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The US government’s giant humanitarian agency USAID on Tuesday announced it was placing its staff in the United States and around the world on administrative leave as it moved to recall employees from overseas postings.The agency said in a statement on its website — which reappeared Tuesday after going dark over the weekend — that the staff leave will begin shortly before midnight on February 7. The administrative leave will hit “all USAID direct hire personnel… with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs.””Thank you for your service,” the statement read.The move is part of Trump’s — and his billionaire ally Elon Musk’s — radical drive to shrink the US government, which has shocked Washington and caused angry protests from Democrats and the human rights community. The aid arm of US foreign policy, USAID funds health and emergency programs in around 120 countries, including the world’s poorest regions.It is seen as a vital source of soft power for the United States in its struggle for influence with rivals including China, where Musk has extensive business interests.Musk has called USAID “a viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America” and has vowed to shut it down.Among other criticisms, which Musk has not substantiated, he claims USAID does “rogue CIA work” and even “funded bioweapon research, including Covid-19, that killed millions of people.”The SpaceX and Tesla CEO — who has massive contracts with the US government and was the biggest financial backer of Trump’s campaign — said he had personally cleared the unprecedented move with the president.The assault on USAID comes in the context of long-running narratives on the hard-line conservative and libertarian wings of the Republican Party that the United States wastes money on foreigners while ignoring Americans.The agency describes itself as working “to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies while advancing our security and prosperity.”As of 2023, the most recent year for which full data was available, the top three recipients of aid from USAID were Ukraine, Ethiopia and Jordan, according to the Congressional Research Service. Other top recipients of aid included the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Syria. The scale of USAID’s funding for Ukraine is significant, with the war-torn European country receiving more than $16 billion in macroeconomic support, according to US government data.Founded in 1961, the agency’s budget of more than $40 billion is a small drop in the US government’s overall annual spending of nearly $7 trillion.The United States is the world’s largest provider of official development assistance, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Google on Tuesday updated its principles when it comes to artificial intelligence, removing vows not to use the technology for weapons or surveillance.Revised AI principles were posted just weeks after Google chief executive Sundar Pichai and other tech titans attended the inauguration of US President Donald Trump.When asked by AFP about the change, a Google spokesperson referred to a blog post outlining the company’s AI principles that made no mention of the promises, which Pichai first outlined in 2018.”We believe democracies should lead in AI development, guided by core values like freedom, equality, and respect for human rights,” read an updated AI principles blog post by Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis and research labs senior vice president James Manyika.”And we believe that companies, governments, and organizations sharing these values should work together to create AI that protects people, promotes global growth, and supports national security,” it continued.Pichai had previously stated that the company would not design or deploy the technology for weapons designed to hurt people or “that gather or use information for surveillance violating internationally accepted norms.”That wording was gone from the updated AI principles shared by Google on Tuesday.Upon taking office, Trump quickly rescinded an executive order by his predecessor, former president Joe Biden, mandating safety practices for AI.Companies in the race to lead the burgeoning AI field in the United States now have fewer obligations to adhere to, such as being required to share test results signalling the technology has serious risks to the nation, its economy or its citizens.Google noted in its blog post that it publishes an annual report about its AI work and progress.”There’s a global competition taking place for AI leadership within an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape,” Hassabis and Manyika said in their post.”Billions of people are using AI in their everyday lives.”Google’s original AI principles were published after employee backlash to its involvement in a Pentagon research project looking into using AI to improve the ability of weapons systems to identify targets.Google ended its involvement in the project.

