US judge declines to halt Trump’s push to slash federal workforce
Judge Tanya Chutkan has ruled against a 14-state effort to get a restraining order against DOGE efforts to access data.
Heat pump sales in Europe fall 23% to pre-Ukraine war levels
Growth in 2022 and 2023 was driven by soaring gas prices caused by Russia’s invasion, but 2024 saw sales slump
Heat pump sales fell 23% in Europe last year, industry data shows, reverting to the level they were at before the war in Ukraine and slowing the shift away from gas-burning boilers.
Demand for clean heating devices fell by about half in Belgium and Germany, and by 39% in France, according to data for 13 countries that cover 85% of the European heat pump market.
Continue reading...Politicians who deliberately lie could be forced from office in Wales
Proposals designed to restore trust in politics would also criminalise the making of false statements to win votes
Elected politicians who deliberately lie could be forced from office under proposals designed to put Wales at the forefront of the “global challenge” to restore trust in politics.
Radical changes suggested by the Welsh parliament standards committee would also make candidates in elections liable to criminal prosecution for making any false statement to win votes.
Continue reading...Trump threatens 25% tariffs on foreign cars and semiconductor chips
White House has raised threat of levies as a means to bolster US economy, ignoring warnings trade wars could derail it
Donald Trump stood firm against warnings that his threatened trade war risks derailing the US economy, claiming his administration could hit foreign cars with tariffs of around 25% within weeks.
Semiconductor chips and drugs are set to face higher duties, Trump told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday.
Continue reading...India seeks AI breakthrough – but is it falling behind?
Two years after ChatGPT, China launched DeepSeek, but India doesn't have its own foundational model yet.
Trump Takes a Wrecking Ball to Our Alliance With Europe – Slate
- Trump Takes a Wrecking Ball to Our Alliance With Europe Slate
- After Munich, It's Time for Europe to Do the Unthinkable Foreign Policy
- As US recedes, NATO scrambles to find a new leader POLITICO Europe
- Trump's self-inflicted Ukraine conflict: Dismantle the European alliance or ditch Putin Haaretz
- Trump and Vance have smashed the old order – how should Europe respond? The Guardian
More than a rift: Trump aides cast doubt on shared values with Europe – The Christian Science Monitor
- More than a rift: Trump aides cast doubt on shared values with Europe The Christian Science Monitor
- Opinion | A U.S. Betrayal Is Surreal for Europeans The New York Times
- The US and Europe are at a crossroads. A new world order is emerging | Christopher S Chivvis The Guardian US
- After Munich, It's Time for Europe to Do the Unthinkable Foreign Policy
- Donald Trump’s assault on Europe The Economist
Bashy, Darkoo and Odeal top winners at 2025 Mobo awards
There are two awards apiece for the UK artists, while Nigerian singer Ayra Starr also wins two at Newcastle-hosted ceremony for Black musical excellence
Seventeen years since his debut single, British rapper Bashy has capped his long-awaited return to music with two wins at the 2025 Mobo awards, given each year to the best music of Black origin in the UK and overseas.
The 40-year-old vocalist and actor, born Ashley Thomas, won best hip-hop act as well as album of the year for Being Poor Is Expensive. While it didn’t make the UK charts, the album earned critical acclaim and a dedicated audience on streaming, drawn to its examination of race, mental health and working-class life in north-west London.
Continue reading...British Army ‘absolutely ready’ if ordered to deploy to Ukraine – BBC.com
- British Army 'absolutely ready' if ordered to deploy to Ukraine BBC.com
- Britain and France working on plans for ‘reassurance force’ to protect Ukraine The Guardian
- France and UK plan air power-backed ‘reassurance force’ in postwar Ukraine Financial Times
- Europeans explore troops for Ukraine ceasefire — and want U.S. support The Washington Post
- Mooted EU deployment in Ukraine is fraught with challenges DW (English)
Egypt says Trump backs its Gaza plan, convinced by Jordan’s king – Middle East Eye
- Egypt says Trump backs its Gaza plan, convinced by Jordan's king Middle East Eye
- Egypt developing Gaza reconstruction plan to counter Trump’s ‘take over’ Al Jazeera English
- To Their Dismay, Arab States Are Being Called Upon to Shape Gaza's 'Day After' Haaretz
- The Egyptian Plan for Gaza Takes Shape Commentary Magazine
- Egypt Proposes Alternative To Trump's Plan Gaza Reconstruction i24NEWS
Rick Buckler, drummer of The Jam, dies aged 69 after short illness
The musician, along with band members Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton, had many hits in the 1970s and 1980s, including four UK No 1s
Rick Buckler, the drummer of the rock group The Jam, has died aged 69 after a short illness.
