The opposition conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won a lackluster victory in Germany’s election Sunday and Alternative for Germany doubled its support in the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II, projections showed. Chancellor Olaf Scholz conceded defeat for his center-left Social Democrats after what he called “a bitter election result.” Projections for ARD…
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        Jane Fonda Calls for the Nation to Protest Trump in SAG Speech

        “Who else could start a beauty revolution with her mugshot?” That’s how Julia Louis-Dreyfus introduced the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement winner Jane Fonda during Sunday night’s telecast. The Oscar-winning actress, whose career has been a political lightning rod, then took the stage to deliver a call to arms for a movement—a movement, one would presume, against…
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          SAG Awards 2025 Full Winners List: ‘Conclave,’ ‘Only Murders in the Building’ and ‘Shōgun’ Take Home Top Honors

          “Conclave,” a thriller about the election of a new pope, triumphed at the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, winning the top prize for best motion picture cast. “Shōgun,” an epic look at feudal Japan, and “Only Murders in the Building,” a mystery satire, won the TV ensemble prizes in the drama and comedy categories. It…
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            British couple in their 70s arrested by Taliban

            A British couple in their seventies have been arrested by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, were returning to their home in Bamiyan on 1 February when they were detained. The couple have been running training projects in Afghanistan for 18 years and their daughter, Sarah Entwistle, told the BBC she…
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              Pope Francis remains critical and has ‘slight’ kidney issue, Vatican says

              Pope Francis, battling double pneumonia, remains in a critical condition for a second day running and has shown an “initial, slight insufficiency” in his kidney function, the Vatican said on Sunday. The prognosis for the 88-year-old pope, who required a transfusion of two units of blood on Saturday after experiencing a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis,” remains “guarded”,…
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                Germans start voting, polls suggest shift to right

                Germans were voting in a national election on Sunday that is expected to restore power to Friedrich Merz’s conservatives while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is forecast to achieve its best result yet in Europe’s ailing economic powerhouse. Merz’s CDU/CSU bloc has consistently led polls but is unlikely to win a majority given Germany’s fragmented…
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                  Pope Francis is in critical condition after a long respiratory crisis, requiring oxygen at high flow

                  Pope Francis was in critical condition Saturday after he suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis while being treated for pneumonia and a complex lung infection, the Vatican said. The 88-year-old pope, who remains conscious, received “high flows” of oxygen to help him breathe. He also received blood transfusions after tests showed low counts of platelets, which are…
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                    Israel postpones release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners after ‘humiliating hostage ceremonies’

                    The release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners planned for Saturday has been postponed “until the release of the next hostages is secured without humiliating ceremonies”, Israel has said. In a statement early on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office accused the Palestinian militant group Hamas of “repeated violations” as it lashed out at “disgraceful ceremonies” during…
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                      KIM KACHING North Korea feared to be behind ‘worst hack in history’ as Kim’s goons took £1BILLION in world’s biggest crypto heist

                      The Dubai-based Bybit exchange confirmed the record-breaking crypto theft. Fraudsters were able to access the £1billion wallet and transfer the contents to an unidentified address. Blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence have now accused North Korea’s Lazarus Group of being behind the hack. The firm posted on social media that one of their trusted online sleuths gave them…
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                        France: Knife attack leaves 1 dead, several wounded

                        A knife attack in in the eastern city of Mulhouse, France left one passerby dead and three police officers wounded. The suspect, a 37-year old Algerian man, was arrested and is currently in custody. President Emmanuel Macron described the incident as an “Islamist terror act.” Macron said the “solidarity of the nation” was with the attack victim…
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                          Why hate speech is punishable by law in Germany

                          Freedom of expression is guaranteed in Article 5 of the Basic Law, the German constitution, which also makes clear that this freedom has limits in order to, for example, to protect young people, privacy or personal honor. The protection of personal honor plays a particularly important role in the German legal system, said lawyer Ralf Poscher, director…
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                            Trump administration brings fear of censorship to arts scene

                            In an Instagram post on Sunday, Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore wrote she was “deeply saddened” by the Trump administration’s decision to put her 2007 children’s book “Freckleface Strawberry” under review and removing it from schools serving the children of US military personnel and civilian defense employees. The book tells the tale of a red-headed youngster who hates…
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                              US could cut Ukraine’s access to Starlink internet services over minerals, say sources

                              U.S. negotiators pressing Kyiv for access to Ukraine’s critical minerals have raised the possibility of cutting the country’s access to Elon Musk’s vital Starlink satellite internet system, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Ukraine’s continued access to SpaceX-owned Starlink was brought up in discussions between U.S. and Ukrainian officials after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy turned…
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                                ‘PM Modi To Be Guest Of Honour For National Day Celebrations’: Mauritius PM Navin Ramgoolam

