Page 22 - United States

US Supreme Court turn away Israeli spyware maker in WhatsApp suit

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an Israeli spyware maker's bid to derail a high-profile lawsuit filed by the WhatsApp messaging service. The justices left in place lower court rulings against the Israeli firm, NSO Group. WhatsApp claims that NSO targeted some 1,400 users of the encrypted messaging service with highly sophisticated spyware. WhatsApp parent Facebook, now called Meta Platforms Inc., is trying to block NSO from Facebook platforms and servers and recover unspecified damages. NSO argued that it should be recognized as a foreign government agent and therefore be entitled to immunity under U.S. law limiting lawsuits against foreign countries. The request appeals a pair of earlier federal court rulings that rejected similar arguments by the Israeli company. The Biden administration recommended that the court turn away the appeal. The Justice Department wrote that NSO plainly is not entitled to immunity here. NSO's flagship product, Pegasus, allows operators to covertl

40 year-old NASA science satellite falls harmlessly from sky off Alaska

After almost 40 years circling Earth, a retired NASA science satellite plunged harmlessly through the atmosphere off the coast of Alaska, NASA reported Monday. The Defense Department confirmed that the satellite - placed in orbit in 1984 by astronaut Sally Ride - reentered late Sunday night over the Bering Sea, a few hundred miles from Alaska. NASA said it's received no reports of injury or damage from falling debris. Late last week, NASA said it expected most of the 5,400-pound (2,450-kilogram) Earth Radiation Budget Satellite to burn up in the atmosphere, but that some pieces might survive. The space agency put the odds of falling debris injuring someone at 1-in-9,400. Space shuttle Challenger carried the satellite into orbit and the first American woman in space set it free. The satellite measured ozone in the atmosphere and studied how Earth absorbed and radiated energy from the sun, before being retired in 2005, well beyond its expected working lifetime.

US Justice Department reviews potentially classified docs at Biden center

The Justice Department is reviewing a batch of potentially classified documents found in the Washington office space of President Joe Biden's former institute, the White House said Monday. Special counsel to the president Richard Sauber said a small number of documents with classified markings were discovered as Biden's personal attorneys were clearing out the offices of the Penn Biden Center, where the president kept an office after he left the vice presidency in 2017 until shortly before he launched his 2020 presidential campaign in 2019. The documents were found on Nov. 2, 2022, in a locked closet in the office, Sauber said. Sauber said the attorneys immediately alerted the White House Counsel's office, who notified the National Archives and Records Administration which took custody of the documents the next day. Since that discovery, the President's personal attorneys have cooperated with the Archives and the Department of Justice in a process to ensure that any Obama-Biden ...

US sets 2024 as deadline to deal with unsafe interference of 5G on aircraft

The FAA said it couldn't rule out interference from 5G signals for about 100 incidents of aircraft navigation equipment issuing erroneous data

Georgia election case just one of many legal woes for Donald Trump

A special grand jury investigating efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia has finished its report, a major development in a case that's on a long list of legal problems for the former president. A hearing will be held Jan. 24 to decide whether to release all or part of the report, which could include recommendations of charges against Trump and his associates. The Fulton County district attorney would determine whether to seek indictments from a regular grand jury. As he campaigns for the White House in 2024, Trump faces myriad inquiries, including a criminal investigation over top secret documents found at his Florida estate, a probe in Washington into his efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election, and more probes in New York. Trump, a Republican, has denied any wrongdoing and says he is being targeted by Democrats trying to keep him from reclaiming the White House. Here's a look at the probes underway in differen

US announces $100 mn aid for Pakistan's flood recovery, reconstruction

The United States has announced an additional USD 100 million to Pakistan for its recovery and reconstruction efforts after the devastating floods last year that killed 1,739 and affected 33 million people. The funding also includes humanitarian assistance to support flood relief and recovery efforts in refugee hosting areas, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at a news conference here on Monday. "I am pleased to share that today the United States announced an additional USD 100 million of recovery and reconstruction funding, bringing our total contribution to over USD200 million," he said. The new USD 100 million in funding will be for flood protection and governance, disease surveillance, economic growth, and clean energy, climate smart agriculture, food security, and infrastructure reconstruction, Price said. The United States' flood-related assistance complements its broader efforts to form a US-Pakistan green alliance that looks at the range of climate and

