Washington

US moves to boost crackdown on China Telecom's unit over data privacy

There is growing alarm in Washington about China's alleged efforts known as Salt Typhoon to infiltrate American telecommunications companies

Biden establishes national monument for 1st female US Cabinet secretary

President Joe Biden on Monday established a national monument honouring the late FDR-era Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in a presidential Cabinet and a driving force behind Franklin D Roosevelt's New Deal programmes after the Great Depression. Perkins is one of America's greatest labour leaders, and that's not hyperbole, Biden said. Perkins cemented the idea that if you're working a full-time job, you shouldn't have to live in poverty, Biden said. The outgoing Democratic president signed the proclamation establishing the monument in Newcastle, Maine, after a speech at the Department of Labor as he seeks to burnish his legacy as a champion of women's and labour rights with just over five weeks left in his term. The department's building is named after Perkins, who helped President Roosevelt formulate policies behind the 1930s New Deal agenda and create safeguards in the national economy following the Great Depression that began in 1929. Perkins was the ...

US def secy in Japan to discuss safety of Osprey aircraft, security ties

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin is in Japan on Tuesday to meet with Japanese officials and reaffirm the importance of their alliance and the US commitment to regional security as threats rise from China and North Korea. Austin's visit also comes amid growing concerns over the safety of Osprey military aircraft, which have been grounded in the United States following a near-crash at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico last month. The incident, caused by weakened metal components, was similar to a fatal crash off southwestern Japan last year. The US measure has not affected Ospreys operated by Japan's Ground Self-Defence Force. Japanese officials are discussing the issue with the US military and will respond appropriately," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters Tuesday. Austin is scheduled to hold separate talks with his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba later Tuesday, according to Japanese officials. Nakatani told reporters t

March against attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh held from White House

A large number of Indian Americans held a march from the White House to the US Capitol over attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh. Raising slogans like We want Justice and Protect Hindus the peaceful demonstrators urged the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration to ask the new government in Bangladesh to take steps to protect Hindus but also take action against those responsible for this. The march was held on Monday over attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh. Organisers of the event -- StopHinduGenocide.org, Bangladeshi Diaspora organisations and HinduACTion demanded that the companies in the US stop buying garments from Bangladesh, which is heavily dependent on its exports to the US. "This march is not just a cry for justice; it is a demand for accountability. Today, the Bangladeshi Hindu community and the larger Hindu diaspora from the Indian subcontinent has come in support of the Bangladesh Hindu community because there is continuing violence going on in Bangladesh, .

Boeing to lay off 396 employees in Washington 'to align financial reality'

Boeing is trying to get production of its strongest-selling 737 MAX back on track, after a weeks-long strike by more than 33,000 US West Coast workers halted output of most of its commercial jets

Donald Trump picks donor Kelly Loeffler for small business administration

The SBA is the federal agency responsible for helping "Americans start, grow, and build resilient businesses" according to its website

Secret Service agent fired at suspects outside of Janet Yellen's house

An investigation is underway after a Secret Service agent working on protective assignment outside Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's house fired a weapon following a confrontation between the agent and occupants of a sedan, early Tuesday. At roughly 1:30 am Tuesday, the agent assigned to Yellen's protective detail outside of her home, observed a sedan with multiple people attempting to open car doors along the street, according to Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. A confrontation between the agent and the car's occupants led to gunfire. It was unclear how many shots were fired by the agent. The Secret Service said there is no evidence that anyone was harmed. The suspects fled the scene in the sedan, and a lookout was issued to local law enforcement, Guglielmi said. The D C Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the shooting and the case will also be reviewed by the US Attorney's Office.

Trump's FBI pick Kash Patel wants to reshape bureau via surveillance reform

Indian American Kash Patel has been well-known for years within Donald Trump's orbit as a loyal supporter who shares the president-elect's scepticism of the FBI and intelligence community. But he's receiving fresh attention, from the public and from Congress, now that Trump has picked him to lead the FBI. As he braces for a bruising and likely protracted Senate confirmation fight, Patel can expect scrutiny not only over his professed fealty to Trump but also for his belief revealed over the last year in interviews and his own book that the century-old FBI should be radically overhauled. Here's a look at some of what he's proposed for the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency. How much of it he'd actually follow through on is a separate question. He's mused about shutting down the FBI's Washington headquarters The first FBI employees moved into the current Pennsylvania Avenue headquarters 50 years ago. The building since then has housed the supervisors and leaders who m

PTI supporters in Washington hold funeral prayers for Islamabad victims

Members of the Pakistani diaspora have taken to the streets globally to show support for the incarcerated former Prime Minister Khan

Boeing to cut over 2,500 jobs in US amid global workforce reduction plans

Boeing said in a notice filed with Washington's Employment Security Department on Monday that it has so far laid off 2,199 workers in the state, among job cuts that will eventually total about 17,000 across the company. The aerospace giant announced in October that it planned to cut about 10 per cent of its workforce in the coming months as it struggles to recover from financial and regulatory troubles as well as a strike by its machinists that lasted nearly two months. The planned cuts include workers at Boeing facilities across the country, from Washington to Missouri to Arizona to South Carolina, The Seattle Times reported. They also appeared to impact workers in all three of Boeing's divisions -- commercial aeroplanes, defence and global services. Before the layoff notices were delivered last week, Boeing had 66,000 workers in Washington. Among the layoffs so far are notices that went out last week to more than 400 members of Boeing's professional aerospace labour union, the ..

