Us Government

The late-night email to Tim Cook that set the Apple Watch saga in motion

Masimo's goal, people close to the matter say, was for the ITC to impose its ban in the summer

China sanctions groups, Taiwan official in US in response to meet

China announced sanctions Friday against two Asia-based organisations and Taiwan's representative in the US in response to the closely watched meeting this week between the US House Speaker and Taiwan's president. The Prospect Foundation and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats were being sanctioned for their involvement in promoting Taiwan independence under the guise of academic and research exchanges," China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson, Zhu Fenglian, said. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy held talks with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California this week in a rare high-level, bipartisan meeting on US soil. The meeting came as US-China relations have sunk to historic lows and as tensions between Taiwan and China have risen. China views any official exchanges between foreign governments and Taiwan as an attempt to raise Taipei's global status, and thus an infringement on Beijing's claims of sovereignty over the island. China had vowed countermeasures .

Biden offers $450 million for clean energy projects at coal mines

President Joe Biden's administration is making USD 450 million available for solar farms and other clean energy projects across the country at the site of current or former coal mines, part of his ongoing efforts to combat climate change. As many as five projects nationwide will be funded through the 2021 infrastructure law, with at least two projects set aside for solar farms, the White House said on Tuesday. The White House also said it will allow developers of clean energy projects to take advantage of billions of dollars in new bonuses being offered in addition to investment and production tax credits available through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The bonuses will "incentivize more clean energy investment in energy communities, particularly coal communities,'' that have been hurt by a decade-plus decline in US coal production, the White House said. The actions are among steps the Biden administration is taking as the Democratic president moves to convert the US economy to

How this little-known US agency holds power over future of TikTok

Under pressure from the US government, TikTok is now facing the music with the possibility of a nationwide ban if it defies a government order to sell to an American company unless the popular social media app can convince a high-powered panel that its data security restructuring plan sufficiently guards against national security concerns. At the heart of this social media business and national security drama is the increasingly tense relations between the US and China. The video-sharing platform with 150 million US users is best known for quick snippets of viral dance routines and has been under scrutiny for years by federal authorities who say that its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, could share sensitive user data with the Chinese government, or push propaganda and misinformation on its behalf. Having already banned the shipment of certain technologies to China, and recently passing new legislation banning the app on government devices, lawmakers want to pursue a nationwide b

Biden intends to nominate Nisha Biswal to US govt's top administrative post

US President Joe Biden intends to nominate Indian-American Nisha Desai Biswal to a top administrative position in the US International Development Finance Commission, the White House said Monday. Biswal, who served as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia during the Obama Administration, brings over 30 years of work experience in US foreign policy, international development programs within the Executive Branch, Congress, and the private sector. She is currently Senior Vice President for International Strategy and Global Initiatives at the US Chamber of Commerce, overseeing the US India Business Council and the US Bangladesh Business Council. Biswal served as Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs at the US Department of State from 2013 to 2017, where she oversaw the US-India strategic partnership during a period of unprecedented cooperation, including the launch of an annual US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, the White House said. She als

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy expresses commitment to deepen India-US ties

McCarthy welcomed India's envoy Taranjit Singh Sandhu at a reception hosted by eminent diaspora members at Indian Wells in California

US emerges as India's top destination for goods exports in April-Dec 2022

The US has emerged as India's top destination for merchandise exports during April-December this fiscal at USD 59.7 billion, Parliament was informed on Friday. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the government has taken a series of measures to promote the country's exports. The steps include an extension of existing foreign trade policy till March 31; an extension of interest equalisation (subsidy) scheme on pre and post-shipment rupee export credit till March 31 next year; and a roll-out of Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme. According to the data provided by the minister in his reply, the US was followed by UAE (USD 23.31 billion); Netherlands (USD 14.1 billion); China (USD 11 billion); Singapore and Bangladesh (about USD 9 billion each). In reply to a question on startups, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash said that Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) is implemented from

US should show sincerity, help Sri Lanka: China on economic crises

In a counter-attack to a recent comment made by US government on Sri Lankas debt restructuring process, China said that Washington should show sincerity by helping the crisis-hit island nation

India important partner of choice for US, says Biden administration

India is an important partner of choice for the United States, the Biden Administration has said ahead of the crucial visit of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval for talks with the top American leadership, including his counterpart Jake Sullivan. India is an important partner of choice for the United States in a number of spaces, and that includes trade cooperation, State Department's Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters here on Thursday. It, of course, includes security cooperation. It also includes technological cooperation as well. I don't want to get too ahead of the process or get ahead of any specific meetings that might be coming down the pike, he said in response to a question. This (India-US ties) is, of course, of great importance to us, Patel said.

