Page 30 - United States

US keeps eye on China's space activities for potential risks to its assets

The US is closely monitoring Chinese activities that potentially threaten American assets in space as debris rapidly accumulates in low Earth orbit, the head of United States military operations in space said Friday. Commander of US Space Command Army Gen. James Dickinson also cheered the overwhelming passage in the United Nations of a resolution that countries not conduct direct-ascent antisatellite tests that create vast fields of space debris, which endanger satellites and space stations. Of the four countries that have conducted such ASAT tests, the United States was the only one that voted in favour, while China and Russia voted no and India abstained. We can't continue to contribute to the debris that we find in the space domain," Dickinson said in a telephone news conference with reporters in Asia. Most of that debris lies in crucial low Earth orbit, which has become congested, competitive and contested, he said. Even tiny shards of metal can pose a danger and the number of

US universities add policies to counter caste-based discrimination

A group of students who helped research the issue said that the addition of caste to the policy "provides a framework for reporting incidents" of discrimination, according to the university

South Dakota governor orders review of Chinese stake in state investments

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Thursday called for an immediate review of the state's investments to determine if it has stakes in Chinese companies, stepping up her rhetoric against the ascendant Asian economic giant that has also emerged as a powerful rival to the United States. The Republican governor has taken aim at the state's ties to China and claimed that they pose a national security threat. Last week, she banned the popular video-sharing platform TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, from being used on state-owned devices. Noem has become increasingly comfortable using her position as governor of a rural state to wade into national and now international issues. With executive orders and statements that cater to conservative media headlines, she has made it clear that her political ambitions lie beyond South Dakota. She is seen as a potential contender for the Republican nomination for the 2024 White House. On Thursday, her office issued a statement sayin

Republicans cornered to publicise Jan 6 panel findings on Capitol riots

Democrat Adam Schiff said that "facts support" indicting Trump but didn't name specific charges. The committee is still weighing potential criminal referrals to the Justice Department

WH urged to translate Biden's speeches in Hindi, other Asian languages

Given the increasingly influential role of Asian Americans in domestic US politics, a Presidential Commission has urged the White House to translate all the speeches of President Joe Biden into Hindi and several other languages from the region which are spoken by more and more Americans. The speeches made by the President and the Vice President are only available in English and thus inaccessible to the over 25.1 million limited English proficient population. They are currently not being translated into their languages. The President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans (AA), Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) made a recommendation during its meeting this week. A proposal was made by Indian American community leader Ajay Jain Bhutoria during the meeting, which was accepted by the commission. Based out of Silicon Valley and a successful entrepreneur, Bhutoria is now one of the members of the President's Advisory Commission on AA and NHPI. During the meeting, the ...

US House passes defence bill scrapping Covid vaccine mandate for military

A bill to rescind the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military and provide nearly $858 billion for national defense passed the House on Thursday as lawmakers scratch off one of the final items on their yearly to-do list. The bill provides for about $45 billion more for defense programs than President Joe Biden requested, the second consecutive year Congress significantly exceeded his request, as lawmakers seek to boost the nation's military competitiveness with China and Russia. The House passed the bill by a vote of 350-80. It now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to pass easily, then to the president to be signed into law. To win bipartisan support for the bill, Democrats agreed to Republican demands to scrap the requirement for service members to get a COVID-19 vaccination. The bill directs Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to rescind his August 2021 memorandum imposing the mandate. Only days earlier he voiced support for keeping the mandate in effect. Rep.

Meta battles US antitrust agency over the future of virtual reality

The trial will serve as a test of the FTC's bid to head off what it sees as a repeat of the company buying its way to dominance, this time in the nascent virtual and augmented reality markets

US imposes sanctions on six Pak companies unsafeguarded nuclear activities

The US on Thursday designated six companies based in Pakistan on its entity list for unsafeguarded nuclear and missile proliferation activities. The Department of Commerce added as many as 24 companies to the entities list including those from Pakistan, Latvia, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates. Companies based out of Pakistan are Dynamic Engineering Corporation, EnerQuip Private, Ltd., NAR Technologies General Trading LLC, Trojans, Rainbow Solutions, and Universal Drilling Engineers. According to a federal register notification, Dynamic Engineering Corporation has been added to the 'Entity List' because it poses an unacceptable risk of using or diverting export control items to Pakistan's unsafeguarded nuclear activities, contrary to the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States. Same is the case with Rainbow Solutions, while EnerQuip Private, Ltd., and Universal Drilling Engineers have been added to the list based on their ...

