Page 82 - United States

US takes offer, deports 119 migrants from diverse nationalities to Panama

Panama has received the first US flight carrying deportees from other nations as the Trump administration takes Panama up on its offer to act as a stopover for expelled migrants, the Central American nation's president said Thursday. Yesterday a flight from the United States Air Force arrived with 119 people from diverse nationalities of the world, President Jos Ral Mulino said Thursday in his weekly press briefing. He said there were migrants from China, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan aboard. The president said it was the first of three planned flights that were expected to total about 360 people. It's not something massive, he said. The migrants were expected to be moved to a shelter in Panama's Darien region before being returned to their countries, Mulino said. Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Mulino in Panama. While US President Donald Trump's demands to retake control of the Panama Canal dominated the visit, Mulino also discussed Panama's efforts to

Protests erupt against B'desh's Muhammad Yunus outside Blair House in US

The protestors chanted Step down Yunus, we want justice, we want Sheikh Hasina

Donald Trump's third-term musings seem more tease than serious pledge

President Donald Trump has just started his second term, his last one permitted under the US Constitution. But he's already started making quips about serving a third one. Am I allowed to run again? Trump joked during the House Republican retreat in Florida last month. Whether teasing or taunting, it seems to be part of a pattern. Just a week after he won election last fall, Trump suggested in a meeting with House Republicans that he might want to stick around after his second term was over. "I suspect I won't be running again unless you say, He's so good we got to figure something else out,' Trump said to laughs from the lawmakers. Over the years, Trump and his supporters have often joked about him serving more than his two constitutionally permitted terms. But his musings often spark alarm among his critics, given that he unsuccessfully tried to overturn his 2020 election loss and has since pardoned supporters who violently attacked the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021. But Trump, who w

US Senate to vote on Robert Kennedy Jr's bid to become nation's health secy

The Senate is expected to vote Thursday on the confirmation of Robert F Kennedy Jr, a prominent lawyer and vocal vaccine critic, as the nation's health secretary, controlling USD 1.7 trillion in spending for vaccines, food safety and health insurance programs for roughly half the country. Despite several Republicans expressing deep skepticism about his views on vaccines, Kennedy is expected to win confirmation, absent any last-minute changes. Kennedy, 71, whose famous name and family tragedies have put him in the national spotlight since he was a child, has earned a formidable following with his populist and sometimes extreme views on food, chemicals and vaccines. His audience only grew during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Kennedy devoted much of his time to a nonprofit that sued vaccine makers and harnessed social media campaigns to erode trust in vaccines as well as the government agencies that promote them. With the backing of Republican President Donald Trump, Kennedy believes

Musk, DOGE see their powers expand while federal staff, remit stay shrouded

President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on Tuesday that makes DOGE even more powerful

75,000 US federal workers accept Trump's buyout programme, judge approves

The buyout is one of many approaches Trump is taking to slash a civilian workforce of 2.3 million that he has blasted as ineffective and biased against him

PM Modi meets US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard, discusses India-US ties

PM Modi arrived in the US for a two-day visit at the invitation of US President Donald Trump

US CFPB likely terminates some probationary staff due to inefficiency

The removal is a possibility as White House asked agencies for lists of probationary employees and recommendations on whether they should stay- a move by administration to neutralize CFPB

Is Elon Musk taking over the US govt: Here's how state capture works

Musk's aim could be to capture different pieces of the US government and turn the state into a tool for wealth extraction

Jordan agrees to take in Palestinian children after Trump's US aid threat

Donald Trump has praised the Jordanian leader's commitment to accepting sick Palestinian children, calling it a 'beautiful' act

Elon Musk, other Trump allies ratchet up a rhetoric against US judiciary

Musk took to his X social media platform to attack the judge who ordered US health agencies to temporarily restore websites they took offline in response to an executive order by Trump

4 employees fired over payments reimbursing NY for migrants' hotel costs

Four federal employees were fired Tuesday over payments to reimburse New York City for hotel costs for migrants, Department of Homeland Security officials said. The workers are accused of circumventing leadership to make the transactions, which have been standard for years through a program that helps with costs to care for a surge in migration. However, officials did not give details on how the four had violated any policies. On Monday, President Donald Trump's aide Elon Musk posted on X that his team had discovered payments used to house migrants in luxury hotels with money intended for disaster relief. Musk blasted the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is part of Homeland Security, and called the payments gross insubordination. FEMA's acting administrator, Cameron Hamilton, later said the payments were suspended and the employees who authorized them would be held accountable. The terminated employees were FEMA's chief financial officer, two program analysts and a grant

