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The US and India are moving very close to finalising a critical minerals agreement, and a big announcement is expected in the next few months, American Envoy Sergio Gor said on Friday, asserting that the last few months have seen a "remarkable series of breakthroughs" in the US-India ties, including a new trade agreement. "I am very pleased to say that the US and India are moving very close to finalising a critical minerals agreement that will help secure the supply chains needed for advanced manufacturing, energy systems and emerging technologies. Stay tuned, but in the next few months, we expect a big announcement on that front," he said. Addressing the India Today Conclave 2026, Gor said the US and India are "paying close attention to each other" across governments and business communities and even across media. "And, that attention reflects something deeper, a partnership that is growing stronger, more visible and more consequential every year," the US Ambassador to India ...
The FBI is now offering a reward of up to USD 1 million, significantly increasing it from the previous amount of USD 250,000, for information leading to the arrest of an Indian national wanted for allegedly killing his wife in 2015. Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel, 35, was last known to be in the Newark, New Jersey, area. He is wanted for allegedly killing his wife, Palak Patel, by striking her multiple times with an object while they were both working at a doughnut shop in Hanover, Maryland on April 12, 2015. Patel is on the FBI's list of "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" and the federal agency announced on Tuesday that it is now offering a reward of up to USD 1 million for information leading to his arrest. Initially, the FBI had offered a USD 100,000 reward for information about Patel, later increasing the amount to USD 250,000. Patel has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and dangerous weapon with an intent to ...
Press freedom in the Americas suffered a "dramatic deterioration" in 2025, a regional watchdog said on Tuesday, following an assessment of conditions for the profession in 23 countries across the Western Hemisphere. "This has been one of the worst years in the region, with homicides, arbitrary arrests, and impunity" for crimes committed against journalists, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) said in its annual report. The Miami-based group has been publishing an annual freedom of speech list, known as the Chapultepec index, since 2020. It evaluates how the United States, Canada and Latin American countries do when it comes to protecting media freedoms. The 2025 index ranked Venezuela and Nicaragua as nations "without freedom of speech," while Ecuador, Bolivia, Honduras, Peru, Mexico, Haiti, Cuba, and El Salvador fall into the "high restriction" category. Other democracies including Canada, Brazil, Chile and Panama were ranked as countries with "low restrictions" on freedom
The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded all JetBlue flights due to a request from the airline, the agency said on Tuesday. The ground stop impacts flights to all destinations, according to the advisory. It was not immediately clear why JetBlue requested the ground stop or how long it would last. The airline and the FAA didn't immediately respond to emails from The Associated Press requesting more information. The airline, which was founded more than 25 years ago, has its headquarters in New York City and its flagship terminal at the city's John F Kennedy International Airport.
The US military said it killed six men on Sunday in a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the Eastern Pacific Ocean as part of the Trump administration's campaign against alleged traffickers. Sunday's attack brought the death toll to at least 157 people since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls "narcoterrorists" in small vessels in early September. As with most of the military's statements on the more than 40 known strikes in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, US Southern Command said it targeted alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. It posted a video on X that showed a small boat being blown up as it floated on the water. President Donald Trump has said the US is in "armed conflict" with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States. But his administration has offered ..
The United States began a large military exercise with South Korea involving thousands of troops on Monday while also waging an escalating war in the Middle East. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff has said about 18,000 Korean troops will take part in Freedom Shield, which runs through March 19. US Forces Korea has not confirmed the number of American troops participating in the training in South Korea. The allies' combined exercise comes amid South Korean media speculation that Washington is relocating some assets from South Korea to support fighting against Iran. US Forces Korea said last week it would not comment on specific movements of military assets for security reasons. South Korean officials also declined to comment on the reports that some US Patriot anti-missile systems and other equipment were being moved to the Middle East, but they said there would be no meaningful impact on the allies' combined defence posture. Freedom Shield may trigger an irritated response from .
China on Sunday rejected the G2 concept of global co-governance between Beijing and Washington, saying that managing international affairs requires the collective efforts of all nations. Last year, US President Donald Trump described the meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in South Korea as a "G2 meeting", saying the two countries could work together for their benefit and that of the world. Asked whether China will accept the G2 or Group of Two framework to address global challenges, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing does not agree with the logic of co-governance by major powers. China will not tread the old path of "seeking hegemony when one becomes strong", Wang said during his annual press conference here. His comments came ahead of Trump's planned visit to China from March 31 to April 2, which would be the first trip to the country by a sitting US president since 2017. However, the US war on Iran cast a shadow over the proposed visit. China has not officially .