Page 30 - United States

Texas House approves redrawn maps sought by Trump ahead of 2026 elections

The Texas House has approved redrawn congressional maps that would give Republicans a bigger edge in 2026, muscling through a partisan gerrymander that launched weeks of protests by Democrats and a widening national battle over redistricting. The approval on Wednesday came at the urging of President Donald Trump, who pushed for the extraordinary mid-decade revision of congressional maps to give his party a better chance at holding onto the US House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections. The maps, which would give Republicans five more winnable seats, need to be approved by the GOP-controlled state Senate and signed by Republican Gov Greg Abbott before they become official. But the Texas House vote had presented the best chance for Democrats to derail the redraw. Democratic legislators delayed the vote by two weeks by fleeing Texas earlier this month in protest, and they were assigned round-the-clock police monitoring upon their return to ensure they attended Wednesday's

Russia invites Indian exports as US tariffs hit trade, defends oil ties

Russia said Indian goods are welcome in its market as the US raises tariffs; a top Russian diplomat defended India's oil imports and called Western sanctions unfair and one-sided

SoftBank invests $2 bn in Intel as chip giant hopes to revive fortunes

The shares of the chip giant lost 60% of their value last year as it could not gain traction in the artificial intelligence (AI) market, which is dominated by Nvidia

Delivery drones coming to more US neighbourhoods after slow start

Delivery drones are so fast they can zip a pint of ice cream to a customer's driveway before it melts. Yet the long-promised technology has been slow to take off in the United States. More than six years after the Federal Aviation Administration approved commercial home deliveries with drones, the service mostly has been confined to a few suburbs and rural areas. That could soon change. The FAA proposed a new rule last week that would make it easier for companies to fly drones outside of an operator's line of sight and therefore over longer distances. A handful of companies do that now, but they had to obtain waivers and certification as an air carrier to deliver packages. While the rule is intended to streamline the process, authorised retailers and drone companies that have tested fulfilling orders from the sky say they plan to make drone-based deliveries available to millions more US households. Walmart's multistate expansion Walmart and Wing, a drone company owned by Google pa

USPS to honour former former President Jimmy Carter with Forever stamp

The late President Jimmy Carter will be honored with a commemorative Forever stamp on what would have been his 101st birthday. The U.S. Postal Service will release the stamp for purchase on Oct. 1 in Atlanta. The postage features a 1982 portrait of the nation's 39th president by painter Herbert E. Abrams. The stamp art was unveiled Saturday at the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Plains. Carter, the longest-lived U.S. president, died Dec. 29, 2024. The stamp program celebrates the best in American culture, places and people, and it is difficult to consider a more fitting honoree than former President Jimmy Carter," Peter Pastre, the Postal Service's government relations and public policy vice president, said in a statement. The oil-on-linen painting that is the basis for the stamp was a life study Abrams painted of Carter while he sat for the artist. It was used in preparation for Carter's official White House portrait that Abrams also painted. Abrams, who spent part of hi

Trump meets Zelenskyy, says Ukraine war might be the 'easiest to end'

Trump met Zelenskyy at the White House, days after talks with Putin in Alaska, and said both leaders wanted peace as European leaders joined negotiations on Ukraine

Ready to push for peace ahead of talks with Trump, says Zelenskyy

European leaders are also flying to Washington to show solidarity with Ukraine and to press for strong security guarantees in any post-war settlement

Trump to sign order on mail-in ballots, voting machines ahead of 2026 polls

Trump to sign order on mail-in ballots, voting machines ahead of 2026 polls

Stronger Hurricane Erin forecast to create dangerous surf along US coast

A stronger and bigger Hurricane Erin pelted parts of the Caribbean and was forecast to create dangerous surf and rip currents along the US East Coast this week. It reintensified to a Category 4 storm with 215 kph maximum sustained winds late Sunday as its outer bands lashed the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, according to the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami. Erin was forecast to bring tropical storm conditions to the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeast Bahamas overnight into Monday. Additional strengthening was forecast for Monday followed by gradual weakening, but Erin was expected to remain a large, major hurricane into midweek. Hurricane-force winds extended up to 95 kilometres from the centre and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 370 km. The area of strong winds is expected to grow more over the next few days. At that size, Erin will impact coastal areas even though it isn't forecast to make a direct landfall. Dare County, North Carolina, declared an

South Korea, US launch annual military drills against North Korean threats

South Korea and the United States began their annual large-scale joint military exercise on Monday to better cope with threats by nuclear-armed North Korea, which has warned the drills would deepen regional tensions and vowed to respond to any provocation against its territory. The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield, the second of two large-scale exercises held annually in South Korea, after another set in March, will involve 21,000 soldiers, including 18,000 South Koreans, in computer-simulated command post operations and field training. The drills, which the allies describe as defensive, could trigger a response from North Korea, which has long portrayed the allies' exercises as invasion rehearsals and has often used them as a pretext for military demonstrations and weapons tests aimed at advancing its nuclear programme. In a statement last week, North Korean Defence Minister No Kwang Chol said the drills show the allies' stance of military confrontation with the North and declared that

