Page 11 - Usa

US approves sale of spare aircraft parts worth $425 million to Taiwan

The Biden administration on Tuesday signed off on two new significant arms sales to Taiwan in approvals that are sure to rankle China. The State Department said it had okayed sales worth more than USD 425 million of spare aircraft parts to support Taiwan's fleet of F-16 fighters, C-130 transport planes and other US-supplied weapons systems. The package includes USD 330 million in standard replacement parts and USD 98 million in non-standard equipment along with related accessories and logistics. The sales were announced just weeks after President Joe Biden met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for talks in Indonesia in which China's increasingly aggressive behaviour toward Taiwan was a major issue. China regards Taiwan as a renegade province and has vowed to reunify the island with the mainland by force, if necessary. It has roundly condemned previous US arms sales to Taiwan as violations of Washington's one-China policy" and is expected to react similarly to Tuesday's ...

India is world's largest democracy, home to great diversity of faiths: US

India is the world's largest democracy and home to a great diversity of faiths, the US said on Tuesday

US approves $4 billion sale of Abrams battle tanks to NATO ally Poland

The Biden administration on Tuesday approved a nearly USD 4 billion sale of advanced tanks, other combat vehicles and a large amount of assorted weaponry to NATO ally Poland at a time of heightened security concerns because of the war in neighbouring Ukraine. The State Department said it had given the OK for Poland to purchase 116 M1A1 Abrams Battle Tanks and other equipment, including tens of thousands of rounds of various ammunition, worth approximately USD 3.75 billion. At the same time, the department said it had also approved a USD 1.5 billion sale of Chinook helicopters to treaty ally South Korea. The department said both sales were in support of US national security interests and would not alter the basic military balance in either region, which are facing threats from Russia and North Korea. The Abrams tank purchase by Poland will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO ally that is a force f

US court dismisses lawsuit against Saudi prince over journalist's killing

A US federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the killing of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, bowing to the Biden administration's insistence that the prince was legally immune in the case. District of Columbia US District Judge John D Bates heeded the US government's motion to shield Prince Mohammed from the lawsuit despite what Bates called credible allegations of his involvement in Khashoggi's murder. A team of Saudi officials killed Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had written critically of the harsh ways of Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler. The US intelligence community concluded the Saudi crown prince ordered the operation against Khashoggi. The killing opened a rift between the Biden administration and Saudi Arabia that the administration has tried in recent months to close, as the US unsuccessfully urged the kingdom to undo oil ...

DOJ subpoenas state election officials for communication with Donald Trump

Special counsel Jack Smith has subpoenaed officials in Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona, asking for communications with or involving former President Donald Trump, his campaign aides and a list of allies involved in his efforts to try to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The requests, issued to Milwaukee and Dane counties in Wisconsin; Wayne County, Michigan; and Maricopa County, Arizona, are the first known subpoenas by Smith, who was named special counsel last month by Attorney General Merrick Garland. Smith is overseeing the Justice Department's investigation into the presence of classified documents at Trump's Florida estate as well as key aspects of a separate probe involving the violent storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and Trump's frantic efforts to remain in power. The subpoenas, first reported by The Washington Post, are the clearest indication yet that Smith's work will include an examination of the fake electors that were part of Trump's efforts to subvert

Trump did not disclose $19.8 mn loan he got as prez from Daewoo: Report

Former US President Donald Trump did not disclose publicly he got a loan of $19.8 million from Daewoo, a company with ties to North Korea, which he should have reported in public financial disclosures

Biden administration's efforts to protect abortion access hit roadblocks

The Biden administration is still actively searching for ways to safeguard abortion access for millions of women, even as it bumps up against a complex web of strict new state laws enacted in the months after the Supreme Court stripped the constitutional right. Looking to seize on momentum following a midterm election where voters widely rebuked tougher abortion restrictions, there's a renewed push at the White House to find ways to help women in states that have virtually outlawed or limited the treatment, and to keep the issue top of mind for voters. In reality, though, the administration is shackled by a ban on federal funding for most abortions, a conservative-leaning Supreme Court inclined to rule against abortion rights and a split Congress unwilling to pass legislation on the matter. Meanwhile, frustration on the ground in the most abortion-restricted states is mounting. This is not going away anytime soon," said Jen Klein of the Biden administration's Gender Policy Council.

Uber Eats to pay millions for listing US restaurants on app without consent

Ride-hailing major Uber will pay millions of dollars as settlement with the City of Chicago in the US for listing local restaurants in food delivery apps Uber Eats without consent

Will expand temporary legal status for Haitians residing in country: US

The Biden administration said Monday that it would expand temporary legal status for Haitians already living in the United States, determining conditions in the Caribbean nation were too dangerous for their forced return. The Homeland Security Department said Haitians who were in the United States November 6 could apply for Temporary Protected Status and those who were granted it last year could stay an additional 18 months until August 3, 2024. The administration has extended temporary status for several countries and expanded or introduced it for Haiti, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Myanmar, Cameroon and Venezuela, reversing a Trump-era trend to cut back on protections for those already in the United States. TPS, which typically comes with authorisation to work, may be extended in increments up to 18 months for countries struck by natural disasters or civil strife. Haiti has seen increasingly brazen attacks by gangs that have grown more powerful since the July 2021 assassination of ...

