Page 98 - United States

Donald Trump, Elon Musk threaten govt shutdown; here's what that costs

Trump also rejected the interim spending package House Speaker Mike Johnson negotiated to keep the government operating beyond a Friday lapse

Basic human rights must be respected: US State Department on Bangladesh

When asked about the USA's reaction to recent protests by thousands of Hindus around the US, India and Bangladesh, Patel said that this issue is vital to the US

Honda-Nissan merger negotiations likely to begin next week, says Nikkei

Representatives for Honda and Nissan in the US didn't immediately reply to a request for comment on the start-date for talks

US sanctions Pak's defence agency over long-range missile proliferation

The United States on Wednesday slapped sanctions on four Pakistani entities, including the state-owned flagship aerospace and defence agency -- National Development Complex (NDC) -- on charges of them contributing to Pakistan's ballistic missile programme. In light of the continuing proliferation threat of Pakistan's long-range missile development, the United States is designating four entities for sanctions which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, the State Department said. In addition to the NDC, the three other entities are Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International and Rockside Enterprise. All three are based in Karachi, while the NDC is in Islamabad. The NDC has worked to acquire items in furtherance of Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile programme -- including special vehicle chassis intended to be used as launch support equipment for ballistic missiles and missile-testing equipment. The United States assesses

US, India mark significant progress in strengthening space cooperation

Celebrating the completion of a Strategic Framework for Human Spaceflight Cooperation to deepen interoperability in space

Elon Musk taps Trump's ex-aide, tech execs for staffing DOGE initiative

Steve Davis, president of Boring Co., Musk's tunneling operation, and Michael Kratsios, former US chief technology officer, are among those leading interviews of potential candidates

US lawmakers urge Biden admin to stop sending military aid to Israel

Congress members called on Washington to uphold its own laws that restrict military aid to countries that commit war crimes

US lawmaker seeks sanctions against Bangladesh over human rights violations

Expressing a sense of urgency on the escalating crisis of human rights violations in Bangladesh, an influential American Congressman called on the US Departments of Treasury and State on Wednesday to impose and enforce sanctions on those perpetrating these heinous acts against minorities in the South Asian country. "I call on the Departments of Treasury and State to impose and enforce sanctions on those perpetrating these heinous acts against minorities in Bangladesh," Indian American Congressman Shri Thanedar said in front of the US Capitol on Wednesday afternoon in the presence of Hindu Americans who had come from various parts of the country. Since July, he said, Bangladesh has experienced a spike in political violence, leading to the resignation and departure of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. "Since then, we have seen Bangladesh plunge into political turmoil, with its Hindu, Buddhist and Christian minorities bearing the brunt of violent acts towards their people and places

Lawsuit claims elite US universities favour wealthy students in admissions

Children of the wealthy and connected get special admissions consideration at some elite US universities, according to new filings in a class-action lawsuit originally brought against 17 schools. Georgetown's then-president, for example, listed a prospective student on his "president's list" after meeting her and her wealthy father at an Idaho conference known as "summer camp for billionaires", according to Tuesday court filings in the price-fixing lawsuit filed in Chicago federal court in 2022. Although it has always been assumed that such favouritism exists, the filings offer a rare peek at the often secret deliberations of university heads and admissions officials. They show how schools admit otherwise unqualified wealthy children because their parents have connections and could possibly donate large sums down the line, raising questions about fairness. Stuart Schmill, the dean of admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wrote in a 2018 email that the university .

Government funding plan collapses as Donald Trump makes new demands

President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan on Wednesday to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown, instead telling House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to essentially renegotiate -- days before a deadline when federal funding runs out. Trump's sudden decision to make new demands sent Congress spiralling as lawmakers are trying to wrap up work and head home for the holidays. It leaves House Speaker Mike Johnson scrambling to salvage a new plan, days before Friday's deadline to keep government open. "Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH," Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance said in a statement. The president-elect made an almost unrealistic proposal for a continuation of government funds along with a much more controversial provision to raise the nation's debt limit -- something his own party routinely rejects. Democrats decried the GOP revolt over the stopgap measure to keep federal offices running. "House Republicans have been ordered to shut d

'India charges a lot': Donald Trump threatens 'reciprocal' tariffs

Trump's remarks on India, made just weeks after he pledged to increase tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China

India to follow 'wait and see' approach to Trump tariff threat: DGF Sarangi

Imposing reciprocal duties violates global trade rules but one has to follow a "wait and wait" approach to US President-elect Donald Trump's remarks on imposing reciprocal tariffs, a senior official said on Wednesday. US President-elect Donald Trump has said that India charges a lot of tariffs, reiterating his intention to impose reciprocal tariffs in retaliation for what New Delhi will impose on the import of certain American products. Trump made these remarks on Tuesday and also said that India and Brazil were among countries that impose high tariffs on certain US products. "It will be very difficult to decipher from one or two sentences which Mr Trump makes but if I understood from what he was saying. His main intent is that reciprocity will matter in future. So if you are putting a tax on Harley-Davidson (bikes) we will also put a tax on your motorbike exports. So from that point of view, this will be in clear violation of the WTO (World Trade Organization) norms but there are .

Govt bond yields end flat as traders eye US Fed rate decision, outlook

The benchmark 10-year bond yield ended at 6.7465 per cent, compared with the previous close of 6.7588 per cent

Nestle rolls out protein shots for US weight-loss drug users to curb hunger

The weekly weight-loss injections mimic an intestinal hormone called GLP-1 and curb people's appetite, promoting a feeling of fullness

US lawmakers propose bills targeting China's role in fentanyl crisis

According to the American authorities, China is the primary source of chemical precursors used by Mexican cartels to manufacture fentanyl

Congress set to vote on expanding US investment restrictions in China

In October, the Treasury finalised rules effective Jan 2 that will limit US investments in artificial intelligence and other technology sectors in China

US Congress lines up stopgap Bill to avert partial government shutdown

It also includes $100.4 billion in new emergency funding to help states including North Carolina and Florida recover from devastating hurricanes

US set to revise MTCR export policies to boost space cooperation with India

The outgoing Biden administration is in the process of finalising a national security memorandum that will update America's export control policies under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), a move that is likely to facilitate more cooperation between India and US companies in the space sector, the White House said Tuesday. The goal of updating export control policies under the MTCR is to be able to advance commercial space cooperation even further with close partners like India, Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer told reporters during a conference call here. We are continuing to take steps to further knock down barriers to private sector cooperation, and importantly, we are in the process of finalising national security memorandum that will update our own export control policies under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Finer said. Finer, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra visited Houston on ...

Gun violence again visited our classrooms: Kamala Harris slams shooting

Calling the incident a "senseless shooting", Harris said that her husband, Douglas Emhoff and she were mourning the deaths caused by the violence

Palestinians sue US over 'human rights abuses' with support to Israeli Army

The lawsuit, announced on Tuesday, accuses the Department of State of failing to implement a US federal law that prohibits the transfer of funds to foreign military units engaged in gross violations