President Donald Trump revealed an extraordinary plan Tuesday for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip, resettle Palestinians in other countries — seemingly whether they wanted to leave or not — and turn the territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”Trump made the stunning proposal to audible gasps during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he was hosting at the White House for talks.In a scheme that lacked details on how he would move out more than two million Palestinians or control Gaza, Trump said he would make the war-battered enclave “unbelievable” by removing unexploded bombs and rubble and economically redeveloping it.”The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it,” Trump said.He said there was support from the “highest leadership” in the Middle East and upped pressure on Egypt and Jordan to take displaced Gazans — despite both countries and the Palestinians flatly rejecting the surprise idea.Suggesting “long-term ownership” by the United States, Trump said his plan for Gaza would make it “the Riviera of the Middle East. This could be something that could be so magnificent.” Key US ally Netanyahu said Trump’s plan could “change history” and was worth “paying attention to.”Netanyahu was making the first visit of a foreign leader to the White House since Trump’s return to power, for what were billed as talks on securing a second phase of the Israel-Hamas truce after an initial six-week ceasefire.- ‘Miserable existence’ -But it quickly turned into the shock revelation of a plan that would completely transform the face of the Middle East.Trump, who also floated traveling to Gaza, appeared to suggest it would not be rebuilt for Palestinians. “It should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have… lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there,” he said.The Palestinian envoy to the UN had pushed back strongly at Trump’s suggestions earlier Tuesday — before his proposal the United States take the territory over — for his people to be resettled. “Our homeland is our homeland,” said Riyad Mansour. “And I think that leaders and people should respect the wishes of the Palestinian people.”Gazans have also denounced Trump’s resettlement idea. “Trump thinks Gaza is a pile of garbage — absolutely not,” said 34-year-old Hatem Azzam, a resident of the southern city of Rafah.Trump was vague on the details of how he would execute the takeover plan, but hinted that it could require US boots on the ground in one of the most volatile places on earth “if necessary.” It is not the first time the former property tycoon has spoken about the Palestinian territory in terms of real estate, saying in October it could be “better than Monaco.”Standing at a podium beside Trump, Netanyahu hailed Trump as Israel’s “greatest friend” and praised his “willingness to think outside the box.”The two have had tense relations in the past, but Netanyahu has seized on the Republican’s return to power after his ties with former president Joe Biden became increasingly strained over the death toll in Gaza since Israel’s invasion.- ‘Winning the war’ -The Israeli leader would not rule out a return to hostilities with Hamas, or with its other foes in the region including Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran.”We will end the war by winning the war,” Netanyahu insisted, while also vowing to secure the return of all hostages held by Hamas.He did voice confidence that a deal with regional rival Saudi Arabia to normalize relations was “going to happen.”But after Trump aired his proposal, Saudi Arabia said it would not formalize ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is established. Trump’s grand Gaza plan however is set to face harsh opposition from Palestinians and Middle Eastern countries.Egypt, Jordan and ceasefire mediator Qatar have all flatly rejected Trump’s suggestion of moving Palestinians from Gaza.The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, taking into Gaza 251 hostages, 76 of whom are still held in the Palestinian territory including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.Hamas’s attack resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people on Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.Israel’s retaliatory response has killed at least 47,518 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The UN considers these figures as reliable.The truce that took effect on January 18 has led to a surge of food, fuel, medical and other aid into Gaza, and allowed people displaced by the war to return to the north of the Palestinian territory.But since the Gaza ceasefire took effect, Israel has launched a deadly operation against militants in the occupied West Bank’s north.burs-dk

A Texas man is to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday for the 2011 murder of a pastor that he insists he did not commit.Steven Nelson, 37, has spent more than a dozen years on death row for the murder of Clint Dobson, 28, during a robbery of the NorthPointe Baptist Church in Arlington, near Dallas.Dobson was beaten and suffocated with a plastic bag. Judy Elliott, the church secretary, was also badly beaten but survived.Nelson’s appeals against his conviction and death sentence have been repeatedly rejected by Texas courts and the US Supreme Court has declined to hear his case.Nelson was interviewed by AFP recently at the maximum-security prison in Livingston, a town 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of Houston, where he is awaiting his execution.”It’s hard at times,” he said. “You’re waiting to be put to death. So that kind of breaks a little part of you every day… You just don’t want to do nothing.”Nelson acknowledges that he served as a lookout during the robbery and that he entered the church after the murder to steal some items.But he says it was his two accomplices, who were never brought to trial, who committed the murder.”I didn’t know what was going on on the inside,” he said, claiming his friends “blamed everything on me.””So they’re free and I’m locked up,” he said. “I’m here on death row because of what somebody else did.””I’m an innocent man,” Nelson said. “I’m being executed for a crime, a murder, that I did not commit.”- ‘Make my heart stop’ -Nelson married a French woman, Helene Noa Dubois, while in prison.He said it is up to her to decide whether she wants to witness his execution, although he does not want her to be there.”I really don’t want her to see that — me getting pumped full of drugs and being overdosed with drugs to kill me, to make my heart stop.”But if she makes that choice to be there then that’s her choice.”There were 25 executions in the United States last year and there has been one so far this year, in South Carolina.The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others — California, Oregon and Pennsylvania — have moratoriums in place.Three states — Arizona, Ohio and Tennessee — that had paused executions have recently announced plans to resume them. President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and on his first day in the White House he called for an expansion of its use “for the vilest crimes.”

