Samsung Unpacked 2025 live: Slimmest Galaxy Z Fold7 and Flip7 unveiled
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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UAE Moments
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The Full Story of Christian Horner's Departure from Red Bull
Red Bull Racing announced the immediate departure of Christian Horner from his role as both Team Principal and CEO on Wednesday, July 9, ending a 20-year era that produced six Constructors' and eight Drivers' Championships. Laurent Mekies, hailing from sister team Racing Bulls, was swiftly appointed as Horner's successor. His promotion marks the start of a broader leadership restructuring, which includes Alan Permane stepping up at Racing Bulls. Red Bull's form has plummeted in 2025: they are fourth in the Constructors' standings, trailing McLaren by 288 points, and Max Verstappen is 69 points adrift of the Drivers' Championship leader despite securing two wins so far. Once dominant—winning one of the last 26 Grands Prix—Red Bull's RB21 now suffers from limited performance windows, strategic missteps, and poor pitstop execution following key departures such as Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley. Mekies—who impressed heading Racing Bulls—now leads Red Bull through a turbulent period. While respected internally, he faces the dual tasks of restoring team morale and managing a tricky 2026 regulatory transition alongside the critical Ford‑engine project. Max Verstappen is under contract until 2028 but has reportedly considered deferring to Mercedes if Red Bull fails to regain competitiveness. Horner's exit is widely seen as a last-ditch effort to secure his loyalty, though there's no guarantee he will stay.
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Trump administration begins mass layoffs at US State Department
The US State Department on Friday began laying off more than 1,300 diplomats and other employees, as part of an effort by President Donald Trump 's administration to slash government spending and shrink the federal workforce. The so-called reductions in force, or RIFs, include 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service employees based in the US, according to a State Department notice seen by The National. Including voluntary departures and retirements, nearly 3,000 members of the workforce would leave the department as part of the effort. "The objective from the start was clear: focus resources on policy priority and eliminate redundant functions, empowering our people while increasing accountability," deputy secretary of state Michael Rigas wrote in an email to State Department employees. Mr Rigas said the effort was the "largest reorganisation" effort in the State Department in decades. Until the layoffs, the department had a domestic workforce of about 18,000 people. A State Department employee who did not wish to be named said that farewell emails were pouring in on Friday. Diplomats-in-residence, many of them senior officers, have been let go, in addition to members of the Foreign Service Institute, the employee added. The employee said that they understood that staff at the office of global women's issues had been laid off as well. The layoffs come after the Supreme Court this week ruled in favour of the Trump administration's plans for the mass firings of federal workers. Mr Trump, who took office in January, campaigned on a promise to reduce the size of the federal government, a long-standing Republican goal. The Republican Party as a whole sees a large federal government as a wasteful and bloated bureaucracy. Some far-right Republicans also accuse federal employees of being part of a "deep state" conspiracy working to undermine Mr Trump's agenda. Representative Gregory Meeks, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, blasted the State Department's layoffs. 'The mass firing of civil service and foreign service employees at the State Department is a reckless and unilateral disarmament of our national security toolbox," he said in a statement. "Republicans claim to put 'America First,' but gutting our diplomatic and development corps does the opposite." Soon after taking office, Mr Trump enlisted the help of billionaire Elon Musk, his ally at the time, to slash federal jobs with the aim of reducing spending and eradicating alleged corruption in the federal government. Under the Department of Government Efficiency, or Doge, thousands of government projects and jobs were cut. The US Agency for International Development was dissolved and folded into the State Department after the vast majority of its projects were cancelled.
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Timeframe: How Sheikh Zayed stood up for Palestinians during his 1989 state visit to the UK
During his state visit to the UK on July 18, 1989, UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, caused quite a stir in the British media on the back of a meeting he held in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, where he was staying. Sheikh Zayed had invited Bassam Abu Sharif, a senior adviser to Yasser Arafat, former leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, with whom the British government had no official relations. The first Palestinian intifada was taking place, and former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who was then the country's trade and industry minister, had publicly called for the murder of Arafat. 'Palestine had a very special place in his heart,' Abu Sharif wrote of Sheikh Zayed in his 2009 book Arafat and the Dream of Palestine: An Insider's Account. Recounting his meeting with the UAE Founding Father, Abu Sharif said: 'Sheikh Zayed was an Arab who remained true in his national stands'. 'I summarised developments, explaining to His Highness the difficult circumstances of occupation under which our people were living. He would interrupt me once in a while to ask for more details, but I could see he was deeply moved by what I was telling him,' he wrote of their meeting. 'Due to His Highness's busy schedule, I was granted only a 20-minute meeting. When my allotted time was up, I stood to leave, apologising for having taken up so much of his valuable time. He motioned for me to remain seated, saying firmly: 'Palestine is more important.' 'We continued talking for a whole hour, which both amazed and confused his staff. Before I left, Sheikh Zayed pledged to aid the Palestinian people and encouraged us to remain firmly committed to freeing Jerusalem.' The following morning, one British newspaper reported their meeting with the headline: 'A Terrorist in Buckingham Palace'. The Independent also suggested Abu Sharif's visit to Buckingham Palace had 'embarrassed' Geoffrey Howe, the then British foreign secretary. Buckingham Palace would later issue a statement saying the meeting had been prearranged and that, as a guest of Queen Elizabeth II, Sheikh Zayed was entitled to any visitor he wished. Following the state reception at Buckingham Palace, hosted by the queen, Sheikh Zayed hosted a return banquet in her honour two days later. It was held at the famed Claridge's hotel in London, and the queen was accompanied by a host of British politicians and members of the British royal family, including Princess Diana who, only a few months earlier in March, had visited the UAE with then Prince Charles. Margaret Thatcher at her residence and office in 10 Downing Street.
