Page 84 - United States

Newly disclosed documents reveal more details of evidence in 9/11 attacks

Newly unsealed documents give one of the most detailed views yet of the evidence gathered on the accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, including how prosecutors allege he and others interacted with the hijackers who carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks. The summaries of evidence released Thursday include Mohammed's own statements over the years, phone records and other documents alleging coordination between Mohammed and the hijackers, videos included in al-Qaida's planning for the attacks and prosecutors' summaries of government simulations of the flights of the four airliners that day. But few other details were given. Also to be presented are the photos and death certificates of 2,976 people killed that day at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field, where the fourth airliner commandeered by the al-Qaida hijackers smashed into the ground after a revolt by passengers. The newly revealed framework of military prosecutors' potential case ...

Democratic AGs challenge Musk's staff access to Americans' personal data

Democratic attorneys general in several states vowed Thursday to file a lawsuit to stop Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency's from accessing federal payment systems containing Americans' sensitive personal information. A dozen attorneys general, including New York's Letitia James, said in a statement that they were taking action in defense of our Constitution, our right to privacy, and the essential funding that individuals and communities nationwide are counting on." As the richest man in the world, Elon Musk is not used to being told no,' but in our country, no one is above the law," the statement said. "The President does not have the power to give away our private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon. Government officials and labor unions have been among those raising concerns about DOGE's involvement with the payment system f

Equipment may have started blaze that erupted during LA firestorm: Utility

A California utility said Thursday that its equipment may have sparked a small wildfire in Los Angeles that broke out the same day as two massive blazes in the area that killed at least 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes. Southern California Edison said the Los Angeles Fire Department is investigating the cause of the Hurst Fire and believes the utility's equipment caused the blaze, which did not destroy any structures or cause any deaths. In a required filing with state utility regulators, SCE said absent additional evidence, SCE believes its equipment may be associated with ignition of the Hurst Fire. In a second filing, the utility said it is looking into whether an idle transmission line became energised and possibly sparked the deadly Eaton Fire, which also sparked January 7 devastated Altadena. But it still maintains there's no evidence that its equipment was responsible for starting that blaze. The utility acknowledged last month that fire agencies are investigating

Nissan Motor seeking new partners as deal with Honda set to collapse

The Japanese carmaker is looking for a partner that would ideally be from the technology sector and US-based

US set to unveil Trump plan to end three-year Russia-Ukraine conflict

The blueprint would be set out for allies by Trump's special representative for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, the people said on condition of anonymity

Panama's prez denies making deal that US ships can transit canal for free

Panamanian President Jos Ral Mulino on Thursday denied the US State Department's claim that his country had reached a deal allowing US warships to transit the Panama Canal for free. Mulino said he had told US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Wednesday that he could neither set the fees to transit the canal nor exempt anyone from them and that he was surprised by the US State Department's statement suggesting otherwise late Wednesday. I completely reject that statement yesterday, Mulino said during his weekly press conference, adding that he had asked Panama's ambassador in Washington to dispute the State Department's statement. On Wednesday evening, the US State Department said via X that US government vessels can now transit the Panama Canal without charge fees, saving the US government millions of dollars a year. The department had no immediate comment Thursday on Mulino's remarks. The differing versions came just days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Mulino a

US Secretary of State to skip G20 summit: 'South Africa doing bad things'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will skip the G20 summit, accusing South Africa of pushing an 'anti-American' agenda and criticising its stance on DEI and climate policies

US-based AI company Phenom acquires talent mobility platform EDGE

Phenom aims to double its workforce within the next two years across its existing offices in Hyderabad, Vizag, and Bengaluru

Govt trying to evaluate impact of US duties on certain countries: Report

India is likely to analyse with the domestic industry the impact of tariffs announced by the US on countries like China to assess the positive or negative implications, if any, sources said on Thursday. Though the duties on China are expected to help increase exports from India to the US due to the duty arbitrage, there could be a possibility of dumping of goods from the neighbouring country as it has excess capacity in almost every sector. India has imposed anti-dumping duties on several goods, including chemicals imported from China, and a number of anti-dumping investigations are going on. "We are trying to analyse the announcements made by the US on increasing tariffs. We will take the decision in due course. We are also asking our industry how these tariffs are going to affect them positively or negatively. We are looking at the exact items on which tariffs will be imposed in China," they said. They added that India was the fourth-largest gainer when the US imposed higher duti

