Page 12 - United States

Misri, Rubio discuss trade, Quad; US state secy set to visit India in May

Misri also met FBI Director Kash Patel and discussed cooperation in countering terrorism, organised crime and narcotics

US, Iran prepare for ceasefire negotiations as Vance heads to Pakistan

Vice President JD Vance on Friday warned Tehran not to "play" the US as he departed for Islamabad for negotiations aimed at ending the war with Iran. President Donald Trump has tasked the member of his inner circle who has seemed to be the most reluctant defender of the conflict with Iran to now find a resolution to the war that began six weeks ago and stave off the US president's astonishing threat to wipe out its "whole civilisation." Vance, who has long been sceptical of foreign military interventions and outspoken about the prospect of sending troops into open-ended conflicts, set off Friday to lead mediated talks with Iran in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. Boarding Air Force Two on his way to Pakistan, the vice president said, "We're looking forward to the negotiation. I think it's gonna be positive. We'll, of course, see." He cited Trump in saying, "If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand." But he added, "If

US to automatically register eligible men for military draft by December

The US plans to auto-enrol eligible men aged 18-26 into the military draft database, ending the current self-registration process and using federal data to identify those required to register

Trump lashes out at conservative US-media figures over Iran war criticism

Trump attacked several right-wing media figures accusing them of abandoning him for 'cheap publicity' and claimed they are secretly supportive of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons

Xi Jinping helps Trump on Iran war as China assists in ceasefire bid

Hours after a ceasefire publicly brokered by Pakistan was announced, Iranian officials reportedly credited a last-minute push by China with securing their acceptance, a claim soon validated by Trump

Apple will close its first unionised retail location in US in June

The company said Thursday that the store, located at Towson Town Center mall, will permanently shut down in June and will not be replaced

US judge finds Pentagon violating order to restore access to reporters

A US federal judge on Thursday ruled that the Defence Department is violating his earlier order to restore access to the Pentagon for reporters. US District Judge Paul Friedman sided with The New York Times earlier this month in deciding that the Pentagon's new credential policy violated journalists' constitutional rights to free speech and due process. He sided again with the Times in saying that the Pentagon had tried to evade his ruling by putting in new rules that expel all reporters from the building unless guided by escorts. "The department simply cannot reinstate an unlawful policy under the guise of taking new action and expect the court to look the other way," Friedman wrote. Friedman had ordered Pentagon officials to reinstate the press credentials of seven Times reporters and stressed that his decision applies to "all regulated parties". The Pentagon building serves as the headquarters for US military operations.

Trump wants Hormuz commitments within days: Nato's Rutte to allies

The US president has repeatedly called Nato a "paper tiger" and threatened to withdraw from the 32-member transatlantic alliance in recent weeks

US Q4 GDP growth revised down to 0.5% as economy slows more than expected

Last year's shutdown of the government was the key driver of the slowdown from the third quarter's 4.4 per cent growth pace

US to host Indian delegation in April to discuss trade deal: Sergio Gor

The US on Thursday said it looked forward to hosting the Indian delegation here later this month to discuss the bilateral trade deal agreed to in February. US Ambassador to India Sergei Gor made the announcement of the Indian delegation's upcoming visit to Washington after a meeting with America's Trade Representative Jamieson Greer here. Gor, who is currently on a visit to the US, also met Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and several other US officials. "Highly Productive meeting with @USTradeRep Ambassador Greer to discuss advancing @POTUS trade priorities in South and Central Asia," Gor said in a post on X. "The United States and India have previously agreed to a trade deal, and we look forward to welcoming an Indian delegation to Washington later this month," he said. The meeting comes a day after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri launched the India-US Trade Facilitation Portal here as the two countries eye the USD 500 billion bilateral trade target. India and the US announced a

Hormuz remains open, JD Vance to hold talks with Pak on Sat: White House

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the ceasefire as a "historically swift and successful military triumph," saying US operations had weakened Iran's military capabilities

Wall Street jumps to near one-month highs, Dow up 2.8% on US-Iran ceasefire

The announcement came hours before US President Donald Trump's deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that carries about one-fifth of global oil trade

Trump announces 50% tariffs on nations supplying Iran with weapons

Trump also said there would be no enrichment of uranium and said many of the 15 points in the US plan proposed to Iran have been agreed to.

Iran begged for ceasefire, says Hegseth, declares US victory in conflict

Hegseth said the United States had met its key military objectives, including targeting Iran's missile capabilities, naval forces, and defence infrastructure

Iran includes 'acceptance of enrichment' in Farsi version of ceasefire plan

Iran in the Farsi-language version of its 10-point ceasefire plan included the phrase "acceptance of enrichment" for its nuclear programme, something that was missing in English versions shared by Iranian diplomats to journalists. It wasn't immediately clear why that term was missing. However, US President Donald Trump had said ending Iran's nuclear programme entirely was a key point of the war. Trump, after Iran issued its 10-point plan, had described it as fraudulent, without elaborating.

TikTok ad leader Khartoon Weiss to step down in latest high-profile exit

Other recent departures have included global head of creators, Kim Farrell, who left earlier this year, and Blake Chandlee, who departed in 2025 after leading advertising and marketing

Pakistan invites US, Iran for talks in Islamabad 'to settle all disputes'

Pakistan on Wednesday invited the US and Iran for talks in Islamabad on Friday. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a social media post announced that the US and Iran, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire amid the ongoing West Asia conflict. "With the greatest humility, I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere, effective immediately," he said. Sharif said Pakistan has invited delegations from both countries to Islamabad on April 10 for face-to-face talks aimed at reaching a conclusive agreement "to settle all disputes". The prime minister expressed hope that the proposed "Islamabad Talks" would help achieve sustainable peace and stability in the region. The development follows Pakistan's diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict that began on Feb 28 and had reached a turning point after US Preside

US slams attack on Israeli consulate in Istanbul, commends Turkiye response

Gunfire erupted near the Israeli Consulate in the Besiktas district of Istanbul on Tuesday, prompting an immediate security intervention

Sergio Gor meets US Comm Secy, discusses US-India commercial roadmap

US envoy to India Sergio Gor met US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick here and discussed the commercial roadmap for the two countries and the opening up of a market of 1.4 billion people for American products. In a social media post, Gor said he discussed with Lutnick a new Memorandum of Understanding that seeks to connect India's AI scale with the American AI ecosystem and also strong participation from New Delhi in the upcoming SelectUSA Summit near here. "Productive meeting with Secretary @HowardLutnick on the US-India commercial roadmap. We discussed a new MoU connecting India's AI scale with the American AI ecosystem, strong Indian participation at the upcoming @SelectUSA Summit, and growing Indian pharma investment in the United States to boost competition, and strengthen supply chains," Gor said in a post on Tuesday. In a separate post, the US Department of Commerce said Lutnick and Gor were working to open a market of 1.4 billion people to American products. "Today, Secreta