Page 28 - White House

'Every country has right to...': WH official on India buying Russian oil

This remark came upon the query being asked about India buying oil from Russia could be one of the agenda of US President Joe Biden's discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Trump WH adviser acted above law in defying Jan 6 Committee: Prosecutors

A White House adviser to President Donald Trump acted as if he were "above the law when he refused to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, prosecutors argued at his trial Wednesday. Peter Navarro was charged with two counts of contempt of Congress, but his lawyer argued he didn't ignore the House Jan. 6 Committee. Instead, Navarro told members to contact Trump about what might be protected by executive privilege, the attorney said. A judge has found the privilege argument alone isn't a defense against the charges because Navarro couldn't show evidence that the former Republican president had invoked it. Both sides rested after committee staffers testified about sending the subpoena and Navarro's response. Closing arguments and jury deliberations are expected Thursday. Navarro, a senior trade adviser, was subpoenaed in February 2022 by the House panel investigating how and why a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capit

US President Biden all set to travel to India for G20 Summit: White House

US President Joe Biden is all set to visit India and is "very excited" about the important initiatives he will be championing at the G20 Summit in New Delhi, according to senior White House officials. Biden will follow the COVID-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during his visit to India for the G20 Summit. First Lady Jill Biden, 72, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. President Biden, 80, was tested for the virus on Monday and Tuesday following his wife's positive test, but his results were negative. The White House said the president has tested negative twice and there is no change in his travel plans for India. After arriving in New Delhi on Friday evening, President Biden is likely to immediately get back to business by having his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the same night. His meetings and interactions with Modi and other world leaders during and on the sidelines of the G20 Summit would be driven by the COVID-

US Prez Biden to focus on progress on climate at G20 Summit: White House

The key focus areas for President Joe Biden at the G20 Summit include delivering for developing nations, making progress on key issues like climate, technology and reshaping the multilateral development banks, the White House has said, expressing hope that the bloc will be able to make headway on those topics under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. On Thursday, President Biden will travel to New Delhi to attend the G20 Leaders' Summit. On Friday, President Biden will participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi and on Saturday and Sunday, the President will participate in the official sessions of the G20 Summit. As Biden heads to the G20, he is committed to working with emerging market partners to deliver big things together, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said during a press briefing on Tuesday. "That's what we believe the world will see in New Delhi this weekend," he said. America's commitment to the G20 has not wavered, and it hopes the G20 Summi

Biden to follow CDC guidelines during his India visit for G20 Summit: US

US President Joe Biden will follow the COVID-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during his visit to India for the G20 Summit and his trip to Vietnam, the White House has said. The announcement on Tuesday came after First Lady Jill Biden, 72, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. President Biden, 80, was tested for the virus on Monday and Tuesday following his wife's positive test, but his results were negative. The White House said the president has tested negative twice and there is no change in his travel plans for India and Vietnam later this week. Responding to questions from reporters, it said the president, however, is taking all the necessary precautions and following standard procedures as per the CDC guidelines. What I can tell you is that the president certainly is going to test on a regular cadence determined by his physician. Of course, all travellers, including the president, will test before travelling to India," White House Press

Don't expect Russia to flip its position on Ukraine war this year: US

"India signed on to the statement, most members it was as I recalled. Russia was the main objector to the proposition that so many of the other members of the G20 signed on to," Sullivan said

Biden will nominate longtime aide to become US ambassador to UNESCO

A longtime aide to President Joe Biden who is a senior adviser in Vice President Kamala Harris' office is Biden's choice to represent the United States at the United Nations agency devoted to education, science and culture. The U.S. recently rejoined the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization after a five-year hiatus initiated by Biden's immediate predecessor in the White House, Donald Trump. The Democratic president's choice to become the U.S. permanent representative to the Paris-based UNESCO, with the rank of ambassador, is longtime aide Courtney O'Donnell, according to a White House official, who spoke Monday on the condition of anonymity to discuss the nomination before a formal announcement. O'Donnell currently wears two hats: She's a senior adviser in Harris' office and acting chief of staff for Harris' husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, and lends her expertise to a range of national and global issues, including gender equity and countering prejudice again

