Page 28 - United States

2026 FIFA WC hosts US, Mexico, Canada take diplomatic handover from Qatar

A diplomatic delegation from the three host countries of the 2026 World Cup were in Qatar on Sunday for a handover ceremony ahead of the final between France and Argentina. The United States, Mexico and Canada will stage soccer's biggest event in less than 3 years. We could not be more excited, U.S. presidential delegate Linda Greenfield said. We are already hard at work preparing for 2026 and we're looking forward to welcoming fans from around the world. Greenfield told Sheikha Alya Al Thani of Qatar, a fellow ambassador to the United Nations, that the current host had set the standards high. The most important thing to remember is the World Cup transcends things and it plays an exceptional role in uniting people and countries and creating lasting friendships, Sheikha Alya said. The 2026 tournament will be played in 16 cities: 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada. Argentina won the title in Qatar by beating France 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw.

Microsoft prepares to go to battle with FTC over Activision deal

The company has also said it expects the industry to get more competitive in the future with the rise of cloud gaming

Sam Bankman-Fried's political donations under US scanner: Report

The disgraced cryptocurrency entrepreneur, whose empire made him a billionaire before it collapsed and he was arrested, was a major political donor

Climate change resulting in itchy eyes and runny nose, shows research

By 2050, airborne pollen loads will significantly increase as a result of climate change, according to a team led by Panos Georgopoulos

US delivers 50,000 doses more of Pfizer Covid pediatric vaccine to Bhutan

US donated to Bhutan an additional 50,000 doses of Pfizer pediatric Covid vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, in partnership with COVAX and the Bhutan Foundation

Asian growth has boomed by 35.3% in US metros, shows census of 2020

The Asian population alone, not in combination with any other race, was the fastest growing stand-alone racial and ethnic category in the U.S. in the last decade, swelling by 35.5%, according to the 2020 census. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex had the largest Asian growth rate among the most populous U.S. metros from 2010 to 2020, but it also jumped in metro Houston, Atlanta, Seattle, Phoenix, Boston and Tampa. The number of people who identify as Asian alone or Asian combined with another race now stands at 24 million people, making up 7.2% of the total U.S. population. It is an incredibly diverse population, with the two largest subgroups, Indians and Chinese, each having 4.1 million people. But some subgroups are better represented in their communities than others. For instance, the largest Asian population in Chicago is Indian, but it is Hmong in Minneapolis, Chinese in Boston and Filipino in San Diego. The rapid growth in these populations is rich with dynamic story ...

US Prez Biden urges veterans to seek health benefits under new law

President Joe Biden urged military veterans on Friday to take advantage of new healthcare opportunities under legislation that he signed in August. He promoted the aid as he visited a Delaware National Guard facility named for his late son, Beau. It's one of the most significant laws in our history to help millions of our veterans who are exposed to toxic substances during their military service," he said. The law, known as the PACT Act, helps veterans get screened for exposure to things like Agent Orange, which was used for deforestation during the Vietnam War, and burn pits, where trash was destroyed on military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. The administration has been hosting scores of events around the country to draw attention to the new benefits. More than 730,000 veterans have already received screenings, according to the White House. Beau Biden, the president's elder son, served as a major in the Delaware National Guard. He died of brain cancer in 2015, and the president h

Historic ban on shark fin trade poised to become law, Biden's nod awaited

The U.S. is poised to ban the lucrative trade in shark fins, a move conservationists hope will help protect millions of sharks that are butchered every year to satisfy demand in China and other parts of Asia. The practice of shark finning, whereby sharks are caught for their fins and their carcasses then dumped back into the ocean, has been banned in U.S. waters for decades. But the U.S. remains a major hub for the brisk trade, where as many as 73 million fins are sliced off of sharks around th world each year. The House and Senate passed identical versions of the proposed ban as part of a broader defense spending bill that President Joe Biden is expected to sign into law. Once he does, it will be illegal for Americans to buy, sell, transport or even possess foreign-caught fins something ocean conservation activists have long sought. Every year, American port inspectors seize thousands of dried, foreign-caught shark fins in undeclared shipments headed to China and other parts of As

US buying 3 mn barrels of oil to start replenishing reserves amid OPEC cuts

The Biden administration said Friday it is buying 3 million barrels of oil to begin to replenish U.S. strategic reserves that officials drained earlier this year in a bid to stop gasoline prices from rising amid production cuts by OPEC and a ban on Russian oil imports. President Joe Biden withdrew 180 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve starting in March, bringing the stockpile to its lowest level since the 1980s. The purchase, to begin in January, will start to replenish the reserve and is likely to be followed by additional purchases, officials said. The Energy Department called the purchase "a good deal for American taxpayers'' since the price will be lower than the $96 per barrel average the U.S. oil was sold for. The replenishment also will strengthen U.S. energy security, the department said in a statement. The purchase price was not announced, but benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude oil was selling at $74.50 per barrel late Friday. Gasoline prices, ...

US Capitol attack: January 6 panel eyes recommending 3 charges for Trump

The House panel investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is considering recommending the Justice Department pursue three criminal charges against former President Donald Trump, including insurrection. The panel is also considering recommending prosecutors pursue charges for obstructing an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The committee's deliberations were continuing late Friday, and no decisions were formalized on which specific charges the committee would refer to the Justice Department. The panel is to meet publicly on Monday, where the recommendation would be made public. The deliberations were confirmed to the AP by a person familiar with the matter who could not discuss the matter publicly by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. A second person familiar with the deliberations confirmed the committee was considering three charges. The decision to issue referrals is n

US Prez Biden signs short-term funding bill to avert govt shutdown

The measure gave US lawmakers additional time to pass an omnibus spending package by Christmas

Democrats set aside donations of over $1 mn from ex-FTX CEO Bankman-Fried

The three primary committees charged with electing Democrats said Friday that they would set aside more than $1 million in donations this election cycle from disgraced crypto mogul Samuel Bankman-Fried, who is accused of making tens of millions of dollars in illegal campaign donations. Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was a prolific political donor to individual lawmakers, official campaign committees and super PACs. Among the recipients of his cash were the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. In a statement Friday, DNC spokesman Daniel Wessel said that the group will set aside the $815,000 in contributions it has received from Bankman-Fried since 2020. That total includes donations Bankman-Fried made directly to the DNC as well as the Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund and the Biden Victory Fund, which was a joint fundraising committee approved by Joe Biden's ...

