Page 3 - United States Government

Hunter Biden seeks delay in federal tax trial set to begin in LA next month

Hunter Biden's lawyers will press a judge on Wednesday to delay his trial that's set to begin next month in Los Angeles on charges that he schemed to avoid paying USD 1.4 million in taxes. The president's son is seeking to push the June 20 trial date back until at least September, noting that he is also scheduled to stand trial in Delaware beginning June 3 on federal firearms charges. He has pleaded not guilty to both indictments brought by Justice Department special counsel David Weiss, which he has claimed are politically motivated. His attorneys say they cannot adequately prepare for both trials at the same time, and have sought delays and dismissals in both cases. If Judge Mark C. Scarsi denies his bid to delay the California case, Hunter Biden could be headed to trial in two federal cases on opposite coasts next month as President Joe Biden campaigns for reelection. Scarsi, who was appointed to the bench by former President Donald Trump, will hear arguments on the request, .

US Prez Biden signs sweeping aviation safety, reform bill into law

Biden has repeatedly clashed with air carriers, calling for new stricter consumer rules and harshly criticizing them for imposing fees

Trump presidency to risk $1 trn in clean energy investment, says WoodMac

This election cycle will really influence the pace of energy investment, both in the next five years and through 2050

Russia will have to increase missile arsenal to deter West, says diplomat

Russia has ramped up weapons production and is now forecast by the United States to manufacture this year more artillery than all of Nato's 32 members combined

'Regularly working' with India in probe on alleged plot to kill Pannun: US

The United States is "regularly working" with India in its investigation into the allegations related to the plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US State Department official has said. The remarks by US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel came after The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, named a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer in connection with the alleged plot to kill Pannun on American soil last year. India on Tuesday strongly rejected the claims, saying that the report made "unwarranted and unsubstantiated" imputations on a serious matter and that an investigation into the case was underway. Addressing his daily news conference on Tuesday, Patel said, We continue to expect accountability from the Government of India based on the results of the Indian inquiry committee's work, and we are regularly working with them and enquiring for additional updates. We'll also continue to raise our concerns directly with

US NSA Jake Sullivan's visit to India postponed for second time this year

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has postponed his visit to India this week in view of the evolving situation in West Asia following escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran. It was the second time this year that Sullivan deferred his trip to India. The senior Biden administration official was scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on the progress in implementation of the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), besides other issues. "Due to ongoing events in the Middle East, NSA Sullivan has postponed his trip to India this week," a US embassy spokesperson said. West Asia has been reeling under increasing tensions after Iran carried out the first direct attack on Israel by firing hundreds of drones and missiles early Sunday. Iran carried out the attack on Israel in response to a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus on April 1 that killed seven Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards includ

Baltimore bridge collapse probe picks up speed as divers recover 2 bodies

Investigators began collecting evidence from the cargo ship that plowed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused its collapse, while in the waters below divers searched through twisted metal for six construction workers who plunged into the harbour. The bodies of two were recovered Wednesday, and the others were presumed dead. The bodies of the two men, aged 35 and 26, were located by divers inside a red pickup submerged in about 25 feet of water near the bridge's middle span, Col Roland L Butler Jr, superintendent of Maryland State Police, announced at an evening news conference. The victims were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, Butler said. The investigation picked up speed as the Baltimore region reeled from the sudden loss of a major transportation link that's part of the highway loop around the city. The disaster also closed the port that is vital to the city's shipping industry. Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board boarded the s

Debt damper

High US govt debt can increase risks

Protest-vote movement over US' handling of Hamas war spreads across states

The protest-vote movement over President Joe Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war has spread to several states and raised more questions about whether a small but significant number of Democrats angry at Biden might abandon him in November. A week after 101,000 Michigan voters chose uncommitted on their ballots, so did roughly 263,000 voters in the five Super Tuesday states where similar ballot options were available. Minnesota, which had the most organized effort outside of Michigan, saw 1 in 5 Democratic voters mark the uncommitted option, a higher percentage than the 13% who voted uncommitted in Michigan. Organizers are watching the state of Washington's primary on Tuesday to see how many voters select uncommitted. And a Leave It Blank campaign has formed for Georgia's Tuesday primary that's intended to have the same effect, as is a uninstructed vote in Wisconsin's April 2 primary. Supporters of the protest argue anger over the war could endanger Biden's chances in swing stat

