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The debt ceiling fight is far from over

Lawmakers have ended another standoff over the debt ceiling — at least temporarily.
On Thursday, the Senate voted 50-48 to increase the debt ceiling (a legal cap to how much the US can borrow) by $480 billion, an action the House is expected to take too. That money will enable the US government to cover its loan obligations until early December, when Congress will once again have to either pass a longer-term increase or another stopgap suspension.
The current agreement is the product of a weekslong stalemate on the issue that saw Democrats trying to pressure the GOP into giving up their roadblock of an increase or suspension of the debt ceiling, and Republicans repeatedly refusing to do so.
The impasse had high stakes, as the US faced a rapidly approaching default deadline. According to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the US could run out of money as early as October 18. Passing that deadline without an increase or suspension would have likely triggered a massive domestic and international economic collapse.
Ultimately, Republican senators decided to cooperate with Democrats, for now. However, in approving this short-term fix, lawmakers have failed to address the issues that brought them to a stalemate in the first place. They’ve now set themselves up for another dangerous impasse when this bill expires after December 3.
Republicans have been intent on using the debt ceiling to make Democrats look bad.
Prior to their offer to back an increase this week, Republicans had not only said that they wouldn’t vote for a suspension but also that they would be blocking Democrats’ attempts to approve one using regular legislative order. If Republicans didn’t previously block the vote, Democrats would have been able to pass it with 51 votes — but because they did, the measure required 60 to advance.
Instead, Republicans pushed Democrats to use budget reconciliation — another process that would enable them to raise the debt limit with just 51 votes — to increase the cap on their own. Democrats were reluctant to use budget reconciliation both because it can be a lengthy and convoluted process and because it would have required them to specify how much they are raising the debt limit (something they ended up having to do anyway for the December increase).
Effectively, Republicans wanted Democrats on the record as having increased the debt limit by trillions of dollars in order to portray them during the midterms as big spenders. Additionally, Republicans argued that because Democrats are working on a partisan basis to pass an expansive social spending bill, they should take care of any debt ceiling increases on a partisan basis, too.
“Republicans’ position is simple,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote to President Joe Biden on Monday. “We have no list of demands. For two and a half months, we have simply warned that since your party wishes to govern alone, it must handle the debt limit alone as well.”
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1633692368_1549_148754" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22908680,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2SgGmxQd9inQIBDFpYMOrUzvdg8=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ULrqURw3zFtYzdtT1aj2ZLQkai0=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uEAddrv2Vkm6P1kGKrSBHabm5ls=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/H_xiVKBF4alNwr6Rg8KUqfhePzI=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NBnYdXfTKBVyVNeiU2YxbJQgJXw=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/q7mbcMrK62B-ypEg-wJLCh2sAX0=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1LBZdCqawzH9H7GikO1rprekAIA=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9IBio-d0P9IOzuHzEZXmPemddXw=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-A0DQs-IrdpwPitgButpjQpMRis=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3000" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Mv_qwAvLZsD16mpKbekku65xPhA=/0x0:3000x2000/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/giGdDVa86UXufGcLOh9uYQorIpY=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rtDzo_lus8bRdxQrgDd3M7rPs10=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/X38knGaOAxzkOaQUxA3g2ZFjAgs=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YcCnSOcVjE4kcFFio5UqbJ_zF6s=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4UtIBjfTOBlwheKTojPsv9ZVo1A=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VHbvhuxavUGRJSdBubx7TMlB4bQ=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gKnsDnCEaF0Cr4gGAoEkw0N4FZk=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VPVXxy0Naq8rzXz9rAPrbp87XqU=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HzU1nuHYf2yQtVwDnfKiE4ocbdE=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908680/GettyImages_1345371792.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) talks with reporters on October 7. The Senate voted to increase the debt ceiling, enabling the US government to cover its loan obligations until early December.</figcaption>
<cite>Win McNamee/Getty Images</cite></figure>
Democrats, on the other hand, have argued that Republicans ought to work with them to pass a suspension or increase, or simply get out of the way. One, because avoiding a gigantic economic collapse is in everyone’s interest, and the minority party hasn’t typically blocked action to this degree in the past. And two, because both Democrats and Republicans are responsible for the actual debt that this legislation would address.
