Page 36 - Usa

Cerberus drops purchase of Apollo's Unit after Arcion Revitalization deal

The US firm's Indian arm decided not to proceed with the deal in October after agreeing to acquire Arcion Revitalisation Pvt. for about 2 billion rupees ($24 million)

US, Japan to hold Security Consultative Committee meet on Jan 11: Ned Price

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will co-host the 2023 US-Japan Security Consultative Committee meeting with Japanese counterparts on January 11

Republicans divided, McCarthy fails for 3rd day in GOP House speaker fight

For a long and frustrating third day, divided Republicans left the speaker's chair of the US House sitting empty Thursday, as party leader Kevin McCarthy failed again and again in an excruciating string of ballots to win enough GOP votes to seize the chamber's gavel. Pressure was building as McCarthy lost seventh, eighth and then historic ninth and 10th rounds of voting, surpassing the number it took the last time this happened, 100 years ago, in a prolonged fight to choose a speaker in a disputed election. With McCarthy's supporters and foes locked in stalemate, feelings of boredom and desperation seemed increasingly evident with no quick end in sight. One McCarthy critic, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, cast votes in two rounds for Donald Trump, a symbolic but pointed sign of the broader divisions over the Republican Party's future. "It's not happening," said Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado who nominated a new alternative, Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, and urged fellow Republicans to embra

US removes more than 300 Cuban migrants from remote Florida islands

The Coast Guard removed more than 300 Cuban migrants from a remote island national park off the Florida coast Thursday as the US government sought to handle the latest influx in people arriving by boat from the communist island. Homeland Security officials said the Coast Guard took 337 migrants from Dry Tortugas National Park on a 70-mile (113-kilometer) trip to Key West, where they will be processed. They were among more than 700 migrants, mostly Cubans, who arrived in Florida by boat over the New Year's weekend, prompting officials in Florida to appeal to the federal government to do more to deter migrants arriving illegally. On Thursday, the Biden administration signaled a tougher stance on migrants coming from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, while offering a new path for migrants from those countries to enter legally. The government said it would immediately start turning away Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans who cross the US-Mexico border illegally, as it has done with ..

Oil prices rebound as dollar weakens; economy concerns cap upside

Big declines in the previous 2 days were driven by worries about a potential global recession, especially since short-term economic signs in world's 2 biggest oil consumers, US and China seemed shaky

Blinken will have several opportunities to travel to India in 2023: US

US Secretary of State Tony Blinken will have several opportunities to travel to India, which currently holds the G-20 presidency, this year, a State Department spokesperson said. Blinken, along with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, is expected to travel to India early this year for the 2+2 dialogue with their respective Indian counterparts -- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. "I don't have a date to announce just yet, but it is an important opportunity for the Secretary, for the Secretary of Defense, to engage with their Indian counterparts every single year," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference. "It's an opportunity to discuss the breadth of our global strategic partnership that we have with India, he said. "The Secretary will of course have probably several opportunities to travel to India over the course of the year, given India's hosting of the G-20, something we look forward to taking part

2 rockets hit US base with American troops in eastern Syria; no casualties

Two rockets struck a base housing American troops in eastern Syria on Wednesday without causing any human or material losses, the US military said. The morning attack on Mission Support Site Conoco came as Iran and its allies in the region marked the third anniversary of the killing of Iran's leading general and chief of the powerful Quds force, Qassem Soleimani, in a US drone strike in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. No one claimed responsibility for the attack in eastern Syria, where it is not uncommon for bases housing US troops to come under rocket fire or mortar attacks. Iran-backed militia are based nearby as are sleeper cells of the Islamic State group that was defeated in Syria in March 2019. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the rockets were fired by Arab tribesmen in the region who are armed by Iran. Attacks of this kind place Coalition Forces and the civilian populace at risk and undermine the hard-earned stability and ...

US reopening visa, consular services in Cuba post-2017 health issues

The United States Embassy in Cuba is reopening visa and consular services Wednesday, the first time it has done so since a spate of unexplained health incidents among diplomatic staff in 2017 slashed the American presence in Havana. The Embassy confirmed this week it will begin processing immigrant visas, with a priority placed on permits to reunite Cubans with family in the U.S., and others like the diversity visa lottery. The resumption comes amid the greatest migratory flight from Cuba in decades, which has placed pressure on the Biden administration to open more legal pathways to Cubans and start a dialogue with the Cuban government, despite a historically tense relationship. They are anticipated to give out at least 20,000 visas a year, though it's just a drop in the bucket of the migratory tide, which is fueled by intensifying economic and political crises on the island. In late December, U.S. authorities reported stopping Cubans 34,675 times along the Mexico border in Novemb

US stands with Afghan women, condemns Taliban move, says White House

The United States stands with the women of Afghanistan and strongly condemns the recent Taliban move regarding restrictions on girls' education in the country, the White House said on Tuesday. "We stand with Afghan women and condemn the Taliban's indefensible decision to restrict women's education and their rights. So, as we have made clear, these actions by the Taliban will further alienate them from the international community and deny them the legitimacy that they so desire," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference. "We remain in touch with our partners and allies on this issue, and we'll continue to take steps to advance our shared efforts to support Afghan women and girls and provide a robust humanitarian support to the people in Afghanistan. We will be steadfast about that," she said in response to a question. Last month, the Taliban banned women from attending universities.