Hong Kong court hearing final arguments in Jimmy Lai's security trial

A Hong Kong court began hearing final arguments Monday in the landmark national security trial of former pro-democracy newspaper founder Jimmy Lai, who could be sentenced to up to life in prison if he is convicted. Lai, 77, was arrested in 2020 under a national security law imposed by Beijing following anti-government protests in 2019. He is being tried on charges of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to issue seditious publications. Lai founded Apple Daily, one of the local media outlets that was most critical against Hong Kong's government. His high-profile case which has already stretched nearly 150 days, far beyond the original estimate of 80 days is widely seen as a trial of press freedom and a test for judicial independence in the Asian financial hub. Prosecutors allege that Lai asked foreign countries, especially the United States, to take actions against Beijing under the guise of fighting for freedom and democracy. On

Ukraine ceasefire still on table as Trump seeks deal, says Rubio

While Donald Trump had gone into Friday's summit with Putin seeking a ceasefire, he'd emerged saying he was going to focus on a final settlement

Putin agreed to Ukraine security protections in Trump summit: US envoy

Special US envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed at his summit with President Donald Trump to allow the US and European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO's collective defence mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the 3 1/2-year war. We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO," he said on CNN's State of the Union. Witkoff said it was the first time he had heard Putin agree to that. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at a news conference in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that "we welcome President Trump's willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine. and the Coalition of the willing' -- including the European Union -- is ready to do its share. Witkoff, offering some of the first details of what was discuss

New US Air Force policy denies transgender troops discharge hearings

The Air Force says in a new memo that transgender airmen ousted under a recent Trump administration directive will no longer have the chance to argue before a board of their peers for the right to continue serving their country. The memo dated Tuesday says military separation boards cannot independently decide whether to keep or discharge transgender airmen and instead must recommend separation of the member if the airman has a diagnosis of gender dysphoria when a person's biological sex does not match up with their gender identity. Military legal experts who have been advising transgender troops told The Associated Press that the new policy is unlawful, and while they were not aware of the other services releasing similar memos, they fear it could serve as a blueprint across the military. Advocacy groups say the change threatens to weaken trust in the military's leadership. It is the second policy change the Air Force has taken in recent weeks to crack down on transgender service

To Lose a War: How the US slowly lost its way in Afghanistan conflict

A gripping account of two decades in Afghanistan, tracing the Taliban's fall, America's missteps, and the enduring human cost in Jon Lee Anderson's To Lose a War

US-Pakistan ties warm under Trump, marking shift from Biden years

US-Pakistan relations have improved under Donald Trump, with trade, counterterrorism cooperation and political engagement marking a clear departure from the Biden administration's stance

Multiple law enforcement officers shot in Virginia's Pittsylvania County

Multiple law enforcement officers have been shot in southern Virginia, a congressman said. US Rep. John McGuire, who represents Virginia's 5th congressional district, said in a post on X on Wednesday that his thoughts and prayers were with deputies shot in Pittsylvania County. He also extended his thoughts and prayers to the deputies' families. Photos and video from the scene showed a large number of parked police and emergency response vehicles. We are closely following the situation and keeping everyone affected in our hearts during this difficult time, McGuire wrote. Pittsylvania County is located along the state's southern border with North Carolina, about 158 km northwest of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Here's why Maga wants Elon Musk back in Trump's camp ahead of midterms

Maga leaders are urging Elon Musk to reunite with President Donald Trump, saying his support and funding could be key for Republicans to win the upcoming midterm elections

Trump admin's lawsuit against Maryland federal judges critised in court

A judge on Wednesday questioned why it was necessary for the Trump administration to sue Maryland's entire federal bench over an order that paused the immediate deportation of migrants challenging their removals. US District Judge Thomas Cullen didn't issue a ruling following a hearing in federal court in Baltimore, but he expressed skepticism about the administration's extraordinary legal manoeuvre, which attorneys for the Maryland judges called completely unprecedented. Cullen serves in the Western District of Virginia, but he was tapped to oversee the Baltimore case because all of Maryland's 15 federal judges are named as defendants, a highly unusual circumstance that reflects the Republican administration's aggressive response to courts that slow or stop its policies. At issue in the lawsuit is an order signed by Chief Maryland District Judge George L. Russell III that prevents the administration from immediately deporting any immigrants seeking review of their detention in a ..

US national debt hits record $37 trillion years ahead of projections

US national debt reached record USD 37 trillion. The national debt eclipsed this new milestone years sooner than pre-pandemic projections. The Congressional Budget Office's January 2020 projections predicted the US reaching the milestone after fiscal year 2030. But the debt grew faster than expected as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the US economy and the Trump and Biden administrations borrowed heavily to stabilise the national economy.