US sees nearly 4,200 daily Covid-19 hospitalisations amid winter surge

The daily average of Covid-19 hospitalisations rose again in the US amid winter surge, according to the latest data of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried to testify before US House committee

The U.S. House Financial Services Committee plans to hold a hearing in December to investigate the collapse of FTX and expects to hear from the companies and individuals involved in it

India-G7 JETP stuck over coal, Centre's insistence on own transition plan

RE, tech transfer & green jobs on India's agenda, Germany & the US to co-lead the negotiations

Netherlands eliminates US by 3-1 to enter Fifa World Cup quarterfinals

Memphis Depay and Daley Blind scored in the first half and Denzil Dumfries added a late goal as the Netherlands eliminated the United States from the World Cup with a 3-1 victory Saturday that advanced the Dutch to the quarterfinals. Second-half subsitute Haji Wright cut the U.S. deficit to 2-1 in the 76th minute when Christian Pulisic's cross hit his trailing foot and popped over goalkeeper Andries Noppert and into the net. But Dumfries, who assisted on the first two goals, scored on a volley in the 81st. Runners-up in 1974, 1978 and 2010, the Oranje extended their unbeaten streak to 19 games and face Argentina or Australia on Friday.

Proposed procurement of predator drones from US under process: Navy chief

The case for the proposed procurement of a fleet of Predator drones from the US is under process, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar said on Saturday. The original proposal was to procure 30 MQ-9B Predator armed drones at a cost of over USD 3 billion to crank up India's surveillance apparatus along the frontier with China as well as in the Indian Ocean region. "The case for the procurement is under process. We are discussing whether the numbers have to be rationalised," the Navy Chief said while replying to a question at his annual press conference. The MQ-9B drone is a variant of the MQ-9 "Reaper" which was used to launch a modified version of the Hellfire missile that eliminated al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in the heart of Kabul last month. In 2020, the Indian Navy had taken on lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones from General Atomics for a period of one year for surveillance in the Indian Ocean. The lease period has been extended subsequently. "We have gained good ..

Smaller rate hikes likely coming in Dec, says US Fed chairman Powell

Jerome Powell, Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, said the central bank could pull back on the pace of its aggressive rate hikes as soon as December.

US job openings fell in October to still-high level as Fed ramps up rates

US job openings dropped in October but remained high, a sign that businesses became slightly less needy for workers as the Federal Reserve ramps up interest rates in an effort to cool the economy. Employers posted 10.3 million job vacancies in October, down from 10.7 million in September, the Labour Department said on Wednesday. Even with the drop, openings were slightly lower in August, when they dipped below 10.3 million before rebounding the following month. The number of people quitting their jobs also slipped in October, to 4 million from 4.1 million. The Federal Reserve is closely monitoring the figures on job openings and quits for signals about the strength of the job market. The Fed is seeking to pull off a delicate task by slowing hiring and the broader economy to cool inflation, but not so much as to cause a recession. While more job openings are a benefit for those seeking work, Fed officials would like to see the number of openings fall. That's because fewer openings

Indo-US wargame shows Indian Army kite 'Arjun' trained to prey on drones

In a first, the Indian Army has trained kites to prey on enemy drones and they were shown in action during the ongoing joint training exercise Yuddh Abhyas of India and US in Uttarakhand's Auli.A kite named "Arjun" trained to prey on enemy drones was shown in action during the ongoing joint training exercise.During the exercise, the Indian Army created a situation, in which the Indian Army used a kite and a dog to identify the location of enemy drones and destroy them. In this, the dog alerts the Indian Army after hearing the sound of the drone. Whereas the kite works to identify the location of the enemy's drone and circumcise it in the air.Indian Army troops are using trained Kites to prey on enemy drones in a first-of-its-kind usage of these birds. Indian Army is using trained Kites along with dogs for military operations, Army officials said.Such a capability can help the security forces to tackle the menace of drones coming from across the border to Indian areas in Punjab and ...

Ukraine likely to get arms that can hit deep inside Russia: Report

US and allied military inventories are shrinking, and Ukraine faces an increasing need for more sophisticated weapons as the war drags on

upGrad-backed Harappa launches in US, to upskill 55,000 managers in 3 yrs

Harappa founders cite huge scope as 82% Americans are likely to quit their jobs because of a bad manager, while 44% managers feel they are unprepared for their jobs

Fifa World Cup Day 6: Ecuador, US impress in draws; Senegal, Iran in wins

Fifa World Cup Qatar Day 6 Highlights: Iran and Senegal won impressively against Wales and Qatar respectively while US and Ecuador forced draws from their fencied opponents England and the Netherlands