Page 40 - Us Government

US Treasury seeks more review authority over deals with foreign firms

U.S. Treasury wants to enhance the power of a little-known, secretive government committee to review deals made between U.S. firms and foreign investors. This comes as high-profile deals involving foreign investment in the U.S. like Chinese firm ByteDance's ownership of popular social media app TikTok and Japanese firm Nippon Steel's bid to purchase Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel Corp. receive increased scrutiny by lawmakers and even President Joe Biden. A new proposed rulemaking would strengthen powers for the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States known as CFIUS which is tasked with investigating corporate deals for national security concerns and holds power to force the company to divest ownership or change major parts of the firm. The rulemaking if finalized would expand the committee's subpoena authority, allow the committee to request more information from parties to a proposed sale and expand circumstances when fines can be imposed and their size

X received inquiry from US govt on actions in Brazil, says Elon Musk

In a decision on Sunday, Brazil Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the probe will check whether Musk was involved in obstruction, criminal organisation and incitement

One killed, five wounded as shooters open fire on crowd in DC neighbourhood

A man was killed and five others including two children were injured in a barrage of gunfire on Wednesday in the nation's capital. The shooting happened just after 6 p.m. in the Carver Langston neighbourhood of Washington, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said. Investigators believe the suspects exited a vehicle and then began shooting into a crowd of people on the street. Multiple people were shot. One of the victims, an adult man, was killed. Two men, a woman and a 9-year-old were taken by ambulance to local hospitals. A 12-year-old later arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound and is also believed to be a victim in the shooting, Smith said. The shooting comes as the District of Columbia is struggling with a sharp increase in violent crime, which went up 39 per cent in 2023. The increase was largely fuelled by a 35 per cent rise in homicides and growth in carjackings, which nearly doubled. Smith has pushed lawmakers to pass legislation that would strengthen

Top US trade mission to visit India to explore agribusiness sector

A high-powered trade delegation will visit India later this month to explore opportunities in the country's agribusiness sector. "India represents a growth economy for the US agribusinesses seeking to capture an increasing share of the household food purchases in the fifth-largest economy in the world," said Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affair Alexis Taylor. From April 22 to 25, Taylor will lead a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) agribusiness trade mission to Delhi. "India's rising middle-class consumers' familiarity with American food products and increased purchasing power is a real opportunity for US producers," Taylor said. "This along with the Indian consumers' trusted view of American food and agricultural products as high-quality has contributed to an 11 per cent growth in the US agricultural-related exports to India over the past two years," she said. While on the trade mission, participants will engage in targeted business-to-busine

New York court rejects Trump's third request to delay hush money trial

For the third straight day, a New York appeals court has rejected an attempt by Donald Trump's lawyers to delay the former president's hush money criminal trial. Trump's lawyers had argued that the trial should be put off indefinitely while they fight to remove the judge, Juan M. Merchan, and challenge several of his rulings. Justice Ellen Gesmer's ruling is another loss for Trump, who has tried repeatedly to get the trial postponed. The decision means the first of Trump's four criminal trials will start as scheduled on April 15. Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging he falsified business records to hide the true nature of payments made in connection with a scheme to suppress damaging stories about him during his 2016 presidential campaign. Donald Trump's lawyers tried Wednesday for a third straight day to get a New York appeals court to delay his hush money criminal trial. Among other grievances, they argued the former president and presumptive Republican nominee should

Baltimore bridge collapse: Investigators focus on electrical system of ship

During the initial stages of a federal probe into the deadly collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, investigators are focusing on the electrical power system of the massive container ship that veered off course. Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, said her agency is gathering data with assistance from Hyundai, the manufacturer of equipment in the ship's engine room. Testifying before a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday morning, she said investigators have also requested assistance to examine its circuit breakers. That is where our focus is right now in this investigation, she said. Of course, that's preliminary. It could take different roads, different paths as we continue this investigation. Homendy said they've zeroed in on the electrical system. The ship experienced power issues moments before the crash, as evidenced in videos showing its lights going out and coming back on. Homendy said information gleaned from the vessel's voyage data

