Page 8 - Washington

As war in Gaza surges, 'Iran-backed' attacks on US brands rattle Baghdad

A dozen masked men jump out of two SUVs and a white pickup and storm a KFC in Baghdad, smashing everything in sight before fleeing the scene. A few days earlier, similar violence played out at Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken and Chili House all American brands popular in the Iraqi capital. Though no one was seriously hurt, the recent attacks apparently orchestrated by supporters of Iran-backed, anti-American militias in Iraq reflect surging anger against the United States, Israel's top ally, over the war in Gaza. Iraqi governments have for years walked a delicate line between Washington and Tehran, but the eight-month war in Gaza has critically upped the stakes. The conflict erupted after the militant Hamas group stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people mostly civilians and taking 250 hostage. Israel's subsequent offensives in Gaza have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians in the territory, according to the Health Ministry there. Days after the war brok

US cites misuse of AI by China, Beijing protests Washington's restrictions

US officials raised concerns about China's misuse of AI while Beijing's representatives rebuked Washington over "restrictions and pressure" on artificial intelligence, the governments said separately on Wednesday, a day after a meeting in Geneva on the technology. Summaries of the closed-door talks between high-level envoys, which covered AI's risks and ways to manage it, hinted at the tension between Beijing and Washington over the rapidly advancing technology that has become another flashpoint in bilateral relations. China and the United States exchanged perspectives on their respective approaches to AI safety and risk management in the candid and constructive discussions a day earlier, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. Beijing said the two sides exchanged views in-depth, professionally, and constructively. The first such US-China talks on AI were the product of a November meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in San Francisc

Tensions between Beijing, Washington biggest worry for US firms in China

Simmering tensions between Beijing and Washington remain the top worry for American companies operating in China, according to a report by the American Chamber of Commerce in China released Tuesday. The survey of US companies said inconsistent and unclear policies and enforcement, rising labour costs and data security issues were other top concerns. It also said that, despite the insistence of Chinese leaders that Beijing welcomes foreign businesses, many still are hindered from free competition. The Chinese government has stated that it encourages foreign direct investment, but many of our members continue to encounter barriers to investment and operations including policies that discriminate against them and public relations campaigns that create suspicion of foreigners, the report said. The report welcomed an improvement in relations in 2023 that was capped by summit meetings of Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden, but said the US presidential election in November w

Talks resume to bring Israeli delegation to US for discussion on Gaza war

Talks have restarted aimed at bringing top Israeli officials to Washington to discuss potential military operations in Gaza, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a planned visit this week because he was angry about the US vote on a UN cease-fire resolution, two US officials said on Wednesday. No date has been finalised for strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi to come to Washington, the officials said. The officials were not authorised to speak publicly about the sensitive discussions and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. An Israeli official said the White House had reached out with the goal of setting a new meeting. The official was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. Netanyahu's office said the prime minister did not authorise the departure of the delegation to Washington. The prime minister cancelled the trip this week after the UN vote to demand a cease-fire in .

Shooting in Washington leaves 2 dead, 5 injured; police on hunt for accused

Two people have been killed and five others injured in a shooting in the nation's capital early Sunday. Police were looking for a single gunman after the seven people were shot around 3 a.m. in the Shaw neighbourhood of Washington. The five people who were injured were all taken to local hospitals, said Jeffrey Carroll, the executive assistant chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. All of the victims are adults, he said. Police did not immediately provide details of the circumstances surrounding the shooting or the conditions of those injured. The District of Columbia is struggling with a sharp increase in violent crime, which went up 39% in 2023. The increase was largely fueled by a 35% rise in homicides and growth in carjackings, which nearly doubled. Police Chief Pamela Smith has pushed lawmakers to pass legislation that would strengthen penalties for gun offenses in the nation's capital.

US sanctions on Russia's oil-shipping firms may leave India at sea

Washington is chipping away at the so-called shadow fleet that transports oil to China, India and Turkiye among others

India-US should become model for world in terms of co-development: Garcetti

He also said that ties betwen India and the US is not merely 'additive relationship' but instead a 'multiplicative relationship'

3 officers shot in Washington, results in standoff before suspect's arrest

Three police officers were shot trying to make an animal cruelty arrest that touched off an hours-long standoff in the nation's capitol on Wednesday, which ended late at night with a man's arrest. The officers were hospitalised and expected to recover from gunshot wounds, authorities said. A fourth officer was hurt at the scene, but not shot. The standoff started Wednesday morning as officers attempted to make an arrest on an animal cruelty warrant, but the suspect refused to leave the home, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said. As officers tried to get inside, a person opened fire. The shooter barricaded himself inside his home in the southeast part of Washington and continued sporadically firing shots hours after opening fire, police said. Hours after the standoff began, 46-year-old Julius James was arrested on suspicion of cruelty to animals. He is expected to face additional charges related to the shooting. No attorney or phone number was listed for him in pub

The American edge

How the US is leaving its competitors behind through a mix of resource intensity and economic nationalism

