Page 24 - White House

Biden bats for hostage-for-truce deal; asks Israelis, Hamas to step up

President Joe Biden is looking past resistance from key Israeli officials as he presses Israel and Hamas to agree to a three-phase agreement that could immediately bring home dozens of Israeli hostages, free Palestinian prisoners and perhaps even lead to an endgame in the nearly eight-month-old Gaza war. Biden's big swing -- during a tough re-election battle -- could also demonstrate to a significant slice of his political base demoralised by his handling of the conflict that he's doing his part to end the war that has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians and left hundreds of thousands struggling to meet basic needs. White House officials on Monday said Biden's decision to make public what it describes as an Israeli proposal -- just one day after it was delivered to Hamas -- was driven by a desire to put Hamas on the spot. The move diverged from the US administration's position throughout the conflict to allow the Israelis to speak for themselves about hostage negotiations. "The ...

US condemns loss of life but says no policy changes after deaths in Rafah

The US would be monitoring the investigation into the incident and expected Israel to learn lessons from the airstrike, Kirby said

Republican-led states challenge Biden admin's environmental review reforms

They said the rule changes will make it more difficult for some projects to receive approvals if they might impact disadvantaged or minority communities

News updates: 1 killed, a couple injured in Kashmir twin attacks ahead of polling

From Swati Maliwal's assault case to the raging heat wave in North India, catch all the latest updates from around the world here

India among the few vibrant democracies across world, says White House

Applauding the people of India for exercising their right to vote, the White House on Friday said there are not too many more vibrant democracies in the world than India. Not too many more vibrant democracies in the world than India. And we applaud the Indian people for exercising, you know, their ability to vote, and to have a voice in their future government. And we wish them well throughout the process, of course, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told reporters at a news conference here. Kirby was responding to a question on the ongoing Indian elections, wherein over 969 million people are exercising their right to franchise at one million polling stations to elect 545 members of parliament from thousands of candidates representing as many as 2,660 registered political parties. Responding to another question, Kirby said the India-US relationship has strengthened under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in particular during the last three years of the Bide

US may ban Chinese connected vehicles or impose restrictions: Raimondo

The White House said in February the Commerce probe was being opened because vehicles "collect large amounts of sensitive data on their drivers and passengers

White House defends Biden's statement calling India, China 'xenophobic'

The United States is a country of immigrants, the White House has said, defending President Joe Biden's remarks calling two of his QUAD partners -- India and Japan -- as well as Russia and China "xenophobic" nations, asserting that none of these countries, unlike the US, welcome immigrants. Responding to a question about the remarks made by Biden at an election fundraiser on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the president was making a "broader point". He was making a broader point. Our allies and partners know very well that how much this president respects them," Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference on Thursday. "As you know, in regard to Japan, they were just here for the state visit. The US-Japan relationship is an important relationship. It's a deep, enduring alliance, she said. "He (Biden) was making a more broad comment, speaking about this country and speaking about how important it is to be a country of immigrants and ho

Reported Indian role in assassination plots 'serious matter': White House

India's foreign ministry said the Washington Post report made "unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter" while New Delhi is investigating the issue.

Philippines to hold military exercise with US amid tensions with China

Japan and the U.S. have cooperated in supporting the PCG's capacity building, and the three countries held trilateral Coast Guard exercises for the first time last June

What's inside $95 bn House package focused on aiding Ukraine and Israel

Speaker Mike Johnson has unveiled a long-awaited package of bills that will provide military aid to Ukraine and Israel, replenish U.S. weapons systems and give humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza. The package totals USD 95.3 billion in spending, which matches the total that the Senate passed in mid-February. But there are also a few differences with the Senate bill designed to win over some House conservatives. Here's a look at what is in the bills that Johnson hopes to pass by this weekend. UKRAINE The aid to support Ukraine totals about USD 61 billion. Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee said that more than a third of that amount would be dedicated to replenishing weapons and ammunition systems for the U.S. military. The overall amount of money provided to Ukraine for the purchase of weapons from the U.S. is roughly the same in the House and Senate bills USD 13.8 billion. The main difference between the two packages is that the House bill provides more t

White House rejects House Republican effort to get Prez Biden to testify

The White House on Monday rejected a long-shot effort from House Republicans to get President Joe Biden to testify before lawmakers in the GOP's stalled impeachment inquiry. In a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, the White House dismissed the invitation sent to Biden last month, calling it a partisan charade in an impeachment probe that has unearthed no evidence implicating the president in any wrongdoing while in public office. House Republicans had been seeking information related to the Biden family's business dealings in what the GOP characterized as an alleged influence-peddling scheme. Your Committee's purported impeachment inquiry' has succeeded only in turning up abundant evidence that, in fact, the President has done nothing wrong, Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, wrote in the letter sent to Comer on Monday. Sauber added, Your insistence on peddling these false and unsupported allegations despite ample evidence to the contrary makes