Joe Biden and The West Wing fantasy

If Biden is the last politician, we should presumably cling to him for as long as possible. Boomer hegemony as destiny: This is the future sketched for us by Foer's thin and yet telling book

President Biden hosts Costa Rican Prez Rodrigo Chaves at White House

President Joe Biden is hosting Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves at the White House Tuesday, following an agreement between the two nations on possible legal pathways for migrants. The two leaders are expected to discuss how the two nations can work together to strengthen economic ties through new jobs, advance democracy and promote orderly migration. The Central American nation has emerged as an immigration hotspot, as migrants increasingly travel through the dangerous Darien Gap from Colombia into Central America and north into Costa Rica. In June, Costa Rica and the U.S. agreed to open potential legal pathways to the United States for some of the Nicaraguan and Venezuelan migrants who are among the 240,000 asylum seekers in the Central American nation. Last year, Nicaraguans accounted for nine out of 10 applicants. The agreement was aimed at reducing the pressure on Costa Rica's overwhelmed asylum system and heading off asylum seekers who could give up on the slow process in

Top Russian official pitched N Korea on increasing sale of munitions: WH

The White House on Thursday said US intelligence officials have determined that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke last week to North Korean officials during a visit to Pyongyang about increasing the sale of munitions to Moscow for its war in Ukraine. Shoigu made the pitch during his visit to North Korea for events marking the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War, according to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. Russian President Vladimir Putin dispatched Shoigu to lead the Russian delegation for the commemoration. The Biden administration says Shoigu's pitch to tighten cooperation with North Korea underscored that the Kremlin has become reliant on the country, as well as Iran, for the arms it needs to fight its war against Ukraine. North Korea and Iran are largely isolated on the international stage for their nuclear programs and human rights records. This is yet another example of how desperate Mr. Putin

Joe Biden to welcome far-right Italian PM Meloni for White House talks

President Joe Biden is set for talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday, welcoming the far-right leader who has won praise from the U.S. administration for her strong backing of the U.S.-led effort to assist Ukraine as it tries to fend off the Russian invasion. The warm reception comes after initial trepidation in the Biden administration about Meloni, who rose to power last year as the head of Italy's most far-right government since the end of World War II. Biden administration concerns about her ideology have been eased by her support for Ukraine and her seeming openness to pull back from Italy's participation in China's infrastructure-building Belt and Road Initiative. Her visit comes as Italy prepares to take up the presidency next year of the Group of Seven industrialised nations. White House officials said that in addition to discussing Ukraine and China, the two leaders were expected to discuss migration from North Africa to Europe's southern shores. More

Russia preparing for attacks on civilian ships in Black Sea: White House

Days after Russia suspended participation in a wartime deal that allowed grain to flow from Ukraine to countries around the world, the White House on Wednesday warned that the Russian military is preparing for possible attacks on civilian shipping vessels in the Black Sea. Since leaving the Black Sea Grain Deal this week, Russia has already struck Ukraine's grain export ports in Odesa with missile and drone attacks. Some 60,000 tons of grain were destroyed in the attacks. "Our information indicates that Russia laid additional sea mines in the approaches to Ukrainian ports," White House National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said in a statement. "We believe that this is a coordinated effort to justify any attacks against civilian ships in the Black Sea and lay blame on Ukraine for these attacks." The Russian Defense Ministry has declared international waters in northwestern and southeastern parts of the Black Sea "temporarily dangerous" for shipping. That followed Ukraine's .

US' relationship with India stronger than ever: WH after PM Modi's visit

America's relationship with India is stronger than ever, the White House said Wednesday nearly a month after the historic Official State Visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States. "The visit last month was extremely successful and important. The relationship with India is stronger than ever and, as you know, we announced a range of key deliverables, some of them are being implemented," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference. "We have remained very optimistic as it relates to our long-term future and relationship with India. And we believe that's going to continue," Jean-Pierre said. Responding to another question on the I2U2 the new grouping that includes the US, India, Israel and the UAE she said this is already deepening those partnerships among four countries. "Those four countries and beyond and evidenced by existing projects and initiatives. There is still a strong future with I2U2, and so we're really ...

