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Rubio confirmed as secy of state, becomes 1st member of Trump's Cabinet

Marco Rubio, the US Senator from Florida, was on Monday unanimously confirmed as the Secretary of State, making him the first member of the Cabinet of President Donald Trump to be confirmed. Rubio, 53, as a Senator last year had introduced a bill in the Congress that proposed to treat India at par with its allies such as Japan, Israel, Korea, and NATO allies regarding technology transfers and support India in its response to growing threats to its territorial integrity. The bill also sought to bar Pakistan from receiving security assistance if it is found to have sponsored terrorism against India. All the existing 99 senators voted in favour of Rubio, including Rubio himself. There is currently one vacancy in the Senate after Vice President J D Vance resigned as the US Senator from Ohio. A US Senator from Florida since January 3, 2011, Rubio is considered as a hawkish US Senator with regard to China. He is banned from entering China, which sanctioned him twice in 2020. The top ...

Rubio confirmed as secy of state, becomes 1st member of Trump's Cabinet
Updated On : 21 Jan 2025 | 8:00 AM IST

Trump signs first round of orders, ends federal work from home rule

Soon after taking charge as the 47th US president on Monday, Donald Trump signed a first round of executive orders aiming to assert control of the federal workforce, and withdraw from the Paris climate treaty, among others, to halt a slew of orders passed by the previous Joe Biden administration. Among the executive orders Trump signed with a flourish in front of a cheering crowd was one mandating that federal workers return to their offices five days a week. The move followed the new president's pledge to end the work-from-home culture that became common during the Covid-19 pandemic. Last month, at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trump said he planned to dismiss federal employees who don't return to office to comply with the order. Trump also ordered a federal hiring freeze on his first day back in office, mirroring an action he took at the start of his first term to try to reduce the size of government. The order suspends hiring for new positions and many op

Trump signs first round of orders, ends federal work from home rule
Updated On : 21 Jan 2025 | 7:09 AM IST

Making YMCA great again: Why Trump loves the 'Village People' disco song

YMCA, a disco number released originally in 1978, has become a constant feature at the majority of Donald Trump's Maga) public rallies

Making YMCA great again: Why Trump loves the 'Village People' disco song
Updated On : 20 Jan 2025 | 5:02 PM IST

Trump-aligned group hints at blueprint to target 'sanctuary' jurisdictions

The ominous letters went to hundreds of state and local officials across the US two days before Christmas. It was a potential blueprint for how the Trump administration may attack sanctuary jurisdictions that resist mass deportations. They threatened criminal prosecutions and lawsuits going after officials' personal finances. They invoked RICO, the federal statute often used to fight organized crime. You and your subordinates could potentially face up to 20 years in prison, America First Legal, a group led by current and former advisors to President-elect Donald Trump, said in the letter. Its president, Stephen Miller, will be deputy chief of policy in the new administration and is a longtime architect of Trump's immigration policies. The letters' targets: city, county and state officials in America's sanctuary jurisdictions, a term rooted in medieval laws that today encompasses a range of protection for immigrants, particularly those living in the U.S. illegally. Sanctuary ...

Trump-aligned group hints at blueprint to target 'sanctuary' jurisdictions
Updated On : 19 Jan 2025 | 11:37 AM IST

US govt tightens its grip on AI chip, technology export across globe

The new regulations will cap the number of AI chips that can be exported to most countries and allow unlimited access to US

US govt tightens its grip on AI chip, technology export across globe
Updated On : 14 Jan 2025 | 11:11 AM IST

Biden believes he was 'steady hand' world needed after Trump's Presidency

President Joe Biden strode into the White House four years ago with a foreign policy agenda that put repairing alliances strained by four years of Republican Donald Trump's America First worldview front and centre. The one-term Democrat took office in the throes of the worst global pandemic in a century and his plans were quickly stress-tested by a series of complicated international crises: the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and Hamas' brutal 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in the Middle East. As Biden prepares to leave office, he remains insistent that his one-term presidency has made strides in restoring American credibility on the world stage and has proven the US remains an indispensable partner around the globe. That message will be at the center of an address he will deliver Monday afternoon on his foreign policy legacy. Yet Biden's case for foreign policy achievements will be shadowed and shaped, at least in th

Biden believes he was 'steady hand' world needed after Trump's Presidency
Updated On : 13 Jan 2025 | 11:31 AM IST

Biden talks to families of Americans held by Taliban, no deal reached yet

President Joe Biden spoke on Sunday with relatives of three Americans the US government is looking to bring home from Afghanistan but it was unclear from the call if a deal to bring them back that is now on the table could be completed before the he leaves office next week. Biden's call with family members of Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann and Mahmoud Habibi took place in the waning days of his administration as officials try to negotiate a deal that could bring them home in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, one of the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Corbett, who had lived in Afghanistan with his family at the time of the 2021 collapse of the US-backed government, was abducted by the Taliban in August 2022 while on a business trip and Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, was taken by the Taliban's intelligence services in December 2022 while traveling through the country. Officials believe the Taliban is still holding both men as well as Habibi, an Afghan American businessma