Google’s parent company Alphabet on Tuesday reported revenue jumped in the recently-ended quarter, but shares sank on concerns it may be pouring too much money into artificial intelligence.Google and rivals are spending billions of dollars on data centers and more for AI, while meaningful returns on investments remain elusive and the rise of lower-cost model DeepSeek from China raises questions about how much needs to be spent.”We are pushing the next frontiers from AI agents, reasoning and deep research to state-of-the-art video, quantum computing and more,” Alphabet chief executive Sundar Pichai said during an earnings call.”The company is in a great rhythm and cadence, building, testing, and launching products faster than ever before.”Pichai said this is translating into increased use of its products, including AI search summaries that are now available in more than 100 countries.Alphabet said revenues jumped 12 percent to $96.5 billion in the quarter, but the company’s share price sank more than 7 percent in after-hours trading as investors were disappointed by lower-than-expected revenue growth and the company’s ambitious capital spending forecast for 2025.Google Cloud revenue, while growing 30 percent to $12 billion, fell short of expectations, raising questions about the division’s ability to compete with rivals in the heated AI infrastructure market.”Q4 was a strong quarter driven by our leadership in AI and momentum across the business,” Pichai said.”We’ll continue to invest in our cloud business to ensure we can address the increase in customer demand.”Pichai added that Google is working on “even better thinking models” that it will share with developers soon.Alphabet announced plans to invest approximately $75 billion in capital expenditures in 2025, a figure that surprised analysts and highlighted the mounting costs of AI development.- ‘Chaotic backdrop’ -Like other tech giants, Alphabet is betting heavily on artificial intelligence across all of its products. “Part of the reason we are so excited about the AI opportunity is we know we can drive extraordinary use cases because the cost of actually using it is going to keep coming down,” Pichai said.”The opportunity space is as big as it comes, and that’s why you’re seeing us meeting that moment.”In December, the company announced the launch of Gemini 2.0, its most advanced AI model to date.The company’s core Google Services segment, which includes search and YouTube, posted revenues of $84.1 billion, up 10 percent year-over-year.Within this segment, YouTube advertising revenue grew to $10.5 billion, while Google Search revenue reached $54 billion.Pichai told financial analysts that autonomous car division Waymo made “tremendous progress” last year and its robotaxi service is averaging 150,000 trips weekly.Waymo One robotaxi operations will expand to Austin and Atlanta this year, and to Miami next year, according to Pichai.”And in the coming weeks, Waymo One vehicles will arrive in Tokyo for their first international road trip,” Pichai said.The company’s workforce remained largely stable at 183,323 employees, reflecting ongoing cost control measures.Hanging over Google in 2025 are two major antitrust cases in the United States concerning the company’s dominant position in search engines and ad technology. A US judge has already found Google operating an illegal monopoly in search, and the company faces potential forced restructuring, including the possible sale of Chrome, its world-leading web browser.Meanwhile, Britain’s competition watchdog recently launched its own investigation into Google’s search engine market dominance and its impact on consumers and businesses. The decision in the US ad tech case is expected in the coming weeks.”Between defending itself against antitrust lawsuits from multiple governments, courting US TikTok advertisers to capitalize on a yet-elusive ban, reconfiguring search around generative AI, and convincing the market to invest in Gemini, Google is fighting ongoing battles on several fronts,” said Emarketer senior analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf.”Against this chaotic backdrop, Google’s core ads business has maintained healthy growth.”

