Stop-gap US budget bill planned by Republicans will hurt thousands of military programs, defense chief warns
Congress will have to pass some type of temporary measure by Sept. 30 in order to avoid a shutdown of the federal government
Austin said a temporary bill would stall research and development projects, and slow progress key nuclear, ship-building, high-tech drone and other weapons programs
Updated 09 September 2024
AP
WASHINGTON: Passage of a six-month temporary spending bill would have widespread and devastating effects on the Defense Department, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said in a letter to key members of Congress on Sunday.
Austin said that passing a continuing resolution that caps spending at 2024 levels, rather than taking action on the proposed 2025 budget will hurt thousands of defense programs, and damage military recruiting just as it is beginning to recover after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Asking the department to compete with (China), let alone manage conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, while under a lengthy CR, ties our hands behind our back while expecting us to be agile and to accelerate progress,” said Austin in the letter to leaders of the House and Senate appropriations committees.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has teed up a vote this week on a bill that would keep the federal government funded for six more months. The measure aims to garner support from his more conservative GOP members by also requiring states to obtain proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when registering a person to vote.
Congress needs to approve a stop-gap spending bill before the end of the budget year on Sept. 30 to avoid a government shutdown just a few weeks before voters go to the polls and elect the next president.
Austin said the stop-gap measure would cut defense spending by more than $6 billion compared to the 2025 spending proposal. And it would take money from key new priorities while overfunding programs that no longer need it.
Under a continuing resolution, new projects or programs can’t be started. Austin said that passing the temporary bill would stall more than $4.3 billion in research and development projects and delay 135 new military housing and construction projects totaling nearly $10 billion.
It also would slow progress on a number of key nuclear, ship-building, high-tech drone and other weapons programs. Many of those projects are in an array of congressional districts, and could also have an impact on local residents and jobs.
Since the bill would not fund legally required pay raises for troops and civilians, the department would have to find other cuts to offset them. Those cuts could halt enlistment bonuses, delay training for National Guard and Reserve forces, limit flying hours and other training for active-duty troops and impede the replacement of weapons and other equipment that has been pulled from Pentagon stocks and sent to Ukraine.
Going forward with the continuing resolution, said Austin, will “subject service members and their families to unnecessary stress, empower our adversaries, misalign billions of dollars, damage our readiness, and impede our ability to react to emergent events.”
Noting that there have been 48 continuing resolutions during 14 of the last 15 fiscal years — for a total of nearly 1,800 days — Austin said Congress must break the pattern of inaction because the US military can’t compete with China “with our hands tied behind our back every fiscal year.”
Johnson’s bill is not expected to get support in the Democratic-controlled Senate, if it even makes it that far. But Congress will have to pass some type of temporary measure by Sept. 30 in order to avoid a shutdown.
World Bank to release damage assessments for Ukraine, Gaza
Updated 5 sec ago
Reuters
WASHINGTON: The World Bank will release an assessment of damages to infrastructure in Gaza in coming days, along with an updated assessment of damages in Ukraine on February 25, Anna Bjerde, the bank’s managing director of operations, said on Monday.
Bjerde said the Gaza report, prepared together with the United Nations and European Union, would provide a fuller overview of damage to the Palestinian enclave after an interim report in April showed it suffered $18.5 billion in damages to critical infrastructure in the first four months of the war.
At least 30 killed after Bolivia bus plunges into ravine
Updated 21 min 3 sec ago
AFP
LA PAZ: A passenger bus plunged into an 800-meter-deep abyss in southern Bolivia on Monday, killing at least 30 people and injuring 15, police and local media said.
The bodies of “at least 30” people have been recovered and transported to morgues after the accident near the town of Yocalla, police colonel Victor Benavides told AFP.
The accident happened on a narrow two-way road between the cities of Potosi and Oruro, with the route running along a ravine nearly half a mile deep.
Local news outlet Unitel reported at least 15 people injured in the crash — including three children — had been transferred to hospital.
Several were in a serious condition.
It was not immediately clear how many people were on board the bus.