No indication that Afghan refugees in Pak guilty of terrorism: White House

There is no indication that the Afghan refugees in Pakistan or those living along the border with Afghanistan are guilty of acts of terrorism, the White House has said after Islamabad accused them of creating instability. The remarks by White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby came two days after Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that allowing Afghan refugees to settle in Pakistan was a grave mistake amid a spike in terrorist attacks on the country. The current situation has raised significant concerns about the facilities provided to the Afghan refugees, Asif said, adding Pakistan has suffered the consequences of sheltering and hosting the Afghan refugees. He also accused Afghan nationals involved in terrorist activities. "(We are) Seeing no indication that Afghan refugees in Pakistan or along that border are guilty of acts of terrorism," Kirby told reporters at a news conference here on Monday. Kirby said the US is grateful to Pakistan for the incredible

No fingerprints, DNA sample or leads from cocaine found at the White House

No fingerprints or DNA turned up on the baggie of cocaine found in a lobby at the White House last week despite a sophisticated FBI crime lab analysis, and surveillance footage of the area didn't identify a suspect, according to a summary of the Secret Service investigation obtained by The Associated Press. There are no leads on who brought the drugs into the building. US Secret Service agents found the white powder during a routine White House sweep on July 2, in a heavily trafficked West Wing lobby where staff go in and out and tour groups gather to drop their phones and other belongings. "Without physical evidence, the investigation will not be able to single out a person of interest from the hundreds of individuals who passed through the vestibule where the cocaine was discovered," Secret Service officials said in the summary. The presence of cocaine at the White House prompted a flurry of criticism and questions from Republicans, who requested a briefing Thursday on the ...

US President Biden hosting Swedish PM in a show of support for Nato bid

President Joe Biden plans to host Sweden's prime minister at the White House on Wednesday in a show of solidarity as the United States presses for the Nordic nation's entry into NATO, a week before the alliance's summit. Biden and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will review our growing security cooperation and reaffirm their view that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible, the White House said a statement announcing the meeting. The leaders also will discuss the war in Ukraine and matters involving China. Sweden and neighbor Finland ended their longstanding policy of military nonalignment after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Both applied for NATO membership, seeking protection under the organization's security umbrella. Finland, which shares a more than 800-mile or 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, joined NATO in April. But Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has seen its ascension delayed by Turkey and Hungary; NATO requires the ..

White House condemns harassment of WSJ reporter Sabrina Siddiqui

The White House condemned the online harassment faced by WSJ reporter Sabrina Siddiqui who questioned PM Modi on minority rights in India. Watch the video to know more about the issue.

US condemns online harassment of WSJ journalist who questioned PM Modi

The White House has condemned as "totally unacceptable" the harassment of a US journalist on social media for asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi a question at his joint press conference here with President Joe Biden. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reporter Sabrina Siddiqui asked Prime Minister Modi about the rights of minorities in India and what steps his government was willing to take to improve them and also uphold free speech. A day after the joint press conference, the reporter faced online abuse for questioning the prime minister, with some alleging that her question was "motivated" and calling her a "Pakistani Islamist". "We're aware of the reports of that harassment. It's unacceptable. And we absolutely condemn any harassment of journalists anywhere under any circumstances. That's completely unacceptable. And it's antithetical to the very principles of democracy that were on display last week during the state visit, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic ..

Israel ok's plans for 5,000 settlement homes, defying White House calls

Israel's far-right government on Monday approved plans to build over 5,000 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Israeli media said, a move that threatened to worsen increasingly strained relations with the United States. The decision defied growing US criticism of Israel's settlement policies. It also raised tensions with the Palestinians at a time of rising violence in the occupied territory. Multiple Israeli media outlets said the Defense Ministry planning committee that oversees settlement construction approved some 5,700 new settlement homes. The units are at various stages of planning, and it was not immediately clear when construction would begin. COGAT, the defence body in charge of the planning committee, did not respond to requests for comment. The international community, along with the Palestinians, considers settlement construction illegal or illegitimate and an obstacle to peace. Over 700,000 Israelis now live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem .

PM Modi's state visit to US wasn't about China: Top White House official

"Quiet frankly, India has challenges with China on their own and they address these challenges largely on their own," Kirby said