Both points are true: The debt grew nearly $8 trillion during the Trump administration as a result of massive tax cuts and pandemic relief. In that time frame, Republicans and Democrats both voted to suspend the debt limit three times. But that didn’t sway Republican lawmakers.
Because Republicans had refused to give up their opposition and Democrats were intent on keeping the pressure on the GOP, the two sides were at an impasse until this week.
On Wednesday, McConnell reversed his position and told Democrats that Republicans would not block a short-term increase to the debt limit into December.
Adamant that they would not pursue reconciliation to raise the ceiling (and, given the deadline, likely out of time to try doing so) Democrats raised the possibility of creating a carve-out in the filibuster rules that would also allow them to pass debt ceiling measures with the 51 Democratic votes they have, rather than the 60 votes filibuster rules require.
That latter option appeared to be gaining momentum this week, although key moderates like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) were still wary of it. As a sign of its traction, however, Biden — who has traditionally been cautious of altering filibuster rules — called carving out a special debt-ceiling-related exemption to the filibuster a “real possibility.”
That possibility may have spurred McConnell’s decision to cave for the time being. According to CNN’s Manu Raju, McConnell was worried about potential threats to the filibuster when he offered Democrats a deal to increase the debt ceiling for now.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
McConnell told his colleagues he’s concerned about pressure on Manchin and Sinema to gut filibuster in order to raise debt ceiling, I’m told. He pointed to this as reason why he is floating short-term increase in order to ease pressure on and push Democrats to use reconcilation
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) <a href="https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1445816848801431561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The filibuster has allowed McConnell to block a range of Democratic priorities — from police to voting reforms — despite his party being in the minority. The assumption is that exempting the debt ceiling from the filibuster would increase pressure on Democrats to do so for other issues Republicans oppose, like expanding protections for voting rights.
For now, the filibuster stands. And the GOP’s move helps prevent the US from going into default in the near term. It does little to resolve the central conflict at hand, however. Republicans are still insisting, after all, that Democrats use budget reconciliation to approve a longer-term debt ceiling increase on a partisan basis.
Democrats, meanwhile, are refusing to do so and may consider a filibuster carve-out again in December. “We’re not doing it on reconciliation,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) emphasized earlier this week.
The use of the debt limit as political leverage is nothing new.
As Republicans have been fond of pointing out, Biden was among the Democratic senators who voted against raising it in 2006 in order to send a message about his disagreement with Republican policies. In that scenario, though, Democrats did not filibuster the legislation or prevent Republicans from approving it with a simple majority. Additionally, Republicans have previously withheld votes for debt ceiling increases in exchange for policy concessions, something that’s not the case this time around.
This year, as Republicans emphasized, they took issue with the debt limit in order to simply make a point, a tough position to negotiate with.
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<figcaption>Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) speaks to reporters as the Senate was nearing a deal on a short-term increase to the debt ceiling.</figcaption>
<cite>Bloomberg via Getty Images</cite></figure>
This short-term fix does help Democrats in that it allows them to focus their time and energies instead on a larger social spending bill they’ve struggled to complete.
“McConnell caved,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told reporters. “And now we’re going to spend our time doing child care, health care, and fighting climate change.”
But the larger disagreements between Republicans and Democrats regarding how to move forward remain.
And by procrastinating on solving them, lawmakers have set themselves up for a difficult December. The new deadline to address the debt ceiling also coincides with another deadline to pass more government appropriations — that is, the money needed to keep the government functioning.
That means Congress will find itself in a tough spot yet again in just a few months. Not only will lawmakers have to solve their debt ceiling disagreements and stave off economic disaster, but they’ll have to do so while fighting over how to avoid a government shutdown.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/22711441/debt-ceiling-congress-december">https://www.vox.com/22711441/debt-ceiling-congress-december</a>

