Page 38 - Usa

Zelenskyy tells US Congress he proposed 10-point peace formula to Biden

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the US Congress that he proposed a 10-point peace formula during his meeting with President Joe Biden, which he hoped would result in joint security guarantees for decades ahead. Zelenskyy, 44, met President Biden in the Oval Office and jointly addressed a press conference at the White House on Wednesday. He was given the rare distinction of addressing a joint session of the US Congress on a day packed with back-to-back meetings. We need peace. Ukraine has already offered proposals, which I just discussed with President Biden, our peace formula, ten points which should and must be implemented for our joint security guarantees for decades ahead. And the summit, which can be held, Zelenskyy said in his historic address to the joint session of the Congress. He said that any such discussions would also depend on Russia's willingness to negotiate and the participation of the international legal order, even as he slammed Russian President ...

New Omicron subvariants account for nearly 70% of new Covid-19 cases in US

New Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 have accounted for about 70 per cent of new Covid-19 cases in the US as the country's overall caseload has surpassed 100 million

US condemns Taliban's restrictions on women's education in Afghanistan

The United States has condemned the recent decision of the Taliban with regard to imposing restrictions on education of women in Afghanistan. The United States condemns the Taliban's indefensible decision to prevent Afghan women from receiving a university-level education, White House NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said on Tuesday. This deplorable decision is the latest effort by Taliban leadership to impose additional restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan and prevent them from exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms, he said. As a result of this unacceptable stance to hold back half of the population of Afghanistan, the Taliban will be further alienated from the international community and denied the legitimacy they desire, Watson said. The United States is in touch with our partners and allies on this issue. We will continue to take steps to advance our shared efforts to support Afghan women and girls and provide robust humanitarian support to the people

Chinese aggression another reason to boost ties with India: US lawmakers

The latest Chinese aggression against India is yet another reminder of strong India-US ties, top American lawmakers have said. China's most recent aggression in Arunachal Pradesh is yet another reminder of why a strong security partnership with India is crucial to the national security of the United States and our allies, India Caucus Co-Chairs said in a statement. This event marks yet another threat of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the Indian territory, including China's premeditated aggression on the Line of Actual Control in 2020 which saw the death of approximately 20 Indian troops, the co-chairs said. As co-chairs of the India Caucus, we have worked for years to deepen the US-India bilateral relationship. The India Caucus built on this progress by including the Khanna-Sherman-Schweikert amendment in the House-passed FY23 NDAA, highlighting the immediate and serious regional border threats that India faces from China, said the statement. The co-chairs applauded the ..

US House Jan 6 panel seeks Trump's prosecution with criminal referral

The House Jan. 6 committee urged the Justice Department on Monday to bring criminal charges against Donald Trump for the violent 2021 Capitol insurrection, calling for accountability for the former president and a time of reflection and reckoning. After one of the most exhaustive and aggressive congressional probes in memory, the panel's seven Democrats and two Republicans are recommending criminal charges against Trump and associates who helped him launch a wide-ranging pressure campaign to try to overturn his 2020 election loss. The panel also released a lengthy summary of its final report, with findings that Trump engaged in a multi-part conspiracy to thwart the will of voters. At a final meeting Monday, the committee alleged violations of four criminal statutes by Trump, in both the run-up to the riot and during the insurrection itself, as it recommended the former president for prosecution to the Justice Department. Among the charges they recommend for prosecution is aiding an .

Boost genome sequencing of Covid cases to track variants: Centre to states

After the China has reported surge in the Covid-19 cases, the Centre on Tuesday asked all states to gear up the whole genome sequencing of positive cases to track the new variant

China's Covid-19 outbreak has US worried about new mutations of virus

Chinese cities are witnessing a wave of Covid-19 cases, with concerns growing that the government may be hiding the true toll of the virus

US House congressional panel to discuss release of Trump's tax returns

The Democratic-controlled House Ways and Means Committee is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to publicly release years of Donald Trump's tax returns, which the former president has long tried to shield. Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., has kept a close hold on the panel's actions, including whether the panel will meet in a public or private session. And if lawmakers move forward with plans to release the returns, it's unclear how quickly that would happen. But after a yearslong battle that ultimately resulted in the Supreme Court clearing the way last month for the Treasury Department to send the returns to Congress, Democrats are under pressure to act aggressively. The committee received six years of tax returns for Trump and some of his businesses. And with just two weeks left until Republicans formally take control of the House, Tuesday's meeting could be the last opportunity for Democrats to disclose whatever information they have gleaned. Trump has long had a ...

Los Angeles' Covid deaths, hospitalisations surpass last winter levels

Covid-19 deaths and hospitalisations continue to increase in Los Angeles County, the largest in the US, surpassing the figures recorded at this time of year in 2021

Joe Biden slams antisemitic violence, says America will not be silent

US President Joe Biden said "America will not be silent" as he slammed antisemitism at a White House party to commemorate the second day of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights

US doesn't want any conflict with China, says White House official Kirby

Despite acknowledging the security challenges posed by China, White House official John Kirby has stated that Washington doesn't want to see a conflict with Beijing

China's Huawei attempting to dominate 5G services, steal data: US lawmaker

Highlighting the dire threat posed by Chinese companies to US security, Senator Tom Cotton accused the Chinese tech giant Huawei of attempting to dominate 5G technology and stealing Americans' data

