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Canada’s Liberal Party looked set Sunday to choose a former central banker and political novice as its next leader, replacing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as it confronts threats from US President Donald Trump. Mark Carney, who served as the governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, is widely expected to be named the new Liberal leader when results from a vote of around 400,000 party members are announced later Sunday. The other main challenger is Trudeau’s former deputy prime minister, Chrystia Freeland, who held several senior cabinet positions in the Liberal government that was first elected in 2015.Whoever wins the vote will take over from Trudeau as prime minister, but will soon face a general election that polls currently show the rival Conservative Party as slight favorites to win.Carney has racked up endorsements, including from much of Trudeau’s cabinet, and a Freeland win would be a shock for the Liberals as they head towards a general election. Despite dramatically breaking with the prime minister in December, analysts say voters still tie Freeland to Trudeau’s unpopular record. Carney and Freeland have both maintained that they are the best candidate to defend Canada against Trump’s attacks. The US president has repeatedly spoken about annexing Canada and thrown bilateral trade, the lifeblood of the Canadian economy, into chaos with dizzying tariff actions that have veered in various directions since he took office.- ‘Most serious crisis’ -Carney has argued that he is a seasoned economic manager, reminding voters that he led the Bank of Canada through the 2008-2009 financial crisis and steered the Bank of England through the turbulence that followed the 2016 Brexit vote. Trump “is attacking what we build. He is attacking what we sell. He is attacking how we earn our living,” Carney told supporters at a closing campaign rally near Toronto on Friday.”We are facing the most serious crisis in our lifetime,” he added. “Everything in my life has prepared me for this moment.”Data released from the Angus Reid polling firm on Wednesday shows Canadians see Carney as the favorite choice to face off against Trump, a trait that could offer the Liberals a boost over the opposition Conservatives. Forty-three percent of respondents said they trusted Carney the most to deal with Trump, with 34 percent backing Tory leader Pierre Poilievre. Most polls, however, still list the Tories as the current favorites to win the election, which must be held by October but could come within weeks.- Not a politician? -Carney made a fortune as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs before entering the Canadian civil service. Since leaving the Bank of England in 2020, he has served as a United Nations envoy working to get the private sector to invest in climate-friendly technology and has held private sector roles. He has never served in parliament or held an elected public office.Analysts say his untested campaign skills could prove a liability against a Conservative Party already running attack ads accusing Carney of shifting positions and misrepresenting his experience. The 59-year-old has positioned himself as a new voice untainted by Trudeau, who he has said did not devote enough attention to building Canada’s economy. On Friday, Carney said Canadians “from coast to coast” wanted change, and referred to himself as a political outsider.”It’s getting to the point where after two months I may have to start calling myself a politician,” he joked.Trudeau has said he would agree on a transition of power once the new Liberal leader is in place, declining to give an exact date. When ready, the pair will visit Canada’s Governor General Mary Simon — King Charles III’s official representative in Canada — who will task the new Liberal chief with forming a government. The new prime minister may only hold the position for several weeks, depending on the timing and outcome of the looming election. 

