Page 3 - Americans

Citigroup discriminated against Armenian-Americans, says federal regulator

Citigroup intentionally discriminated against Armenian Americans when they applied for credit cards, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said on Wednesday, as the bank argued internally that Armenians were more likely to commit fraud and referred to applicants as bad guys or affiliated with organised crime. The CFPB found that Citi employees were trained to avoid approving applications with last names ending in yan or "ian" the most common suffix to Armenian last names as well applications that originated in Glendale, California, where roughly 15 per cent of the country's Armenian American population lives. As part of the order, Citi will pay USD 24.5 million in fines as well as USD 1.4 million in remedies to impacted customers. In its investigation, the bureau found that Citi employees were instructed to single out applications that had Armenian last names, but then to conceal the real reason on why those applications were denied. Employees would be punished if they failed t

Millions more Americans were food insecure in 2022 than 2021: USDA report

"The report is a stark reminder of the consequences of shrinking our proven safety net," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement

US issues caution for Americans travelling overseas amid Israel-Gaza war

Amid the Israel-Gaza war and increasing anti-US protests, the United States on Thursday issued a worldwide caution for Americans travelling overseas. "Due to increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against US citizens and interests, the Department of State advises US citizens overseas to exercise increased caution, the travel advisory said. US citizens should stay alert in locations frequented by tourists, the advisory said. The advisory also urged US citizens to enrol in the 'Smart Traveler Enrollment Program' so that they can receive information and alerts and can be easily located in an emergency overseas.

Troops hurt after three drones attack US bases in Iraq as tensions flare

Coalition forces were slightly injured in Iraq in a spate of drone attacks over the last 24 hours at US bases in Iraq as regional tensions flare following the deadly bombing of a hospital in Gaza. Two drones targeted a base in western Iraq used by US forces and one drone targeted a base in northern Iraq. US forces intercepted all three, destroying two but only damaging the third, which led to minor injuries among coalition forces at the western base, according to a statement Wednesday by U.S. Central Command. In this moment of heightened alert, we are vigilantly monitoring the situation in Iraq and the region. US forces will defend US and coalition forces against any threat, Central Command said in the release. Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have threatened to attack US facilities there because of American support for Israel. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iranian-backed militias, issued a statement afterward claiming responsibility for the two attacks and ..

Amid Israel-Hamas conflict, US warns citizens not to travel to Lebanon

The updated advisory issued by the US department asked its citizens to reconsider their travel plans due to terrorism, civil unrest, armed conflict and crime in the region

We are not walking away: Biden assures families of unaccounted US citizens

He assured them there is no higher priority than this and the US is not walking away

At least 27 Americans killed in Hamas attacks in Israel: White House

At least 27 American citizens have died and 14 remain unaccounted for as a result of unfolding violence in Israel and the US will arrange charter flights to evacuate its citizens from the strife-torn Jewish state, the White House has announced. Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a barrage of air strikes in Southern Israel on Saturday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in response launched multiple attacks targeting Hamas' key infrastructure. So far, over 2,000 people have been killed in Israel and the Gaza Strip in the biggest escalation in decades between the two sides. India is one of the first countries to evacuate its citizens from Israel. On the sixth day of violence, the Israeli military said more than 1,300 people, including 222 soldiers, were killed in Israel. In the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, over 1,400 people have been killed in Israel's offensive against the Palestinian militant group, according to authorities there. "We are all acutely aware of limited availability

China challenging US superpower status is 'not inevitable': Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday told a delegation of influential American senators that the Thucydides Trap is not inevitable as he played down the concerns in Washington that China is out to challenge the superpower status of the US. Thucydides Trap is a term to describe an emerging power threatening to displace the existing great power. Competition and confrontation are not consistent with the trend of the times. Still less can it fix one's own problems and address the challenges facing the world, Xi told a US Senate delegation headed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer during a meeting. China maintains that the common interests of the two countries far outweigh their differences, and the respective success of China and the US is an opportunity, rather than a challenge, to each other, Xi told the six-member delegation of top American legislators. "The Thucydides Trap is not inevitable, and Planet Earth is vast enough to accommodate the respective development and common

9 Americans killed following Hamas attacks against Israel: US official

The State Department said Monday that at least nine American citizens have been killed in the weekend Hamas attacks on Israel, raising the toll from four. It says an undetermined number of American citizens remain missing and unaccounted for. On Sunday, an official said that number was fluid and had ranged from between six to 12. It is not clear whether the missing had been taken hostage, were killed or are in hiding. The State Department is in touch with families and providing all appropriate consular assistance, said spokesman Matthew Miller.