Iran has begun airborne attack on Israel; US' support ironclad: White House

Iran has begun an airborne attack on Israel, the White House said and asserted that the US' support for Israel's security is "ironclad". Israeli aviation authorities on Saturday said they are closing the country's airspace to all flights as it braces for an Iranian drone attack. The US stands with the people of Israel and supports their defence against this threat from Iran, National Security Council's spokesperson at the White House Adrienne Watson said. In a statement issued on Saturday, Watson also said this attack is likely to unfold over a number of hours. "Iran has begun an airborne attack against Israel" and President Joe Biden's team is in constant communication with Israeli officials as well as other partners and allies, the spokesperson said. President Biden, who returned to Washington from his home in Delaware following the developments in the Middle East, will be meeting his national security team over the situation in the region, according to the statement. On his re

President Biden returns to White House to deal with West Asia escalation

Austin 'made clear that Israel could count on full US support to defend Israel against any attacks by Iran and its regional proxies,' Ryder said

Prez Biden faces protest over support for Israel during White House meeting

US President Joe Biden has faced protests over the conflict in Gaza all over the country, but this week he confronted one inside the White House itself. The occasion was a private meeting on Tuesday where Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and national security leaders could hear from Muslim Americans about their concerns involving the war between Israel and Hamas. Shortly after the conversation began, a Palestinian American doctor from Chicago named Thaer Ahmad who has volunteered in Gaza announced that he was walking out. Before leaving, Ahmad presented the president with a letter from an orphaned 8-year-old girl in Rafah, a city that Israel plans to target next. He included a photo. Ahmad said Biden's response to his protest was muted. He said, I understand,'" the doctor recalled. Biden's support for Israel's military operations in Gaza, including the sale of US weapons, has angered Muslim Americans. The war began on Oct 7 when Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis in a surprise ...

US directs Nasa to create standard time for Moon amid growing space race

Space agency has to have a Coordinated Lunar Time by 2026 to streamline the work of lunar missions

No evidence that Ukrainian govt had anything to do with Moscow attack: US

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday that this terrorist attack was conducted by ISIS and Russian President Vladimir Putin understands that

Early warning on Moscow attack validates US strategy on ISIS-K: White House

US officials said they shared the intelligence with Russia ahead of the attack as part of their "duty to warn" policy, which requires notifying even geopolitical adversaries of imminent threats

White House to host trilateral summit with Philippines, Japan on April 11

US President Joe Biden will host a trilateral summit with his Filipino counterpart Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan on April 11 at the White House, a presidential spokesperson has said. During the first-ever trilateral summit between these countries, the leaders will advance a partnership built on deep historical ties of friendship, robust and growing economic relations, a proud and resolute commitment to shared democratic values, and a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. "The leaders will also reaffirm the ironclad alliances between the United States and the Philippines, and the United States and Japan. At the summit, the three leaders will discuss trilateral cooperation to promote inclusive economic growth and emerging technologies, advance clean energy supply chains and climate cooperation, and further peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the world," she said. "In ...

Polish prez pushes Nato to ramp up spending, calls on US to fund Ukraine

President Andrzej Duda used a joint White House visit with his political rival, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, on Tuesday to call on NATO allies to significantly increase defense spending and press a divided Washington to break its impasse over replenishing funds for Ukraine at a critical moment in the war in Europe. Duda wants members of the NATO alliance to raise their spending on defense to three per cent of their GDP as Russia puts its own economy on a war footing and pushes forward with its plans to conquer Ukraine. Poland already spends four per cent of its own economic output on defense, double the current target of two per cent for NATO nations. The Polish leader made the call as he and Tusk visited Washington to mark their country's 25th anniversary of joining the now 32-member transatlantic military alliance. It was a historic step into the West after breaking free from Moscow's sphere of influence after decades of communist rule. Russia's against Ukraine really demonstrated

US first lady Jill Biden honours 'women of courage' at White House

First lady Jill Biden hosted a White House ceremony on Monday for women of courage who have fought political repression, sexual violence, economic hardship and gender discrimination around the world. You've spoken out for yourselves and for others in the face of fear and risk, and those who have tried to steal your voices away," Biden said. She added, Change never happens on its own. There is power in this community of women. Twelve women received the awards, which were distributed by the U.S. Department of State. It was the 18th year the awards have been given out. Among the honourees were a lawyer from Myanmar, a former political prisoner from Belarus, a disability rights advocate from Afghanistan and a teacher from Ecuador. One of the honourees, Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello, was not able to attend because she was not allowed to leave her home country of Cuba. She's faced detention and harassment during her decades of advocacy for human rights and political freedom. Marta may no