Page 105 - United States

US announces nearly $1 bn more in longer-term weapons support for Ukraine

The United States will provide nearly USD 1 billion more in longer-term weapons support to Ukraine, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday as the Biden administration rushes to spend all the congressionally approved money it has left to bolster Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month. The latest package will include more drones and munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, that the US has provided. While these weapons are critically needed now, they will be funded through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which pays for longer-term systems to be put on contract. The weapon systems purchased are often intended to support Ukraine's future military capabilities, not make an immediate difference on the battlefield. The USD 1 billion package is on top of an additional USD 725 million in US military assistance, including counter-drone systems and HIMARS munitions, announced on Monday that would be drawn from the ...

Post-election power struggles spark concerns over democracy across US

While the election was over a month ago, voters in some parts of the country are discovering that having their say at the ballot box is not necessarily the final word. Lawmakers in several states have already initiated or indicated plans to alter or nullify certain results. Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are moving to undercut the authority of the incoming Democratic governor, Republicans in Missouri are taking initial steps to reverse voter-approved abortion protections, and Democrats in Massachusetts are watering down an attempt by voters to hold the Legislature more accountable. The actions following the Nov. 5 election continue a pattern that has accelerated in recent years and has been characterized by critics as undemocratic. I think certainly when you're a voter and you're voting on the issue, you're not thinking about whether someone's then going to overturn or just ignore the things that you voted on, said Anne Whitesell, an assistant professor of political science

US Congressman Krishnamoorthi calls on B'desh to end anti-Hindu violence

He urged the Bangladeshi government to uphold human rights, guarantee legal protections, and end the wave of violence

Trump travels to Paris for Notre Dame Cathedral's reopening, to meet Macron

Donald Trump is off on his first international trip as president-elect, ready to join world leaders and dignitaries in Paris for a Saturday celebration of the renovation of Notre Dame Cathedral after a devastating fire in 2019. Trump wrote when he accepted the invitation earlier this week that French President Emmanuel Macron had done "a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all! Macron, who has had an up-and-down relationship with Trump, has made a point of cultivating a relationship with the president-elect since he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris last month. But his office nonetheless played down the significance of the invitation, saying that other politicians who do not currently hold office had been invited as well. Trump was invited as president-elect of a friendly nation, Macron's office said, adding, This is in no way exceptional, we've done it before." President Joe Bi

Police find bag carried by gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO

The gunman who killed the CEO of the largest US health insurer likely left New York City on a bus soon after the brazen ambush that has shaken corporate America, police officials said Friday. But he left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park. Three days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still did not know the gunman's name or whereabouts or have a motive for the killing, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters. Investigators were looking at whether the shooter may have been a disgruntled employee or client of the insurer, he said. The FBI announced Friday night it was offering a USD 50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Video of the gunman fleeing Wednesday's shooting showed him riding a bicycle into Central Park and later taking a taxi to a bus terminal that offers commuter service to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, DC, according to Kenny. Police

TikTok inching closer to potential ban in US: Here's all you need to know

TikTok's future in the US appeared uncertain on Friday after a federal appeals court rejected a legal challenge to a law that requires the social media platform to cut ties with its China-based parent company or be banned by mid-January. A panel of three judges on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled unanimously that the law withstood constitutional scrutiny, rebuffing arguments from the two companies that the statute violated their rights and the rights of TikTok users in the US. The government has said it wants ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, to divest its stakes. But if it doesn't and the platform goes away, it would have a seismic impact on the lives of content creators who rely on the platform for income as well as users who use it for entertainment and connection. Here are some details on the ruling and what could happen next: What does the ruling say? In their lawsuit, TikTok and ByteDance, which is also a plaintiff in the case, had challen

