Washington

6 more bodies recovered in Washington mill implosion; death toll at 11

Crews have recovered six of nine workers missing and presumed to be dead after a chemical tank rupture in Washington state, officials said on Thursday. The total death toll is 11, including three who are still missing. It is one of the deadliest US workplace accidents in recent decades. Officials say the paper mill tank ruptured and spilled more than 500,000 gallons (1.9 million litres) of a highly-destructive chemical mixture used in paper manufacturing at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company in Longview, a city along the Columbia River. Crews continued the painstaking search on Thursday for nine workers presumed dead after the chemical tank ruptured, devastating a community where many families have worked in the paper and lumber industries for generations. Authorities have said there was no hope of finding survivors of Tuesday's tank rupture at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company in Longview. Two workers were confirmed dead. Among the 11 victims were a grandfather who was alw

Washington paper mill implosion leaves 2 dead, 9 workers still missing

Crews were set to resume searching Wednesday for nine workers at a Washington paper mill where a tank imploded, releasing a highly destructive chemical mixture called "white liquor" and causing at least two confirmed deaths. Authorities said there was no hope of finding more survivors of Tuesday's tank implosion at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co in Longview, which also injured eight other people, including a responding firefighter. But before any bodies can be recovered, crews on Wednesday must first stabilize the tank, which was at risk of collapsing further and leaking more of the caustic liquid. The implosion caused the huge circular tank to buckle and collapse on one side, and officials said they would only work during daylight because of the dangers. While the cause remains unknown, authorities said there was no threat to the community, a Columbia River city of about 40,000 people with long ties to the Washington and Oregon paper and lumber industries. It was the second notable

1 dead, 9 missing in chemical tank implosion at Washington state mill

The implosion of a chemical tank at a pulp and paper mill in Washington state on Tuesday killed one person and nine others are unaccounted for, authorities said. Emergency responders were still working on recovery efforts at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company in Longview, the Longview Fire Department said. Cowlitz Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein later told a news conference that it was unclear how many workers had been killed. Asked how many remained missing, he replied: "We have information on that, but we are not releasing that information." Among those injured was a responding firefighter. Authorities said some victims had suffered burns or inhalation injuries, and that the severity of the injuries ranged from minor to critical. There was no immediate threat to the public, they said. The statement, issued more than four hours after the tank imploded at 7:15 am, said crews were continuing recovery operations and that no identifying information would be released about victims

American Hindu Coalition backs Rini Sampath in Washington DC mayoral poll

The American Hindu Coalition (AHC) has extended support for Rini Sampath, a Tamil Nadu-born cybersecurity expert, who is contesting the Washington DC mayoral elections. The AHC organised a meeting of well-wishers at the 'ISKCON of DC' temple here in support of Sampath, who is contesting in the Democratic primary on June 16, on the agenda of 'Fix the Basics' and the promise of 'A new DC'. "We are no longer just observers; we are an organised, united front ensuring that our values and our families are represented at the highest levels of local government. Rini's candidacy is a historic first, but our unity is what will make it a lasting movement," Ankur Misra, Executive Director of AHC Maryland, said in a statement. Among those present at the reception were community leaders Srinivas Tatipamula, Laxmi Thalanki, Mahendra Sapa, and Chitranjan Nath. Born in Theni, Tamil Nadu, Sampath came to the US as a seven-year-old and has been a resident of Washington DC for more than a decade. Jan

Security at correspondents' dinner worked as intended, say experts

The episode raised fresh questions about whether the Secret Service was sufficiently prepared to protect the president in an age of rising threats and spasms of political violence

Trade talks with US remain constructive after Washington visit: MEA

The comments followed a three-day ​visit to Washington by an Indian trade delegation led by senior commerce ministry official ‌Darpan Jain for talks with US counterparts

Misri, Rubio discuss trade, Quad; US state secy set to visit India in May

Misri also met FBI Director Kash Patel and discussed cooperation in countering terrorism, organised crime and narcotics

