Vought says Trump may not need Congress’s approval to cut federal workforce

Amid bipartisan opposition, director of management and budget office says Trump prefers to use ‘executive tools’

Russell Vought, the director of the office of management and budget (OMB), on Sunday cast doubt on the constitutional obligation of the White House to ask Congress to sign off on Donald Trump’s massive cuts to the federal workforce spearheaded by Elon Musk.

Vought indicated the White House preferred to rely on “executive tools” for all but a “necessary” fraction of the cuts instead of submitting the whole package of jobs and agency slashing that took place via the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge), to the congressional branch for its official approval.

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Two people die and hundreds arrested in France after PSG Champions League victory

Vehicles torched in French capital and football supporters clash with police following match in Munich

Two people have died and hundreds have been arrested amid violence on the streets of France, which have marred Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League final victory and provoked political recriminations.

Cars were torched as flares and fireworks were set off while supporters clashed with police in the French capital on Saturday night after the match in Munich.

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Miss World organisers accused of being ‘vindictive and bitter’ towards ex-contestant

Milla Magee, the reigning Miss England, left over claims she had been used as window dressing

Their mantra is “beauty with a purpose”. But the organisers of the Miss World pageant have been accused of something altogether uglier: being “vindictive and very bitter” towards a contestant who left over claims she had been used as window dressing.

The reigning Miss England, Milla Magee, said she agreed to take part in the 2025 Miss World pageant because she believed it would be a platform to promote her campaign to have CPR included in the school curriculum. But she said the reality was very different.

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Greta Thunberg joins aid ship sailing to Gaza aimed at breaking Israel’s blockade

Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham also on Freedom Flotilla voyage to deliver aid to devastated territory

The climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and 11 other activists have set sail for Gaza on a ship aimed at “breaking Israel’s siege” of the devastated territory, organisers have said.

The sailing boat Madleen – operated by the activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition – departed from the port of Catania in Sicily, southern Italy, on Sunday.

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US budget chief calls fears that cuts to benefits will lead to deaths ‘totally ridiculous’

Russ Vought defends Trump’s sweeping tax-cut bill that will slash safety net programs Medicaid and Snap

The White House budget director Russ Vought on Sunday dismissed as “totally ridiculous” fears expressed by voters that cuts to benefits in the huge spending bill passed by the House will lead to premature deaths in America.

Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill act, now awaiting debate in the US Senate, will slash two major federal safety net programs, Medicaid, which provides healthcare to poor and disabled Americans, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), which helps people afford groceries, which will affect millions of people if it becomes law.

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British businessman accused of plotting to smuggle US military technology to China

John Miller and Chinese national Cui Guanghai are facing extradition in connection with an FBI investigation

A British businessman has been indicted in the US with attempting to traffic sensitive American military technology to China and silence a critic of the Chinese president.

John Miller, 63, was named by US authorities at the weekend after his arrest in Serbia, where he is facing extradition in connection with an FBI investigation. The Mail on Sunday reported that he was from Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

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UK twice as likely to have hot summer this year, says Met Office

Predictions of increased risk of heatwaves follow country’s sunniest spring on record

The UK is twice as likely as usual to have a hot summer this year, the Met Office has predicted, warning that there is also an increased risk of heatwaves.

The predictions follow the country’s sunniest spring on record, with the UK clocking up 630 hours of sunshine since the start of March, in what has also been the driest spring for more than a century.

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Dozens of Palestinians killed after Israeli forces open fire near aid delivery point, says Gaza civil defence agency – as it happened

Israeli forces opened fire on people heading towards aid distribution site run by Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, say witnesses

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a newly created private logistics group backed by the US and endorsed by Israel, has given a response to reports that dozens of Palestinian people were killed when Israeli tanks opened fire near one of its aid distribution sites in Gaza earlier today.

“It is false and fabricated. All aid was distributed today without incident,” the GHF said, telling BBC News that there have been no injuries or fatalities.

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Manston staff asked to work overtime amid record number of small boat arrivals

More than 1,100 migrants arrived on Saturday, the highest number on a single day so far this year

Staff at the Manston migrant processing centre in Kent have been asked to work overtime to deal with the record number of small boat arrivals, the Guardian has learned.

The 11th-hour appeal to staff on Saturday evening to work was circulated by Management And Training Corporation (MTC), one of the Home Office’s contractors on the site near Ramsgate, due to concerns about not having enough staff on duty.

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