vox The debt ceiling fight is far from over

Lawmakers have ended another standoff over the debt ceiling — at least temporarily. On Thursday, the Senate voted 50-48 to increase the deb...

Ukraine Lawmaker, Involved In Probe, Found Dead In Taxi, Police Say "Fell Ill"

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Ukraine Lawmaker, Involved In Probe, Found Dead In Taxi, Police Say 'Fell Ill'" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-10/8v06kf04_ukraine-lawmaker_625x300_08_October_21.jpg" title="Ukraine Lawmaker, Involved In Probe, Found Dead In Taxi, Police Say 'Fell Ill'" /></div>
Ukrainian lawmaker Anton Poliakov fell ill and died in a taxi, police said. (File)
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Kyiv:
A Ukrainian lawmaker involved in a probe into corruption in the defence sector fell ill and died in a taxi on Friday morning, police said, adding that a forensic examination had been ordered to establish the cause of death.
The lawmaker, Anton Poliakov, 33, was a member of parliamentary group Party "For the Future", having been elected to parliament as a member of the ruling Servant of the People party.
"Preliminary, police officers established that the man became ill in a taxi, emergency doctors tried to revive him, but pronounced him dead," the police said in a statement.
The General Prosecutor's Office said Poliakov was found unconscious in the back seat of a taxi, which was stopped by patrol police officers due to traffic violations.
The taxi driver said that the passenger got into his car near a public transport stop outside Kyiv downtown and then became ill, complaining of feeling nauseous.
"Valuables, documents, a mobile phone and money were found and confiscated," the prosecutors said in a statement.
It said the taxi was taken for examination and the driver was being interrogated by investigators.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/ukrainian-lawmaker-anton-polyakov-involved-in-probe-dies-in-taxi-after-falling-ill-police-2568209">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/ukrainian-lawmaker-anton-polyakov-involved-in-probe-dies-in-taxi-after-falling-ill-police-2568209</a>

news world Ukraine Lawmaker, Involved In Probe, Found Dead In Taxi, Police Say "Fell Ill"

Ukrainian lawmaker Anton Poliakov fell ill and died in a taxi, police said. (File) Kyiv: A Ukrainian lawmaker involved in a probe into ...