In a statement, his management company said Buckley “passed away peacefully on Monday evening in Woking after a short illness with family by his side”.
Continue reading...Hamas to release 6 more hostages, bodies of 4 others – ABC News
- Hamas to release 6 more hostages, bodies of 4 others ABC News
- Bibas Children, Symbols of Hostage Crisis, to Come Home Dead, Hamas Says The New York Times
- LIVE: Hamas ready to free Israeli captives in one go for a permanent truce Al Jazeera English
- After 500 days, a father reunites with his son who was taken hostage by Hamas NPR
- Hamas proposes release of all phase two hostages at once The Jerusalem Post
Brazil to join OPEC+, group of major oil-exporting nations – The Associated Press
Residents say Rwanda-backed rebels are advancing on a third city in eastern Congo – The Associated Press
- Residents say Rwanda-backed rebels are advancing on a third city in eastern Congo The Associated Press
- Why have Rwanda-backed rebels seized 2 Congolese cities and is there an end in sight? The Associated Press
- Congo rebels promise security in Bukavu after looting Reuters
- M23 rebels tighten their grip on major city in eastern DRC Al Jazeera English
- Rebels Take Another City in Mineral-Rich Congo The Wall Street Journal
Six soldiers in Guyana injured in clash with suspected Venezuela-based gang
Guyana plans to ‘take all necessary measures’ for security as tensions likely to further rise between the two countries
Six soldiers in Guyana have been injured after armed men in neighboring Venezuela opened fire, in an attack expected to further heighten tensions between the two South American countries.
Two of the soldiers are in critical condition following Monday’s attack, according to the head of Guyana’s army, the chief of staff Brig Gen Omar Khan, who blamed suspected gang members.
Continue reading...Couple on Round-the-World Trip Charged as Spies in Iran – Newser
- Couple on Round-the-World Trip Charged as Spies in Iran Newser
- Family of British couple detained in Iran seek their return The Washington Post
- British couple charged with spying in Iran Financial Times
- The worrying rise of ‘danger tourists’ ignoring Foreign Office advice The Telegraph
- British motorcycling couple detained in Iran charged with espionage The Guardian
14YO Passes Away After Injecting “Butterfly Remains” As Police Investigates Online “Challenge” – Bored Panda
Jeremy Bowen: No sign of a quick peace dividend for Trump in Ukraine
Ukrainian soldiers are paying little attention to US diplomacy and civilians doubt good will come of it.
Sudan paramilitary group kills more than 200 people in three-day attack, activists say
The Emergency Lawyers network said the RSF killed civilians south of Khartoum, with hundreds more either wounded or missing
Sudanese paramilitaries have killed more than 200 people in a three-day assault south of Khartoum, according to a lawyers’ network, while the army-backed government put the death toll at more than double that figure.
The Emergency Lawyers network, which has documented human rights abuses during 22 months of fighting between the rival security forces, said hundreds more were wounded or missing and feared drowned after the paramilitaries opened fire on villagers as they attempted to flee across the White Nile.
Continue reading...Pope Francis has double pneumonia on top of earlier respiratory tract infection
Pontiff, 88, already in hospital when latest diagnosis made, as Vatican confirms medical situation is ‘complex’
Pope Francis has been diagnosed with double pneumonia after further tests showed a continuing “complex” medical situation, the Vatican said in a statement on Tuesday.
The pontiff, 88, underwent a chest X-ray, which “demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumonia that required further pharmacological therapy”.
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