Elite US colleges try to navigate a world where the SATs are optional

As deadlines loom for the Class of 2027 - Jan. 1 is the big day at many top institutions - American higher ed is in the middle of a grand experiment in "test-optional" admissions

As West Asia looks beyond America, Xi may be headed to Saudi Arabia

Xi will visit Saudi Arabia from Dec. 7-9, when he will take part in a regional summit with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other Arab leaders

Los Angeles sees surge in Covid-19 cases again; infections spike by 75%

The latest case rate doubled what it was just before Thanksgiving, and tripled the rate recorded in the first week of November

Meta threatens to ban news on its platform in US over journalism Bill

Meta warned to ban news in the US if the government passes a journalism Bill that will require the social network to pay publishers for using their content

COP15: Crucial for 196 nations to halt, reverse nature loss by 2030

As delegates of 196 nations gather in Montreal -- a crucial moment as the world needs set of goals and targets that will guide action on nature through 2030

US, EU agree to intensify talks to resolve 'green subsidies' dispute

The United States and European Union agreed Monday to intensify talks to resolve EU concerns over major subsidies for American companies contained in a US clean energy law. Although no deal was reached at a meeting of the bilateral Trade and Technology Council, the two sides pledged to continue work on preliminary progress and said they would push for a solution that benefits both US and European firms, workers and consumers as well as the climate. We acknowledge the EU's concerns and underline our commitment to address them constructively, the two sides said in a joint statement after the meeting at the University of Maryland in College Park, located just outside Washington. We underline the TTC's role in achieving this and in supporting a successful and mutually supportive green transition with strong, secure, and diverse supply chains that benefit businesses, workers, and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic, it said. The dispute revolves around the US Inflation Reduction Act

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi campaigns for Georgia Senate runoff

Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has campaigned in Georgia to organize and galvanize the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community ahead of the crucial Senate run-off. Democratic Party's Senator Raphael Warnock is fighting a tough battle against his Republican opponent Herschel Walker in the critical election race, the result of which would decide whether his party would gain majority in the 100-member Senate, or it would be a tie like the current one wherein both the party's had 50 seat each, with the Vice President casting her crucial vote in the event of a tie. I'm proud to be campaigning for Senator Warnock in Georgia and urging members of the AAPI and South Asian community to door knock and 'Warnock' for the Senator because of how important this race is for the country and for Georgians," Krishnamoorthi said as he campaigned in Atlanta among South Asians and AAPI communities in the State. AAPI voters were a decisive factor in President Biden and Senator ..

US 'containing' others, world should be multi-polar: Russian leader

The world should be multi-polar, but the US attempts to restrain the development of other countries to maintain its hegemony, said Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the Russian State Duma

US won't agree to 2022 patent waivers for Covid tests, treatments

The US won't agree to waive intellectual-property protections for Covid-19 treatments and tests this year -- aligning with developed-nation peers and damaging prospects for a WTO accord

US records 4,500 deaths from flu this season, witnesses 8.7 mn cases

There have been at least 8.7 million illnesses, 78,000 hospitalisations, and 4,500 deaths from flu so far this season in the US, according to the latest estimates from the US CDC

Ex-prez Trump's organisation criminal tax fraud trial in jury's hands

Jurors started deliberating Monday in the Trump Organization's criminal tax fraud trial, weighing charges that former President Donald Trump's company helped executives dodge personal income taxes on perks such as Manhattan apartments and luxury cars. The deliberations follow a monthlong trial that featured testimony from seven witnesses, including longtime Trump Organization finance chief Allen Weisselberg and Senior Vice President and Controller Jeffrey McConney. An outside accountant who spent years preparing tax returns for Trump and the company also testified. About 40 minutes into deliberations, jurors sent a note asking the judge to reread the elements of one of the charges, conspiracy to defraud in the fourth degree. Judge Juan Manuel Merchan obliged, reading through the charge and pausing occasionally for a cacophony of car horns honking 15 stories below. Weisselberg, who pleaded guilty to dodging taxes on $1.7 million in extras, testified that he and McConney conspired to

Blinken vows US support for Israel despite unease over govt

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday the US will not shrink from its unwavering support for Israel despite stark differences with Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu and concerns the Biden administration may have about potential members of his incoming right-wing government. Speaking to a left-leaning group that some on the right accuse of being too sympathetic to the Palestinians and Iran, Blinken said the United States will remain a stalwart friend of Israel even as it pursues goals that Netanyahu has opposed, including a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a restoration of the languishing 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The US-Israel partnership and all that it's produced for the people of our nations and the world has always been underwritten by the United States ironclad commitment to Israel's security, a commitment that has never been stronger than it is today, he said. Blinken said the Biden administration would engage with Netanyahu's governme