Page 17 - United States

Nikki Haley planning February 15 launch for 2024 presidential campaign

Nikki Haley is moving closer to making her presidential campaign official. On Wednesday, supporters of the former South Carolina governor will get an email invitation to a February 15 launch event in Charleston, at which she plans to announce her campaign, according to a person familiar with the plans but not authorised to speak publicly about them. News of Haley's plans was first reported by The Post and Courier of Charleston. Haley, 51, served as South Carolina's governor for six years before serving as President Donald Trump's ambassador to the United Nations. When she enters the race, Haley will be the first contender to join the contest against her former boss, who is currently the sole Republican seeking his party's 2024 nomination. Trump was in South Carolina Saturday for the initial campaign swing of his 2024 campaign, standing alongside Gov. Henry McMaster who served as Haley's lieutenant governor and several GOP members of the state's delegation, part of his leadership

Palestinians protest US visit to West Bank as tension rises with Israel

'The matter is very simple. Blinken came here to pressure the Palestinian leadership to not adopt any decision against the security cooperation with Israel'

Blinken's 2-day visit to Mideast highlights US limitations in region

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday wrapped up a two-day visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank with no visible signs of progress toward halting one of the deadliest outbreaks of Israeli-Palestinian violence in years. The anemic outcome highlighted what appears to be the limited influence the Biden administration has over Israel's new government, which is dominated by hard-line nationalists who oppose concessions toward the Palestinians. But it also reflected a years-long process that has turned the U.S. into little more than a conflict manager drawing Palestinian accusations that Washington is a dishonest broker with a bias toward Israel. Blinken arrived in the region at a particularly tense time ending a month in which 35 Palestinians and seven Israelis were killed. The bloodshed overshadowed what was meant to be a mission to establish working relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his new far-right government. Instead, Blinken spent much of

US govt accuses Russia of endangering nuclear arms control treaty

Russia's refusal to allow on-the-ground inspections to resume is endangering the New START nuclear treaty and US-Russian arms control overall, the Biden administration charged on Tuesday. The finding was delivered to Congress and summarized in a statement by the State Department. It follows months of more hopeful US assessments that the two countries would be able to salvage cooperation on limiting strategic nuclear weapons despite high tensions over Russia's war on Ukraine. Inspections of US and Russian military sites under the New START treaty were paused by both sides because of the spread of the coronavirus in March 2020. The US-Russia committee overseeing implementation of the treaty last met in October 2021, but Russia then unilaterally suspended its cooperation with the treaty's inspection provisions in August 2022 to protest US support for Ukraine. "Russia's refusal to facilitate inspection activities prevents the United States from exercising important rights under the trea

Trump lawsuit claims Woodward audiobook violates copyright, seeks $50 mn

Former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Monday against journalist Bob Woodward, claiming he never had permission to publicly release interview recordings made for the book Rage. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Pensacola, Florida, against Woodward, his publisher Simon & Schuster Inc., and the publisher's parent company Paramount Global. Trump's attorneys are seeking nearly USD 50 million in damages. Simon & Schuster and Woodward released a joint response saying Trump's lawsuit is without merit, and they will aggressively defend against it. All these interviews were on the record and recorded with President Trump's knowledge and agreement, the statement said. Moreover, it is in the public interest to have this historical record in Trump's own words. We are confident that the facts and the law are in our favour. The lawsuit claims that Trump consented to being recorded for a series of interviews between December 2019 and August 2020, but only for a book Woodward ..

US Prez says 'no' to sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine amid war

Interestingly, the US had ramped up military assistance to Ukraine in the form of artillery and tanks

Ten people injured on Monday in drive-by shooting in Florida: Police

Ten people were injured Monday afternoon during a drive-by shooting in a central Florida neighborhood, police said. Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor said during a news conference that two of the victims were critically injured, while the wounds of the other eight victims weren't considered life-threatening. Lakeland is located about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of Tampa. I've been here 34 years, and I can tell you I have never worked an event where this many people were shot at one time, ever, Taylor said. A crowd of people were gathered along a residential street when a dark-blue sedan rolled by, police said. Shooters fired from the windows before the car sped away. Officers were actively searching for the vehicle and the shooters Monday night, officials said. Taylor said investigators believe the shooting was a targeted attack. Police said marijuana was found at the scene of the shooting, and investigators believe drug sales were taking place. Taylor described the neighborhood

Prez Biden to end Covid-19 twin national emergencies in US on May 11

President Joe Biden informed Congress on Monday that he will end the twin national emergencies for addressing COVID-19 on May 11, as most of the world has returned closer to normalcy nearly three years after they were first declared. The move to end the national emergency and public health emergency declarations would formally restructure the federal coronavirus response to treat the virus as an endemic threat to public health that can be managed through agencies' normal authorities. It comes as lawmakers have already ended elements of the emergencies that kept millions of Americans insured during the pandemic. Combined with the drawdown of most federal COVID-19 relief money, it would also shift the development of vaccines and treatments away from the direct management of the federal government. Biden's announcement comes in a statement opposing resolutions being brought to the floor this week by House Republicans to bring the emergency to an immediate end. House Republicans are als

The everywhere retail

Spurred by the pandemic, the convergence between offline and online commerce could reach a tipping point in 2023

Netherlands, Japan join US limits on chip tech to counter China: Report

Japan and the Netherlands have agreed to a deal with the US to restrict China's access to materials used to make advanced computer chips, a person familiar with the agreement has said. The person, who spoke with the Associated Press on Sunday, declined to be identified because the deal hasn't yet been formally announced. It's unclear when all three sides will unveil the agreement. The White House declined to comment. The Biden administration in October imposed export controls to limit China's ability to access advanced chips, which it says can be used to make weapons, commit human rights abuses and improve the speed and accuracy of its military logistics. It urged allies like Japan and the Netherlands to follow suit. China has responded angrily, saying trade curbs will disrupt supply chains and the global economic recovery. We hope the relevant countries will do the right thing and work together to uphold the multilateral trade regime and safeguard the stability of the global ...

