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China blasts US defence bill for hyping it up as threat, Taiwan welcomes it

China blasted an annual US defense spending bill for hyping up the China threat" while Taiwan welcomed the legislation, saying it demonstrated US support for the self-governing island that China says must come under its rule. China deplores and firmly opposes this US move, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted online Saturday, calling the new law a serious political provocation that blatantly interferes in China's internal affairs. President Joe Biden signed the USD 858 billion defense bill into law in Washington on Friday. It includes about USD 45 billion more than Biden had requested as lawmakers look to offset inflation and boost the nation's military competitiveness with China and Russia. The bill also repealed a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for US troops. In the Indo-Pacific region, the legislation authorises increased security cooperation with Taiwan and requires expanded cooperation with India on emerging defense technologies, readiness and logistics. A Taiwan

Georgia special grand jury wraps up probe of Donald Trump, allies

A special grand jury investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies illegally tried to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election in Georgia appears to be wrapping up its work, but many questions remain. The investigation is one of several that could result in criminal charges against the former president as he asks voters to return him to the White House in 2024. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who began investigating nearly two years ago, has said she will go where the facts lead. It would be an extraordinary step if she chooses to bring charges against Trump himself. Even if he's acquitted by a jury, for him to face trial and to have a public trial with evidence on the record would be an epic thing for American history, Georgia State University law professor Clark Cunningham said. Here's what we know as the special grand jury appears to be winding down: WHAT'S THE LATEST? Over about six months, the grand jurors have considered evidence and heard ..

Trump should never hold public office again: Jan 6 Capitol attack panel

Among the recommendations listed, the reform of the Electoral Count Act to clarify that a vice president has no authority to reject electoral slates submitted by the states

Military bases had $260 million in damages from Afghan evacuation

Military bases that housed tens of thousands of Afghan refugees in the US incurred almost USD 260 million in damages that in some cases rendered buildings unusable for troops until significant repairs to walls and plumbing are made, the Pentagon's inspector general found. Over the last two weeks of August 2021, the US Air Force managed the largest humanitarian evacuation in its history, airlifting 120,000 people from Afghanistan in just 17 days. The bulk of those passengers were Afghans fleeing Taliban rule, and US aircraft delivered tens of thousands of those Afghans initially to bases in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Italy, Bahrain and Germany. After processing, many of the refugees were flown to eight military bases in the US, where many were housed for months as they awaited visa processing and resettlement; the last Afghan refugee left military housing in February. The refugees were housed at Fort Bliss, Texas; Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey; Fort McCoy

US Congress approves new election rules in response to Jan 6 Capitol attack

Congress on Friday gave final passage to legislation changing the arcane law that governs the certification of a presidential contest, the strongest effort yet to avoid a repeat of Donald Trump's violence-inflaming push to reverse his loss in the 2020 election. The House passed an overhaul of the Electoral Count Act as part of its massive, end-of-the-year spending bill, after the Senate approved identical wording Thursday. The legislation now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature. Biden hailed the provisions' inclusion in the spending bill in a statement Friday, calling it critical bipartisan action that will help ensure that the will of the people is preserved. It's the most significant legislative response Congress has made yet to Trump's aggressive efforts to upend the popular vote, and a step that been urged by the House select committee that conducted the most thorough investigation into the violent siege of the Capitol. The provisions amending the 1887 law which has

Indian American Richard Verma to be Dy Secy of US State Department

Verma will have to be confirmed by the US Senate, which may not be a problem because he has been confirmed twice before by the chamber

US extends interview waiver for certain non-immigrant visa categories

It said the Department of State recognises the positive impact of travel to the United States by foreign students and temporary work visa holders on the US economy

US speeds up timeline in delisting threat for Chinese firms over audits

China and the US had been at odds over the issue for years, with Beijing citing national security concerns in opposition

Epic storm wallops US, Canada with blackouts, travel chaos in holidays

While it's packing plenty of snow and frigid temperatures, the storm is mostly noteworthy for its size and speed

US records over 12,000 deaths from flu this season, CDC estimates show

Over 20,700 people were hospitalised due to flu in the US in the latest week ending December 17, CDC data showed

US House passes $1.7 trillion spending bill with more aid for Ukraine

A USD 1.7 trillion spending bill financing federal agencies through September and providing more aid to a devastated Ukraine cleared the House on Friday as lawmakers race to finish their work for the year and avoid a partial government shutdown. The bill passed mostly along party lines, 225-201. It now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Passage of the bill represented a closing act for Rep. Nancy Pelosi's second stint as House speaker, and for the Democratic majority she led back to power in the 2018 election. Republicans will take control of the House next year and Rep. Kevin McCarthy is campaigning to replace her. He is appealing for support from staunch conservatives in his caucus who have largely trashed the size of the bill and many of the priorities it contains. He spoke with a raised voice for about 25 minutes, assailing the bill for spending too much and doing too little to curb illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl across the US-Mexico border. This

New defence spending law ends Covid-19 vaccine mandate for US troops

US military forces around the world will no longer be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine, after the mandate was lifted under an USD 858 billion defence spending bill passed by Congress and signed into law on Friday by President Joe Biden. The Pentagon is now likely to strongly encourage troops to get the shot, but has 30 days to work out the details for rescinding the vaccine mandate. Biden had opposed the Republican-backed provision, agreeing with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin that lifting the mandate was not in the best interests of the military, according to White House officials. But he ultimately accepted GOP demands in order to win passage of the legislation. The contentious political issue, which has divided America, forced more than 8,400 troops out of the military for refusing to obey a lawful order when they declined to get the vaccine. Thousands of others have sought religious and medical exemptions. The new law effectively ends those exemption requests, but questions

