World News | Texas Flood | Trump’s federal layoffs: The after effects of fatal flooding in Texas’ Hill Country continues to unfold grimly, with Governor Greg Abbott confirming that at least 161 people remain missing in Kerr County alone, which the epicenter of the disaster.
Texas Flood | World News
The official death toll statewide has risen to 111, and since Friday, with no survivors found in Kerr County authorities fear the number could rise sharply in the coming days.
On Tuesday Governor Abbott’s announcement marked the first time officials publicly revealed the full scope of the ongoing search and recovery efforts. Emergency teams are combing through waters and flattened neighborhoods, expecting for more tragic discoveries. In fact, Local officials expressed growing concern as hopes of finding survivors diminish with each passing day.
Trump’s federal layoffs | World News
Supreme Court Lifts Block on Trump’s Mass Federal Layoffs and Agency Overhaul
The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for US President Donald Trump’s administration to proceed with sweeping federal job cuts and a major restructuring of government agencies. The decision overturns a May 22 injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, that had temporarily halted planned “reductions in force” which could affect hundreds of 1000s of federal employees. The layoffs are a central part of Donald Trump’s push to downsize the federal government and weaken what he calls a bloated bureaucracy.
Workforce reductions are planned across multiple departments, including agriculture, commerce, health and human services, state, treasury, and veterans affairs, along with over a dozen other federal agencies. Judge Illston had sided with unions, non-profits and local governments that challenged the plan, arguing Trump had exceeded his authority. Despite ongoing litigation, the Supreme Court’s decision allows the administration to move forward with its agenda for now.
ALSO READ: Texas Flooding Death Toll Tops 100 as Search Continues
A rescue mission was underway on Wednesday to save crew members from the cargo ship *Eternity C*, which sank in the Red Sea after an attack that left at least four crew members dead.
Security firms involved in the operation said four crew members and an armed guard were pulled from the water after being stranded for over 24 hours.
Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are set to hold talks at No 10 as the UK urges France to step up efforts to curb migrant crossings.
Macron arrived on Tuesday for the first state visit by an EU head of state since Brexit.
The meeting comes amid ongoing UK pressure on French authorities to take stronger action on the beaches along the Channel coast.
US President Donald Trump claimed at a private fundraiser last year that he had warned Russian President Vladimir Putin he would “bomb the sh*t out of Moscow” if Russia invaded Ukraine, CNN reported on July 8, citing an obtained audio recording.
“With Putin I said, ‘If you go into Ukraine, I’m going to bomb the sh**t out of Moscow. I’m telling you I have no choice,’” Trump told a group of donors in 2024, according to the report.
CNN noted that it was unclear when exactly the alleged conversation between Trump and Putin took place.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that Russia’s largest drone attack on Ukraine underscores the urgent need for tougher, “biting” sanctions on Moscow, as well as the implementation of secondary sanctions targeting Russian oil.
A senior Hezbollah commander was killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon late last night, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed.
The targeted strike took place in the town of Babliyeh, located south of Sidon, and killed Hussein Ali Muzhir. According to the IDF, Muzhir served as the commander of Hezbollah’s firepower in the Zahrani River area, which falls under the group’s Badr regional division.
“In his role, Hussein Ali Muzhir advanced multiple rocket attacks against the State of Israel and IDF forces,” the Israeli military said in an official statement. “Recently, he was also involved in efforts to rebuild Hezbollah’s artillery capabilities in southern Lebanon,” the statement added.
Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk has announced that revealing the infamous client list of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be a top priority for his newly formed political group, the ‘America Party.’
Epstein was first jailed in Florida in June 2008 for soliciting sex from underage girls. He was arrested again in July 2019 on federal charges including sex trafficking of minors, shortly before his death in a New York jail cell.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Jeddah on Tuesday (July 8), marking the Iranian official’s first visit to the Gulf kingdom since Tehran’s 12-day air conflict with Israel in June.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday (July 9) urged Southeast Asian nations to “act with purpose” and strengthen trade ties within the region to navigate growing global economic uncertainty.
Anwar made the remarks as foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) convened this week, against the backdrop of renewed concerns over U.S. trade tariffs and a simmering territorial dispute between Thailand and Cambodia that risks undermining the bloc’s unity.
More than 160 people remain missing in Texas days after flash floods claimed over 100 lives during the July Fourth weekend, the state’s governor said Tuesday.
The sharp rise, nearly triple the earlier estimate, followed the launch of a hotline for families to report missing loved ones.
Western Europe experienced its hottest June ever last month, enduring relentless back-to-back heatwaves with “extreme” temperatures, the EU’s Copernicus climate monitoring agency reported Wednesday.
On a global scale, June ranked as the third-warmest on record, extending a scorching trend marked by the hottest and second-hottest Junes in 2024 and 2023, respectively, according to Copernicus.
A father and his two children were swept away by flash floods in Ruidoso, New Mexico, according to the National Weather Service. Swift water rescue teams are searching for the family as multiple rescues continue across the area. No injuries or deaths have been confirmed, though several people remain unaccounted for. Dramatic video shows homes being torn apart and carried away by raging brown floodwaters. The disaster comes just days after flash floods in neighboring Texas left over 109 dead and at least 161 missing.
India and Brazil aim to boost trade to $20 billion in 5 years, says PM Modi; urges ‘zero tolerance, zero double standards’ on terrorism.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva welcomed Indian companies to manufacture drugs and pharmaceuticals in Brazil, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday. During a special briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, MEA Secretary (East) P Kumaran said President Lula expressed interest in deeper collaboration between the two countries in the pharmaceutical sector, including joint research initiatives.
Responding to a question on contract manufacturing, Kumaran noted that President Lula emphasized support for fast-track approvals of Indian drugs, particularly those already approved by the US FDA or EDQM. The move aims to ease market entry for Indian pharmaceutical firms and boost bilateral cooperation in healthcare innovation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for Namibia on Tuesday (local time) after concluding a two-day visit to Brazil, where he attended the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro and held bilateral talks with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brasilia.
Modi’s visit to Namibia, undertaken at the invitation of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, marks his first to the country and the third-ever by an Indian Prime Minister.
Nearly a decade before catastrophic floods devastated Kerr County, local officials sought $1 million from the state to build a flood warning system aimed at protecting summer camps and residents.
The proposal, led by then-County Commissioner Tom Moser, would have enabled real-time alerts through designated point persons at camps. The request was denied, leaving the region vulnerable when disaster struck.
