Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and former UK prime minister Boris Johnson are among the high-profile guests in Washington DC for Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The three men were sat in the same row inside St John’s Church as the incoming president attended a church service before his swearing in.
Other famous faces getting a prime seat for the big moment included Tesla boss Elon Musk, who appeared momentarily mesmerised by the ceiling of the US Capitol building.
Image: Elon Musk appeared to be checking out the ornate ceiling. Pic: Reuters
Image: The ceremony was held in the rotunda in Washington’s US Capitol building. Pic: Reuters
The Tesla boss was perhaps Mr Trump‘s most famous backer during the election race and he’ll help lead an “efficiency” department in the new government.
Mr Musk was seen chatting to Google boss Sundar Pichai in the moments before the swearing-in, with Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and his partner Lauren Sanchez on the other side.
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg was a few spaces along with wife Priscilla Chan – as the titans of tech waited for Mr Trump to arrive.
Image: Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg with wife Priscilla Chan (left) and Lauren Sanchez. Pic: Reuters
Image: Google boss Sundar Pichai (middle) and Elon Musk, with Jeff Bezos (left). Pic: Reuters
The multi-billionaires will be hoping the new president’s policies will boost, or at least not hinder, their vast money-making machines.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook was also at the swearing in, while TikTok’s boss Zhang Yiming was also expected to be in Washington DC.
Mr Trumphas pledged to give the app a reprieve from a ban that made it temporarily go “dark” in the US on Sunday.
Image: Apple chief Tim Cook was also among the tech billionaires in attendance. Pic: Reuters
Image: Argentina President Javier Milei and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni. Pic: Reuters
Argentina’s far-right president, Javier Milei, was one of several world leaders in attendance.
Mr Milei, with his “rock and roll” hair cut and sideburns, was pictured laughing arm in arm with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was also invited, according to Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, but is believed to have declined.
Foreign leaders are not normally invited to presidential inaugurations but Mr Trump broke with tradition.
Image: Former presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama. Pic: AP
Image: The Clintons, former president and secretary of state, were also there. Pic: AP
Image: UFC boss Dana White is a long-time Trump supporter. Pic: Reuters
Image: Influencer brothers Jake Paul and Logan Paul. Pic: Reuters
UFC boss Dana White was also suited and booted for the swearing-in ceremony and seen standing next to Barack Obama.
The mixed martial arts promoter often hosts Mr Trump at his events and is credited with helping boost his appeal among young men.
Influencers and fight stars Jake and Logan Paul were also in the building, watching from a nearby area called the Emancipation Hall.
Democrat former presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush – although from across the political divide – also turned out.
Image: Barron Trump waiting for his father’s moment in the spotlight. Pic: Reuters
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0:35
Melania’s hat stops Trump kiss
Mr Trump’s family were all there of course, with wife Melania wearing a wide-brimmed hat alongside their son Barron.
However, there was an awkward moment when Donald Trump went in for a kiss but came up short – seemingly blocked by her choice of headwear.
Outgoing president Joe Biden appeared relaxed as his final minutes as commander in chief ticked down.
The Democrat received an ovation as he entered the Capitol’s rotunda with first lady Jill Biden.
Defeated candidate Kamala Harris also watched the handover of power – at times stony-faced as Mr Trump said he would declare an emergency at the southern border to halt migration – and to “drill baby, drill” for oil.
Image: Mr Trump promised to ‘dill baby, drill’. Pic: Reuters
Image: The outgoing president and vice president looked unimpressed with Mr Trump’s speech. Pic: Reuters
Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK’s Reform Party and long-time supporter of Mr Trump, is believed to be in Washington but – like Boris Johnson – hasn’t been seen at the inauguration ceremony itself.
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Posting a picture from a Trump victory rally at the weekend, Mr Farage said: “We are so back.”
Images on X also show him alongside party treasurer Nick Candy, the billionaire UK property developer, and former SAS Who Dares Wins star Ant Middleton – who’s now trying to enter politics.
A federal court has paused aspects of a plan by Donald Trump to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and put roughly 2,700 of its staff on leave.
