Page 22 - Us President

US Prez nominates Indian American global venture capitalist to IDFC Board

President Joe Biden has nominated prominent Indian-American global venture capitalist Deven Parekh as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Development Finance Corporation, a development finance institution and agency of the US government. Parekh, the managing director at software investment firm Insight Partners, was nominated for the post last week. His nomination will be for a period of three years, the White House said in a press release on Friday. By statute, the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) Board of Directors includes four members recommended to the President from Senate and House leadership. "Parekh is the nominee recommended by the Senate Majority Leader," the press release said. In 2020, Parekh was nominated to the Board of Directors of the DFC by then-President Donald Trump. The global venture capitalist is a Board Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, NYU Langone, the Tisc

Indira, Haksar proved more than a match for Nixon-Kissinger in 1971: Ramesh

As former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger passed away, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday recalled that in 1971 then US President Richard Nixon and Kissinger created huge headaches for India but then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her close aide P N Haksar proved more than a match for them. Kissinger, who dominated foreign policy as the United States extricated itself from Vietnam, died Wednesday. He was 100. In a post on X, Ramesh said, Henry Kissinger has passed away. He was as immensely consequential as he was hugely controversial. In his long and eventful life he has been both celebrated and condemned, Ramesh noted. But there can be no doubt about his sheer intellectual brilliance and awesome charisma, he said. For the last three decades, he positioned himself as a great friend and supporter of India and indeed he was, Ramesh said. But this was not always so and in 1971 especially, President Nixon and he created huge headaches for India and thought they

Rosalynn Carter set for funeral, burial in the town where she was born

Rosalynn Carter will receive her final farewells on Wednesday in the same tiny town where she was born and that served as a home base as she and her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, climbed to the White House and spent four decades thereafter as global humanitarians. The former first lady, who died November 19 at the age of 96, will have her hometown funeral at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, where she and her husband spent decades welcoming guests when they were not travelling. The service comes on the last of a three-day public tribute that began on Monday in nearby Americus and continued in Atlanta. Rosalynn Carter will be buried in a plot she will one day share with her husband, the 99-year-old former president who first met his wife of 77 years when she was a newborn, a few days after his mother delivered her. She was born just a few years after women got the right to vote in this small town in the South where people were still plowing their fields behind mules, ...

High-stake face-off; Hunter Biden to testify publicly before Congress

Hunter Biden has offered to testify publicly before Congress, striking a defiant note in response to a subpoena from Republicans and setting up a potential high-stakes face-off even as a separate special counsel probe unfolds and his father, President Joe Biden, campaigns for reelection. The Democratic president's son on Tuesday slammed the subpoena's request for closed-door testimony, saying it can be manipulated. But Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, stood firm, saying Republicans expect "full cooperation" with their original demand for a deposition. Hunter Biden's lawyer called the inquiry a "fishing expedition", a response in line with the more forceful legal approach he's taken in recent months as congressional Republicans pursue an impeachment inquiry seeking to tie his father to his business dealings. The early-November subpoenas to Hunter Biden and others from Comer were the inquiry's most aggressive step yet, testing the reach of .

JFK assassination: Surviving witnesses recall incident after 60 years

Just minutes after President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot as his motorcade rolled through downtown Dallas, Associated Press reporter Peggy Simpson rushed to the scene and immediately attached herself to the police officers who had converged on the building from which a sniper's bullets had been fired. I was sort of under their armpit, Simpson said, noting that every time she was able to get any information from them, she would rush to a pay phone to call her editors, and then go back to the cops. Simpson, now 84, is among the last surviving witnesses who are sharing their stories as the nation marks the 60th anniversary of the November 22, 1963, assassination on Wednesday. A tangible link to the past is going to be lost when the last voices from that time period are gone, said Stephen Fagin, curator at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, which tells the story of the assassination from the Texas School Book Depository, where Lee Harvey Oswald's sniper's perch was found. So m

Joe Biden sees hopeful signs for his reelection in Democrats' 2023 wins

Surrounded by dozens of Democratic donors at a glass art gallery space in Chicago last week, President Joe Biden urged them to look beyond negative poll numbers and feel assured their donations were not being wasted. Then Biden joked to the crowd: I could still screw up. The attendees at his campaign fundraiser laughed. Yet many Democrats are fearful there is a serious disconnect between the popularity of Biden's agenda and the man himself, as the president's approval ratings remain stubbornly low and voters continue to register concerns about his age. Some of those worries were tempered by the results of Tuesday's election, when Democrats romped to victory in Kentucky, Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Inside the White House, the Democrats' big night was a bright spot in an otherwise dim week as it grapples with the response to two wars and tries to minimise the president's flagging poll numbers. Just 38 per cent of adults approve of Biden's job performance, according to a November

US willing to fight China on behalf of Philippines, after collision: Prez

"The United States defence agreement with the Philippines is ironclad. Any attack on the Filipino aircraft, vessels or armed forces will invoke our mutual defence treaty with the Philippines."

