While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Oct 7
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In helping Ukraine, the US Pentagon is continuing to use up funds discovered due to a multi-billion dollar accounting error in June 2023.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
US readies new Ukraine arms package
The Biden administration is expected to announce a new weapons package for Ukraine next week as the Pentagon continues to use up funds discovered due to a multi-billion dollar accounting error, US officials said.
Those funds have allowed the Biden administration to send Kyiv arms, supplies and munitions despite the exclusion of new Ukraine aid from a stopgap spending Bill passed by the House of Representatives last weekend to prevent a government shutdown.
Mr Biden has been asking Congress to approve another US$24 billion (S$32 billion) related to Ukraine, which the country’s supporters - Republicans as well as Democrats - had hoped could become law as part of a spending Bill. The request is still pending.
But the Pentagon still has about US$5.4 billion of congressionally granted presidential drawdown authority (PDA), after the Pentagon found in June it had overestimated the value of arms shipped to Ukraine by US$6.2 billion due to an accounting error.
18 migrants killed in Mexico bus crash
A bus carrying migrants overturned in southern Mexico on Friday, leaving at least 18 passengers dead and 27 injured, authorities said – the latest fatal road crash involving US-bound migrants.
The dead, three of them minors, were from Venezuela and Haiti, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office in Oaxaca state.
The accident happened at around dawn on a highway linking Oaxaca and the neighbouring state of Puebla, it said.
Amazon launches test satellites in challenge to Musk
Amazon launched two satellites on Friday as part of its plan to deliver the Internet from space and compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink service.
An Atlas V rocket carrying the satellites lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 2.06pm local time (2.06am on Saturday, Singapore time).
The launch was carried out by the United Launch Alliance (ULA) industrial group, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
Biles wins 21st world title with all-around gold
US superstar Simone Biles continued her spectacular return from a two-year break by claiming a 21st world title with gold in the women’s all-around at the world gymnastics championships on Friday.
Biles dominated the final in Antwerp where she also won her first world title a decade ago, taking gold with a score of 58.399 points ahead of defending champion Rebeca Andrade of Brazil (56.766), with American teammate Shilese Jones taking bronze (56.332).
Biles, 26, also took team gold with the United States on Wednesday, less than 10 months ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Rapper Drake taking break from music over health issue
Canadian rapper Drake said on Friday he is taking a break from music, just hours after dropping his latest album, in order to focus on recurring stomach issues.
“I probably won’t make music for a little bit, I’m gonna be honest,” he said on his SiriusXM radio show Table For One, adding: “I need to focus on my health first and foremost... I need to get right.”
“I’ve been having the craziest problems for years with my stomach,” he explained.