District judge Carl Nichols, who was nominated by the US president during his first term, agreed with legal arguments from the largest government workers’ union and an association of foreign service workers.
They sued to stop Mr Trump’s administration attempting to close USAID, which distributes billions of dollars of humanitarian aid around the world.
Justice department official Brett Shumate told Judge Nichols that about 2,200 USAID employees would be put on paid leave under the administration’s plans.
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3:35
What is USAID?
“The president has decided there is corruption and fraud at USAID,” said Mr Shumate.
It echoes comments President Trump made on Friday in a post on Truth Social accusing USAID – without evidence – of corruption and spending money fraudulently.
But Karla Gilbride, a lawyer for the unions, argued the plans were unlawful: “The major reduction in force, as well as the closure of offices, the forced relocation of these individuals were all done in excess of the executive’s authority in violation of the separation of powers.”
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Judge Nichols’s order, which is in effect until 14 February, blocks Mr Trump’s administration from implementing plans to place the 2,200 USAID workers on paid leave from Saturday.
It also reinstates some 500 employees who had already been furloughed.
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And there will be a ban on relocating USAID humanitarian workers stationed outside the US, after overseas staff were ordered to return home within 30 days.
Judge Nichols will consider a request for a longer-term pause at a hearing scheduled for next week.
But he rejected other requests from the unions to reopen USAID buildings and restore funding for agency grants and contracts.
Soon after being inaugurated, Mr Trump ordered all US foreign aid be paused to ensure it is aligned with his “America First” policy.
The dismantling of USAID has largely been overseen by Elon Musk, who is spearheading the president’s effort to cut costs and bureaucracy.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio insists the government will continue providing foreign aid, “but it is going to be foreign aid that makes sense and is aligned with our national interest”.
Judges have temporarily paused other controversial policies, including one offering financial incentives for federal workers to resign and another ending American citizenship for anyone born in the US if their parents are in the country illegally.
Twenty days into Donald Trump’s second term, US correspondents James Matthews and Mark Stone are joined by Washington DC cameramen Ed Young and Michael Herd to take a step back and discuss what it’s like covering the White House under President Trump compared to President Biden.
They also share some of the moments they got close (perhaps too close) to the most powerful man in the world.
A small plane which crashed in western Alaska with 10 people on board has been found and the US Coast Guard (USCG) says there were no survivors.
The Bering Air flight left Unalakleet at 2.38pm on Thursday but contact was lost less than an hour later, the firm’s operations director David Olson said.
On Saturday, in a post on X, the coastguard said: “USCG has ended its search for the missing plane after the aircraft was located approx 34 miles southeast of Nome. 3 individuals were found inside and reported to be deceased.
“The remaining 7 people are believed to be inside the aircraft but are currently inaccessible due to the condition of the plane. Our heartfelt condolences are with those affected by this tragic incident.”
The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan – carrying a pilot and nine adult passengers – was flying across Norton Sound when tracking site Flightradar24 reported it at 5,300ft before contact was lost.
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It was travelling from Unalakleet, a community of about 690 people in western Alaska, to Nome, a gold rush town just south of the Arctic Circle.
The flight time is normally just under an hour.
Mike Salerno, a spokesperson for the US Coast Guard, said rescuers were searching the aircraft’s last known location by helicopter when they spotted the wreckage. They lowered two rescue swimmers to investigate.
Image: The plane was heading to Nome, just south of the Arctic Circle. Pic: AP
In a post on Facebook, Nome’s fire department issued an update: “The Nome Search and Rescue Team is spooling up with assistance from the Alaska Air National Guard with recovery efforts.
“From reports we have received, the crash was not survivable. Our thoughts are with the families at this time.”
On Friday, Lieutenant Benjamin McIntyre-Coble, from the Alaskan coastguard, explained that the plane suffered a rapid loss of altitude and speed, according to radar data, but did not expand on the potential cause.
Weather in Unalakleet at take-off time was -8.3C (17F) with fog and light snow, according to the US National Weather Service.
Bering Air serves 32 villages in western Alaska and air travel is often the only option of travelling long distances in rural parts of the US state, especially in winter.