3 held for running illegal call centres to dupe US-based senior citizens

The Delhi Police has arrested three men for allegedly running illegal call centres here and defrauding senior citizens based in the US on the pretext of providing them with technology support against "malfunctioning" of their computers, officials said on Friday. The accused, identified as Jatin Lamba, Harshad Madaan and Vikas Gupta, were held in Delhi after police conducted overnight raids, whereas their counterpart Jayant Bhatia was arrested by Canadian Law Enforcement Agency from Toronto and Kulwinder Singh was arrested by the FBI, USA from New Jersey, they said. Police said Jatin Lamba with his brother Gagan Lamba was running a company from Ganesh Nagar, New Delhi camouflaging as a tech support company and used to run call centres that targeted US citizens. Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO, Special Cell) Prashant K Gautam said Gupta has been involved in the scam as calling agent to provide tech support to fix the technical glitch in the computer of the victim. Madaan, the DCP

Garcetti well-qualified to serve as US Ambassador to India: White House

Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is well-qualified to serve as the US Ambassador to India, the White House said Thursday. The statement comes days after influential senator Chuck Grassley opposed Garcetti's nomination as he faces an allegation of sexual harassment by one of his staff members. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, however, told reporters at her daily news conference that a diplomat in India is a priority. As you know, this is a priority and continues to be a priority for us. Mayor Garcetti is well-qualified to serve in this vital role, she said. Grassley's remarks on the Senate floor came amidst the White House intensifying its efforts to push Garcetti in the position which has remained vacant for nearly two years. India currently chairs G20, resulting in scores of diplomatic activities between the two countries, and the Biden administration wants to have its envoy in New Delhi at the earliest. Garcetti, who served as the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles f

Georgia, New Hampshire ban Chinese app TikTok over security concerns

Governors Brian Kemp of Georgia and Chris Sununu of New Hampshire on Thursday immediately banned the use of TikTok and popular messaging applications from all computer devices controlled by their state governments, saying the Chinese government may be able to access users' personal information. Both Republican governors banned the messaging app WeChat and other apps owned by Chinese firm Tencent. Sununu went further, banning apps owned by Chinese firm Alibaba and telecommunications hardware and smartphones made by Chinese firms including Huawei and ZTE. Kemp also banned Telegram, saying its Russian control poses similar risks. The state of Georgia has a responsibility to prevent any attempt to access and infiltrate its secure data and sensitive information by foreign adversaries such as the CCP, Kemp wrote in a memo, using an acronym for the Chinese Communist Party. As such, it is our duty to take action to preserve the safety and security of our state against the CCP, entities it .

US House passes referendum for vote on Puerto Rico's political status

The U.S. House passed a bill Thursday that would allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain some sort of independence, in a last-ditch effort that stands little chance of passing the Senate. The bill, which passed 233-191 with some Republican support, would offer voters in the U.S. territory three options: statehood, independence or independence with free association. It is crucial to me that any proposal in Congress to decolonize Puerto Rico be informed and led by Puerto Ricans, said Rep. Ral Grijalva, D-Ariz., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, which oversees affairs in U.S. territories. The proposal would commit Congress to accept Puerto Rico into the United States as the 51st state if voters on the island approved it. Voters also could choose outright independence or independence with free association, whose terms would be defined following negotiations over foreign affairs, U.S. citizenship and use of the U.S

US imposes new penalties on entities involved in Russia's financial sector

The United States on Thursday imposed a new round of financial penalties on people and entities involved in Russia's financial sector, with the targets including one of that country's richest men, Vladimir Potanin, his family and a commercial bank he acquired this year. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control also imposed sanctions on more than 40 people linked to the Russian financial sector and 17 subsidiaries of VTB Bank Public Joint Stock Company also known as VTB Bank Russia's second largest bank. VTB Bank was designated for sanctions in February. The State Department issued separate diplomatic designations on the people and companies. Western nations and other allies have imposed a range of penalties meant to crush Russia's finances due to Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Russia's Central Bank faces restrictions that target access to the more than $600 billion in reserves that the Kremlin has at its disposal. Allied countries have .

Taking Fed lead, Bank of England and ECB raise rates by 50 basis points

Britain's central bank on Thursday raised its key interest rate again but toned down the pace as inflation shows signs of easing, mirroring action by the US Federal Reserve and ahead of an anticipated identical move by European policymakers. The Bank of England raised the benchmark rate by half a percentage point, to 3.5 per cent, the highest level in 14 years. It was the ninth consecutive increase since December 2021 and follows last month's outsized three-quarter point hike, the biggest in 30 years. This time, officials opted for less aggressive action after data this week showed inflation slipped from a 41-year high, but they warned that more hikes are likely to come. The bank last month forecast a prolonged recession in the UK and consumer price inflation staying very high in the near term. Should that scenario play out, further rate increases may be required for a sustainable return of inflation" to its 2 per cent target, bank's Monetary Policy Committee said. There are ...

Russia-Ukraine war: Moscow warns 'consequences' if US sends missiles

Russia's Foreign Ministry warned Thursday that if the United States confirms reports that it plans to deliver sophisticated air defense missiles to Ukraine, it would be another provocative move by the U.S. that could prompt a response from Moscow. Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a weekly briefing Thursday that the U.S. has effectively become a party to the war in Ukraine, following reports that it will provide Kyiv with Patriot surface-to-air missiles, the most advanced the West has yet provided to help Ukraine's military repel Russian aerial attacks. Zakharova added that growing amounts of U.S. military assistance, including the transfer of such sophisticated weapons, "would mean even broader involvement of military personnel in the hostilities and could entail possible consequences. She did not specify what the consequences might be. U.S. officials said Tuesday that Washington was poised to approve sending a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, finally agreeing to an

US registers 50% increase in weekly Covid-19 cases among children

About 41,000 child Covid-19 cases were reported in the US in the week ending December 8, an increase of about 50 per cent over the weekly average in the previous eight weeks