Yashwi Thakur

[ad_1] AmeriCorps' volunteers, who respond to natural disasters and help with community projects across the United States, have become the latest casualty of federal job cuts by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) informed volunteers on Tuesday they would exit the program early due to "programmatic circumstances beyond your control,” news agency Associated Press reported.The unsigned memo to members said NCCC's ability to sustain "program operations” was impacted by “new operational parameters” laid out by the Trump administration's priorities and president's executive order creating DOGE.As per the memo, volunteers who receive a living allowance and have basic expenses covered, would be paid through the end of April.Also, members who have completed 15% or more of their term would be eligible for a prorated amount, but those who have completed less would not be […]

[ad_1] Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States arrive at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela A US federal judge said on Wednesday he had found "probable cause" to hold President Donald Trump's administration in "criminal contempt" for deporting alleged members of Venezuelan gangs to El Salvador, despite the judge issuing a temporary restraining order to halt the deportations.In a written opinion, district judge James Boasberg cited "evidence" of the federal government engaging in a "deliberate or reckless disregard" by proceeding with the flights despite the restraining order, news agency AFP reported.Boasberg wrote, "Defendants provided no convincing reason to avoid the conclusion which appears obvious, that they deliberately flouted this court's written order and, separately, its oral command which explicitly delineated what compliance entailed."The judge added, "The administration's actions were sufficient to conclude that probable cause exists to find […]

[ad_1] Elon Musk’s 14th child has been named 'Romulus' by mother Ashley St. Clair, amid a dramatic paternity dispute. Revealed in a Wall Street Journal interview, the name adds to Musk’s roster of uniquely named offspring. Elon Musk privately advocated for Donald Trump’s return to the White House (before going public) and floated Tulsi Gabbard as a potential running mate, according to new revelations shared by a former romantic partner.In a series of messages obtained by the Wall Street Journal, Musk outlined his growing involvement in Trump’s re-election campaign, framing it as a personal mission to defeat Joe Biden. “I can’t be President, but I can help Trump defeat Biden and I will,” he wrote in one message to Hale St. Clair, a former operations manager at a conservative media company affiliated with The Babylon Bee.The relationship between Musk and […]

[ad_1] The TOI correspondent from Washington: Pride and prejudice stand in the way of China and the US making the first move to break the trade and tariff stand-off that is starting to strangle global commerce. The Trump White House is saying the ball is in China's court to initiate talks and Beijing is demanding "respect" to kickstart negotiations as the two sides slid further into a swampy stalemate, threatening to take the world down with them. "China needs to make a deal with us. We don’t have to make a deal with them,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt asserted on Tuesday as both countries began courting trading partners and blocs, with many countries, including India, Japan, and Vietnam, caught in the crossfire. The US also increased tariff on Chinese imports to 245 percent, a meaningless hike that Beijing […]

[ad_1] A young Barack Obama is seen delivering the speech A video has emerged of a speech by ex-US President Barack Obama, a Harvard University alumni, from a 1991 protest in support of a law professor, amid the current stand-off between US President Donald Trump and Harvard over the institute's refusal to implement the Trump administration's new federal directives to it.Trump retaliated by freezing Harvard's federal funding of over $2.2 billion. Obama came out in support of his alma mater, where he studied law, and called out the US President over his alleged "ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom."Barack Obama's viral speechAccording to a 2022 report, Derrick Bell, an African American and a law professor at Harvard, and a pioneer of the so-called "critical race theory," had launched a hunger strike over the institute's denial of tenure to Regina Austin, […]

[ad_1] China has expressed its willingness to resume trade negotiations with the United States, provided that certain key preconditions are fulfilled. Among the primary demands is a call for greater diplomatic respect, a consistent US trade stance, attention to its concerns on sanctions and Taiwan, and the appointment of a lead negotiator with Trump's full backing, Bloomberg reported citing a Chinese government source.Trump administration has raised the tariffs to 245% on the Asian nation after Beijing decided to block new Boeing aircraft purchases by Chinese airlines.“China now faces up to a 245% tariff on imports to the United States as a result of its retaliatory actions,” the White House said.Meanwhile, China has responded saying that it wasn't "afraid to fight", however, adding that if the US wanted to resolve the matter, it should talk "on the basis of equality, respect […]

[ad_1] In an increasingly polarised Canadian election landscape, it’s not policy but psychology that appears to be shaping voter behaviour. A new National Post poll released on April 16 paints a striking emotional divide: 75% of Conservative voters say they are motivated by hope—for economic revival, lower taxes, and political change—while 60% of Liberal supporters cite fear as their primary motivator, particularly in the face of Donald Trump’s threats to Canada’s sovereignty and trade.This fear-versus-hope narrative is playing out at the highest levels of leadership, with unelected Liberal leader Mark Carney doubling down on warnings of a Trump-dominated North America, while Conservative challenger Pierre Poilievre pitches a vision of renewal and national pride.Carney’s Fear Gambit: Trump as the BogeymanSince assuming leadership of the Liberal Party in March 2025 with an overwhelming 85.9% internal vote, Mark Carney has made one thing […]

[ad_1] If you thought Elon Musk was just the bloke sending Teslas into orbit and Doge memes into your timeline, think again. Behind the code, rockets, and Twitter tantrums lies a full-blown sci-fi fertility cult, with a plot that makes Handmaid’s Tale look like a parenting blog. From hush money to hush babies, Musk isn’t just building rockets—he’s building a legion. Literally. Here are ten jaw-dropping revelations from the Wall Street Journal’s expose that reads less like journalism and more like leaked notes from a Vatican fertility summit hosted by Trump.1. He Calls Them His “Legion”—Because Why Stop at a Soccer Team?Elon Musk doesn’t have children. He has a legion. That’s what he calls his sprawling brood, borrowing the term from Roman military units known for conquest and expansion. The mission? To out-breed the collapse of Western civilisation. The method? […]

[ad_1] JERUSALEM: Israel said Wednesday it would keep blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, where a relentless military offensive has turned the Palestinian territory into a "mass grave", a medical charity reported.Air and ground attacks resumed across the Gaza Strip from March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas that had largely halted hostilities in the territory.However, Israel has halted the entry of aid into Gaza since March 2, as the humanitarian crisis continues to grow amid ongoing military assaults which rescuers said killed at least 11 people Wednesday.Defence minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday Israel would continue preventing aid from entering the besieged territory of 2.4 million people."Israel's policy is clear: no humanitarian aid will enter Gaza, and blocking this aid is one of the main pressure levers preventing Hamas from using it as a tool with the population," […]

[ad_1] Mohammad Javad Zarif (AP) DUBAI: Iran 's president formally approved the resignation of one of his vice presidents who served as Tehran's key negotiator in its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, just as the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog was due to arrive in the Islamic Republic on Wednesday. President Masoud Pezeshkian's announcement late Tuesday regarding Mohammad Javad Zarif comes as Iran prepares for a second round of negotiations with the United States over its rapidly advancing nuclear program. Meanwhile, the visit by Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, scheduled to start Wednesday may include negotiations over just what access his inspectors can get under any proposed deal. The stakes of the negotiations couldn't be higher for the two nations closing in on half a century of enmity. US President Donald […]