Page 86 - United States

US Senators push to reverse auto-renewal of work permits back to 180 days

Two influential Republican Senators have introduced a resolution to reverse a Biden-era rule that increased the period for renewing work permits from 180 to 540 days. The automatic extension of the Employment Authorisation Document (EAD) from 180 days to 540 days was of great help to the spouses of H-1B visa holders, a significant number of whom were from India. The rule finalised by the Department of Homeland Security on January 13 applies broadly to immigrants, refugees, green card holders, spouses of H-1B visa holders and more. Introduced on Thursday jointly by Senators John Kennedy and Rick Scott, the resolution seeks disapproval under Congressional Review Act (CRA) procedures for the Biden administration's rule that automatically extended the renewal period for an immigrant EAD to almost a year-and-a-half before officials could review those permits. The Biden administration's dangerous rule automatically extended work permits for immigrants to 540 days. Giving immigrants more

US citizens express grief over mid-air plane collision in Washington DC

A local, Michelle Boudreau, recounted her experience of listening to the incident and called it heartbreaking

There will be no negotiation about ownership of canal, says Panama's prez

Panama President Jose Raul Mulino said Thursday there will be no negotiation with the United States over ownership of the Panama Canal, and he hopes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's upcoming visit will allow them to focus on shared interests including migration and combating drug trafficking. Being the destination for the first overseas visit by the top US diplomat would have been big for Panama in any case, but Rubio comes as the emissary of US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly suggested the US retake the Panama Canal. On the day of his inauguration, Trump claimed that US ships were being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form, noting that "above all, China is operating the Panama Canal. He had previously said the US could demand the canal be returned. Mulino tried to downplay the tension at his weekly press conference Thursday. He spoke of wanting to clarify confusion about China's role in the canal a Hong Kong consortium manages ports a

Banning gun sales to young adults under 21 unconstitutional, says US court

A US appeals court on Thursday ruled against a federal law requiring young adults to be 21 to buy handguns, finding it violated the Second Amendment. The ruling, handed down by a panel of three judges on the conservative 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, comes amid major shifts in the national firearm legal landscape following a landmark US Supreme Court decision that expanded gun rights in 2022. The court found that people aged 18-to-20 should not be prohibited from buying guns. Ultimately, the text of the Second Amendment includes eighteen-to-twenty-year-old individuals among the people' whose right to keep and bear arms is protected, the court wrote in their ruling. The ruling sends the case back to a lower court judge. In the past, the appeals court has upheld the age restriction. However, since the Supreme Court's ruling that said firearm restrictions must be rooted in the nation's historical traditions, judges in states like Minnesota, Virginia and Texas have ..

US Senate bill seeks to limit birthright citizenship for some immigrants

A group of Republican Senators has introduced a bill in the US Senate to restrict birthright citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants and non-immigrants on temporary visas. According to Senators Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz and Katie Britt, who introduced the bill, the exploitation of birthright citizenship is a major pull factor for illegal immigration and a weakness for national security. The US is one of only 33 countries in the world with no restrictions on birthright citizenship, they said. The legislative move comes after an executive order on the matter, signed by President Donald Trump on the first day of his presidency, has been blocked by a federal judge in Washington state. The Center for Immigration Studies estimates that in 2023, there were 2,25,000 to 2,50,000 births to illegal immigrants, amounting to close to seven per cent of births in the US. It is long overdue for the United States to change its policy on birthright citizenship because it is being abused in

Ro Khanna, Rich McCormick to co-chair India Caucus in new US Congress

Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna and Republican lawmaker Rich McCormick would co-chair the India Caucus in the US House of Representatives in the new Congress, an announcement said here Wednesday. Congressmen Andy Barr and Marc Veasey will continue serving as vice co-chairs. Congressman Brad Sherman, who formerly served as chair, will continue to serve as chair emeritus, the announcement said. "A strong partnership with India is critical for our economy and national security. It is an honor to continue serving as co-chair of the India Caucus and to welcome Rep. Rich McCormick as the caucus's new co-chair, Khanna said. McCormick, who represents the 7th Congressional District of Georgia, has supported policies to strengthen the US-India relationship, he said. "I have the great privilege of serving many hard working Indian Americans in my district and will continue to strengthen our relationship with India, McCormick said. The dedication, innovation, and contributions of this ..

Transparency, empowering good officers priorities for FBI, says Kash Patel

On the eve of his confirmation hearing, US President Donald Trump's FBI director nominee Kash Patel said he has two goals for the investigative agency: transparency and letting good cops be cops. Patel, 44, is the highest-ranking Indian-American nominated by President Trump in his administration. He will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday for his confirmation hearing. I believe two foundational steps are necessary to rebuild public confidence in the FBI, Patel wrote in an op-ed in the prestigious Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. First, let good cops be cops. Leadership means supporting agents in their mission to apprehend criminals and protect our citizens. If confirmed, I will focus on streamlining operations at headquarters while bolstering the presence of field agents across the nation, he wrote. Collaboration with local law enforcement is crucial to fulfilling the FBI's mission, he added. Second, transparency is essential, he wrote, adding that members of

Blocking all funding to 'woke programmes', says US State Department

Prioritising the welfare of American citizens, the US State Department released an official statement where it stated that no foreign is entitled to those benefits

