Page 3 - Washington

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

India-US trade pact talks moving forward smoothly: Commerce Secretary

India and the US are making steady progress on a bilateral trade deal, with high-level talks scheduled in Washington as both nations explore early wins and deeper economic cooperation

Indian-origin techie among 3 killed in tragic climbing accident in US

Indian-origin techie Vishnu Irigireddy was among the three persons killed in a tragic climbing accident in Washington state's North Cascades Range of western North America. Vishnu, 48, a resident of Seattle, was attempting to climb North Early Winters Spire area of the Cascades along with his three friends, Tim Nguyen, 63, Oleksander Martynenko, 36 and Anton Tselykh, 38, on Saturday when the accident happened, NBC News reported. The group noticed a storm coming and started to retreat when at some point during their descent, the team's anchor point failed and sent the group plunging 200 feet down, Climbing website reported. Tselykh, the sole surviving climber, miraculously survived the dangerous fall and drove 64 kilometres to inform the authorities about the accident that killed his three friends. Vishnu's friends and family describe him as an experienced climber who found joy and purpose in nature. Originally from India and a proud member of Seattle's vibrant tech and cultural ..

Hotline between military, Washington air traffic controllers down for 3 yrs

A hotline between military and civilian air traffic controllers in Washington, D.C., that hasn't worked for more than three years may have contributed to another near miss shortly after the US Army resumed flying helicopters in the area for the first time since January's deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, Sen. Ted Cruz said at a hearing Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Administration official in charge of air traffic controllers, Frank McIntosh, confirmed the agency didn't even know the hotline hadn't been working since March 2022 until after the latest near miss. He said civilian controllers still have other means of communicating with their military counterparts through landlines. Still, the FAA insists the hotline be fixed before helicopter flights resume around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Defence department officials didn't immediately respond to questions Wednesday about the near miss earlier this month and the steps it is

Goyal to lead team of officials to Washington for trade talks from May 16

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will lead a team of senior Indian officials to Washington starting May 16 for discussions with their US counterparts on the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA), an official said on Tuesday. Goyal is expected to hold meetings with US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during his visit. The four-day talks come against the backdrop of both countries exploring the possibility of an interim trade arrangement in goods to secure "early mutual wins" ahead of finalising the first phase of the trade agreement by fall (September-October) this year. Through these discussions, officials from New Delhi and Washington aim to take advantage of the 90-day tariff pause window to advance the talks. The US has suspended the additional 26 per cent tariffs on India till July 9. It was announced on April 2 to bridge the widening trade deficit. However, the 10 per cent baseline tariff imposed on the countrie

Trump to withdraw Ed Martin nomination for DC US Attorney amid concerns

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would pull his nomination of Ed Martin Jr. to be the top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital, bowing to bipartisan concerns about the conservative activist's modest legal experience and divisive politics. Trump abandoned his pick to lead the nation's largest US Attorney's office two days after a key Republican senator said he could not support Martin for the job due to his defence of rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He's a terrific person, and he wasn't getting the support from people that I thought, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the status of Martin's confirmation. He later added: But we have somebody else that will be great, indicating the announcement will be made in the next two days. Trump said he still wants to bring Martin into the administration, whether at the Justice Department or elsewhere, and signalled that he had little capacity to call on-the-fence senators to lobby them

Washington lawyer sues Trump admin over revocation of security clearance

A prominent Washington attorney sued the Trump administration Monday over the revocation of his security clearance, calling it an act of improper political retribution that jeopardizes his ability to continue representing clients in sensitive national security cases. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, challenges a March presidential memorandum that singled out attorney Mark Zaid and 14 other individuals who the White House asserted were unsuitable to retain their clearances because it was no longer in the national interest. The list included targets of Trump's fury from both the political and legal spheres, including former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, New York Attorney General Letitia James, former President Joe Biden and members of his family. The action was part of a much broader retribution campaign that Trump has waged since returning to the White House, including by directing specific Justice Department investigations against perceived adversaries and ..

US Army pauses helicopter flights near Washington airport after close calls

The Army is pausing helicopter flights near a Washington airport after two commercial planes had to abort landings last week because of an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was flying to the Pentagon. The commander of the 12th Aviation Battalion directed the unit to pause helicopter flight operations around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport following Thursday's close calls, two Army officials confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday. One official said the flights have been paused since Friday. The pause comes after 67 people died in January when a passenger jet collided in midair with a Black Hawk helicopter at Reagan airport. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that were not publicly announced. The unit is continuing to fly in the greater Washington, D.C., region. The unit had begun a return to flight within the last week, with plans to gradually increase the number of flights over the next four weeks, according to an Army document viewed