Shipbuilding has been in steady decline in the US since the end of the Cold War but some in the industry now hope for a revival of the sector, as was promised last week by President Donald Trump.The United States was once a world leader in both commercial and naval construction, but has fallen far behind its main rival China.Trump has now promised to reverse this, declaring in an address to Congress on Tuesday that he would “resurrect” the sector and create an Office of Shipbuilding in the White House. “We used to make so many ships,” Trump said, promising tax breaks. “We’re going to make them very fast, very soon.” American shipbuilders say they are ready to seize the moment, but experts warn that even a concerted effort to respond to China’s overwhelming dominance of the sector will take years — and cost many billions of dollars.   “This is a historic moment,” said Matt Paxton, president of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), which represents more than 150 US shipbuilding companies. The US Navy, when asked for comment, referred AFP to the White House.”We are waiting to learn more,” Cynthia Cook, who heads the defense-industrial group at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told AFP. “It is clear that shipbuilding is an industrial weakness of the United States.”But, she added: “You cannot immediately get more ships by throwing money at the problem.”US ship production is down 85 percent from the 1950s, and the number of naval shipyards capable of building the largest vessels has fallen by 80 percent, according to the McKinsey consultancy.- ‘Not what it was’ -In the 1970s, five percent of commercial ships built in the world (in gross tonnage) came from American shipyards. That share has since plunged to a scant one percent, a drop in the water compared to China (50 percent), South Korea (26 percent) or Japan (14 percent).”We need some solutions to our shipbuilding gaps,” said the CSIS’s Cook, while noting that Seoul and Tokyo, at least, are US allies.”I absolutely admit that US shipyard capacity is not what it once was,” Paxton said last month before a congressional committee.”Our market has changed dramatically since World War II, when shifting administrative priorities, from Republican and Democratic administrations, curbed programs to support our industry,” he said.The US naval fleet has shrunk from 471 vessels after the Cold War in 1992 to 295 today, Paxton said.According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the US Navy’s current plan to build a fleet of 390 vessels by 2054 — with the purchase of 364 new vessels because of the decommissioning of older models — would cost an average $40 billion a year.Paxton said the Trump administration needs a comprehensive strategy for the industry — including ways to reduce administrative and regulatory obstacles — if it is to achieve its shipbuilding goals.Republican Senator Roger Wicker painted a dire picture during a confirmation hearing last month for businessman John Phelan as navy secretary. “Just about every major US shipbuilding program is behind schedule, over budget or irreparably off track,” said Wicker, who chairs the Armed Services Committee.- Worker shortage -Shipbuilders say their work is regularly complicated by last-minute changes requested by the navy, which cause delays and budget overages.Another problem is a severe worker shortage. The Covid-19 pandemic prompted a wave of early retirements and career-switching, while slowing training. And amid historically low US unemployment, industry wages have had trouble competing.Still, naval shipbuilding contributes, directly or indirectly, more than $40 billion to the country’s GDP.The industry continues to build “lots of ships,” mainly for the domestic market, said Paxton, while adding that Trump probably wants a much larger US share of the global market.US shipyards not only produce and maintain ships for governmental bodies — from the US Navy to agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — they also produce and maintain the roughly 40,000 commercial vessels.But competition is fierce, with the industry in many countries — notably China — enjoying extensive subsidies and tax breaks, sources say. A spokesman for Huntington Ingalls Industries said HII, one of the largest US shipbuilders, was “grateful” for Trump’s comments and was working with the government to help “meet a generational increase in demand.”

At a red-brick school in Virginia, Hayden Jones is one of 1,000 students banned from using their phones as part of a trial hoping to boost learning.But the 12-year-old’s verdict on the restrictions — a shrug of his shoulders — reflects the skepticism shared by some students and parents.The phone ban at Twain Middle School is among a wave of measures implemented around the United States, and is part of a global movement replicated in Brazil, France and beyond.Supporters believe restrictions will guard pupils from the apparent harms of smartphone use while at school, but opponents say the measures fail to prepare teenagers for the digital world they will inevitably enter.Since September, Jones must now place his Android phone in a magnetic pouch each morning, which is locked until the end of the school day as part of a pilot scheme this academic year.Jones, speaking to AFP in a corridor lined with classrooms, said he hopes the ban will be gone by the time he starts eighth grade in September.”I like being able to go to my locker and call my parents. That’s a big concern for me,” he said, adding that some pupils have found ways to still use their devices — including by bringing a “dummy phone” to put in the pouch.School principal Matthew Mough admitted that enforcing the ban — and winning over students — has proved challenging, though he said most follow the rules.”The majority of kids who have phones don’t love it,” he said. “However, if you dig deeper with them in the conversation, they will acknowledge that it’s helped them remain focused.”Mough said the phone ban has reduced classroom distractions, cyberbullying and instances of students meeting up to skip lessons.