LTTS signs $80 million multi-year deal with US-based manufacturer

This strategic partnership will accelerate the client's digital transformation through the integration of advanced technologies

US defence secy removes Trump critic General Mark Milley's security detail

Hours after Trump's swearing-in on January 20, the portrait of Milley as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was removed

Donald Trump asks Elon Musk to help bring 'stranded' Sunita Williams home

US astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been aboard the ISS since June 2024, had been left 'stranded' after the mission's originally planned duration

Deportation flights from US to Colombia resume after diplomatic spat

Colombian migrants returning home Tuesday on Colombian military flights described being shackled during earlier US flights that were blocked by their country's leader in a dispute with President Donald Trump that nearly sparked a trade war. Deportation flights between the US and Colombia resumed Tuesday after the diplomatic drama over the weekend that provided clues as to how the Trump administration would deal with countries blocking large-scale plans to deport migrants who entered illegally. Colombia's President Gustavo Petro initially refused to accept two US military planes with migrants, prompting Trump to threaten 25% tariffs on Colombian exports and other sanctions. Colombia then relented and said it would accept the migrants, but fly them on Colombian military flights that Petro said would guarantee them dignity. Two Colombian air force planes landed Tuesday in Bogota with more than 200 of the migrants, many of them women and children. Petro welcomed them with a post on X ..

US exiting WHO won't impact projects in India: Health Minister Nadda

Union Health Minister J P Nadda said Tuesday the US announcing to exit the World Health Organization (WHO) will not impact the programmes going on India in partnership with the global agency. "Our projects and programmes will continue. As far as health is concerned, we are not dependent on anybody," he told a press conference on the progress made in the last 10 years under the National Health Mission (NHM). "There are many programmes where WHO partners with us and there will be no disruption. India is one of the major contributors to the WHO," he said. Listing out the achievements made under the NHM in the last 10 years, Nadda said some new initiatives -- like National Sickle Cell Anaemia Mission and Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP) -- were added after 2014 while many other initiatives have been reinvigorated such as the National TB Elimination Programme, Mission Indradhanush (MI) etc. The share of central release under the NHM has seen a 185 per cent growth since

US President Trump calls for 'fair' trade ties with 'tariff maker' India

Says Modi likely to travel to US in February

US has options to address Chinese influence in Panama, says official

President Donald Trump has vowed that the United States would take back the Panama Canal but has given no further details on when or how he intended to reclaim the canal

President Trump calls for 'Iron Dome' for US homeland missile defence

It says Trump will order the construction of an "Iron Dome" shield, comparing it to Israel's vaunted system, which was developed in coordination with the US

In early going, Trump 2.0 approach on foreign policy is to talk loudly

Donald Trump in his first week back in the White House has offered an early preview to his second-term foreign policy approach: Talk loudly and wield a big stick. Over the weekend, Trump threatened to levy massive tariffs on Colombia after the country's leftist president refused to allow a US military plane returning deported migrants from the South American nation to land in the country. He's needled the Ukrainian president for talking so brave instead of negotiating with Russia. He's flummoxed even Republican allies with his calls on Mideast nations to take in Palestinian refugees from Gaza, potentially moving out enough of the population to just clean out the war-torn area to create a virtual clean slate. Through economic coercion and sharp rhetoric, Trump is signalling that he intends to be a bull in the China shop in hopes of extracting what he wants from allies and adversaries alike. In the Colombia episode, President Gustavo Petro quickly relented in the face of Trump's ...

Intel sharing by US, allies saved lives, but Trump could test those ties

As Russia moved closer to invading Ukraine nearly three years ago, the United States and its allies took the extraordinary step of declassifying and sharing intelligence to expose Moscow's plans. Information flew across the Atlantic from US spy agencies to NATO and Western partners showing that Russia was poised to launch the biggest attack on a European country since World War II. It was designed to muster support for Kyiv, and on the strength of the US warning, some nations sent weapons to Ukraine, which moved some equipment out of the range of Russian strikes. Now, officials are bracing for a potentially changed security landscape under President Donald Trump. He has criticized America's allies and lambasted its intelligence agencies. He's been accused of disregarding secrecy rules and hoarding classified documents. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for director of national intelligence, has parroted Russian propaganda while his nominee to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, has promised change

Trump pauses all US foreign aid for 90 days; orders review; NGOs decry move

Donald Trump's directive, which halts all non-military foreign assistance for 90 days pending a review, has sparked widespread concern among humanitarian organisations

Trump should rethink revoking ex-officials' security details: Tom Cotton

President Donald Trump should rethink his decision to remove security details from three former senior national security officials, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday. That protection is not just for them, but also the public, said Sen. Tom Cotton, a Trump loyalist who nonetheless is pushing back against the president's targeting of those he perceived as adversaries. Cotton said a president needs to keep qualified individuals interested in serving the White House and that may sometimes require enhanced security for officials. The Arkansas senator said he would encourage Trump to revisit the decision for those people former National Security Adviser John Bolton, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Brian Hook, a former senior policy adviser to Pompeo. All were involved in planning and discussions of the deadly drone strike on Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in January 2020. The threat to anyone involved in President Trump's strike on Qasem Soleimani is .