Netflix has dropped Karla Sofia Gascon, the star of “Emilia Perez,” from its high-profile Oscars campaign and distanced itself from the best actress nominee over her offensive social media posts, Hollywood trade outlets reported Tuesday.Images of Gascon, who made history as the first openly transgender acting nominee in Academy Awards history, had adorned posters, billboards and advertisements for the musical film, which earned 13 Oscar nods — more than any other movie this year.But that campaign has abruptly changed tack, after old social media posts were uncovered and widely shared last week in which Gascon called Islam “an infection” and “deeply disgusting.”Gascon also denigrated or mocked wide-ranging subjects, including diversity efforts, China and George Floyd, the Black man whose 2020 killing by police spurred massive protests.The Spanish star, 52, initially apologized in a statement issued via Netflix and deactivated her account on X, formerly Twitter, but soon reversed course by defending herself publicly.She told CNN she is “not a racist” and will not withdraw from Oscar contention, and blamed “cancel culture” in an Instagram post.The Hollywood Reporter and Variety said streaming giant Netflix, which has invested heavily in hopes that “Emilia Perez” will provide its first ever best picture Oscar win, has now dropped Gascon from all campaign efforts.A Netflix web page promoting the film “for your awards consideration” on Tuesday contained an image of Zoe Saldana, the movie’s best supporting actress nominee.At a peak moment in Hollywood’s award season, Gascon will no longer attend events including Friday’s Critics Choice Awards gala as scheduled, trade magazines reported.Contacted by AFP, Netflix declined to publicly comment. “Emilia Perez” tells the story of a Mexican drug cartel boss who transitions to life as a woman and turns her back on crime.It had previously received criticism for its depictions of Mexico and its drug war, its representation of trans issues, and its use of artificial intelligence to increase Gascon’s voice range in musical scenes.But at least until now it had appeared to weather those storms, remaining a perceived frontrunner for multiple Academy Awards.Controversy has not always prevented films from going on to enjoy success at the Oscars.”Green Book,” a drama based on the real-life story of a Black musician and his white driver in the 1960s Deep South, was widely condemned for perpetuating “white savior” stereotypes.A tweet surfaced during Oscars campaigning, in which one of the movie’s producers expressed support for false claims that Muslims were celebrating in New Jersey following the 9/11 terror attacks.It went on to win best picture.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he still wants to work with Congress on the future of the department of education, as multiple reports suggested he was drafting executive orders to shut it down completely.Trump cannot abolish the department without the approval of Congress, which he is unlikely to get, but US media reported Tuesday that he would issue orders to effectively dismantle it from inside.”I want the states to run schools, and I want Linda to put herself out of a job,” Trump told reporters at the White House Tuesday, referring to his pick for education secretary, Linda McMahon.Asked whether he plans to resort to an executive order or collaborate with Congress, Trump said: “I think I’d work with Congress.”He added that he would also have to work with teachers’ unions “because the teachers union is the only one that’s opposed to it.”The National Education Association, the largest labor union in the country, described Trump’s plans as “a direct attack on our students, educators, and public schools.””We won’t let it happen. Congress must reject this extremist agenda,” the organization said on social media.In the United States, education infrastructure is mostly the purview of state and local governments. Launched in 1980, the US Department of Education currently has some 4,400 employees and a $79 billion annual budget. It is primarily responsible for managing federal loans for college and university students, collecting data on students’ progress and implementing anti-discrimination protections.The White House confirmed Trump was due to sign on Tuesday the latest in a slew of executive orders since his assumption of power on January 20, but did not specify what they were.The reports come amid a wider blitz on the federal government led by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, that effectively shuttered the USAID humanitarian aid agency on Monday.Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) is already probing data at the education department, the Washington Post newspaper reported on Monday.The tech tycoon referenced the report on his social media network X, saying that while former US president and conservative icon Ronald Reagan had not honored his vow to abolish the department in the 1980s, “President @realDonaldTrump will succeed.”During the 2024 election campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to do away with the department if he won a second term in power, returning decisions on the subject to US states.The Republican billionaire has repeatedly said the department has too much spending power, even as global metrics show the United States lagging far behind other countries in school standards.He has also criticized US schools as being too liberal. Last week, he signed several executive orders regarding hot-button topics in education — including race, gender, and college campus protests.Trump has nominated McMahon — the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment — to lead the education department, in a move widely seen as signaling his intention to downgrade it.At the culmination of a staged feud, Trump once body-slammed her husband, legendary wrestling promoter Vince McMahon, and shaved his head in the middle of a wrestling ring on live television.

The US Treasury said Tuesday that Elon Musk’s government reform team can read data from its highly sensitive payment system but not alter it, after Democratic lawmakers raised the alarm over the move and called for an investigation.Musk, the world’s richest person, is leading President Donald Trump’s federal cost-cutting efforts under the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).As part of that drive, he reportedly pushed for a team led by IT executive Tom Krause to be given access to the Treasury Department’s closely guarded payment system, which handles trillions of dollars of transactions, from Social Security and Medicare payouts to federal salaries.In response, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden sent a letter Tuesday to the congressional watchdog agency demanding it probe reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had personally granted Musk and his aides that permission.The Treasury, in a letter sent to Congress and shared with AFP, confirmed Krause’s team has access to the system, but said it is “read-only access… in order to continue this operational efficiency assessment.”They said the permission was “similar to the kind of access that Treasury provides to individuals reviewing Treasury systems, such as auditors.”Musk’s efficiency drive has run into strong opposition from Democratic lawmakers, who have raised a wide range of legal and ethical concerns about his moves to slash federal spending.In a separate letter sent to Republican President Donald Trump on Tuesday, other Democratic policymakers expressed concern over DOGE’s work involving government data and facilities.Labor unions and a grassroots advocacy group have also objected to the moves, filing a lawsuit calling on a federal judge to declare it illegal for Musk or others from DOGE to get personal information on taxpayers, and to block the Treasury Department from letting that happen.In a post on X, the social media platform that he owns, Musk said Monday that the “only way to stop fraud and waste of taxpayer money is to follow the payment flows and pause suspicious transactions for review.”Musk’s access to the payments system was approved by Bessent and made possible when a career official was put on administrative leave after refusing to allow entry, according to the lawsuit. The official later retired.