Families of US deportees recount horror stories of 'dunki' routes

With dreams of a bright future and a better life for their families back home, youths from Haryana's Kurukshetra district broke the bank to pay agents to help them settle in the US. They traversed treacherous routes, crossing several rivers and forests while facing extortion and getting roughed up, to reach the US. But their American Dream turned into a nightmare as they were handcuffed by US authorities and deported. Recounting the horror faced by 27-year-old Robin Handa, his father Manjit Singh said his son travelled across Guyana, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala, crossed a sea and passed through jungles, staying hungry for days, to reach the Mexico-US border. Handa, who studied till class 12, left his native Ismailabad village in Kurukshetra district on July 18 last year and by the time he reached the US border, he had paid Rs 45 lakh to different agents while his mobile phone was also snatched, his father claimed. He was handed over to the "immigration mafia" in

Panama agrees to eliminate fees for US govt vessels transiting the canal

It further said the decision will save the US government millions of dollars each year

Democrats protest Trump's alleged move giving Musk's team classified info

Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee are demanding answers after they say President Donald Trump gave billionaire Elon Musk and his staff access to sensitive data and classified secrets as part of their work to overhaul the federal government. The lawmakers on Wednesday wrote to Susie Wiles, Trump's chief of staff, and asked what security precautions had been taken to prevent unauthorized leaks of information by staff at the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. Trump tapped Musk to run the taskforce, which has quickly gotten to work dismantling whole agencies of the federal government. As part of that effort, Musk and his staff have gained access to computer systems that the senators say contain potentially sensitive medical and financial information about millions of Americans as well as federal payroll information, classified documents, information from foreign intelligence partners and the identities of undercover agents and intelligence sources. In the .

Pam Bondi sworn in as US attorney general as DOJ braces for major shakeup

Pam Bondi was sworn in Wednesday as attorney general, taking charge of the Justice Department as it braces for upheaval with President Donald Trump aiming to exert his will over an agency that has long provoked his ire. The ceremony took place in the Oval Office and it was the first time that the Republican president had participated in a second-term swearing-in of a Cabinet member. It was further evidence of Trump's intense personal interest in the operations of the department that investigated him during his first term and then brought two since-abandoned indictments after he left office in 2021. Bondi is expected to radically reshape the department, which in recent days has seen the firing of career prosecutors and FBI officials as well as the undoing of the massive prosecution into the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot with Trump's sweeping day one pardons. The former Florida attorney general enters as the department is embroiled in a dispute with the FBI over an effort to identi

DeepSeek's AI boom: How a GenZ hiring bet overtook ChatGPT in the US

DeepSeek's CEO Liang Wenfeng rejects traditional hiring norms, recruiting Gen Z talent and book lovers to build a $1 billion AI startup that outpaced OpenAI in the US

Toyota announces EV, battery push in China, US as quarterly profit surges

Toyota is developing and making electric vehicles and EV batteries in China, the Japanese automaker said Wednesday, under a new partnership with the Shanghai government. Toyota Motor Corp. also announced it will start producing batteries for EVs, hybrids and plug-ins at a new USD 14 billion facility in North Carolina, with shipping starting for North American models in April. The moves highlight Toyota's aggressive push in electric cars, a sector where some critics have said it's fallen behind rivals like Tesla and BYD at a time when the Chinese EV market is booming and the world's concerns about sustainability are increasingly crucial. Toyota is setting up a company in Jinshan district in southwest Shanghai for that effort, with production of the new Lexus EVs starting in 2027. Initial production capacity there totals 100,000 vehicles a year, which will create about 1,000 jobs, the world's top automaker said. The battery plant in the US will create some 5,000 jobs, according to ..

US postal service suspends incoming packages from China, Hong Kong

The Trump administration imposed an additional 10 per cent tariff on Chinese goods that came into effect on Tuesday

Ukraine ready for talks on war, US, Europe must also take part: Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy, who had long called for all Russian troops to leave Ukraine as a pre-condition, has in recent weeks spoken of the need for talks on moving the conflict to a just end

US Postal Service suspends some inbound parcels from China amid trade war

This suspension only applies to inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong Posts and does not affect the delivery of letters and flats from these regions

USAID direct hires put on leave worldwide, except those deemed essential

The Trump administration is placing US Agency for International Development direct-hire staffers around the world on leave, except those deemed essential. A notice posted online Tuesday gives the workers 30 days to return home and targets the aid agency's six-decade mission overseas. Thousands of USAID employees already had been laid off and programs worldwide shut down after President Donald Trump imposed a sweeping freeze on foreign assistance after taking office. Elon Musk's budget-slashing Department of Government Efficiency had taken USAID's website offline over the weekend as it steadily dismantled the agency, which has been a special target of Musk, Trump and Republicans in the first two-and-a-half weeks of Trump's second term. The website came back online Tuesday night, with the notice of recall or termination for global staffers its sole post. The move had been rumoured for several days and was the most extreme of several proposals considered for consolidating the agency i

US deports 205 Indian migrants amid Donald Trump's border crackdown

Punjab officials will receive those deported at Amritsar airport