Briefly

UNITED STATES

Stopgap bill approved to avoid shutdown

Congress passed another short-term spending measure on Thursday that would keep one set of federal agencies operating through March 8 and another set through March 22, avoiding a shutdown for parts of the federal government that would otherwise kick in on Saturday. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The short-term extension is the fourth in recent months, and many lawmakers expect it to be the last for the current fiscal year. House Speaker Mike Johnson said negotiators had completed six of the annual spending bills that fund federal agencies and had "almost final agreement on the others".

Indicted diplomat admits spying for Cuba

A former senior US diplomat charged with spying for Cuba admitted on Thursday the criminal counts he was accused of by federal prosecutors, US media reported citing his remarks in court. Victor Manuel Rocha, 73, was accused of committing several federal crimes by acting as a secret agent for Cuba for decades, during which he engaged in "clandestine activities" on behalf of the longtime US foe using the advantage of being a diplomat. Under federal detention since his arrest on Dec 1, Rocha pleaded not guilty to the above charges in an arraignment at a Miami, Florida-based federal court on Feb 16. He is due in court again on April 12.

RUSSIA

Moscow ready to return crash victims' bodies

Russia has expressed its readiness to transfer the bodies of those who perished in the crash of a military transport Il-76 aircraft in the Belgorod region to Ukraine, media reported on Friday. "Yes, we are prepared. Everything necessary from a procedural standpoint is in place," Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova told RIA Novosti news agency. On Jan 24, the Ukrainian armed forces shot down the Il-76 over Belgorod. The aircraft was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners for exchange. All the prisoners, along with three accompanying Russian officers and six crew members, lost their lives.

AUSTRALIA

Meta says it will no longer pay for news

Meta Platforms said it will stop paying Australian news publishers for content that appears on Facebook, setting up a fresh battle with Canberra which had led the world with a law that forces internet giants to strike licensing deals. News publishers and governments like Australia have argued that Facebook and Google unfairly benefit in terms of advertising revenue when links to news articles appear on their platforms. Meta has been scaling back its promotion of news and political content to drive traffic and says news links are now a fraction of users' feeds. The government is seeking advice from the Treasury Department and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission about its next steps.

Agencies - Xinhua