Page 3 - Washington

Trump orders more law enforcement in Washington to make DC safe again

The White House said on Thursday night that there will be increased presence of federal law enforcement in the nation's capital to combat crime for at least the next week, amid President Donald Trump's suggestions that his administration could fully take over running the city. Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. She added that the increased federal presence means there will be no safe harbour for violent criminals in DC. Trump has repeatedly suggested that the rule of Washington could be returned to federal authorities. Doing so would require a repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1973 in Congress, a step Trump said lawyers are examining but could face steep pushback. We have a capital that's very unsafe, Trump told reporters at the White House this week. We

New York to Tokyo: Japan proposes capital for UN office relocation

Tokyo Governor Koike pitches relocation of UN offices to Japan, citing safety, affordability, and the US retreat from WHO, Unesco under President Donald Trump

Rubio to meet China foreign minister in Malaysia amid rising tensions

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is wrapping his up his second and final day at a Southeast Asian security conference with a high-stakes meeting with his Chinese counterpart as tensions grow between Washington and Beijing over issues from trade to security and China's support for Russia's war in Ukraine. After discussions with regional countries at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations forum in Malaysia, Rubio on Friday was close out his first official trip to Asia in his first face-to-face talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the State Department said. The meeting comes less than 24 hours after Rubio met in Kuala Lumpur with another rival, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during which they discussed potential new avenues to jumpstart Ukraine peace talks. The meetings come against a backdrop of global and regional unease over US policies, notably on trade and large tariffs that US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose on friend and foe alike. While Ru

Trump to host Philippine president to discuss trade, security in Asia

President Donald Trump will host his Philippine counterpart in the White House very soon to discuss how the longtime treaty allies can further deepen their security and economic engagements, the Philippine ambassador to the US said Friday. No date has been specified for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s meeting with Trump in Washington but Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said that it would happen very soon this month. The allies have boosted mutual defense engagements, including large-scale combat exercises in the Philippines, to strengthen deterrence against China's increasingly aggressive actions in the region. Among the proposed topics for discussion is strengthening peace through deterrence, Romualdez told The Associated Press by telephone, echoing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 's remarks about the US military's plan to ratchet up deterrence against China's increasingly assertive actions in the disputed South China Sea by intensifying military and defense engagements with the ..

Ball in Washington's court on India-US interim trade pact before July 9

With India setting its red lines on key issues in sectors such as agriculture and dairy for the proposed interim trade agreement with the US, the ball is now in Washington's court to finalise the deal, sources said. They said if issues are settled, an interim trade pact could be announced before July 9, which marks the end of the 90-day suspension period of the Trump tariffs announced on April 2 on dozens of countries, including India. "India has drawn its red lines... now the ball is in the US court," they said. In February, the two countries announced starting negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement (BTA). They fixed a deadline to conclude the first tranche or phase of the BTA by fall (September-October) this year. Before that, the two sides are locking to finalise an interim trade pact. On April 2, the US imposed an additional 26 per cent reciprocal tariff on Indian goods but suspended it for 90 days. However, the 10 per cent baseline tariff imposed by America remains in ..

US State dept calls India a key partner, wants fair and reciprocal trade

Houston underlined the United States' aim of establishing a "fair and reciprocal" trade relationship with its partners, in line with the Trump administration's "America First" agenda

QUAD foreign ministers concerned about East and South China sea situation

The leaders expressed their support for ASEAN and its centrality, the Pacific Islands Forum and Pacific-led regional groupings, as well as the Indian Ocean Rim Association

US, Indo-Pacific partners agree to strengthen maritime cooperation

The United States. Australia, India and Japan have agreed to expand their cooperation on maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and further collaborate on supplies of critical minerals and rare earths that are key components of high-tech production. The foreign ministers of the four countries, known as the "Quad", met in Washington on Tuesday as the Trump administration seeks to expand US influence in the Indo-Pacific to compete with a rising China amid tensions with partners over trade and defense issues. In a joint meeting with his three colleagues, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Quad must be a vehicle for action that goes beyond statements of intent and stressed that commerce and trade will be critical to ensuring the group's relevance in the future. To that end, the four announced in a statement the creation of a Quad Critical Minerals Initiative that aims to strengthen economic security and collective resilience by collaborating on securing and diversifying critical ...

Jaishankar arrives in DC, set to attend QUAD foreign ministers meeting

During the meeting, the leaders will build upon the discussions held during the last QFMM, which took place in Washington, DC on January 21

QUAD to reiterate commitment to free Indo-Pacific: US State Dept official

S Jaishankar is visiting the US at the invitation of US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio to participate in the QUAD Foreign Minister's Meeting, the MEA, said in an official statement

US deports 70-year-old Egyptian man after he kicks CBP dog at airport

The accused, Hamed Ramadan Bayoumy Aly Marie, pleaded guilty to kicking Freddie, who works with the CBP to detect smuggled agricultural products at Washington Dulles International Airport

Washington Post probes hacking attempts on journalists' email accounts

The attack was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which cited unnamed sources as saying the hack was potentially the work of a foreign government