Over 1,000 Starbucks baristas at 100 US stores are planning 3-day walkout

Starbucks workers around the US are planning a three-day strike starting Friday as part of their effort to unionize the coffee chain's stores. More than 1,000 baristas at 100 stores are planning to walk out, according to Starbucks Workers United, the labur group organising the effort. The strike will be the longest in the year-old unionization campaign. This is the second major strike in a month by Starbucks' US workers. On November 17, workers at 110 Starbucks stores held a one-day walkout. That effort coincided with Starbucks' annual Red Cup Day, when the company gives reusable cups to customers who order a holiday drink. More than 264 of Starbucks' 9,000 company-run US stores have voted to unionize since late last year. Starbucks opposes the unionization effort, saying the company functions better when it works directly with employees. But the company said last month that it respects employees' lawful right to protest. Tori Tambellini, a former Starbucks shift supervisor and un

Saudi welcomes China's controversial tech giant Huawei, ignores US concerns

The China-Saudi deal came a little after the US recently imposed a ban on approvals of new telecommunications equipment from China's Huawei Technologies and ZTE, citing national security risks

India in danger of becoming Hindu nationalist State: US Congressman

India is facing the danger of becoming a Hindu nationalist State, an outgoing Democratic Congressman known for his anti-India tirade said on Thursday. Describing himself as a lifelong human rights advocate Congressman Andy Levin (62) in his last speech on the floor of the US House of Representatives said the US has had more success in human rights, although the situation was dire in many parts of the world. I have been a vocal advocate for human rights in places like India, which is in the danger of becoming a Hindu nationalist State rather than a secular democracy, the world's largest democracy, alleged Levin, who represented the ninth Congressional District from Michigan. In the next Congress, it will be represented by Lisa McClain of the Republican Party. I am a lover of Hinduism, a lover of Jainism, Buddhism and other religions that were born in India, but we need to protect the rights of all people there. Whether they're Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Christians, Jains, Levi

US to expand combat training for Ukrainian troops against Russian forces

The Pentagon will expand military combat training for Ukrainian forces, using the slower winter months to instruct larger units in more complex battle skills, the Defense Department and U.S. officials said Thursday. The U.S. has already trained about 3,100 Ukrainian troops on how to use and maintain certain weapons and other equipment, including howitzers, armored vehicles and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, known as HIMARS. But senior military leaders for months have discussed expanding that training, stressing the need to improve the ability of Ukraine's company- and battalion-sized units to move and coordinate attacks across the battlefield. Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told Pentagon reporters Thursday that the U.S. expects to train about 500 Ukrainian troops each month and will begin in the January timeframe. Ryder, the Pentagon's press secretary, added that it is not likely to require additional U.S. forces to conduct the training. According to U.S. officials, the

US Congressman Krishnamoorthi criticises China for aggression against India

Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Wednesday slammed China for its latest aggression against India and highlighted the need for the United States to continue to work with India. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had in a statement to Parliament recently said Chinese troops tried to "unilaterally" change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector on December 9, but the Indian Army compelled them to retreat with its "firm and resolute" response. I'm disturbed to learn of the latest show of aggression by the Chinese Communist Party through its violation of Indian territory with its armed forces, Krishnamoorthi said in a statement. While I'm grateful that this clash led to no serious casualties to Indian forces, it serves as another reminder of the growing belligerence of the Chinese Communist Party and the need for the United States to continue to work with India and all our security partners in the ..

Hacker claims breach of FBI's critical-infrastructure forum, posts samples

A hacker who reportedly posed as the CEO of a financial institution claims to have obtained access to the more than 80,000-member database of InfraGard, an FBI-run outreach program that shares sensitive information on national security and cybersecurity threats with public officials and private sector individuals who run U.S. critical infrastructure. The hacker posted samples they said were from the database to an online forum popular with cybercriminals last weekend and said they were asking $50,000 for the entire database. The hacker obtained access to InfraGard by posing as the CEO of a financial institution, they told independent cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs, who broke the story. They called the vetting process surprisingly lax. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Krebs reported that the agency told him at was aware of a potential false account and was looking into the matter. InfraGard's members include business leade

Senate crypto hearing yields big claims, possible regulation in US

Whether increased regulation would have prevented the spectacular collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX was fiercely debated at a hearing of the Senate's banking committee Wednesday. However, new legislation is potentially on the way. Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced at the hearing bipartisan legislation aimed at cracking down on cryptocurrencies being used in money laundering. The legislation, co-sponsored by Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, would require cryptocurrency exchanges to verify customer identities like banks and other financial institutions do. Crypto has become the preferred tool for terrorists, for ransomware gangs, for drug dealers and for rogue states that want to launder money, said Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat, adding that crypto doesn't get a pass to help the world's worst criminals no matter how many television ads they run or how many political contributions they make. Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis, of Wyoming, said she and Democratic Sen. ...

US to issue 64,716 H2B visas for unskilled foreign workers for 2023

The move by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is unlikely to make any significant impact on Indians as most of them do not opt for it