- ‘Heads in the sand’ -Cell phone bans come alongside research suggesting that social media use increases the likelihood of mental illnesses like anxiety and depression in young people. Advocacy groups regularly cite these studies as justification for school phone bans, which have seen rare political consensus in a nation deeply divided on virtually every other political issue.Around 76 percent of US public schools — from liberal California to conservative Florida — had some sort of ban on non-academic phone use, according to the latest Department of Education figures, with several state-wide measures also in place or under consideration.They are largely backed by teachers, with the National Education Association saying 90 percent of its members support policies banning phones during lessons.”The biggest problem is that kids aren’t in a place developmentally where they’re able to handle the type of technology that we’re talking about,” said Sabine Polak, co-founder of the Phone-Free Schools Movement, which backs full-scale phone bans.Critics of the restrictions argue that educating children about the potential risks of social media and smartphone use is better than prohibition.”The answer is not to just ban and put our heads in the sand,” said Keri Rodrigues, president of the National Parents Union, which represents over 1,000 parent organizations in the United States.She compared efforts to ban phones to “abstinence education,” noting that failing to properly teach children about complicated issues such as sex has failed in the past.”It’s not effective, and frankly, it’s dumb,” Rodrigues told AFP. “What we need to do is equip our kids with the information, with the skills and the strategies they’re going to need to navigate a digital future.”At the school in Virginia, Jones said the phone ban has not changed how he interacts with his device, still using it for games, social media and watching YouTube videos. His one complaint about his phone? “Nothing really, honestly, I mean besides the fact that it weighs a ton in my pocket.”

Russia said Saturday its troops had retaken three villages seized by Ukraine in its Kursk border region, in a fresh setback for Kyiv ahead of talks to try to end the war.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday named a high-level delegation including ministers to meet US negotiators in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, seeking to repair ties with President Donald Trump’s administration.”We hope to discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps”, Zelensky said, stressing that Ukraine was “fully committed to constructive dialogue”.But he condemned “brutal” deadly strikes on eastern Ukraine, saying they proved that Russia was “not thinking about how to end the war”.Trump on Friday threatened new sanctions and tariffs against Russia over its bombardment of Ukraine.The three-year-long war is now at a critical juncture for Kyiv after Trump suspended US military aid following his public falling-out with Zelensky last week.Ukraine still controls some 400 square kilometres (150 square miles) in the Kursk region after launching an offensive last August. Zelensky sees this as a possible bargaining chip in peace talks.But Ukraine’s troops in Kursk have seen their position worsen in recent weeks as Russian forces pushed back.- Russian claims gains -Russia’s defence ministry on Saturday announced the recapture of three more villages: Viktorovka, Nikolayevka and Staraya Sorochina.According to DeepState, an online military tracker linked to the Ukrainian army, the Russian move followed a “breach” in the Ukrainian defence lines near the town of Sudzha, which is under Kyiv’s control.The advance appears to have cut off the logistics route needed by Ukraine to supply its troops, although Kyiv has not confirmed this.Russia has already taken back more than two-thirds of the territory Ukraine initially seized in Kursk.The Ukrainian military General Staff said Saturday that clashes were ongoing amid heavy bombardment with artillery and guided aerial bombs.Small groups of Russian troops have also mounted attacks in recent weeks into Ukraine’s Sumy region bordering Kursk.Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation on Saturday denied reports of a “massive breakthrough”, saying its forces were destroying small groups trying to cross.- Saudi talks -Full peace negotiations remain a distant prospect, with Kyiv and Moscow making starkly opposed demands. Trump has made settling the conflict a priority since his return to the White House.But by reaching out to Russian President Vladimir Putin while criticising Zelensky, he has raised fears in Kyiv — and among its European allies — that Trump may try to force Ukraine to accept a settlement that favours Russia.Senior US and Ukrainian officials are set to meet for talks on the war in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Zelensky will also visit Monday for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.US envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday that Washington wanted to discuss an “initial ceasefire” with Russia and a “framework” for a longer agreement.Zelensky said Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov would be among those representing Ukraine.In his evening address, he told Ukrainians he was “confident