Page 160 - United States

Before global scrutiny, Indian spice maker MDH faced several US rejections

Hong Kong suspended sales last month of three spice blends made by MDH and one by another Indian company, Everest, for apparently containing high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide

Biden surrendering US campuses to 'anarchists, jihadist freaks': Trump

Trump further claimed that the very same people who are funding the violent campus uprisings are also funding Joe Biden's campaign

Pro-Palestinian protests dwindle to subtle acts at US college graduations

A tiny contingent of Duke University graduates opposed pro-Israel comedian Jerry Seinfeld speaking at their commencement in North Carolina on Sunday, with about 30 of the 7,000 students leaving their seats and chanting free Palestine amid a mix of boos and cheers. Some waved the red, green, black, and white Palestinian flag. Seinfeld, whose namesake sitcom was one of the most popular in US television history, was there to receive an honorary doctorate from the university. The stand-up turned actor, who stars in the new Netflix movie Unfrosted, has publicly supported Israel since it invaded Gaza to dismantle Hamas after the organisation attacked the country and killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7. The ensuing war has killed nearly 35,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Students at campuses across the US responded this spring by setting up encampments and ..

Shooting at Alabama party leaves 3 dead, at least 12 wounded, say police

Three people were killed and at least 12 were wounded Saturday night in a shooting at party in south Alabama. Andre Reid with the Baldwin County Investigation Division told WALA-TV that about 1,000 people were attending a May Day party near Stockton when an altercation started and gunfire erupted. Reid said most of the victims were younger people. There was not immediate word on whether arrests had been made. The Associated Press left a message with the sheriff's office Sunday. Stockton has a population of about 400. It is roughly 30 miles (48.3 kilometres) northeast of Mobile, Alabama. Reid said no law enforcement officers were involved in the shooting.

China beats US to emerge as largest trading partner of India in FY24: GTRI

China has emerged as the largest trading partner of India with USD 118.4 billion two-way commerce in 2023-24, slightly edging past the US, according to the data of economic think tank GTRI. The bilateral trade between India and the US stood at USD 118.3 billion in 2023-24. Washington was the top trading partner of New Delhi during 2021-22 and 2022-23. The data showed that India's exports to China rose by 8.7 per cent to USD 16.67 billion in the last fiscal. The main sectors which recorded healthy growth in exports to that country include iron ore, cotton yarn/fabrics/madeups, handloom, spices, fruits and vegetables, plastic and linoleum. Imports from the neighbouring country increased by 3.24 per cent to USD 101.7 billion. On the other hand, exports to the US dipped by 1.32 per cent to USD 77.5 billion in 2023-24 as against USD 78.54 billion in 2022-23, while imports dipped by about 20 per cent to USD 40.8 billion, the data showed. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said

Being forced to endure 'Biden show trial' in hush money case, says Trump

Sandwiched between his appearances in court, Donald Trump headed on Saturday to the Jersey Shore, where he repeatedly blamed President Joe Biden for the criminal charges he's facing as the presumptive nominees prepare to face off in the November election and called his New York hush money case a Biden show trial. Blasting the Democratic president a total moron, Trump before a crowd of tens of thousands repeatedly characterized the cases against him as politically motivated and timed to harm his ability to campaign. He's a fool. He's not a smart man, Trump said of Biden. I talk about him differently now because now the gloves are off. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, drew what his team called a mega crowd to a Saturday evening rally in the southern New Jersey resort town of Wildwood, 150 miles (241 kilometers) south of the New York City courthouse where he has been forced to spend most weekdays sitting silently through his felony hush money trial. Lisa Fagan,

Trump risks $100 mn tax bill if IRS audit on Chicago tower dispute lost

Former US president Donald Trump may face an IRS bill in excess of $100 million after a government audit indicates he double-dipped on tax losses tied to a Chicago skyscraper, according to a report by The New York Times and ProPublica that drew on a yearslong audit and public filings. The report's findings could put renewed focus on Trump's business career as the presumptive Republican nominee tries to regain the White House after losing in 2020. Trump used his cachet as a real estate developer and TV star to build a political movement, yet he has refused to release his tax filings as past presidential candidates have. The tax filings that the public does know about have come from past reporting by the Times and a public release of records by Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee in 2022. Trump's presidential campaign provided a statement in son Eric Trump's name saying the IRS inquiry was settled years ago, only to be brought back to life once my father ran for office. We

India's NY consulate to remain open year-round for emergency services

The Consulate General of India in New York has announced that it will remain open throughout the year, including on all holidays, to help and facilitate people's travel to India in case of genuine emergencies. The Consulate said in a press release on Friday that it will remain open during all holidays, including Saturdays and Sundays, as well as other public holidays from 2 pm to 4 pm to address emergency requirements of the general public. The Consulate reiterated that this facility is for people with genuine emergencies and not for regular consular services. It advised applicants that before coming for any emergency service, they should call the Consulate's emergency helpline number to ascertain the per-requisite of supporting documents for these services and ensure that they fall in the category of emergency services, which cannot be postponed to its next working day. The facility, which came into effect on Friday, is only for emergency requirements of travel documents such as .

