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US-based aid group says around $900,000 stolen by employees in Congo

An American-based aid group said that approximately $900,000 was stolen from its Congo programs by members of the organization who conspired with outsiders. GiveDirectly said that it learned that people on its Congo team worked with people outside the organization to defraud the cash transfer program, diverting aid from more than 1,700 impoverished families over six months, starting in August 2022. This fraud was only possible because of a specific change we made in our payment process in order to work in this remote, insecure region of (Congo), according to the statement from Monday. We feel deep regret for not catching this sooner and take seriously the vulnerabilities it exposed, it said. GiveDirectly said that an investigation is ongoing and that it was able to recover a very small portion of the lost funds, but the majority of the $900,000 will likely be uncoverable. But the group is working to ensure that families impacted by the fraud get their money. Roughly 1% of money ...

US signs trade agreement with Taiwan despite opposition from China

The United States signed a trade agreement Thursday with Taiwan over opposition from China, which claims the self-ruled island democracy as part of its territory. The two governments say the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade will strengthen commercial relations by improving customs, investment and other regulation. The measure was signed by employees of the unofficial entities that maintain relations between the United States and Taiwan, a center for high-tech industry. They have no formal diplomatic ties but maintain unofficial relations and have billions of dollars in annual trade. The agreement is intended to strengthen and deepen the economic and trade relationship, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in a statement. The deputy USTR, Sarah Bianchi, attended the signing. The Chinese government accused Washington of violating agreements on Taiwan's status and demanded the U.S. government stop official contact with the island's elected government. Taiwan a

26/11 attack accused Tahawwur Rana petitions US court against extradition

Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana has filed a writ of habeas corpus challenging a recent US court order that paved the way for his extradition to India where he is facing trial for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Last month, the US District Court Central District of California approved the extradition of the 26/11 attack accused Rana to India. Filing the Writ of habeas corpus through his attorney, Rana, 62, challenged his extradition by the Government of India. Rana's extradition would violate the United States-India extradition treaty in two respects, his attorney argued. The writ of habeas corpus primarily acts as a writ of inquiry, issued to test the reasons or grounds for restraint and detention. First, Rana has been tried and acquitted in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for charges based on the identical conduct for which India seeks to prosecute him. It argued that extradition is therefore barred unde

Indian-American Dev Shah wins 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee

Dev Shah, a 14-year-old Indian-American eighth-grader from Florida, who correctly spelled the word "psammophile" has won the prestigious 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Shah correctly spelled the word to win the 95th national bee and the USD 50,000 prize on Thursday. It's surreal...My legs are still shaking, he said at the competition in National Harbor, Maryland. After much anticipation about a possible spell-off, a smiling Shah won by correctly spelling psammophile, a plant or animal that thrives in sandy areas, the Washington Post newspaper reported. Psammo meaning sand, Greek? he asked. Phile, meaning love, Greek? Shah instantly identified the roots of his word, but asked for all the information just to be safe, while smiling slightly in a way that suggested he was pretty sure he had it, the New York Times newspaper reported. This was Shah's third attempt. His previous two attempts were in 2019 and 2021. Shah's parents hopped on stage, visibly emotional, and his mother s

US Senate passes bill to raise debt ceiling to avert first-ever default

Fending off a US default, the Senate gave final approval late Thursday to a debt ceiling and budget cuts package, grinding into the night to wrap up work on the bipartisan deal and send it to President Joe Biden's desk to become law before the fast-approaching deadline. The compromise package negotiated between Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy leaves neither Republicans nor Democrats fully pleased with the outcome. But the result, after weeks of hard-fought budget negotiations, shelves the volatile debt ceiling issue that risked upending the US and global economy until 2025 after the next presidential election. Approval in the Senate on a bipartisan vote, 63-36, reflected the overwhelming House tally the day before, relying on centrists in both parties to pull the Biden-McCarthy package to passage. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the bill's passage means America can breathe a sigh of relief. He said, We are avoiding default. Fast action was vital if Washington hop

Russia blames US Intelligence, Apple for hacking thousands of iPhones

Without providing evidence, Russia's Federal Security Service claimed that several thousand iPhones in the country had been compromised in a recently uncovered espionage operation

