Several reports of news in the recent past show the continued depreciation of import prices. According to the data, the cost of imports dropped in November for the fifth month in a row. It is believed that the decrease in prices was due to rising supply and demand of goods. There are also reports of the death of Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, a wanted terrorist. He died in a hospital in Pakistan.
U.S. Senate could give final approval to one-week extension of government funding before midnight Friday deadline
Congressional leaders are in the midst of negotiating a spending package to avert a partial government shutdown. The federal government’s funding is set to expire at midnight Friday. A short-term extension will give lawmakers more time to negotiate and ultimately pass a pending bill.
There’s no official word on what the deal is going to entail. But it’s a safe bet that there’s at least some sort of agreement on top-line spending numbers and a “framework” to a final 2023 appropriations bill.
The top-line number may have a higher significance than the actual appropriations measure. It’s possible the Senate could pass a one-week continuing resolution (CR) before midnight on Friday, which would push the deadline back to December 23. This would also give lawmakers more time to craft a compromise bill.
However, there’s no certainty that the House will approve a similar measure before the clock strikes midnight. As a result, the omnibus spending bill may not be seen until late next year. That’s a major reason to be on the lookout for a bipartisan appropriations deal.
Aside from the obvious appropriations-related measure, there are a number of other measures that could complicate the passage of a final bill. For instance, Democrats want to include billions of dollars in support for Ukraine in the spending bill. But Republicans have concerns about that funding, too.
Other potential bipartisan measures haven’t been publicly discussed. For instance, it’s unlikely that the Senate and House will agree on the top-line spending number for an omnibus bill.
Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, a wanted terrorist, died at a hospital in Pakistan
Known as a gangster and drug smuggler, Rinda was the main weapon supplier for gangs in Punjab. He was wanted in 30 cases in the state. He was also wanted for extortion, murder, kidnapping and other offences.
Rinda is believed to be behind the RPG attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali in May. He was also suspected to be involved in the death of Satnam Singh Sarpanch Gardiwala in Chandigarh in the daytime.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also declared a reward of Rs 10 lakh for any information on Rinda. He was involved in large-scale cross-border smuggling of weapons and drugs. He was an active gangster in Punjab and Maharashtra. He was a member of the Khalistani terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International.
According to the NIA, Rinda was a major threat to the national security. He was responsible for the activation of a Khalistani terror module in India. He was also accused of targeted assassinations on Indian soil. He was allegedly working under the protection of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency of Pakistan.
He was a drug smuggler and was involved in a number of cases in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. He had connections with almost all gangs in the state. He was a gangster and also an extortionist. He escaped to Pakistan on fake identity.
Eritrean troops “murdered” uncle in Tigray region of Ethiopia
During the Tigray war, Eritrean troops “murdered” a relative of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization. This war is part of a larger conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, a conflict that has killed tens of thousands.
During the Eritrea war, Ethiopian troops engaged in widespread looting of civilian property. They also committed multiple war crimes in Axum. A video of the violence shows sustained gunfire on 28-29 November. Survivors and observers describe mass killings of civilians and extrajudicial executions.
After the Eritrea war, Ethiopian soldiers redeployed from the border region of Tigray to other parts of the country. But the Eritrean government continued to arbitrarily detain people, and the human rights record of the country remained poor. During the 1980s, the Tigray Relief Society was established.
The Italians started to expand their presence in the Horn of Africa. They proclaimed the Eritrea Red Sea Colony on January 1, 1890. After the war, Menelik and the Italians recognized each other’s monarchy, and the Italians began to depend on the Eritrean ruler to speak for the Eritrean people.
After the Eritrea war, a large number of Eritrean troops were killed in the conflict. Their victims included hundreds of civilians. Some survivors said that the Eritrean military killed civilians by indiscriminately firing on them. Others described widespread looting. The Eritrean government did not respond to requests for comment.
Netflix series ‘Wednesday’ has over 1 billion hours of viewing
‘Wednesday’ is one of the most popular TV series on Netflix right now. This quirky supernatural show is marketed toward younger audiences. It follows Wednesday’s life at a school for gifted teens.
“Wednesday” has over 1 billion hours of viewing time in its first 19 days on Netflix. This makes it the second most-viewed English-language series on the streaming platform, behind only Stranger Things. However, the number of households watching the show is a lot smaller than the numbers for the other titles. It’s estimated that there are more than 50 million households that have watched the show so far, but the data doesn’t reveal how many people have actually watched the show.
The show has more than doubled the total hours watched by the second most popular English-language series, “Dahmer.” This is because Wednesday is the third title to cross the 1 billion-hour milestone in its first 28 days on the platform.
In addition to the billion-hour-viewing-hours record, “Wednesday” is also the third show to crack the top spot on the list for its total streaming time within its first three weeks. The first two were “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” and “Money Heist: Part 5.”
Wednesday is still a couple weeks away from breaking the Stranger Things record for total hours watched. But the show has already passed the most watched television program of all time, Ryan Murphy’s Dahmer.
Import prices fell for a fifth straight month in November
Despite falling oil prices, import prices in the United States fell for the fifth consecutive month in November, marking the largest decline in nearly two and a half years. The Labor Department reported a 0.6% drop in import prices in November, which was in line with expectations of economists.
The decrease in import prices was driven by a sharp fall in fuel imports. Prices for imported petroleum products declined 6.9 percent in November, while prices for other goods decreased 0.5 percent.
A strong dollar helped keep the cost of imports down, but the cost of gasoline is still relatively high. This is helping to reduce inflationary pressures in the US.
Food prices edged higher, though, to 16.5% from 16.4%. The FAO Meat Price Index averaged 118.4 points in October. However, international ovine meat prices registered the steepest decline, due to lower global import purchases. The FAO said ovine meat prices declined due to seasonal increases in supplies from Oceania and Brazil.
In addition, prices for foods continued to climb, largely due to the increase in demand for dairy products from other Asian countries. This was partially offset by the decline in inorganic chemicals and specialty chemicals.
Overall, core import prices were lower by 0.1 percent in October. However, the price of chemicals fell for the fourth consecutive month.
Agricultural export prices rebounded, albeit slightly, in November. Prices for corn and soybeans were up, while cotton and cotton clothing were down. Nonagricultural export prices fell 0.3 percent, while nonfuel industrial supplies fell by 0.4 percent.
Georgia’s top elections official urges lawmakers to end general election runoff
Despite the recent Senate runoffs in Georgia, top elections officials are urging legislators to eliminate the state’s general election runoff process. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said he has three options for eliminating the system, outlined during a press conference last week.
Raffensperger’s office argues that the system is disliked by voters, candidates and campaigns. It also puts a great strain on county election officials, who have to deal with audits and deadlines.
Raffensperger, a Republican, is the secretary of state for the state of Georgia. He has repeatedly called for the elimination of the general election runoff. He noted that the current law requires that the top two vote-getters advance to the runoff.
President Donald Trump has called for a new way to determine who wins the election, but has not offered any specific proposals. He has suggested lowering the threshold for winning the election from 50% to 45%. Some lawmakers have pointed out that the runoff process was intended to create a distinction between the primary and general election.
Some argue that the runoff process has its roots in segregationist legislation. It is thought to diminish the power of Black voters in the state. Several states, including Alaska, use ranked-choice voting.
Another proposal is to make the ballots ranked. This would allow voters to rank the candidate’s preferences. It could cut the runoff period to four weeks. It could also eliminate the need for the candidates to return to the polls after winning a majority of the vote.