Ignored warnings, missed signals: What led to Washington midair collision

Pilot error, ignored warnings, and communication failures blamed for the deadly mid-air collision over Washington that killed 67, indicates an investigation

Moscow, Washington narrow Ukraine peace deal gaps in high-level talks

Moscow and Washington have managed to narrow differences on not only the Ukraine peace deal but also on many other issues after three hours of talk with the visiting US special envoy Steve Whitkoff on Friday, a top Kremlin aide said. Whitkoff had his fourth round of negotiations with President Vladimir Putin assisted by Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov and foreign investments chief Kiril Dmitreyev. Three hours long talks between special envoy Steve Whitkoff with President Vladimir Putin made it possible to further bring Moscow and Washington's positions closer together not only on Ukraine, but also on other international issues, Ushkov said. Describing the Putin-Whitkoff meeting as constructive and useful, Ushakov said the possibility of direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations was also discussed. The US and Russia have agreed to carry forward their productive dialogue in the most active mode, local media reported.

Trump to join top advisers for White House talks on trade with Japan

President Donald Trump said he's joining some of his top economic advisers on Wednesday for negotiations at the White House over tariffs and trade with a top Japanese official who is travelling to Washington for the talks. The Republican president said in a post on his social media platform that he'll attend the meeting alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, top economic advisers with a central role in his trade and tariff policies. Trump recently announced a round of global tariffs but then quickly put them on hold for 90 days after the markets tanked and fears of a recession mounted. He left steep tariffs in place against China. The move put Japan's 24 per cent across-the-board tariff on hold, but a 10 per cent baseline tariff and a 25 per cent tariff on cars, auto parts, steel and aluminum exports to the US remain in place. US economic rival China, meanwhile, is trying to capitalise on the turmoil around Trump's announcements, with its

India-US trade talks conclude, sector expert-level round to start soon

The next level of the proposed bilateral trade agreement will be held virtually, eventually looking to finalising the broad contours of trade deal; meanwhile, the threat of reciprocal tariffs kicking

Shadowy China network trying to lure fired US govt workers, shows research

The news agency's attempts to track down the four companies and Smiao Intelligence ran into numerous dead-ends including unanswered phone calls, phone numbers that no longer work

Who is Rasha Alawieh, the doctor US deported over pics of Hassan Nasrallah?

Rasha Alawieh was reportedly held for at least 36 hours before being deported to Lebanon on Saturday, despite a federal judge's order to delay her removal

Didn't want PM Modi, others to see tents, potholes in Washington DC: Trump

US President Donald Trump said he did not want Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other world leaders who visited him to see the tents and graffiti near federal buildings in Washington DC and has ordered the cleaning up of the American capital. "We're cleaning up our city. We're cleaning up this great capital, and we're not going to have crime, and we're not going to stand for crime, and we're going to take the graffiti down, and we're already taking the tents down, and we're working with the administration," Trump said Friday in remarks at the Department of Justice. He said so far the Mayor of Washington DC Muriel Bowser has been doing a good job cleaning up the capital. We said there are tents galore right opposite the State Department. They have to come down. And they took them down right away. And so so far, so good. We want to have a capital that can be the talk of the world," Trump said. "When Prime Minister Modi of India, the President of France, and all of these people Prime

Washington DC to remove 'Black Lives Matter' painting near WH: Mayor

The nation's capital city will remove the large painting of the words Black Lives Matter on a street one block from the White House as Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser struggles to fend off threats of encroachment from both President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress. Bowser pointed to the change on the social platform X on Tuesday, writing: The mural inspired millions of people and helped our city through a painful period, but now we can't afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference. The devastating impacts of the federal job cuts must be our number one concern. The move shows Bowser's striking shift in tone toward Trump and congressional Republicans since the president's first term in office. Bowser, a Democrat, ordered the painting and renamed the intersection Black Lives Matter Plaza as a public act of defiance in June 2020. It came after days of chaotic protests at that location over police brutality following the killing of George Floyd by

Trump backs congressional GOP push for federal govt takeover of DC

President Donald Trump on Wednesday threw his support behind congressional efforts for a federal takeover of the nation's capital, saying he approves putting the District of Columbia back under direct federal control. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump complained about crime and homelessness in the district, saying, I think we should take over Washington, D.C. make it safe. He added, "I think that we should govern District of Columbia. Under terms of the city's Home Rule authority, Congress already vets all D.C. laws and can outright overturn them. Some congressional Republicans have sought to go further, eroding decades of the city's limited autonomy and putting it back under direct federal control, as it was at its founding. Trump said he liked District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser personally, but complained about the city's governance. They're not doing the job, Trump said. Too much crime, too much too many tents on the lawns these magnificent lawns. He arg