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The United States Office of Public Management has revealed plans to use AI to increase the “efficiency” of jobs in its quest to downsize the US government.   Scott Kupor, the agency’s new director, told reporters on Monday, July 21, that he has a “Silicon Valley” mentality when it comes to motivating employees and maximizing performance, and is looking to integrate AI into some of the agency’s tasks.   “I view AI as probably the most significant disinflationary technology that I think we have seen yet today,” Kupor told The Post in a meeting with reporters.   “What I mean by that is basically AI, however, you deploy it, it’s not gonna replace everybody’s jobs, but I think AI can massively increase the efficiency of a lot of jobs, and certainly, as we know, it’ll probably create new job opportunities as well.”   While AI won’t be used to cut jobs outright, the agency has been working to drastically downsize its number of employees.   OPM is on track t...

Police in Brazil have raided the home and political headquarters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, placing him under a series of restrictions as he stands trial for allegedly plotting to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election.   Federal officers carried out the operation early Friday, seizing cash, searching multiple properties, and ordering Bolsonaro to wear an electronic ankle monitor. The Supreme Court also banned him from contacting foreign officials, approaching embassies, or using social media — citing fears he could attempt to flee the country. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing.   Authorities also accused Bolsonaro and his son, Eduardo, of colluding with the United States to impose sanctions on Brazilian officials, an act the court claimed would directly benefit the former president. A large sum of U.S. dollars, reportedly around $14,000, was found at one of the raided properties. Bolsonaro insisted the money was for personal use and that...

US President Donald Trump was basking in the praise of a group of African leaders on Wednesday, July 7, with many of them speaking a different language, when the Liberian president took to his microphone and spoke in English - his country's official language.   "Liberia is a longtime friend of the United States, and we believe in your policy of making America great again. We just want to thank you so much for this opportunity." President Joseph Boakai said at a White House meeting before advocating for U.S. investment in his country. Trump was impressed and inquired where Boakai got his language skills.   "Such good English," Trump said. "Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?" Boakai seemed to chuckle. "In Liberia?" Trump asked. "Yes sir," Boakai said. "That's very interesting," Trump said. “I have people at this table who can't speak nearly as well.”   Liberia was founded in 1822 as a colony for...

Relations between the United States and Brazil entered a fresh diplomatic crisis on Monday, July 7, after U.S. President Donald Trump condemned Brazil's prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro, calling it a “WITCH HUNT” and urging authorities to “LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE.”   Trump’s remarks, delivered in a fiery post on Truth Social, drew a swift and pointed response from Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who dismissed the comments as foreign “interference” and emphasized that “no one is above the law.”   Bolsonaro, 70, is currently standing trial in Brazil on charges that he led a “criminal organization” plotting a coup to keep him in office following his 2022 electoral defeat. Prosecutors allege the conspiracy collapsed after failing to secure the backing of Brazil’s military high command. If convicted, the former president faces up to 40 years in prison.   The politically explosive case has drawn parallels to Trump’s own legal battles, inclu...

As US President-elect, Donald Trump prepares to re-enter the White House, universities across the USA are warning international students including Nigerians to be aware that executive orders on immigration could affect their status in the US. “During the first four years of the Trump administration, a travel ban was imposed that impacted multiple countries, and resulted in many/some international students encountering difficulties re-entering the US to resume classes,” the University of California-Berkeley recently posted on its International website. “Whether such policies will be implemented again and/or blocked by the courts or via other means is unclear. Out of an abundance of caution, we are recommending a return to the United States prior to January 20.” Cornell University's Office of Global Learning issued a similar warning to students of a travel ban that “is likely to go into effect soon after inauguration”. “The ban is likely to include citizens of the cou...

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has clarified a remark made during a joint press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, following media buzz over his use of the word "daddy."   Rutte addressed reporters later in the day, explaining that his comment was taken out of context and that he was not referring to President Trump directly.   “I didn’t call him ‘daddy,’” Rutte said, according to The Hill. “What I said was that sometimes in Europe, I hear countries asking, ‘Hey Mark, will the U.S. stay with us?’ I compared that to a small child asking his father, ‘Are you still staying with the family?’ So in that sense, I used the word ‘daddy’—but not to describe President Trump himself.”   The clarification came after an exchange during a bilateral meeting between Trump and Rutte at the NATO Summit in The Hague raised eyebrows. During the meeting, Trump used a schoolyard analogy to describe the ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran.  “They ...

The United States and China have signed a new trade agreement, President Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday, June 26, though few details have been made public. The announcement marks a fresh development in the ongoing economic engagement between the world’s two largest economies.   Speaking late Thursday, June 26, Trump said, “We just signed with China the other day,” without elaborating on the contents of the deal. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick corroborated the president’s comments in an interview with Bloomberg TV, saying the agreement was “signed and sealed” two days earlier.   It remains unclear whether this agreement differs from a previously announced pact two weeks ago, which aimed to facilitate U.S. access to rare earth minerals, materials critical for high-tech industries including electronics, electric vehicles, and defense. That earlier deal also included a U.S. commitment to stop revoking visas for Chinese nationals studying at American univers...

