Page 30 - Usa

North Dakota Guv signs laws banning trans athletes from female sports teams

North Dakota's Republican Governor Doug Burgum on Tuesday evening signed two transgender athlete bans into law, effectively prohibiting transgender girls and women from joining female sports teams in K-12 and college. Lawmakers in the House and Senate passed the bills with veto-proof majorities this year. If the governor had vetoed the bills or refused to sign them, the bills likely would've still become law. At least 19 other states have imposed restrictions on transgender athletes. Republican lawmakers across the US have drafted hundreds of laws this year to push back on LGBTQ+ freedoms, especially targeting transgender people's everyday lives including sports, health care, bathrooms, workplaces and schools. The Biden administration this month proposed a rule, which still faces a lengthy approval process, to forbid outright bans on transgender athletes. In 2021, Burgum vetoed a nearly identical bill that would have banned transgender girls from playing on girls' teams in public

Sitharaman, Gita Gopinath meet in US, both discuss debt vulnerabilities

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday had a meeting with Gita Gopinath, the First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), during which they discussed debt vulnerabilities and other issues. Sitharaman is leading a high-powered Indian delegation to attend the annual Spring Meeting of the IMF and the World Bank. Sitharaman congratulated Gopinath for accelerating India's work on the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable along with the World Bank and reiterated India's commitment to foster efforts to address growing debt vulnerabilities, the finance ministry said in a tweet after the meeting. During the meeting, the finance minister noted IMF's concerns on key downside risks to the economy including financial sector stress, rising real interest rates, elevated debt, inflation, geo-political fragmentation, and faltering growth in China, as highlighted in World Economic Outlook World Economy Outlook. Gopinath congratulated the minister on the fruitful

Taiwan tracks 91 Chinese aircraft, 12 naval ships: Defense Ministry

China began three-day military drills around Taiwan called "Joint Sword" after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy

Rupee seen flat at 82 for $1; US yields, importers hedging in focus

The Indian rupee is likely to open little changed to the U.S. currency on Tuesday, with traders assessing the outlook for U.S. yields and keeping a watch on importers' demand for the greenback

Cryptocurrency to FTA: Nirmala Sitharaman discusses range of issues in US

Sitharaman said that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) needs to be more progressive and must give space to countries that have something different to say

5 people killed, 8 injured in shooting at Louisville in US' Kentucky

Five people were killed and eight others injured in a shooting that happened in downtown Louisville in the US' Kentucky state.

US finds WSJ reporter in Russia is wrongfully detained on espionage charges

The Biden administration formally determined Monday that a Wall Street Journal reporter arrested in Russia on espionage charges has been "wrongfully detained." The designation elevates the case of Evan Gershkovich in the US government hierarchy and means that a dedicated State Department office will take the lead on securing his release. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the determination on Monday, saying he condemned the arrest and Russia's repression of independent media. "Today, Secretary Blinken made a determination that Evan Gershkovich is wrongfully detained by Russia," the department said in a statement. Journalism is not a crime. We condemn the Kremlin's continued repression of independent voices in Russia, and its ongoing war against the truth." Russian authorities arrested Gershkovich, 31, in Yekaterinburg, Russia's fourth-largest city, on March 29. He is the first US correspondent since the Cold War to be detained for alleged spying. The Federal Security Serv

2 children killed in NYC lithium-ion battery bike fire; 4 survive blaze

An electric bicycle powered by a lithium ion battery is being blamed for a fatal fire on Monday in New York City that killed two children, marking the latest in a string of e-bike-related fires in the city. FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens said it took his firefighters only three minutes to arrive at the Astoria, Queens home. However, with the fast-moving nature of e-bike fires and the fact the bike was being charged near the front entrance of the multi-family building, the victims "didn't have a chance to get out of the building" given the intense fire that quickly travelled up the stairs to a second-floor apartment. "So we got here very quickly. And if this was not a bike fire, most likely we would have been able to put this fire out without incident. But the way these fires occur, it's like an explosion of fire," he told reporters outside the burned home. "It's an ongoing problem. We implore everybody to please be very careful and aware of the danger of these devices." With

Who leaked the alleged classified US documents online & what do they tell?

Multiple tranches of documents have appeared on social media sites over recent weeks, some of them reportedly intended only for those with the highest levels of US security clearance

China holds second day of military exercises near Taiwan post Tsai's return

China held a second day of military drills around Taiwan, with multiple exercises involving aircraft and ships, after the island's president, Tsai Ing-wen, returned from a visit to the US

US to forbid schools, colleges to ban trans athletes but allow exceptions

Schools and colleges across the US would be forbidden from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes under a proposal released Thursday from the Biden administration, but teams could create some limits in certain cases for example, to ensure fairness. The proposed rule sends a political counterpunch toward a wave of Republican-led states that have sought to ban trans athletes from competing in school sports that align with their gender identities. If finalised, the proposal would become enshrined as a provision of Title IX, the landmark gender equity legislation enacted in 1972. It must undergo a lengthy approval process, however, and it's almost certain to face challenges from opponents. The proposal comes on the same day that the Supreme Court said a 12-year-old transgender girl in West Virginia can continue competing on her middle school track and cross-country teams while legal battles over the state's transgender law continue. The law bans transgender athletes from femal

US Centers for Disease Control flags Indian eye drop for death, blindness

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has flagged concern over the use of an Indian eye drop that is causing death and blindness among its citizens.