Authorities said their initial theory was that the crash was caused by speeding, with the driver “unable” to control the bus, according to Benavides.
This is the most serious road accident reported in the South American country so far this year.
Nineteen people were killed when another bus careened off a road, also near Potosi, last month.
Bolivia’s winding mountain roads are notoriously deadly.
Road accidents kill an average of 1,400 people every year in the country of about 12 million inhabitants, according to government data.
Delta plane flips upside down in Toronto crash, 15 wounded
Updated 18 February 2025
AFP
TORONTO: A Delta Air Lines jet with 80 people onboard crash landed Monday at the Toronto airport, officials said, flipping upside down and leaving at least 15 people injured but causing no fatalities.
The Endeavor Air flight 4819 with 76 passengers and four crew was landing at around 3:30 p.m. in Canada’s biggest metropolis, having flown from Minneapolis in the US state of Minnesota, the airline said.
Paramedic services told AFP 15 people were injured including three critically — a child, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 40s.
All wounded, including those with minor injuries, were taken to area hospitals either by ambulance or helicopter, the paramedic service said.
Dramatic images on local broadcasts and shared on social media showed people stumbling away from the upside down CRJ-900 plane, shielding their faces from wind gusts.
Fire crews appeared to be dousing the aircraft with water as smoke wafted from the jetliner.
“Toronto Pearson is aware of an incident upon landing involving a Delta Air Lines plane arriving from Minneapolis. Emergency teams are responding. All passengers and crew are accounted for,” the airport authority posted on X. The airport suspended all flights after the incident.
Facebook user John Nelson, who said he was a passenger on the flight, posted a video showing the crashed aircraft and wrote: “Our plane crashed. It’s upside down.”
“Most people appear to be okay. We’re all getting off,” he added.
Delta said its connection flight operated by Endeavor had been “involved in an incident,” and promised to share further details as it confirmed them.
“Initial reports were that there are no fatalities,” the airline said through a spokesperson’s statement.
A massive snow storm hit eastern Canada on Sunday. Strong winds and bone-chilling temperatures could still be felt in Toronto on Monday when airlines added flights to make up for weekend cancelations due to the storm.
“The snow has stopped coming down, but frigid temperatures and high winds are moving in,” the airport warned earlier, adding that it was “expecting a busy day in our terminals with over 130,000 travelers on board around 1,000 flights.”
Federal Transport Minister Anita Anand confirmed there were 80 people on the flight. “I’m closely following the serious incident at the Pearson Airport involving Delta Airlines flight 4819 from Minneapolis,” she posted on X.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, meanwhile, said he was “relieved there are no casualties after the incident at Toronto Pearson,” adding that airport and local authorities were providing help.
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board said it was deploying a team of investigators to the site of the crash.
This comes after other recent air incidents in North America including a mid-air collision between a US Army helicopter and a passenger jet in Washington that killed 67 people, and a medical transport plane crash in Philadelphia that left seven dead.
‘No kings on Presidents Day’ rings out from protests against Trump and Musk
Nearly 1,000 people marched in the snow from the Statehouse in Boston to City Hall, chanting ‘Elon Musk has got to go’ and ‘No kings on Presidents Day!’
One sign at the rally that attracted hundreds in the nation’s capital said, ‘Deport Musk Dethrone Trump’
Updated 18 February 2025
AP
BOSTON: Protesters against President Donald Trump and his policies braved frigid temperatures to demonstrate Monday at rallies corresponding with the Presidents Day holiday.
Dubbed “No Kings on Presidents Day” by the 50501 Movement, the latest protests came less than two weeks after a similar nationwide event on Feb. 5 drew participants in dozens of cities. Both protests denounced Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk, the leader of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, an outside-government organization designed to slash federal spending.
Nearly 1,000 people marched in the snow from the Statehouse in Boston to City Hall, chanting “Elon Musk has got to go” and “No kings on Presidents Day!” The temperature was below freezing with wind chills in the teens.
Boston protesters, some dressed in Revolutionary War-style clothing from the 1700s, carried signs saying such things as “This is a Coup” and “Cowards Bow to Trump, Patriots Stand Up.” One sign had a depiction of Uncle Sam saying “I Want You to Resist.”