Ukrainians hail Prez Zelenskyy after trip to US dismissed by Putin

Ukrainians hailed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's wartime visit to the United States as a success, while Russian officials said Thursday that it only fueled the conflict. The U.S. has announced a new $1.8 billion military aid package, including supplies of the Patriot air defense systems, the most powerful such weapons to be delivered to Ukraine yet. Ukraine also stands to receive an additional $44.9 billion in U.S. aid as part of a massive government spending bill the Senate approved Thursday. We are returning from Washington with good results, with things that will really help, Zelenskyy said on a video message shared Thursday night on his Telegram account. He thanked President Joe Biden and the U.S. Congress for supporting Ukraine's fight against Russia. Neither Zelenskyy nor any other Ukrainian authorities have confirmed if he's already back in Kyiv. In Russia, President Vladimir Putin had a different assessment of Zelenskyy's trip, which included an Oval Office meeting with ..

Over 2,000 flights cancelled in US due to heavy snow, freezing temperatures

Ahead of Christmas holidays, more than 2,270 US flights were cancelled on Thursday (local time) due to heavy snow and freezing temperatures

Florida high court allows grand jury probe of coronavirus vaccines

The Florida Supreme Court will convene a grand jury at Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' request to investigate any wrongdoing with respect to the COVID-19 vaccines, the court announced Thursday. The Republican governor, who is often mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2024, earlier this month called for the investigation. He suggested it would be in part aimed to jog loose more information from pharmaceutical companies about the vaccines and potential side effects. Vaccine studies funded by pharmaceutical companies that developed COVID-19 vaccines have been published in peer-reviewed journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, and government panels reviewed data on the safety and effectiveness of the shots before approving them for use. DeSantis' request argues that pharmaceutical companies had a financial interest in creating a climate in which people believed that getting a coronavirus vaccine would ensure they couldn't spread the virus to others. Statewide .

US Senate passes $1.7 trillion spending bill to fund govt, aid Ukraine

The Senate passed a massive $1.7 trillion spending bill Thursday that finances federal agencies through September and provides another significant round of military and economic aid to Ukraine one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's dramatic address to a joint meeting of Congress. The bill, which runs for 4,155 pages, includes about $772.5 billion for domestic programs and $858 billion for defense and would finance federal agencies through the fiscal year at the end of September. The bill passed by a vote of 68-29 and now goes to the House for a final vote before it can be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. This is one of the most significant appropriations packages we have done in a very long time, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. The range of people it helps is large and deep." Lawmakers were racing to get the bill approved before a partial government shutdown would occur at midnight Friday, and many were anxious to complete the ta

US govt agency probing automated driving system use in 2 Tesla crashes

The US government's highway safety agency said on Thursday it will send teams to investigate two November crashes in California and Ohio involving Teslas that may have been operating on automated driving systems. The probes bring to 35 the number of crashes investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since 2016 in which either Tesla's Full Self-Driving or Autopilot systems likely were in use. Nineteen people were killed in the crashes. The California crash occurred on Thanksgiving Day involving eight vehicles on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The driver told authorities that the Tesla Model S was using the company's Full Self-Driving software, according to Highway Patrol report obtained by CNN. The Ohio crash happened on November 18 near Toledo, when a Tesla Model 3 crashed into an Ohio Highway Patrol SUV stopped on a roadway with its emergency lights flashing. A message was left on Thursday seeking comment from Tesla on the latest NHTSA action. The ..

Key January 6 riots witness says lawyer sought to influence testimony

Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson told the House January 6 committee that her first lawyer advised her against being fully forthcoming with the panel, telling her it was acceptable to testify that she did not recall certain events when she actually did and that the less you remember, the better, according to a transcript of one of her interviews released on Thursday. The lawyer, Stefan Passantino, denied the allegations, saying in a statement that he had done nothing wrong and had acted honourably, ethically, and fully consistent with her sole interests. Hutchinson, who was top aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, emerged as a key witness in the committee's investigation, delivering compelling live testimony about former President Donald Trump's actions on January 6, 2021. These actions included his directive that magnetometers be removed from a rally of his supporters that day and his angry and ultimately rebuffed demands to be taken by the Secret ...

Lupin set to gain market share in US flu season; shares up 6% in 2 sessions

The stock has underperformed peers and the benchmark over the past year

Lupin Pharma's US-based arm recalls blood pressure tablets in US market

Pharmaceuticals firm Lupin Ltd on Thursday said its US-based arm is recalling four lots of Quinapril tablets used to treat high blood pressure due to the presence of a nitrosamine impurity. Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc, the company's wholly-owned arm, is recalling the said tablets due to the presence of a nitrosamine impurity, N-Nitroso-Quinapril, observed in recent testing above the acceptable daily intake (ADI) level, Lupin Ltd said in a regulatory filing. "To date, Lupin has received no reports of illness that appear to relate to this issue," it said, adding it discontinued marketing of Quinapril tablets in September 2022. Quinapril tablets of strengths 20mg and 40mg packaged in separate 90 count bottles were distributed nationwide in the US to wholesalers, drug chains, mail order pharmacies and supermarkets, it added. The filing further said Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc is notifying its wholesalers, distributors, drug chains, mail order pharmacies and supermarkets by phone and throug