United States Treasury has warned that the US government will be unlikely to meet payment obligations by early June if the debt ceiling is not raised.
The date is earlier than the Treasury estimated in January, indicating that the United States financial situation is more precarious than previously thought.
In a letter to Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, published on Monday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen asked Congress to increase the government's debt ceiling before this date or to suspend its implementation in order to prevent economic turmoil.
After reaching the borrowing cap of $31.4 trillion on January 19, Yellen informed Congress that the Treasury would use cash receipts and extraordinary cash management measures to continue making payments on debt, federal benefits, and other expenditures at least through June 5.
Previously, economists had predicted Washington's debt would increase to the set limit by the end of early August and the collection of less-than-expected tax revenues will speed the process.
Experts believe the US could default on its obligations if the debt ceiling is not raised by the summer, triggering an economic downturn that could result in a recession, create an unemployment crisis, and damage the country's reputation as a safe haven for investors.
The economic outlook is also clouded by a deepening rivalry between Biden and Republican lawmakers, who are demanding drastic spending cuts in exchange for more government borrowing power.
For the past two months, the White House has refused to talk to McCarthy and has demanded that the Republican-controlled Congress unconditionally approve the increase in the debt ceiling.
The president accused Republicans of holding the economy hostage to politically motivated demands and said he would discuss spending issues only in the context of the budget, not in relation to the debt ceiling....more below
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/05/02/702599/US-debt-default-will-cause-economy-crash
Volker Turk has warned that efforts to advance reparatory justice are facing resistance in “certain quarters,” and urged countries to back Africa’s push.
Reparatory justice for historical crimes, including colonialism, enslavement, and the trade in enslaved Africans, is crucial to dismantling systemic racism, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said.
Speaking at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent on Tuesday, Turk linked present-day discrimination against people from the continent to the enduring legacy of colonialism and enslavement.
”Racism and dehumanizing rhetoric continue to permeate public institutions, communities, and online platforms,” he said, according to the UN Press Service. Turk noted that “digital technologies, including AI, are reproducing and amplifying existing biases against people of African descent.”
The remarks come weeks after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade “the gravest...
The US VP had to defend President Trump’s Gaza policy at a rally on a Georgia college campus.
US Vice President J.D. Vance was forced to defend Washington’s policy in Gaza after he was booed and heckled at a key MAGA event on Wednesday.
Co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a conservative student group that has long been seen as a strong support base of President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement but is now showing apparent cracks.
Less than 15 minutes into a TPUSA event at the University of Georgia on Wednesday, Vance was interrupted by hecklers over US policy in Gaza, with one audience member shouting, “Jesus Christ does not support genocide!” As he attempted to respond, others shouted, “You’re killing children!” and “You’re bombing children!”
Vance replied by referring to Trump’s achievements as president, including securing a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, something he said the previous administration of Joe Biden failed to do.
“I ...
Sergey Shoigu has cautioned Finland and the Baltic states against allowing Kiev to use their airspace for attacks on Russia.
Russia would have the right to retaliate if Finland and the Baltic states are deliberately allowing Ukrainian drones to pass through their airspace, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu said on Thursday.
“Recently, there has been an increase in Ukrainian drone strikes against Russia via Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia,” Shoigu told journalists. “As a result, civilians are suffering and significant damage is being caused to civilian infrastructure.”
Either Western air defenses are proving ineffective, or these four countries “deliberately provide their airspace, thereby becoming open accomplices in aggression against Russia,” he added. In the latter case, Moscow has the right to self-defense in response to an “armed attack” under Article 51 of the UN Charter, the security chief stressed.
In recent weeks, Kiev has intensified drone strikes on ...
