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Moving beyond coding, Hyderabad to focus on innovation: T'gana IT minister

Telangana aims to leverage its booming IT sector's strengths to help India achieve its goal of becoming a USD 10 trillion economy, the state's information technology minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu has said. Over some time, our industrial and information technology expertise has grown. We are not only for coding but we are also for product development. We also have the talent to build great products from our base stations. So, the time has come to take the leverage, Babu, who is also Telangana's Industries and Commerce and Legislative Affairs told PTI here in an interview. The senior minister is currently on a trip to the US to engage with industry leaders and attract investments from the United States. He pointed out that Hyderabad has historically contributed significantly to global tech advancements, with much of the coding work for tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon originating from the city, a top IT minister from Telangana has said the state government is now focusi

White House close to naming Romero as FDIC head, replaces Martin Gruenberg

Goldsmith Romero, 53, has a background in enforcement and has led major actions against Wall Street banks and other financial firms during her career

Trump ends pre-sentencing interview after less than 30 mins of questioning

Donald Trump's mandatory pre-sentencing interview Monday ended after less than a half-hour of routine and uneventful questions and answers, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity. The former president was quizzed by a New York City probation officer for a report that will be compiled and presented to trial judge Juan M. Merchan prior to Trump's July 11 sentencing in his hush money criminal case. Merchan can use the report to help decide Trump's punishment following his May 30 felony conviction for falsifying business records to cover up a potential sex scandal. The judge has discretion to impose a wide range of punishments, ranging from probation and community service to up to four years in prison. Trump, who declined to testify at the trial, appeared for the probation interview Monday by video conference from his residence at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, with hi

Houthis claim to break up US-Israel spy network after arresting UN staffers

Yemen's Houthi rebels said Monday they had arrested members of an American-Israeli spy network, days after detaining at least 11 UN staffers along with others from aid organisations. Maj. Gen. Abdulhakim al-Khayewani, head of the Houthis' intelligence agency, announced the arrests, saying the spy network had first operated out of the US Embassy in Sanaa. Then after it was closed in 2015 following the Houthi takeover of the capital Sanaa and northern Yemen, they continued their subversive agenda under the cover of international and UN organisations, he said. He did not say how many people were arrested. Houthi authorities issued what they purported to be videotaped confessions by 10 Yemenis, several of whom said they were recruited by the US Embassy. They did not include any of the UN employees who were arrested. The Houthis' claims could not be independently verified. The United Nations on Friday announced the arrests of 11 Yemeni staffers. Six worked for the UN's human rights agenc

Baltimore Port's key transit channel reopens following bridge collapse

Army Corps of Engineers said a survey on Monday certified the riverbed as safe for transit

UNSC approves US-drafted proposal supporting ceasefire in Gaza war

The resolution was notably adopted with 14 votes in favor, zero against, and one abstention by Russia, as the country chose not to exercise its veto power

N Korea installing its own loudspeakers along the border, says S Korea

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff didn't immediately comment on the number of suspected North Korean speakers

Israel rescues 4 hostages from Hamas; is ceasefire deal now a prospect?

Israel's dramatic weekend rescue of four hostages from deep inside an urban area of the Gaza Strip came at a sensitive time in the 8-month-old war, as Israel and Hamas weigh a US proposal for a cease-fire and the release of the remaining captives. Both sides face renewed pressure to make a deal: The complex rescue is unlikely to be replicated on a scale needed to bring back scores of remaining hostages, and it was a powerful reminder for Israelis that there are still surviving captives held in harsh conditions. Hamas now has four fewer bargaining chips. But they could also dig in, as they repeatedly have over months of indirect negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt. Hamas is still insisting on an end to the war as part of any agreement, while Israel says it is still committed to destroying the militant group. Here is a look at the fallout from the operation and how it might affect cease-fire talks: ELATION, AND MOUNTING CALLS FOR A DEAL The rescue operation w

Hunter Biden's gun trial nears end after testimony about his drug use

The criminal trial of President Joe Biden's son heads into its final stretch Monday as the defense tries to chip away at prosecutors' case laying bare some of the darkest moments of Hunter Biden's drug-fuelled past. Hunter Biden's lawyers could call at least one more witness when the case resumes in Delaware's federal court the first of two trials he's facing in the midst of his father's re-election campaign. It's unclear whether prosecutors will call any rebuttal witnesses before the case goes to closing arguments, and then to the jury. Hunter Biden is charged with three felonies stemming from the October 2018 purchase of a gun he had for about 11 days. Prosecutors say he lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty and has accused the Justice Department of bending to political pressure from former President Donald Trump and other Republicans to bring the case and separate tax charges after a

South Korea, US to hold new round of nuclear planning talks in Seoul today

The third meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) is designed to follow up on last year's summit

Yemen's Houthi missile strikes on 2 ships in Gulf of Aden, says US military

The Iran-backed Houthis hit the Tavvishi, a Liberian-flagged and Swiss-owned container ship with an anti-ship ballistic missile

US officials expect G7 to warn small Chinese banks over Russia ties: Report

This year's G7 summit is also expected to focus on leveraging profits generated by Russian assets frozen in the West for Ukraine's benefit

