Trump admin’s second wave of work report emails fuels layoff fears among federal staff

WASHINGTON: After a failed attempt the previous week due to confusing directives, the Trump administration on Friday evening sent a second round of emails instructing all federal employees to summarise their work from the past week. Reuters has confirmed that the emails from the government’s human resources arm, the US Office of Personnel Management, were sent to multiple agencies, asking workers to list five things they accomplished during the week. The move marks a renewed push by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency team to assess the performance…

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Macron urges dialogue after Trump and Zelensky face-off

PARIS: After a tense clash between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, French President Emmanuel Macron reached out to both leaders in an effort to ease tensions, his office confirmed on Saturday. Macron called for “calm” between the two leaders in interviews with French media but also for a dialogue on a possible European nuclear “shield”, as the continent could no longer rely on the United States. In the interviews, he said everyone should “return to calm, respect… so we can move forward… because…

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Trump breaks record with unprecedented surge of executive orders

Since his return to the White House on January 20, Donald Trump has issued an unprecedented 79 executive orders, addressing a wide range of issues from foreign policy to transgender rights. With Republicans holding only slim majorities in Congress, Trump has aggressively used executive action to push his agenda, targeting trade, civil rights, and the federal bureaucracy. According to the Federal Register, which has published the orders made since that date, no US president has signed this many executive orders at such a rapid pace since 1937. Sponsored Content Cardiologist:…

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Trump designates English as official US language through another executive order

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has designated English as the official language of the United States, saying that the move is aimed at bringing cohesion to a country characterised by immigration from around the world. The White House published an executive order by Trump that says it is “long past time” that English is declared the nation’s official language. “A nationally designated language is at the core of a unified and cohesive society, and the United States is strengthened by a citizenry that can freely exchange ideas in one shared language,” the…

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Elon Musk becomes father to 14th child

WASHINGTON: Tesla and SpaceX chief and close aid of United States President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, has become a father for the 14th time. His latest child, a son, is with Shivon Zilis, an executive at Musk’s Neuralink with whom he already has three other children. “Discussed with Elon and, in light of beautiful Arcadia’s birthday, we felt it was better to also just share directly about our wonderful and incredible son Seldon Lycurgus,” Zilis said in a post on X. Sponsored Content Which car has the right of way? Few…

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Kurdish PKK militia declares ceasefire, heeding jailed leader’s call

Outlawed Kurdish militants on Saturday declared a ceasefire with Turkiye following a landmark call by jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan asking the group to disband. It was the first reaction from the PKK after Ocalan this week called for the dissolution of his party and asked it to lay down arms after fighting the Turkish state for over four decades. “In order to pave the way for the implementation of leader Apo’s call for peace and democratic society, we are declaring a ceasefire effective from today,” the…

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US to cut 7,000 social security jobs

WASHINGTON: The United States government is set to lay off 7,000 workers of the agency that provides benefits to tens of millions of older Americans as part of the Trump administration’s plan to slash the size of the federal workforce. The Social Security Administration (SSA), which sends checks to 73 million retired and disabled Americans each month, said in a statement it is going to reduce its workforce by more than 12%. “The agency plans to reduce the size of its bloated workforce and organisational structure, with a significant focus on functions and employees…

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Trump relationship can be repaired after White House row: Zelensky

Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that his relations with the United States can still be repaired, after President Donald Trump shouted at him in an angry White House meltdown accusing the Ukrainian leader of refusing to make peace with Russia. “Of course,” Zelensky said when asked in a Fox News interview if the relationship with Trump could be salvaged. US-Ukrainian ties are about “more than two presidents,” he said, adding that Ukraine badly needs Washington’s help in the fight against Russia’s far bigger and better-armed military. Sponsored Content Doctor Reveals: The Hidden…

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Pope Francis ‘not out of danger’ after breathing crisis amid pneumonia battle

VATICAN CITY: The Vatican has said that Pope Francis, who is being treated for pneumonia in hospital, suffered a “breathing crisis” on Friday, causing him to vomit before he was given air and stabilised. The episode came just hours after a Vatican source said the 88-year-old pontiff’s condition was no longer considered critical, following a series of incremental improvements. Francis, who has spent the past two weeks at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, “presented an isolated crisis of bronchospasm which… led to an episode of vomiting with inhalation and a sudden worsening…

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‘Slap in the face’: Russia cheers over Trump-Zelenskiy showdown at White House

A heated confrontation between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House has been met with delight in Russia, where officials claim the Ukrainian leader got what he deserved. The acrimonious shouting match was a gift to Moscow, which is working to build ties with Trump’s new administration while trying to discredit Zelenskiy and undermine his legitimacy. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said Zelenskiy, who was accused by Trump and Vice President JD Vance of being disrespectful towards the United States, had received a…

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