“I thought it was important to be here on Presidents Day to demonstrate for what America stands for,” said Emily Manning, 55, a Boston engineer who came to the rally with her two teenage sons. “American values are not the values of the plutocracy or the limited few rich people.”
Organizers of Monday’s protests, which were focused on state capitals and major cities including Washington, D.C.; Orlando, Florida; and Seattle, said they were targeting “anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration and its plutocratic allies.”
One sign at the rally that attracted hundreds in the nation’s capital said, “Deport Musk Dethrone Trump.”
Many demonstrations were slated for cities where temperatures were well below freezing as a polar vortex worked its way across the country.
The rallies followed a series of Trump executive orders and came just days after layoffs across federal agencies as part of an effort to reduce the government workforce.
What do people want from a leader in a rapidly changing world?
Gallup poll spanning 52 countries reveals “hope” as the top need from leaders, followed closely by “trust”
In low-income countries, hope becomes crucial for reducing suffering and giving people a sense of a better future
Updated 28 min 31 sec ago
Jonathan Gornall
LONDON: What are leaders for? It sounds like an obvious question, with equally obvious answers.
But a new survey, conducted across 52 countries and territories and accounting for 76 percent of the world’s adult population, has refined those answers down to just four words: hope, trust, compassion and stability.
And of these “four needs of followers,” one emerges head and shoulders above the rest – hope, followed closely by trust.
These were the headline findings of an international survey released by international polling company Gallup at last week’s three-day World Governments Summit in Dubai.
The summit, which has been held annually in the city since 2013, brings together heads of government, officials and thought leaders “to address universal challenges and set the agenda for next-generation governments.”
Topics tackled at this year’s summit included the impact of artificial intelligence and how governments can maintain the trust of their citizens in the face of the maelstrom of misinformation and conspiracy theorizing generated in this digital age.
The World Governments Summit in Dubai, which has been held annually since 2013, brings together heads of government, officials and thought leaders “to address universal challenges and set the agenda for next-generation governments.” (AFP)
And trust and hope, the survey found, are what people want most from their leaders, whether in government or at the head of the companies for which they work.
“Today’s leaders face profound and complex challenges, such as climate change, conflict and artificial intelligence, and must make decisions that affect the lives of their followers,” wrote Jon Clifton, Gallup’s CEO, who was present at the launch of the report during the World Governments Summit on Feb. 11.
The “Global Leadership Report: What Followers Want” put it this way: “In this changing world, it is crucial for leaders to understand the reasons people follow them.”
To better understand how people around the world perceive leaders and their impact, Gallup first asked participants to name a leader who has had the most positive influence on their daily lives. They then asked them to list three words describing what that leader contributes to their lives.
The survey found that “hope is the primary need of followers around the world” — a finding that would have come as no surprise to the 19th-century French leader Napoleon Bonaparte, who defined a leader as “a dealer in hope.”
When asked to list three words that best describe what leaders contribute to their lives, 56 percent said “Hope,” followed by 33 percent who named “Trust.”
It is, according to the Gallup report, essential for leaders to recognize that “hope is a powerful motivator. It stands out as the dominant need across followers, with 56 percent of all attributes tied to positive leaders grouping into this theme — particularly the attributes of inspiration, vision and personal integrity.
The Gallup survey found that “hope is the primary need of followers around the world.” (Getty Images)
“Hope gives followers something better to look forward to, enabling them to navigate challenges and work toward a brighter future. Without hope, people can disengage, lose confidence and become less resilient.”
The survey found that hope is the primary need across all 52 countries surveyed, ranging from just over four in 10 people in Bulgaria, Jordan and Lebanon to at least two in three in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Egypt.
In fact, hope as a need fulfilled by leaders was above the global average of 56 percent in Egypt (72 percent), Saudi Arabia (66 percent), the UAE (64 percent). By contrast, hope was found most wanting in Palestine (49 percent), Jordan (44 percent) and Lebanon (41 percent).
