Page 81 - United States

Ukraine, Europe will be part of 'real' peace talks to end war, says Rubio

Rubio said a negotiation process had not yet begun in earnest, and if talks advanced, the Ukrainians and other Europeans would be brought into the fold.

Third batch of Indian deportees from US being sent to respective states

The third batch arrived just after a day the second batch landed in Amritsar

Punjabi speakers lead Indian asylum claims at the US border: Study

The study has concluded that 66 per cent of illegal Indian immigrants to the US in the past two decades spoke Punjabi, followed by 14 per cent speaking Hindi and 8 per cent who spoke Gujarati

Highlights: Congress demands resignation of Ashwini Vaishnaw over deadly stampede at NDLS

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In Ukraine, potential arms-for-minerals deal inspires hope, scepticism

The mineral ilmenite is extracted from mounds of sand deep in the earth and refined using a method that summons the force of gravity, resulting in a substance that glimmers like a moonlit sky. Ukraine boasts vast reserves of ilmenite a key element used to produce titanium in the heavy mineral sands that stretch for miles along the country's embattled east. Much of it, as with all of Ukraine's critical minerals industry, is underdeveloped because of war as well as onerous state policies. That is poised to change if US President Donald Trump's administration agrees to a deal with Ukraine to exchange critical minerals for continued American military aid. In the central region of Kirovohrad, the ilmenite open-pit mine is a canyon of precious deposits that its owner is keen to develop with US companies. But many unknowns stand in the way of turning these riches into profit: cost, licensing terms and whether such a deal will be underpinned by security guarantees. Ukrainian President .

Rubio begins Mideast trip as Arab leaders reel from Trump's Gaza plan

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is kicking of a Mideast tour in Israel on Sunday, as Arab leaders reel from President Donald Trump's proposal to transfer the Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip to other countries and redevelop it under US ownership. On Rubio's first visit to the region as America's top diplomat he is likely to get a warm welcome from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has praised the plan, and pushback from Arab leaders, who have universally rejected it and are scrambling to come up with a counterproposal. The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas meanwhile remains intact after a major dispute threatened to unravel it last week. But the sides face a fast-approaching deadline in early March to negotiate the next phase, and the war may resume if they don't reach an agreement. Netanyahu has signalled readiness to resume the war after the current stage, even if that would leave dozens of hostages in captivity. At the same time, he has offered Hamas

US offered Ukraine deal to access minerals but offered little in return

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he directed his ministers not to sign off on a proposed agreement to give the United States access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals because the document was too focused on US interests. The proposal, which was at the centre of Zelenskyy's talks with US Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, did not offer any specific security guarantees in return, according to one current and one former senior official familiar with the talks. Zelenskyy's decision to reject a deal, at least for now, was described as short-sighted by a senior White House official. I didn't let the ministers sign a relevant agreement because in my view it is not ready to protect us, our interest, Zelenskyy told The Associated Press on Saturday in Munich. The proposal focused on how the US could use Kyiv's rare earth minerals as compensation for support already given to Ukraine by the Biden administration and as payment for fut

Musk-led-DOGE scraps 'strengthening political landscape in B'desh' project

In a bid to cut government spending, the DOGE, led by Tesla CEO said it is cancelling a $29 million funding

Indian Americans hail PM Modi's visit to US, constructive talks with Trump

The diaspora members not only welcomed the constructive dialogue between the two leaders but also saw significant potential for collaboration on global challenges

Trump committed to ending Ukraine war, says Rubio to Russia's Lavrov

According to a statement released by the US State Department spokesperson's office, the two leaders also discussed the opportunity to potentially work together on other bilateral issues

Indian student community contributes over $8 bn annually to US economy

A joint statement issued after a bilateral meeting between PM Modi and President Trump said the leaders agreed to put in place conducive frameworks to encourage the formation of a global workplace

Trump's reciprocal tax plan sets off alarm bells amid global trade war buzz

The European Commission on Friday said the US's 'reciprocal' policy is a step in the wrong direction and will react firmly and immediately against unjustified barriers to free and fair trade

