Page 29 - Us Government

US suspends inspections of avocados in Mexico over security concerns

The United States government has suspended inspections of avocados and mangoes in the Mexican state of Michoacan due to security concerns, an official said on Monday. A US government spokesperson, whose name could not be used under agency policy, said the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is pausing inspections in Michoacan, which is Mexico's biggest exporter of avocados, until the security conditions are resolved. Inspections in other Mexican states are not affected, the spokesperson said. In February 2022, the US government suspended inspections of Mexican avocados until further notice after a US plant safety inspector in Michoacan received a threatening message. The halt was lifted after about a week. Later that year, Jalisco became the second Mexican state authorized to export avocados to the US. The pause in inspections won't block shipments of Mexican avocados to the United States, because Jalisco is now an exporter and there are a lot

Putin vows trade, security deals with North Korea beyond reach of West

Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said Russia and North Korea may sign a partnership agreement during the visit that would include security issues

Pannun case: Democratic senators in US want strong diplomatic response

A group of powerful Democratic senators on Monday sought a strong diplomatic response from the Biden administration to the allegations of the Indian government's involvement in a foiled plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on US soil. The two-page letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken was signed by Senators Jeff Merkley, Ron Wyden, Tim Kaine, Bernie Sanders, and Chris Van Hollen. "We urge a strong diplomatic response to ensure that all of those who were involved are held accountable, and request a briefing on the status of the administration's engagement with the Indian government on this matter, the senators wrote. It comes as an Indian national Nikhil Gupta, accused of being involved in a murder-for-hire plot against Sikh extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil, on Monday, pleaded not guilty in the case at a federal court here. Pannun holds dual American and Canadian citizenship. Gupta was produced before a federal court in New York on Monday, where h

Biden's new policy to give deportation protection to spouses of US citizens

President Joe Biden is planning to announce a sweeping new policy Tuesday that would lift the threat of deportation for tens of thousands of people married to US citizens, an aggressive election-year action on immigration that had been sought by many Democrats. Biden was hosting a White House event to celebrate an Obama-era directive that offered deportation protections for young undocumented immigrants and will announce the new programme then, according to three people briefed on the White House plans. The policy will allow roughly 490,000 spouses of US citizens an opportunity to apply for a parole in place programme, which would shield them from deportations and offer them work permits if they have lived in the country for at least 10 years, according to two of the people briefed. They all spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the announcement publicly. The White House on Monday declined to comment on the announcement. Families who would

India, US release fact sheet on MQ-9B deal, co-production initiatives

The drone deal is part of the broader efforts to strengthen defence ties between the United States and India

Indian suspect in plot to kill Sikh separatist Pannun extradited to US

Nikhil Gupta has been accused by US federal prosecutors of plotting with an Indian government official to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun

Alembic gets USFDA nod for generic injection to treat hereditary angioedema

Alembic Pharmaceuticals Ltd on Monday said it has received final approval from the US health regulator for its generic Icatibant injection indicated for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema in adults. The approval by the US Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) is for the Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Icatibant injection of strengths 30 mg/3 mL (10 mg/mL) single-dose prefilled syringe, Alembic Pharmaceuticals said in a regulatory filing. This is the first peptide product approval from the USFDA received by the company, Alembic Pharma said. The approved ANDA is therapeutically equivalent to the reference listed drug product (RLD), Firazyr Injection, 30 mg/3 mL (10 mg/mL), of Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc, it added. Icatibant injection is indicated for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in adults 18 years of age and older. Hereditary angioedema is a disorder characterised by recurrent episodes of severe swelling (angioedema)

US rebukes Vietnam as Putin set to visit country after repeated invitations

Putin is expected to visit Vietnam on Wednesday and Thursday, after repeated invitations from Vietnamese leaders

US behind China as many as 15 years on developing high-tech nuclear power

China has 27 nuclear reactors under construction with average construction timelines of about seven years, far faster than other countries

Two killed in plane crash during Father's Day event in South California

Two people were killed aboard a vintage plane that crashed and burst into flames near a Southern California airfield during a weekend Father's Day event hosted by an air museum, authorities said Sunday. The Federal Aviation Administration said the twin-engine Lockheed 12A crashed shortly after 12:30 pm Saturday, just west of Chino Airport in San Bernardino County. Firefighters doused the flames within 10 minutes before finding the two people dead inside, said Chino Valley Fire District Battalion Chief Bryan Turner. The victims' names were not released as of Sunday afternoon. Turner described the aircraft as older and historical. The plane belonged to the Yanks Air Museum, the Southern California News Group reported. At this time we are working with local authorities and the FAA. Yanks Air Museum will be closed until further notice as our family deals with this tragedy, and we appreciate your patience and respect for our privacy as we navigate through this difficult time, the air ..

