mayor of new york city Zohran MamdaniThe new communications office is facing opposition after budget documents revealed taxpayers could lose more than $5.2 million in salaries. Critics are calling this spending “morally incomprehensible”.The Office of Mass Engagement has expanded far beyond its original size. According to the city’s 2027 executive budget, its workforce is expected to increase from 14 employees to 40, an increase of 186 percent. The total salary allocation is now $5,123,756.This is much higher than earlier estimates, which put the cost at around $1.6 million when recruitment first began. The new data shows there are plans to bring on an additional 26 staff members, whose average salary will be about $125,000. An additional $30,000 is also set aside for non-employee expenses.The scale of the spending has been criticized by political opponents, some of whom argue that the office duplicates existing city functions and provides only little public benefit.“This is pure politics at a time when real services are needed,” Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf told The New York Post.He said: “We have a real deficit and this mayor is spending five million dollars to keep 40 political operatives on the payroll. It’s morally incomprehensible… It’s outrageous.”He added, “This is not for anyone’s benefit but for the mayor’s benefit.”City budget documents show the office aims to increase public participation in policymaking and improve civic engagement.According to sources cited by the New York Post, the Office of Mass Engagement sits alongside an already expanded communications team in the mayor’s office, which is expected to be larger than any previous administration in NYC history.The total budget for the Mayor’s Office in 2027 is set at $51.8 million, $7 million more than former Mayor Eric Adams’ previous budget.Those already hired include officials with Mamdani’s campaign background, including Commissioner Tascha Van Auken, her former area director, and Mohammed Alharbi, who now serves as deputy borough director for Queens.

A Rhode Island couple who spent more than $600 on a Donald Trump-branded watch were shocked when the product arrived with a flaw.Tim Pettit purchased the watch as a gift for his wife Melanie after hearing a radio commercial featuring the voice of US President Donald Trump that promoted several luxury watches.While browsing the website, Tim found a silver and pink model he thought his wife would like and paid $640 for it. But when the moment came, the couple realized something was wrong.Instead of displaying Trump’s full surname, the clock read “Rump”.“I noticed it right away,” Melanie told WJAR.He said: “How can they process this and do something without checking their work?”The clock had a pink face with Trump’s signature and images of fireworks, but the missing “T” turned a special gift into a disappointing experience.According to the couple, Melanie became so upset by this mistake that she started crying after looking at the watch.Tim said he expected better quality from a product named after a US president.He told WJAR, “I wanted to do a special thing for them. And we hoped it would have the integrity and good follow-up of the President of the United States.”The couple said they tried contacting the company to fix the problem but initially received no response.“We would like this to be fixed properly and quickly. [And] It would be nice to apologize for making my wife cry,” Tim told WJAR.The situation changed after a local news outlet contacted the company on the couple’s behalf. The watchmaker then responded, giving the couple an $800 gift card and sending a replacement watch with Trump’s full surname correctly printed on it.The watches are marketed using Trump’s image and voice. In a promotional video on the company’s website, Trump says: “Hello everyone, this is President Donald J. Trump, and it’s Trump Time.”“Get your watch today!” He adds.However, the company has stated in its terms that it is not officially a part of the Trump administration. The fine print on the website states that Trump’s likeness is being used under a paid licensing agreement with CIC Digital LLC and that the products are “not designed, owned, managed, or controlled by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, CIC Digital LLC, or any of their respective principals or affiliates.”The company also maintains a strict returns policy, stating that “All sales [are] Last.”

Just a week after declaring the proposed deal with Iran “substantially finalized”, US President donald trump Iran has reportedly sent the deal back for revisions, prolonging negotiations and creating new uncertainty over efforts to end the conflict.During the meeting with advisers, Trump urged tougher provisions on Iran’s nuclear commitments and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to CNN. He has also expressed concern over the extent of financial relief offered to Tehran under any deal, being wary of comparisons with the Obama-era nuclear deal, which he has repeatedly criticized as too generous.The latest round of changes comes a week after Trump said the deal was “substantially finalized” and signaled an end to hostilities was near. Since then, US officials have signaled progress toward a deal that would stop the fighting, reopen the strait and allow further detailed talks on Iran’s nuclear program.However, despite Trump saying he would make a “final decision” during Friday’s meeting and outlining some terms on social media, the two-hour session ended without a decision. In his message, Trump said the US would seize and destroy Iran’s reserves of highly enriched uranium, although Iran has consistently said it is not discussing details of its nuclear program as part of the ongoing talks.Trump also said there has been no discussion of exchanging funds as part of the agreement, while Iran has said any agreement should include financial provisions. How these differences will be resolved is unclear as negotiations continue over the wording of the deal.Earlier, Axios also reported that Trump had sought amendments to the proposed agreement, including stricter language on reopening the Strait of Hormuz in the agreement with Iran.Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that no deal with the US would be approved until Tehran’s “rights” were secured, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. “The soldiers on the diplomatic battlefield have no confidence in the words and promises of the enemy. What matters to us are the concrete achievements we must achieve, in return for which we will fulfill our commitments,” Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying.Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the conditions outlined by Trump appear acceptable on paper, but they may be difficult to implement, especially with regard to the Strait of Hormuz.