Lavrov ready to meet Blinken if there's willingness from US: Russian envoy

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked CBI not to spare the corrupt, independent MP Kapil Sibal on Tuesday questioned the conviction rate in the current government which was only 71 in 2016.

Venezuela opposition envoy urges US prez Biden to ease oil sanctions

The new representative of Venezuela's opposition in the US is urging the Biden administration to relax crippling oil sanctions on Nicolas Maduro's government or risk seeing the socialist-run country turn into another Cuba with Washington scapegoated for increasing authoritarianism and economic hardships. Fernando Blasi's comments to The Associated Press represent a sharp break from the opposition's maximum pressure campaign of the past four years when it was relying on the U.S. to muscle Maduro out of power. The failure of that hardline approach led the opposition in January to oust the beleaguered former lawmaker Juan Guaid from his role as interim president, a title he claimed as head of the National Assembly elected in 2015 widely considered Venezuela's last democratic vote. The opposition has replaced that arrangement with a more horizontal style of leadership of mostly exiled politicians. If we continue down this path, Venezuela is destined to be another Cuba, Blasi said in th

Still assessing exactly what intel China got from spy balloon: Pentagon

The United States has said it is still doing an assessment of what exactly intelligence information China was able to gather from its spy balloon that flew over sensitive American military sites in February. The comments from the Pentagon came after a media report said the Chinese spy balloon gathered information about some of the US military sites through electronic signals. As of right now, we're still doing an assessment of what exactly the intel was that China was able to gather but we do know that the steps that we took provided little additive value for what they've been able to collect from satellites before, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at a news conference here. The balloon had entered the United States from Alaska on January 28 and crossed through several States over various sensitive military sites, including Montana where the US stores some of its nuclear assets, before it was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina

Trump to speak from Florida's Mar-a-Lago after returning from indictment

US former President Donald Trump is all set to deliver the remarks on Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida after he returns from the indictment, CNN reported citing the news release

Tornadoes strike Arkansas, Illinois, leave 18 dead, dozens injured

A monster storm system tore through the South and Midwest on Friday, spawning deadly tornadoes that shredded homes and shopping centres in Arkansas, collapsed a theatre roof during a heavy metal concert in Illinois and made a deadly sweep across the border into rural Indiana. The storm caused three fatalities in Sullivan County, Indiana, Emergency Management Director Jim Pirtle said in an email to The Associated Press early Saturday. The storm damaged homes and some residents were missing in the county seat of Sullivan, located near the Illinois state line about 95 miles (152 kilometres) southwest of Indianapolis. At least one person was killed and more than two dozen were hurt, some critically, in the Little Rock area, authorities said. The town of Wynne in northeastern Arkansas was also devastated, and officials reported two dead there, along with destroyed homes and people trapped in the debris. Authorities said a theatre roof collapsed during a tornado in Belvidere, Illinois, ..

US President Joe Biden's 2024 campaign awaits some major decisions

President Joe Biden has all but announced he's running for reelection, but key questions about the 2024 campaign are unresolved: Who will manage it? Where will it be based? When will he finally make it official? Advisers have long said he planned to wait until after March, when the year's first fundraising period wraps up. That was an effort to help manage expectations because many donors who gave generously to Democratic causes during last fall's elections were looking for a break. But an announcement isn't imminent even now, aides insist, and probably won't come until at least after Biden returns from an expected trip to Ireland in mid-April. Working on his own timeline could counter Biden's low approval ratings and questions about his age the 80-year-old would turn 86 before the end of a second term. It also means Biden won't be hurried by pressure from former President Donald Trump, who's already announced his 2024 campaign, or other top Republicans who may enter the race, ...

Many EVs to lose big tax credit with new rules by US Treasury Dept

Fewer new electric vehicles will qualify for a full USD 7,500 federal tax credit later this year, and many will get only half that, under rules proposed on Friday by the US Treasury Department. The rules, required under last year's Inflation Reduction Act, are likely to slow consumer acceptance of electric vehicles and could delay President Joe Biden's ambitious goal that half of new passenger vehicles sold in the US run on electricity by 2030. The new rules take effect April 18 and are aimed at reducing US dependence on China and other countries for battery supply chains for electric vehicles. Electric vehicles now cost an average of more than USD 58,000, according to Kelley Blue Book, a price that's beyond the reach of many US households. The tax credits are designed to bring prices down and attract more buyers. But USD 3,750, half the full credit, may not be enough to entice them away from less-costly gasoline-powered vehicles. Biden administration officials concede that fewer

Donald Trump reckons he will be arrested next Tuesday in tax fraud case

Former US President Donald Trump called on his supporters to rally round him and protest nationwide as he expects to be arrested coming Tuesday in anticipation of an indictment from a New York jury