Us Government

US seeks to expand passport records access for voter citizenship checks

The State Department proposal would expand access to passport records for state and local officials and potentially some nonprofits to verify voter eligibility

Tax fraud could cost US more than $300 billion annually, GAO finds

The Government Accountability Office estimated annual federal tax fraud losses at $116 billion-$304 billion, based on data from 2018 through 2024

OpenAI's models accessed US govt websites including US census and SEC data

The company said its models accessed publicly available data from Census and SEC websites as it investigates incidents involving AI systems bypassing security controls

Trump admin seeks to expand access to passport records for voter checks

US State Department plans to allow state and local officials, and potentially nonprofits, to access passport records to verify voters' citizenship under a proposed policy

Rupee, bonds witness sell-off as crude oil, US Treasury yields rise

The rupee settled at 95.96 per dollar, while the benchmark 10-year government bond yield rose 6 basis points to 7.11 per cent, its highest level since May 21

US proposes AI incident alert system in talks with China: Bessent

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday the US has proposed a new "notification mechanism" for artificial intelligence incidents that could affect national security, part of weekend discussions ahead of talks at the White House this week between President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping. "We want a shared vision of common goals and common threats," Bessent told reporters after talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York. "We think that just like any cross-border activity, that moving from opaque to more transparency between the No. 1 and the No. 2 AI powers in the world is very important." Trump has resisted calls to slow down AI development, saying that would help China catch up to US companies. Standing together in the soaring lobby of the JPMorgan Chase headquarters late Sunday, Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the groundwork had been laid for talks between Xi and Trump set to take place on Thursday. They said the two sides had agreed t

US issues Iran travel warning, urges citizens to leave amid rising tensions

The US Virtual Embassy in Iran, in a security alert, said the regional security environment remained complex and warned of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures and other travel disruption

How AI risks are deepening divisions across Silicon Valley and Washington

The people building and governing AI increasingly fall into camps: Those who want to slow down and regulate development, those racing to speed it up and those in between or with shifting stances

US senators weigh requiring AI giants to commit to preventing catastrophe

AI-related stocks fell worldwide on Monday after leaders ‌of some of the industry's largest companies called for slowing ​the pace of the technology's development

Accenture to pay $25 mn to settle US govt allegations over DEI practices

Accenture

OpenAI board member says firm not doing enough, warns of catastrophic risks

Paul Christiano, who is a technology adviser to the US government, said the AI industry is not doing enough to reduce the risks posed by AI to an acceptable level.

US removes advertisement asking 'Mr Singh' to self-deport after backlash

The US Department of Homeland Security on Thursday removed an Transformers-style advertisement asking "Mr Singh" to self-deport following a backlash from Indian-American groups and Democratic leaders who described it as "racist propaganda". The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) used AI-generated imagery on X to push its campaign against unlicensed commercial drivers, featuring a brown-bearded man with a tagline: "Get off our roads, you don't know how to drive Mr Singh." The advertisement sparked off a strong push back from Indian-American and Sikh advocacy groups and also got support from Democratic leaders such as California Governor Gavin Newsom and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. "This is disgusting. Trump's government is trafficking in racist propaganda targeting the Sikh community," Newsom's press office said in a post on X. Advocacy groups such as Hindu American Foundation, Sikh Coalition, HinduAction, Coalition of Hindus of North America also dubbed the advertisement as

5 killed after Amazon cargo aircraft overruns runway at Miami airport

More than 60 fire rescue units were deployed following the crash as crews battled the aircraft fire and assessed those affected

Sun Pharma signs US deal to offer 'most favoured nation' pricing on drugs

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries on Tuesday announced it has entered into an agreement with the US government to prioritise access to affordable medicines for American patients. As part of the agreement, signed during a ceremony at the White House, Mumbai-based Sun Pharma, India's largest drugmaker, will extend 'Most Favoured Nation' (MFN) pricing to state Medicaid programmes, the company said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday. The commitment to MFN pricing will also apply to Sun Pharma's future innovative medicine launches in the US market, the filing said. MFN pricing generally ensures that a buyer receives the lowest price available for a drug. The agreement, which was signed alongside several other pharmaceutical companies, recognises Sun Pharma's investment in the US by delaying Section 232 tariffs on its innovative pharmaceutical products for over two years. The company did not disclose other terms of the deal. "The United States is a key area of investment and expansion for Su

US govt to take 35% stake in Venezuelan mogul Betancourt's oil venture

The US also plans to secure preferential rights to purchase 20% ‌of the company's production ​at cost

Trump admin in talks with Venezuela to take major stake in oil fields

The Venezuela talks follow the January seizure of strongman Nicolás Maduro by US forces and the installation of more amenable leadership in Caracas

Deloitte to pay $21.5 mn to settle US workplace discrimination claims

Deloitte to pay $21.5 million to settle US government's allegations of race- and sex-based discrimination in hiring, promotions, staffing and employee programmes

PM Takaichi says Japan will 'protect' ICC from US push to dismantle

The sanctioning of Akane and a senior trial lawyer by the US marks the latest escalation of attacks on the court by Washington, which says the ICC has unfairly targeted the US and Israel

US unveils 'economic D-Day' against Iran, warns trade partners of sanctions

The statement marked the latest bid to force capitulation from Iran, which has refused to bow to US demands despite months of US bombing that began in February as well as decades of economic sanctions

Trump admin sanctions International Criminal Court president, prosecutor

The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on the president of the International Criminal Court and one of its top prosecutors as it continues a campaign to dismantle the tribunal, which it accuses of trying to unfairly prosecute US and Israeli soldiers for alleged crimes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Gaza. The State Department said Tuesday it had hit ICC president Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national, and ICC senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, who is from Senegal, with sanctions that freeze any assets they have in US jurisdictions or come into contact with the US financial system. "The Trump Administration has been clear: the International Criminal Court is a corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. "We will not tolerate its assault on state sovereignty." The move is the latest by the Trump administration against the ICC, which it says has exceeded its ..