                                Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be the Guest of Honour at the nation’s National Day celebrations. Ramgoolam also highlighted the honour of hosting such a leader, especially given PM Modi’s packed schedule and recent international engagements in Paris and the United States. Addressing the Parliament, Ramgoolam said, “I…
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                                  MARCHING DON Trump denies he ‘will join Putin in Moscow at massive WW2 military parade’ as Vlad plans to ‘celebrate victory’

                                  PRESIDENT Donald Trump has denied claims that he will visit Vladimir Putin in Moscow for the May 9 victory day parade. It comes after French outlet Le Point claimed, citing Russian sources, that the Republican would be in attendance, Trump rubbished the report he will fly to Russia for Victory Day celebrations on May 9. The Red…
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                                    DIDDY SHOCK Diddy’s lawyer sensationally QUITS rapper’s case as he issues mysterious statement saying ‘I cannot continue’

                                    SEAN “Diddy” Combs’ lawyer has sensationally quit the music mogul’s legal team plunging the rapper into a new crisis. Anthony Ricco issued a mysterious statement saying he “cannot continue”. Ricco issued a surprise motion to withdraw from counsel on Friday in New York. The lawyer’s message to the court included a cryptic message hinting at why he…
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                                      Dozens turn out in support of Luigi Mangione over killing of US healthcare boss Brian Thompson

                                      Dozens of supporters were outside court as the man accused of fatally shooting the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare made his first appearance. Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder following the 4 December killing of Brian Thompson, 50, outside a midtown Manhattan hotel. The 26-year-old is accused of ambushing and shooting the executive…
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                                        GET THE ZEL OUT Zelensky’s best bet is to FLEE Ukraine ‘immediately’, Trump insiders warn – as Putin ‘days away from declaring victory’

                                        VOLODYMYR Zelensky should flee Ukraine “immediately” amid escalating tensions between Washington and Kyiv, insiders in the White House have warned. US-Ukraine relations exploded this week, with military intelligence suggesting Russia is just days from declaring victory over the almost three-year war. Donald Trump and Zelensky have been waging a war of words with the US President openly…
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                                          Kremlin accused of ‘creating a database of LGBTQ+ Russians to monitor them’

                                          Russia has spent more than a year creating an electronic database of its LGBTQ+ citizens, independent Russian media has reported. The country’s top court declared the international LGBTQ+ rights movement ‘extremist’ in November 2023. In the months since, law enforcement officials have been building a register to track ‘extremist’ LGBTQ+ Russians, insiders told Meduza. The officials, members…
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                                            ‘Crucial’ to show Ukraine documentary ‘Timestamp’ at Berlinale, says director

                                            For Ukrainian director Kateryna Gornostai, her new documentary, “Timestamp,” about daily school life during Russia’s now three-year-long invasion, had its Berlin Film Festival premiere at a key moment for her homeland. “It’s really crucial,” Gornostai told Reuters in the German capital on Thursday. “I feel like I’m not a filmmaker, but a delegation of diplomats. In a…
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                                              Elon Musk wields chainsaw at conservative gathering, a gift from Argentina’s Milei

                                              Elon Musk, the billionaire tasked with slashing U.S. federal government spending, took to the stage at a conservative conference outside Washington on Thursday with a gift from Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei: a chainsaw. “This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy,” said Musk, holding the gleaming power tool aloft at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor,…
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                                                Trump ‘very frustrated’ with Zelenskyy as Ukraine-US news conference cancelled

                                                A planned news conference between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy was cancelled, as political tensions deepened between the two countries. The event was originally supposed to include comments to the media by Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy and retired US Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, but it was changed at the last minute to a simple photo opportunity.…
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                                                  What does Jack Ma’s return to the spotlight in China mean?

                                                  A meeting between Chinese president Xi Jinping and some of the country’s foremost business leaders this week has fuelled excitement and speculation, after Alibaba founder Jack Ma was pictured at the event. The charismatic and colourful Mr Ma, who was one of China’s most prominent businessmen, had withdrawn from public life after criticising China’s financial sector in…
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                                                    ‘TERROR ATTACK’ Terrifying moment buses burn in Israel ‘terror attack’ after bombs detonate – as more explosives found on coaches

                                                    THIS is the terrifying moment buses burn in a suspected “terror attack” in Israel after bombs exploded. Three coaches erupted into flames near Tel Aviv while two more explosives were found on public transport luckily having not gone off. There have been no casualties or injuries reported as the bombs went off while the buses were empty…
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                                                      ‘Zero Day’ TV Review: Robert De Niro’s Netflix Political Thriller Fights To Make America Function Again

                                                      “When is the last time the country was able to solve any of its problems?” ambitious congresswoman Alexandra Mullen (Lizzy Caplan) screams at her father and former POTUS George Mullen (Robert De Niro) in Netflix’s just-launched Zero Day. It is a fair question for the six-episode political thriller, and for America 2025. Certainly, in a week that…
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                                                        Americans Are Heading for the Exits

