All posts tagged: Assistance

EU to game out bloc’s mutual assistance clause in case of attack – POLITICO

EU to game out bloc’s mutual assistance clause in case of attack – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The clause states that if a member of the EU is faced by “armed aggression,” other members have an obligation to come to its “aid and assistance by all the means in their power.” The clause does not specify whether such aid includes a military response, and contains language relevant to neutral states such as Austria and Ireland. The gaming out will be conducted in the EU’s Political and Security Committee, which is composed of senior EU diplomats. Most EU members also belong to NATO and so are covered by its Article 5 mutual defense clause, which does refer explicitly to the use of military force to aid other signatories. But transatlantic tensions, including U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats of seizing Greenland, have shaken faith in Article 5 and sparked renewed interest in EU security arrangements. Aspiring members of the bloc now increasingly mention security as an incentive to join the bloc, alongside wealth and stability.   Another factor driving interest in 42.7 is the increased risk of attack against EU states. After being targeted …

DOGE Made Drastic Cuts to a Global Vaccine Assistance Program. Now There’s a Deadly Measles Outbreak in Bangladesh

DOGE Made Drastic Cuts to a Global Vaccine Assistance Program. Now There’s a Deadly Measles Outbreak in Bangladesh

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech Even after prolonged chaos, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency didn’t end up saving taxpayers much money. It did, however, manage to devastate global health infrastructure on its way out. For evidence, look no further than Bangladesh, currently in the grips of one of the worst measles outbreaks in recent memory. According to the Guardian, over 100 children have died as a result of gaps in vaccination coverage, with more than 900 confirmed measles cases reported since the viral flare-up began in March. Two thirds of those impacted are over nine months old, the outlet reported, the age at which infants typically become eligible for measles inoculation. The United Nations has helped the Bangladeshi government kickstart an emergency vaccination drive, but for many families, the damage has already been done. At the heart of the public health failure lies a shortage of vaccine stockpiles. That shortage traces back, at least in part, to the wave of DOGE-driven spending …

Food assistance slashed for hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees trapped in Bangladesh camps : NPR

Food assistance slashed for hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees trapped in Bangladesh camps : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

FILE – An aerial view of a Rohingya refugee camp, home to over a million of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya minority, covers the land in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, Nov. 25, 2025. Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP hide caption toggle caption Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP SYDNEY — Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees struggling to survive in Bangladesh’s overcrowded camps will see their food assistance slashed starting on Wednesday, raising alarm throughout the increasingly desperate community. Currently, the 1.2 million Rohingya trapped in the squalid camps receive $12 a month per person, an amount the persecuted minority from Myanmar has long warned is barely sustainable. Most of the Rohingya in the camps fled brutal attacks by Myanmar’s military in 2017 and they are legally barred from working in Bangladesh, leaving them largely reliant upon humanitarian aid to survive. Under the United Nations’ World Food Program’s new tiered system, the amount each person receives will vary based on the severity of their family’s needs, with around 17% of the population getting as little as $7 per month. A third of the …

Emergency Responders Say They’re Now Unpaid “Roadside Assistance” for Confused Waymos

Emergency Responders Say They’re Now Unpaid “Roadside Assistance” for Confused Waymos

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech Overseas teleoperators aren’t the only ones stuck cleaning up Waymo’s messes. Emergency responders are also having to swoop in when the blundering robotaxis muck up traffic — and they’re starting to get fed up at having to act as glorified “roadside assistance” for the vehicles, according to reporting by SFGate. Mary Ellen Carroll, executive director of San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management, warned that the frequency that police and firefighters have to respond to immobilized Waymos was becoming a public safety issue. “What has started to happen is that our public safety officers and responders are having to be the ones to physically move [the cars],” Carroll said in testimony during a public hearing on Monday. “In a sense, they’re becoming a default roadside assistance for these vehicles, which we do not think is tenable.” The hearing was held to discuss the chaos caused by Waymo’s San Francisco fleet when the city suffered a power outage in late …

Belgium, with France’s assistance, seizes suspected Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker

Belgium, with France’s assistance, seizes suspected Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker

Published by Sam Flores

The seized Ethera vessel is docked at the naval base in Zeebrugge, Belgium, on March 1, 2026. NICOLAS MAETERLINCK / AFP Belgium’s special forces boarded and seized an oil tanker from the “shadow fleet” Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, the government said on Sunday, March 1. Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said the vessel was intercepted in the North Sea during an overnight operation. “Today, a vessel from Russia’s shadow fleet was intercepted in the North Sea,” Prévot wrote on X, thanking Belgian special forces for their “exceptional professionalism and courage.” Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said the intercepted tanker was “being escorted to the port of Zeebrugge, where it will be seized.” Prosecutors identified the ship, which was said to be on its way back to Russia, as the Ethera. The tanker flew the flag of Guinea, but an on-board inspection confirmed suspicion that it was sailing under a false flag, they said. Read more Subscribers only Russia steps up attacks on Ukraine’s shipping routes in the Black Sea …

Trump approves disaster assistance for sewage spill into Potomac River

Trump approves disaster assistance for sewage spill into Potomac River

Published by Sam Flores

A notice alerting of a sewage overflow area is posted along the Potomac River on Feb. 19, 2026, in Cabin John, Maryland. This week District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a public emergency for the sewage spill in the Potomac River, 30 days after a section of a major pipe collapsed, unleashing millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the river Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images President Donald Trump has approved emergency assistance to Washington, D.C., to help the city address a sewage system leak that dumped at least 250 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Trump’s approval on Saturday, allowing FEMA to provide equipment and resources to help with the response to the Jan. 19 spill after a pipeline ruptured. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser had requested federal help on Wednesday and declared an emergency. Trump’s approval of the disaster relief request comes after he criticized the handling of the spill, blaming local Democratic leaders and focusing especially on Maryland’s Democratic …

Trump Administration Moves to End Housing Assistance for Mixed Immigration Families

Trump Administration Moves to End Housing Assistance for Mixed Immigration Families

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON, Feb 19 (Reuters) – ⁠The ⁠Trump administration took steps ⁠on Thursday toward ending federal housing assistance ​for households with mixed immigration status, as it seeks to stop ‌ineligible migrants from benefiting ‌from the funding. The U.S. Department of Housing and ⁠Urban Development ⁠said it estimates approximately 24,000 undocumented migrants, ineligible migrants ​and “fraudsters” in 20,000 mixed-status households benefit from HUD assistance.  Under the proposed rule, a family would not be eligible for assistance unless ​every member residing in a household is determined to ⁠have eligible ⁠status. Families with at least ⁠one ​family member with U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status would ​be eligible for ⁠prorated assistance. It would also require verification of citizenship and eligible immigration status for people seeking federal housing assistance. The department acknowledged the rule would adversely affect some tenants but ⁠said this would ultimately be offset by the reallocation of HUD ⁠funds to the intended recipients. “HUD’s proposed rule will guarantee that all residents in HUD-funded housing are eligible tenants,” Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner said in …

US freezes visa processing from 75 countries over public assistance

US freezes visa processing from 75 countries over public assistance

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during his end-of-year press conference at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., Dec. 19, 2025. Kevin Mohatt | Reuters The State Department said Wednesday it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries whose nationals are deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States. The State Department, led by Secretary Marco Rubio, said it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the countries affected in accordance with a broader order issued in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become “public charges” in the U.S. The suspension, which will begin Jan. 21, will not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, or temporary tourist or business visas. “The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” the department said in a statement. “Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.” The statement …

Waste Of The Day: Questions Arise Over .8 Billion In Rental Assistance

Waste Of The Day: Questions Arise Over $5.8 Billion In Rental Assistance

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Jeremy Portnoy via RealClearInvestigations, Topline: The federal government is unable to verify that $5.8 billion in rental assistance paid to more than 204,000 recipients in 2024 was not fraudulent, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s latest annual report. Key facts: HUD spent $15.2 billion on project-based rental assistance in 2024, which pays local housing authorities or private businesses and nonprofits to build affordable housing. That included $4.3 billion in “questionable payments” to nearly 113,000 groups that may have been ineligible for funding, according to the financial report — a mistake rate of over 26%. HUD also gave $33.9 billion directly to families to help with rent payments, but the financial report claims $1.5 billion sent to almost 92,000 people was “questionable.” The estimates include $77 million paid to 29,715 dead people and $150.3 million paid to 9,472 people with invalid Social Security numbers. But most of the flagged payments — $5.2 billion — were sent to people or businesses with inactive registrations in the System for Award Management. The federal …