Ocugen announces positive data for Bharat Biotech's Covaxin in US trials

The study enrolled 419 US adult participants that were randomized 1:1 to receive two doses of Covaxin or placebo, 28 days apart

President Biden to get a firsthand look at US-Mexico border situation

President Joe Biden is heading to the US-Mexico border on Sunday, his first trip there as president after two years of hounding by Republicans who have hammered him as soft on border security while the number of migrants crossing spirals. Biden is due to spend a few hours in El Paso, Texas, currently the biggest corridor for illegal crossings, due in large part to Nicaraguans fleeing repression, crime and poverty in their country. They are among migrants from four countries who are now subject to quick expulsion under new rules enacted by the Biden administration in the past week. The president is expected to meet with border officials to discuss migration as well as the increased trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, which are driving skyrocketing numbers of overdoses in the U.S. Biden will visit the El Paso County Migrant Services Center and meet with nonprofits and religious groups that support migrants arriving to the U.S. It is not clear whether Biden will talk t

Strong 7.0 magnitude quake hits Vanuatu, triggering tsunami warning

The US Geological Survey says a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu on Sunday, and a tsunami warning has been issued for possible hazardous waves in nearby waters. The quake was centered 23 kilometers (15 miles) from Port Olry and hit at a depth of 27 kilometers (17 miles), the agency said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for coasts located within 300 kilometers (186 miles) of the epicenter. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Vanuatu is home to about 280,000 people and is prone to natural disasters, with a half-dozen active volcanoes as well as regular cyclones and earthquakes. It sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanoes are common.

Japan PM Kishida highlights security concerns on trip to Europe, US

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida begins a weeklong trip Monday to strengthen military ties with Europe and Britain and bring into focus the Japan-U.S. alliance at a summit in Washington, as Japan breaks from its postwar restraint to take on more offensive roles with an eye toward China. Kishida's talks with U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday will highlight his five-nation tour that also takes him to France, Italy, Britain and Canada some of Group of Seven nations Japan has stepped up defense ties with in recent years. His first stop is Paris on Monday evening. Kishida said his summit with Biden will underscore the strength of the Japan-U.S. alliance and how the two countries can work more closely under Japan's new security and defense strategies. Japan in December adopted key security and defense reforms, including a counterstrike capability that makes a break from the country's exclusively self-defense-only postwar principle. Japan says the current deployment of missile ...

India-US Trade Policy Forum to meet on January 11 in Washington

The India-US Trade Policy Forum (TPF), a forum to resolve trade and investment issues between the two countries, will hold a meeting in Washington on January 11, the commerce ministry said on Sunday. The TPF has five focus groups -- Agriculture, Investment, Innovation and Creativity (intellectual property rights), Services and Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers. The meeting will be co-chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai. Goyal will be on an official visit to New York and Washington DC from 9-11 January, the ministry said. The 12th TPF meeting was held on November 23, 2021, after a gap of four years here. "Working groups were re-activated after the last ministerial. TPF is a platform for continuous engagement between two countries in the area of trade and to further the trade and investment relations between the two countries. Both countries are looking forward to the meeting and confident of making progress on the trade issu

On eve of Biden's Mexico border visit, migrants fear new rules by govt

Several hundred people marched through the streets of El Paso Saturday afternoon, and when they arrived at a group of migrants huddling outside a church, they sang to them no estan solos you are not alone. Around 300 migrants have taken refuge on sidewalks outside Sacred Heart Church, some of them afraid to seek more formal shelters, advocates say, amid new restrictions meant to crack down on illegal border crossings. This is the scene that will greet President Joe Biden on his first, politically thorny visit to the southern border Sunday. The president announced last week that Cubans, Nicaraguans, Haitians and Venezuelans will be expelled to Mexico if they enter the U.S. illegally an expansion of a pandemic-era immigration policy called Title 42. The new rules will also include offering humanitarian parole for up to 30,000 people a month from those four countries if they apply online and find a financial sponsor. Biden is scheduled to arrive in El Paso Sunday afternoon before ..