Nobel Prizes Struggle With Wide Gender Disparity... This Year Too

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Nobel Prizes Struggle With Wide Gender Disparity... This Year Too" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-10/uj4abu9k_nobel-prize-2021-winners-reuters_625x300_08_October_21.jpg" title="Nobel Prizes Struggle With Wide Gender Disparity... This Year Too" /></div>
All eight winners of the 2021 Nobel Prizes have been men.
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Sweden:
All eight winners of the 2021 Nobel Prizes in medicine, chemistry, physics and literature have been men, re-igniting a recurring debate about diversity in the highly coveted awards, particularly those in science.
Ardem Patapoutian and David Julius received the Nobel for medicine on Monday. Giorgio Parisi, Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann won the physics gong for their work deciphering chaotic climate, while Benjamin List and David MacMillan received the chemistry accolade for developing a tool for molecule building.
Tanzanian novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah, 72, on Wednesday became only the second writer of color in sub-Suharan Africa ever to win a Nobel Prize for Literature. The last Black recipient of the prize was Toni Morrison in 1993.
"Abdulrazak Gurnah meets at least one of the criterion of a writer from a non-traditional cultural circle - a non-European with a colonial background, but he's no woman," said Anne-Marie Morhed, head of the Swedish Association of Female Academics.
"Two prizes remain, the Peace Prize and the Economy Prize. The (Norwegian) Nobel committee... still have a chance to honor a woman."
Exiled Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Greta Thunberg are at least two women seen to be in contention when the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Norway on Friday.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee is led by a woman and the majority of the members are women. Ditto the previous committee: led by a woman and with a majority of women on it.
There has also been a real push in recent years to not give the prize to only white men from North America and Western Europe, as was the case in the earlier decades.
In comparison to the dozen Black peace laureates in the Nobel's history, there has never been a Black recipient of the prizes for medicine, chemistry and physics, points out Professor Winston Morgan, a toxicologist at the University of East London who has looked at representation in the prizes as part of his research on inequality in the sciences.
"In terms of the gap between the world's population and the winners - the biggest gap is a gender one," Morgan said. "The number of female prize winners is really, really tiny."
Scientists of both genders have already taken to social media to decry the lack of women recognized so far this year.
GenderAvenger, a non-profit group dedicated to advancing women's voices in public dialog, said the prizes were "like a terrible mystery where you know the ending halfway through the book. 4 out of 6 categories announced and nary a woman in sight, @NobelPrize. Is the story of the 2021 Nobel Prize that the men did it? (Spoiler: Women are also doing amazing work)."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is like a terrible mystery where you know the ending halfway through the book. 4 out of 6 categories announced and nary a woman in sight, <a href="https://twitter.com/NobelPrize?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NobelPrize</a>. Is the story of the 2021 Nobel Prize that the men did it? (Spoiler: Women are also doing amazing work) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GenderAvenger?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GenderAvenger</a><a href="https://t.co/ZQBotA9Hl0">pic.twitter.com/ZQBotA9Hl0</a>
— GenderAvenger (@GenderAvenger) <a href="https://twitter.com/GenderAvenger/status/1446101809953705987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
Some, including Ellie Murray, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health, expressed disappointment that this year's awards excluded the contributions of Katalin Kariko and Kizzmekia Corbett, key scientists behind the development of mRNA vaccines that are changing the course of the pandemic.
Nobel watchers, however, said it was entirely likely that Kariko and Corbett would be recognized in years to come. The committee, they said, tended to reward recipients after a period of time.
"The issue for the Nobel prize is it has a criteria and a tradition and it is hard for them to break away from that," Morgan said, adding that the committee would likely respond to scientific innovation during the pandemic in three or four years.
He added that if you looked at the general trajectory of Nobel prize winners, the number of women scientists was growing as were those given to men from Japan and China.
"We are not seeing that same trajectory for Black scientists. That concerns me more," he said. "You need to ask are there enough black scientists in universities and are they being supported."
Asked why there were so few Black Nobel Prize winners for literature, Gurnah told Reuters the world was changing.
Jesper Haeggstrom, chairman of the Nobel Assembly that awarded the prize in Physiology or Medicine, said there was no simple explanation for the lack of female prize winners, but that it reflected the representation of women in science.
"There has been an under-representation of women historically in science, so the further back in time you look, the fewer female candidates there are," he said.
Haeggstrom declined to say whether gender played a role in the committee's selection process.
"I'm not at liberty to give you any details on this, but in general terms, I can say that scientific competence is the deciding factor," he said.
Critics, however, point to the makeup of the scientific selection committees. Only 25% of the 50 professors on the medicine selection committee are women.
The Committee for Physics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences consists of six members, of which one is a woman, and two co-opted members, both men. The chemistry committee consists of six members, all male, and two co-opted members, both women.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/nobel-prizes-2021-nobel-prizes-struggle-with-wide-gender-disparity-this-year-too-2568167">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/nobel-prizes-2021-nobel-prizes-struggle-with-wide-gender-disparity-this-year-too-2568167</a>

news world Nobel Prizes Struggle With Wide Gender Disparity... This Year Too

All eight winners of the 2021 Nobel Prizes have been men. Sweden: All eight winners of the 2021 Nobel Prizes in medicine, chemistry, ph...

