Page 13 - United States

Trump announces two-week ceasefire if Iran opens Strait of Hormuz

In a post on Truth Social, Trump shared Iran's official statement in the name of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi

Iran envoy warns of 'proportionate' action if Trump follows attack threats

An Iranian envoy says Tehran will "take immediate and proportionate" action if US President Donald Trump follows through on his threats to attack the country's "whole civilization." Tehran's United Nations representative, Amir-Saeid Iravani, said Trump's threats that a "whole civilization will die" if Iran does not make a deal "constitute incitement to war crimes and potentially genocide." During a Security Council session on the Strait of Hormuz, Iravani urged the international community to call out Trump's rhetoric before it's too late. "Iran will not stand idle in the face of such egregious war crimes. It will exercise, without hesitation, its inherent right of self-defence and will take immediate and proportionate reciprocal measures," he said.

Kidnapped US journalist Shelly Kittleson freed in Baghdad, says official

American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped in Baghdad last week, has been released, an Iraqi official with direct knowledge of the situation said on Tuesday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, said Kittleson was freed in the afternoon. He did not share her current whereabouts but said that prior to her release, she had been held in Baghdad. The powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement earlier in the day that it had decided to free the journalist, and officials with the militia told The Associated Press that members of the group previously detained by Iraqi authorities would be released in exchange.

Trump says US can 'take out' Iran in one night as Tuesday deadline nears

Trump earlier in the day reiterated that the deadline he has set for Iran to reach a deal remains final, warning of consequences if an agreement is not reached

Use of Strait of Hormuz must be guaranteed in any US-Iran deal: UAE

UAE official Anwar Gargash said the Strait of Hormuz cannot be weaponised, stressing that its security is not a regional bargaining chip but a global economic imperative

A harrowing race against time to rescue a downed US airman in Iran

For the Iranians, the Air Force colonel whose fighter jet had been shot down was possible leverage. For the US military, finding him was a moral imperative

Paramount in talks to secure $24 bn funds from Gulf for Warner takeover

The merger would combine major studios and networks such as CNN and CBS, enabling them to compete more aggressively as streaming draws audiences away from traditional linear TV

US court reinstates $656 mn judgment against PLO, Palestinian Authority

A USD 656 million judgment against Palestinian authorities has been reinstated by appeals judges, following a US Supreme Court ruling in favour of Americans killed or wounded in attacks in Israel. The decision from the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals comes a decade after it first tossed out a verdict against the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Palestinian Authority on the grounds that US courts couldn't consider lawsuits against foreign groups over overseas attacks that were not aimed at the United States. But the appeals court reinstated the judgment in light of a Supreme Court ruling last June upholding a 2019 law enacted by Congress to allow the victims' lawsuits to go forward against the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Palestinian Authority. "We conclude that the original judgment for the plaintiffs should be reinstated. That conclusion is consistent with the plain import of the Supreme Court's decision," the judges said in a decision dated March 30. "Our ..

US troops fighting for Jesus, says Hegseth; Pope Leo XIV disagrees

Throughout his first year as pontiff, Leo has been careful not to wade into US politics and has avoided direct confrontation with the White House

Reimagined by crises: Why the United States' Constitution is doomed to fail

A sweeping history traces the US Constitution's roots to medieval England, arguing it was shaped by crisis and expansion rather than pure ideals of liberty

US judge halts Trump's push for race data in college admissions process

A federal judge on Friday halted efforts by the Trump administration to collect data that proves higher education institutions aren't considering race in admissions. The ruling from US District Court Judge F Dennis Saylor IV in Boston granting the preliminary injunction follows a lawsuit filed earlier this month by a coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general. It will only apply to public universities in plaintiffs The federal judge said the federal government likely has the authority to collect the data, but the demand was rolled out to universities in a "rushed and chaotic" manner. "The 120-day deadline imposed by the President led directly to the failure of NCES (National Centre for Education Statistics) to engage meaningfully with the institutions during the notice-and-comment process to address the multitude of problems presented by the new requirements," Saylor wrote. President Donald Trump ordered the data collection in August after he raised concerns that colleges a

Trump warns Iran to open Hormuz Strait or face 'hell' in 48 hours

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the deadline, set to expire on April 6, was nearing its end, reiterating his demand that Tehran either "make a deal" or ensure the strategic waterway remains open