California braces for more stormy weather, rain and potential floods

California braced for more stormy weather with rain expected to sweep across the northern part the state on Saturday, raising the potential for road flooding, rising rivers and mudslides. Rain was forecast for the Bay Area Saturday with a brief dry period on Sunday and heavier storms due to arrive Monday. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for a large swath of Northern and Central California with 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rain expected through Wednesday in the Sacramento-area foothills. In the Los Angeles area, light rain was forecast for the weekend with stormy conditions expected to return Monday with the potential for up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain in the foothills. The wet weather comes after days of rain in California from Pacific storms. A series of recent weather systems have knocked out power to thousands, flooded streets, battered the coastline and caused at least six deaths. The storms won't be enough to officially end California's .

Ukraine war: Zelenskyy hails US military aid as cease-fire said to falter

Ukraine's president is praising the United States for including tank-killing armoured vehicles in its latest multibillion-dollar package of military aid, saying they are exactly what is needed for Ukrainian troops locked in combat against Russian forces. Officials, meanwhile, said it was unclear whether Moscow was abiding by a unilateral 36-hour cease-fire for Orthodox Christmas that Ukraine has denounced as a ploy. The latest multi-billion dollar package of U.S. military assistance announced Friday by the White House was the biggest to date for Kyiv. For the first time, it included Bradley armoured vehicles known as tank-killers because of the anti-tank missiles they fire. In his nightly televised address on Friday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it a very powerful package. For the first time, we will get Bradley armoured vehicles this is exactly what is needed. New guns and rounds, including high-precision ones, new rockets, new drones. It is timely and strong, h

US house speaker race: Kevin McCarthy's plea and begging for votes

It was the extraordinary moment that brought House Republicans to the brink and ultimately the moment they found their way back. Just one vote short of becoming speaker of the House, California Republican Kevin McCarthy stood from his chair and walked down the center aisle to the back of the chamber. It was nearing midnight, and he had already lost 13 votes for speaker over four long days. The room fell almost silent as it became apparent that the GOP leader was now asking begging, really the bombastic, blustering, defiant Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to change his vote from present to McCarthy. Gaetz, who had hurled personal insults at McCarthy just hours earlier on the House floor, said no. McCarthy slowly walked back down the aisle, alone, head tilted to the ground. But he turned back around when he heard a scuffle behind him. Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican ally of McCarthy, had angrily confronted Gaetz, telling him he would regret his decision. Lawmakers on the floor yell

US hiring solid but wages cool, giving Fed room to slow rate hikes

Non-farm payrolls increased 223,000 in December, capping a near-record year for job growth, a Labor Department report showed on Friday

US announces new measures to crack down on illegal immigration: White House

The policy has been applied about 2.5 million times since March 2020. It was to expire on December 21, 2022

Microsoft drops aggressive claim against US FTC in Activision Blizzard case

Microsoft removed an aggressive argument against U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) it made last month, as agency sued the tech giant for acquiring leading video game developer Activision Blizzard

US to send Ukraine dozens of Bradleys in $2.85 billion aid package

The US will send Ukraine nearly USD 3 billion in military aid, in a massive new package that will for the first time include several dozen Bradley fighting vehicles, US officials said on Thursday, in the Biden administration's latest step to send increasingly lethal and powerful weapons to help Ukraine beat back Russian forces. The aid totalling about USD 2.85 billion is the largest in a series of packages of military equipment that the Pentagon has pulled from its stockpiles to send to Ukraine. It is aimed at getting as much to the Ukrainian forces as possible during the winter months, before spring sets in and an expected increase in fighting begins. An announcement is expected Friday, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the package have not been publicly announced. The Bradley fighting vehicles is a medium-armoured combat vehicles that can serve as a fortified troop carrier on the battlefield. It has tracks rather than wheels, but is ligh

As Covid-19 infections surge in China, US begins testing more travellers

Shubham Chandra knows how dangerous the coronavirus can be: He lost his dad during the pandemic. So when he cleared customs at Newark Liberty International Airport and saw people offering anonymous COVID-19 testing, he was happy to volunteer. It's a minimum amount of effort to help a lot of people," said the 27-year-old New York City man, who had just stepped off a plane from Cancun, Mexico. The airport testing is part of the government's early warning system for detecting new variants, which began expanding recently in the wake of a COVID-19 surge in China. With the addition of Los Angeles and Seattle, there are now seven airports where arriving passengers can volunteer for COVID-19 tests. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention program now covers about 500 flights from at least 30 countries, including more than half from China and surrounding areas. As of Thursday, the CDC is also requiring travellers to the US from China, Hong Kong and Macao to take a COVID-19 test no mor