PM Modi meets US VP JD Vance, wife Usha and their kids in Paris

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US Vice President J D Vance and his Indian-origin wife along with their two young sons on the sidelines of the AI Action Summit here. PM Modi posted images of the Tuesday meeting on X, showing the Vance family including their sons Ewan and Vivek with the PM. The Prime Minister's post read: Had a wonderful meeting with US VP J.D. Vance and his family. We had a great conversation on various subjects. "Delighted to join them in celebrating the joyous birthday of their son, Vivek! Vance also took to social media to thank "gracious and kind" Modi as he referenced gifts the prime minister offered to his kids. "Prime Minister Modi was gracious and kind, and our kids really enjoyed the gifts. I'm grateful to him for the wonderful conversation," he said. Earlier, in a video shared by PMO India, the Prime Minister was seen holding bilateral talks with Vance, while his wife Usha watched on. It came soon after Vance's address at the summit, in which he welcom

India plans to cut tariffs on 30 products to avoid US reciprocal duties

India may cut tariffs on over 30 products and boost US imports in defence and energy to avoid higher reciprocal duties from Washington, aiming to ease trade tensions and strengthen ties

OYO to invest $10 million in US-based G6 Hospitality's digital assets

Travel tech unicorn OYO on Tuesday announced its plans to invest USD 10 million to grow the digital assets of US-based G6 Hospitality, including its website and app. OYO recently acquired iconic American budget hotel chain Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands from Blackstone Real Estate for USD 525 million in an all-cash transaction, as it eyes expansion in the US. The company plans to accelerate G6 Hospitality's growth, targeting the addition of over 150 hotels in 2025 under the Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands. This expansion is expected to strengthen the brands' presence in key markets such as Texas, California, Georgia and Arizona. "The company plans to focus on growing the Motel 6 website and the My6 app. It aims to increase app installs by 4X before the summer season kicks in and will also use advanced digital targeting strategies, focusing on high-intent customers through direct partnerships with leading digital platforms like Google and Microsoft," OYO said in a statement. The investme

Testimony in trial of man accused of trying to kill Rushdie enters 2nd day

Testimony is set to continue Tuesday in the trial of the man charged with stabbing famed author Salman Rushdie in a frenzied knife attack on a western New York stage. Jurors in the trial of Hadi Matar, 27, on Monday heard from staffers at the arts institution where Rushdie was set to give a speech in August 2022, when authorities say the Fairview, New Jersey man attacked the author on stage and stabbed him more than a dozen times. Rushdie himself is expected to testify during the trial. Matar has been in custody since he was subdued by spectators after the attack. He has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and assault. The 77-year-old author was blinded in one eye in the attack and spent months recovering, a process he detailed in a memoir released last year. A speaker who was to appear with Rushdie also was wounded. The trial is projected to last up to two weeks. Jurors are expected to be shown video and photos from the day of the attack. They are unlikely, however, to hear a

US cyber agency puts poll security staffers who worked with states on leave

Staffers at the nation's cybersecurity agency whose job is to ensure the security of U.S. elections have been placed on administrative leave, jeopardizing critical support provided to state and local election offices across the country. In recent days, 17 employees of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency who have worked with election officials to provide assessments and trainings dealing with a range of threats from cyber and ransomware attacks to physical security of election workers have been placed on leave pending a review, according to a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly. Ten of those employees are regional election security specialists hired as part of an effort to expand field staff and election security expertise ahead of the 2024 election. The regional staffers were told the internal review would examine efforts to combat attempts by foreign governments to influence US elections, duties that were assigned to othe

Space tech firm Digantara eyes $30 million revenue with US expansion

The Bengaluru-based startup plans to invest $10 million to $15 million over the next six to eight months to establish a spacecraft manufacturing and space optics production facility in Colorado

Labour unions sue to block DOGE access to private info at US agencies

A coalition of labor unions filed a lawsuit Monday asking a federal court to stop Elon Musk's team from accessing private data at the Education Department, the Treasury Department and the Office of Personnel Management. The suit, led by the American Federation of Teachers, alleges the Trump administration violated federal privacy laws when it gave Musk's Department of Government Efficiency access to systems with personal information on tens of millions of Americans without their consent. It was filed in federal court in Maryland. It's the latest in a flurry of legal challenges to Musk's growing influence over federal agencies he has promised to slash or dismantle. A federal judge in New York blocked Musk's team from a Treasury Department system on Saturday after 19 Democratic attorneys general sued over privacy concerns. Also Monday, DOGE cut about $900 million in Education Department contracts after concluding they were a waste of taxpayer money, a department spokesperson said. The

Donald Trump's metal tariffs put India exports at risk, spark glut fears

Besides 25% duty on all steel, aluminium imports, US plans 'reciprocal tariffs'