President Ilham Aliyev holds key meetings with Chinese industry leaders
President Ilham Aliyev held a series of strategic meetings with senior executives from leading Chinese industrial corporations in Tianjin on 31 August...
The Department of Energy (DOE) has instructed its employees to label documents related to the agency’s review of grants and contracts under the controversial DOGE initiative with "legal privilege," in a bid to prevent them from being disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
A memo obtained by Axios reveals that the DOE’s acting general counsel, David R. Taggart, issued the directive on March 17, outlining procedures for handling DOGE-related documents.
DOGE, which has been tasked with evaluating the efficiency and alignment of grants and contracts with DOE policies, has provided spreadsheets to DOE officials. These spreadsheets are to help identify which grants and contracts could potentially be flagged for termination or renegotiation.
The memo also directs political appointees within the DOE to assess whether each grant or contract is “efficient” and “consistent with DOE policies and priorities.” Taggart emphasized the importance of brevity and consistency when completing the spreadsheets, citing a "heavy litigation environment" surrounding the DOGE cuts.
The review process appears to cover multiple areas within the DOE, including its national laboratory system, as each laboratory is managed by private companies under contract. The DOE’s standard contracts contain provisions that allow for termination if an award no longer aligns with the department's goals or priorities.
The memo suggests that the process for enacting DOGE cuts may involve minimal scrutiny once the completed spreadsheets leave DOE offices. Officials have been encouraged to be as detailed as possible when filling out the documents to avoid overlooking specific nuances in contracts and grants, which could result in the wrongful termination of efficient agreements.
The move comes amid growing controversy surrounding the DOGE initiative and its potential impact on energy-related research and development funding.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
Norway will purchase a fleet of British-built frigates to reinforce its naval strength, the government confirmed on Sunday. The move marks a decisive step in what is expected to be the country’s largest-ever military procurement and a significant boost to NATO’s northern maritime defences.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Saturday cancelled a planned visit to China as nationwide protests spread beyond Jakarta, with several regional parliament buildings set on fire.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 31th of August, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin on Sunday for a regional security summit, Chinese and Russian state media reported.
China’s largest city and global financial hub, Shanghai, has set a new heat record, state media reported on Saturday. Temperatures in the city exceeded 35°C (95°F) for 25 consecutive days, breaking the previous record set in 1926.
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