Tamil Nadu-born Rini Sampath in race to become Washington DC mayor

Tamil Nadu-born Rini Sampath has become the first South Asian candidate to be on the ballot for the primary for the election for the mayor of Washington DC. The 31-year-old government contractor from the Democratic Party has based her election campaign on the theme 'Fix the Basics' and the promise of "A new DC". "I'm not a politician. I don't owe any special interest groups. It's time for an outsider who is relentlessly focused on fixing our basic city services," Samapth says on her campaign website. Born in Theni in Tamil Nadu, she came to the US as a seven-year-old and has been a resident of Washington DC for more than a decade. "It's clear we have a real path to victory. In just four weeks, we made the mayoral ballot as the first South Asian candidate in DC history to do it. That's what a lean, people-powered campaign can accomplish. Imagine what we could do with the resources to reach every voter across the city," she said. Washington DC is dominated overwhelmingly by Democrat

Japan PM Takaichi heads to US for 'tough' talks with Trump amid Iran war

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is travelling Wednesday to the United States for what she expects to be a "very difficult" meeting with US President Donald Trump after he called on Japan and other allies to send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz. The three-day visit to Washington was originally expected to focus on trade and strengthening the US-Japanese alliance as China's influence grows in Asia. It is now expected to be overshadowed by the war the United States and Israel launched against Iran on February 28. "I think the US visit will be a very difficult one, but I will do everything to maximise our national interest and to protect the daily lives of the people when the situation changes daily," Takaichi told parliament on Wednesday, hours before her departure. Takaichi held her first meeting with Trump in October in Tokyo, days after becoming Japan's first female prime minister. A hard-line conservative, Takaichi is a protege of former leader Shinzo Abe, who ...

DC mayor declares emergency, asks Trump for help over Potomac sewage spill

Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser declared an emergency on Wednesday and requested that President Donald Trump provide federal resources to help the city fight a sewage system leak that dumped 250 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River in its early stages. "Our number one priority is the district, and that we're going to utilize all resources, local, federal, and regional, or otherwise, to support operations of the district and what's best for district residents," said DC Deputy Mayor Lindsey Appiah in a press call announcing the mayor's action. The local declaration is asking the president to issue a Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration. It seeks full reimbursement for the money the city and local utility DC Water are spending on repairs. Among actions, the declaration would "direct FEMA to establish a regular interagency coordination calls among federal agencies, affected states, and the District to maintain shared situational awareness and align federal ...

Trump to hold first Board of Peace meeting in Washington DC this month

President Donald Trump plans to convene the first meeting of his Board of Peace this month in Washington to raise money for the reconstruction of Gaza. The meeting, proposed for February 19, would include both world leaders who accepted Trump's invitation in January to join the board as well as members of an executive committee for Gaza that will oversee the specifics of the territory's governance, security and redevelopment, two Trump administration officials said Saturday. It was not immediately clear how many leaders would accept the Republican president's invitation, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting has not yet been formally announced and details of its agenda were still being determined. One official said the administration expected "robust" participation. A copy of the invitation that was sent late Friday to invited participants and obtained by The Associated Press, says the meeting will be held at the US Institute of Peace,

Trump returns to Washington from Davos, hails 'very special' Board of Peace

US President Donald Trump also said that the Greenland structure is being worked on, and it will be amazing for the US

National Guard troops to remain in Washington, DC, until year-end

National Guard troops will be on the streets of Washington, D C, until the end of the year, according to a memo reviewed by The Associated Press. The memo, signed by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and dated Wednesday, said the conditions of the mission warranted an extension past the end of next month to continue supporting President Donald Trump's ongoing efforts to restore law and order. Meanwhile, Trump said this month that for now he was dropping his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, which had provoked legal challenges. He also backed off a bit Friday from his threat a day earlier to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy troops to quell protests in Minnesota. In Washington, troops have been charged with patrolling the streets and picking up trash. Trump has asserted repeatedly that crime has vanished in the city. Two National Guard troops from West Virginia that were part of the mission in D C were shot the day before Thanksgiving.