At least 3 shot as gunfire erupts at Philadelphia Eid event, says police

At least three people were shot and injured Wednesday at an Eid al-Fitr event in Philadelphia, police said. The shooting occurred around 2:30 p.m., when police at the scene heard about 30 gun shots, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said at a news conference. Two groups of people started firing at each other, and people began fleeing the scene, he said. Officers took into custody four males and a female, and four weapons were recovered at the scene, Bethel said. One suspect, a 15-year-old boy who police said had a gun, was shot by police and sustained wounds to his shoulder and leg. A man also was shot in the stomach, and another juvenile had a wound to his hand. No one was killed, police said. It was not immediately clear what caused the shooting. Dozens of police officers responded to the shooting in the city's Parkside section. The shooting happened in an area where residents were celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Diaspora body urges US govt to address deaths of Indian-origin students

A prominent Indian diaspora body has urged various agencies of the US government, universities and student associations to work towards addressing the spike in the deaths of Indian-origin students in the US in recent months. An analysis of the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) found the causes of these incidents range from suspicious shootings/kidnapping, environmental deaths due to lack of safety knowledge (monoxide poisoning, hypothermia), mental issues triggering suicides, and even suspicious accidents to violent crimes. The FIIDS said authorities should enhance safety education, improve search and rescue procedures, implement stricter rules against fraternity ragging; increase awareness of risks and safety, and provide mental health support. Since the beginning of 2024, there have been at least half a dozen deaths of Indian and Indian-origin students in the US. A 25-year-old Indian student who had been missing since last month was found dead in the US cit

'Don't have evidence' of Israel committing genocide in Gaza: Lloyd Austin

Austin referred to the horrors carried out by Hamas on October 7 as a 'war crime' but refrained from calling them a genocide at the hearing on Tuesday

India-US partnership has achieved new heights: US NSA Jake Sullivan

The partnership between India and the United States has reached a new height with collaboration on technology and other fields, the US National Security Advisor has said. "The partnership between the US and India, a country in BRICs, has gone to new heights with an engagement across technology and security and so many other dimensions," NSA Jake Sullivan told reporters at a White House news conference. Sullivan was responding to questions on the decline in American leadership in the world, in light of Iran, Egypt, UAE, and Ethiopia joining BRICS, and Saudi Arabia mulling over becoming part of it. "I think if you look at the US role and standing in its relationships across the key regions of the world, we feel very good about where we are," Sullivan said. "If you look at what's happened with NATO, we've made NATO larger than ever, if you look at what's just happening this week, a historic trilateral with the US, Japan, and the Philippines. If you look across the Indo-Pacific at how

US govt to award Samsung up to $6.6 bn chip subsidy for Texas expansion

The announcement will cap off a string of major Chips and Science grants in quick succession as the US seeks to expand domestic chip production

US-China deepening cooperation on financial stability issues: US officials

The exercises will help establish lines of communication between US and Chinese regulators and identify areas of potential cross-border contagion and other risks, the US officials said

Yellen meets China's central bank chief, presses case on excess capacity

Yellen will wrap up her trip to Guangzhou and Beijing with a news conference later on Monday

US Presidential polls: Trump to declare his position on abortion today

Former President Donald Trump says he will finally announce Monday when he believes abortions should be banned, after months of refusing to stake a position on an issue that could decide the outcome of November's presidential election. The presumptive Republican nominee wrote on his social media site Sunday night that he plans to issue a statement on abortion and abortion rights." He told reporters last week he would make a statement soon after being asked about Florida's six-week abortion ban going into effect. Trump for more than a year now has declined to say when in a pregnancy he would try to draw the line, even as Republican-led states have ushered in a wave of new restrictions following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. His announcement will be closely watched both by Democrats who believe the fight over abortion rights helps them at the polls and Republicans who failed to push Trump to endorse a national abortion ban during the GOP primary. Great love and compassion

