Page 5 - United States

India likely to join US-led 'Pax Silica' strategic bloc on Friday: Report

India is likely to formally join a US-led strategic alliance, known as 'Pax Silica', which is aimed at building a resilient supply chain for critical minerals and artificial intelligence. The move comes amid efforts by the two sides to finalise the proposed trade deal and move forward on several other initiatives to solidify the bilateral ties after a spell of severe strain in the relations. India is likely to formally join the 'Pax Silica' initiative on Friday, people familiar with the matter said. The initiative was launched in December to build a secure, resilient, and innovation-driven supply chain for critical minerals and artificial intelligence (AI). The Pax Silica Summit was held in Washington on December 12 where partner nations signed the Pax Silica declaration. The declaration lays out a shared vision of deep economic and technology cooperation across supply chains -- from raw materials through semiconductors and AI infrastructure -- and commitment to mutual prosperity

Indian-origin former Optum director convicted for hiring 'ghost employee'

A former senior director at Optum was convicted on multiple fraud charges for hiring an unqualified friend in a no-show job and receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks

Iran says it agreed with US on principles for potential nuclear deal

The two sides will each draft and exchange texts for a deal before setting a date for a third round of talks, he said, cautioning that the next stage would be "more difficult and detailed"

US scraps rule that granted electric vehicles higher fuel economy credits

The DOE said it had concluded that the fuel content factor was "unlawful" and was issuing a rule to immediately remove it from fuel economy calculations

NYC Mayor Mamdani threatens 10% property tax hike as last-resort option

What's more, City Council leadership is adamant they oppose a property-tax increase. The proposal would need approval from the council to be implemented

US-brokered Russia-Ukraine peace talks end with no breakthrough seen

The latest US-brokered talks between envoys from Moscow and Kyiv over Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine ended Wednesday with no sign of a breakthrough and with both sides saying the talks were "difficult," as the war's fourth anniversary approaches next week. The negotiations in Switzerland were the third round of direct talks organised by the US, after meetings earlier this year in Abu Dhabi that officials described as constructive but which also made no major headway. Expectations for significant progress in Geneva were low. "The negotiations were not easy," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the talks broke up and he spoke briefly by phone from Kyiv with his negotiating team. He earlier accused Russia of "trying to drag out negotiations" while it presses on with its invasion - an accusation he and European leaders have repeatedly made in the past. Despite that, some progress was made on military issues although political differences remain deep, including ove

Oil edges up after 2% drop as focus turns to US-Iran negotiations

Political consultancy Eurasia Group said in a Tuesday note ‌to clients that it thinks there is a 65 per cent probability of U.S. military strikes against Iran by the end of April

Ukrainian, Russian envoys hold second day of US-brokered talks in Geneva

Envoys from Moscow and Kyiv met Wednesday in Geneva for a second consecutive day of US-brokered talks, with officials trying to bridge political and military differences stemming from Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago. "Consultations are taking place in working groups by areas within the political and military tracks," the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, wrote in English on X. "We are working on clarifying the parameters and mechanisms of the decisions discussed yesterday." The negotiations in Switzerland are the third round of direct talks organised by the US, after meetings earlier this year in Abu Dhabi that officials described as constructive but yielded no breakthrough. US President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on social media that Washington's push for peace in Ukraine over the past year has "brought about meaningful progress." He didn't elaborate, and the fighting has continued. The two armies are locked in battle on the

YouTube down for more than 320,000 users in US, shows Downdetector

There were 321,958 incidents of people reporting issues with the social media platform

Mamdani threatens to raise NYC property taxes by 10% as last-resort option

Mamdani was elected on a wave of optimism and lofty promises to bring free childcare, no-cost buses, and a rent freeze to New Yorkers struggling in a city that has become increasingly unaffordable

Freed after 43 years, Indian-origin man denied bail in deportation case

An Indian-origin man who spent 43 years in prison before his murder conviction was overturned - only to be taken straight into immigration custody - was denied bail Tuesday while he fights deportation. Subramanyam Vedam, 64, will remain in custody while he appeals a 1999 deportation order. The Board of Immigration Appeals agreed this month to hear his appeal based on what it called exceptional circumstances. The Trump administration had initially pursued a quick deportation and moved Vedam to a detention centre in Louisiana last fall, before two separate courts intervened. Vedam's lawyer argued Tuesday that he would have likely been spared deportation and become a citizen if not for the murder case, given immigration laws in place at the time. Vedam would have left prison on a drug charge by 1992, lawyer Ava Benach said. "It was delivery of LSD on a very small scale. This is not importing tons of cocaine," Benach said Tuesday. "He is not a danger to the community. We are talking ab

An illiberal tilt: A clash of civilisations with American characteristics

India will be hosting Brics Plus summit later this year. The grouping has major powers with significant independent agency and is certainly not a mere market to be carved up among countries of West

Crude falls 2% as progress in US-Iran talks raises market optimism

The talks took place amid a US military buildup in the Middle East. Iran's supreme leader said on Tuesday that any US attempt to depose his government would fail

Eli Lilly eyes India as global manufacturing hub amid rising drug demand

Sales of the blockbuster weight-loss drug doubled within months of its launch in India, and became its top-selling medicine by value

Cyber threats a risk, but financial sector well equipped: DFS secretary

US tariff easing brightens outlook for Indian exporters, says DFS secy Nagaraju

Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader who sought US presidency, dies at 84

An impassioned orator, he was a moral and political force who formed a "rainbow coalition" of poor and working-class people. His mission, he said, was "to transform the mind of America"

US open to tweaking steel, aluminum tariff enforcement: Jamieson Greer

Administration officials have been working to narrow the scope of the duties, which not only touch the metals themselves but dozens of products that contain them

Iran temporarily closes Strait of Hormuz for drills as talks with US resume

Iran announced the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday for live fire military drills in a rare show of force as its negotiators held another round of indirect talks with the United States in Geneva over its disputed nuclear programme. It was the first time Iran has announced the closure of the key international waterway, through which 20 per cent of the world's oil passes, since the US began threatening Iran and rushing military assets to the region. It marks a further escalation in a weekslong standoff that could ignite another war in the Middle East. As the talks began, Iran's state media announced that it had fired live missiles toward the Strait and would close it for several hours for "safety and maritime concerns." The semiofficial Tasnim news agency, which is close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said missiles launched inside Iran and along its coast had struck their targets in the Strait. Iranian state TV later said the talks had wrapped up after

Nuclear talks with US in Geneva end after 3-hour meet: Iranian state media

Iranian state TV says the latest round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States ended after almost three hours. The negotiations held in Geneva came as Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz for live fire drills. The US and Iran were holding their second round of talks about Iran's nuclear programme on Tuesday in Geneva as Iran said it will close the Strait of Hormuz for several hours for live fire military exercises and the United States ramps up its military forces in the region.