Senate passes bill overturning student loan cancellation; Biden veto likely

A Republican measure overturning President Joe Biden's student loan cancellation plan passed the Senate on Thursday and now awaits an expected veto. The vote was 52-46, with support from Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana as well as Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent. The resolution was approved last week by the GOP-controlled House by a 218-203 vote. Biden has pledged to keep in place his commitment to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loans for 43 million people. The legislation adds to Republican criticism of the plan, which was halted in November in response to lawsuits from conservative opponents. The Supreme Court heard arguments in February in a challenge to Biden's move, with the conservative majority seemingly ready to sink the plan. A decision is expected in the coming weeks. The president's student loan schemes do not forgive' debt, they just shift the burden from those who chose to take out loans onto those who never w

US defense chief calls China's refusal to meet during unfortunate

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin stressed the importance of communication during a stopover with talks Thursday in Tokyo, calling it unfortunate that his Chinese counterpart refused to meet him at an annual security conference in Singapore, which both men are attending. On the way to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue Asian security summit this weekend, Austin held talks with Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada. Noting China's increasingly assertive military actions in international airspace and waterways in the region, he told a joint news conference in Tokyo, The provocative intercepts of our aircraft and also our allies' aircraft, that's very concerning, and we would hope that they would alter their action. The United States military said Tuesday that a Chinese fighter jet flew aggressively close to a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea, forcing the American pilot to fly through the turbulent wake. I'm concerned about at some point having an incident that

Investors relieved as US House passes debt ceiling Bill; Senate in focus

Asian markets were trading higher when the bill cleared the house and held their gains. Investors nudged S&P 500 futures from slightly negative back to flat. Treasury yields rose marginally

N Korean leader's sister slams US for criticising failed satellite launch

The powerful sister of North Korean Kim Jong Un on Thursday accused the United States of "gangster-like" hypocrisy for criticizing her country's failed launch of a military spy satellite and insisted a successful launch will be made soon. Kim Yo Jong said North Korea's efforts to acquire space-based reconnaissance capabilities were a legitimate exercise of its sovereign right and restated the country's rejection of UN Security Council resolutions that ban it from conducting any launch involving ballistic missile technology. Her comments on state media came a day after the rocket carrying the satellite failed. North Korea said the rocket lost thrust after a stage separation and crashed in waters off the Korean Peninsula's western coast. Washington, South Korea and Japan had quickly criticized the launch. Adam Hodge, a spokesperson at the US National Security Council, said Washington strongly condemns the North Korean launch because it used banned ballistic missile technology, raised

US House passes debt-limit deal easing default concerns; Bill now in Senate

The House passed debt-limit legislation forged by President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy that would impose restraints on government spending through the 2024 election

US set to allow GE to make engines in India for New Delhi's military jets

A deal finalizing the joint production of the engines is expected to be inked and announced by the time President Joe Biden hosts Indian PM Narendra Modi for an official state visit on June 22

LIVE updates: BJP govt's 9 years were devoted to service of people, says PM

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US judge orders lawyers not to use ChatGPT-drafted content in court

A US federal judge has categorically told lawyers that he will not allow any AI-generated content in his court

48 US states sue telecom company over billions of illegal robocalls

At least 48 US states have sued a telecom company called Avid Telecom for allegedly routing 7.5 billion illegal and spoofed robocalls to millions of residents on the 'Do Not Call Registry'

US visa threat before B'desh elections: Warning to faltering democracies

The US would now restrict visas for any Bangladeshi citizen who is believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in that country

US court approves $50 mn lawsuit over Apple's flawed butterfly keyboard

A federal judge in the US state of California has finally approved the $50 million lawsuit over Apple's flawed butterfly keyboard design.

Top Headlines: New Parliament inauguration, deal to raise US debt ceiling

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White House, Republicans reach deal to raise debt ceiling, avert US default

The deal includes a two-year debt limit increase and a two-year appropriations agreement that keeps non-defense spending roughly flat with current levels

Biden, McCarthy speak on debt crisis; GOP negotiator says issues remain

President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy spoke directly Saturday evening as they raced to strike an agreement that would resolve the looming debt crisis ahead of a June 5 deadline and avert a catastrophic US default. Biden also spoke earlier in the day with Democratic leaders in Congress to discuss the status of the talks, according to three people familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. But the two sides have not reached a deal yet. "Big, thorny issues remain, one of the top negotiators, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., told reporters in the evening. Some of those outstanding issues he said the president and speaker have to resolve at that level. The Republican House speaker gathered top allies behind closed doors at the Capitol as negotiators pushed for a deal that would raise the nation's borrowing limit and avoid a first-ever default on the federal debt, while also making spending