Page 58 - Joe Biden

US Prez Biden avoids further Mideast spiral as Israel, Iran show restraint

President Joe Biden can breathe a bit easier, at least for the moment, now that Israel and Iran appear to have stepped back from the brink of tipping the Middle East into all-out war. Israel's retaliatory strikes on Iran and Syria caused limited damage. The restrained action came after Biden urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to temper its response to Iran's unprecedented direct attack on Israel last week and avoid an escalation of violence in the region. Iran's barrage of drones and missiles inflicted little damage and followed a suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus this month that killed two generals. Iran's public response to the Israeli strikes Friday also was muted, raising hopes that Israel-Iran tensions long carried out in the shadows with cyberattacks, assassinations and sabotage will stay at a simmer. The situation remains a delicate one for Biden as he gears up his reelection effort i n the face of headwinds in the Middle East,

US House votes for possible TikTok ban, but will the app go away soon

The House passed legislation on Saturday that would ban TikTok in the United States if the popular social media platform's China-based owner doesn't sell its stake within a year, but don't expect the app to go away anytime soon. The decision by House Republicans to include TikTok as part of a larger foreign aid package, a priority for President Joe Biden with broad congressional support for Ukraine and Israel, fast-tracked the ban after an earlier version had stalled in the Senate. A standalone bill with a six-month selling deadline passed the House in March by an overwhelming bipartisan vote as both Democrats and Republicans voiced national security concerns about the app's owner, the Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd. The modified measure now goes to the Senate after negotiations that produced a compromise. Even if the legislation becomes law, though, the company would have up to a year to find a buyer and would likely try to challenge the law in court, arguing it would depriv

Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries: Police

A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said. The New York City Police Department said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park around 1:30 pm Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed to the aid of the man, who was hospitalised in critical condition. The man, who police said had travelled from Florida to New York in the last few days, hadn't breached any security checkpoints to get into the park. The park outside the courthouse has been a gathering spot for protesters, journalists and gawkers throughout Trump's trial, which began with jury selection Monday. Through Friday, the streets and

US court rejects last-minute bid to halt Donald Trump's hush money trial

A New York appeals court judge on Friday rejected a last-minute bid by Donald Trump to halt his hush money criminal trial over defense complaints that jury selection was unfairly rushed. Justice Marsha Michael issued the ruling just minutes after a brief hearing. The arguments in the mid-level appeals court came hours after the jury selection process concluded in Trump's criminal trial, which is currently taking place roughly two miles south. The ruling will allow opening arguments to take place as soon as Monday in Trump's criminal trial.

Economic management: The one thing Biden could learn from PM Modi

While India's economy might be posting impressive growth numbers, employment and wages haven't kept up

Jury chosen in Trump's hush-money case, and other trial takeaways

Trump, who faces three other criminal prosecutions, denies wrongdoing and claims the cases are part of a political 'which hunt' against him

US presidential elections: Trump faces criminal case for poll interference

Donald Trump lost a bid Thursday to pause a string of lawsuits accusing him of inciting the U.S. Capitol attack, while the former president fights his 2020 election interference criminal case in Washington. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington denied defense lawyers' request to put the civil cases seeking to hold Trump responsible for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on hold while the criminal case accusing him of conspiring to overturn his election defeat to President Joe Biden plays out. It's the latest legal setback for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, whose trial in a separate criminal case related to hush money payments made during the 2016 campaign began this week with jury selection in New York. The lawsuits brought by Democratic lawmakers and police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 seek civil damages for harm they say they suffered during the attack, which aimed to stop Congress' certification of Biden's victory. Trump has claimed he can't be sued o

Donald Trump hush money trial: Jury selection encounters setbacks

Jury selection in Donald Trump 's hush money case encountered setbacks Thursday as two previously sworn-in jurors were excused one after backtracking on whether she could be impartial and fair and the other over concerns that he may not have been truthful about whether he had ever been accused or convicted of a crime. Seven jurors were sworn in on Tuesday, but with the excusal of two of them, lawyers now need to pick 13 others including six alternates to serve on the panel that will decide the first-ever criminal case against a former U.S. president. Prosecutors on Thursday also asked Judge Juan M. Merchan to sanction Trump over seven more social media posts they say violate a gag order that bars Trump from attacking witnesses. The prosecution on Monday sought a $3,000 fine against Trump over three Truth Social posts. Questioning of a second wave of prospective jurors began mid-morning. Over half of the group of 96 people was excused after saying they couldn't serve. Trump has

Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial loses two jurors, five remain

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and denies any such encounter with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford

US supports UN reform: Biden admin on Musk's remarks on UNSC seat for India

The US supports much-needed reform of the United Nations, including the Security Council, to make it reflective of the 21st-century world, a senior Biden administration official has said, amidst growing calls for inclusion of India as the permanent member of the powerful organ of the world body. State Department's Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel's remarks came as he responded to a question about billionaire tech magnate Elon Musk's assertion that there is no meaning in having the UN without India's permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. He said President Joe Biden has spoken about this (the need for reforms) before in his remarks to the UN General Assembly. "We certainly support reforms to the UN institution, including the Security Council, to make it reflective of the 21st-century world that we live in. I don't have any specifics to offer on what those steps are, but certainly, we recognise that there is a need for reform," Patel said during a press ...

Micron set to get over $6 bn in chips' grants in announcement next week

After the preliminary agreement is announced, Micron would enter months of due diligence and then receive the money in tranches tied to project-specific benchmarks

Russian influence operations targeting US election have begun: Microsoft

While the Russian activity Microsoft observed is not as intense as around the previous elections, it could increase in the coming months, the researchers said

Highlights of the day: Magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits western Japan

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Biden to call for higher Chinese metals tariffs in 'Steel City' Pittsburgh

The Biden administration is also pressuring neighboring Mexico to prohibit China from selling its metal products to the United States indirectly from there

Biden vs Trump: What are the key issues at stake in the US elections?

Beginning Tuesday, President Biden will tour industrial towns to pitch his 'taxing the rich' plan and his strategy in ongoing global conflicts, while Trump, will be in New York facing a criminal trial

US court rejects request by tribes to block $10 bn project in Arizona

A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a request by Native American tribes and environmentalists to stop work on a USD 10 billion transmission line being built through a remote southeastern Arizona valley that will carry wind-generated electricity from New Mexico to customers as far away as California. The project approved in 2015 following a lengthy review has been touted as the biggest US electricity infrastructure undertaking since the Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s. Two tribes joined with archaeologists and environmentalists in filing a lawsuit in January, accusing the US Interior Department and Bureau of Land Management of refusing for nearly 15 years to recognise overwhelming evidence of the cultural significance of the remote San Pedro Valley to Native American tribes including the Tohono O'odham, Hopi, Zuni and San Carlos Apache Tribe. The suit was filed after Pattern Energy received approval to transmit electricity generated by its SunZia wind farm in central New Mexico .

US house committee accuses China of fuelling fentanyl crisis in country

China is fuelling the fentanyl crisis in the US by directly subsidising the manufacturing of materials that are used by traffickers to make the drug outside the country, according to a report released Tuesday by a special House committee focused on countering the Chinese government. Committee investigators said they accessed a government website that revealed tax rebates for the production of specific fentanyl precursors as well as other synthetic drugs as long as those companies sell them outside of China. Through its actions, as our report has revealed, the Chinese Communist Party is telling us that it wants more fentanyl entering our country, said Rep Mike Gallagher, the Republican chairman of the special House committee. It wants the chaos and devastation that has resulted from the epidemic. In November, President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a resumption of bilateral cooperation on counternarcotics with a focus on reducing the flow of precursor chemicals

After resolving WTO disputes, India opened up mkt for US: Biden admin

"Last June, India and the United States terminated six WTO disputes, and India agreed to remove retaliatory tariffs on several US products," US govt official said

Highlights of the day: AAP created myth of free water, says Lt Governor in letter to Arvind Kejriwal

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US Presidential polls: Biden returns to hometown Scranton to pitch tax plan

President Joe Biden returns to his childhood hometown of Scranton on Tuesday to open three straight days of campaigning in Pennsylvania, capitalizing on the opportunity to work the battleground state while Donald Trump spends the week in a New York City courtroom for his first criminal trial. The Democratic president plans to use Scranton, a working class city of roughly 75,000 people, as the backdrop for his pitch for higher taxes on the rich. At the same, he will portray Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee and a billionaire himself, as a tool of wealthy interests. It's all aimed at reframing the conversation around the economy, which has left many Americans feeling sour about their financial situations at a time of stubborn inflation and elevated interest rates despite low unemployment. Biden plans to spend Tuesday night in Scranton before continuing to Pittsburgh on Wednesday morning. He then goes back to the White House, only to return to Pennsylvania on Thursday, this tim