Page 29 - United States

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

Mahindra CEO sees US entry for new electric vehicles at least 5 years away

A US market entry "could likely be longer than five years because we have to win in some of our key markets first," including Europe, he added

Wall St keeps its poise ahead of Fed's last rate decision for 2022

The subdued price moves followed a rally in stocks and a sharp drop in the U.S. dollar in the previous session when the consumer prices data showed a slowdown in inflation

US Senator Grassley opposes Garcetti's nomination as envoy to India

Influential American Senator Chuck Grassley has opposed the nomination of Eric Garcetti as the US envoy to India because of "serious allegations" of sexual harassment by one of his staffers and urged his senatorial colleagues to do the same. Grassley's remarks on the Senate floor on Tuesday comes amidst the White House intensifying its efforts to have Garcetti confirmed as the US Ambassador to India, a strategic position that has remained vacant for nearly two years now. With India being the current chair of G-20 resulting in a lot of diplomatic activities between the two countries, the Biden administration wants to have its envoy in New Delhi as soon as possible. Garcetti, who served as the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles from July 2013 until December 2022, is a close aide of President Joe Biden. I would like to express my strong opposition to the nomination of Eric Garcetti to be ambassador to India. I'm compelled to vote against Garcetti due to the serious allegations about sexual ...

US finalising arms upgrade to Ukraine with Patriot missile batteries

The US is poised to send Patriot air and missile defense batteries to Ukraine pending final approval from President Joe Biden, two US officials said

FTX's Bankman-Fried charged with fraud; could face up to 115 yrs in prison

U.S. prosecutors charged Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and former CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, with a host of financial crimes and campaign finance violations on Tuesday, alleging he played a central role in the rapid collapse of FTX and hid its problems from the public and investors. The indictment says that, beginning in 2019, Bankman-Fried intentionally devised a scheme and artifice to defraud FTX's customers and investors, diverting their money to pay expenses and debts at his crypto hedge fund, Alameda Research, and to make lavish real estate purchases and large political donations. Bankman-Fried was arrested Monday by Bahamian authorities at the request of the U.S. government, which charged him with eight criminal violations, ranging from wire fraud to money laundering to conspiracy to commit fraud. He was also charged with making illegal campaign contributions, a notable charge as Bankman-Fried was one of the largest political donors this year. The indictment is on to

Ex-FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried arrested in Bahamas as US files charges

More than 100 FTX-related entities filed for US bankruptcy protections on Nov. 11. The firm and Bankman-Fried are facing investigations in the US and the Bahamas

China plans over $143 bn push to boost domestic chips, compete with US

Beijing plans to roll out one of its biggest fiscal incentive packages over five years, mainly as subsidies and tax credits to bolster semiconductor production

Karen Bass becomes first Black woman to be elected Los Angeles mayor

Karen Ruth Bass, a former physician assistant who shattered glass ceilings with her rise to a leadership post in the California legislature and later a prominent spot in Congress, took a ceremonial oath of office on Sunday as mayor of Los Angeles. A progressive Democrat, Bass becomes the first woman and second Black person to hold the city's top job and will formally assume her duties Monday amid multiple crises in the nation's second most populous city. She was sworn in ceremonially by Vice President Kamala Harris, a longtime friend and former California attorney general. The formal oath was administered privately by the city clerk. Bass will be tasked with easing rising crime rates, restoring trust in a City Hall shaken by racism and corruption scandals and addressing the issue of over 40,000 people living in trash-strewn encampments or rusty RVs that have spread into virtually every neighbourhood. Striking a tone of unity, Bass said the many, disparate arms of government must co

Palestine slams US pressure over updating companies in Israeli settlements

The UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which was enacted in 2016, deemed these Israeli settlements illegal and urged an immediate end to them in the Palestinian territories

Lockerbie bomb suspect is in US custody, say Scottish officials

Authorities in Scotland said Sunday that the Libyan man suspected of making the bomb that destroyed a passenger plane over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 is in U.S. custody. Scotland's Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said in a statement: The families of those killed in the Lockerbie bombing have been told that the suspect Abu Agela Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi is in U.S. custody. Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie on Dec. 21, 1988, leaving 270 people dead. It remains the deadliest terror attack on British soil. In 2001, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted of bombing the flight. He was the only person convicted over the attack. Scottish prosecutors and police, working with U.K. government and U.S. colleagues, will continue to pursue this investigation, with the sole aim of bringing those who acted along with al-Megrahi to justice, the Crown Office added.

