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US NSA meets Doval in Saudi Arabia, next meeting in Australia this month

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had a meeting with his Indian counterpart Ajit K Doval in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, the White House said, adding that the two leaders are scheduled to meet again in Australia later this month on the sidelines of the Quad Summit. This is the first meeting between Doval and Sullivan after they launched the ambitious India US ICET (Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology) dialogue here in January. Sullivan is currently travelling to Saudi Arabia. "National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and National Security Advisor of India Ajit Doval on May 7 in Saudi Arabia to advance their shared vision of a more secure and prosperous Middle East region interconnected with India and the world," the White House said Sunday in a readout of the meeting. "Sullivan also held bilateral meetings with the Crown Prince, Sheikh .

Biden orders to lower US flags at half-mast to honor Allen shooting victims

US President Joe Biden has issued a proclamation honouring the victims of the shooting in Allen, Texas and ordered all US flags at public buildings to be flown at half-staff

SUV driver hits crowd at Texas bus stop near border, leaves 7 dead

Seven people were killed and up to six were injured Sunday after they were struck by a vehicle while waiting at a city bus stop outside of a migrant shelter in the border city of Brownsville, Texas, police said. Brownsville police investigator Martin Sandoval said the crash happened about 8:30 a.m. Shelter director Victor Maldonado of the Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center said he reviewed the shelter's surveillance video on Sunday morning after receiving a call about the crash. The city bus stop is across the street from the shelter and is not marked. There was no bench, and people waiting there were sitting along the curb, Maldonado said. He said most of the victims were Venezuelan men. What we see in the video is that this SUV, a Range Rover, just ran the light that was about a hundred feet away and just went through the people who were sitting there in the bus stop, Maldonado said. The Ozanam shelter is the only overnight shelter in the city of Brownsville and manages the

LIVE: Security tightened in Delhi ahead of farmer's march to Jantar Mantar

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More SVB-like crises to come, says Aswath Damodaran on US banking sector

Economic expert Aswath Damodaran in his latest blog has said that the US can witness more dominos falling like the SVB

Very poor messaging: Buffett criticises US govt handling of banking crisis

Warren Buffet expresses his displeasure at the "very poor messaging" by the US government with regard to the ongoing regional banking crisis

US prez Joe Biden dispatching top aide to meet with Saudi crown prince

US President Joe Biden is dispatching one of his top advisers to Saudi Arabia to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of the oil-rich kingdom, later this week. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday he will travel to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for talks with Saudi officials and will also meet with his counterparts from the United Arab Emirates and India during his visit. Sullivan said he would "discuss new areas of cooperation between New Delhi and the Gulf, as well as the United States and the rest of the region." India and UAE last year signed a comprehensive economic partnership aimed at improving ties between the two countries. Sullivan is expected to meet with the crown prince, who is often referred to by his initials MBS, during the visit, according to a person familiar with Sullivan's travel plans who was not authorised to publicly discuss that element of them. Sullivan spoke by phone with MBS last month amid signs that the

US to control land sales to foreigners within 100 miles of 8 military bases

Foreign citizens and companies would need U.S. government approval to buy property within 100 miles (160 kilometres) of eight military bases, under a proposed rule change that follows a Chinese firm's attempt to build a plant near an Air Force base in North Dakota. The Treasury Department's Office of Investment Security is set to propose the rule on Friday. It would give expanded powers to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which screens business deals between U.S. firms and foreign investors and can block sales or force the parties to change the terms of an agreement to protect national security. Controversy arose over plans by the Fufeng Group to build a USD 700 million wet corn milling plant about 12 miles (19 kilometres) from the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which houses both air and space operations. As opposition to the project grew, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, all Republicans, raised questions about the ...

Donald Trump seeks to move New York criminal case to federal court

Donald Trump's lawyers have asked a federal court to take control of his New York City criminal case. They argued Thursday that the former president can't be tried in the state court where his historic indictment was brought because the alleged conduct occurred while he was in office. In court papers, Trump's lawyers said the criminal case "involves important federal questions," including alleged violations of federal election law. Federal officers, including former presidents, have the right to be tried in federal court for charges arising from "conduct performed while in office," the lawyers argued. Echoing Trump's claims that his indictment is "politically motivated," lawyer Susan Necheles urged the federal court to exert its "protective jurisdiction" and seize the case from the state courts where Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg routinely practises. Such requests are rarely granted in criminal cases, although Trump's request is unprecedented because he's the first former

US often didn't screen workers at Mexico border migrant centres: Watchdog

The federal Health and Human Services Department often failed to perform required background checks on workers at emergency holding centres for migrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border alone during a surge in 2021, the agency's internal watchdog has found. The inspector general's report released Thursday raises questions about how better-prepared authorities will be for the next emergency, especially with coronavirus pandemic-related asylum restrictions scheduled to end this coming week and expected to result in more arrivals. The report, based on a sampling, found that 200 workers did not have background checks for child abuse or neglect and only 29 did, though 20 of those were not done in a "timely manner." Investigators found 174 did not have FBI fingerprint background checks while 55 did, but 25 of those were not done in a "timely manner." Checks against the Justice Department's sex offender registry, which were required less often, were not done on 42 workers and wer