that the meeting will be productive”.Zelensky also urged allies to “increase sanctions against Russia” after heavy overnight bombardment in the east and northeast.A Russian barrage hit the centre of Dobropillia in the eastern Donetsk region late Friday, killing 11 people and wounding 40, said the emergency services. “Russia is proving literally every day with its cruelty that nothing has changed for them,” Zelensky said.Moscow wanted to “destroy and capture more as long as the world allows them to wage this war”, he said.On Saturday, a strike on the embattled city of Pokrovsk killed a man in his 40s and wounded two others, Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin said. Four people were killed Saturday by drone attacks in the eastern Kharkiv region, the head of its military administration, Oleg Synegubov, said.A drone attack also killed a 74-year-old man in the southern Kherson region, the governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.- ‘More bombs’ -The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, reacting Saturday to the latest deadly attacks on Ukraine, wrote on X: “Once again, Putin shows he has no interest in peace.”This is what happens when someone appeases barbarians,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted on X. “More bombs, more aggression, more victims.”France’s Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu told the La Tribune newspaper Saturday that Paris would use 195 million euros of frozen Russian assets to fund more military aid for Ukraine.The money would, among other things, pay for the delivery of armaments used by the Mirage 2000 fighter jets France delivered to Ukraine in February, he added.In Dobropillia, AFP saw charred residential buildings, flattened market stalls and evidence of cluster bomb damage.Irina Kostenko, 59, spent the night cowering in her hallway with her husband. When she left the apartment building on Saturday, she saw a neighbour “lying dead on the ground, covered with a blanket”.”It was shocking, I don’t have the words to describe it,” Kostenko told AFP.burs-lgo-led-am/jj

Protesters took to the streets across the world Saturday to mark International Women’s Day, demanding equal pay, political representation and an end to gender-based violence while voicing fears of rising repression.In eastern Ukraine, scores of demonstrators held a minute’s silence to honour women killed defending the country from Russia’s invasion. Many carried banners bearing the faces of the deceased.”Women are half of our society and we need to talk about what they do, what they are like, how they protect and what they do to make our country free and independent,” activist Iryna Lysykova told AFP in Kharkiv.Many of the women marking on the streets in European capitals including Paris, Berlin and Madrid said they feared the growing strength of reactionary political forces, including a resurgent far right. “It is coming now and we’re taking backwards steps,” said Dori Martinez Monroy, 63, in the Spanish capital. “We have to reclaim what has already been won, because women are the first to be targeted.”In Jakarta, one activist, Ajeng, accused the Indonesian government of budget cuts that were “making women lose their rights.”Women are killed, impoverished, criminalised,” she said, as nearby protesters held up placards reading “This body belongs to me” and “Glory to the women of the working class”. “Indonesian woman are fighting against the state for these reasons,” he said.- ‘Not over’ -Some demonstrators their directed ire at US President Donald Trump.In Paris, women from the Femen activist group marched topless with either the US or the Russian national flag, marked with a swastika, painted on their chests.Dozens of women have alleged the Republican sexually abused them, and his administration has been accused of pushing through anti-women policies.”This is a battle, it’s not over,” said 49-year-old Sabine, who was marching with her seven-year-old son in Paris, where organisers put turnout at around 250,000. Police gave a figure of 47,000.”We’re going in the right direction: Trump, the masculinists, they make lots of noise but they’re not as strong as we are,” she told AFP.At the Berlin protest, some protesters held placards bearing messages including “Burn the patriarchy not the planet”.One marcher, Steff Voigt, expressed her fears for the future.”I find it quite frightening how certain developments are reversing, how women’s rights could simply be moving backward again, so to speak, because of the right. Especially in the USA,” she said.At the rally in Istanbul, Cigdem Ozdemir took aim at male violence against women and the Turkish authorities’ declaration of 2025 as “The Year of the Family”.”Since 2025 was declared ‘The Year of The Family’, we as women have been confined to our homes,” the psychologist lamented, adding that LGBTQ people like her were “criminalised”.”Today, we are here to make our struggle visible, to defend our lives against male violence, to defend our place in society and our rights.”Iran’s Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi said it would be women who would overthrow the Islamic republic established after the 1979 revolution.”Women have risen up against the Islamic republic in such a way that the regime no longer has the power to suppress them,” Mohammadi said in a video message where she was, as usual, not wearing the headscarf obligatory for all Iranian women.Mohammadi, 52, who won the 2023 Nobel prize in recognition of her years-long fight for human rights in Iran, is currently on temporary release from a prison term for health reasons.Her lawyers fear she could be sent back to prison at any time.burs-afptv-sbk/jj

