USA

Multiple tranches of documents have appeared on social media sites over recent weeks, some of them reportedly intended only for those with the highest levels of US security clearance

China held a second day of military drills around Taiwan, with multiple exercises involving aircraft and ships, after the island's president, Tsai Ing-wen, returned from a visit to the US

Schools and colleges across the US would be forbidden from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes under a proposal released Thursday from the Biden administration, but teams could create some limits in certain cases for example, to ensure fairness. The proposed rule sends a political counterpunch toward a wave of Republican-led states that have sought to ban trans athletes from competing in school sports that align with their gender identities. If finalised, the proposal would become enshrined as a provision of Title IX, the landmark gender equity legislation enacted in 1972. It must undergo a lengthy approval process, however, and it's almost certain to face challenges from opponents. The proposal comes on the same day that the Supreme Court said a 12-year-old transgender girl in West Virginia can continue competing on her middle school track and cross-country teams while legal battles over the state's transgender law continue. The law bans transgender athletes from femal

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has flagged concern over the use of an Indian eye drop that is causing death and blindness among its citizens.

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked CBI not to spare the corrupt, independent MP Kapil Sibal on Tuesday questioned the conviction rate in the current government which was only 71 in 2016.

The new representative of Venezuela's opposition in the US is urging the Biden administration to relax crippling oil sanctions on Nicolas Maduro's government or risk seeing the socialist-run country turn into another Cuba with Washington scapegoated for increasing authoritarianism and economic hardships. Fernando Blasi's comments to The Associated Press represent a sharp break from the opposition's maximum pressure campaign of the past four years when it was relying on the U.S. to muscle Maduro out of power. The failure of that hardline approach led the opposition in January to oust the beleaguered former lawmaker Juan Guaid from his role as interim president, a title he claimed as head of the National Assembly elected in 2015 widely considered Venezuela's last democratic vote. The opposition has replaced that arrangement with a more horizontal style of leadership of mostly exiled politicians. If we continue down this path, Venezuela is destined to be another Cuba, Blasi said in th

The United States has said it is still doing an assessment of what exactly intelligence information China was able to gather from its spy balloon that flew over sensitive American military sites in February. The comments from the Pentagon came after a media report said the Chinese spy balloon gathered information about some of the US military sites through electronic signals. As of right now, we're still doing an assessment of what exactly the intel was that China was able to gather but we do know that the steps that we took provided little additive value for what they've been able to collect from satellites before, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at a news conference here. The balloon had entered the United States from Alaska on January 28 and crossed through several States over various sensitive military sites, including Montana where the US stores some of its nuclear assets, before it was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina

US former President Donald Trump is all set to deliver the remarks on Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida after he returns from the indictment, CNN reported citing the news release

A monster storm system tore through the South and Midwest on Friday, spawning deadly tornadoes that shredded homes and shopping centres in Arkansas, collapsed a theatre roof during a heavy metal concert in Illinois and made a deadly sweep across the border into rural Indiana. The storm caused three fatalities in Sullivan County, Indiana, Emergency Management Director Jim Pirtle said in an email to The Associated Press early Saturday. The storm damaged homes and some residents were missing in the county seat of Sullivan, located near the Illinois state line about 95 miles (152 kilometres) southwest of Indianapolis. At least one person was killed and more than two dozen were hurt, some critically, in the Little Rock area, authorities said. The town of Wynne in northeastern Arkansas was also devastated, and officials reported two dead there, along with destroyed homes and people trapped in the debris. Authorities said a theatre roof collapsed during a tornado in Belvidere, Illinois, ..

President Joe Biden has all but announced he's running for reelection, but key questions about the 2024 campaign are unresolved: Who will manage it? Where will it be based? When will he finally make it official? Advisers have long said he planned to wait until after March, when the year's first fundraising period wraps up. That was an effort to help manage expectations because many donors who gave generously to Democratic causes during last fall's elections were looking for a break. But an announcement isn't imminent even now, aides insist, and probably won't come until at least after Biden returns from an expected trip to Ireland in mid-April. Working on his own timeline could counter Biden's low approval ratings and questions about his age the 80-year-old would turn 86 before the end of a second term. It also means Biden won't be hurried by pressure from former President Donald Trump, who's already announced his 2024 campaign, or other top Republicans who may enter the race, ...