World leaders and people should respect Palestinians’ desire to remain in Gaza, the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations said Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump said he believed people from the territory should be resettled elsewhere “permanently.””Our homeland is our homeland, if part of it is destroyed, the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian people selected the choice to return to it,” said Riyad Mansour. “And I think that leaders and people should respect the wishes of the Palestinian people.”On Tuesday, Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, with the US leader saying he believed Palestinians should leave Gaza after an Israeli offensive that has devastated the territory and left most of it reduced to rubble.Speaking ahead of the meeting, Trump said he wanted a solution that saw “a beautiful area to resettle people permanently in nice homes where they can be happy.”At the United Nations, Mansour did not name Trump but appeared to reject the US president’s proposal.”Our country and our home is” the Gaza Strip, “it’s part of Palestine,” he said. “We have no home. For those who want to send them to a happy, nice place, let them go back to their original homes inside Israel, there are nice places there, and they will be happy to return to these places.”The war in Gaza erupted after Palestinian armed group Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.Israel’s retaliatory response has killed at least 47,518 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The UN considers these figures as reliable.The UN says more than 1.9 million people — or 90 percent of Gaza’s population — have been displaced by Israel’s offensive, with the bombing campaign having leveled most structures in the territory, including schools, hospitals and basic civil infrastructure.The start of a ceasefire deal, which included the release of hostages held by Hamas and prisoners held by Israel, on January 19 saw Palestinians rejoice, with many returning to homes that no longer stood.”In two days, in a span of a few hours, 400,000 Palestinians walking returned to the northern part of the Gaza Strip,” said UN envoy Mansour. “I think that we should be respecting the selections and the wishes of the Palestinian people, and the Palestinian people at the end will make the determination, their determination.”

Donald Trump’s demand for billions of gallons (liters) of water to be released in California, in what he said was a move to help combat fires in Los Angeles, was wasteful and pointless, experts say.The US president told military engineers to open two dams in the state’s central valley, claiming it would help put out blazes that have ravaged the city and would also irrigate farmland.”Everybody should be happy about this long fought Victory!” he boasted on social media last week.”I only wish they listened to me six years ago – There would have been no fire!” But water experts say the order opening dams in California’s San Joaquin Valley sent water down channels and waterways into irrigation ditches in the same valley — nowhere near the fires, and at a time when farms there do not need irrigating.Water scientist Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute said the release amounted to Trump having “thrown away” billions of gallons of water.It will “not be used or usable for firefighting, not be used by farmers since this isn’t the irrigation season, and won’t be saved for the dry season, which is coming,” he said, according to the Los Angeles Times.”California’s water system is very delicately balanced among all of the competing interests, and this episode shows that even slight interference in that system can cause chaos.”Blazes that erupted around Los Angeles last month during hurricane-strength wind storms devoured 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) and destroyed thousands of homes.The battle to contain them was hampered in the first 24 hours by the fact that winds were too high for helicopters and planes to take to the skies.With no aerial support, firefighters were dependent on hydrants that in one area ran dry because of the unprecedented demand.Trump seized on that, claiming it was proof that California officials managed their water supplies badly, resurrecting erroneous claims about water from the north of the state spilling into the Pacific Ocean instead of being diverted to the south.But his order to the Army Corps of Engineers to “open up the valves” did nothing to improve firefighting conditions and has instead drained water that farmers will likely need later this year, said Democratic congressmen Jared Huffman and Rick Larsen.”These releases did not meet their stated intent of providing Los Angeles with additional water,” they said in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.They “could reduce the availability of critical municipal and agricultural water supplies later in the year, further exacerbating the fire, safety, and economic risks facing this drought-prone region for years,” the letter said.