Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

The US Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve, marking a sharp escalation in Donald Trump’s confrontation with the central bank. Powell said on Friday that the Fed had been served with grand jury subpoenas, raising the prospect of a criminal indictment linked to his testimony before the Senate banking committee in June last year. The investigation focuses on Powell’s comments to lawmakers about renovations to the Federal Reserve’s historic office buildings in Washington DC, and whether he misled Congress about the scale of the project. According to the New York Times,…

Bob Weir, the veteran rock musician who helped steer the Grateful Dead through six decades of musical evolution and cultural influence, has died aged 78, according to a statement posted on his verified Instagram account on Friday. The statement, shared by his daughter Chloe Weir, said he died surrounded by family. Weir had been diagnosed with cancer in July and later succumbed to underlying lung complications. “Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music,” Chloe Weir wrote. “There is no final curtain here, not really. Only the sense of someone setting off again.” She asked…

The United States has urged its citizens to leave Venezuela immediately amid reports that armed paramilitary groups are attempting to identify and track US nationals, one week after the capture of the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. In a security alert issued on Saturday, the US state department said it had received reports that members of pro-government militias, known as colectivos, had set up roadblocks and were searching vehicles for signs that occupants were US citizens or supporters. The alert advised US nationals in Venezuela to remain vigilant and exercise extreme caution when travelling by road. It urged them to depart…

Indonesia has temporarily blocked access to Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot, citing concerns over the risk of AI-generated pornographic content. The move makes Indonesia the first country to deny access to the tool. The decision follows growing criticism from governments, regulators and researchers across Europe and Asia over the spread of sexualised content on the app. Several countries have opened inquiries into Grok’s safeguards. xAI, the company behind Grok, said on Thursday that it had restricted image generation and editing to paying subscribers while addressing lapses that allowed sexualised outputs. These included images of scantily clad children, which sparked widespread condemnation.…

Russia has fired its new hypersonic Oreshnik missile at a target in western Ukraine during a large overnight assault, marking a further escalation in the conflict. Ukrainian authorities confirmed that the strike occurred near the country’s western border, close to the European Union and Nato frontier. Moscow said the launch of the intermediate-range ballistic missile was retaliation for an alleged Ukrainian drone attempt on President Vladimir Putin’s residence last month, a claim denied by both Kyiv and Washington. Ukraine’s foreign minister described the strike as a “grave threat” to European security, warning that the use of such a weapon so…

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence tool, Grok, has restricted its image creation function for most users following widespread criticism over its use to generate sexually explicit and violent content. The decision follows threats of fines, regulatory action and reports that X, Musk’s social media platform, could face a possible ban in the UK. Grok had been used to manipulate images of women, removing their clothing and placing them in sexualised poses. Access to the image generation and editing feature has now been limited to paying subscribers. In a post on X, Grok said: “Image generation and editing are currently limited to…

The presidents of France and Germany have issued sharp warnings over US foreign policy under Donald Trump, saying Washington is undermining international rules and pushing the world towards a lawless global order. In unusually blunt and apparently uncoordinated remarks, Emmanuel Macron and Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the postwar rules-based system was at risk of collapse. Speaking to France’s diplomatic corps at the Élysée Palace on Thursday, Macron said the United States was increasingly distancing itself from allies and abandoning the principles it once promoted. “The US is an established power, but one that is gradually turning away from some of its…

Donald Trump has said he does not believe international law meaningfully constrains his power as president, claiming his authority is limited only by his “own morality”. In an interview with the New York Times, the US president said: “The only thing that can stop me is my own morality, my own mind,” adding: “I’m not looking to hurt people.” Pressed on whether his administration must adhere to international law, Trump replied: “I do,” before qualifying the remark by saying: “It depends on what your definition of international law is.” The comments come as the Trump administration examines “a range of…

Federal agents shot and killed a woman during a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis on Wednesday, triggering outrage from state and local officials and renewed scrutiny of federal immigration tactics. The woman was identified as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good, a US citizen, poet and mother of three who had recently moved to Minnesota. She was shot during an operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which had deployed hundreds of agents to the Minneapolis–St Paul area as part of a crackdown linked partly to alleged fraud involving Somali residents. Ilhan Omar, the Democratic congresswoman for Minnesota, said the…

Brigitte Bardot, the French film star who later became a prominent animal rights activist, has been laid to rest following a funeral service in Saint-Tropez attended by Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader and one of her favoured political figures. Bardot died aged 91 on 28 December at her home, La Madrague, in Saint-Tropez. Her death was confirmed by her husband, Bernard d’Ormale, who said she died of cancer. He told Paris Match that she had undergone two operations and had faced her illness “very well” before it claimed her life last month. The funeral took place at the Notre-Dame…