US negates legitimacy of Nicolas Maduro as Venezula's interim president

The United States on Tuesday said that it did not recognise Nicolas Maduro as the legitimate President of Venezuela, the White House said in a press release

Google settles 2 more location tracking lawsuits worth $29.5 million in US

Google has settled two more location tracking lawsuits worth $29.5 million filed in Washington, DC and Indiana states in the US

New Omicron subvariant accounts for over 40% of new Covid-19 cases in US

New Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is estimated to account for 40.5 per cent of Covid-19 cases in the US in the week ending December 31, nearly doubling from the previous week

Trump's returns show how he used write-offs to pay little or no tax

The returns, which include his personal and business filings from 2015 to 2020, are the first complete look into Trump's tax records for the years he was running for office and in the White House

US stocks fall broadly with more losses; S&P 500 ends worst year since 2008

Stocks fell in afternoon trading on Wall Street on Friday as major indexes close out a dismal year with lingering concerns about stubbornly hot inflation and a potential recession. The S&P 500 fell 0.7 per cent as of 12:01 pm Eastern. The index, which is considered a benchmark for the broader market by investors, is on track to end 2022 with a 20 per cent loss. That would mark its worst loss since the financial crisis 14 years ago. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.7 per cent and is on track for a much steeper annual loss of 33.5 per cent. The index is faring much worse this year because it is heavily made up of technology stocks that have been leading the broader market slump. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 210 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 33,007. It is on track for a 9.4 per cent loss this year. There was scant corporate or economic news for Wall Street to review on the last trading day of the year. Tesla stabilized from steep losses earlier in the week, though it is still on ...

Claims against Dr Reddy's Laboratories over Revlimid in US dismissed

Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Thursday said all claims against it in the antitrust litigation filed in the US, related to a prescription medicine Revlimid, used in treatment of multiple myeloma have been dismissed. In a regulatory filing, the company said on December 22, 2022 and December 27, 2022, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd and Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Inc. respectively, from the case. "All claims against the company in the litigation have now been dismissed," Dr Reddy's said. Last month the company had stated that it was among several generic pharmaceutical companies, including Celgene and Bristol Myers Squibb, against which an antitrust litigation has been filed in the District of New Jersey, USA. The complaint had asserted "claims under federal and state antitrust law and other state laws alleging that defendants improperly restrained competition and maintained a shared monopoly in the sale of brand and generic Revlimid in the United States."

US immigrants generate 36% of nation's innovation, finds NBER study

About 36% of the innovative output of the past three decades can be attributed to immigrants - who make up 16% of the country's inventors, the paper concludes

What are Arctic blast and bomb cyclones?

People have died, flights cancelled and travel bans have been imposed in parts of US and Canada because of winter storms. News reports are citing terms like arctic blast and bomb cyclones. Here's more

Muzaffarnagar: Final destination for tonnes of America's plastic waste

Plastic waste that starts off in Americans' recycling bins ends up at illegal dumpsites - and inside the lungs of people in Muzaffarnagar

US considers new Covid prevention measures for arrivals from China: Report

Consumer confidence in Finland hit a record low in December this year, mainly because consumers' estimates of their own finances are on the decline, according to the country's statistical agency

Biden signs Bill forcing feds to fix prison cameras to check abuse, deaths

President Joe Biden signed into law Tuesday a bill requiring the federal Bureau of Prisons to overhaul outdated security systems and fix broken surveillance cameras after rampant staff sexual abuse, inmate escapes and high-profile deaths. The bipartisan Prison Camera Reform Act, which passed the Senate last year and the House on December 14, requires the Bureau of Prisons to evaluate and enhance security camera, radio and public address systems at its 122 facilities. The agency must submit a report to Congress within three months detailing deficiencies and a plan to make needed upgrades. Those upgrades are required within three years and the bureau must submit annual progress reports to lawmakers. Failing and inadequate security cameras have allowed inmates to escape from federal prisons and hampered investigations. They've been an issue in inmate deaths, including that of financier Jeffrey Epstein at a federal jail in New York City in 2019. The Justice Department's internal watchd