President Donald Trump has said the US had “very good and productive discussions” with Vladimir Putin and that “thousands of Ukrainian troops” were surrounded by the Russian army, a claim refuted by the Ukrainian military and independent analysts. In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said there was a “very good chance” the war between Russia and Ukraine could “finally come to an end.” The US president made…

More than 50 universities are being investigated for alleged racial discrimination as part of President Donald Trump’s campaign to end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes that his officials say exclude white and Asian American students. The Education Department announced the new investigations Friday, one month after issuing a memo warning America’s schools and colleges that they could lose federal money over “race-based preferences” in admissions, scholarships or any aspect…

Twelve passengers who sustained minor injuries from the American airlines flight engulfed in flames have been transported to the hospital following the evacuation of all passengers and crew members through the slide. Denver International Airport confirmed this in a post shared on their social media platform X. “DEN emergency crews responded to an aircraft incident earlier this evening at gate C38. All passengers were safely evacuated from the plane. 12…

By Fatimah Idera US stock markets fell today on Wall Street as Donald Trump threatened to impose 200% tariffs on French wine, cognac, and alcoholic drinks imported from Europe. The S&P 500 lost 1.4%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite closed down 2% after resuming its decline from the heavy losses suffered earlier this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 1.3% as concerns grew that the US tariff war…

President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to eliminate a key tool that lower courts have used to block various aspects of his agenda. In an emergency appeal Thursday, Trump asked the justices to rein in or shelve three nationwide injunctions lower-court judges have issued against his bid to end birthright citizenship. But his request could have repercussions far beyond the debate over the controversial citizenship plan. Judges have…

Senior diplomats from Iran, Russia and China gathered in Beijing on Friday for talks on Tehran’s nuclear issues, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported, days after Tehran rejected U.S. “orders” to resume dialogue over the Iranian nuclear programme. In 2015, Iran reached a deal with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany and agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. But in…

President Vladimir Putin paid a surprise visit to troops in Russia’s western Kursk region on Thursday where he ordered them to press their lightning advance and swiftly retake the rest of the area from Ukrainian forces. Putin made his visit after Washington asked him to consider a 30-day ceasefire proposal backed by Ukraine, and after Russian forces retook a swath of territory in Kursk, forcing Ukrainian troops to fall back…

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) being headed by billionaire businessman, Elon Musk has announced that it has saved approximately $115bn through various cuts. The recently created DOGE posted on its website the receipts of $17.9 billion from contract cuts, over $16.6 billion from grant cuts, and at least $489.2 million from real estate cuts. According to the data, DOGE has so far issued 13,640 receipts totaling around $35 billion.…

By Fatimah Idera A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck a volcanic area near the southern Italian city of Naples early Thursday, damaging buildings and sending residents fleeing into the streets. According to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), the earthquake occurred at 1:25 a.m. (0025 GMT), with its epicentre near the coastal town of Pozzuoli, located west of Naples. The quake, which was followed by several smaller tremors, was…

By Fatimah Idera Tanzania plans to increase overall spending by 13.4% in the upcoming fiscal year starting in July, according to a draft budget that prioritizes debt repayment, the cost of the upcoming general election, and the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s pause on overseas aid. According to the budget paper, the East African country plans to spend 57.04 trillion shillings ($22 billion) in the 12 months beginning in…

A federal judge has ordered half a dozen federal agencies to “immediately” reinstate probationary employees fired last month as part of the Trump administration’s effort to rapidly shrink the federal workforce, calling the effort a “sham.” The preliminary injunction issued from the bench Thursday by US District Judge William Alsup requires the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior and Treasury to rehire the employees. The judge said that…

European Union leaders announced 4.7 billion euros ($5.1 billion) in investments in South Africa on Thursday to support green energy and vaccine production, and agreed to start talks on new trade deals with Africa’s most advanced economy. The announcement came at the first bilateral summit between the bloc and the African country in seven years. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and South African…