Taiwan's new envoy to US offers assurances to Washington, Beijing

Taiwan's top diplomat in Washington has a message for both the island's Chinese adversaries and its American friends: Don't worry that Taiwan's new president-elect will worsen relations with Beijing and possibly draw the U.S. into a conflict. President-elect Lai Ching-te plans to keep the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, Alexander Tah-Ray Yui told The Associated Press on Thursday in his first interview with an international news organization since he arrived in the U.S. in December. The Chinese government has called Lai a troublemaker who will push Taiwan toward independence. But Yui said Lai is willing to engage with Beijing, even as the island seeks to strengthen its unofficial ties with Washington for stability in the region. We want the status quo. We want the way it is neither unification, neither independence. The way it is is the way we want to live right now, said Yui, Taiwan's de-facto ambassador to the U.S., noting the stance is largely supported at home and will guide th

Washington DC: Schools on lockdown as 191 bomb threat emails spark chaos

A total of 191 emails were sent to prominent schools, prompting widespread lockdowns in Washington DC

China's invasion of Taiwan to cost around $10 trn, nearly 10% of global GDP

China's rising economic and military heft, Taiwan's burgeoning sense of national identity, and fractious relations between Beijing and Washington mean the conditions for a crisis are in place

iPhone hack: Chandrashekhar rebuts Washington Post, calls it 'half facts'

In a story published on December 27 in association with Amnesty the Washington Post had reported that certain journalists had been targeted with the spyware on their iPhones

Israel supporters rally in Washington voicing solidarity against Hamas

Supporters of Israel rallied by the tens of thousands on the National Mall under heavy security, voicing solidarity in the fight against Hamas and crying never again." The March for Israel on Tuesday offered a resounding and bipartisan endorsement of one of America's closest allies as criticism has intensified over Israel's offensive in Gaza, set off by the bloody October 7 Hamas incursion. Overlooking a sea of Israeli and US flags, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and the House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jefferies, came together on the stage and, with Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, joined hands. We stand with Israel," Schumer chanted. Yet underneath that projection of unity, Democrats are sharply divided over Israel's course and its treatment of Palestinians. President Joe Biden now is urging Israel to restrain some of its tactics to ease civilian suffering in Gaza after voicing full-throated solidarity with the Israelis in the war's early ...

White House, Google launch new virtual tour with Spanish translation

Can't come to Washington? Couldn't get a ticket to tour the White House? Don't worry. The White House, Google Maps and Google Arts & Culture launched a new virtual tour of the famous mansion on Friday, which is also National Civics Day. With a computer or smartphone, users will be able to see all of the rooms that they would have seen had they been able to go on a public tour of the building. The updated virtual tour is part of a mission by first lady Jill Biden to make the White House accessible to as many people as possible. Biden, a longtime community college professor, hopes teachers will use it to educate students about the White House and its history, said Elizabeth Alexander, her spokesperson. Not everyone can make the trip to Washington, D.C., to tour the White House, so she's bringing the White House to them, Alexander said. The tour is the first Google virtual tour of the White House to include audio captions for people with disabilities. The captions are narrated by ...

US Secy Blinken meets EAM S Jaishankar, skips Canada row in readout

The official readout of the meeting between Blinken and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Washington didn't reference the dispute

LIVE: Logical to prepare for more China presence in Indian Ocean, says EAM

Catch all the latest live updates from around the world here

Amazon sued by FTC, 17 states over allegations it inflates online prices

US regulators and 17 states are suing Amazon over allegations the e-commerce behemoth abuses its position in the marketplace to inflate prices on and off its platform, overcharge sellers and stifle competition. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Amazon's home state of Washington, is the result of a years-long investigation into the company's businesses and one of the most significant legal challenges brought against it in its nearly 30-year history. The Federal Trade Commission and states that joined the lawsuit allege Amazon is violating federal and state antitrust laws. They are asking the court to issue a permanent injunction that they say would prohibit Amazon from engaging in its unlawful conduct and loosen its monopolistic control to restore competition. The complaint accuses the company of engaging in anti-competitive practices through measures that deter sellers from offering lower prices for products on non-Amazon sites, an argument mirroring allegations made in

US intel involvement risks ensnaring Washington in ongoing India-Canada row

While US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken has called upon India to cooperate with the Canadian investigation, US officials have been cautious about triggering any diplomatic backlash from India

Mexican president wants to meet with Biden on migration, drug trafficking

Mexico's top diplomat Alicia Brcena has said that President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador wants to travel to Washington D.C. in early November to meet with US President Joe Biden about immigration, development aid and drug trafficking. The statement comes after a surge in migrants moving through Mexico forced the closure of some US-Mexico border crossings and led Mexico's largest railway company to halt about 60 train runs because so many migrants were hopping aboard freight cars. Most appear to be Venezuelans, and many said they had crossed through the jungle-clad Darien Gap that connects Colombia and Panama. Brcena told a news conference in New York Friday that migrant shelters in Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, are 95 per cent full and that the Mexican government is "very worried" about the border closures and the migrant surge, especially given Mexico's rocky relationship with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. In the past, Abbott has tightened border truck inspections and strung a