Biden talks to families of Americans held by Taliban, no deal reached yet
Updated On : 13 Jan 2025 | 6:58 AM IST

Jan 6 participants who committed violence shouldn't be pardoned: Vance

US Vice-President-elect JD Vance says people responsible for the violence during the Capitol riot "obviously" should not be pardoned, as President-elect Donald Trump is promising to use his clemency power on behalf of many of those who tried on January 6, 2021, to overturn the results of the election that Trump lost. Vance insisted in an interview on Fox News Sunday that the pardon question is "very simple", saying those who "protested peacefully" should be pardoned and "if you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn't be pardoned". He later said there was a "bit of a grey area" in some cases. Trump said he would issue pardons to rioters on "Day 1" of his presidency, which begins January 20. "Most likely, I'll do it very quickly," he said recently on NBC's Meet the Press. He added that "those people have suffered long and hard. And there may be some exceptions to it. I have to look. But, you know, if somebody was radical, crazy". More than 1,500 people have been charge

Jan 6 participants who committed violence shouldn't be pardoned: Vance
Updated On : 13 Jan 2025 | 6:44 AM IST

US govt denies role in 'National Prayer Breakfast' attended by BNP leaders

The US government and the Department of State are not involved in managing or influencing the invitations and participators in the IRF Summit or the National Prayer Breakfast, a spokesperson at the US Embassy in Dhaka has said. The statements, comments, positions, and opinions of participants or former officials at the IRF Summit or National Prayer Breakfast should not be interpreted as representing the opinions, positions, or policies of the US government, Dhaka Tribune quoted the US embassy spokesperson as saying on Saturday. He made the remarks when media personnel drew the spokesperson's attention towards a report saying President-elect Donald Trump invited Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and two senior leaders to attend the National Prayer Breakfast. "The United States is not hosting, organising, or funding the IRF Summit or National Prayer Breakfast," he said. The IRF Summit is distinct from the International Religious Freedom Ministerial ...

US govt denies role in 'National Prayer Breakfast' attended by BNP leaders
Updated On : 12 Jan 2025 | 11:18 AM IST

US govt denies role in 'National Prayer Breakfast' attended by BNP leaders

The US government and the Department of State are not involved in managing or influencing the invitations and participators in the IRF Summit or the National Prayer Breakfast, a spokesperson at the US Embassy in Dhaka has said. The statements, comments, positions, and opinions of participants or former officials at the IRF Summit or National Prayer Breakfast should not be interpreted as representing the opinions, positions, or policies of the US government, Dhaka Tribune quoted the US embassy spokesperson as saying on Saturday. He made the remarks when media personnel drew the spokesperson's attention towards a report saying President-elect Donald Trump invited Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and two senior leaders to attend the National Prayer Breakfast. "The United States is not hosting, organising, or funding the IRF Summit or National Prayer Breakfast," he said. The IRF Summit is distinct from the International Religious Freedom Ministerial ...

US govt denies role in 'National Prayer Breakfast' attended by BNP leaders
Updated On : 12 Jan 2025 | 11:18 AM IST

Trump's words on borders ring alarms in Europe, but gets guarded response

President-elect Donald Trump has tossed expansionist rhetoric at US allies and potential adversaries with arguments that the frontiers of American power need to be extended into Canada and the Danish territory of Greenland, and southward to include the Panama Canal. Trump's suggestions that international borders can be redrawn by force if necessary are particularly inflammatory in Europe. His words run contrary to the argument European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are trying to impress on Russian President Vladimir Putin. But many European leaders who've learned to expect the unexpected from Trump and have seen that actions don't always follow his words have been guarded in their response, with some taking a nothing-to-see-here view rather than vigorously defend European Union member Denmark. Analysts, though, say that even words can damage US-European relations ahead of Trump's second presidency. A diplomatic response in Europe Several officials in Euro

Trump's words on borders ring alarms in Europe, but gets guarded response
Updated On : 11 Jan 2025 | 2:47 PM IST

US has broad support for expanding legal immigration, says Neera Tanden

America is a nation of immigrants, and there's broad support for expanding legal immigration in the country, a top domestic policy advisor to US President Joe Biden has said amidst a raging debate on the most sought-after H-1B visa. The H-1B visa programme allows US companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in speciality occupations. Indian companies have been significant beneficiaries of this programme, particularly in the technology sector. I think even in the raging immigration debate, it's really important for all of us to remember that we are a nation of immigrants, and there's broad support for expanding legal immigration in the country,". We'll see how that goes in the future, but that's been the case, Indian-American Neera Tanden told PTI in an interview. Indians are the main beneficiaries of the H-1B visas, which bring in the best of the talent and brains from across the world. Highly skilled professionals from India walk away with the overwhelming number of H-1B visa

US has broad support for expanding legal immigration, says Neera Tanden
Updated On : 11 Jan 2025 | 2:25 PM IST

