Congress: Deal Reached to Avoid Partial Government Shutdown Friday

US Congress general photo (File/AFP)
US Congress general photo (File/AFP)
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Congress: Deal Reached to Avoid Partial Government Shutdown Friday

US Congress general photo (File/AFP)
US Congress general photo (File/AFP)

Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress reached an agreement in principle on Wednesday to extend the federal budget by a few days and defer the threat of a government shutdown.

The agreement by Republican and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate would push back the start of a shutdown from Friday until March 8, giving policymakers some breathing room to try to reach a deal to fund the government.

"We are in agreement that Congress must work in a bipartisan manner to fund our government," they said in a statement, AFP reported.

They added that "a short-term continuing resolution to fund agencies through March 8 and the 22 will be necessary, and voted on by the House and Senate this week."

For several months, the United States has been deadlocked over the adoption of a finance bill for 2024.

The two parties have been entangled in partisan wrangling, and have only been able to pass a series of mini-bills to extend the US federal budget by a few days or months at a time.

The consequences of a government shutdown would be significant, and would include air traffic controllers going unpaid, some government agencies grinding to a halt, and the closure of America's much-beloved National Parks.

It must now be passed by the House of Representatives, the Senate, and then signed into law by President Joe Biden to postpone this threat.



Airstrike in Myanmar Kills Nearly 30 People

This handout photo provided by the Mandalay People's Defense Force shows a firefighter and men douse fire after an airstrike by the ruling military in Let Pan Hla village in Singu township in Mandalay region, Myanmar, Friday, Mar.14, 2025. (Mandalay People's Defence Force via AP)
This handout photo provided by the Mandalay People's Defense Force shows a firefighter and men douse fire after an airstrike by the ruling military in Let Pan Hla village in Singu township in Mandalay region, Myanmar, Friday, Mar.14, 2025. (Mandalay People's Defence Force via AP)
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Airstrike in Myanmar Kills Nearly 30 People

This handout photo provided by the Mandalay People's Defense Force shows a firefighter and men douse fire after an airstrike by the ruling military in Let Pan Hla village in Singu township in Mandalay region, Myanmar, Friday, Mar.14, 2025. (Mandalay People's Defence Force via AP)
This handout photo provided by the Mandalay People's Defense Force shows a firefighter and men douse fire after an airstrike by the ruling military in Let Pan Hla village in Singu township in Mandalay region, Myanmar, Friday, Mar.14, 2025. (Mandalay People's Defence Force via AP)

An airstrike by Myanmar’s military on a central village under the control of a pro-democracy resistance group has killed at least 27 civilians and injured 30 others, an opposition group and Myanmar’s online media said Saturday.
The attack occurred Friday at 3 p.m. in Let Pan Hla village in Singu township, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, a spokesperson for the Mandalay People’s Defense Force said.
The military did not comment on Saturday, The Associated Press said.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021, triggering widespread popular opposition. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.
The military government has stepped up airstrikes against the armed pro-democracy People's Defense Force and ethnic minority guerrilla groups that have been fighting for greater autonomy for decades. The two groups sometimes carry out joint operations against the army. The resistance forces have no defense against air attacks.
The town of Singu was seized by the Mandalay People’s Defense Force (MDY-PDF), which supports Myanmar’s main opposition, in July last year.
The group's statement released Saturday on its Telegram social media channel said six children were among the 27 killed in the airstrike that targeted crowded market stalls in Let Pan Hla village.
Osmond, the group's spokesperson, told The Associated Press that about 10 houses near the village market were destroyed by bombs.
“This airstrike was not aimed at a military target, but rather at the market area, where civilians visit daily,” Osmond said in a message.
The situation in the village could not be independently confirmed, with access to the internet and cellphone service in the area mostly cut off.
The independent Myanmar Now online media reported that the death toll from the airstrike that hit a tea shop near the village market had reached 30 and seven were in critical condition.
A report issued last month by Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica, a Myanmar research and advocacy organization, said that since the military’s 2021 takeover, 2,224 civilian had been killed and 3,466 wounded in 4,157 airstrikes.