Was told to boost Trump's asset values arbitrarily: Michael Cohen in court

Donald Trump's fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen faced off with him at the former president's civil fraud trial on Tuesday, testifying that he worked to boost asset values to "whatever number Trump told us to. Five years after turning on a boss that he once pledged to take a bullet for, Cohen is a key witness in New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit alleging that Trump and his company duped banks, insurers and others by giving them financial statements that inflated his wealth. I was tasked by Mr. Trump to increase the total assets, based upon a number that he arbitrarily elected, Cohen testified, saying that he and former Trump Organisation finance chief Allen Weisselberg laboured to reverse-engineer the various different asset classes, increase those assets, in order to achieve a number that Mr. Trump had tasked us. Asked what that number was, Cohen replied: Whatever number Trump told us to. Trump, who denies James' allegations, dismissed Cohen's account outside court as

Trump returns to civil fraud trial, with Michael Cohen set to testify

Michael Cohen once proclaimed he'd take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now, after breaking with the former president amid his own legal troubles, the fixer-turned-foe is poised to testify against his old boss on Tuesday as a key witness at the civil fraud trial that threatens to upend Trump's real estate empire and wealthy image. Trump voluntarily came to court for the highly anticipated testimony, detouring from his usual campaign haunts to the Manhattan courtroom for a sixth day this month. Cohen scrapped their expected showdown last week, citing a health issue. Cohen has said it will be his first time seeing Trump in five years. This is not about Donald Trump vs. Michael Cohen or Michael Cohen vs. Donald Trump," Cohen said as he arrived at the courthouse to await his turn to testify. "This is about accountability, plain and simple. Trump, heading into court, noted that Cohen served prison time after pleading guilty to tax evasion, lying to Congress and campaign finance violations. H

Australia PM announces China visit hours before leaving for US to meet prez

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will visit China in early November, his office said Sunday hours before he was set to fly to the United States to meet President Joe Biden. Albanese's office also said China agreed to review the crippling tariffs it placed on Australian wine that have effectively blocked trade with the winemakers' biggest export market since 2020. Albanese will become the first Australian prime minister to visit China in seven years when he travels to Beijing and Shanghai from November 4-7. He will meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing and then attend the China International Import Expo in Shanghai. The visit to China and a potential breakthrough in the wine dispute mark a further repair in bilateral relations since Albanese's centre-left Labor Party won elections last year after nine years of conservative rule in Australia. I look forward to visiting China, an important step towards ensuring a stable and productive relationship, Alban

LIVE: Forex reserves increase by $1.153 bn to $585.895 bn, shows RBI data

Catch all the latest updates LIVE from around the world here

Assessing nature of attacks, checking if Iran is involved: Pentagon

"In the wake of Hamas appalling terror assaults, brutal, inhuman...I want you to know you are not alone," Biden emphasized

President Biden calls for restraint as Israel prepares for ground assault

Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes Thursday, including in the south where Palestinians were told to take refuge. One blast struck a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City where families were seeking shelter, and Israel's defense minister ordered ground troops to be ready to invade, though he didn't indicate when. Gaza's overwhelmed hospitals tried to stretch out ebbing medical supplies and fuel for generators, as authorities worked out logistics for an aid delivery from Egypt. Doctors in darkened wards across Gaza performed surgeries by the light of mobile phones and used vinegar to treat infected wounds. Amid the violence, President Joe Biden pledged unwavering support for Israel's security, today and always, while adding that the world can't ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians" in the besieged Gaza Strip. In a national address Thursday night from the Oval Office, hours after returning to Washington from an urgent visit to Israel, Biden drew a distinction between ..

I was 'very blunt' with Israel on humanitarian assistance to Gaza: Biden

US President Joe Biden said he was very blunt with Israeli leaders that they would be held accountable if they didn't allow humanitarian assistance to relieve the suffering of people in Gaza displaced by its raging conflict with Hamas. He also said Israel has been "badly victimised," but it would lose credibility worldwide if it did not explore the opportunity to relieve the suffering of these people who have nowhere to go. Israel has told 1.1 million Palestinians living in the north of Gaza to move south ahead of the possible ground operations against the Hamas militants who launched an unprecedented attack on Israel and killed more than 1,400 people on October 7. The UN agencies have warned that an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in the besieged city of Gaza. As they probably told you I was very blunt with the Israelis, Biden told reporters on Air Force One while on his return from Tel Aviv where he expressed America's solidarity with Israel and held crucial .

Biden announces $3.5 bn for projects nationwide to strengthen electric grid

The Biden administration on Wednesday announced USD 3.5 billion for 58 projects across the country to strengthen electric grid resilience as extreme weather events such as the deadly Maui and California wildfires continue to strain the nation's aging transmission systems. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said it was the largest federal investment ever in grid infrastructure, supporting projects that will harden electric systems and improve energy reliability and affordability. The federal spending, combined with money promised by private partners, could result in up to USD 8 billion in investments nationally to upgrade the grid, Granholm said. The grid, as it currently sits, is not is not equipped to handle all the new demand and withstand natural disasters and extreme weather worsened by climate change, Granholm said at a news conference Wednesday. We need it to be bigger, we need it to be stronger, we need it to be smarter to bring a range of renewable energy projects online and

LIVE: Trai asks DoT to consider recommendations for next spectrum auction

Catch all the latest news from around the world here

Biden will be plunging into Middle East turmoil on his visit to Israel

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday left the White House for a quick trip to Israel to show solidarity with the people of the country in the aftermath of the terrorist attack by Hamas. However, Biden had to abruptly scrap his trip to Jordan for a meeting with leaders of Jordan, Egypt and Palestine after the Palestinian Authority cancelled the summit following a huge explosion at a hospital in Gaza. Hundreds of civilians are feared dead after a deadly blast at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza. Israel has denied its involvement in the bombing, while the Palestinians have held it responsible. I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted. Immediately upon hearing this news, I spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and have directed my national security team to continue gathering information about what exactly happened, Biden said in a statement minutes before he

Prez Biden's visit to focus on preventing escalation: White House

President Biden has ordered the National Security team to investigate the attack and find out who was responsible

LIVE news: Hundreds killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza City hospital

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Latest LIVE: Supreme Court to pronounce verdict on same-sex marriage today

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here