In the U.S., a federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to push out federal employees by offering them financial incentives. The ruling, made yesterday, came just hours before the midnight deadline for workers to apply for the deferred resignation program. The District Judge in Boston did not comment on the legality of the program, which has been widely described as a buyout. However, he scheduled a hearing for Monday at 2 PM European Standard Time. The judge also directed the administration officials to extend the application deadline until after the hearing, giving an initial win to labour unions that had sued to stop it.

Earlier, several labour unions had sued over Trump’s plans, accusing them of being orchestrated by Elon Musk, the head of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).