News updates: Meeting with farmer leaders held in cordial atmosphere, says Pralhad Joshi

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'Let's buy California': Danes clapback at Trump's attempt to buy Greenland

People of Denmark offer rule of law, universal healthcare, informed politics and more to Californians in petition to buy the state from Trump

Trump admin halts $400 mn armoured Tesla purchase by US State Department

US President Donald Trump had signed executive orders to roll back EV incentives and regulations, reversing the previous administration's climate policies

Texmaco, Trinity Group ink global supply pact to boost rail solutions

Texmaco Rail & Engineering Ltd on Friday said it has entered into a global supply and services agreement with US-based Trinity Rail Group LLC to strengthen collaboration in rolling stock manufacturing and technology integration. Under the pact, Texmaco will serve as a key supplier of rolling stock components, including foundry products, for North America and other global markets. Trinity will provide advanced technology solutions to co-develop next-generation rolling stock designed for higher payloads, catering to Indian Railways, private players, and international clients. As part of the agreement, the companies will establish a Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Faridabad to drive innovation in rail technology. The partnership will also explore new business opportunities beyond India and North America, with focus on developing new freight car designs, according to a release. This collaboration with Trinity Rail Group is a landmark achievement for Texmaco and the Indian rail ...

EPA chief seeks return of $20 bn in clean-energy grants awarded by Biden

In a major reversal, the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency said he will try to rescind USD 20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects. In a video posted on X, Administrator Lee Zeldin said the EPA would revoke contracts for a still-emerging green bank that is set to fund tens of thousands of projects to fight climate change and promote environmental justice. The programme, approved under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, is formally known as the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, but is more commonly called the green bank. Two initiatives, worth USD 14 billion and USD 6 billion respectively, are intended to offer competitive grants to nonprofits, community development banks and other groups for projects with a focus on disadvantaged communities. The programme is a favourite of Democrats who passed President Joe Biden's signature climate law without a single Republican vote, and former EPA Administrator Michael Regan ...

Plane carrying Marco Rubio forced to return to US ahead of Europe trip

An Air Force plane carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Sen Jim Risch, to Germany for the Munich Security Conference was forced to return to Washington late Thursday after developing a mechanical issue. This evening, en route from Washington to Munich, the plane on which Secretary Rubio is flying experienced a mechanical issue, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said. "The plane has turned around and is returning to Joint Base Andrews, she said. The secretary intends to continue his travel to Germany and the Middle East on a separate air craft. The issue with what one official said had to do with the cockpit windshield on the C-32, a converted Boeing 757, occurred about 90 minutes after the flight took off from Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington. Although Rubio plans to resume his journey on a new plane it was not immediately clear if the delay would cause him to miss a scheduled Friday morning meeting with Vice Presid

PM Modi departs for India after concluding 'very substantive' visit to US

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has departed for India after concluding his visit to the US during which he held high-level bilateral talks with President Donald Trump on a wide range of subjects, including trade and technology, defence and security, energy and people-to-people ties. Modi arrived in the US from France on Wednesday. He was hosted by Trump on Thursday for their first bilateral talks since the Republican leader assumed the US presidency for a second term last month. During the talks, India and the US decided to take a big leap in broad-basing their strategic ties in several critical areas, including defence, energy, and critical technology. Both sides also exchanged views on regional and international developments of mutual interest. In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said he had an "excellent" meeting with President Trump and that their talks "will add significant momentum to the India-USA friendship!" "President Trump often talks about MAGA. In India, we are working .

Trump admin lays off probationary govt workers, warns more cuts to come

The Trump administration has intensified its sweeping efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce, the US' largest employer, by ordering agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees who had not yet gained civil service protection potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of workers. In addition, workers at some agencies on Thursday were warned that large workplace cuts would be coming. The decision on probationary workers, who generally have less than a year on the job, came from the Office of Personnel Management, which serves as a human resources department for the federal government. The notification was confirmed by a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss it publicly. It's expected to be the first step in sweeping layoffs. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that told agency leaders to plan for large-scale reductions in force. Elon Musk, whom President Trump has .