Dubai Ruler Ordered Hacking Of Runaway Princess With Pegasus

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Dubai Ruler Ordered Hacking Of Runaway Princess With Pegasus" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-10/2ho56sbk_princess-haya-bint-alhussein-bloomberg_625x300_08_October_21.jpg" title="Dubai Ruler Ordered Hacking Of Runaway Princess With Pegasus" /></div>
Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein was surveilled using the NSO Group Ltd. technology.
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Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ordered the hacking of phones belonging to his estranged wife, using the controversial Pegasus spyware, a London court ruled.
The <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/how-dubai-rulers-eavesdropping-on-a-jordinian-princess-haya-bint-al-hussein-was-uncovered-2566383" target="_self">surveillance of Princess</a> Haya Bint al-Hussein using the NSO Group Ltd. technology, took place with the "express or implied authority" of Sheikh Mohammed, Judge Andrew McFarlane said in a ruling made public Wednesday. The couple have been fighting over the welfare of their children after the princess flew to the U.K. with them in 2019.
Sheikh Mohammed is "prepared to use the arm of the State to achieve what he regards as right," McFarlane wrote in his Wednesday ruling. "He has harassed and intimidated the mother both before her departure to England and since," said the judge, and "is prepared to countenance those acting on his behalf doing so unlawfully in the U.K."
Sheikh Mohammed denied the allegations in a statement to Bloomberg. The case concerns "supposed operations of state security" and "it was not appropriate for me" to provide evidence on such sensitive matters, he said.
"The findings are therefore inevitably based on an incomplete picture" and are also based on evidence "not provided to me or my minders," said the sheikh. "I therefore maintain that they were made in a manner which was unfair."
Lawyers for Princess Haya declined to comment.
The rulings by one of Britain's most senior judges add to the embarrassment facing the Dubai royal family. McFarlane ruled early last year that Sheikh Mohammed conducted a campaign aimed at "intimidating and frightening" his estranged wife.
NSO's software has been found on phones belonging to journalists and activists with human rights groups accusing the Israeli firm of using the technology to eavesdrop on conversations and track messages. The firm says its product is sold to law enforcement and intelligence agencies of vetted governments only.
An NSO document previously published by security researchers describes Pegasus as a tool that can "remotely and covertly extract valuable intelligence from virtually any mobile device."
It can be installed on a phone by tricking a targeted person into clicking a link, according to the document, or by forcing a phone to download the spy tool without any user interaction, usually by exploiting security vulnerabilities on the device.
Sheikh Mohammed had stated that it was hard to see how the hacking allegations made a "substantial difference" to the issue of his contact with his children, according to McFarlane.
The judge said in Wednesday's ruling that he considered the matter to be of the "utmost seriousness," saying it may have a profound impact on his ability to trust the sheikh with anything but the "most minimal and secure arrangements" for contact with his children.
In a separate judgment, the judge also said that agents acting for the sheikh had tried to buy a 30 million-pound ($40.7 million) estate next to the princess's own property west of London. The judge said the princess rightly feared that the sheikh could use the estate in an attempt to abduct the children by offering a transport hub for a helicopter.
The police, he said, have been given copies of the court orders preventing abduction.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/dubai-ruler-mohammed-bin-rashid-al-maktoum-ordered-hacking-of-runaway-princess-princess-haya-bint-al-hussein-with-pegasus-2568152">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/dubai-ruler-mohammed-bin-rashid-al-maktoum-ordered-hacking-of-runaway-princess-princess-haya-bint-al-hussein-with-pegasus-2568152</a>

news world Dubai Ruler Ordered Hacking Of Runaway Princess With Pegasus

Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein was surveilled using the NSO Group Ltd. technology. Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktou...

US Deputy Secretary In Pak; Discusses Regional Security, Economic Ties

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="US Deputy Secretary In Pak; Discusses Regional Security, Economic Ties" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-09/qgi93998_us-deputy-secretary-of-state-wendy-sherman_625x300_28_September_21.jpg" title="US Deputy Secretary In Pak; Discusses Regional Security, Economic Ties" /></div>
US Deputy Secretary of State held talks with Pak's NSA Moeed Yusuf. (File)
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Islamabad:
Pakistan and the US have discussed regional security issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, and bilateral economic cooperation as America's Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman held talks with the country's NSA Moeed Yusuf here, the official media reported on Friday.
The two countries expressed a desire to promote their bilateral relations during a meeting between Advisor to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on National Security Yusuf and the visiting US diplomat on Thursday.
No statement was issued after the meeting but according to Radio Pakistan, both sides discussed economic cooperation and the regional security situation.
In his talks with Sherman, NSA Yusuf said that the world must maintain contacts with the interim government in Afghanistan, which is now under Taliban rule since August 15 when the Afghan militant group ousted the elected government of President Ashraf Ghani, forcing him to flee the country and take refuge in the UAE.
The US Deputy Secretary of State arrived here from New Delhi on Thursday on a two-day visit to discuss various aspects of bilateral ties and the regional situation in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
According to the Foreign Office (FO), Sherman's visit follows a recent meeting between Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly.
During Sherman's visit, views will be exchanged on all issues of mutual interest, including the bilateral relationship as well as the regional situation.
“We look forward to reinforcing a balanced Pakistan-US relationship that is anchored in mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas including security, trade, investment, energy and regional connectivity,” the FO added.
The Taliban swept across Afghanistan last month, seizing control of almost all key towns and cities in the backdrop of withdrawal of the US forces that began on May 1. On August 15, the capital city of Kabul fell to the insurgents.
The Afghan militant group claimed victory over opposition forces in the last holdout province of Panjshir on September 6, completing their takeover of Afghanistan three weeks after capturing Kabul.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-dy-secretary-of-state-sherman-in-pak-discusses-regional-security-economic-ties-2568125">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-dy-secretary-of-state-sherman-in-pak-discusses-regional-security-economic-ties-2568125</a>

