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Blinken will make case for post-war reconstruction, governance of Gaza

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to make a last-minute case Tuesday for a plan for the post-war reconstruction and governance of Gaza as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears tantalisingly close to completion. Blinken will tout the proposal, which has been in the works for a year, and discuss the importance of ensuring its success after the Biden administration leaves office in a speech to the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank, according to a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the speech. The official said the Gaza plan is just one part of the speech, which will also cover other areas of the administration's Middle East policy, including Iran and potential normalisation of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Blinken and his top aides have spent months trying to sell Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Gulf Arab nations on the plan, which outlines how Gaza would be run without Hamas in charge, details reconstruction priorities

Biden signs executive order aimed at growing AI infrastructure in US

President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed an ambitious executive order on artificial intelligence that seeks to ensure the infrastructure needed for advanced AI operations, such as large-scale data centres and new clean power facilities, can be built quickly and at scale in the United States. The executive order directs federal agencies to accelerate large-scale AI infrastructure development at government sites, while imposing requirements and safeguards on the developers building on those locations. It also directs certain agencies to make federal sites available for AI data centres and new clean power facilities. Those agencies will help facilitate the infrastructure's interconnection to the electric grid and help speed up the permitting process. In a statement, Biden said AI will have profound implications for national security and enormous potential to improve Americans' lives if harnessed responsibly, from helping cure disease to keeping communities safe by mitigating the effects o

Israel refuses to return Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's body in hostage deal

Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar was considered one of the most influential leaders in Hamas with reports suggesting that he was the mastermind behind the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023

Ceasefire in Gaza? What to know about Israel and Hamas hostage talks

The Biden and incoming Trump administrations are collaborating to secure a ceasefire agreement before January 20, focusing on hostages, troop withdrawals, and peace talks

US lawmakers urge Joe Biden to extend TikTok January 19 ban deadline

Biden could extend the deadline by 90 days if he certifies ByteDance is making substantial progress toward a divestiture

President Biden names nuclear-powered aircraft carriers after Clinton, Bush

US President Joe Biden on Monday announced naming two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers after former presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush. Clinton, a Democrat, was the 42nd US president, holding office between 1993 and 2001. He was succeeded by Bush, a Republican, who held office from 2001 to 2009. Biden said in a statement, "I am proud to announce that the next two Gerald R Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers will be named for two former presidents -- Bill Clinton and George W Bush." "When I personally delivered the news to Bill and George, they were deeply humbled. Each knows firsthand the weight of the responsibilities that come with being commander-in-chief. And both know well our duty to support the families and loved ones who wait and worry for the safe return of their service member," he said. The future USS William J Clinton (CVN 82) and the future USS George W Bush (CVN 83) will begin construction in the years ahead. When completed, they will join the most ..

Biden says he's leaving Trump with 'strong hand to play' in world conflicts

President Joe Biden said on Monday that his stewardship of American foreign policy has left the US safer and economically more secure, arguing that President-elect Donald Trump will inherit a nation viewed as stronger and more reliable than it was four years ago. Biden trumpeted his administration's work on expanding NATO, rallying allies to provide Ukraine with military aid to fight Russia and bolstering American chip manufacturing to better compete with China during a wide-ranging speech to reflect on his foreign policy legacy a week before ceding the White House to Trump. Biden's case for his achievements will be shadowed and shaped, at least in the near term, by the messy counterfactual that American voters once again turned to Trump and his protectionist worldview. And he will leave office at a turbulent moment for the globe, with a series of conflicts raging. "Thanks to our administration, the US is winning the worldwide competition compared to four years ago," Biden said in h

Trump flies US flag at full height amid Jimmy Carter's mourning period

US flags at President-elect Donald Trump's private Mar-a-Lago club are back to flying at full height. Flags are supposed to fly at half-staff through the end of January out of respect for former President Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29. A large flag on Trump's property was initially lowered to half-staff according to protocol but has since been raised in the days after Carter was buried Thursday in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. Both President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis directed that US flags be flown at half-staff for 30 days from the date of Carter's death or through January 28. Trump has expressed annoyance that flags will be at half-staff on January 20 when he takes the oath of office for his second term. During the presidential campaign, he repeatedly criticised Carter, but offered praise for the 39th president in a statement after his death at the age of 100. A spokesperson for Trump on Monday did not immediately respond to an emailed request for ...

Trump's 2020 election case: Judge clears way for special counsel's report

The Justice Department can publicly release special counsel Jack Smith's investigative report on President-elect Donald Trump's 2020 election interference case, a federal judge said on Monday in the latest ruling in a court dispute over the highly anticipated document days before Trump is set to reclaim the White House. But a temporary injunction barring the immediate release of the report remains in effect until Tuesday, and it's unlikely US District Judge Aileen Cannon's order will be the last word on the matter. Defence lawyers may seek to challenge it all the way up to the Supreme Court. Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, had earlier temporarily blocked the department from releasing the entire report on Smith's investigations into Trump that led to two separate criminal cases. Cannon's latest order on Monday cleared the way for the release of the volume detailing Smith's case that accused Trump, a Republican, of conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe .

US extends deadline on Nippon's bid for US Steel, keeping deal hopes alive

The bid by Japan's Nippon Steel to buy US Steel may have a new lease on life after the Biden Administration extended a deadline for the Japanese steelmaker to abandon plans to acquire the storied Pittsburgh company after President Joe Biden blocked the deal. The new deadline, now in mid-June, was viewed by US Steel and investors as an opportunity for the companies to complete the acquisition, even though President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office in a week, also opposes the deal. Biden nixed the acquisition this month citing a potential threat to national security, though the US Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS, failed to reach a consensus on the security issue. We are pleased that CFIUS has granted an extension to June 18, 2025 of the requirement in President Biden's Executive Order that the parties permanently abandon the transaction," US Steel said in a statement Sunday. "We look forward to completing the transaction, which secures the be

Biden believes he was 'steady hand' world needed after Trump's Presidency

President Joe Biden strode into the White House four years ago with a foreign policy agenda that put repairing alliances strained by four years of Republican Donald Trump's America First worldview front and centre. The one-term Democrat took office in the throes of the worst global pandemic in a century and his plans were quickly stress-tested by a series of complicated international crises: the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and Hamas' brutal 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in the Middle East. As Biden prepares to leave office, he remains insistent that his one-term presidency has made strides in restoring American credibility on the world stage and has proven the US remains an indispensable partner around the globe. That message will be at the center of an address he will deliver Monday afternoon on his foreign policy legacy. Yet Biden's case for foreign policy achievements will be shadowed and shaped, at least in th

Los Angeles wildfires rage as dry winds likely to return this week

High winds will limit opportunities for firefighters to make progress against the fast-moving Palisades and Eaton fires, which have left at least 16 people dead and consumed more than 12,000 buildings

Biden talks to families of Americans held by Taliban, no deal reached yet

President Joe Biden spoke on Sunday with relatives of three Americans the US government is looking to bring home from Afghanistan but it was unclear from the call if a deal to bring them back that is now on the table could be completed before the he leaves office next week. Biden's call with family members of Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann and Mahmoud Habibi took place in the waning days of his administration as officials try to negotiate a deal that could bring them home in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, one of the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Corbett, who had lived in Afghanistan with his family at the time of the 2021 collapse of the US-backed government, was abducted by the Taliban in August 2022 while on a business trip and Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, was taken by the Taliban's intelligence services in December 2022 while traveling through the country. Officials believe the Taliban is still holding both men as well as Habibi, an Afghan American businessma

Biden, Netanyahu discuss efforts to reach Israel-Hamas war ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden spoke on Sunday about efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Israel-Hamas war, a sign of the intensifying push to reach a deal before Donald Trump's inauguration next week. Talks mediated over the past year by the US, Egypt and Qatar have repeatedly stalled at moments when they seemed close to a deal. Still, in recent days, US officials have expressed hope of sealing an agreement. Sunday's call between Biden and Netanyahu came as the head of Israel's Mossad foreign intelligence agency, David Barnea, and Biden's top Mideast adviser, Brett McGurk, were both in the Qatari capital Doha. Barnea's presence, confirmed by Netanyahu's office, meant high-level Israeli officials who would need to sign off on any agreement are now involved in talks. McGurk has been working on final details of a text to be presented to both sides, Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, told CNN's "State of the .

Widening net: New US sanctions to affect supply of Russian energy

Two large producers and exporters have been brought into the sanctions net: Surgutneftegas and Gazprom Neft

Special counsel Jack Smith resigns after submitting his Trump report: DOJ

Special counsel Jack Smith has resigned from the Justice Department after submitting his investigative report on President-elect Donald Trump, an expected move that comes amid legal wrangling over how much of that document can be made public in the days ahead. The department disclosed Smith's departure in a court filing on Saturday, saying he had resigned one day earlier. The resignation, 10 days before Trump is inaugurated, follows the conclusion of two unsuccessful criminal prosecutions against Trump that were withdrawn following Trump's White House win in November. At issue now is the fate of a two-volume report that Smith and his team had prepared about their twin investigations into Trump's efforts to overturn the results of his 2020 election and his hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. The Justice Department had been expected to make the document public in the final days of the Biden administration but the Trump-appointed judge who presided over the ...

US has broad support for expanding legal immigration, says Neera Tanden

America is a nation of immigrants, and there's broad support for expanding legal immigration in the country, a top domestic policy advisor to US President Joe Biden has said amidst a raging debate on the most sought-after H-1B visa. The H-1B visa programme allows US companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in speciality occupations. Indian companies have been significant beneficiaries of this programme, particularly in the technology sector. I think even in the raging immigration debate, it's really important for all of us to remember that we are a nation of immigrants, and there's broad support for expanding legal immigration in the country,". We'll see how that goes in the future, but that's been the case, Indian-American Neera Tanden told PTI in an interview. Indians are the main beneficiaries of the H-1B visas, which bring in the best of the talent and brains from across the world. Highly skilled professionals from India walk away with the overwhelming number of H-1B visa

FBI must be independent, above partisan fray, says outgoing director Wray

The FBI must remain independent, above the partisan fray and committed to upholding the rule of law, outgoing Director Christopher Wray said in a farewell address just days before his expected retirement at the conclusion of the Biden administration following more than seven years on the job. No matter what's happening out there, Wray said, in here, we've got to stay committed to doing our work the right way every time, with professionalism, with rigor, with integrity. That means following the facts wherever they lead, no matter who likes it or doesn't because trust me, if there's anything I've learned in this job, there's always someone who doesn't like you. The remarks at the packed farewell ceremony at FBI headquarters steered clear of any direct political reference, with no overt mention of President-elect Donald Trump's scathing criticism of him or the turmoil the bureau has encountered amid a spate of highly charged investigations into both Trump and President Joe Biden. But

Zuckerberg reveals US govt made Facebook censor content on Covid vaccine

Referring to the investigation and committee set up to look into the government censorship, Mark Zuckerberg said, 'We produced all these documents and it's all in the public domain'