S Korea launches 2nd military spy satellite as tensions with N Korea rise

South Korea has launched its second military spy satellite into space, days after North Korea reaffirmed its plan to launch multiple reconnaissance satellites this year. The Koreas each launched their first spy satellites last year North Korea in November and South Korea in December amid heightened animosities. They said their satellites would boost their abilities to monitor each other and enhance their own missile attack capabilities. South Korea's second spy satellite was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday evening local time, which was Monday morning in Seoul. South Korea's Defense Ministry said in a statement that the satellite was successfully separated from a rocket. It said it will check whether the satellite functions properly via its communications with an overseas ground station. Under a contract with SpaceX, South Korea was to launch five spy satellites by 2025. South Korea's first spy satellite launch on Dec. 1 was made from California's ...

US lawmakers propose new rules to protect personal data, strengthen privacy

Two influential lawmakers from opposing parties have crafted a deal on legislation designed to strengthen privacy protections for Americans' personal data. The sweeping proposal announced Sunday evening would define privacy as a consumer right and create new rules for companies that collect and use personal information. It comes from the offices of Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell and Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, both of Washington state. Cantwell chairs the Senate Commerce Committee while McMorris Rodgers leads the House Energy and Commerce Committee. While the proposal has not been formally introduced and remains in draft form, the bipartisan support suggests the bill could get serious consideration. Congress has long discussed ways to protect the personal data regularly submitted by Americans to a wide range of businesses and services. But partisan disputes over the details have doomed previous proposals. According to a one-page outline released Sunday, the bill worked

US, Japan, Oz and Philippines to stage military drills in S China Sea

The United States, Japan, Australia and the Philippines will hold their first joint naval exercises, including anti-submarine warfare training, in a show of force Sunday in the South China Sea where Beijing's aggressive actions to assert its territorial claims have caused alarm. The four treaty allies and security partners are holding the exercises to safeguard the rule of law that is the foundation for a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region and uphold freedom of navigation and overflight, they said in a joint statement issued by their defence chiefs Saturday. China was not mentioned by name in the statement, but the four countries reaffirmed their stance that a 2016 international arbitration ruling, which invalidated China's expansive claims on historical grounds, was final and legally binding. China has refused to participate in the arbitration, rejected the ruling and continues to defy it. The Philippines brought its disputes with China to international arbitration in 2013 aft

Iran asks US to step aside, readies response to Israeli attack on consulate

The US hasn't commented on the alleged message Iran had sent

US, China to talk on economic growth including overcapacity issue: Yellen

The US and China agreed to hold talks that will address a key American complaint about China's economic model, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on the second day of an official visit to China. The two sides will hold more talks and create two new economic groups dedicated to growth in domestic and global economies as well as anti-money laundering, according to a statement about the creation of the groups. Yellen, who started her five-day visit in one of China's major industrial and export hubs, has focused thus far on what the U.S. considers to be unfair Chinese trade practices in talks with senior Chinese officials. In her statement, Yellen said she and her counterparts agreed that the U.S. and China will hold intensive exchanges on balanced growth in the domestic and global economies. These exchanges will facilitate a discussion around macroeconomic imbalances, including their connection to overcapacity, and I intend to use this opportunity to advocate for a level playing fiel

Yellen in China: Beijing worried US planning more tariffs on green tech

As US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen appeals to Chinese leaders to change their domestic manufacturing policies on the second day of an official visit, state media are receiving her message with skepticism, and anxiety about more US tariffs on green energy products. Yellen, who started her five-day visit in one of China's major industrial and export hubs, has focused thus far on what the U.S. considers to be unfair Chinese trade practices in talks with senior Chinese officials. The official Xinhua News Agency wrote Friday night that while Yellen's trip is a good sign that the world's two largest economies are maintaining communication, talking up Chinese overcapacity' in the clean energy sector also smacks of creating a pretext for rolling out more protectionist policies to shield U.S. companies. Chinese government subsidies and other policy support have encouraged solar panel and EV makers in China to invest in factories, building far more production capacity than the domestic ...