Page 52 - United States

Andhra police arrestes international cyber fraud syndicate, 33 held

The Andhra Pradesh police has busted an alleged international cyber fraud syndicate operating from Achyutapuram here, with the arrest of 33 people and seized high-end tech equipment and Rs 3 lakh cash. Anakapalli district Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Vishnu Swaroop led simultaneous raids at three major locations on Thursday following a complaint from a Village Revenue Officer and intelligence inputs. Items including computers, network devices, and luxury furnishings were seized. This was a full-fledged call center targeting United States (US) citizens through impersonation and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) scams using Amazon support as a cover, Swaroop told PTI on Friday. According to police, job seekers were hired through online portals, trained in impersonation techniques, and then deployed for scam calls to extract sensitive financial information from US citizens The recruits, mostly from Assam and northeast India, were provided food and accommodation. In a week t

DOGE targets Census Bureau, raises concerns over US data infrastructure

The group run by Elon Musk and his aides to cut federal spending in the second Trump administration is targeting some surveys conducted by the US Census Bureau it claims are wasteful," worrying users of federal data already concerned about the health of the nation's statistical infrastructure. The Department of Government Efficiency said on social media this week that five surveys costing $16.5 million that are conducted by the statistical agency for other federal agencies have been terminated but didn't specify which ones. Some of the questions on the eliminated surveys asked about alcohol consumption and the frequency that respondents used the internet in their home, according to the post. Other surveys are being reviewed one-by-one, said Tuesday's post on DOGE's X account. The Census Bureau didn't respond this week to an inquiry seeking comment. Based on the post, it's highly possible that the eliminated surveys included the Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, which gathered ...

Iran and US hold fifth round of nuclear talks in Rome over enrichment

Iran and the United States prepared for a fifth round of negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme Friday in Rome, with enrichment emerging as the key issue. US officials from President Donald Trump down insist Iran cannot continue to enrich uranium at all in any deal that could see sanctions lifted on Tehran's struggling economy. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi early Friday insisted online that no enrichment would mean we do NOT have a deal. Figuring out the path to a deal is not rocket science, Araghchi wrote on the social platform X. Time to decide. The US will be again represented in the talks by Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Michael Anton, the State Department's policy planning director. While authorities haven't offered a location for the talks, another round in Italy's capital took place at the Omani Embassy there. Oman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi is mediating the negotiations as the sultanate on the Arabian Peninsula has been a trusted .

Ishiba calls for investment focus, not tariffs, in Trump call before talks

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday that he held telephone talks with US President Donald Trump and agreed to hold productive" discussions at an upcoming tariff talks between the two sides. Investment, not tariffs, Ishiba told reporters after the talks. He said Japan's position to keep pushing Washington to drop all recent tariff measures is unchanged and that he stands by plans to push for Japanese investment to create more jobs in the US in exchange. The two leaders held talks just after Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, headed to Washington for a third round of talks with his US counterparts. In the earlier rounds of talks, the US had not agreed to the Japanese requests. Ishiba said he reminded Trump that Japan's position was for the US administration to scrap all recent tariffs on imports from Japan, to which the US president made no specific response. I expressed my expectations for productive discussion to be held,

Donald Trump's crypto dinner raises questions about personal profit

President Donald Trump rewarded top investors in one of his cryptocurrency projects with a swanky dinner on Thursday night, an event that showed the ascendance of an emerging financial industry and also the president's willingness to mix public office with personal profit. Some 220 of the biggest investors in the $TRUMP meme coin were invited to Trump's luxury golf club in Northern Virginia, where they dined on filet mignon and halibut. According to participants' posts on social media, Trump spoke for about half an hour before dancing to the song YMCA. Despite the White House insisting that Trump would be attending the event in his personal time, he stood behind a lectern with the presidential seal as he touted an industry that's generating profits for his family business. After feeling unfairly targeted under President Joe Biden, the crypto industry has quickly become a powerful political force, donating huge sums to help Trump and friendly lawmakers. The U.S. Senate is advancing

Israeli PM Netanyahu condemns diplomat killings, thanks US for support

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed strong condemnation of the cold-blooded murder of two Israeli diplomats in the US.In his remarks delivered via a video message shared on X, the Israeli PM said, "Last night in Washington something horrific happened. A brutal terrorist shot in cold blood a young beautiful couple - Yaron Lischinsky and Sara Milgrim. Yaron had just bought an engagement ring for Sarah. He was planning to give it to her in Jerusalem next week. They were planning to start a new and happy life together. Well, that tragically did not happen. Yaron and Sarah weren't the victims of a random crime. The terrorist who cruelly gunned them down did so for one reason and one reason alone - he wanted to kill Jews."He debunked the claims of food aid not reaching Gaza with facts and figures.In a significant announcement, the Israeli PM said, "As for the hostages, we'll do every effort to secure them. I'm ready for a temporary ceasefire to get more out but we demand, ...