Severe solar storm brings dazzling Aurora, threatens to trigger blackouts

The last time a storm this strong struck Earth was in October 2003, which caused power outages in Sweden and damaged transformers in South Africa

US govt announces new $400 million package of weapons for Ukraine

The US announced a new $400 million package of military aid for Ukraine on Friday, as Kyiv struggles to hold off advances by Russian troops in the northeast Kharkiv region. This is the third tranche of aid for Ukraine since Congress passed supplemental funding in late April after months of gridlock. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned Thursday that his country was facing a really difficult situation in the east, but said a new supply of US weapons was coming and we will be able to stop them. The package includes High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and rockets for them, as well as munitions for Patriot and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, artillery, anti-aircraft and anti-tank munitions, and an array of armoured vehicles, such as Bradley and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. It will also provide a number of coastal and riverine patrol boats, trailers, demolition munitions, high-speed anti-radiation missiles, protective gear, spare parts and

Police arrest over 40 as they clear pro-Palestinian camps at Penn, MIT

Police dismantled a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology early Friday and moved to clear protesters from University of Pennsylvania's campus in Philadelphia, hours after police tear-gassed protesters and took down an encampment at the University of Arizona. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, video showed police roaming through the MIT encampment. Police in riot gear arrived around 4 am, encircled the camp and gave protesters about 15 minutes to leave. Ten students who remained were arrested, the university's president said. A crowd outside the camp began gathering and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans but were dispersed by 6 am. At the University of Arizona in Tucson, campus police in riot gear fired tear gas late Thursday at protesters before tearing down an encampment that included wood and plastic barriers on campus. In a statement, the University of Arizona said it made the decision because the encampment violated school policy. A structure made

Biden-Netanyahu relations strained; can the two leaders move forward

President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have long managed a complicated relationship, but they're running out of space to maneuver as their views on the Gaza war diverge and their political futures hang in the balance. Their ties have hit a low point as Biden holds up the delivery of heavy bombs to Israel and warns that the provision of artillery and other weaponry also could be suspended if Netanyahu moves forward with a widescale operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Netanyahu, for his part, is brushing off Biden's warnings and vowing to press ahead, saying, If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. If we need to, we will fight with our fingernails. But we have much more than fingernails, he said. Biden has long prided himself on being able to manage Netanyahu more with carrots than sticks. But the escalation of friction over the past seven months suggests that his approach may be long past its best-by date. With both men balancing an ...

LS Polls 2024: Congress, BJP step up campaigning; re-polling in 2 booths

Lok Sabha elections 2024 campaign heats up as Congress and BJP launch scathing attacks. Elections in India catch global attention from United States, Russia ahead of Phase 4 of the polls; details here

Trump hush money trial's third week ends, Michael Cohen yet to come

The third week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial draws to a close Friday after jurors heard the dramatic, if not downright seamy, account of porn actor Stormy Daniels, while prosecutors gear up for their most crucial witness: Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney. Daniels' story of an alleged sexual encounter with Trump was a crucial building block for prosecutors, who are seeking to show that the Republican and his allies buried unflattering stories in the waning weeks of the 2016 presidential election in an effort to illegally influence the race. Trump, who denies the sexual encounter ever happened, walked out of the court in a rage Thursday, angrily telling reporters, I'm innocent. His attorneys pushed for a mistrial over the level of tawdry details Daniels went into on the witness stand, but Judge Juan M. Merchan denied the request. Over more than 7 hours of testimony, Daniels relayed in graphic detail what she says happened after the two met at a celebrity golf .

Biden Admin satisfied with India's accountability in Pannun case: Garcetti

The Biden Administration is satisfied with the accountability it has demanded from India on the allegations that its officials were involved in an alleged plot to kill a separatist Sikh leader on American soil, a top US diplomat said Thursday. "When I was referring to a relationship that might have bumps along the road, this would be potentially the first big fight in a relationship. And so far, knock on wood, I would say the administration is satisfied with the accountability that we've demanded on this, because this is a red line for America, for our citizens," US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said in response to a question at an event organised by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a top American think-tank. "A core part of what we need to do is to comment on the details of an ongoing criminal case that's happening. But there is a criminal case. There's an indictment that's been brought. And if there is any connection to State actors in that, there has to be ...

US President Biden concerned over Boeing locking out its firefighters

Earlier this month, Boeing locked out nearly 130 members of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local I-66 who have rejected two contract offers

Panama Canal in talks with US LNG producers to increase transportation

The canal is typically used by US Gulf Coast exporters to send LNG cargoes to Asia via the Pacific Ocean, but from last year low water levels forced cuts to daily crossings

UT Austin, Rice University declared as Ivy League schools: Forbes

Two Texas schools -- University of Texas (UT), in Austin and Rice University in Houston -- have joined the ranks of Ivy League institutions, according to Forbes. The two institutions are "attracting the smartest students and plaudits from employers". The development comes as a piece of great news for Indian international students who are enrolled in large numbers in these two Texas schools, especially after India surpassed China as top source of International graduate students recently, according to Open Doors Report. For Forbes' methodology, researchers removed the eight classic Ivy League institutions (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Penn, Columbia, Dartmouth and Cornell) as well as the "Ivy-plus yardstick": Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University and the University of Chicago. The Forbes' researchers said the evaluation came as the traditional Ivy League institutions have "faced a barrage of complaints in recent years" related to admissions .

CDC issues new guidelines for travelling with dogs to US; check new rules

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared new guidelines aimed at preventing dogs with rabies from entering the US. Dogs must at least 6 months old and vaccinated

Happiest Minds to acquire US-based Aureus Tech Systems for $8.5 million

This is the third acquisition by Happiest Minds in FY25. In April, it acquired PureSoftware Technologies for $94.5 million (Rs 784 crore) and Macmillan Learning India for Rs 4.5 crore