Dec 6 proclaimed day of remembrance for Mahatma Gandhi in US's Nebraska

A bust of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled in the State Capitol building in Nebraska as December 6 was proclaimed as a day of remembrance for Gandhi in the US state, honouring the principles of non-violence, tolerance and justice championed by the iconic Indian leader. Governor Jim Pillen of Nebraska unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi on Friday at the Governor's Office in the iconic Nebraska State Capitol premises in Lincoln. This marks the first installation of Gandhi's bust in any State Capitol premises in the nine states that come under the consular jurisdiction of the Indian Consulate in Seattle. A press statement issued by the Consulate said that in another special gesture, Pillen issued an official proclamation declaring December 6 as A Day of Remembrance for Mahatma Gandhi throughout Nebraska. The proclamation states that Gandhi, a global symbol of peace, non-violence and justice, has inspired countless individuals and movements around the world with his unwavering commitment to

SC to decide if Palestinian authorities can be sued in US for attacks

The Supreme Court agreed Friday to settle a years-long legal dispute over whether Palestinian authorities can be sued in US courts by Americans killed or wounded in terrorism attacks in the Middle East. The federal appeals court in New York has repeatedly ruled in favour of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Palestinian Authority, despite Congress' efforts to allow the victims' lawsuits to be heard. That court's latest decision, last year, struck down a law enacted in 2019 specifically to allow the lawsuits to move forward. The Supreme Court typically takes on cases in which lower courts have invalidated federal laws. The question for the justices is whether the 2019 law is unconstitutional, as the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals found, because it denies fair legal process to the PLO and PA. The case probably will be argued in the spring. Both the victims and the Biden administration had urged the high court to step in. The attacks occurred in the early 2000s, killing 3

USDA orders nationwide testing of milk supply for bird flu to halt virus

The US government on Friday ordered testing of the nation's milk supply for bird flu to better monitor the spread of the virus in dairy cows. Raw or unpasteurised milk from dairy farms and processors nationwide must be tested on request starting December 16, the Agriculture Department said. Testing will begin in six states California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania. Officials said the move is aimed at containing and ultimately eliminating the virus", known as Type A H5N1, which was detected for the first time in March in US dairy cows. Since then, more than 700 herds have been confirmed to be infected in 15 states. This will give farms and farmworkers better confidence in the safety of their animals and ability to protect themselves, and it will put us on a path to quickly controlling and stopping the virus' spread nationwide, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. The risk to people from bird flu remains low, health officials said. ...

President Biden considering preemptive pardons before Trump assumes office

President Joe Biden is weighing whether to issue sweeping pardons for officials and allies who the White House fears could be unjustly targeted by President-elect Donald Trump's administration, a preemptive move that would be a novel and risky use of the president's extraordinary constitutional power. The deliberations so far are largely at the level of White House lawyers. But Biden himself has discussed the topic with some senior aides, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday to discuss the sensitive subject. No decisions have been made, the people said, and it is possible Biden opts to do nothing at all. Pardons are historically afforded to those accused of specific crimes and usually those who have already been convicted of an offense but Biden's team is considering issuing them for those who have not even been investigated, let alone charged. They fear that Trump and his allies, who have boasted of enemies lists and exacti

US probes Spain's port denials of cargo ships carrying arms to Israel

The United States has opened an investigation into whether NATO ally Spain has been denying port entry to cargo vessels reportedly transporting US weapons to Israel. The Federal Maritime Commission, an independent body charged with monitoring and evaluating conditions that may affect shipping and US international trade, said it had opened the probe after receiving information that Spain had refused to allow at least three cargo vessels into its ports. The commission is concerned that this apparent policy of denying entry to certain vessels will create conditions unfavourable to shipping in the foreign trade, it said Thursday in a notice published in the Federal Register. If the investigation determines that Spain has interfered with such commerce, the commission could levy millions of dollars in fines, up to USD 2.3 million per voyage, it said. The notice said the commission had been informed on November 19 that Spain was denying port entry to ships, including those enrolled in the

Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in US

A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the US. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied TikTok's petition to overturn the law which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January and rebuffed the company's challenge of the statute, which it argued had ran afoul of the First Amendment. The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States, said the court's opinion, which was written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg. Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary's ability to gather data on people in the United States. TikTok and ByteDance another plaintiff in the lawsuit are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, though its unclear whethe