Russian President Vladimir Putin today condemned what he described as "groundless" aggression against his ally, Iran following the U.S. and Israel's recent strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.   ‘This is an absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran,’ Putin stated during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who travelled to Moscow seeking support for mediation efforts.    Putin criticised the recent strikes as "unjustified" and reiterated that Russia is "making efforts to provide assistance to the Iranian people."    These comments followed Israel's renewed attacks on the Fordow nuclear facility and various government targets in Tehran, with no indication that the conflict is easing. Russia has condemned Israel's actions and warned that attacks on nuclear facilities risk escalating chaos in the region.    The Kremlin also accused the United States of opening a "Pandora's box" wi...

As international concern mounts over escalating tensions in the Middle East, China and the United Kingdom have issued sharply contrasting responses to the United States' recent military strikes on Iran.   On Sunday, June 22, U.S. warplanes bombed three of Iran’s nuclear sites, Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow, following orders from President Donald Trump. The strikes marked a significant escalation in Washington’s involvement in the region’s complex power dynamics, prompting swift reactions from global leaders.   British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described Iran’s nuclear programme as “a grave threat to international security” and defended the U.S. operation as an attempt to neutralise that threat. Starmer urged Tehran to resume diplomatic negotiations, a position echoed by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who called on Iran “to show restraint.”   European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also stressed the importance of diplomacy, saying, “Stability must be...

Iran has accused the United States and Israel of crossing a critical red line following coordinated military strikes on its nuclear facilities, with Tehran vowing to defend itself against what it described as acts of aggression.   Speaking on Sunday, June 22, at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Istanbul, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the latest attacks marked a severe escalation. “They crossed a very big red line by attacking [Iran’s] nuclear facilities,” he said.   The comments came hours after former US President Donald Trump confirmed that American warplanes bombed three Iranian nuclear sites. The strikes followed nine days of Israeli aerial operations targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including the underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordow.   “The most dangerous one happened only last night,” Araghchi said, admitting that the full extent of the damage was still unknown. “I still do not have exact inform...

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the gruesome massacre of over 200 Nigerians, including children, in Benue State, describing it as another horrifying chapter in the history of our nation under the unresponsive All Progressives Congress (APC) government.   In a statement released by its spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, the party said it is alarmed by reports of how ‘’terrorists and bandits invaded and overran communities in series of coordinated daily bl@ody attacks, unleashing violence, m$rdering hundreds of defenseless compatriots unchallenged, while the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led APC government remains largely unconcerned''.   Ologunagba’s criticism comes amid mounting public outrage and grief over the spate of killings, particularly in central and northern regions of the country.   ‘’It is clear that the assailants marauding communities in various States of our country are being emboldened by President Tinubu’s lethargic approach to...

US President, Donald Trump has warned that the United States may be forced to intervene directly in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran if the current escalation continues unchecked.   Speaking in an interview with ABC News on Sunday, Trump emphasized that the U.S. is not currently involved in the conflict but did not rule out the possibility of future intervention.   “We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,” Trump said, referring to the rapidly intensifying military exchanges between the two longtime enemies.   The latest violence began Friday when Israel launched a preemptive strike on Iran, targeting suspected nuclear and military assets. In response, Iran has unleashed waves of missile and drone attacks on major Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, triggering days of chaos and destruction on both sides.   Despite the bloodshed, Trump expressed optimism that diplomacy could still pr...

A masked gunman disguised as a police officer shot and k!lled a Minnesota state representative and her husband and wounded a state senator and his wife in two back-to-back shootings on Saturday, June 14. Democratic former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were k!lled in their Brooklyn Park home. Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were injured at their Champlin address, about 9 miles (about 15 kilometers) away. Hours after the shootings, the suspected gunm@n, who has been identified as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter remained on the run. The Minnesota governor described the k!lling of Mrs Hortman and her husband as a “politically motivated assassination.” “We’re here today because an unspeakable tragedy has unfolded in Minnesota,” Mr Walz said. “My good friend and colleague, Speaker Melissa Hortman, and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed early this morning in what appears to be a politically motivated ass@ ssination. Our state ...

U.S. Donald Trump is considering adding Nigeria and some African countries to a list of countries hit with a visa ban.   According to The Washington Post, an internal memo signed by Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, said 36 countries might be affected by the travel ban if Trump approves it.   The Trump administration cited a lack of government transparency and a proper database to freely vet the backgrounds of travellers from these countries as the reason for the incoming ban, amid efforts by the government in Washington to reduce immigration to the United States.   The new list includes Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.   Others are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Bhutan, Camb...