Israeli-Palestinian tensions test US diplomacy as Antony Blinken visits

An alarming spike in Israeli-Palestinian violence and sharp responses by both sides are testing the Biden administration as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plunges into a cauldron of deepening mistrust and anger on visits to Israel and the West Bank this week. What had already been expected to be a trip fraught with tension over differences between the administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new far-right government has grown significantly more complicated over the past four days with a spate of deadly incidents. Blinken's high-wire diplomatic act begins on Monday after he completes a brief visit to Egypt that has been almost entirely overshadowed by the deteriorating security situation in Israel and the West Bank. US officials say the main theme of Blinken's conversations with Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will be de-escalation. Yet Blinken will arrive in Israel just a day after Netanyahu's Security Cabinet announced a series of punitive

US Prez Biden, Speaker McCarthy to discuss debt limit in talks on Wednesday

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Sunday he is looking forward to discussing with President Joe Biden a reasonable and responsible way that we can lift the debt ceiling when the two meet Wednesday for their first sit-down at the White House since McCarthy was elected to the post. McCarthy, R-Calif., said he wants to address spending cuts along with raising the debt limit, even though the White House has ruled out linking those two issues together as the government tries to avoid a potentially devastating financial default. The speaker pledged that cuts to Social Security and Medicare would be off the table. I know the president said he didn't want to have any discussion (on cuts), but I think it's very important that our whole government is designed to find compromise, McCarthy told CBS' Face the Nation. I want to sit down together, work out an agreement that we can move forward to put us on a path to balance and at the same time not put any of our debt in jeopardy at the same ...

US investigates self-driving claims made by Elon Musk for Tesla: Report

Musk in November last year said the Tesla FSD beta is available to anyone in North America

India-US relationship not as strong as it needs to be: Congressman Thanedar

The relationship between India and the US has not been as strong as it needs to be, Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar has said, vowing that he will work to strengthen economic ties that benefit both countries and help enhance cooperation between their people. Thanedar, 67, represents the 13th Congressional District of Michigan, which mainly comprises parts of Detroit and its suburbs. He was sworn in as a member of the US House of Representatives early this month. He became the fifth Indian-American to be in the current Congress, joining four others: Dr Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal. I think historically, this (India-US relationship) has not been as strong a relationship as it needs to be. We are the two biggest democracies. India has a huge economic power. India now has the leadership of G-20, Thanedar told PTI. His first month of in the House has been quite historic as he voted 15 times to elect the Speaker. This week, he was made members of

2024 H-1B visas for skilled professionals to open from March 1: US

All prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners are required to use a myUSCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process

Donald Trump opens 2024 run, says he's 'more committed' than ever

Former President Donald Trump kicked off his 2024 White House bid with a stop Saturday in New Hampshire before heading to South Carolina, appearances in early-voting states marking the first campaign events since announcing his latest run more than two months ago. We're starting. We're starting right here as a candidate for president," he told party leaders at the New Hampshire GOP's annual meeting before a late afternoon stop in Columbia to introduce his South Carolina leadership team. I'm more angry now and I'm more committed now than I ever was. Those states hold two of the party's first three nominating contests, giving them enormous power in selecting the nominee. Trump and his allies hope the events will offer a show of force behind the former president after a sluggish start to his campaign that left many questioning his commitment to running again. In recent weeks, his backers have reached out to political operatives and elected officials to secure support for Trump at a ...

US deploys diplomacy professionals to mentor women-led Indian ventures

The United States is deploying its public diplomacy professionals to mentor women-led, early-stage ventures in India, a top American diplomat has said. In her address to the US-India Alliance Shatter Summit, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said when women succeed, inclusiveness increases and discrimination declines and when women thrive, communities are stronger and economies are more resilient. We are deploying our public diplomacy professionals to mentor women-led, early-stage ventures in India from an idea on the back of a napkin to a fully-functioning business, Sherman said. Women are critical for rapid and sustainable growth in India and everywhere. Indeed, before the pandemic, one study estimated that gender parity could add USD 770 billion to India's GDP by 2025, Sherman said. We are helping equip female entrepreneurs, in India and South Asia, with the digital skills needed to compete in the 21st century. And we are supporting women disproportionately impacted by ...

US 'closely monitoring' India-China border situation: State Department

'We are closely monitoring the situation broadly regarding border clashes but we are glad to hear that at least in December both sides (India and China) appeared to have disengaged'

US instrumental partner during India's transformative journey: Ambassador

India's Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, here on Thursday during an occasion to celebrate the 74th Republic Day said the United States has been an instrumental partner for India during its transformative journey. Sandhu, joined by Indian American Congressmen Ro Khanna and Thanedar, celebrated the Republic Day here along with community members in and around the US capital. The global comprehensive strategic partnership, between India and the United States, has continued to intensify, covering almost all areas of human endeavour, driven by shared democratic values, convergence of interests, on a range of issues, and vibrant, people to people contacts, the Ambassador said. Our two countries are benefiting from mutual exchanges, across domains including healthcare, clean energy, security, education, technology, translating the vision of PM Modi and President Biden, into action. Our engagements with partners in Quad, have expanded into infrastructure, supply chains, climate .

US economy shows signs of slowdown after growing 2.9% last quarter

Personal consumption, the biggest part of the economy, climbed at a below-forecast 2.1% pace