Joe Biden called gay marriage as 'inevitable', says soon it'll be law

A decade ago, then-Vice President Joe Biden shocked the political world and preempted his boss by suddenly declaring his support for gay marriage on national television. But not everyone was surprised. A small group had attended a private fundraiser with Biden weeks earlier in Los Angeles, where he disclosed not only his approval but his firm conclusion about a positive future for same-sex marriage. He predicted, Things are changing so rapidly, it's going to become a political liability in the near term for someone to say, I oppose gay marriage.'" "Mark my words. And my job our job is to keep this momentum rolling to the inevitable. The day that Biden envisioned may have arrived. He plans on Tuesday to sign legislation, passed by bipartisan majorities in Congress, to protect gay unions even if the Supreme Court should revisit its ruling supporting a nationwide right of same-sex couples to marry. Biden's signature will burnish his legacy as a champion of equality at a time when

White House, Congress remain underwater in approval ratings: Survey

President Joe Biden's approval rating stands at 40%, with 55% disapproving of the way he is handling his job

Brittney Griner returns to US after prisoner exchange with Russia

'The US welcomes the release of Brittney Griner from detention in Russia'

Vladimir Putin says Russia could adopt US preemptive strike concept

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscow could adopt what he described as a US concept of using preemptive military strikes, noting it has the weapons to do the job, in a blunt statement amid rising Russia-NATO tensions over Ukraine. "We are just thinking about it. They weren't shy to openly talk about it during the past years, Putin said, referring to the US policy, as he attended a summit in Kyrgyzstan of a Moscow-dominated economic alliance of ex-Soviet nations. For years, the Kremlin has expressed concern about US efforts to develop the so-called Conventional Prompt Global Strike capability that envisions hitting an adversary's strategic targets with precision-guided conventional weapons anywhere in the world within one hour. Speaking about a disarming strike, maybe it's worth thinking about adopting the ideas developed by our US counterparts, their ideas of ensuring their security, Putin said with a thin smile, noting that such a preemptive strike was intende

Minneapolis ex-cop who kneeled on George Floyd's back gets 3.5-year term

The former Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on George Floyd's back while another officer kneeled on the Black man's neck was sentenced Friday to 3 1/2 years in prison. J. Alexander Kueng pleaded guilty in October to a state count of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. In exchange, a charge of aiding and abetting murder was dropped. Kueng is already serving a federal sentence for violating Floyd's civil rights, and the state and federal sentence will be served at the same time. Kueng, who is already serving a federal sentence for violating Floyd's civil rights, appeared at his sentencing hearing via video from a federal prison in Ohio. When given the chance to address the court, he declined. Floyd's family members had the right to make victim impact statements, but none did. Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after former Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for 9 1/2 minutes as Floyd repeatedly said he couldn't breathe and eventually went limp. The killing, whi

Russia, Iran moving toward full defence 'partnership', claims Biden govt

The Biden administration is accusing Russia of moving to provide advanced military assistance to Iran, including air defense systems, helicopters and fighter jets, part of deepening cooperation between the two nations as Tehran provides drones to support Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Friday cited U.S. intelligence assessments for the allegations, saying Russia was offering Iran an unprecedented level of military and technical support that is transforming their relationship into a full-fledged defense partnership. Kirby said Russia and Iran were considering standing up a drone assembly line in Russia for the Ukraine conflict, while Russia was training Iranian pilots on the Sukhoi Su-35 fighter and Iran could receive deliveries of the plane within the year. These fighter planes will significantly strengthen Iran's air force relative to its regional neighbors, Kirby said. The U.S. allegations are part of a deliberat

US wholesale inflation eases to 7.4% in Nov; 5th straight slowdown

Wholesale prices in the United States rose 7.4 per cent in November from a year earlier, a fifth straight slowdown and a hopeful sign that inflation pressures across the economy are continuing to cool. The latest year-over-year figure was down from 8 per cent in October and from a recent peak of 11.7 per cent in March. On a monthly basis, the government said Friday that its producer price index, which measures costs before they reach consumers, rose 0.3 per cent from October to November for the third straight month. Rising prices are still straining Americans' finances, particularly for food, rent and services such as haircuts, medical care and restaurant meals. Yet several emerging trends have combined to slow inflation from the four-decade peak it reached during the summer. Gas prices have tumbled after topping out at USD 5 a gallon in June. Nationally, they averaged USD 3.33 a gallon Thursday, according to AAA, just below their average a year ago. And the supply chain snarls tha