Sharp drop in India-US 10-year bond yield spread in the past 4 years

Yield spread low despite rise in retail inflation in India

US lawmakers raise concerns in new export rules on China's chip access

They criticised the introduction of the 'License Exception Restricted Fabrication Facility,' a list-based approach which they argued would be ineffective in protecting US national security

US, Japan, and Philippine forces jointly patrol in South China Sea

The United States deployed a reconnaissance aircraft while Japan and the Philippines sent navy ships in a joint patrol in the disputed South China Sea on Friday, two days after the allied forces condemned actions by Chinese coast guard vessels against Philippine patrol ships. The US Indo-Pacific Command said the joint patrol was conducted in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone by allies and partners to uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight " and "other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace." Those phrases are used by the US, Japan and the Philippines to oppose China's increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed waters. Two Philippine security officials said the patrol was staged about 40 nautical miles (74 kilometers) from Scarborough Shoal, a fishing area hotly disputed by Beijing and Manila off the northwestern Philippines. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they didn't have authority to discuss such details ...

Trump talks of transition, election win as he receives Fox Nation award

Not yet even in office, Donald Trump said Thursday he's already accomplished more than President Joe Biden did in his entire term, an outsized claim by the president-elect just a month out from the election. Trump, who has been largely ensconced at his Mar-a-Lago club in recent weeks as he's worked to staff his new administration, made the comment as he ventured to New York's Long Island to be honoured as part of Fox Nation's annual Patriot Awards on Fox's streaming platform. I think you have seen more happen in the last two weeks than you have in the last four years, Trump told the crowd at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts. It was a tremendous day, a tremendous night, he said, recalling his election victory in a 10-minute acceptance speech that sounded like a highlight reel of his campaign rally speeches. It came complete with a live performance of God Bless the USA by the singer Lee Greenwood, calls to get the criminals out of our country and an embrace of all-paper ...

New clues surface in search for gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO

The masked gunman who stalked and killed the head of one of the largest US health insurers had the words deny, defend and depose emblazoned on his ammunition, echoing a phrase used by industry critics, two law enforcement officials said Thursday. The words were written in permanent marker, according to one of the officials, who were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation into the shooting early Wednesday outside a Manhattan hotel and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. With the gunman still at large, police also released photos of a "person of interest" wanted for questioning in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The images, showing an unmasked man in the lobby of a Manhattan hostel, add to a collection of photos and video that have circulated since the shooting including footage of the attack itself, as well as still frames of the suspected gunman stopping at a Starbucks beforehand. Thompson, 50, d

Biden considers preemptive pardons for allies before Trump takes office

President Joe Biden is weighing whether to issue sweeping pardons for officials and allies who the White House fears could be unjustly targeted by President-elect Donald Trump's administration, a preemptive move that would be a novel and risky use of the president's extraordinary constitutional power. The deliberations so far are largely at the level of White House lawyers. But Biden himself has discussed the topic with some senior aides, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday to discuss the sensitive subject. No decisions have been made, the people said, and it is possible Biden opts to do nothing at all. Pardons are historically afforded to those accused of specific crimes and usually those who have already been convicted of an offense but Biden's team is considering issuing them for those who have not even been investigated, let alone charged. They fear that Trump and his allies, who have boasted of enemies lists and exactin

Trump appoints former Senator David Perdue as US ambassador to China

President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he is choosing former Sen David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China. Trump said in a social media post that Perdue, a former CEO, brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China. Perdue pushed Trump's debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for Georgia governor. Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a primary against Georgia Gov Brian Kemp. Economic tensions will be a big part of the US-China picture for the new administration. Trump has threatened to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office as part of his effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, as one of his first executive orders. The Chinese Embassy in Washington cautioned earlier this wee

Eli Lilly to boost weight-loss drug supply with $3 billion expansion

The company's s blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drugs have made it the most valuable pharmaceutical company in the world