US employers add strong 275K jobs in sign of continued economic strength

America's employers delivered another healthy month of hiring in February, adding a surprising 275,000 jobs and again showcasing the US economy's resilience in the face of high interest rates. Last month's job growth was up from a revised gain of 229,000 jobs in January. The unemployment rate ticked up two-tenths of a point to 3.9 per cent but was still the 25th straight month in which it has remained below 4 per cent. Friday's government report reflected the job market's sustained ability to withstand the 11 rate hikes the Federal Reserve imposed to fight inflation, which made borrowing much costlier for households and businesses. Employers have continued to hire briskly to meet steady demand from consumers across the economy. Yet despite sharply lower inflation, a healthy job market and a record-high stock market, many Americans say they are unhappy with the state of the economy a sentiment that is sure to weigh on President Joe Biden's bid for re-election. Many voters blame Bide

Donald Trump wins South Carolina, beating Nikki Haley in her home state

Donald Trump won South Carolina's Republican primary on Saturday, beating former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley in her home state and further consolidating his path to a third straight GOP nomination. Trump has now swept every contest that counted for Republican delegates, with wins already in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The former president's latest victory will likely increase pressure on Haley, who was Trump's former representative to the UN and South Carolina governor from 2011 to 2017, to leave the race. A 2020 general rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden is becoming increasingly inevitable. Haley has vowed to stay in the race through at least the batch of primaries on March 5, known as Super Tuesday, but was unable to dent Trump's momentum in her home state despite holding far more campaign events and arguing that the indictments against Trump will hamstring him against Biden. South Carolina's first-in-the-South primary has historically been a

Arabs put to vote UN resolution demanding immediate Gaza cease-fire

Arab nations are putting to a vote a UN resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, knowing it will be vetoed by the United States but hoping to show broad global support for ending the Israel-Hamas war. The Security Council scheduled the vote on the resolution at 10 am EST (1530 GMT) Tuesday. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield says the Biden administration will veto the Arab-backed resolution because it may interfere with ongoing US efforts to arrange a deal between the warring parties that would bring at least a six-week halt to hostilities and release all hostages taken during Hamas' surprise Oct 7 attack in southern Israel. In a surprise move ahead of the vote, the United States circulated a rival UN Security Council resolution that would support a temporary cease-fire in Gaza linked to the release of all hostages, and call for the lifting of all restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid. Both of these actions would help to create the conditions

Indian-origin family found dead with gunshot wounds in California apartment

Last week, a 41-year-old Indian-origin man, identified as Vivek Taneja died in the United States, days after suffering life-threatening injuries as a result of an assault in downtown Washington

US announces overhaul of its annual lottery for H-1B visas to reduce fraud

The US has announced a major overhaul of its annual lottery for the H-1B speciality occupation visas, popular among Indian IT professionals, to curtail the potential for fraud and improve and streamline the registration system. Separately, the US on January 29 has formally launched a pilot programme to renew the much sought-after H-1B visas domestically, a move that is likely to benefit thousands of Indian tech professionals. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. The new overhauled system, among other things, includes the provision of a beneficiary-centric selection process for registrations by employers. As a result, unlike in the past when multiple applications by an individual often resulted in abuse in fraud of the system, the H-1B vis

US to announce billions in subsidies for advanced chips, says report

Among the likely recipients of the subsidies, Intel has projects underway in Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico, and Oregon that will cost more than $43.5 billion, the paper said

Kim calls South Korea 'principal enemy' amid heightened tensions with US

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called South Korea our principal enemy and threatened to annihilate it if provoked, as he escalates his inflammatory, belligerent rhetoric against Seoul and the United States before their elections this year. Experts say Kim will likely further raise animosities with weapons tests to try to influence the results of South Korea's parliamentary elections in April and the U.S. presidential election in November. Kim made the remarks during inspection tours of munitions factories in North Korea this week, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday. He said North Korea's priority in its relations with Seoul "is to bolster up the military capabilities for self-defense and the nuclear war deterrent first of all, KCNA said. If South Korea dares to use his military force against North Korea and threaten its sovereignty, Kim said We will have no hesitation in annihilating (South Korea) by mobilizing all means and forces in our hands, ...

LIVE: No final decision taken yet on INDIA bloc PM face, says Cong chief

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Entrepot for geopolitics

US investment in Lankan port opens up new opportunities

US govt sanctions Russian national for helping elites launder money

Zhdanova also used virtual currency exchanges to help oligarchs who had relocated internationally, it said

Who is Vivek Ramaswamy? The Indian-American Republican presidential nominee

The millionaire entrepreneur-turned-politician ranks fourth after republican nominees Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, and Nikki Haley