Page 8 - United States

Ukraine agrees to host another round of US-mediated talks with Russia

President Donald Trump's envoys are intensifying efforts to end Russia's full-scale invasion against Ukraine as it approaches its fifth year and the question of territories is the key sticking point

US adds 130,000 jobs in January, 2024 payrolls cut by nearly 900,000

US employers added a surprisingly strong 1,30,000 jobs last month, but government revisions cut 2024-2025 US payrolls by hundreds of thousands. The unemployment rate fell to 4.3 per cent, the Labour Department said Wednesday. The report included major revisions that reduced the number of jobs created last year to just 1,81,000, weakest since the pandemic year of 2020, and less than half the previously reported 5,84,000. The job market has been sluggish for months even though the economy is registering solid growth. But the January numbers came in stronger than the 75,000 economists had expected. Healthcare accounted for nearly 82,000, or more than 60 per cent, of last month's new jobs. Factories added 5,000, snapping a streak of 13 straight months of job losses. The federal government shed 34,000 jobs. Average hourly wages rose a solid 0.4 per cent from December to January. The unemployment rate fell from 4.4 per cent in December as the number of employed Americans rose and the n

India's massive $500 billion US import ambition raises scepticism: Experts

US President Donald Trump last week said he will slash tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from 50 per cent , sparking relief in India

US reopens El Paso airspace hours after announcing 10-day closure

The move has stranded numerous aircraft from Southwest Airlines and American Airlines at the airport

Except Trump, nobody has stated India's refusal to buy Russian oil: Lavrov

Except US President Donald Trump, nobody else has declared that India will stop buying Russian oil, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the country's parliament Wednesday. Lavrov's comments came two days after Russia accused the US of attempting to prevent India and other countries from buying Russian oil, saying Washington was using a wide range of "coercive" measures, including tariffs, sanctions and direct prohibitions. On Wednesday, responding to a lawmaker in the State Duma (Lower House), Lavrov said, "You mentioned that Donald Trump announced India's agreement to no longer purchase Russian oil. I have not heard such a statement from anyone else, including Prime Minister Modi and other Indian leaders." Lavrov noted that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, setting the trend for India's chairmanship of BRICS, told the first meeting of sherpas in New Delhi that energy security will be one of the top items of the BRICS summit, expected to be attended by Russian President Vladim

US lawmakers push for tighter curbs on China's access to chipmaking tools

The congressional warning over gaps in US export controls comes as China appears to be making breakthroughs Washington has long sought to block

Trump privately weighs exiting the USMCA trade pact he negotiated

A White House official, asked about the discussions, described Trump as the ultimate decision-maker and someone always seeking a better deal for the American people

US' curbs on Venezuela oil business unfairly target Russia: Lavrov

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia would clarify the situation with Washington

US imposes entry ban on Palau Senate chief, Marshall Islands ex-mayor

According to State Department, Palau's Senate chief was designated 'for his involvement in significant corruption on behalf of China-based actors'

Trump admin plans to hold back grant money for some Democratic-led states

President Donald Trump's administration is planning to withhold some public health and transportation money from a group of Democratic-led states. Full details have not been released, including whether the states could take any steps to avoid losing the funding. The federal government cited concerns over fraud and mismanagement of taxpayer dollars, but has not presented evidence beyond remarks from Trump and others in his administration. The approach has become a familiar one for the administration, and this time focuses on frequent targets: California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. Courts have so far temporarily blocked other similar efforts by this administration to restrict funds. The latest effort targets some public health and transportation funds An Office of Management and Budget official confirmed to The Associated Press that the office is telling the US Department of Transportation and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cancel grants totalling more t

US Commerce Secretary admits visiting Epstein island, denies close ties

Lutnick, speaking to a Senate panel, described going to Epstein's island after being asked in Tuesday's hearing about Justice Department documents showing he had planned a visit

US, China can build productive relationship without decoupling: Bessent

Bessent told the conference that the US was working on "retaking sovereignty" from China in strategic industries including critical minerals, semiconductors and medicines

