Slow progress at Gaza border after Israel reopens Rafah crossing
Israel reopened the Rafah crossing on Monday (2 February) to a trickle of Palestinians for the first time in months, a major step in a U.S.-backed pl...
In a newly issued executive order, the Trump administration has directed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to expand its review of federal spending by establishing centralized technological systems across all agencies.
The order requires agencies to record contract and grant awards centrally, and mandates that employees who approve individual payments provide written justifications for their decisions.
Under the new directive, agency heads will have the authority to “pause and rapidly review” any payment where a written justification has not been submitted. The EO also extends to federally funded travel, instructing agency leaders, with support from DOGE, to create systems that centrally record approvals for non-essential travel, such as conferences. Once these systems are in place, employees will be required to submit written justifications for such travel expenses.
This move marks the latest expansion of DOGE’s authority to scrutinize federal spending. Earlier this month, DOGE circulated an email to federal employees, urging them to detail their weekly work accomplishments under the threat of termination. According to reports, the information will be analyzed using an AI algorithm to determine whether an employee’s work is deemed mission-critical.
DOGE was established under an executive order signed by President Trump on January 20, 2025, which rebranded the U.S. Digital Service as DOGE and appointed teams of “special government employees” across federal agencies. Comprised largely of young professionals from Elon Musk’s businesses and other private-sector backgrounds, the unit has largely operated without extensive oversight, raising ongoing questions about its cybersecurity and privacy practices.
The latest executive order reflects the administration’s commitment to further tighten federal spending controls and enhance accountability across government agencies.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States has begun negotiations with European leaders over Greenland and that an agreement is already taking shape.
The United States accused Cuba of interfering with the work of its top diplomat in Havana on Sunday (1 February) after small groups of Cubans jeered at him during meetings with residents and church representatives.
Dmitry Medvedev, said European countries have failed to defeat Russia in Ukraine and have instead inflicted serious economic damage on themselves, as he criticised EU policy, praised Donald Trump as a leader who seeks peace, and said Russia would “soon” achieve military victory in the war.
Heavy snow continued to batter northern and western Japan on Saturday (31 January) leaving cities buried under record levels of snowfall and prompting warnings from authorities. Aomori city in northern Japan recorded 167 centimetres of snow by Friday - the highest January total since 1945.
A daylight robbery at a jewellery shop in Richmond, one of London’s most affluent and traditionally quiet districts, has heightened security concerns among residents and local businesses.
Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX has acquired his artificial intelligence firm xAI, as the billionaire moves to bring more of his technology businesses under one structure.
Web Summit Qatar 2026 opened in Doha on Sunday, drawing tens of thousands of founders, investors, policymakers and technology leaders to what organisers describe as one of the region’s largest digital economy gatherings.
Fresh observations by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory reveal a massive galaxy cluster forming far sooner after the Big Bang than scientists once thought possible.
The landscape was full of giants, but the “perfect snack” 150 million years ago came from the smallest steps on the ground.
China has approved the first batch of Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence (AI) chips after Washington allowed limited sales, paving the way for major Chinese technology companies to gain access to processors that remain far ahead of domestic alternatives.
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