Russia said Saturday its troops had retaken three villages seized by Ukraine in its Kursk border region, in a fresh setback for Kyiv ahead of talks to try to end the war.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday named a high-level delegation including ministers to meet US negotiators in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, seeking to repair ties with President Donald Trump’s administration.US envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday Washington wanted to discuss a “framework for a peace agreement”.”We hope to discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps”, Zelensky said, stressing that Ukraine was “fully committed to constructive dialogue”.But he condemned “brutal” deadly strikes on eastern Ukraine, saying they proved that Russia was “not thinking about how to end the war”.Trump on Friday threatened new sanctions and tariffs against Russia over its bombardment of Ukraine.The three-year-long war is now at a critical juncture for Kyiv after Trump suspended US military aid following his public falling-out with Zelensky last week.Ukraine still controls some 400 square kilometres (150 square miles) in the Kursk region after launching an offensive last August. Zelensky sees this as a possible bargaining chip in peace talks.But Ukraine’s troops in Kursk have seen their position worsen in recent weeks with Russia’s army pushing back.- Russian claims gains -Russia’s defence ministry on Saturday announced the recapture of three more villages: Viktorovka, Nikolayevka and Staraya Sorochina.According to DeepState, an online military tracker linked to the Ukrainian army, the Russian move followed a “breach” in the Ukrainian defence lines near the town of Sudzha, which is under Kyiv’s control.The advance appears to have cut off the logistics route needed by Ukraine to supply its troops, although Kyiv has not confirmed this.Russia has already taken back over two-thirds of the territory in Kursk initially seized by Ukraine.The Ukrainian military General Staff said Saturday that clashes were ongoing amid heavy bombardment with artillery and guided aerial bombs.Small groups of Russian troops have also mounted attacks in recent weeks into Ukraine’s Sumy region bordering Kursk.But Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation on Saturday denied reports of a “massive breakthrough”, saying its forces were destroying small groups trying to cross.- Meeting in Saudi Arabia -Full peace negotiations remain a distant prospect, with Kyiv and Moscow making starkly opposed demands. Trump has made settling the conflict a priority since his return to the White House.But by reaching out to Russian President Vladimir Putin while criticising Zelensky, he has raised fears in Kyiv — and among its European allies — that Trump may try to force Ukraine to accept a settlement that favours Russia.Senior US and Ukrainian officials are set to meet for talks on the war in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Zelensky will also visit Monday for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.For the US, Witkoff has said he wants to discuss an “initial ceasefire” with Russia and a “framework” for a longer agreement.Zelensky said Ukraine would be represented by officials including Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.In his evening address, he told Ukrainians he was “confident that the meeting will be productive”.Zelensky also urged allies to “increase sanctions against Russia” after heavy overnight bombardment in the east and northeast.A Russian barrage hit the centre of Dobropillia in the eastern Donetsk region late Friday, killing 11 people and wounding 40, according to the emergency services. “Russia is proving literally every day with its cruelty that nothing has changed for them,” Zelensky said.He accused Moscow of wanting to “destroy and capture more as long as the world allows them to wage this war”. On Saturday, a strike on the embattled city of Pokrovsk killed a man in his 40s and wounded 2 others, the Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin said. Separately, four people were killed Saturday by drone attacks in the eastern Kharkiv region, one of which hit a meat processing plant, the head of its military administration, Oleg Synegubov, said.A drone attack also killed a 74-year-old man in the southern Kherson region, the governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.- ‘More bombs’ -The latest strikes came after EU leaders, shaken by the prospect of US disengagement, agreed to boost the bloc’s defences.Putin “has no interest in peace”, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Saturday, reacting to the latest attacks.”We must step up our military support– otherwise, even more Ukrainian civilians will pay the highest price,” she added.Zelensky said Saturday that Ukrainian and British diplomats had held “highly productive” talks in Kyiv.Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the latest Russian attacks were “what happens when someone appeases barbarians”, resulting in “more bombs, more aggression”.In Dobropillia, AFP saw charred residential buildings, flattened market stalls and evidence of cluster bomb damage.Irina Kostenko, 59, spent the night cowering in her hallway with her husband. When she left the apartment building on Saturday, she saw a neighbour “lying dead on the ground, covered with a blanket”.”It was shocking, I don’t have the words to describe it,” Kostenko told AFP.burs-lgo-led-am/jj

