Tag: US Government

Scammers may have taken $45.6 bn in US pandemic aid: agency

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – A US government watchdog said fraudulent jobless benefits paid out during the pandemic could amount to as much as $45.6 billion, far higher than previous estimates. The Office of the Inspector General for the US Labor Department said Thursday it has charged more than 1,000 individuals with fraud for claiming unemployment insurance (UI) they were not entitled to. “This milestone of 1,000 individuals being charged with crimes involving UI fraud […]

US gov’t vows P10 million worth of relief for communities devastated by super typhoon Odette

    (Eagle News) — The United States government said it is sending P10 million ($200,000) in aid to the Philippines to support communities affected by super typhoon Odette (international name Rai), the US embassy said on Wednesday, December 22. The aid will be coursed through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as immediate assistance to areas affected by the super typhoon which had made a record of nine landfalls in the country, from […]

US military provides P10M worth of PPEs, medical supplies to frontliners in PH provinces

(Eagle News) – The United States military has donated P10 million worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies to ten hospitals in provinces across the country, the US Embassy in the Philippines said on Tuesday, May 19. Aside from PPEs, the medical supplies include disposable gloves, masks, medical clothing, various types of face protection, infrared thermometers and other tools. “Over the next month, this medical equipment will be distributed to fourteen medical clinics, […]

Trump ‘tantrum’ threatens US government shutdown

by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — An angry Donald Trump told Democratic leaders at the White House on Tuesday that he will shut down the US government because they refuse to approve billions of dollars in funding for his controversial Mexico border wall. The president and top opposition congressional leaders had been meant to hold a reassuring Oval Office photo-op. Instead, their blazing row in front of the world’s media […]

Microsoft data warrant case in top US court has global implications

by Rob Lever Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Microsoft faces off with the US government before the Supreme Court Tuesday over a warrant for data stored abroad that has important ramifications for law enforcement in the age of global computing. The case, which dates back to 2013, involves the US warrant ordering Microsoft to turn over the contents of an email account used by a suspected drug trafficker, whose data is stored […]

US government ‘preparing’ for shutdown: W.House official

by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House said Thursday it was preparing for a US government shutdown as Congress hit a stumbling block in its efforts to pass a stopgap spending bill before midnight. With just hours to go before current federal funding expires, the effort stalled in the Senate when one lawmaker blocked a quick vote on the compromise bill, which includes a major budget deal that […]

Wall Street surges on government shutdown’s end, aiding global momentum

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A deal to end a three-day government shutdown in Washington sent a jubilant Wall Street to a fresh set of records on Monday, as US stocks continued their seemingly irrepressible upward march. Most other global markets also rose but across the Atlantic results were mixed, with Paris and Frankfurt up while London sagged. Word of the bargain struck among lawmakers in Washington early Monday afternoon sent all three New […]

URGENT: US government in shutdown as midnight deadline passes

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US government officially shut down on Saturday, the first anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, after lawmakers failed to agree a stop-gap spending deal. Republicans and Democrats traded blame for the crisis, which came to a head when the Senate failed to agree to bring forward a motion to fund federal spending and the military from midnight. Senators were still negotiating on the Senate floor as the clock […]

What actually closes in a US government shutdown?

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Hundreds of thousands of US government defense workers, park rangers and business regulators could be temporarily out of work if Congress fails to pass a budget before a midnight Friday deadline. But the looming government shutdown due to lack of funding — which would be the second in five years — does not mean every office closes its doors. Vital services will still be provided by law enforcement, immigration officers, the central […]

‘Progress’ but no deal yet to avoid US govt shutdown

by Jim MANNION Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – President Donald Trump and the Senate’s top Democrat on Friday both touted “progress” in 11th hour talks on breaking an impasse over spending, raising hopes that a US government shutdown could be averted. With a midnight deadline looming to reach a short-term deal to keep the federal government running at full capacity, both Trump and Senator Chuck Schumer struck an optimistic tone. “Excellent preliminary meeting in Oval,” […]

US government releases Kennedy assassination files online

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US government on Thursday released several thousand secret files on the assassination of president John F. Kennedy, but withheld others on national security grounds. In a statement, the National Archives said that on orders from President Donald Trump, it had released 2,891 records related to the November 22, 1963 slaying of JFK in Dallas, Texas. Kennedy scholars have said the documents released Thursday are unlikely to contain any bombshell […]

Secret files show US knew about Indonesia purges of 1960s

by Harry Pearl Agence France-Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) – The US government was fully aware of a bloody anti-communist purge by the Indonesian army in the 1960s, with one diplomat at the time describing the bloodletting as “widespread slaughter,” recently declassified documents have revealed. The 39 US embassy documents cover the period from 1964-1968, at the peak of the Cold War, and uncover new details about one of the most tumultuous periods in modern Indonesian history. […]