Trump cutbacks were supposedly aimed at administrators. But scientists in food and drug-testing labs and policy experts who advance generic drug approvals were also dismissed.
Heirloom tomatoes imported from Canada, left, and avocados imported from Mexico in a Pittsburgh market last month. Inspections and testing of imported foods could be affected by the F.D.A. layoffs.
Meta faces a $2.4bn (£1.8bn) lawsuit accusing the Facebook owner of inflaming violence in Ethiopia after the Kenyan high court said a legal case against the US tech group could go ahead.
The case brought by two Ethiopian nationals calls on Facebook to alter its algorithm to stop promoting hateful material and incitement to violence, as well as hiring more content moderators in Africa. It is also seeking a $2.4bn “restitution fund” for victims of hate and violence incited on Facebook.
One of the claimants is the son of Prof Meareg Amare Abrha, who was murdered at his home in Ethiopia after his address and threatening posts were published on Facebook in 2021 during a civil war in the country. Another claimant is Fisseha Tekle, a former researcher at Amnesty International who published reports on violence committed during the conflict in Tigray in northern Ethiopia and received death threats on Facebook.
Meta has argued that courts in Kenya, where Facebook’s Ethiopia moderators were based at the time, did not have jurisdiction over the case. The Kenyan high court in Nairobi ruled on Thursday that the case fell within the jurisdiction of the country’s courts.
Abrham Meareg, the son of Meareg, said: “I am grateful for the court’s decision today. It is disgraceful that Meta would argue that they should not be subject to the rule of law in Kenya. African lives matter.”
Tekle said he cannot return home to Ethiopia because of Meta’s failure to make Facebook safe. “Meta cannot undo the damage it has done, but it can radically change how it moderates dangerous content across all its platforms to make sure no one else has to go through what I have,” he said. “I look forward to this matter now being heard by the court in full.”
The case, supported by non-profit organisations including Foxglove and Amnesty International, also demands a formal apology from Meta for the murder of Meareg. The Katiba Institute, a Kenya-based NGO focusing on the Kenyan constitution, is the third claimant in the case.
In 2022 an analysis by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Observer found that Facebook was letting users post content inciting violence through hate and misinformation, despite being aware that it was fuelling tensions in Tigray.
Meta rejected the claims at the time, saying it had “invested in safety and security measures” to tackle hate and inflammatory language along with “aggressive steps to stop the spread of misinformation” in Ethiopia.
In January the company said it was removing factcheckers and “dramatically” reducing the amount of censorship on the platform, although it would continue to tackle illegal and high severity violations.
Meta said it did not comment on ongoing legal matters.
今天我之前一位不错的领导联系我，（他带了我四年，后来去了中科院自动化研究所）联系我问我有去中科院自动化研究所工作的意愿吗？因为现在有一个项目要组建一个团队，之前和他一起工作的时候感觉挺不错，所以就询问了一些细节，总体说下来就是薪资 base 肯定没有现在的高，他的意思是那里稳定一些，不知道要不要去。有没有在那里工作的朋友分享一下那里的氛围
The UK government is launching a consultation with businesses on how taking retaliatory tariff measures against the US would impact them.
It comes after US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs of 10% on all UK imports.
The government has previously said it would not be rushed into a knee-jerk response to Trump's imposition of tariffs on its trading partners around the world while insisting all options were on the table.
But in a toughening of this stance, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told MPs he would "seek the views of UK stakeholders over four weeks until 1 May 2025 on products that could be potentially included in any UK tariff response".
He said talks were ongoing with the US government to secure an economic deal aimed at avoiding or reducing tariffs but warned that the UK "reserves the right to take any action we deem necessary if a deal is not secured".
In the event of reaching a deal with the US, the consultation with businesses would be paused, he added.
Speaking in the House of Commons, he said the fact the US had put lower tariffs on the UK compared to other countries "vindicated the pragmatic approach the government has taken". However, he said he was "disappointed" by the increase.
Conservative shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith questioned Reynolds' claim that the government's approach had been "vindicated".
"The government got no special favours," he said noting that the UK was facing the same tariffs as more than 125 other countries and territories including the Congo and the Christmas Islands.
He said the EU was being hit by 20% tariffs and the UK's lower rate of 10% was actually a vindication of those who "were pilloried and abused" for backing Brexit.
"They [Labour] should regret the 48 times they voted to stay in Europe and thank us for getting Brexit done."
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said Trump was telling the UK he would only lower tariffs "if you lower your standards".
"If the government gives in to Trump's threats it will only encourage him to use the same bullying tactics again and again."
She reiterated her party's call for an "economic coalition of the willing" against the tariffs.
In addition to the 10% tariffs, a 25% tariff has been put on UK car exports, as well as steel and aluminium products.
The UK exported almost £60bn worth of goods to the US last year, mainly machinery, cars and pharmaceuticals.
The government's official forecaster estimates a worst-case scenario trade war could reduce UK economic growth by 1% and wipe out the £9.9bn of economic headroom Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave herself at last week's Spring Statement.
It could mean that in order to meet her own fiscal rules, she would have to raise taxes or make cuts to government spending.
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