Tamil Nadu-born Rini Sampath in race to become Washington DC mayor

Tamil Nadu-born Rini Sampath has become the first South Asian candidate to be on the ballot for the primary for the election for the mayor of Washington DC. The 31-year-old government contractor from the Democratic Party has based her election campaign on the theme 'Fix the Basics' and the promise of "A new DC". "I'm not a politician. I don't owe any special interest groups. It's time for an outsider who is relentlessly focused on fixing our basic city services," Samapth says on her campaign website. Born in Theni in Tamil Nadu, she came to the US as a seven-year-old and has been a resident of Washington DC for more than a decade. "It's clear we have a real path to victory. In just four weeks, we made the mayoral ballot as the first South Asian candidate in DC history to do it. That's what a lean, people-powered campaign can accomplish. Imagine what we could do with the resources to reach every voter across the city," she said. Washington DC is dominated overwhelmingly by Democrat

75 women expected to benefit from BofA settlement in Epstein case: Lawyers

Lawyers say up to 75 women who were sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein since 2008 may benefit from a USD 72.5 million fund set up as part of a settlement Bank of America reached with lawyers representing the women. US District Judge Jed S Rakoff gave the deal preliminary approval Thursday and set a final approval hearing for August 27. He also ordered lawyers to submit to him by Friday a broader list of publications to be used to notify Epstein victims that the settlement fund exists. The judge said he wanted to ensure "nobody is left out." Lawyers for women abused by Epstein had sued the bank, saying it ignored suspicious financial transactions involving Epstein that occurred while he was abusing girls and women from June 2008 to his arrest in early July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. Epstein died in August 2019 in a Manhattan federal jail. The death was ruled a suicide. At the hearing Thursday, attorney David Boies said lawyers for the victims believed between 60 and 7

Pezeshkian questions US sincerity after strike kills Iran official's wife

Linking the timing of the violence to his own international outreach, Pezeshkian highlighted the contradiction between calls for peace and active hostilities

US launches rescue for F-15 crew after fighter jet downed in Iran

The first known combat loss of a US fighter jet would mark a significant escalation in the five-week war that already has triggered a global energy crisis

Iran strikes targets across West Asia, US-Israel hit Tehran as war rages

There was little sign Friday of the war in the Middle East winding down as Israel said it faced incoming fire from Iran, Kuwait and Bahrain reported being under attack, and Iran said eight people were killed while celebrating the close of Persian new year near a major bridge hit by a US strike. Tehran continued to demonstrate its ability to strike its neighbours even as US President Donald Trump claimed the threat from the country was nearly eliminated and cheered the collapse of the bridge on Thursday, reportedly the tallest in the Middle East. Iran decried the strike on the bridge, which also injured 95 people celebrating Nature Day, when Iranians gather for picnics and other celebrations outdoors on the last day of Nowruz, the Persian new year. "Striking civilian infrastructure only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote Thursday in a post on X. Iran's attacks on Gulf states along with its chokehold on the Str

Trump immunity ruling brings focus on Indian-origin judge Amit Mehta

Indian-American judge Amit Mehta has come into focus after he ruled that US President Donald Trump's speech ahead of the violence that rocked the Capitol on January 6, 2021 was not subject to presidential immunity. Mehta, a federal judge of the US District Court of the District of Columbia, in 2022 rejected Trump's effort to dismiss three lawsuits accusing him of bearing responsibility for the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Last August, Mehta had ruled that Google had broken anti-trust laws to maintain its dominance in online search. Born in Patan in Gujarat in 1971, Mehta was nominated as a judge to the US District Court for the District of Columbia in 2014 by then-President Barack Obama. Mehta came to the US as a one-year-old and went on to pursue his B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Georgetown University in 1993 and his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1997. After law school, Mehta worked in a law firm in San Francisco before clerking for Sus

US voices concern over detentions of Panama-flagged vessels by China

The US on Thursday voiced concerns about over detentions of Panama-flagged vessels by China saying such "bullying" destabilises supply chains, raises costs and erodes confidence in the global trading system. "The United States stands with Panama against any retaliatory actions against its sovereignty and will always support our partners in the face of bullying," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X. "The United States stands firmly with Panama and looks forward to increasing our economic and security cooperation with this important partner," the Department of State said in a statement. The statement came after China reportedly detained Panama-flagged ships for inspections at Chinese ports. US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit China on May 14-15. China's action came in the wake of Panama cancelling contracts of Hong Kong-based C K Hutchison to operate two port terminals near the Panama Canal on direction of the Supreme Court and transferred interim operatio

Hegseth asks US Army Chief Gen Randy George to step down: Pentagon

The move comes as the US and Israel continue a war against Iran, a mission that has recently seen the US send thousands of troops into the region for a possible ground operation