Foreign
Photos: Melania Trump shines in elegant outfit as netizens compare looks with Michael Jackson

Where in the world is Melania Trump? Back in Washington in a sharply tailored outfit that exudes international woman of mystery as her husband once again becomes president of the United States.
Wearing a long navy coat and matching wide-brimmed hat — which shielded her eyes in most photos and hindered her commander-in-chief husband’s attempts to give her a peck before his swearing-in — Melania’s fit drew snark on social media and a flurry of comparisons to a 1980s video game character.
“Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?” quipped the internet, referring to the franchise that spun off into a popular 1990s geography game show for kids, and featured a criminal mastermind dressed in a long, carmine trench coat and eye-obscuring fedora.
Melania Trump’s coat and skirt were silk wool Adam Lippes, an independent American designer based in New York, an ensemble paired with an ivory blouse tightly wrapped at the Slovenian-born former model’s neck.
“The tradition of the presidential inauguration embodies the beauty of American democracy and today we had the honor to dress our first lady, Mrs. Melania Trump,” said Lippes in a statement that emphasized American manufacturing over political ideology.
“Mrs. Trump’s outfit was created by some of America’s finest craftsmen and I take great pride in showing such work to the world.”
The hat was by New York milliner Eric Javits.
“She cut the figure of a mafia widow or high-ranking member of an obscure religious order, and a bit of ‘My Fair Lady,’ wrote Rachel Tashjian, style critic for The Washington Post.
– ‘Armor’ –
American first ladies don’t get much of a voice — but their sartorial choices are broadcast to the world and scrutinized for subtext and statements.
The late Rosalynn Carter, for example, drew strong reactions by wearing a dress she had already worn — gasp! — when her husband Jimmy was inaugurated in 1977.
The point was to show empathy for the economic struggles of Americans — but sometimes what the people really want is aspirational glamour.
In recent years first ladies have routinely turned to independent designers for inaugural events: in 2021, Jill Biden wore a sparkling blue coat-and-dress combo by Markarian, a small brand in New York.
Michelle Obama made waves in 2009 in a lemon-colored outfit by Isabel Toledo, wearing Thom Browne at her husband’s second swearing-in. She wore gowns by Jason Wu to both series of inaugural balls.
Melania Trump, for her part, channeled Jackie Kennedy to kick off her first turn in the White House, wearing Ralph Lauren — a heritage-brand favorite on both sides of the political aisle — to the daytime events in 2017.
She swapped her powder-blue cashmere dress and matching asymmetrical bolero jacket with opera gloves for a silk crepe gown by Herve Pierre that year, both looks that signaled a sense of buoyancy as she began her new role as a political wife.
Her shadowy-chic 2025 look marks a sharp departure as she enters tenure two.
“For her second round as first lady, the fashion game — the tool she brandishes most often and most forcefully, even if the public sometimes struggles to divine her sartorial messages — is likely to be one of steely, precise armor, of clothes with brash and exacting tailoring,” wrote the Post’s Tashjian.
“For the past year, she has worn a wardrobe of mostly black, but this does not seem intended to make her disappear into the background.”
Michael Jackson comparison on social media
Melania’s latest outfit has sparked a flurry of reactions online, quickly going viral across social media platforms.
While some praised her bold fashion choice, others couldn’t resist drawing comparisons to the late Michael Jackson.
One X user humorously remarked, “Is it just me… or is Melania trying to imply that Trump is a ‘smooth criminal’ with this outfit choice?”
Echoing a similar sentiment, another user chimed in: “Melania is dressed like Michael Jackson, and she is killing it! Smooth criminal but more classy lol.”
Foreign
US Judge halts Trump’s government worker buyout plan

A US judge has temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s plan offering incentives to federal workers to voluntarily resign before a Thursday midnight deadline.
Federal Judge George O’Toole Jr said the plan would be paused until a hearing on Monday when he could determine the merits of a lawsuit filed by federal employee unions, reported CBS, the BBC’s US partner.
The offer is part of an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to slash the size of the federal government.
The White House says more than 40,000 employees have accepted the offer to resign in exchange for pay until 30 September. Some workers have voiced confusion about the terms of the deal.
