31 h. ago US begins sending nuclear workers home as government shutdown drags

The agency responsible for safeguarding the US nuclear stockpile began placing most staff on enforced leave on Monday, US media reported, as the government shutdown dragged into a fourth week. Some 1,400 workers at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) were expected to receive notices telling them they had been placed on unpaid “furlough”, CNN reported, leaving just 375 at their posts. “Since its creation in 2000, NNSA has never before furloughed federal workers during funding...

Events

66 h. ago Iran, Russia, China send letter to UN declaring nuclear deal with Tehran terminated

Iran, Russia, China send letter to UN declaring nuclear deal with Tehran terminated  Anadolu Ajansı

Events

6 d. ago US judge blocks Trump’s plan to fire thousands of workers during shutdown

A federal judge in California on Wednesday ordered US President Donald Trump’s administration to halt mass lay-offs of federal workers during a partial government shutdown while she considers claims by unions that the job cuts are illegal. During a hearing in San Francisco, US District Judge Susan Illston granted a request by two unions to block lay-offs at more than 30 federal agencies while the case proceeds. The decision is likely to be appealed quickly, but it offers a reprieve for federal...

Events

7 d. ago UK and US sanction Southeast Asian scam networks exploiting trafficked workers

Britain and the United States on Tuesday sanctioned a Southeast Asia-based multinational network accused of operating large-scale online “scam centres” that used trafficked workers to defraud victims around the world. The British government said the centres, located in Cambodia, Myanmar and across the region, used fake job adverts to lure workers who were then forced to commit online fraud under threat of torture. This included luring victims into fake romantic relationships before persuading...

Politics

9 d. ago Vance warns of ‘painful’ and ‘deeper’ cuts as US shutdown continues

US Vice-President J.D. Vance on Sunday said there will be deeper cuts to the federal workforce the longer the government shutdown goes on, adding to the uncertainty facing hundreds of thousands who are already furloughed without pay amid the stubborn stalemate in Congress. Vance warned that as the federal shutdown entered its 12th day, the new cuts would be “painful”, even as he said the Trump administration worked to ensure the military is paid this week and some services would be preserved for...

Events

1 week ago Vietnam’s top leader heads to North Korea for first visit in 18 years

Vietnam’s top leader begins his three-day visit to North Korea on Thursday for a trip that reflects Hanoi’s desire to balance regional relations amid ongoing tensions, analysts say. Communist Party chief To Lam’s visit – the first by a Vietnamese leader to the reclusive country in almost two decades – will coincide with a military parade in Pyongyang on Friday to mark the 80th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party, according to the Vietnamese government and North Korean state media...

Politics

2 w. ago US government shutdown to drag into next week, as Senate funding vote fails

The US government shutdown is set to stretch into next week after senators voted on Friday for a fourth time to reject a funding fix proposed by President Donald Trump’s Republicans. Federal agencies have been out of money since Wednesday – with a wide range of public services crippled – as a result of deadlocked talks in Congress on how to keep the lights on. Tourist sites such as the Washington Monument have closed, key data on employment has been delayed and some official websites have ground...

Politics

3 w. ago US begins first government shutdown in almost 7 years as budget talks fail

The US government began shutting down after midnight on Wednesday as lawmakers and President Donald Trump failed to break a budget impasse during acrimonious talks that hinged on Democratic demands for healthcare funding. It is the first shutdown since the longest in history - lasting 35 days - almost seven years ago, and will stop work at multiple federal departments and agencies, affecting hundreds of thousands of government workers. Trump blamed Democrats over the stalled talks and threatened...

Events

3 w. ago Religious beliefs hinder measles vaccinations in Indonesia amid outbreak

Three healthcare workers rode motorbikes into the Indonesian city of Sumenep, carrying doses of measles vaccine and a list of children who needed them. With blue medical boxes in hand, they went from house to house administering the life-saving shots. The health workers on wheels are part of the regional government’s latest efforts to curb a deadly measles outbreak on Madura Island that has persisted for the past nine months. More than 2,600 children have already been infected this year, and 20...

Politics