And the survey makes clear that, while government leaders obviously play a significant role in the lives of their citizens, other types of leaders understandably have a more direct, day-to-day impact on people’s lives and happiness.
Overall, asked what leader had the most positive influence on their lives, an overwhelming and perhaps unsurprising majority of those surveyed (57 percent) named a family leader.
Next, with 11 percent, came work managers, followed by political and religious leaders, both named by 7 percent of respondents.
Celebrities, the survey reveals, are rarely considered to exert the most positive influence in people’s daily lives — just 2 percent of adults name a celebrity.
Which type of leader has the most positive influence varies enormously from country to country – for example, workplace leadership is important to 70 percent of people in China and 52 percent in the UAE, while political leadership is cited by 38 percent in Tanzania (the highest rating), 33 percent in Israel and 22 percent in Turkiye.
While Gallup’s research into followers’ needs offers valuable insight, the answer to what makes a good leader lies in a holistic understanding of themselves, their role, and the needs of their followers. Without first understanding what followers expect and need, a leader’s ability to lead successfully is in question.
“Great leadership is defined not by authority alone, but by how much the people who follow leaders trust and support them,” the Gallup report said.
“The best leaders — of countries, organizations or other groups — keep their followers in mind when making decisions, because without them, even the most capable leader lacks true influence.”
IN NUMBERS
60% of survey respondents say they look for hope in political leaders.
54% look for it in family members.
59% in religious leaders.
59% in managers.
The survey also found a direct connection between wellbeing and life satisfaction and the extent to which the basic expectations of leadership — hope, trust, compassion and stability — are met.
Gallup measures life satisfaction by asking respondents to imagine a ladder with ten rungs, with the lowest rung representing the worst possible life and the highest the best.
Those who rated their current life a “7” or higher and their anticipated life in five years an “8” or higher are categorized as thriving. Those on “4” or lower are considered to be suffering.
By this metric the survey reveals a subtle but significant association between hope and life satisfaction. Among those who do not associate hope with the leader they mention, only 33 percent are classed as thriving and 9 percent as suffering, whereas thriving rises to 38 percent and suffering dips to 6 percent among those for whom the need for hope is met.
Although suffering is relatively rare, the survey results show it decreases as more needs are met. This is especially important in low-income countries, where higher levels of suffering make hope for a better future crucial in reducing pain.
While Gallup’s research into followers’ needs offers valuable insight, the answer to what makes a good leader lies in a holistic understanding of themselves, their role, and the needs of their followers. (Pexels)
Trust is the second most important need identified by the survey (33 percent), and this has “an additive role” when combined with hope and either stability or compassion, in which case rates of thriving increase to 43 percent and 39 percent respectively.
Followers need to trust that their leaders will keep their word and act with integrity, the “Global Leadership Report” says, adding: “Trust is the foundation of human relationships,” enabling people to collaborate toward shared goals more effectively.
The report adds that its research into the needs of followers “offers a blueprint for current and future leaders.”
“As we navigate an era marked by rapid technological advancements and global interconnectedness, the ability to pivot and respond to new challenges is more important than ever,” the report said.
“Leaders who keep the four needs of followers at the forefront when making decisions will likely be most destined to make a positive impact on the world.”
Jon Clifton, CEO of Gallup. (Supplied)
The Gallup report further states that leaders “must ultimately know three things to succeed” — they must understand the needs of their followers and fulfil the four needs of hope, trust, compassion and stability; they must know themselves, and lead with their strengths; and “the most successful leaders also have a deep understanding of the demands of their specific role and the expectations attached to it.”
However, Gallup leaders cannot meet their followers’ needs without first knowing themselves, the report says, adding that effective leaders develop their innate strengths, refining natural talents through knowledge and skill to unlock unique leadership approaches and maximize their impact.
The best leaders, the report concludes, “achieve success — despite varied roles, organizations and industries — by bringing multiple teams together and making great decisions, driving the purpose and performance of their organization.
“The more leaders can provide their followers with hope, trust, compassion and stability by leaning on their unique strengths and applying them to the specifics of their role, the more successful they will be.”