news world US Deputy Secretary In Pak; Discusses Regional Security, Economic Ties

US Deputy Secretary of State held talks with Pak's NSA Moeed Yusuf. (File) Islamabad: Pakistan and the US have discussed regional s...

"Delete Facebook?" TIME Cover Ft. Zuckerberg Amid Profits Over Safety Charge

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="'Delete Facebook?' TIME Cover Ft. Zuckerberg Amid Profits Over Safety Charge" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-10/ptb4cl7o_time-cover-mark-zuckerberg_650x400_08_October_21.jpg" title="'Delete Facebook?' TIME Cover Ft. Zuckerberg Amid Profits Over Safety Charge" /></div>
TIME magazine has featured Mark Zuckerberg on its latest cover.
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TIME magazine has featured Mark Zuckerberg on its cover in its latest issue amid claims Facebook fuels division, harms children and puts profits over safety.
The cover photo comes with an illustration of a phone app deletion icon and a seemingly simple question - "Delete 'Facebook'?" - and two options - "Cancel" or "Delete".
Whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former product manager on Facebook's civic misinformation team, this week told US lawmakers how the company pushed for higher profits while being cavalier about user safety. She said Facebook had also done too little to prevent its platform from being used by people planning violence.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
How Facebook forced a reckoning by shutting down the team that put people ahead of profits <a href="https://t.co/xm1uu7SCfl">https://t.co/xm1uu7SCfl</a>
— TIME (@TIME) <a href="https://twitter.com/TIME/status/1446325227697418241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
The TIME <a href="https://time.com/6104899/facebook-reckoning-frances-haugen/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_term=business_facebook&linkId=134997421" target="_blank">cover article</a>, published on the magazine's website, is titled "How Facebook Forced a Reckoning by Shutting Down the Team That Put People Ahead of Profits".
The article speaks extensively of Facebook's civic integrity team and points out to how the social media giant's decisions alienated many members of the critical team that fights misinformation and hate. Facebook dissolved the team in December 2020, which eventually led Frances Haugen to blow the whistle.
"Whatever the future direction of Facebook, it is clear that discontent has been brewing internally. Haugen's document leak and testimony have already sparked calls for stricter regulation and improved the quality of public debate about social media's influence," writes Billy Perrigo, the author of the article.
Earlier this week, Mark Zuckerberg hit back at the whistleblower's claims, saying they are "just not true".
"The argument that we deliberately push content that makes people angry for profit is deeply illogical," Zuckerberg wrote in a note to Facebook employees that he then posted on his account.
"I don't know any tech company that sets out to build products that make people angry or depressed. The moral, business and product incentives all point in the opposite direction."
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/time-magazine-cover-features-mark-zuckerberg-amid-profits-over-safety-charge-delete-facebook-2568104">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/time-magazine-cover-features-mark-zuckerberg-amid-profits-over-safety-charge-delete-facebook-2568104</a>

news world "Delete Facebook?" TIME Cover Ft. Zuckerberg Amid Profits Over Safety Charge

TIME magazine has featured Mark Zuckerberg on its latest cover. TIME magazine has featured Mark Zuckerberg on its cover in its latest is...