Unlike first term, Trump's business to allow private foreign partnerships

The Trump family business released a voluntary ethics agreement Friday that allows it to strike deals with private foreign companies, a move that could help outside actors try to buy influence with the new administration. The so-called ethics white paper bars the Trump Organisation from striking deals directly with foreign governments, but allows ones with private companies abroad, a significant departure from President-elect Donald Trump's first term. An ethics pact that Trump signed eight years ago barred both foreign government and foreign company deals. The Trump company also announced it would commit to several safeguards from his first term designed to stop his private financial interests from shaping policy. That includes hiring an outside ethics adviser to vet deals. "The Trump Organisation is dedicated to not just meeting but vastly exceeding its legal and ethical obligations during my father's Presidency, said executive vice president Eric Trump. The Trump Organisation ..

Unlike first term, Trump's business to allow private foreign partnerships
Updated On : 11 Jan 2025 | 12:28 PM IST

Zuckerberg reveals US govt made Facebook censor content on Covid vaccine

Referring to the investigation and committee set up to look into the government censorship, Mark Zuckerberg said, 'We produced all these documents and it's all in the public domain'

Zuckerberg reveals US govt made Facebook censor content on Covid vaccine
Updated On : 11 Jan 2025 | 11:39 AM IST

Wildfires show need to take science seriously: Biden's climate adviser

The massive wildfires that have killed 10 people in the Los Angeles area and caused billions of dollars in property damage are the latest sign of the growing threat posed by climate change one that President-elect Donald Trump will have to take more seriously than he did in his first term, a top adviser to President Joe Biden said. John Podesta, Biden's senior adviser for international climate policy, said one of the iconic images of Trump's first term showed him tossing paper towels to people in Puerto Rico who had been been ravaged by a hurricane. Many critics called Trump's action disrespectful, especially after he disputed a death count from Hurricane Maria that reached nearly 3,000 people. You would think hopefully he would have learned from the public's reaction to that that you have to take the science seriously. You have to take the facts seriously. You have to take the threat seriously,' Podesta said in an interview with The Associated Press. As the unfolding disaster in

Wildfires show need to take science seriously: Biden's climate adviser
Updated On : 11 Jan 2025 | 8:48 AM IST

US SC seems likely to uphold federal law to shut down TikTok on Jan 19

The Supreme Court on Friday seemed likely to uphold a law that would ban TikTok in the United States beginning January 19 unless the popular social media programme is sold by its China-based parent company. Hearing arguments in a momentous clash of free speech and national security concerns, the justices seemed persuaded by arguments that the national security threat posed by the company's connections to China override concerns about restricting the speech, either of TikTok or its 170 million users in the United States. Early in arguments that lasted more than two and a half hours, Chief Justice John Roberts identified as the main concern in the case TikTok's ownership by China-based ByteDance and the parent company's requirement to cooperate with the Chinese government's intelligence operations. If left in place, the law passed by bipartisan majorities in Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in April will require TikTok to go dark on January 19, lawyer Noel Francisco told the

US SC seems likely to uphold federal law to shut down TikTok on Jan 19
Updated On : 11 Jan 2025 | 8:43 AM IST

Jimmy Carter's foreign policy legacy grew stronger after leaving WH

Carter, a devout Christian, maximised his personal relationships with former world leaders to promote democracy and human rights

Jimmy Carter's foreign policy legacy grew stronger after leaving WH
Updated On : 30 Dec 2024 | 11:09 AM IST

What gets shut down when US govt stops spending: All you need to know

Government agencies responsible for health, safety and protection of property can continue

What gets shut down when US govt stops spending: All you need to know
Updated On : 20 Dec 2024 | 8:37 AM IST

Friday midnight deadline looms for US Congress to prevent govt shutdown

Congress has until midnight Friday to come up with a way to fund the government or federal agencies will shut down, meaning hundreds of thousands of federal employees could be sent home or stay on the job without pay just ahead of the holidays. Republicans abandoned a bipartisan plan Wednesday to prevent a shutdown after President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk came out against it. Trump told House Speaker Mike Johnson to essentially renegotiate the deal days before a deadline when federal funding runs out. Here's what to know about a possible government shutdown, what agencies would be affected and how long it could last: What does it mean if the government shuts down? A government shutdown happens when Congress doesn't pass legislation either temporarily or more permanently funding the government, and such a measure isn't signed by the president. When would a government shutdown start? If Congress doesn't approve a continuing resolution or more permanent spendin

Friday midnight deadline looms for US Congress to prevent govt shutdown
Updated On : 20 Dec 2024 | 7:29 AM IST

Senator Warren writes to Trump for conflict-of-interest rules for Elon Musk

Musk has time and again advocated for Donald Trump and advised him on government formation and taking a lead role in a new effort to cut federal spending

Senator Warren writes to Trump for conflict-of-interest rules for Elon Musk
Updated On : 18 Dec 2024 | 12:50 PM IST