Mysterious metallic mirrors, stacks of imported marble boulders and a 3D-printed mud hut appeared in the California desert Saturday, as the biennial outdoor art festival Desert X returned.The free event, which drew 600,000 visitors in its last edition, sends contemporary art-lovers on a treasure hunt to find works scattered across the Coachella Valley, some 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Los Angeles. French-American artist Sarah Meyohas used intricately curved metallic mirrors to reflect and refract the bright desert sunlight, beaming the words “Truth Arrives in Slanted Beams” across the sides of a meandering 400-foot (120-meter) stucco ribbon.”Truth is definitely something that’s at stake in today’s world,” she explained. “And I try to make art that is not tricking anybody. This isn’t a trick. This is the light. And this is true.”Using “caustic” technology based on the way light “plays at the bottom of a swimming pool” to turn sun beams into text, the work speaks to “a world in which we are so politically divided,” she told AFP.- ‘Here to stay’ -Twenty miles across the desert, Mexican artist Jose Davila has stacked colossal 16-ton marble boulders that were quarried in the Chihuahua Desert of his nearby home country.The work is titled “The act of being together.”Arranged to invoke megalithic structures like Britain’s Stonehenge, the giant hewn marble lumps also speak to the “current climate of events” in which tariffs have recently been hiked at the US-Mexican border.”Rocks like these remind us that things are here to stay, and these inconveniences come and go,” said Davila. Still, Desert X artistic director Neville Wakefield conceded that President Donald Trump’s tariffs, and Mexican reciprocal measures, had made organizing an art event a two-hour drive from the border “very complicated.”The show brings artists from around the world to make installations specific to the North American desert landscape, sourcing and fabricating many materials from Mexico.Other installations include Ronald Rael’s “Adobe Oasis,” which used an enormous robotic arm to 3D-print walls made of clay and straw, in the adobe style traditional in this region.Rael suggested the ancient building material, which is fireproof, should be reappraised in the wake of the deadly Los Angeles fires that killed 29 people in January.”This is mankind’s oldest building material,” modified only by “the introduction of one tool, a robot,” he told AFP.The recent fires “burned buildings that are made of plastics — toxic materials — and people in LA still can’t drink their own water,” Rael added.Desert X runs until May 11.

Unprecedented cuts to the US government overseen by President Donald Trump’s billionaire advisor Elon Musk are sending thousands of federal workers and contractors back to the labor market — but experts warn that hiring is low at this time.Official data released Friday showed federal government employment declined by 10,000 in February, the first full month of Trump’s return to the White House.”We’re trying to shrink government and grow the private sector,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office after the data was released.Analysts say the full effects of his government cuts are yet to be seen, and they warn of a possible mismatch between workers’ skills and the jobs available in the marketplace.For some, like staff in the international development sector, their whole industry has been upended.”I’m grieving, trying to figure out what next to do for a paycheck,” said a 38-year-old contractor for the US Agency for International Development (USAID).The Trump administration has sought to dismantle USAID, ending many humanitarian and other support projects globally.The worker, who declined to be named, told AFP: “It’s going to be quite difficult to find alternative jobs, because basically an entire industry has been wiped out in less than a month.”She has been on unpaid leave since mid-February and is living on her savings.She has applied for other jobs but not heard back, and said she cannot afford to live in Washington indefinitely without a job.- Major employer -The US unemployment rate is fairly low, at 4.1 percent, but how easily workers find new jobs will depend on whether their skills translate to the private sector.The federal government is the country’s largest employer, with around 2.4 million employees, excluding active-duty military and US Postal Service personnel.While the thousands of layoffs within the federal workforce may not seem large on paper, numbers could balloon once government contractors are included, said Dean Baker, a senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.Economists expect the government layoffs to show up in employment data over the coming months.”We’ll see it unfolding over time,” said economist Aaron Sojourner at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.In the US capital Washington and its neighboring states Maryland and Virginia, nearly six percent of employees work for the federal government, according to the Pew Research Center.Sojourner points out that 80 percent of civil servants are based outside this area, however.In states like Wyoming, New Mexico or Oklahoma, they represent more than two percent of total employment.- Low hiring rate -“It could be quite hard to find alternative employment if there’s a big flood of people onto the market at once,” Sojourner warned.The hiring rate is currently low, noted economist Nancy Vanden Houten at Oxford Economics.While some sectors have higher hiring rates, these include less skilled occupations in areas like leisure and hospitality, as well as retail trade.This could prove to be a mismatch for federal workers who “are generally more educated and skilled than the private sector workforce,” she said.Baker noted that highly educated researchers, especially younger ones, may seek employment in other countries.”It’s a fantastic opportunity for them to pick up talent,” he said.

