Confusion and chaos loom as hundreds of thousands of federal employees begin their workweek on Monday facing a deadline from President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting chief, Elon Musk, to explain their recent accomplishments or risk losing their jobs. Musk’s unusual demand has faced resistance from several key U.S. agencies led by the president’s loyalists — including the FBI, State Department, Homeland Security and the Pentagon — which instructed their employees over the weekend not to comply. Trump over the weekend called for Musk to be more aggressive in his cost-cutting crusade through the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and posted a meme on social media mocking federal employees who “cried about Trump and Elon.”
On the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote Monday on dueling resolutions — Ukraine's European-backed proposal demanding an immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from the country and a U.S. call for a swift end to the war that never mentions Moscow's aggression. The United States pressured the Ukrainians to withdraw their nonbinding resolution in favor of its proposal, a U.S. official and a European diplomat said Sunday.
A Texas pipeline company's lawsuit accusing Greenpeace of defamation, disruptions and attacks during protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline goes to trial in North Dakota on Monday, in a case the environmental advocacy organization says threatens free speech rights and its very future. The lawsuit stems from the protests in 2016 and 2017 over the oil pipeline's planned Missouri River crossing, upstream from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's reservation. Energy Transfer and its subsidiary Dakota Access allege trespass, nuisance, defamation and other offenses by Netherlands-based Greenpeace International and its American branch, Greenpeace USA.
President Donald Trump holds talks this week with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a moment of deep uncertainty about the future of transatlantic relations, with Trump transforming American foreign policy and effectively tuning out European leadership as he looks to quickly end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Trump also has made demands for territory — Greenland, Canada, Gaza and the Panama Canal — as well as precious rare earth minerals from Ukraine.
The man accused of opening fire on a suburban Chicago Independence Day parade, killing seven people, is about to stand trial, nearly three years after the attack. Part of the reason is the erratic behavior of the defendant, Robert Crimo III, which has raised questions about what to expect at trial. Authorities allege a gunman perched on a roof shot at crowds assembled for a Fourth of July parade in downtown Highland Park, an upscale suburb 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Chicago.
Vivek Ramaswamy, the Cincinnati-born biotech entrepreneur who departed the Department of Government Efficiency initiative on President Donald Trump's first day, was expected to launch his bid for Ohio governor Monday. Ramaswamy, 39, is set to kick off his campaign in Cincinnati, joining the 2026 Republican primary just a month after presumed frontrunner and then-Lt. Gov. Jon Husted left the running to take a U.S. Senate appointment.
A man who took hostages in a Pennsylvania hospital during a shooting that killed a police officer and wounded five other people highlights the rising violence against U.S. healthcare workers and the challenge of protecting them. Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, 49, carried a pistol and zip ties into the intensive care unit at UPMC Memorial Hospital in southern Pennsylvania's York County and took staff members hostage Saturday before he was killed in a shootout with police, officials said. Officers opened fire as Archangel-Ortiz held at gunpoint a female staff member whose hands had been zip-tied, police said.
Asian shares were mixed on Monday after U.S. stocks fell sharply as reports showed the economy may be suffering as consumers and businesses fret over President Donald Trump’s policies. A separate report said U.S. consumers are bracing for higher inflation, in part because of potential tariffs that could raise prices for all kinds of imports.
RIA state news agency cited the press office of the Security Council as saying the trip will last until February 28. "During the visit, talks are planned on current issues of bilateral relations, including security and defence, as well as the development of cooperation in other areas of mutual interest," RIA reported. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and subsequent punitive sanctions on Moscow by Kyiv's Western allies have shifted Putin's geopolitical interests towards Asia, increasing his promotion of ties with the region.
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters will touch down in Beijing on Tuesday for a three-day visit as relations between the two countries are strained after Chinese Navy vessels conducted live firing exercises in the Tasman Sea. New Zealand and Australia officials said that China had conducted live-fire exercises in international waters between the two nations, giving little notice and forcing commercial airlines to divert flights. The three ships are currently around 280 nautical miles (519 km) east of Tasmania, outside of Australia’s exclusive economic zone, the New Zealand Defence Force said on Monday.
Israel’s military sent tanks into the occupied West Bank for the first time in more than two decades as it expanded operations in the territory on Sunday in a move decried by Palestinian authorities as an escalation of aggression.
Chinese tech giant Alibaba said Monday it will spend more than $50 billion on artificial intelligence and cloud computing over the next three years, a week after co-founder Jack Ma was seen meeting President Xi Jinping.Alibaba plans to "invest at least 380 billion yuan ($53 billion) over the next three years to advance its cloud computing and AI infrastructure", a company statement said.
Europe must seek to “achieve independence” from the United States, Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said after his opposition conservatives won elections on Sunday, in a vote that also saw surging support for the far-right.
The president praised Bongino's law enforcement past.
A political conference in Washington, DC, that bills itself as the alternative to the Trump-aligned CPAC was evacuated on Sunday after a death threat made against several of its speakers who have been critical of President Donald Trump.
A rift appeared to open Sunday between some of President Donald Trump’s agency heads and Elon Musk, the billionaire tasked with reforming the federal government, over Musk’s demand that all federal employees state their weekly accomplishments or risk termination.
Indonesia on Monday launched a new sovereign wealth fund that will aim to manage state assets worth more than $900 billion as President Prabowo Subianto looks to turbo-charge growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.Danantara will be Indonesia's second sovereign wealth fund, after the Indonesia Investment Authority which was launched in 2021 and holds $10.5 billion in assets.
Die-hard South Korean fans cheer and clap as their favourite superheroes strike poses in brightly coloured uniforms to the sounds of a soulful Japanese ballad, a nostalgic throwback to the days of VHS. It has been decades since Japanese superhero series "Choudenshi Bioman" was last on TV, but its epic stories of good versus evil still resonate deeply for these South Korean millennials.But many Korean fans of "Choudenshi Bioman" were initially not even aware the show was Japanese.
Asian markets mostly fell Monday following a dour end to last week for Wall Street, where a disappointing round of data added to concerns about the world's number one economy.After a healthy performance on Friday, Asian investors struggled to maintain momentum after big losses in New York, where the Nasdaq lost more than two percent The selling came after a report showed activity in the key services sector hit a 25-month low in February, while separate data indicated consumer sentiment dived alm
Germany's conservative election winner Friedrich Merz vowed to get to work Monday on the arduous task of building a new coalition government, warning "the world isn't waiting for us".- 'No fireworks' - Germany's political crisis was sparked by feuding in Scholz's three-way alliance, which broke apart on November 6, the day Trump was re-elected.
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