A Nepal-born software engineer who left a high-paying job Google After repeated visa failures he finally got his U.S. visa. have got it green card.San Francisco-based founder Pratik Karki shared the news in a viral post on“Got our green cards today! Here’s the whole story, no BS, and special thanks to my dad,” Karki wrote.Karki said his personal connection to the US stems from his father, who previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley. His father later returned to Nepal due to family circumstances and decided to raise his children there rather than continue his career in the US.According to Karki, that decision influenced his upbringing, as the family lived in modest circumstances in Nepal after his father left the United States.He said: “The only way out was to go back to Nepal. They left everything they had built for us in America. We moved to my grandparents’ house in a small room in the attic.”Years later, Karki moved to the US and pursued a career in tech, eventually joining Google in a well-paid engineering role. He said his compensation package was about $300,000 a year.However, their long-term ability to remain in the US depended on the H-1B visa lottery, a system that randomly selects applicants for work permits. Karki said that he failed four times while working at Google.“Two years ago I was rejected for the fourth time from the H1B lottery at Google,” he wrote.He added, “I sat with the email for a long time before telling anyone.”He said that repeated rejections led him to face the prospect of leaving the United States, potentially being separated from his wife and the life he had built in San Francisco.“I was thinking about packing everything up. Try Canada, or go back to Nepal, and live thousands of miles away from the person I love,” he wrote.Karki later decided to leave Google at the age of 27, leaving “an annual salary of approximately $300K”. He began exploring startup ideas in San Francisco, where he co-founded Anthromind with fellow founder Mannat. The company focuses on building what Karki describes as “the definitive human data layer for frontier labs and enterprise AI teams.”During this period, he also applied for an O-1 visa, which is granted to individuals with exceptional ability. He said he prepared the application himself using evidence from his career, including hackathon judging and published writing, and the petition was approved.“The case was approved,” he wrote.Subsequently, Karki and his wife finally received their green cards, ending years of immigration uncertainty.“Today my wife and I both have green cards,” he wrote.He said: “Two immigrants, one company, one kitchen table conversation that changed everything.”He dedicated the result to his father, saying: “Baba, this is for you, thanks for all your sacrifices and lessons.”

Indian man awarded nearly £30,000 by UK tribunal after employer failed to provide work

An Indian man who moved to the United Kingdom under the skilled worker visa scheme has been awarded almost £30,000 by an employment tribunal after his employer failed to provide him with any work for almost a year despite issuing him sponsorship to undertake care work.According to The Guardian, the tribunal ordered the care company Swan Care Solutions Ltd to pay Shabeen Shaji for work she was “ready, able and willing to do”, as well as other remedies for breaches including holiday pay and failure to provide a written contract and non-compliance with grievance procedures.Shaji, who hails from Kerala, moved to Stafford in 2023 after he was told there was a severe shortage of health workers in Britain. He bought a car for the job and completed online training before the trip. He said he had previously sought advice about securing work in the UK from a YouTube influencer, who connected him with agents.According to the tribunal, he paid recruiters £17,000 and was subsequently interviewed for the role on WhatsApp before being issued a sponsorship certificate, allowing him to live and work in the UK with Swan Care Solutions as his sponsoring employer.However, the computer science graduate, who had prior experience in health care in India, said she was not given any shift despite repeated requests. According to his visa conditions he could not work more than 20 hours a week for any other employer. He later secured sponsorship elsewhere in April 2024, a year after his arrival, but later returned to India due to ill health.The tribunal heard that Swan Care Solutions staff suggested she work cash-in-hand and use the food bank, and told her they would contact her when it was her “turn”.The Guardian quoted employment judge Kate Edmonds as saying, “The claimant did what was required to undertake the work… however, the defendant did not provide her with the work, nor pay her.”He further said, “The defendant withheld work from him… hence unauthorized deductions were made from his salary.”Shaji, who struggled without employment or income during his time in Britain, said, “I was broke and had to rely on charity. I drank tap water to survive and bought bread close to its expiry date.”The employment tribunal has ordered the company to pay £28,843.54 in wages and holiday pay, as well as £8,700 in costs.

Car set on fire as PSG supporters celebrate in Paris (AP Photo)

Celebrations following Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) Champions League victory turned into chaos across France, leaving one person dead, 219 injured and nearly 800 arrested, authorities said on Sunday.French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 219 people were injured during clashes between football fans and police after PSG defeated Arsenal in the Champions League final. The condition of eight of the injured is said to be serious, while 57 police officers have also been injured.One person died in a road accident on Paris’ ring road during the unrest, when rioters reportedly attempted to block traffic, according to AFP.Nunez said 780 people were arrested across the country, while more than 450 remained in custody. The Paris prosecutors’ office later said 277 people were formally placed in police custody, including 82 minors, on charges ranging from assaulting police officers to theft, vandalism and disturbing public order.“The situation is largely under control,” Nunez told reporters.“Most celebrations took place peacefully across Paris”, he said, adding that most of the incidents were concentrated on the Champs-Élysées and near the Parc des Princes stadium, where thousands of people gathered to watch the match.

Fires, sabotage and clashes

Fans take to the streets after PSG’s victory in the final in Budapest, Hungary. Large crowds gathered around the Arc de Triomphe and along the Champs-Élysées, lighting fires and celebrating by blowing car horns.However, the celebrations soon turned violent in many areas. Police said small groups vandalized shops, set fire to dustbins, self-service bicycles and vehicles and attempted to block roads. Authorities also dispersed individuals who allegedly tried to attack a police station in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.In a separate incident, two people were injured when a driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the roof of a restaurant. One person suffered serious injuries.Authorities reported disturbances in about 15 cities across France, with one or two stores vandalized in several locations outside Paris.

heavy security deployment

Despite the unrest, officials confirmed that PSG’s victory parade and celebrations would continue on Sunday. About 6,000 police officers were deployed for security arrangements near the Eiffel Tower, where supporters were expected to gather for official team ceremonies.Núñez warned that police would respond to any further violence with “firmness and determination.” The PSG squad is also set to be welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.The violence followed similar scenes after PSG’s previous title celebrations. In May last year, 201 people were injured in Paris and more than 500 arrests were made across France following the club’s European success.