Seoul to resume loudspeaker broadcasts as Pyongyang sends trash balloons

South Korea says it will restart anti-North Korean propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts in border areas in response to continuing North Korean campaigns to drop trash on the South with balloons. Following an emergency security meeting led by South Korean national security director Chang Ho-jin, the officials decided to install and begin the loudspeaker broadcasts in border areas on Sunday, Seoul's presidential office said in a statement. The move is certain to anger North Korea and potentially prompt it to take its own retaliatory military steps. Chang and other South Korean security officials berated Pyongyang for attempting to cause anxiety and disruption in South Korea and stressed that North Korea will be solely responsible for any future escalation of tensions between the Koreas. North Korea over the weekend flew hundreds of trash-carrying balloons to South Korea in its third such campaign since late May, the South's military said, just days after South Korean activists floated ..

Lupin recalls 51k bottles of generic drug due to defective containers in US

Drug firm Lupin is recalling over 51,000 bottles of a generic antibiotic medication in the US market due to a "defective container", according to the American health regulator. The US-based arm of the drug maker is recalling 51,006 bottles of Cefdinir for Oral Suspension (250 mg/5 mL) due to "defective container: lack of seal integrity," US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) said in its latest Enforcement Report. Cefrine Oral Suspension is indicated for the treatment of a range of bacterial infections. The affected lot has been manufactured at Lupin's Mandideep-based plant and marketed in the US by Baltimore-based Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc, it said. The drug maker initiated the Class II nationwide (US) voluntary recall on May 8 this year. As per the USFDA, a Class II recall is initiated in a situation in which the use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health

Aid is delivered to Gaza from newly repaired US-built pier, says official

Badly needed aid has been delivered into Gaza from a newly repaired American-built pier, a U.S. official said Saturday, following problems that had plagued the effort to bring supplies to Palestinians by sea. The pier constructed by the American military was only operational for about a week before it was blown apart in high winds and heavy seas on May 25. The damaged section was reconnected to the beach in Gaza on Friday after undergoing repairs at an Israeli port. Crews delivered about 1.1 million pounds (492 metric tons) of humanitarian aid to Gaza via the pier on Saturday, the U.S. official said. They spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of an official announcement of the delivery. It came the same day that Israel mounted a heavy air and ground assault that rescued four hostages, who had been taken by Hamas during the October 7 assault that launched the war in Gaza. At least 210 Palestinians, including children, were killed, a Gaza health official said. It brings back online o

Biden, Macron agree on global affairs, express different views on Gaza war

US President Biden, who is currently on an official state visit to Paris, held meetings with his France counterpart

China's exports grow 7.6% in May despite trade tensions with US, Europe

China's exports in May grew at their fastest pace in more than a year despite trade tensions, though imports fell short of analyst expectations, according to customs data released on Friday. Exports jumped 7.6 per cent in May from the same month last year to USD 302.35 billion, rising at the fastest pace since April 2023. Imports rose by 1.8 per cent to USD 219.73 billion, missing estimates of about 4 per cent growth. The uptick in exports is also partly due to a lower base in the same period last year, when exports declined 7.5 per cent. In comparison, exports grew by 1.5 per cent in April compared with the same period last year, while April imports rose by 8.4 per cent. The strong exports caused China's trade surplus to widen to USD 82.62 billion, up from April's USD 72.35 billion. The growth in exports comes as China faces escalated trade tensions with the US and Europe. The US is ramping up tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars while Europe is considering levying similar ...

Germany looking into buying 8 additional Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets

The jets are equipped with advanced sensors and other gear, and nearly impossible to track with radar

Russian court starts trial of US soldier arrested on theft charges

A court in Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok on Thursday began the trial of an American soldier arrested earlier this year on charges of stealing. Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, 34, flew to Vladivostok, a Pacific port city, to see his girlfriend and was arrested after she accused him of stealing from her, according to US officials and Russian authorities. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported from the courtroom in the Pervomaisky District Court in Vladivostok that Black agreed to testify in the trial and will respond to the accusations against him later in the proceedings. The report also cited local police as saying that Black is cooperating with the authorities. Black's arrest further complicates US relations with Russia, which have grown increasingly tense as the fighting in Ukraine continues. Russia is holding a number of Americans in its jails, including corporate security executive Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal

As war in Gaza surges, 'Iran-backed' attacks on US brands rattle Baghdad

A dozen masked men jump out of two SUVs and a white pickup and storm a KFC in Baghdad, smashing everything in sight before fleeing the scene. A few days earlier, similar violence played out at Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken and Chili House all American brands popular in the Iraqi capital. Though no one was seriously hurt, the recent attacks apparently orchestrated by supporters of Iran-backed, anti-American militias in Iraq reflect surging anger against the United States, Israel's top ally, over the war in Gaza. Iraqi governments have for years walked a delicate line between Washington and Tehran, but the eight-month war in Gaza has critically upped the stakes. The conflict erupted after the militant Hamas group stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people mostly civilians and taking 250 hostage. Israel's subsequent offensives in Gaza have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians in the territory, according to the Health Ministry there. Days after the war brok