Protest against India-US trade deal our only option: BKU's Rakesh Tikait

Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Tuesday slammed the India-US trade deal and said it will protest it across villages, as he accused the Union government of lying about protecting the interests of farmers. Speaking at a press conference here on the sidelines of a public meeting, Tikait compared the present situation with one in 1992, the period soon after India opened its economy. "The way the India-US deal has happened... It is going to be dangerous for India... We will have to speak out," he said. "It is a one-sided deal, a pressure deal. It is not acceptable for Indian farmers. They will dump subsidised goods, our farmers will not be able to sell their produce," the farmer leader said. Asked about the government's assurance that farmers would be protected, he said, "The government is lying... They can claim anything. Protest is the only way." Tikait said farmers will burn effigies of US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi across villages, and als

US seeking to block India, BRICS from buying Russian crude oil: Lavrov

Russia has accused the US of attempting to prevent India and other countries from buying Russian oil, saying Washington is using a wide range of "coercive" measures, including tariffs, sanctions and direct prohibitions, to fulfil its objective of global economic dominance. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also accused the US of using "unfair methods" to suppress competitors by imposing sanctions on Russian oil companies. "(The US) is attempting to control our trade, investment cooperation, and military-technical ties with major strategic partners, such as India and other BRICS members," Lavrov said in an interview with TV BRICS on Monday. He said that the West is reluctant to relinquish its formerly dominant positions. "With the arrival of the (US President Donald) Trump administration, this struggle to suppress competitors became particularly pronounced and open," he said. Lavrov said that Russia accepted America's proposal on Ukraine during the Alaska talks between President Vladim

US, UK condemn 20 yrs prison sentence to Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai

US' Rubio called it tragic and unjust while British Foreign Secretary Cooper reiterated support to the people of Hong Kong

Top Iran security official to travel to Oman for nuclear talks with US

A top Iranian security official will travel Tuesday to Oman, the Mideast sultanate now mediating talks between Tehran and the United States over the Islamic Republic' nuclear program aimed at halting a possible American strike. Ali Larijani, a former Iranian Parliament speaker who now serves as the secretary to the country's Supreme National Security Council, likely will carry his country's response to the initial round of indirect talks held last week in Muscat with the Americans. Larijani is due to meet with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, the chief intermediary in the talks, and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. IRNA described the talks as "important," without elaborating on what message Larijani will carry. Iran and the U.S. held new nuclear talks last week in Oman. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking Sunday to diplomats at a summit in Tehran, signaled that Iran would stick to its position that it must be able to enrich urani

UN waiting to see how much US intends to pay of $4 billion it owes

The United Nations said Monday it's waiting to find out how much of the nearly USD 4 billion the United States owes the world organisation the Trump administration intends to pay and when the money will arrive. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last week that the world body faces "imminent financial collapse" unless its financial rules are overhauled or all 193 member nations pay their dues, a message clearly directed at the United States. The US owes USD 2.196 billion to the UN's regular operating budget, including USD 767 million for this year, according to a UN official. The US also owes USD 1.8 billion for the separate budget for the UN's far-flung peacekeeping operations, and that also will rise. The US Mission to the United Nations confirmed that US Ambassador Mike Waltz said the Trump administration planned to make a significant down payment on its arrears in a matter of weeks, with the final amount still to be determined. His comments were first reported by ...

US trims Bangladesh tariffs to 19%, eases access for some garments

Bangladesh on Monday secured a reduced 19 per cent tariff under a trade agreement with the United States that would exempt some textiles and garments manufactured with US materials, interim government chief Muhammad Yunus said. In an X post, he said Washington had "committed to establishing a mechanism for certain textile and apparel goods from Bangladesh using US-produced cotton and man-made fibre to receive zero reciprocal tariff in (the) US market". Yunus, known for his pro-US stance, said the deal was reached after nine months of negotiations since April last year. Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department or any office of the Trump administration made no immediate comment on the development. According to Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman, Bangladesh's key export-earning ready-made garments (RMG) made from cotton and synthetic fibres imported from the US would enjoy zero reciprocal duty under the deal. He said the agreement was signed in Washington by Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bash

China asks banks to curb US Treasury exposure as bond market jitters grow

Chinese officials had urged banks to limit purchases of US government bonds, and instructed those with high exposure to pare their positions, according to sources

Datanomics: India's agricultural trade with US remains marginal

Two-thirds of India's imports of tree nuts (such as almonds and pistachios) came from the US alone