Page 50 - Us Government

'World is watching', say Senators as Republicans oppose to Ukraine aid

As a growing number of Republicans oppose US aid to Ukraine, the Senate's leaders are arguing in strong terms that the money is crucial to pushing back against Russian President Vladimir Putin and maintaining America's global standing. In the Capitol for a rare weekend session, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky issued stark warnings about the consequences of abandoning longtime US allies in Europe. Today it's no exaggeration to say that the eyes of the world are on the United States Senate, McConnell said. Our allies and partners are hoping that the indispensable nation, the leader of the free world, has the resolve to continue. A test vote Sunday on the $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other countries comes as former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, is trying to kill the assistance and has escalated his attacks on the NATO military alliance. Trump said Saturday

4.6-magnitude earthquake shakes S California, no damage, injuries reported

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.6 struck the Southern California coast near Malibu on Friday afternoon and was widely felt in the Los Angeles region. The quake struck at 1:47 p.m. at a depth of 13 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The area is in the Santa Monica Mountains, roughly 35 miles (56 kilometers) west of downtown Los Angeles. The earthquake was felt from the Malibu coast south to Orange County and east to downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported that it was widely felt in Los Angeles, though there was no immediate indication of damage or injuries. Friday is the 53rd anniversary of the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, which was recorded as magnitude 6.6. Also known as the Sylmar earthquake, it killed 64 people and caused over $500 million in damage.

Elon Musk's firm Neuralink ditches Delaware, reincorporates in Nevada

Neuralink isn't the first business Musk has reincorporated outside of Delaware and may not be the last

US military drills in Philippines unaffected by focus on Ukraine, Gaza

Combat exercises between the United States and the Philippines involving thousands of forces each year will not be affected by America's focus on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, a US general said Thursday. The Biden administration has been strengthening an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific region to build deterrence and to better counter China, including in any future confrontation over Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea. But there have been concerns that the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict could hamper America's pivot to Asia and the Pacific and divert military resources intended for the region. "Certainly, it does not affect our presence, Maj. Gen. Marcus Evans, commanding general of the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division, told The Associated Press in an interview late Thursday when asked to comment on those concerns. "If anything, it drives an increased sense of urgency to focus on these partnerships that we've developed decades ago and it'

US Prez Biden mistakenly calls Egyptian President as 'president of Mexico'

He made the remarks during a press conference after a Special Counsel report said that Biden was a "well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory"

Maldives key partner in ensuring free & secure Indo-Pacific region: US

Describing the Maldives as a key partner in ensuring a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, the United States on Thursday said it is committed to strengthening cooperation with the South Asian island nation. US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu was in the Maldives recently for talks with its new leadership and the civil society. "The United States is committed to strengthening cooperation with Maldives, a key partner in ensuring a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region," a State Department spokesperson told PTI when asked about the assistant secretary's visit from January 29-31. While in Mal, Lu met with Mohamed Muizzu and other senior officials to discuss shared priorities, including defense cooperation, economic growth, and democratic governance. "They also discussed progress on establishing the US Embassy in Maldives that will further strengthen our partnership and people-to-people ties," the spokesperson said.

Pakistan responds to UN concerns over election violence and women role

Earlier in the week, the US State Department expressed reservations about challenges to freedom of expression during the ongoing electoral process

Toll from Israeli army action in Gaza is still 'too high': Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the toll from Israel's military offensive on Gaza's civilians remains "too high". Blinken made the comments Wednesday as he was in the region seeking to broker a cease-fire that would pause the fighting. Blinken said the Israeli offensive, launched in response to a deadly Hamas cross-border attack on Oct. 7, is "fully justified". But he expressed concern about the effects of the offensive on Gaza civilians. Thousands of civilians have been killed in the fighting, and the offensive has displaced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and led to a humanitarian crisis. As I told the prime minister and other Israeli officials, the daily toll that its military operations continue to take on innocent civilians remains too high, Blinken said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected Hamas' terms for a cease-fire and hostage-release agreement, vowing to continue the war until absolute victory and dismissing any ...

What's in $118 bn Senate package that pairs border policies & wartime aid?

Those powers would not restrict the entry of US citizens or others with a legal basis to enter the country

Senators release $118 bn package pairing border policies with wartime aid

Senators on Sunday released a highly anticipated USD 118 billion package that pairs border enforcement policy with wartime aid for Ukraine, Israel and other US allies, setting off a long-shot effort to push the bill through heavy skepticism from Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson. The proposal is the best chance for President Joe Biden to resupply Ukraine with wartime aid a major foreign policy goal that is shared with both the Senate's top Democrat, Sen. Chuck Schumer, and top Republican, Sen. Mitch McConnell. The Senate was expected this week to hold a key test vote on the legislation, but it faces a wall of opposition from conservatives. With Congress stalled on approving USD 60 billion in Ukraine aid, the US has halted shipments of ammunition and missiles to Kyiv, leaving Ukrainian soldiers outgunned as they try to beat back Russia's invasion. The new bill would also invest in US defense manufacturing, send USD 14 billion in military aid to Israel, steer nearly U

US warns of further retaliation if Iran-backed militias continue attacks

After a weekend of retaliatory strikes, the United States on Sunday warned Iran and the militias it arms and funds that it will conduct more attacks if American forces in the Mideast continue to be targeted, but that it does not want an open-ended military campaign across the region. We are prepared to deal with anything that any group or any country tries to come at us with, said Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden's national security adviser. Sullivan said Iran should expect a swift and forceful response if it and not one of its proxies chose to respond directly against the US. Sullivan delivered the warnings during a series of interviews with TV news shows after the US and Britain on Saturday struck 36 Houthi targets in Yemen. The Iran-backed militants have fired on American and international interests repeatedly in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. An air assault Friday in Iraq and Syria targeted other Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in retaliation f