JD Vance to host US-Denmark-Greenland talks in Washington this week

Denmark's foreign minister said Tuesday that US Vice President JD Vance will host a meeting with him and his Greenlandic counterpart in Washington this week as tensions spiral over the Trump administration's desire for control of Greenland. The vast Arctic island is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO ally of the US. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his counterpart from Greenland, Vivian Motzfeldt, had been widely expected to meet on Wednesday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, though the meeting hadn't officially been confirmed. Lokke Rasmussen told reporters after a meeting of the Danish parliament's foreign policy committee on Tuesday that Vance had expressed a wish to take part and that he will host the meeting at the White House, with Rubio in attendance. Neither the White House nor Vance's office responded immediately to emails and text messages seeking comment. Lokke Rasmussen, a former Danish prime minister, has been foreign minister since 20

Donald Trump's Venezuela gamble: Test of Washington's coercive power

After Maduro's extraction, Washington's next steps will reveal whether this was a one-off or a shift towards coercive power

Trump admin terminates lease for Washington's 3 public golf courses

The Trump administration has ended the lease agreement for three public golf courses in Washington, a move that offers President Donald Trump an additional opportunity to put his stamp on another piece of the nation's capital. The National Links Trust, the nonprofit that has operated Washington's three public courses on federal land for the last five years, said Wednesday that the Department of the Interior had terminated its 50-year lease agreement. The Interior Department said it was terminating the lease because the nonprofit had not implemented required capital improvements and failed to meet the terms of the lease. While it was unclear what the Trump administration's plans are for the golf courses, the move gives Trump, whose private company has developed numerous golf courses in the U.S. and abroad, the chance to remake links overlooking the Potomac River and in Rock Creek Park and a site that is part of Black golf history. Officials for the National Links Trust said in a ...

India flagged H 1B visa delays with US amid cancellations, holiday shutdown

The government of India on Friday expressed concern over delays and cancellations of H-1B and other US visa appointments and said that the disruption affected Indian citizens’ education.

Trump admin sues District of Columbia over its semiautomatic gun laws

The Trump administration is suing the local government of Washington, DC, over its gun laws, alleging that restrictions on certain semiautomatic weapons run afoul of Second Amendment rights. The US Department of Justice filed its lawsuit Monday in US District Court in the District of Columbia, naming Washington's Metropolitan Police Department and outgoing Chief of Police Pamela Smith as defendants and setting up another potentially seismic clash on how broadly the courts interpret individual gun possession rights. The United States of America brings this lawsuit to protect the rights that have been guaranteed for 234 years and which the Supreme Court has explicitly reaffirmed several times over the last two decades, the Justice Department states. It's the second such lawsuit the administration has filed this month: The Justice Department also is suing the US Virgin Islands, alleging the US territory is obstructing and systematically denying American citizens the right to possess an

Trump's handpicked board votes to rename Washington performing arts centre

President Donald Trump's handpicked board voted Thursday to rename Washington's leading performing arts centre as the Trump-Kennedy Center, the White House said. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the vote on social media, saying it was because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building. Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation. Trump, a Republican, often refers to the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, which is named for a Democratic predecessor, as the Trump Kennedy Centre. Asked on Dec. 7 as he walked the red carpet for the Kennedy Centre Honors program whether he would rename the venue after himself, Trump said such a decision would be up to the board. Earlier this month, Trump talked about a big event on Friday at the Trump Kennedy Centre before saying, excuse me, at the Kennedy Centre, as his audience laughed. He was referring to the FIFA World Cup soccer

US admits negligence in Washington helicopter plane crash that killed 67

The government admitted Wednesday that the Federal Aviation Administration and the Army played a role in causing the collision last January between an airliner and a Black Hawk helicopter near the nation's capital, killing 67 people. The official response to the first lawsuit filed by one of the victims' families said that the government is liable in the crash partly because the air traffic controller violated procedures that night. But the filing suggested that others, including the pilots of the jet and helicopter, also played a role. The lawsuit also blamed American Airlines and its regional partner, PSA Airlines, for the crash, but those airlines have filed motions to dismiss. At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter apparently flew into the path of the American Airlines regional jet while it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport in northern Virginia, just across the river from the nation's capital, officials said. The