Page 16 - United States

US approves $10 billion arms sale to Poland as Ukraine war rages on

The Biden administration on Tuesday approved a USD 10 billion arms sale to NATO ally Poland as Russia's war in neighbouring Ukraine rages. The State Department notified Congress that the sale comprises mid-range, mobile HIMARS artillery rocket systems, associated ammunition and related equipment. Poland and other eastern flank NATO allies become increasingly concerned about the possibility of a new Russian offensive in Ukraine along their borders as the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion approaches toward the end of the month. The department said the sale would support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by bolstering the defensive capabilities of a NATO ally. The department also said Poland is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe. The proposed sale will improve Poland's military goals of updating capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies, it said. Poland intends to use these defen

Was the Chinese balloon indeed a spy at work or was it just hot air?

Balloons are 18th century tech; Chinese satellites allow for surveillance with far higher levels of efficiency

China committed act of floating balloon as they are Chinese govt: Biden

China committed such a brazen act of floating balloons across continental America because they are the Chinese government, US President Joe Biden said on Monday. They're the Chinese government, Biden told reporters at the White House when asked why the Chinese would commit such a brazen act of floating across the entire continental United States. The question of the balloon and attempting to spy on the United States is something that's anticipated from China. The question is whether or not -- when we asked China what they're doing, they didn't deny they had the balloon over -- they just denied what it was, Biden said in response to a question. It is not a question of trusting China, it's a question of deciding where we should work together and where we have opposition, said the president in response to another question as he landed on the South Lawns of the White House from Camp David. Biden said this is not going to weaken the US-China relationship. No. We've made it clear to Chin

US teams deploying quickly to support Turkish rescue efforts: Biden

President Biden also expressed condolences on behalf of the American people to those who were injured or lost loved ones in the earthquakes

US moves to recover Chinese balloon as pressure mounts on President Biden

The balloon, said to be the size of at least two school buses, and its sensors are lying in 50 feet (15 meters) of water and scattered over a seven-mile (11-kilometer) area off Myrtle Beach

US State Senate unanimously passes resolution honouring Sikh community

The resolution was moved by Representative Angela Romero and Senator Luz Escamilla from Salt Lake City

Tesla hikes price of Model Y over 2% after US alters tax credit rule

Tesla has raised prices on its Model Y in the US, apparently due to rising demand and changes in US government rules that make more versions of the small SUV eligible for tax credits. The Austin, Texas, electric vehicle company bumped up the price of the Model Y Long Range version by about 2 per cent to USD 54,990 and the Performance version by about 2.7 per cent to USD 57,990, according to its website. The prices exclude shipping and an order fee. The moves, made Friday, come three weeks after Tesla cut prices nearly 20 per cent on some versions of the Model Y, the company's top-selling vehicle. The price cuts were made to boost sagging demand, and also to make more versions of the Model Y eligible for the USD 7,500 electric-vehicle tax credit in the Inflation Reduction Act. The full tax credits will be available at least into March. On Friday, The Treasury Department revised vehicle classification definitions to make more EVs including SUVs made by Tesla, Ford and General Motors

President Biden makes progress on 'unity agenda' outlined in 2022

A year ago, President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address to push top Democratic priorities that were sure to face a battle in the narrowly divided Congress but he also laid out a four-pronged unity agenda that would be an easier sell. Biden's unity goals would be hard for anyone to argue against: improving mental health, supporting veterans, beating the opioid epidemic and fighting cancer. The president is still pushing for some of those big Democratic goals, like an assault weapons ban, but he's fared better on the unity goals. Susan Rice, the president's domestic policy adviser, pointed to very significant progress on all four aspects even as she noted that issues like meeting the demand for mental health services or combating drug abuse won't be solved overnight. "We're happy with the progress that's been made and we're determined to keep pushing forward and make more progress," Rice said in an interview. A look at where things stand: OPIOIDS IN THE SPEECH: Bi

US committed to using full range of capabilities to defend S Korea: Blinken

"We are committed to defending the Republic of Korea using the full range of our capabilities -- nuclear, conventional missile defense capabilities," said Blinken

California won't require COVID vaccine to attend schools

Children in California won't have to get the coronavirus vaccine to attend schools, state public health officials confirmed on Friday, ending one of the last major restrictions of the pandemic in the nation's most populous state. Gov. Gavin Newsom first announced the policy in 2021, saying it would eventually apply to all of California's 6.7 million public and private schoolchildren. But since then, the crisis first caused by a mysterious virus in late 2019 has mostly receded from public consciousness. COVID-19 is still widespread, but the availability of multiple vaccines has lessened the viruses' effects for many offering relief to what had been an overwhelmed public health system. Nearly all of the pandemic restrictions put in place by Newsom have been lifted, and he won't be able to issue any new ones after February 28 when the state's coronavirus emergency declaration officially ends. One of the last remaining questions was what would happen to the state's vaccine mandate for