Russia on Saturday said its troops had retaken three villages seized by Ukraine in its Kursk border region in a fresh setback for Kyiv as the prospect of peace negotiations appeared to be increasing.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday called for more sanctions against Russia as overnight strikes killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens more.The war is at a critical juncture, days ahead of talks between US and Ukrainian negotiators aimed at securing a truce in the three-year-long war.Washington has suspended crucial US military aid and access to satellite imagery and intelligence sharing after President Donald Trump and Zelensky had a public falling-out in the Oval Office last week.Ukraine still controls some 400 square kilometres (150 square miles) in the Kursk region after launching a cross-border offensive last August and Zelensky sees this as a possible bargaining chip in peace talks.But Ukraine’s troops in Kursk have seen their position worsen in recent weeks with Russia’s army encroaching.Russia’s defence ministry on Saturday announced the recapture of three more villages: Viktorovka, Nikolayevka and Staraya Sorochina.According to DeepState, an online military tracker linked to the Ukrainian army, the Russian move followed a “breach” in Ukrainian defence lines near the town of Sudzha, which is under Kyiv’s control.Russia appears to have cut off the logistics route needed by Ukraine to supply its troops in the town.The Ukrainian army has not commented on the latest claim, but Russia has already taken back more than two-thirds of its territory initially seized by Kyiv.- Meeting in Saudi Arabia -Peace negotiations remain a distant prospect with Kyiv and Moscow making starkly opposed demands. But Trump’s return to the White House has brought this prospect nearer.The American president has radically shifted the US position, reaching out to Russian President Vladimir Putin while criticising Zelensky.Trump has said it may be “easier” to work with Moscow than Kyiv on efforts to end the three-year-long war.Senior US and Ukrainian officials are set to meet for talks on the war in Jeddah on Tuesday. Zelensky will also visit on Monday for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.US envoy Steve Witkoff said he would speak to the Ukrainian negotiators about an “initial ceasefire” with Russia and a “framework” for a longer agreement.Trump says he wants to end the war as soon as possible, but Ukraine fears being forced to make heavy territorial concessions to Moscow.Kyiv’s troops are also struggling on the eastern front, although an AFP analysis of US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) data showed Moscow’s advance had slowed in February.Trump on Friday threatened new sanctions and tariffs on Russia over its bombardment of Ukraine.Zelensky also called for allies to “increase sanctions against Russia” after heavy overnight bombardment in the east and northeast.A Russian assault hit the centre of Dobropillia in the eastern Donetsk region late on Friday, killing 11 people and wounding 30, according to the emergency services. Separately, three people were killed and seven others wounded in a drone attack early on Saturday in the town of Bogodukhiv, the military head of the eastern Kharkiv region, Oleg Synegubov, said.Russia fired two missiles and 145 drones at Bogodukhiv, Ukraine’s air force said.- ‘Shocking’ -The latest air raids came after EU leaders, shaken by the prospect of US disengagement, agreed to boost the bloc’s defences.Putin “has no interest in peace”, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Saturday, adding that “we must step up our military support”.In Dobropillia, AFP saw charred residential buildings, flattened market stalls and evidence of cluster bomb damage.Irina Kostenko, 59, spent the night cowering in her hallway with her husband. When she left the apartment building on Saturday, she saw a neighbour “lying dead on the ground, covered with a blanket”.”It was shocking, I don’t have the words to describe it,” Kostenko told AFP.Moscow’s defence ministry on Saturday said its air defence systems destroyed 31 Ukrainian drones over the past night.A Ukrainian drone attack also targeted Russia’s Kirishi oil refinery and falling debris caused damage to a reservoir, the governor of the northwestern Leningrad region, Aleksandr Drozdenko, said.A civilian was wounded by a drone attack in Belgorod district near the Ukraine border, local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram.burs-lgo-led-am/bc