The order came hours before Thursday’s 23:59 EST (04:59 GMT Friday) deadline for federal workers to accept the offer.
A lawyer for the justice department said federal employees would be notified that the deadline had been paused, CBS reported.
The White House appeared to see the temporary halt as a way to increase the number of resignations.
“We are grateful to the Judge for extending the deadline so more federal workers who refuse to show up to the office can take the Administration up on this very generous, once-in-a-lifetime offer,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
An Office of Personnel Management (OPM) statement said the agency would continue processing resignations until an extended deadline of 23:59 local time on Monday.
“The program is NOT being blocked or canceled,” it said. “The government will honor the deferred resignation offer.”
The Trump administration, which previously said it hoped for as many as 200,000 employees to accept its offer, told US media they expected a spike in participation just ahead of the deadline.
“It’s going to save the American people tens of millions of dollars,” Leavitt told reporters outside the White House’s West Wing before the judge paused the programme.
The American Federation of Government Employees, a union, filed the lawsuit against the OPM, arguing it had violated the law, that it could not fund the deal, and that it had given conflicting guidance about its terms.
The union said in an email to members that the offer was part of an “effort to dismantle the civil service and replace the skilled, professional workforce with unqualified political appointees and for-profit contractors”.
The union noted that Congress has not passed a budget for funding beyond mid-March, arguing that it was unclear whether agencies could pay workers until September.
On Thursday, the union said it was “pleased” by the judge’s actions.
Some federal employees have described their shock at the buy-out proposal, which was delivered in the form of a late-night email with the subject line “Fork in the Road”. Some thought the email was spam.
“The tone of the initial email was like ‘you may be cut anyway,’” Monet Hepp, a medical support specialist at the US Department of Veterans Affairs, previously told BBC. “People were blindsided by it.”
Democrats have questioned the legality of the resignation package and warned it would lead to a “brain drain” that would be “felt by every American”.
“Without the expertise and institutional knowledge that so many federal employees bring to their work, our government will be incapable of responding effectively to national emergencies, serving the American public, or even carrying out routine operations,” Democrats on the House Oversight Committee wrote in a letter to President Trump.
On Tuesday, the Central Intelligence Agency became the first national security department to extend the offer to its staff. Former US intelligence officials and several lawmakers have raised concerns that this offer could undermine US national security.
There are also reports of impending cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the weather-forecasting agency, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Foreign
DR Congo soldiers, rebels’ clash death toll hits over 900

More than 900 people have been killed in the past two weeks amid intense fighting between M23 rebels and government forces in Goma, a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to a statement released late Monday by the World Health Organization, approximately 2,880 injured individuals have been admitted to various health facilities in Goma since January 26.
Last week, the M23 armed group, backed by Rwandan troops, seized Goma’s airport as its fighters swept through the city, the regional capital of North Kivu, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes.
The rebels have intensified attacks in eastern DRC, claiming control over Goma and establishing checkpoints, severely restricting humanitarian access.
With Goma under their control, the rebels pushed towards Bukavu, another major city in eastern DRC. Previously, the group had declared its intention to advance across the country toward the national capital, Kinshasa. However, in a recent statement, M23 rebels denied plans to capture Bukavu.
“It must be made clear that we have no intention of capturing Bukavu or other areas. However, we reiterate our commitment to protecting and defending the civilian population and our positions,” M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka stated.
Meanwhile, Rwanda-backed forces in eastern DRC announced on Tuesday that they would pause their advance for humanitarian reasons.
The Alliance Fleuve Congo rebel coalition declared a unilateral ceasefire starting Tuesday, a decision made in response to growing humanitarian concerns.
The rebels’ statement, posted on X (formerly Twitter), read:
“The Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23) informs the public that, in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the regime in Kinshasa, it declares a ceasefire starting February 4, 2025, for humanitarian reasons.”
Despite the ceasefire declaration, there has been no immediate response from the DRC government in Kinshasa, and it remains unclear whether the Congolese military will honor the truce. Over the past three years, multiple ceasefires and truces have been declared, only to be systematically broken.
