Trump says some furloughed workers might not get back pay
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that some furloughed federal employees may not receive back pay once the government reopens, following earlier threats to lay off federal workers during shutdown.
"I would say it depends on who we're talking about. I can tell you this, the Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy, but it really depends on who you're talking about," Trump said at the White House Oval Office.
"But for the most part, we're going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don't deserve to be taken care of, and we will take care of them in a different way," he said.
Hamas links hostage release to full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in ceasefire talks
A senior Hamas source said Tuesday the group has demanded that any release of Israeli hostages be "directly tied to" a clear timetable for Israel's complete withdrawal from Gaza, as the group's indirect negotiations with Israel continue in Egypt.
The Hamas delegation, during the negotiations in the Red Sea city of Sharm El Sheikh, insisted that "the release of the last hostage must coincide with the final Israeli pullout from Palestinian territories," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
3 scientists win Nobel Prize in Physics for discovery of macroscopic quantum phenomena
Three U.S.-based scientists, John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis, have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Tuesday.
"Their experiments on a chip revealed quantum physics in action," the Academy said in a statement.
Quantum mechanics allows particles to pass through barriers in a process known as tunnelling. Normally, such effects disappear when many particles are involved.
Gold breaks 4,000 dollar per ounce, hitting record high
Gold prices are higher in early U.S. trading Tuesday, with December gold once hitting a new record high of 4,000.10 dollars.
Safe-haven demand is keeping the yellow metal elevated.
WTO raises 2025 global trade growth forecast to 2.4 pct
The World Trade Organization (WTO) on Tuesday raised its forecast for global merchandise trade growth in 2025 to 2.4 percent, up from its previous projection of 0.9 percent made in August. Meanwhile, the forecast for 2026 was revised downward to 0.5 percent from 1.8 percent.
According to the WTO's latest Global Trade Outlook and Statistics report, global GDP is projected to grow by 2.7 percent in 2025 and 2.6 percent in 2026.
The report said the volume of world merchandise trade, as measured by the average of exports and imports, expanded by 4.9 percent year-on-year in the first half of this year.
Thailand floods claim 22 lives, affect 370,000 people
Floods in Thailand have claimed 22 lives, authorities said on Tuesday, as an estimated 370,000 people across 19 provinces were still battling river overflows and heavy rains.
According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, fatalities have been reported in six provinces, with Uttaradit and Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, north of the capital Bangkok, being among the hardest hit.
Relevant agencies are providing assistance, including distributing food and supplies, evacuating residents, and working to drain floodwaters in the affected areas, the department said in a statement.■