US, Britain begin new strikes on Houthis in retaliation to previous attacks

The United States and Britain struck at least 30 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday in a second wave of assaults meant to further disable Iran-backed groups that have relentlessly attacked American and international interests in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, US officials told The Associated Press. The latest strikes against the Houthis were launched by ships and fighter jets. The strikes follow an air assault in Iraq and Syria on Friday that targeted other Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for the drone strike that killed three US troops in Jordan last weekend. The Houthi targets were in 10 different locations and were struck by U.S. F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and by American warships firing Tomahawk missiles from the Red Sea, the US officials said. They were not authorised to publicly discuss the military operation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

US urges Taliban govt to take steps to gain international legitimacy

The spokesman for the US State Department, Matthew Miller, said Washington would continue to call on the 'Taliban' to take steps to gain international legitimacy

Trump spent $76 mn over last 2 years on attorneys as legal troubles mount

Donald Trump's storied business career is checkered by bankruptcies and blunders. His investment in Eli Bartov, a New York University accounting professor, looms as another failed venture. Trump's Save America political action committee paid Bartov nearly USD 930,000 last year as an expert witness in the New York attorney general's civil fraud case that threatens the former president's real estate empire, according to new Federal Election Commission filings. Bartov bombed. New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron declared in December the professor's testimony proved only that for a million or so dollars, some experts will say whatever you want them to say. An Associated Press analysis of new Federal Election Commission filings shows the payments to Bartov are among USD 54 million in legal expenditures made last year by Trump's political fundraising machine. The spending came as Trump has been battling multiple lawsuits and dozens of felony charges in four criminal cases. Save .

US may intensify attacks on Iranian-backed Houthis after Jordan attack

Following the drone attack on a base in Jordan, the US forces are now preparing to hit Iran-backed proxies across the Middle East with increased intensity, as reported by Voice of America (VOA)

Half of US adults say Israel has gone too far in war in Gaza: Poll

Half of U.S. adults say Israel's 15-week-old military campaign in Gaza has gone too far, a finding driven mainly by growing disapproval among Republicans and political independents, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Broadly, the poll shows support for Israel and the Biden administration's handling of the situation ebbing slightly further across the board. The poll shows 31% of U.S. adults approve of Biden's handling of the conflict, including just 46% of Democrats. That's as an earlier spike in support for Israel following the Hamas attacks Oct. 7 sags. Melissa Morales, a 36-year-old political independent in Runnemede, New Jersey, says she finds herself watching videos and news from Gaza daily. Images of Palestinian children wounded, orphaned or unhoused by the fighting in Gaza make her mind go to her own 3-year-old boy. I just can't even imagine, like, my son roaming the streets, wanting to be safe. Wanting his mom. Or just .

Partnership with India is one of most consequential relationships, says US

America's partnership with India is among the most consequential ones, the Biden administration said Thursday hours after it notified the Congress of its decision to sell 31 armed drones to India at an estimated cost of nearly USD 4 billion. "I would say that our partnership with India is one of our most consequential relationships. We work closely with India on our most vital priorities," State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference. "We have had a close working relationship with the (outgoing Indian) ambassador (Taranjit Singh Sandhu), have been able to work with him on a number of those shared priorities, including the crucial role India plays in ensuring a free open Indo-Pacific that is connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient," Miller said. "We wish him well in his future endeavours and look forward to welcoming his replacement," he said. In response to a question, Miller said Secretary of State Antony Blinken has a close working

Disney-Desantis row: Company appeals dismissal of its free speech lawsuit

Disney on Thursday appealed a judge's dismissal of its free speech lawsuit over what it described as Governor Ron DeSantis' retaliatory takeover of Walt Disney World's governing district, as the Florida governor separately called any appeal "a mistake." "They were wrong and we were right," DeSantis said at a news conference in Jacksonville a day after the ruling. "They should move on." Disney filed a notice of appeal over Wednesday's ruling by a federal judge in Tallahassee, saying that it would set a dangerous precedent if left unchallenged by giving states the green light to weaponize their powers to punish opposing viewpoints. A separate lawsuit over who controls the district also is still pending in state court in Orlando. Disney had argued that legislation signed by DeSantis and passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature transferring control of the Disney World governing district from Disney supporters to DeSantis appointees was in retaliation for the company publicly ...

US announces key pact on supply chain resilience under Indo-Pacific

The US on Thursday announced that a key agreement on supply chain resilience under the Indo-Pacific economic framework involving 14 partner nations, including India, Japan and Australia, will come into force on February 24. US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the pact will facilitate a collaborative approach to strengthen supply chains and prevent potential disruptions. The US Department of Commerce said the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) agreement relating to supply chain resilience will enter into force on February 24. "This is a critical step in bringing the landmark, first-of-its kind agreement into action and promoting coordination among the IPEF partners on building resilient, efficient, productive, sustainable, transparent, diversified, secure, fair, and inclusive supply chains," it said.

US hikes fees for various non-immigrant visas like H-1B, EB-5, and others

The US has announced a steep increase in fees for various categories of non-immigrant visas like the H-1B, L-1 and EB-5, the most popular among Indians. The fee hike, first after 2016, will come into force from April 1. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. The EB-5 programme, launched by the US government in 1990, enables high-net-worth foreign investors to obtain a US visa for themselves and their families by investing a minimum of USD 5,00,000 in a US business that helps create 10 jobs for American workers. To come into force from April 1, the new H-1B application visa fee, which is form I-129, has been increased from USD 460 to USD 780. The H-1B registration will increase from USD 10 to USD 215, but from next year. The fee for L-1 vis