Page 30 - Us

Indian rupee may struggle on more Fed rate hike bets, US yields surge

Non-deliverable forwards indicate rupee will open at around 82.08 to the US dollar compared with 82.0550 in the previous session

NATO tentatively agrees to ask Stoltenberg to remain head for another year

NATO members have reached a tentative agreement to ask Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to remain head of the 31-member transatlantic alliance for another year, according to a US official familiar with the decision. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the decision still needs to be finalized by alliance members. The much-anticipated decision to formally ask Stoltenberg to extend his tenure for another year is expected to happen relatively soon, the official said. NATO members are scheduled to hold their annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12. President Joe Biden conveyed to Stoltenberg during their recent meeting at the White House that it was evident there wasn't going to be consensus in the near term among NATO allies on picking a new permanent leader, the official said. Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, has been NATO's top civilian official since 2014. His term was due to expire last year b

Harvard defends diversity in education after defeat in Supreme Court

Gay, who's currently Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences and will be the school's first Black president, said in a separate message that today is a hard day

Denial of opportunity: Kamala Harris as court cancels race-based admissions

The US Supreme Court on Thursday struck down race-based admissions at the University of Harvard and the University of North Carolina

Disagree with Supreme Court's decision to end race-based admissions: Biden

The US Supreme Court on Thursday struck down race-based admission programs at the University of Harvard and the University of North Carolina, The Washington Post reported

Mike Pence makes a surprise visit to Ukraine, meets President Zelenskyy

Former Vice President Mike Pence made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Thursday, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and touring the war-torn country as it fights Russian aggression. Pence, who this month launched his campaign for the Republican nomination for president, has been deeply critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. He has called on the US to deliver more military aid to the country and criticised GOP rivals who have questioned the ongoing US involvement, saying there is no room in the party for Putin apologists" and pushing back against those who want the US to take on a more limited role on the world stage. Pence spent roughly 12 hours in the country on Thursday, according to an adviser, with stops in Moshchun, Bucha and Irpin, according to NBC News, which travelled with him. I'm here because it's important that the American people understand the progress that we've made and how support for the Ukrainian military has been in ou

UNESCO members expected to approve US entry in UN's cultural agency

UNESCO's 193 members states are gathering Thursday for a two-day meeting in Paris aimed at voting on the United States' plans to rejoin the U.N. cultural and scientific agency after a decade-long dispute sparked by the organization's move to include Palestine as a member. The U.S. announced earlier this month, that it wanted to return, five years after it withdrew from the agency during the presidency of Donald Trump. U.S. officials say the decision was motivated by concern that China is filling the gap left by the U.S. in UNESCO policymaking, notably in setting standards for artificial intelligence and technology education around the world. Approval by member states seems a formality since not a single country has raised an objection to the return of a country that was once the agency's single biggest funder. The vote is expected Thursday or Friday. The U.S. and Israel stopped financing UNESCO after it voted to include Palestine as a member state in 2011. The Trump administration

Presumed human remains found in debris of Titan submersible: US Coast Guard

The US Coast Guard says it has likely recovered human remains from the wreckage of the Titan submersible and is bringing the evidence back to the United States. The submersible imploded last week, killing all five people on board. The vessel was on a voyage see the wreck of the Titanic. Debris from the Titan submersible was returned to land Wednesday. The return of the debris to port in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, is a key piece of the investigation into why the submersible imploded. In a statement late Wednesday, the Coast Guard said it had recovered debris and evidence from the sea floor and that included what it described as presumed human remains. I am grateful for the coordinated international and interagency support to recover and preserve this vital evidence at extreme offshore distances and depths, US Coast Guard Chief Capt. Jason Neubauer said in a statement. The evidence will provide investigators from several international jurisdictions with critical insights .

What a powerful idea: US Ambassador on PM Modi's 'not an era of war' remark

The Prime Minister made a 'not an era of war' comment while talking with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in September 2022 during an SCO summit

Oil prices jump 3% on bigger-than-expected decline in US crude storage

Investors remained cautious that interest rate hikes could slow economic growth and reduce oil demand

Cong questions pricing of predator drone deal with US, seeks transparency

The Congress on Wednesday demanded complete transparency in the multi-crore India-US drone deal, while alleging that the 31 MQ-9B Predator UAV drones were being procured for a higher price. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said at a press conference that national security was paramount and that several doubts were being raised on the predator drone deal. "The Modi government is known to jeopardise national interests and the people of India have witnessed the same in the Rafale deal, where the Modi government bought only 36 Rafale jets instead of 126. We also saw how HAL was denied transfer of technology. We also saw how several unilateral decisions were made, despite widespread objections from the Defence Acquisition Committee and the Armed Forces. The Rafale 'scam' is still under scrutiny in France," he charged. "We demand complete transparency in this Predator Drone deal. India needs answers to the crucial questions. Otherwise, we will be trapped in another 'scam' under the Modi

India produces 27 mn vehicles, valued at $108-bn in FY23: Report

The Indian automobile industry produced a whopping 2.7 crore vehicles across segments and types, worth around USD 108-billion (Rs 8.7-lakh crore) in FY23, with passenger vehicle segment accounting for 57 per cent at Rs 5-lakh crore in the total value, a report said on Wednesday. Also, in the total 2.7 lakh crore vehicles churned out last fiscal, the commercial vehicle segment, which includes small 4-wheel carrier with less than 2-ton capacity to large tractor trailers and specialty vehicles like tippers, share stood at 10-lakh vehicles, generating a value of Rs 1.7-lakh crore, management consulting services firm Primus Partners said in its report. The CV segment accounted for 4 per cent in the total volume and 19 per cent in value terms, it said. According to Primus Partners, the production of two-wheelers is closely matched by China, with 20-million two-wheelers coming out of the manufacturing facilities in the country, accounting for 77 per cent of the volume share. The overall .

