Author: BLMS MEDIA

The lower withholding rate follows a brief return to 100 percent withholding introduced weeks earlier.The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced a new policy that reduces the default withholding rate to 50 percent for recovering Social Security benefit overpayments under Title II, the federal program covering retirement and disability insurance.The change, outlined in an “emergency message” dated April 25, comes less than a month after the agency raised the withholding rate to 100 percent of monthly benefits—up from a prior 10 percent—to recoup overpayments. The initial sharp increase drew criticism from some lawmakers and advocates, who warned that full withholding…

The biggest city in the Sahel has been ransacked and left in ruins.War erupted in Sudan’s capital Khartoum in April 2023 and sent millions searching for safety. The city was quickly captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after a power struggle with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for total control.At least 61,000 people were killed from the fighting and siege conditions in Khartoum state alone.Thousands more were maimed and many remain missing. The RSF fled Khartoum’s neighbourhoods in caravans carrying the city’s looted treasures as the army closed in and recaptured it after two years of occupation. Spreaker…

Higher standards are needed for companies going public.CommentaryShein, the fast-fashion brand, has received approval for an initial public offering from a regulator in London. The company is a rapidly expanding and highly popular online retailer, or e-tailer for short. Shein is headquartered in Singapore.However, the company is also closely linked to the Chinese regime. Sky Xu, a Chinese billionaire, founded Shein in 2008 in Nanjing, China. Most of Shein’s products are made in China. Chinese Communist Party (CCP) policy encourages online retailers, including Shein, in China to directly engage foreign consumers, rather than rely on U.S. competitors, such as Amazon.The…

CNN  —  Hanoi’s Metropole Hotel sits imposingly on a corner in the city center, bright white with neat black shutters. As guests pull up in front of the French Colonial building, they are greeted by staff members wearing chic silk tunics. Framed photos throughout the lobby show some of the hotel’s most famous guests, from French presidents Francois Mitterand and Jacques Chirac to the writer Graham Greene, actress Jane Fonda and silent film star Charlie Chaplin. In 2019, the Metropole hosted US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for a summit. But below the elegant tile…

Dutton doubles down on ABC criticism, urging voters to ignore ‘hate media’ and trust conversations on the ground ahead of the May 3 election. With just three days until Australians choose their next prime minister, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has offered some cheeky advice for election night: steer clear of the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).The opposition leader was asked what makes for a good Saturday night party. His answer? Responsible drinking—and avoiding the national broadcaster.“I think alcohol is the first essential ingredient, I’m sure of that … responsible drinking as well,” Dutton said on Melbourne’s Fox 101.9 FM.“But not watching…

Google is making changes to its compensation structure in a bid to incentivize higher performance from staff.The company announced on Tuesday that it will change how employee performance ratings work. The change gives more staff the opportunity to achieve one of the highest scores in their annual review and, therefore, higher compensation, while lower performers receive smaller bonuses and equity.In an email to staff with the subject line “Strengthening our performance culture,” John Casey, Google’s vice president of global compensation and benefits, said that managers will be able to allocate the “Outstanding Impact” score to more employees than previously.”This means…

LIANYUNGANG, CHINA – APRIL 11, 2025 – A worker produces plush toys for sale to countries along the Belt and Road at a toy company’s production line in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China on April 11, 2025. Cfoto | Future Publishing | Getty ImagesChina’s manufacturing activity fell more than expected to a near two-year low, sliding into contractionary territory in April as the escalating trade war with the U.S. hurts bilateral trade.The official purchasing managers’ index came in at 49.0 in April, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday, falling below the 50-level threshold, which determines expansion from contraction,…

CommentaryAs part of the Trump administration’s trade war with the CCP, some Chinese imports now face tariffs of up to 245 percent, a move widely criticized as chaotic but actually central to a deliberate strategy to break China’s grip on U.S. supply chains and secure a better deal for the United States.One of President Donald Trump’s first acts during his second term was to direct the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party to reassess U.S.–China trade relations. The committee’s findings, consistent with those of the previous three administrations, concluded that Washington’s long-standing strategy had failed. China had grown stronger at…

CNN  —  Britain’s military launched airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Tuesday with US forces, its defense ministry said – the first public acknowledgment of a joint operation since the Trump administration escalated the US campaign against the militant group. The strikes targeted “a cluster of buildings” south of the capital Sanaa used by Houthis to manufacture drones, which the group uses to attack ships at sea, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement released Wednesday. The Royal Air Force sent Typhoon fighter jets to target those buildings, dropping precision bombs after dark following “very careful planning ……

WESTMINSTER, Calif. (AP) — When the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese forces 50 years ago this week, it prompted a mass exodus of some 2 million people — hundreds of thousands fleeing perilously on small boats across open water to escape the communist regime.Many ultimately settled in Southern California’s Orange County in an area now known as “Little Saigon,” not far from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, where the first refugees were airlifted upon reaching the U.S. The diaspora now also has significant populations in Virginia, Texas and Washington state, as well as in countries…