Page 85 - Joe Biden

Biden admin proposes changes in H1B visa programme to improve efficiency

The Biden administration is proposing changes in the H1B foreign workers programme to improve efficiency by streamlining eligibility, providing more flexibility to F-1 students, entrepreneurs and those working for non-profit bodies and ensuring better condition for other non-immigrant workers. The rules, which are scheduled to be published by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on October 23 in the Federal Register have been proposed without changing the Congress-mandated 60,000 limit on the number of such visas the US issues every year. Making the proposed rules public for stakeholders to give their comments and feedback, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the proposed changes in the rules are aimed at streamlining eligibility requirements, improving programme efficiency, providing greater benefits and flexibilities to employers and workers, and strengthening integrity measures. The H1B programme helps US employers hire the employees they need to meet ..

Israel clears out city near Lebanon amid concerns over two-front war

The Israel-Lebanon border has seen constant, but so far limited, clashes since a war in Gaza erupted two weeks ago

US commitment to Ukraine a key issue as President Biden meets EU leaders

Saddled with a dysfunctional Congress, President Joe Biden has the task of assuring European Union leaders on Friday that the United States can nonetheless deliver on promises to send tens of billions of dollars' worth of aid to wartime Ukraine and Israel. The Oval Office sit-down comes at a moment when domestic U.S. political chaos could further destabilize an increasingly chaotic world. Many of Biden's shared priorities with the EU depend on getting a budget through Congress a tough task given that the House lacks an elected speaker and differences with some Republican lawmakers over aid for Ukraine could force a federal government shutdown in November. Along with addressing Ukraine's efforts to repel Russia and the fallout from Hamas' attack on Israel, the U.S. and EU leaders are also figuring out how to manage climate change, economic competition with China and trade and tax issues. One day ahead of his meeting with Biden, European Council President Charles Michel expressed ...

Biden declares support for Israel and Ukraine is 'vital' for US security

President Joe Biden declared it is vital for America's national security for Israel and Ukraine to succeed in their wars, making the case Thursday night for deepening US involvement in a rare Oval Office address as he preparedto ask for billions of dollars in military assistance for both countries. If international aggression is allowed to continue, Biden said, conflict and chaos could spread in other parts of the world. Hamas and Putin represent different threats," Biden said. "But they share this in common. They both want to completely annihilate a neighbouring democracy. He said he would send an urgent funding request to Congress, which is expected to be roughly USD 100 billion over the next year. The proposal, which will be unveiled on Friday, includes money for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, humanitarian aid and border management. It's a smart investment that's going to pay dividends for American security for generations," Biden said. Biden hopes that combining all of these issues

Assessing nature of attacks, checking if Iran is involved: Pentagon

"In the wake of Hamas appalling terror assaults, brutal, inhuman...I want you to know you are not alone," Biden emphasized

US, its allies working to build better future for West Asia: Prez Biden

US President Joe Biden on Thursday said the US and its allies through innovative projects like the India Middle East Economic Corridor are working to connect the Middle East countries to a better future. As he addressed the nation on his just concluded trip to Israel, Biden asked Congress for financial aid to the country that has been hit by a terrorist attack by Hamas. The United States and our partners across the region are working to build a better future for the Middle East. One wherein the Middle East is more stable, better connected to its neighbours through innovative projects like the Indian Middle East Europe rail corridor that I announced this year at the summit of the world's biggest economies, Biden said in his Oval Office address to the nation. "More predictable markets, more employment, less rage, less grievances, less war when connected. The benefits of people would benefit the people of the Middle East and would benefit us. American leadership is what holds the world

President Biden calls for restraint as Israel prepares for ground assault

Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes Thursday, including in the south where Palestinians were told to take refuge. One blast struck a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City where families were seeking shelter, and Israel's defense minister ordered ground troops to be ready to invade, though he didn't indicate when. Gaza's overwhelmed hospitals tried to stretch out ebbing medical supplies and fuel for generators, as authorities worked out logistics for an aid delivery from Egypt. Doctors in darkened wards across Gaza performed surgeries by the light of mobile phones and used vinegar to treat infected wounds. Amid the violence, President Joe Biden pledged unwavering support for Israel's security, today and always, while adding that the world can't ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians" in the besieged Gaza Strip. In a national address Thursday night from the Oval Office, hours after returning to Washington from an urgent visit to Israel, Biden drew a distinction between ..

I was 'very blunt' with Israel on humanitarian assistance to Gaza: Biden

US President Joe Biden said he was very blunt with Israeli leaders that they would be held accountable if they didn't allow humanitarian assistance to relieve the suffering of people in Gaza displaced by its raging conflict with Hamas. He also said Israel has been "badly victimised," but it would lose credibility worldwide if it did not explore the opportunity to relieve the suffering of these people who have nowhere to go. Israel has told 1.1 million Palestinians living in the north of Gaza to move south ahead of the possible ground operations against the Hamas militants who launched an unprecedented attack on Israel and killed more than 1,400 people on October 7. The UN agencies have warned that an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in the besieged city of Gaza. As they probably told you I was very blunt with the Israelis, Biden told reporters on Air Force One while on his return from Tel Aviv where he expressed America's solidarity with Israel and held crucial .