Wildfire north of Los Angeles spreads to more than 16 square miles

A wildfire that forced the evacuation of at least 1,200 people in southern California has burned over 16 square miles, officials said Sunday. The blaze, named the Post Fire, started Saturday and was burning near the Interstate 5 freeway in Gorman, about 62 miles (100 kilometres) northwest of Los Angeles, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. California State Park Services evacuated 1,200 people from the Hungry Valley recreation area in Gorman and both Hungry Valley and the Pyramid Lake reservoir were closed as a result of the fire threat, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said. The flames broke out at around 1:45 pm, authorities said. The cause isn't known. No homes were threatened by the fire but two commercial buildings have been damaged, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said Sunday. The fire was moving southeast toward Pyramid Lake and crews were constructing perimeter fire lines while aircraft worked against limited visibility to st

Highlights: BJP will break TDP, JDU if it fails to secure Lok Sabha speaker post, says Sanjay Raut

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As global central banks consider rate cuts, inflation worries loom

Canada and the European Central Bank have been the first ones to introduce rate cuts, however, they have expressed their concerns about inflation

Powerful US Congressional delegation to visit India to strengthen ties

A powerful bipartisan US congressional delegation, led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaulis, is visiting India to strengthen bilateral ties and to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. The delegation includes former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks, House Rules Committee Ranking Member Jim McGovern, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific Ranking Member Ami Bera, and Congressman Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Nicole Malliotakis. In India, the delegation will meet the 14th Dalai Lama, Indian government officials, and representatives of US businesses in the country. India is the world's largest democracy and an important strategic partner of the United States, said McCaul. I look forward to meeting with government officials and the American business community to learn how we can continue to strengthen our relationship with India, he said. I am also honoured to have the ...

US targets Houthi radar sites in Yemen after merchant sailor goes missing

The United States military unleashed a wave of attacks targeting radar sites operated by Yemen's Houthi rebels over their assaults on shipping in the crucial Red Sea corridor, authorities said Saturday, after one merchant sailor went missing following an earlier Houthi strike on a ship. The attacks come as the US Navy faces the most intense combat its seen since World War II in trying to counter the Houthi campaign attacks the rebels say are meant to halt the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. However, the Iranian-backed rebel assaults often see the Houthis target ships and sailors who have nothing to do with the war while traffic remains halved through a corridor vital for cargo and energy shipments between Asia, Europe and the Mideast. US strikes destroyed seven radars within Houthi-controlled territory, the military's Central Command said. It did not elaborate on how the sites were destroyed and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press. These radars ..

PM Modi, Meloni review progress of India-Italy strategic partnership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni have reviewed the progress of the bilateral strategic partnership and agreed to strengthen cooperation in global fora and multilateral initiatives, including the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. The two leaders met on Friday towards the end of Prime Minister Modi's day-long visit to Apulia, southern Italy, during which he thanked the Italian Prime Minister for the invitation to attend the G7 Summit. A Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) readout of the meeting said the leaders committed to fulfil their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific and also discussed the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). Both leaders look forward to joint activities to be implemented under the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative framework to fulfil their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific," the Ministry of External Affairs said, amidst China's aggressive actions in the region. They also discussed

Biden admin urged to take steps to protect over 250K 'Documented Dreamers'

A bipartisan group of 43 lawmakers has urged the Biden administration to take urgent action to protect more than 250,000 Documented Dreamers, a significantly large number of whom are Indians, who will be forced to self-deport after ageing out of the temporary legal status derived through their parents' visas. Documented Dreamers are foreign nationals who entered the United States as dependents under their parents' temporary, nonimmigrant visa status, usually a work visa. Despite growing up in the US with legal status, children of long-term visa holders age out of their dependent status when they turn 21 and are often left with no choice but to leave the United States if they cannot transition to a new status, the lawmakers said in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ur M Jaddou. This is because, in part, their families' adjustment of status applications face extensive backlogs, preventing them fr

US Supreme Court rejects bid to restrict access to abortion pills

In 2016 and 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made efforts to make it easier to prescribe and distribute the medication

Won't offer commutation to son Hunter after gun sentence, says Biden

President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he will not use his presidential powers to lessen the eventual sentence that his son Hunter will receive for his federal felony conviction on gun crimes. Biden, following the conclusion of a news conference held at the Group of Seven summit of the world's wealthiest democracies, responded he would not when asked whether he plans to commute the sentence for his son. Hunter Biden's sentencing date has not been set, and the three counts carry up to 25 years in prison. Whether Hunter Biden actually serves any time behind bars will be up to US District Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was nominated to the bench by former Republican President Donald Trump. Biden's remarks came one day after the White House declined to rule out a potential commutation for Hunter Biden. Both the president and the White House have said for months that Biden would not pardon his son. I'm extremely proud of my son Hunter. He has overcome an addiction. He is one of the ..

Security deal with US is 'bridge' to Ukraine's Nato membership: Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy made the remarks at a joint news conference with US President Joe Biden, which was held on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy on Thursday