EXPLAINER Do Elon Musk and DOGE have power to close US government agencies? Legal experts doubt that DOGE has power to cut spending already approved by Congress. Elon Musk at Capitol Hill on the day of a meeting with Senate Republican Leader-elect John Thune, in Washington, US, December 5, 2024 [File: Benoit Tessier/Reuters] By Louis Jacobson…
US courts halt DOGE access to Treasury records, USAID furlough The judgements are the latest in the growing series blocking Trump and Musk’s disruption of the government. The US flag flies alone beside an empty flagpole that previously had the flag of USAID, outside the agency’s headquarters in Washington [File: Jose Luis Magana/AP] Published On…
Baltic states cut last Russian energy link Ex-Soviet nations warn of sabotage and cyberattack threat as they cut power links with Moscow to hook up to EU network. An announcement near the Energy Museum in Vilnius, Lithuania, indicating that the Baltic States will disconnect from the Russian electricity grid to synchronise with Continental Europe [Mindaugas…
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events – day 1,080 Here are the key developments on the 1,080th day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian police officers try to persuade residents to evacuate from the front-line town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine [File: Anatolii Stepanov/Reuters] Published On 8 Feb 20258 Feb 2025 Here is…
Hamas and Israel set for fifth prisoner swap under Gaza ceasefire deal Exchange of three Israelis and 183 Palestinians comes as Trump casts uncertainty over second ceasefire phase. Members of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades gather in the square to release Israeli hostages as part of a hostage swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Deir al…
A ‘disaster’ in Lebanon In Nicosia, The Maronite Archeparchy of Cyprus, Selif Jean Sfeir, is seated in an armchair in the Archbishopric. He is recounting the history of the Cypriot Maronite community which arrived on the island 1,200 years ago from Lebanon and Syria. “There were tens of thousands living in 83 villages. But now…
EXPLAINER Why has Pakistan’s Punjab province imposed a complete ban on kite flying? The new penalties will also target kite makers and transporters, in addition to those who fly kites. Two Pakistani youths carry a giant paper kite with ‘Kite 2000’ written on it, on the eve of Basant in Lahore [File: Reuters] By Areesha LodhiPublished…
Missing Alaska plane found with all 10 people on board presumed dead Deadly crash is the third aviation disaster in the US in little over a week. US Coast Guard personnel examine the wreckage of a small commuter plane in western Alaska, the United States, on February 7, 2025 [US Coast Guard via AP Photo]…
Trump, Japan’s Ishiba play nice despite tariff threat Leaders pledge to stand against Chinese ‘aggression’, announce compromise on Nippon Steel-US Steel deal. US President Donald Trump shakes hands with with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2025 [Jim Watson/AFP] Published On 8…
War crimes prosecutor Reed Brody talks about what’s needed now, now that Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on the ICC.