Taiwan trade chief warns against 'unnecessary fear' of China amid tensions

Taiwan's chief trade representative says his country's semiconductor makers will expand production in the U.S. as much as they can afford to do so, but he insists Taiwan remains an ideal place for that production and other U.S. trade, business and investment, despite tensions with China. John Chen-Chung Deng spoke to The Associated Press on a visit this week to Washington, where he is leading a Taiwanese trade delegation and meeting with U.S. trade officials. Deng's visit comes at a time of intensifying efforts to harden the U.S. and Taiwanese militaries and economies against any threat from rival China. As part of this, President Joe Biden and Congress are moving to boost semiconductor production on U.S. soil in the event of any conflict disrupting exports from Asia, especially from Taiwan. Semiconductors make electronics ranging from phones to electric cars to advanced weapons run, and Taiwan produces more than 90 per cent of the world's more advanced semiconductors. At the same

163 Indian companies invested $40 bn in US; created 425,000 jobs: Report

As many as 163 Indian companies have invested more than USD 40 billion in the United States so far which has created nearly 425,000 jobs in the country, according to a survey. The survey titled Indian Roots, American Soil of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), which was launched on Wednesday by India's Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu in the presence of US Ambassador-designate to India Eric Garcetti, also revealed that Indian companies spent nearly USD 185 million as corporate social responsibility in the United States and their financing of US-based Research and Development (R&D) projects is nearly USD 1 billion. Indian companies in the US bring strength, resilience and competitiveness to the US. They create jobs, support the local communities, and build capacity and technical know-how. They create virtuous cycles of prosperity, Sandhu said in his address in the presence of a large number of representatives of Indian companies who are currently in the

US Fed raises key rate by 25 bps, hints may pause hikes amid bank turmoil

The Federal Reserve reinforced its fight against high inflation Wednesday by raising its key interest rate by a quarter-point to the highest level in 16 years. But the Fed also signalled that it may now pause the streak of 10 rate hikes that have made borrowing for consumers and businesses steadily more expensive. In a statement after its latest policy meeting, the Fed removed a previous sentence that had said some additional rate hikes might be needed. It replaced it with language that said it will consider a range of factors in determining the extent to which future hikes might be needed. The Fed's rate increases over the past 14 months have more than doubled mortgage rates, elevated the costs of auto loans, credit card borrowing and business loans and heightened the risk of a recession. Home sales have plunged as a result. The Fed's latest move, which raised its benchmark rate to roughly 5.1%, could further increase borrowing costs. Still, the Fed's statement offered little ...

US approves 1st vaccine for respiratory virus after decades of attempts

The US approved the first vaccine for RSV on Wednesday, shots to protect older adults against a respiratory virus that's most notorious for attacking babies but endangers their grandparents, too. The Food and Drug Administration decision makes GSK's shot, called Arexvy, the first of several potential vaccines in the pipeline for RSV to be licensed anywhere. The move sets the stage for adults 60 and older to get vaccinated this fall but first, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must decide if every senior really needs RSV protection or only those considered at high risk from the respiratory syncytial virus. CDC's advisers will debate that question in June. After decades of failure in the quest for an RSV vaccine, doctors are anxious to finally have something to offer especially after a virus surge that strained hospitals last fall. This is a great first step ... to protect older persons from serious RSV disease, said Dr. William Schaffner, medical director of the Natio

JSW Steel to invest $145 mn to upgrade manufacturing operations in US

New projects are expected to be commissioned in FY26, says subsidiary of Indian steel giant

Hollywood writers go on strike for better pay amid Guild, studios deadlock

The Writers Guild of America, which represents more than 11,500 Hollywood scribes, said its strike is effective Tuesday morning Los Angeles time

Trump to appear in New Hampshire town hall forum next week: Report

CNN has said that former president Donald Trump will participate in a town hall forum next week in New Hampshire. The event will be held on May 10 at St. Anselm College. Trump will take questions from New Hampshire Republicans and voters who plan to participate in the 2024 presidential primary, the network said. CNN This Morning anchor Kaitlan Collins will moderate. The event will be broadcast at 9 pm Eastern time. While president, Trump made CNN one of his favourite targets for criticism. Scheduling the event for CNN indicates that he's trying to reach beyond Republican voters; he's done interviews on Fox News over the past several weeks. Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung declined to comment on the announcement.

2 killed, 4 wounded in Mississippi shooting; 19-year-old man arrested

Police have charged a 19-year-old man with killing two teenagers and wounding four others in an early Sunday shooting at a house party on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Cameron Everest Brand of Pass Christian is charged with murder and aggravated assault, jail records show. Bay St. Louis Police Chief Toby Schwartz said in a news release that police identified Brand as the sole shooter through witness and victim statements. An 18-year-old and a 16-year-old died in a New Orleans hospital, Schwartz said. The Orleans Parish coroner did not return a phone call seeking to confirm their identities. Brand was arrested at his home in neighbouring Pass Christian and taken to jail, Schwartz said. Bay St. Louis Municipal Court Judge Stephen Maggio denied Brand bail, and he was being held in the Hancock County jail. It is unclear if Brand has a lawyer to speak for him. Students had gathered for a party at the home on a sparsely populated road after Bay High School's prom. Local news outlets report

Federal Reserve seen boosting rates even as economic risks build in US

The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to boost the benchmark lending rate target by another quarter percentage point on Wednesday

Banking system 'strong enough to survive' policy rate changes: FinMin study

Probability of event like Silicon Valley Bank's collapse in the US happening in India significantly less, says ministry's monthly review