Donald Trump wins Republican trifecta as GOP retains House majority

Trump's grip over the so-called Washington trifecta, having earlier won the majority of the Senate, also strengthens the party's hand to enact immigration controls

Trump picks experienced advisors to carry out his immigration crackdown

Donald Trump's first picks for immigration policy jobs spent the last four years angling for this moment. Stephen Miller and Thomas Homan had critical roles in the first Trump administration and are unapologetic defenders of its policies, which included separating thousands of parents from their children at the border to deter illegal crossings. With Trump promising sweeping action in a second term on illegal immigration, the two White House advisers will bring nuts-and-bolts knowledge, lessons from previous setbacks and personal views to help him carry out his wishes. After Trump left office in 2021, Miller became president of America First Legal, a group that joined Republican state attorneys general to derail President Joe Biden's border policies and plans. Homan, who worked decades in immigration enforcement, founded Border 911 Foundation Inc, a group that says it fights against a border invasion and held its inaugural gala in April at Trump's Florida estate. Homan knows how the

Immigration policy: Trump picks duo who back family separation, deportation

Donald Trump's first picks for immigration policy jobs spent the last four years angling for this moment. Stephen Miller and Thomas Homan had critical roles in the first Trump administration and are unapologetic defenders of its policies, which included separating thousands of parents from their children at the border to deter illegal crossings. With Trump promising sweeping action in a second term on illegal immigration, the two White House advisers will bring nuts-and-bolts knowledge, lessons from previous setbacks and personal views to help him carry out his wishes. After Trump left office in 2021, Miller became president of America First Legal, a group that joined Republican state attorneys general to derail President Joe Biden's border policies and plans. Homan, who worked decades in immigration enforcement, founded Border 911 Foundation Inc., a group that says it fights against a border invasion and held its inaugural gala in April at Trump's Florida estate. Homan knows how t

US Congress returns to unfinished business and new era of Donald Trump

Congress returns to a changed Washington as President-elect Donald Trump's hard-right agenda is quickly taking shape, buoyed by eager Republican allies eyeing a full sweep of power on Capitol Hill while Democrats are sorting out what went wrong. Even as final election results are still being tallied, the House and Senate leadership is pushing ahead toward a second-term Trump White House and what he's called a mandate for governing, with mass deportations, industry deregulation and wholesale gutting of the federal government. Trump is already testing the norms of governance during this presidential transition period telling the Senate to forgo its advise-and-consent role and simply accept his Cabinet nominees and he is staffing his administration and finding lawmakers willing to bend those civic traditions. Trump's going to deliver his deportations, the drilling, the wall it's going to take all of us getting together, said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a conservative member of the ..

Washington terrible place to actually observe elections: Dhruva Jaishankar

Jaishankar pointed out that the election this time is complicated as there are several factors in play, like the shift of younger men towards Republican candidate, former US President Donald Trump

Howard University excited for Harris' election night party in Washington

The Howard University on Tuesday looked forward to hosting Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris for her election night watch party. This marks the first time in modern history that a presidential election night event will be hosted on a college campus. Harris graduated from Howard University with a bachelor's degree in 1986. Nigel Jhonson, a law student at Howard University, is upbeat about the event. It is a momentous occasion. You always love to see your alumni, and your classmates doing big things. It is an honour to have the world here and the world to know the type of people the university produces. We produce leaders and the world ought to know that Howard University is synonymous with leadership," Jhonson told PTI. Jade, a freshman at Howard who thinks Harris' election will help the college get prominence, said: It feels great to have the spotlight on us and having alumni like the Vice President of US. I feel like it shows the university produces good students. T

About 475 damaged ballots retrieved from burned box in Washington: Auditor

About 475 damaged ballots were retrieved from a ballot box that was burned early Monday in southwest Washington, a county official said Tuesday. Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said workers on Wednesday will begin searching through the damaged ballots for voter information in order to contact them about getting a new ballot. He said officials believe that although damaged, the workers will be able to pull voter information from the ballots. The damaged ballots are separate from an unknown number that were destroyed, Kimsey said. Incendiary devices damaged and destroyed hundreds of ballots at a drop box in Vancouver, Washington, and damaged three ballots at a box in Portland, Oregon, in what federal, state and local officials have decried as an attack on democracy before a heated Election Day. Authorities have said that enough material from the incendiary devices was recovered to link the two fires on Monday, as well as an Oct. 8 incident, when an incendiary device was placed at a

Non-endorsements at Post, LA Times fit trend, but readers aren't happy

The number of newspapers endorsing a candidate for president has dwindled with the industry's financial troubles the past two decades, in part because owners reason that it makes no sense to alienate some subscribers by taking a clear stand in a politically polarising time. Yet in the past week, The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times have angered readers for precisely the opposite reason: by choosing not to select a favoured candidate. The fallout from both decisions continued on Monday, with Post owner Jeff Bezos taking the unusual step of publicly defending the move in the columns of his own paper. Three members of the Post's editorial board resigned their positions and some journalists pleaded with readers to not express their disapproval by cancelling subscriptions. Many thousands have already done so. Bezos, in a note to readers, said it was a principled stand to ditch endorsements. People essentially don't care and see it as a sign of bias, he said. His comments appeared ..

Need fair sovereign ratings for capital access: Sitharaman at IMF meeting

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman urged greater engagement with credit rating agencies to improve rating methodologies

TSMC's Arizona chip production yields surpass Taiwan's in win for US push

The accomplishment is a sign of progress for Washington's efforts to revitalise American semiconductor manufacturing