Politics

The United Nations has announced significant reductions to its global humanitarian operations following what it describes as unprecedented funding shortfalls from international donors. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released a statement Monday reducing its aid appeal to $29bn, down dramatically from the $44bn requested in December. The organization will implement a "hyper-prioritised" plan focusing exclusively on the most critical emergencies. These cuts follow substantial decreases in funding from major donors. The United States, traditionally the largest contributor, has reduced foreign aid under President Trump's administration. Other donor nations have followed with similar reductions, citing global economic uncertainty as justification. The funding crisis has reached severe proportions, with the UN receiving only $5.6bn this year, representing just 13 percent of its original request. This shortfall coincides with escalating humanitarian needs across multiple conflict zones, including Sudan, […]

Three US officials have told CBS News that President Donald Trump rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to one official, Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that killing Khamenei was "not a good idea." The president has not publicly commented on this report. The conversation allegedly occurred after Israel launched its Friday attack on Iran. When asked about a Reuters report suggesting Trump had vetoed the assassination plan during a Fox News interview, Netanyahu neither confirmed nor denied it. "There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened and I'm not going to get into that," Netanyahu stated. "But I can tell you I think we do what we need to do. We will do what we need to do, and I think the United States knows what is good for […]

The United States has initiated a partial evacuation of its embassy in Iraq and authorized the voluntary departure of dependents from multiple Middle Eastern locations, including Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, citing rising regional security concerns. US Central Command announced Wednesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had authorized the departure of military dependents in the region while monitoring "developing tension." The State Department ordered nonessential personnel to leave the already limited-staffed US Embassy in Baghdad, emphasizing its commitment to "keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad." President Trump confirmed the evacuations Wednesday evening, stating the region "could be a dangerous place." He added, "We'll see what happens. We've given notice to move out, and we'll see what happens." Trump then referenced Iran directly: "They can't have a nuclear weapon, very simple. We're not going to allow that." […]

The United States and China have established a "framework" on trade following two days of negotiations in London designed to reduce tensions between the world's largest economies. While details of the framework announced Tuesday remain unclear, the development represents progress following Washington and Beijing's announcement of a 90-day tariff pause after Geneva talks last month. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick reported that both sides worked to implement the "Geneva consensus" and had "pounded through" all major issues dividing the two nations. The framework requires approval from President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who discussed trade in a 90-minute phone call last week, before moving forward. "Once the presidents approve it, we will then seek to implement it," Lutnick told reporters outside Lancaster House. Lutnick suggested that US measures responding to China's slowdown in rare earth exports, a significant […]

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has publicly expressed regret over his recent criticisms of President Donald Trump following their highly publicized dispute. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week," Musk wrote on his social media platform X early Wednesday. "They went too far." The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who recently stepped down from his position leading the Department of Government Efficiency, did not identify which specific criticisms prompted his apology. Musk's regret follows a series of aggressive attacks against Trump, including an unverified allegation that the administration withheld Jeffrey Epstein files to protect Trump from potential connections to the deceased financier and convicted sex offender. The conflict erupted after Musk, previously one of Trump's most influential supporters during his campaign and early presidency, publicly opposed Trump's comprehensive legislative package last week. Musk condemned what he called the […]