Donald Trump's $600 mn war chest: His strategy for midterms and beyond

Between a barrage of executive orders, foreign trips and norm-shattering proclamations, Donald Trump has also been busy raking in cash. The president has amassed a war chest of at least USD 600 million in political donations heading into the midterm elections, according to three people familiar with the matter. It's an unprecedented sum in modern politics, particularly for a lame-duck president who is barred by the U.S. Constitution from running again. Trump is keeping an aggressive fundraising schedule with the ultimate goal of raising USD 1 billion or more to back his agenda and hold the House and Senate next November, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share internal details of the fundraising efforts. The preoccupation with fundraising might seem highly unusual for a president who was notably averse to dialing for dollars when he first ran. But according to people familiar with his thinking, it makes perfect sense: By amassing money, Trump amasses ..

US judge blocks Donald Trump's effort to shutter education department

Education Department spokesperson, Madi Biedermann, said in a statement that the administration would contest Joun's ruling.

'Early tranche' of trade deal between India, US may be sealed soon

First phase might include a tariff reduction and focus on the priority non-tariff barriers faced by exporters

Most US states now restrict cellphone use in schools, with more to follow

Florida was the first state to pass a law regulating the use of cellphones in schools in 2023. Just two years later, more than half of all states have laws in place, with more likely to act soon. Bills have sprinted through legislatures this year in states as varied as New York and Oklahoma, reflecting a broad consensus that phones are bad for kids. Connecticut state Rep Jennifer Leeper, a Democrat and co-chair of the General Assembly's Education Committee, on May 13 called phones a cancer on our kids that are driving isolation, loneliness, decreasing attention and having major impacts both on social-emotional well-being but also learning. Republicans express similar sentiments. This is a not just an academic bill, Republican Rep Scott Hilton said after Georgia's bill, which only bans phones in grades K-8, passed in March. This is a mental health bill. It's a public safety bill. So far, 26 states have passed laws, with eight other states and the District of Columbia implementing r

Trump confronts South African president over killing of white farmers

The South African leader had sought to use the meeting to set the record straight and salvage his country's relationship with the United States

₹4,000 for a jhola? Nordstrom's 'designer bag' leaves desis in shock

An everyday Indian jhola, usually sold for ₹100, is now retailing at ₹4,000 in the US-triggering disbelief, memes, and business ideas from desis online

Earth braces for major solar storm; NASA warns of GPS outages, blackouts

NASA and NOAA issue global alerts after the year's most powerful solar flare triggers radio blackouts; satellite and power grid disruptions may follow as solar activity intensifies

Why did US reject 25 MT of mangoes? India alleges inspection lapse

India alleges US inspectors bypassed protocol during mango inspections, leading to destruction of 25 MT fruit and loss of $500,000 for exporters

IMF's Gita Gopinath says US needs to curb fiscal deficit, fix debt burden

Gopinath's remarks follow Moody's downgrade of the US credit rating and highlight rising debt, tax cuts and persistent trade uncertainty under Trump

What is Golden Dome, Trump's ambitious $175 billion missile defence system?

Donald Trump unveils $175 billion 'Golden Dome' missile shield to counter China, Russia; first US weapon system in space, to be operational in three years; Canada shows interest in joining project

Mega-tsunami on the horizon? US coastal states may have only 10-min to flee

A massive earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone could trigger a devastating mega-tsunami, threatening Alaska, Hawaii, and the Pacific Northwest with little warning

More severe storms hit central US as thousands recover from tornadoes

More tornadoes ploughed through the central US on Monday, ripping apart buildings and knocking out power as people from Texas to Kentucky continued to clean up from days of severe weather that killed more than two dozen people and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings. At least four tornadoes were confirmed in Oklahoma and Nebraska on Monday evening, according to a preliminary report from the National Weather Service. Across Oklahoma, at least 10 homes were destroyed and multiple buildings were damaged, including a fire station that was wiped out, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. A spokesperson for the agency said they have not received any reports of injuries or deaths. Around 115,000 customers were without power in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri, according to PowerOutage.us. Parts of several highways were also closed due to flooding or storm damage. In northwest Arkansas, severe weather caused a Halsey concert to be cancelled. And in Oklahoma,

Reagan, Carter and Biden: A history of US presidents diagnosed with cancer

As Joe Biden begins treatment for prostate cancer, here's a look at other US presidents who faced cancer diagnoses and how their cases were managed

More storms target central US as recovery efforts continue after tornado

More severe storms were expected to roll across the central US this week following the weather-related deaths of more than two dozen people and a devastating Kentucky tornado. The National Weather Service said a multitude of hazardous weather would impact the US over the next several days from thunderstorms and potentially baseball-sized hail on the Plains, to heavy mountain snow in the West and dangerous heat in the South. Areas at risk of thunderstorms include communities in Kentucky and Missouri that were hit by Friday's tornadoes. In London, Kentucky, people whose houses were destroyed scrambled Sunday to put tarps over salvageable items or haul them away for safe storage, said Zach Wilson. His parents' house was in ruins, their belongings scattered. We're trying the hardest to get anything that looks of value and getting it protected, especially pictures and papers and things like that, he said. Here's the latest on the recent storms, some tornado history and where to look o