Fewer new electric vehicles will qualify for a full USD 7,500 federal tax credit later this year, and many will get only half that, under rules proposed on Friday by the US Treasury Department. The rules, required under last year's Inflation Reduction Act, are likely to slow consumer acceptance of electric vehicles and could delay President Joe Biden's ambitious goal that half of new passenger vehicles sold in the US run on electricity by 2030. The new rules take effect April 18 and are aimed at reducing US dependence on China and other countries for battery supply chains for electric vehicles. Electric vehicles now cost an average of more than USD 58,000, according to Kelley Blue Book, a price that's beyond the reach of many US households. The tax credits are designed to bring prices down and attract more buyers. But USD 3,750, half the full credit, may not be enough to entice them away from less-costly gasoline-powered vehicles. Biden administration officials concede that fewer

Former US President Donald Trump called on his supporters to rally round him and protest nationwide as he expects to be arrested coming Tuesday in anticipation of an indictment from a New York jury

President Joe Biden on Wednesday offered an optimistic outlook on the health of democracy worldwide, declaring that leaders are turning the tide in stemming a yearslong backslide of democratic institutions. Opening his second democracy summit, Biden looked to spotlight hopeful advancements over the past year despite Russia's war in neighboring Ukraine and US tensions with China over its military and economic influence in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. The president cited signs of progress across the globe, from Angola's effort to create an independent judiciary, Croatia's move to boost government transparency and the Dominican Republic's anti-corruption steps. At home, Biden pointed to his stalled push for voting protections in Congress as evidence of his administration's commitment to support democracy. Today, we can say, with pride, democracies of the world are getting stronger, not weaker," Biden said. Autocracies of the world are getting weaker, not stronger. That's a direct resul

The state of Utah in the USA signed two bills last week restricting the usage of social media for minors. In the proposed Digital India Act, India's IT ministry hinted at similar rules

The wait time to get a visa from US Consulate General in Mumbai and Kolkata is less than a year, but the US Consulate General Chennai takes 680 days to give appointments

US-based financial technology company Roofstock has laid off about 27 per cent of its workforce in its second round of job cuts

The investigation is about how the $130,000 payment was made to Stormy Daniels over her alleged affair with Trump

Pharmaceuticals firm Lupin Ltd on Tuesday said it has received approval from the US health regulator for its generic Brexpiprazole tablets used to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia and depression. The approval granted by the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) is for the abbreviated new drug application for Brexpiprazole tablets of strengths 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg, 3 mg, and 4 mg, the company said in a regulatory filing. These are generic equivalent of Rexulti tablets of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company Ltd, it added. "This product would be manufactured at Lupin's Pithampur facility in India," the company said. Lupin said Brexpiprazole tablets 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg, 3 mg, and 4 mg, had an estimated annual sales of USD 1,575 million in the US, citing IQVIA MAT December 2022 data.

The bidding process for the successor of Silicon Valley Bank is being extended by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to give more time to work out a potential deal. The FDIC said Monday that there's been substantial interest from multiple parties for Silicon Valley Bridge Bank. The agency said it's going to allow parties to submit separate bids for Silicon Valley Bridge Bank and its subsidiary Silicon Valley Private Bank in order to simplify the bidding process and expand the pool of possible bidders. Qualified insured banks and qualified insured banks working with non-bank partners will be able to submit whole-bank bids or bids on the deposits or assets of the institutions. Bank and non-bank financial firms will be allowed to bid on asset portfolios. Bids for Silicon Valley Bridge Bank must be submitted by by 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday, while bids for Silicon Valley Private Bank are due by 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday. On Friday the parent of Silicon Valley Bank filed for Chapter 11 ..

The American actress in an emotional speech appealed to the guests present at the fundraiser to donate more, while also sharing her financial troubles