Largest Hindu temple outside India opens its doors for public in New Jersey

The temple was officially inaugurated on October 8, and on the 18th, it will be accessible to the general public. For Indian Americans and Hindu Americans, this represents a significant milestone

Black Americans express concerns about racist depictions in news media

In a new study, Black Americans expressed broad concerns about how they are depicted in the news media, with majorities saying they see racist or negative depictions and a lack of effort to cover broad segments of their community. Four in five Black adults say they see racist or racially insensitive depictions of their race in the news either often or sometimes, according to the Pew Research Centre. Three years after George Floyd's killing triggered a racial reckoning in the news media, Pew took its first broad-based look at Black attitudes toward the media with a survey of nearly 5,000 Black adults this past winter and follow-up focus groups. The survey found 63 per cent of respondents saying news about Black people is often more negative than it is toward other racial or ethnic groups, with 28 per cent saying it is about equal. It's not surprising at all, said Charles Whitaker, dean of the Medill journalism school at Northwestern University. "We've known both anecdotally, and ..

America's poor math skills raise alarms over global competitiveness

Like a lot of high school students, Kevin Tran loves superheroes, though perhaps for different reasons than his classmates. They're all insanely smart. In their regular jobs they're engineers, they're scientists, said Tran, 17. And you can't do any of those things without math. Tran also loves math. This summer, he studied calculus five hours a day with other high schoolers in a program at Northeastern University. But Tran and his friends are not the norm. Many Americans joke about how bad they are at math, and already abysmal scores on standardized math tests are falling even further. The nation needs people who are good at math, employers say, in the same way motion picture mortals need superheroes. They say America's poor math performance isn't funny. It's a threat to the nation's global economic competitiveness and national security. The advances in technology that are going to drive where the world goes in the next 50 years are going to come from other countries, because they

American military brings in artificial intelligence robot for aerial combat

And gaining and maintaining an edge in artificial intelligence is one element of an increasingly open race with China for technological superiority in national security

4 people dead in shooting at California biker bar: Sheriff's officials

Three people were killed in a shooting Wednesday at a Southern California biker bar and the shooter also died, Orange County Sheriff's officials said. The shooting was reported at around 7 p.m. at Cook's Corner in rural Trabuco Canyon in Orange County. Another six people were transported to hospitals, five of them with gunshot wounds, the sheriff's department posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Incident scene at Cooks Corner is static," the department posted just after 9 p.m. Cooks Corner is a popular, longtime watering hole for the biker community in Southern California. Many motorcycle riders and enthusiasts gather there weeknights and during the weekend for live music, open-mic nights or just a cold beer after a long ride. Hours before the shooting, several patrons were stopping by for an afternoon drink and meal. Rows of motorcycles and bikes framed the gravel entrance where plaques describe the storied history of the bar built in 1884. Dozens of patrol cars and ambulance

Beyond Barbie: Hollywood's blurred boundaries & confused ethnic identities

Misrepresentation of borders and whitewashing of characters continues, with 87% American directors being white

Russian fighter jets harass American drones over Syria: US military

Russian fighter jets have harassed American drones over Syria for the third day in a row this week, the U.S. military said. Tension between Russian and U.S. troops is not uncommon in Syria as both countries conduct patrols on the ground as well as overflights. Syria's 12-year conflict has left half a million people dead and over 1 million wounded. The U.S. military said in a statement that Friday's encounter lasted for about two hours during which three MQ-9 drones were once again harassed by Russian fighter aircraft while flying over Syria. Russian aircraft flew 18 unprofessional close passes that caused the MQ-9s to react to avoid unsafe situations, Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, said in a statement. Rear Adm. Oleg Gurinov, head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria, said earlier this week that the Russian and Syrian militaries have started a six-day joint training that ends Monday. Gurinov added in comments carried by Syrian state me

Americans 'very keen' to transfer nuclear energy tech to India: Power Secy

The US is "very keen" to collaborate with India in the area of technology transfer on the nuclear energy front, a senior government official said on Wednesday. Responding to a question on how G-20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant's request for "unfettered access" to US technology made to delegates attending the third meeting of the G-20 energy transition working group on Tuesday was taken by American delegates, Union Power Secretary Alok Kumar hinted Washington is positive. "US delegation was also there as part of the G20 group and they supported the technology transfer. But It is always on the voluntary, mutually agreed basis," Kumar told reporters at a press conference organised at the conclusion of the three-day meet in the financial capital. Details will have to be worked out and have to be mutually agreed, he added. "My sense is the US side is very keen to collaborate with India in the area of technology...including nuclear technology," Kumar said. Addressing a side meeting of the working

US firms prioritize others over China: American Chamber of Commerce China

The survey was conducted between April 18 and 20 and was published in the 2023 American Business in China White Paper on Wednesday

2024 polls Trump-Biden rematch: Majority of Americans prefer new candidates

Contrast this with 26 per cent who say it is important to nominate a candidate other than Trump who would not be distracted and who can focus only on beating Biden in the general election

Lost half my money to this banking thing, says Sharon Stone on SVB collapse

The American actress in an emotional speech appealed to the guests present at the fundraiser to donate more, while also sharing her financial troubles