Biden renominates Indo-American Arun Subramanian as NY district court judge

US President Joe Biden has renominated Indian-American attorney Arun Subramanian to be the District Court judge for the Southern District of New York

US President Biden should be embarrassed by classified docs case: Democrats

Senior Democrats, dismayed by a steady stream of startling disclosures, expressed criticism Sunday of how President Joe Biden handled classified material after leaving office as vice president and disappointment that the White House has not been more forthcoming with the public. Lawmakers who might have anticipated questions focusing on the debt limit or Ukraine aid when they were booked last week for the Sunday news shows found themselves quizzed about the latest development over the weekend in the document drama that has put Biden's presidency on the defensive: During a search Friday of Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware, the FBI found additional documents with classified markings and took possession of some of his handwritten notes, the president's lawyer said Saturday. Biden should be embarrassed by the situation, said Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, adding that the president had ceded the moral high ground on an issue that has already ...

Indian-American Usha Reddi takes oath as Kansas state Senator in US

Indian-American city commissioner Usha Reddi took oath as senator in the US state of Kansas, replacing current Manhattan Senator Tom Hawk, who announced his retirement last month

US, Japan agree to boost security cooperation amid China worries: Report

The United States and Japan plan to boost military and security cooperation as their top national security officials hold talks on Wednesday. The U.S. and Japanese foreign and defense ministers are set to agree to adjust the American troop presence on the island of Okinawa. And, as they prepared to meet, Japan's defense ministry announced it was ready to start construction on an uninhabited island where the two militaries will hold joint military exercises. The two nations are revising their joint defense posture as they confront rising threats from North Korea and increasing aggressiveness from China. Wednesday's discussions will be followed by a meeting on Friday between President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at which they will underscore the importance of the relationship. Fishida, on a weeklong trip to visit allies in Europe and North America, signed a defense agreement with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday that strengthens military ties ..

Joe Biden was paid $1 mn a year to teach but never taught a single class

US President Joe Biden was employed by the University of Pennsylvania after leaving the vice presidency and was paid one million dollars a year as a professor but never taught a class

Brazil, Jan 6 in US: Parallel attacks but not identical, says diplomat

Enraged protesters broke into government buildings that are the very symbol of their country's democracy. Driven by conspiracy theories about their candidate's loss in the last election, they smashed windows, sifted through the desks of lawmakers and trashed the highest offices in the land in a rampage that lasted hours before order could be restored. Sunday's attack by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil's capital drew immediate parallels with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by former President Donald Trump's backers two years and two days earlier. The two populist former presidents shared a close political alliance with an overlapping cast of supporters some of whom helped spread Trump's lies about losing his re-election due to voter fraud and later parroted Bolsonaro's similar claims after his own re-election loss last fall. Bolsonaro was among the last world leaders to recognize Joe Biden's victory in 2020. The U.S. example of election denying a

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 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

US sought suspension of 250k Twitter accounts, including journalists': Musk

Twitter chief Elon Musk on Tuesday disclosed that US Government demanded the suspension of 250k Twitter accounts, including those belonging to journalists and Canadian officials, reported Fox News.He made the revelation while sharing the latest round of "Twitter Files," which were made public by the journalist Matt Taibbi.https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1610421293060599808?s=20 & t=e2Qs0cZEad2L7raSzXG28g"US govt agency demanded suspension of 250k accounts, including journalists & Canadian officials!" tweeted Musk.The new release of internal Twitter correspondence details the relationship between the social media company and government agencies.Taibbi revealed the US government's mounting and endless pressure on Twitter to work hand-in-hand with Congress to hunt for Russian meddling on the platform, reported Fox News.The Global Engagement Center -- described by Taibbi as "a fledgling analytic/intelligence arms of the State Department" -- went public by releasing a report .

Biden renominates several Indian Americans to key administration positions

US President Joe Biden Tuesday renominated at least half a dozen Indian Americans to key administration positions which could not be confirmed by the Senate in the last Congress. The 118th Congress kicked off on Tuesday with the swearing-in of Senators and the start of process of election of Speaker of the US House of Representatives. Among those renominated by Biden and sent to the Senate were Richard Verma, to be Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, and Dr Vivek Hallegere Murthy, to be Representative of the US on the Executive Board of the World Health Organization. Biden also sent to the Senate the renomination of Anjali Chaturvedi to be General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs, Ravi Chaudhary to be an Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Geeta Rao Gupta to be Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues, and Radha Iyengar Plumb to be a Deputy Under Secretary of Defense. All these key administration positions were nominated by Biden in the last Congre

Joe Biden signs $1.7 trillion spending bill funding US govt operations

President Joe Biden on Thursday signed a USD 1.7 trillion spending bill that will keep the federal government operating through the end of the federal budget year in September 2023, and provide tens of billions of dollars in new aid to Ukraine for its fight against the Russian military. Biden had until late Friday to sign the bill to avoid a partial government shutdown. The Democratic-controlled House passed the bill 225-201, mostly along party lines, just before Christmas. The House vote came a day after the Senate, also led by Democrats, voted 68-29 to pass the bill with significantly more Republican support. Biden had said passage was proof that Republicans and Democrats can work together. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader who hopes to become speaker when a new session Congress opens on Jan. 3, argued during floor debate that the bill spends too much and does too little to curb illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. from Mexico. This is a ...