DC prepares for Trump's parade with 18 miles of fencing, 175 magnetometers

As the nation's capital cleans up from the culmination of World Pride this past weekend, focus now shifts to a very different massive event Saturday's military parade to honour the 250th birthday of the Army and the 79th birthday of President Donald Trump. "We're preparing for an enormous turnout," said Matt McCool of the Secret Service's Washington Field office, who said more than 18 miles of "anti-scale fencing" would be erected and "multiple drones" would be in the air. The entire District of Columbia is normally a no-fly zone for drones. Army officials have estimated around 2,00,000 attendees for the evening military parade, and McCool said he was prepared for "hundreds of thousands" of people. "We have a tonne of magnetometers," he said. "If a million people show up, then we're going to have some lines." A total of 175 magnetometers would be used at security checkpoints controlling access to the daytime birthday festival and the nighttime parade. Metropolitan Police Departmen

Trump urges senators to sign his big bill of tax breaks into law by July 4

President Donald Trump wants his big, beautiful bill of tax breaks and spending cuts on his desk to be signed into law by the Fourth of July, and he's pushing the slow-rolling Senate to make it happen sooner rather than later. Trump met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune at the White House earlier this week and has been dialling senators for one-on-one chats, using both the carrot and stick to nudge, badger and encourage them to act. But it's still a long road ahead for the 1,000-page-plus package. His question to me was, How do you think the bill's going to go in the Senate? Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said about his call with Trump. Do you think there's going to be problems? It's a potentially tumultuous three-week sprint for senators preparing to put their own imprint on the massive Republican package that cleared the House late last month by a single vote. The senators have been meeting for weeks behind closed doors, including as they returned to Washington late Monday, to revi

At least 7 injured in shooting at park in Washington state: Police

Seven people were shot and wounded at a park near Tacoma, Washington, where more than 100 people were gathered when the gunfire erupted, police said. Police detectives believe a dispute between two groups escalated to gunshots on Wednesday evening, Lakewood Police Sgt Charles Porche said. Investigators don't know how many shooters were involved or whether the victims were targeted, he said. No arrests were made in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Unfortunately, there were unintended/uninvolved victims struck during this careless act of violence, Porche said in a news release. Detectives will continue to sort through the information gathered to hold those involved accountable for their actions. The police spokesman said the victims ranged from a 16-year-old female, who was in stable condition, to a 38-year-old male who was the only person still in critical condition on Thursday. He added that two others were in serious condition and the rest stable. Officers found a very

Possibility of interim trade deal between India, US by June 25: Report

With a team of US officials expecting to visit India next month for trade talks, there is a possibility that the two countries may agree on an interim trade pact by June 25, sources said. "Talks are moving. Things are on track," they said. India's chief negotiator, Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce Rajesh Agrawal, concluded his four-day visit to Washington last week. He held talks with his US counterpart on the proposed agreement. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was also in Washington last week to give an impetus to trade talks. He met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick twice during his visit. Both sides are looking at an interim trade deal before the first tranche of the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA) as the USA's 26 per cent reciprocal tariff on India is suspended till July 9 this year. It was imposed by the US on April 2. However, Indian goods still attract the 10 per cent baseline tariff imposed by America. In the interim trade deal,

Israeli PM Netanyahu condemns diplomat killings, thanks US for support

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed strong condemnation of the cold-blooded murder of two Israeli diplomats in the US.In his remarks delivered via a video message shared on X, the Israeli PM said, "Last night in Washington something horrific happened. A brutal terrorist shot in cold blood a young beautiful couple - Yaron Lischinsky and Sara Milgrim. Yaron had just bought an engagement ring for Sarah. He was planning to give it to her in Jerusalem next week. They were planning to start a new and happy life together. Well, that tragically did not happen. Yaron and Sarah weren't the victims of a random crime. The terrorist who cruelly gunned them down did so for one reason and one reason alone - he wanted to kill Jews."He debunked the claims of food aid not reaching Gaza with facts and figures.In a significant announcement, the Israeli PM said, "As for the hostages, we'll do every effort to secure them. I'm ready for a temporary ceasefire to get more out but we demand, ...

Two Israeli embassy staff shot dead near Jewish museum in Washington

Two Israeli embassy staff were shot and killed near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, in what officials are calling an anti-Semitic terror attack

India-US trade agreement talks to resume May 17 with ministerial oversight

India and US trade ministers will meet in Washington from May 17 to assess progress on the bilateral trade agreement, provide political direction, and advance talks toward a broader trade pact

FBI likely to disband one of its Washington-based public corruption squads

The FBI is disbanding a Washington-based squad that investigates allegations of fraud and public corruption against members of Congress and other federal officials, people familiar with the matter said Thursday. The move is part of a broader reorganization of the FBI's Washington field office, said one FBI official familiar with the plans, adding that the bureau would continue to pursue investigations into alleged corruption by public officials. It was not immediately clear where the agents on the squad might be reassigned, though the office does have other squads focused on public corruption in the District of Columbia and Virginia. The people who confirmed the FBI's decision insisted on anonymity to discuss personnel changes that had not been previously announced. The action comes as the Trump administration has overhauled its approach to enforcement of public corruption, including by moving to dramatically slash the size of a prestigious section of Justice Department prosecutors