                                                        In February 2023, I published an article in The New Republic about Americans, particularly from marginalized communities, who were looking to exit the country amid the rise of gun violence and far-right politics. It had been some time since I’d thought about that piece. But almost exactly one year to the day after it was published, it…
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                                                          Why Walmart’s warning may have more to do with weight-loss drugs than tariffs

                                                          Shares of Walmart Inc. were hit hard Thursday after the retail behemoth provided a disappointing earnings outlook, including a warning for the first year-over-year decline in quarterly profit in three years. “The company’s guidance assumes a generally stable consumer and continued pressure from its mix of products and formats globally,” Walmart said in a statement. The downbeat…
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                                                            Senate confirms Kash Patel as FBI director

                                                            Kash Patel, a longtime loyalist to President Donald Trump, was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation — an agency he has talked about drastically restructuring while echoing Trump’s claims of the “weaponization” of the bureau’s powers in its Capitol riot investigations and other recent cases. Patel was opposed by…
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                                                              Mexico’s president vows to protect national sovereignty after US cartel terrorist designation

                                                              Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday she will propose a constitutional reform aimed at further protecting Mexico’s national sovereignty, after the U.S. designated various Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. “The Mexican people will under no circumstances accept interventions, intrusions, or any other action from abroad that are detrimental to the integrity, independence, or sovereignty of…
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                                                                First pharaoh’s tomb found in Egypt since Tutankhamun’s

                                                                Egyptologists have discovered the first tomb of a pharaoh since Tutankhamun’s was uncovered over a century ago. King Thutmose II’s tomb was the last undiscovered royal tomb of the 18th Egyptian dynasty. A British-Egyptian team has located it in the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis near the city of Luxor. Researchers had thought the burial chambers…
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                                                                  ‘We will unite with Kim Jong Un’: Conspiracies grip South Korea

                                                                  On a cold January afternoon, a young pharmacy student, Shin Jeong-min, waited restlessly outside South Korea’s Constitutional Court, as the country’s suspended president arrived to fight his impeachment. While Yoon Suk Yeol testified, she chanted along with hundreds of his incensed and worried supporters, who have rallied around him ever since his failed attempt to impose martial…
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                                                                    Putin thinks he’s ‘on the brink’ of victory and Zelensky is ‘cornered rat’

                                                                    Volodymyr Zelensky is a “cornered rat”, according to one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. After Donald Trump turned against the Kyiv president, the Ukrainian leader could set off a nuclear dirty bomb, baselessly claimed Medvedev, who is now a top Kremlin security official. His rant came as Russian propaganda went into overdrive capitalising…
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                                                                      A worried NATO holds large-scale combat drills as the US stance on Europe shifts under Trump

                                                                      NATO members continued their largest combat exercises of 2025 on Wednesday, testing their ability to rapidly deploy large-scale forces on the 32-nation alliance’s eastern border as worries grow over its most powerful member, the United States. The drills in Romania, which borders Ukraine, come as a shaken Europe grapples with a new U.S. course under President Donald…
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                                                                        Two dead in midair plane crash at Marana airport

                                                                        Two single-engine fixed-wing planes collided midair at the Marana Regional Airport Wednesday morning around 8:30 a.m., according to the Town of Marana. A press release from the town says four people total were on the two planes. Two people in a Lancair 3600 were killed in the crash. The two in a Cessna 172 were uninjured, according…
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                                                                          Brazil’s former President Bolsonaro charged over alleged coup that included a plan to poison Lula

                                                                          Brazil’s prosecutor-general on Tuesday formally charged former President Jair Bolsonaro with attempting a coup to stay in office after his 2022 election defeat, in a plot that included a plan to poison his successor and current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and kill a Supreme Court judge. Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet alleges that Bolsonaro and 33 others…
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                                                                            US and Russia forge ahead on peace talks, without Ukraine

                                                                            U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration said on Tuesday it had agreed to hold more talks with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine after an initial meeting that excluded Kyiv, a departure from Washington’s previous approach that rallied U.S. allies to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin. As the 4-1/2-hour meeting in the Saudi capital was underway, Russia…
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                                                                              Zelenskiy postponed Saudi Arabia visit to not give ‘legitimacy’ to US-Russia meeting, sources say

                                                                              Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy postponed his visit to Saudi Arabia in order to not give “legitimacy” to Tuesday’s meeting between U.S. and Russian officials in Riyadh, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Speaking earlier on Tuesday in Turkey, Zelenskiy said he had postponed his visit to the kingdom, which was originally planned for Wednesday, until…
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                                                                                Brazil’s ex-President Bolsonaro charged in alleged coup plot

                                                                                Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro was charged on Tuesday with leading a plot to overthrow the government and undermine the country’s 40-year-old democracy after his 2022 election loss, complicating his narrow chances of a political comeback. The charges come after a two-year police investigation into the election-denying movement that culminated in riots by Bolsonaro supporters in the…