May 31, 2023

*) Deal averting debt default passes first test in US Congress A deal to raise the US debt ceiling has passed its first major test in Congress, surviving a crucial vote amid a conservative backlash that resurrected the threat of the country’s first-ever default. Lawmakers have until Monday next week to green-light an agreement between Republicans and Democrats to allow more borrowing and ensure the country doesn't miss loan repayments. There were sighs of relief across Washington as Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Democratic President Joe Biden agreed on the 99-page “Fiscal Responsibility Act”. *) North Korea’s bid to launch country’s first spy satellite fails North Korea has said that its attempt to launch the country’s first spy satellite has failed. In a statement published on state media, North Korea said a rocket carrying the spy satellite crashed into waters off the Korean Peninsula’s western coast. The crash occurred after it lost thrust following the separation of its first and second stages. It said scientists were examining the cause of the failure. *) Fighting subsides in Sudan’s capital after extension of ceasefire Intense fighting has subsided in Sudan’s capital although sounds of gunfire could still be heard in some areas, residents said. The fighting decreased after warring parties — the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces group — battling for more than six weeks agreed to extend a ceasefire just before it was due to expire. Hours before the ceasefire extension was signed, residents reported intensive fighting in all three of the adjoining cities that make up Sudan’s greater capital. *) Several dead in Ukraine shelling of Luhansk village: Russia Four people have been killed and 16 injured as a result of Ukraine’s shelling of the Karpaty village in the Luhansk region, the Moscow-backed local coordination centre said. The centre said on its Telegram messaging channel the shelling hit a poultry farm. There was no immediate response from Ukraine, but Kie