Before the ceasefire announcement, the International Committee of the Red Cross reported treating over 600 wounded individuals since the start of January, nearly half of whom were civilians, including women and children.
Meanwhile, the WHO has warned of a heightened risk of disease outbreaks, including mpox, cholera, and measles, as displaced populations struggle to access medical care.
Foreign
Trump Withdraws U.S. From UN Human Rights Council, Prohibits Funding For UNRWA

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the United States will withdraw from the top U.N. human rights body and will not resume funding for the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees.
The U.S. left the Geneva-based Human Rights Council last year, and it stopped funding the agency assisting Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, after Israel accused it of harboring Hamas militants who participated in the surprise Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in southern Israel, which UNRWA denies.
Trump’s announcement came on the day he met with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country has long accused both the rights body and UNRWA of bias against Israel and antisemitism.
Trump’s executive orders also call for a review of American involvement in the Paris-based U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known as UNESCO, and a review of U.S. funding for the United Nations in light of “the wild disparities in levels of funding among different countries.”
The United States, with the world’s largest economy, pays 22% of the U.N.’s regular operating budget, with China the second-largest contributor.
“I’ve always felt that the U.N. has tremendous potential,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “It’s not living up to that potential right now. … They’ve got to get their act together.”
He said the U.N. needs “to be fair to countries that deserve fairness,” adding that there are some countries, which he didn’t name, that are “outliers, that are very bad and they’re being almost preferred.”
Before Trump’s announcement, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric reiterated the Human Rights Council’s importance and UNRWA’s work in delivering “critical services to Palestinians.”
Trump also pulled the U.S. out of the Human Rights Council in June 2018. His ambassador to the U.N. at the time, Nikki Haley, accused the council of “chronic bias against Israel” and pointed to what she said were human rights abusers among its members.
President Joe Biden renewed support for the Human Rights Council, and the U.S. won a seat on the 47-nation body in October 2021. But the Biden administration announced in late September that the United States would not seek a second consecutive term.
Trump’s order on Tuesday has little concrete effect because the United States is already not a council member, said council spokesperson Pascal Sim. But like all other U.N. member countries, the U.S. automatically has informal observer status and will still have a seat in the council’s ornate round chamber at the U.N. complex in Geneva.
UNRWA was established by the U.N. General Assembly in 1949 to provide assistance for Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes before and during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that followed Israel’s establishment, as well as for their descendants. It provides aid, education, health care and other services to some 2.5 million Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as 3 million more in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.
Before the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, UNRWA ran schools for Gaza’s 650,000 children as well as health facilities, and helped deliver humanitarian aid. It has continued to provide health care and been key to the delivery of food and other aid to Palestinians during the war.
The first Trump administration suspended funding to UNRWA in 2018, but Biden restored it. The U.S. had been the biggest donor to the agency, providing it with $343 million in 2022 and $422 million in 2023.
For years, Israel has accused UNRWA of anti-Israeli bias in its education materials, which the agency denies.
Israel alleged that 19 of UNRWA’s 13,000 staff in Gaza participated in the Hamas attacks. They were terminated pending a U.N. investigation, which found nine may have been involved.
In response, 18 governments froze funding to the agency, but all have since restored support except the United States. Legislation ratifying the U.S. decision halted any American funding to UNRWA until March 2025, and Trump’s action Tuesday means it will not be restored.
-
News21 hours ago
JUST IN LIST: Reps Committee Proposes 31 New States In Nigeria
-
News21 hours ago
SAD! Veteran Nollywood Actor, Columbus Irisoanga ‘Igbudu’ is dead
-
News12 hours ago
FG ends JSS, SSS, begins 12-year basic education model
-
News22 hours ago
BREAKING! Edo guber Tribunal adjourns as INEC fails to produce witnesses
-
News21 hours ago
President Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Ban Halted
-
News19 hours ago
FRSC Officers beat up Policeman, seize his gun, after he shot at their colleague
-
News19 hours ago
Just in; Tinubu fires UNN VC, announces leadership changes at several federal varsities ( LIST)
-
News21 hours ago
Katsina: Bandits kidnap ex-NYSC DG, nine others