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday called for more sanctions against Russia as overnight strikes killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens more, days ahead of talks between US and Ukrainian negotiators aimed at securing a truce.A Russian assault hit the centre of Dobropillia in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region late on Friday, killing 11 people and wounding 30, according to the emergency services. Separately, three people were killed and seven others wounded in a drone attack early on Saturday in the city of Bogodukhiv, the military head of the eastern Kharkiv region, Oleg Synegubov, said.Russia fired two missiles and 145 drones at Bogodukhiv, Ukraine’s air force said.The overnight air raids came after US President Donald Trump threatened new sanctions and tariffs on Russia but said it may be “easier” to work with Moscow than Kyiv on efforts to end the three-year-long war.”Such strikes show that Russia’s goals are unchanged. Therefore, it is very important to continue to do everything to protect life, strengthen our air defence, and increase sanctions against Russia,” Zelensky wrote on the Telegram social media channel.In Dobropillia, AFP saw charred residential buildings, flattened market stalls and evidence of cluster bomb damage.Irina Kostenko, 59, spent the night cowering in her hallway with her husband. When she left the apartment building on Saturday, she saw a neighbour “lying dead on the ground, covered with a blanket”.”It was shocking, I don’t have the words to describe it,” Kostenko told AFP.Zelensky said that Russia had struck Dobropillia, waited until rescuers arrived and then “deliberately” targeted them as well.”This is a despicable and inhumane tactic of intimidation that the Russians often use,” he said.- Trump sanctions threat -US and Ukrainian negotiators are due to meet in Saudi Arabia next week with bilateral relations frayed.Trump publicly berated Zelensky during a White House meeting and suspended US aid to Kyiv in a stated bid to encourage diplomacy.”I’m finding it more difficult frankly to deal with Ukraine and they don’t have the cards,” Trump said on Friday. “It may be easier dealing with Russia.”The remarks followed Trump on Friday threatening new sanctions and tariffs on Russia over its bombardments of Ukraine.”To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late,” he added.Zelensky is due to land in Saudi Arabia on Monday for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.The meeting is a day before Ukrainian officials are expected to hold fresh talks with their US counterparts on Tuesday there.On Saturday, Russia said it had retaken three villages in its Kursk region previously captured by Ukraine.The Russian defence ministry announced the recapture of Viktorovka, Nikolayevka and Staraya Sorochina. Ukrainian soldiers launched an offensive in Kursk last summer but Russia has wrested back control of more than two-thirds of the territory captured by Kyiv.Moscow’s defence ministry on Saturday said its air defence systems destroyed 31 Ukrainian drones over the past night.A Ukrainian drone attack also targeted Russia’s Kirishi oil refinery, with air defence forces shooting down one drone on approach and another over the facility, Leningrad governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said, adding that the “external structure of one of the reservoirs was damaged by falling debris”.A civilian was wounded by a drone attack in Belgorod district near the Ukraine border, local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram.- Talks on track -Russia’s defence ministry confirmed on Friday that it had carried out “precision” strikes on energy facilities.The Ukrainian air force said it had deployed French Mirage fighter jets — delivered to Ukraine last month — for the first time to repel the aerial onslaught.Ukrainian energy facilities in the Black Sea region of Odesa and the central Poltava region were damaged.The latest air raids came after EU leaders, shaken by the prospect of US disengagement, agreed to boost the bloc’s defences.burs-lgo-led/bc/ach