Biden to address US on response to Hamas' attacks, Russia-Ukraine war

US President Joe Biden, a day after his return from Israel, would deliver a prime time address to the nation on Thursday to state the country's stand on the Hamas' attacks against Israel and Russia-Ukraine war, the White House said Wednesday. Tomorrow, President Biden will address the nation to discuss our response to Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel and Russia's ongoing brutal war against Ukraine, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. This speech will be delivered from the Oval Office at 8:00pm ET, she said. Biden was on his way back from Israel when the White House issued the statement.

Egypt agrees to open Gaza border to allow in 20 trucks with aid: Biden

President Joe Biden on Wednesday said Egypt's president has agreed to open a border crossing into Gaza to allow in 20 trucks with humanitarian aid. Biden said he spoke with Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi after his visit to Israel, where leaders there agreed to allow the aid in. Israel sealed off the Gaza Strip, stopping all entry of food, water, medicine, and fuel to its 2.3 million people following the Hamas attack on October 7. White House officials said the aid would flow in the coming days. Biden said if Hamas confiscates the aid, it will end.

Biden announces $3.5 bn for projects nationwide to strengthen electric grid

The Biden administration on Wednesday announced USD 3.5 billion for 58 projects across the country to strengthen electric grid resilience as extreme weather events such as the deadly Maui and California wildfires continue to strain the nation's aging transmission systems. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said it was the largest federal investment ever in grid infrastructure, supporting projects that will harden electric systems and improve energy reliability and affordability. The federal spending, combined with money promised by private partners, could result in up to USD 8 billion in investments nationally to upgrade the grid, Granholm said. The grid, as it currently sits, is not is not equipped to handle all the new demand and withstand natural disasters and extreme weather worsened by climate change, Granholm said at a news conference Wednesday. We need it to be bigger, we need it to be stronger, we need it to be smarter to bring a range of renewable energy projects online and

US govt's assessment shows Israel not responsible for Gaza blast: WH

The United States assessed that Israel was not responsible for the attack on a Gaza hospital a day earlier, the White House said on Wednesday. The US government assesses that Israel was not responsible for an explosion that killed hundreds of civilians yesterday at the Al Ahli Hospital in the Gaza Strip, White House National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. Our assessment is based on available reporting, including intelligence, missile activity, overhead imagery, and open source video and images of the incident, she said. Citing intelligence reports, Watson said some Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip believed that the explosion was likely caused by an errant rocket or missile launch carried out by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). As the President said earlier today, the explosion appears to be the result of an errant rocket fired by a terrorist group in Gaza -- and we are continuing to work to corroborate whether it was a failed PIJ rocke

Biden wraps up visit to Israel with warning against being consumed by rage

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that Israel had agreed to allow humanitarian assistance to begin flowing into Gaza from Egypt, with the understanding that shipments would be subject to inspections and that aid should go to civilians and not Hamas militants. I understand. Many Americans understand," Biden said, likening the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the US that killed nearly 3,000 people. You can't look at what has happened here ... and not scream out for justice. While you feel that rage, don't be consumed by it. Israel had cut off the flow of food, fuel and water to the Gaza Strip after the attack by Hamas, in which nearly 1,400 people in Israel were killed. Mediators have been struggling to break a deadlock over providing supplies to desperate civilians, aid groups and hospitals. An explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital compounded the suffering. Israel confirmed that food, water and medicine would begin to flow to Gaza

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US President announces $100 mn in humanitarian aid for Gaza, West Bank

The US President further said that Israel has agreed to move the humanitarian assistance from Egypt to Gaza

US President admires 'courage, bravery' of Israelis amid Hamas attack

"Their courage, their commitment, their bravery is stunning. I'm proud to be here," Biden said in a message to Israelis during his official visit to Tel Aviv

Seems Gaza hospital strike 'done by other team': Biden tells Netanyahu

'Based on what I have seen, it was done by the other team, not you,' US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday

Prez Biden arrives in Tel Aviv as Israel-Hamas war enters 12th day

The US President's visit comes amid an attack on a Hospital in Gaza which claimed the lives of hundreds present in and near the premises

Biden will be plunging into Middle East turmoil on his visit to Israel

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday left the White House for a quick trip to Israel to show solidarity with the people of the country in the aftermath of the terrorist attack by Hamas. However, Biden had to abruptly scrap his trip to Jordan for a meeting with leaders of Jordan, Egypt and Palestine after the Palestinian Authority cancelled the summit following a huge explosion at a hospital in Gaza. Hundreds of civilians are feared dead after a deadly blast at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza. Israel has denied its involvement in the bombing, while the Palestinians have held it responsible. I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted. Immediately upon hearing this news, I spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and have directed my national security team to continue gathering information about what exactly happened, Biden said in a statement minutes before he

Prez Biden's visit to focus on preventing escalation: White House

President Biden has ordered the National Security team to investigate the attack and find out who was responsible