Feds say cyberattack caused outage of 988 suicide helplines in US

A cyberattack caused a nearly daylong outage of the nation's new 988 mental health helpline late last year, federal officials told The Associated Press on Friday. Lawmakers are now calling for the federal agency that oversees the programme to prevent future attacks. On December 1, the voice calling functionality of the 988 Lifeline was rendered unavailable as a result of a cybersecurity incident, Danielle Bennett, a spokeswoman for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, said in an email. The attack occurred on the network for Intrado, the company that provides telecommunications services for the helpline. The agency did not disclose details about who it believes launched the attack or what kind of cyberattack occurred. Intrado is working with a third-party assessor to investigate the incident and law enforcement agencies have been notified of the breach, SAMHSA said. The national 988 phone number, which can be reached by text, chat or voice calling, has beco

Chinese surveillance balloon spotted over Western US airspace: Pentagon

The US is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over US airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials said Thursday. A senior defense official told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. has very high confidence it is a Chinese high-altitude balloon and it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nation's three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The Pentagon announcement comes days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to China. It's not clear if this will affect his travel plans, which the State Department has not formally announced.

Mystery balloon discovery over Montana missile fields cancels US-China trip

The Pentagon said at midday Friday that a Chinese spy balloon had moved eastward and was over the central United States, and that the U.S. rejected China's claims that it was not being used for surveillance. Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, refused to provide details on exactly where the balloon was or whether there was any new consideration of shooting it down. The military had ruled that option out, officials had said, due to potential risks to people on the ground. Ryder said it was at an altitude of about 60,000 feet, was maneuverable and had changed course. He said it currently was posing no threat. He said there was only one balloon being tracked.

Google workers stage rallies against job cuts, low wages on US coasts

The protest in New York, which drew about 50 employees outside a Google store on Ninth Avenue, began just minutes after parent company Alphabet Inc. reported fourth-quarter results

Russia-Ukraine war: US to send Kyiv longer-range bombs in latest turnaround

After months of agonizing, the U.S has agreed to send longer-range bombs to Ukraine as it prepares to launch a spring offensive to retake territory Russia captured last year, U.S. officials said Thursday, confirming that the new weapons will have roughly double the range of any other offensive weapon provided by America. The U.S. will provide ground-launched small diameter bombs as part of a $2.17 billion aid package it is expected to announce Friday, several U.S. officials said. The package also for the first time includes equipment to connect all the different air defense systems Western allies have rushed to the battlefield and integrate them into Kviv's own air defenses, to help them better defend against Russia's continued missile attacks. For months, U.S. officials have hesitated to send longer-range systems to Ukraine out of concern that they would be used to target inside Russia, escalating the conflict and drawing the U.S. deeper in. The longer-range bombs are the latest ...

Biden administration recommends allowing major oil project in Alaska

The Biden administration has released a long-awaited study that recommends allowing a major oil development on Alaska's North Slope that supporters say could boost US energy security but that climate activists decry as a carbon bomb. The move while not final drew immediate anger from environmentalists who saw it as a betrayal of the president's pledges to reduce carbon emissions and promote clean energy sources. ConocoPhillips Alaska had proposed five drilling sites as part of its Willow project, and the approach listed as the preferred alternative by the US Bureau of Land Management in the report calls for up to three drill sites initially. Even as the land agency released its report, the US Interior Department said in a separate statement that it has substantial concerns about the project and the report's preferred alternative, including direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions and impacts to wildlife and Alaska Native subsistence. The Bureau of Land Management, which falls

US to revoke China's preferential trade partner status to safeguard economy

"Communist China has enjoyed permanent MNF status for two decades, exacerbating the loss of American manufacturing jobs"

FBI finds no classified documents from President Biden's house in Delaware

The Federal Bureau of Investigation found no classified documents in US President Biden's Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home after completing their search, CNN reported

US Justice Department conducts 'planned search' of President Biden's home

Today, with the President's full support and cooperation, the DOJ is conducting a planned search of his home in Rehoboth, Delaware

Fate of last ex-cop charged in George Floyd murder lies with judge

The attorney for a former Minneapolis police officer who held back bystanders while his colleagues restrained a dying George Floyd said in court filings Tuesday that his client is innocent of criminal wrongdoing and should be acquitted on state charges of aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter. But prosecutors argued in their filings that Tou Thao acted without courage and displayed no compassion despite his nearly nine years of experience and that he disregarded his training even though he could see Floyd's life slowly ebbing away. Tuesday was the deadline for prosecutors and defence attorneys to file final written arguments in the case of Thao, the last of the four former officers facing judgement in Floyd's killing. The state and federal cases against Derek Chauvin and the two other officers involved have largely been resolved, except for Chauvin's appeal of his murder conviction. But Thao asked Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill to decide, based on stipulated evidence, ...