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U.S. Senate could give final approval to one-week extension of federal government funding before midnight Friday
Congressional leaders are scrambling to end the government shutdown. If Congress fails to act on a measure before the end of the week, federal agencies will run out of money at midnight on Friday. This will cause worker furloughs and nonessential services to stop.
There are numerous bills awaiting action in the House and Senate. Republicans have criticized the measures as a waste of taxpayer money. Democrats counter that the measures are necessary.
Congressional negotiators have reached an agreement on a “framework” for a funding bill that should allow lawmakers to complete their work on the bill next week. But there are still some key questions.
There are two major issues that have been thorny in the flesh. First, how long will a Continuing Resolution (CR) last? Second, what kind of full-year funding package is the Democrats and Republicans agreeing on?
There are a number of reasons for the delay in putting legislation to bed. The biggest reason is that Democrats and Republicans are about a quarter of a trillion dollars apart on non-defense spending.
There are also issues of borrowing authority. The nation needs to address its annual defense policy and appropriations bill.
The House is also preparing to welcome its newly-elected majority next month. The GOP wants to cut back social programs and ensure adequate funding for the military. The Democrats, on the other hand, want to increase domestic spending.
Some of the bills that will be addressed in the House include the FLOODS Act, the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill, the Sami’s Law, and human trafficking legislation.
The House is also expected to vote on bills that will reauthorize Amtrak and reform the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Eritrean troops “murdered” uncle in Tigray region of Ethiopia
During the Tigray War, Eritrean troops murdered a number of civilians in Ethiopia’s Tigray state. The head of the World Health Organization said that the killings could be a “crime against humanity.” Amnesty International spoke to 20 survivors of the killings, who said that luxury goods and public buildings were looted.
The conflict has displaced millions of people. The Eritrean military deliberately shot at civilians, indiscriminately shelled houses, and conducted house-to-house raids in Axum, the capital of the state. The worst violence occurred on 28-29 November.
A video shows sustained gunfire early on that day. Residents brandished improvised weapons, but Eritrean security guards fired into a crowd of Ethiopians. The Eritrean Information Minister declined to comment on the incident.
The Eritrean soldiers were wearing a distinctive set of uniforms and equipment. They also drove vehicles with Eritrean license plates. They openly told residents that they were from the Eritrean army. During the war, Ethiopian officials exploited the lawless situation.
Menelik brought the Oromo army to Amba Alagi in southern Tigray. However, they were defeated in 1895. Axum was taken by Ethiopia and Eritrean forces in a large-scale offensive. The Eritrean soldiers also killed three Italian soldiers.
After the battle, the Duke of Aosta was forced to surrender. Asfa Wossen expanded Shoa territory by taking Oromo land. He also reformed taxes and became independent of Ethiopia.
During the conflict, tens of thousands of people died. The Eritrean and Ethiopian military engaged in widespread looting of civilian property. Many survivors described indiscriminate shelling, pillage, and killings of civilians.
Eritrean and Ethiopian military forces launched an offensive to take control of Axum in mid-November. The Eritrean soldiers went on a rampage, killing civilians in cold blood.
Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, a wanted terrorist, died at a hospital in Pakistan
Having worked with almost all gangs and terror organisations in Punjab, Rinda was the main weapon supplier for gangs. He was involved in a lot of cases in the state and was wanted in at least 30 crimes. He was also reportedly involved in a RPG attack on the intelligence HQ of the Punjab Police in Mohali in May.
Harvinder Singh Sandhu, alias Rinda, was a known terrorist in Punjab and Pakistan. He was a member of the banned Babbar Khalsa International terror group and was used by Pakistan’s ISI agency to carry out terror attacks in India.
A senior official of the Punjab Police named him as the mastermind behind a RPG attack on the intelligence headquarters of the Punjab Police in Mohali in may. He was also involved in a large scale cross border smuggling of weapons from Pakistan. The NIA had announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for any information on him.
The National Investigation Agency has classified Rinda as a major threat to national security. He was wanted in at least 10 terror cases in Punjab. In addition, he was named in the case of the bomb blast at the Ludhiana court in December 2021.
He was also suspected to have murdered Hindu leader Sudhir Suri. He was also accused of opening fire on rival student union leaders at the Panjab University in Chandigarh in January 2017. His name cropped up in a number of cases including the murder of a Dera Sacha Sauda disciple, Pardeep Singh Kataria, in broad daylight.
Rinda has been linked to several cases in other states as well. The most recent case relates to the death of the Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in Punjab earlier this year.
Social media major Meta’s oversight board upheld company’s decision to restore a video of sexual assault allegedly on a tribal women by a group of men on Instagram
Earlier this year, Meta’s oversight board upheld the company’s decision to restore a video of a sexual assault allegedly committed by a group of men on Instagram. This was a high-profile case in which the company was criticized for ignoring potential violations of its policy against adult sexual exploitation.
However, the video did not include nudity. Instead, it was displayed behind a warning screen that prevented users under the age of 18 from seeing it. This screen also protected the victim’s dignity.
Similarly, the company did not track metrics to determine whether its cross-check program was effective. Rather, it relied on a process to remove users who violated its rules. This process has been criticised for its lack of transparency. Moreover, the company does not reveal the list of entities it uses for cross-check.
Additionally, the company’s cross-check program does not meet its human rights obligations. The cross-check has been found to overrepresent users from U.S. and Canadian countries, as well as users in highly lucrative markets. Consequently, the board recommended that Meta make its criteria for cross-check public.
The board also recommended that users be given the opportunity to apply for an enhanced review if they are suspected of breaking the company’s rules. This would also help raise awareness of the company’s policies.
In the meantime, however, the company has made improvements to its cross-check system. It has expanded its review of high-risk content, and it has a process for removing users who repeatedly violate the company’s rules. These changes are intended to reduce the number of false positives and over-enforcement mistakes.
In addition, the board recommends that the company remove accounts from the cross-check program that continue to violate the rules. The company should also spend more resources reviewing content.
Netflix series ‘Wednesday’ has over 1 billion hours of viewing
‘Wednesday’ has officially crossed the one billion hours mark on Netflix. The new supernatural comedy is based on the Addams family and follows Wednesday Adams (Jenna Ortega), who is a young girl with psychic abilities. Her parents were killed twenty-five years ago, but she is still trying to figure out what happened to them.
Despite its small runtime, Wednesday has become one of the most popular shows on Netflix. It’s a quirky supernatural series that’s targeted at the younger demographic.
The new series has already amassed 752.5 million viewing hours in just two weeks. And with another week left, Wednesday could pass Stranger Things – the second most popular English language show on Netflix – and climb to the top of the list. This is the third time a Netflix series has reached this mark in the first 28 days.
“Wednesday” came to Netflix on November 23. The series follows Wednesday as she enters high school, where she becomes aware of her psionic powers. She also attends a mysterious school for gifted teens called Nevermore Academy.
Wednesday has consistently been among the most watched programs on Netflix since its release three weeks ago. It’s currently ranked No. 2 in the list of English TV shows and is one of 83 countries that currently have the show.
While Wednesday has only been on the platform for a little over two months, it has surpassed Ryan Murphy’s “Dahmer” in the number of viewing hours, which was 856.2 million. In fact, Wednesday is the third show to hit the 1 billion hour mark in the first 28 days. The only other show to do so is the science fiction series, “Stranger Things.”
In addition to joining the 1 Billion Hours Club, Wednesday also holds the record for the most hours streamed in a single week on Netflix. It’s also the third show in Netflix history to reach the milestone.