'In-country renewal of H-1B visas by US to boost India's services exports'

The US announcement to introduce in-country renewable of H-1B visas will help swift movement of Indian IT professionals and promote services exports, SEPC said on Wednesday. Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) said that the decision would allow easier on-site client engagement by domestic IT professionals. "When Indian IT professionals can quickly travel to client locations abroad, they can better understand client requirements, build stronger relationships, and deliver tailored solutions. This direct engagement can lead to increased client satisfaction, repeat business, and ultimately, higher IT exports," SEPC Chairman Sunil H Talati said. He said that as the US is the major market for India's IT exports, this development will have a significant positive impact on the export of IT services from India. "The earlier estimates for IT exports growth have been in the range of 8-12 per cent however with this particular push the exports growth in IT can further stride in the range o

Rupee gains 5 paise to 81.97 against US dollar on foreign fund inflows

The rupee strengthened by 5 paise to 81.97 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday on foreign fund inflows and gains in domestic equities. The currency opened higher by 2 paise at 82 at the interbank foreign exchange market and moved in a tight range of 82.01 to 81.97 in early trade. The rupee was trading at 81.97 against the US dollar at 9.35 am, registering a gain of 5 paise over the previous close of 82.02. Foreign portfolio investments into equities and overnight losses in the US dollar in global markets boosted the rupee sentiment in early trade, analysts said. The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was almost flat at 102.58. Global crude oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.69 per cent higher USD 72.76 per barrel. In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex advanced by 199.06 points or 0.31 per cent to 63,615.09 points while the broader Nifty gained 62.75 points to 18,880.15 points. Foreign Portfo

FBI ignored 'massive amount' of intelligence before January 6: Senate

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security downplayed or ignored a massive amount of intelligence information ahead of the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, according to the chairman of a Senate panel that on Tuesday released a new report on the intelligence failures ahead of the insurrection. The report details how the agencies failed to recognize and warn of the potential for violence as some of then-President Donald Trump's supporters openly planned the siege in messages and forums online. Among the multitude of intelligence that was overlooked was a December 2020 tip to the FBI that members of the far-right extremist group Proud Boys planned to be in Washington, DC, for the certification of Joe Biden's victory and their "plan is to literally kill people", the report said. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee said the agencies were also aware of many social media posts that foreshadowed violence, some calling on Trump's supporters to come

Canadian wildfires causing unhealthy air quality again in parts of US

Drifting smoke from the ongoing wildfires across Canada is creating curtains of haze and raising air quality concerns throughout the Great Lakes region, and in parts of the central and eastern United States. Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy on Tuesday issued an air quality alert for the entire state, while in Chicago where the air quality has been categorised unhealthy by the US Environmental Protection Agency officials are urging young people, older adults and residents with health issues to spend more time indoors. Just driving into the zoo ... you could just see around the buildings, kind of just haze," said Shelly Woinowski, who was visiting the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Some day care centres in the Chicago area have told parents that their children will remain indoors on Tuesday due to the poor air quality, while one youth sports club says it adjusted its activities to add more time indoors. We recommend children, teens, seniors, people with .

Over $200 bn may have been stolen from Covid-19 aid: Federal watchdog

More than USD 200 billion may have been stolen from two large COVID-19 relief initiatives, according to new estimates from a federal watchdog investigating federally funded programmes that helped small businesses survive the worst public health crisis in more than a hundred years. The numbers issued on Tuesday by the US Small Business Administration inspector general are much greater than the office's previous projections and underscore how vulnerable the Paycheck Protection and COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan programmes were to fraudsters, particularly during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. The inspector general's report said at least 17 percent of all COVID-EIDL and PPP funds were disbursed to potentially fraudulent actors. The fraud estimate for the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan programme is more than USD 136 billion, which represents 33 per cent of the total money spent on that programme, according to the report. The Paycheck Protection fraud estimat

Decoded | What really happened with the Titanic Submersible

OceanGate Expeditions, which owned the 22-foot-long Titan, said all 5 crew members, including CEO Stockton Rush, are believed to be dead. Watch the video to know what really happened >

PM Modi, India represent lynchpin in Prez Biden's strategy in Asia: Report

As he welcomed Modi to the White House earlier in the day, Biden sought to underscore the importance of shared values in the relationship moving forward

PM's US visit to bolster bilateral ties, strategic collaboration: India Inc

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's US visit will boost bilateral ties and deepen strategic technology collaboration in areas like defence, semiconductor, space and artificial intelligence, India Inc said on Saturday. PM Modi left for Egypt on Saturday after concluding his US state visit, during which he held talks with President Joe Biden and addressed the joint session of Congress. CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee stated that the visit has culminated in laying a strong foundation for further strengthening the Indo-US relationship. "A new chapter has been added to the partnership that will see a much stronger collaboration in strategic technology collaboration, including defence, semiconductor, and space and in emerging technology sectors like AI and quantum, advanced materials, biotechnology, and telecommunications," Banerjee stated. He observed that the visit is also significant as we see new areas where industry on both sides would benefit significantly from the outcomes. "