Vienna, April 18 (IANS) Iran’s top negotiator at nuclear talks under way in Vienna said on Saturday that the discussions were on the right track and consultations would continue. Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian media that “good discussions” had been held among the delegations from Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany, DPA news […]

Washington, April 16 (IANS) At least eight people were killed during a shooting incident that took place at a FedEx facility in the US city of Indianapolis, police said on Friday, adding there were multiple others who suffered serious gunshot wounds. Of those suffering gunshot wounds, at least one person remained in critical condition by […]

Washington, April 16 (IANS) US President Joe Biden has named Radhika Fox and Meera Joshi, two Indian-American women already working in his administration, to be part of a 10 member team to lead on climate and transportation matters across key agencies, the media reported. According to a White House announcement on Wednesday, Fox would become […]

Washington, April 16 (IANS) US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she has “no plans” to bring a bill to expand the Supreme Court from nine seats to 13 to the House floor for a vote. “No. I support the President’s Commission to study such a proposal, but frankly I’m not, right now, we’re back, our […]

Washington, April 16 (IANS) A shooting incident took place at a FedEx facility in the US city of Indianapolis, police said on Friday, adding that there were multiple people injured. In a report, the city-based WRTV channel said the incident occurred on Thursday night at the facility near the Indianapolis International Airport. According to Indianapolis […]

Washington, April 16 (IANS) Initial unemployment claims in the US have dropped to 576,000, the lowest level since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic early last year that ravaged the labour market, the Labour Department reported. In the week ending April 10, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits decreased by 193,000 from the […]

Washington, April 16 (IANS) US President Joe Biden has called for de-escalating the ongoing tensions with Moscow after his administration launched diplomatic and financial offensives against Russian officials and businesses in retaliation for election-meddling and hacking that compromised major federal agencies. In his remarks at the White House on Thursday, Biden detailed his phone call […]

New York, April 16 (IANS) The body of a “brilliant” Indian origin cryptocurrency expert has been found floating in the Hudson River in this city, according to media reports. Shuvro Biswas, 31, was a mathematician working with cryptocurrency security and artificial intelligence, the New York Post reported on Wednesday quoting his family. His body was […]

Washington, April 16 (IANS) US President Joe Biden will receive his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in in the second half of May, the White House has said. Biden said recently his top foreign policy agenda was the nuclear threat posed by North Korea, whose rogue regime last month test-fired short-range ballistic missile. White House Press […]

Washington, April 16 (IANS) The US has launched diplomatic and financial offensives against Russian officials and businesses in retaliation for election-meddling and Moscow-linked hacking that compromised major federal agencies. The move included the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats from the US and sanctions on several organisations and individuals, the White House and State Department said […]

Sofia, April 15 (IANS) Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borisov on Thursday resigned from his coalition government, as expected, after the parliamentary election earlier this month. The announcement was made by the Interim President of the newly elected Parliament, Mika Saykova, during the first session, dpa news agency reported. The resignation of the nationalist government, which […]

United Nations, April 15 (IANS) Nearly half of women in 57 developing countries are denied the right to decide whether to have sex with their partners, use contraception or seek healthcare — the three dimensions of bodily autonomy, according to a UN report. Only 55 per cent of women in those countries are fully empowered […]

New York, April 15 (IANS) Akanksha Education Fund, a New York-based non-profit that supports initiatives to improve access to high quality education for the disadvantaged children in India, has named an Indian-American as its new Executive Director. “The Akanksha Education Fund is thrilled to announce that Sejal Desai, of Dallas, Texas, will be the new […]

Washington, April 15 (IANS) The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) has elected a new team to lead the largest ethnic medical organisation in the US, the media reported. Anjana Samadder was elected as Vice President, Satheesh Kathula as Secretary and Krishan Kumar as Treasurer, the American Bazaar reported on Wednesday citing Chief […]

By Arul LouisNew York, April 15 (IANS) US President Joe Biden has asked India and other regional countries to pitch in to help stabilise Afghanistan as Washington has decided to pull out its troops ending a 20-year-old war. Announcing his plans on Wednesday to unconditionally bring home the last of the US military before September […]

Vienna, April 15 (IANS) As Japan’s decision to discharge the nuclear wastewater from the crippled Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean sparked an international backlash, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said that he took these concerns “seriously” and called for “transparency”. “The way to deal with these concerns, for me … […]

Washington, April 15 (IANS) Former police officer Kim Potter, who fatally shot 20-year-old African-American man Daunte Wright in the US state of Minnesota, will be charged with second-degree manslaughter for the killing, a prosecutor said. On Wednesday, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput said he is filing a second-degree manslaughter charge against Potter, a 48-year-old veteran […]

Washington, April 15 (IANS) US employment growth has recently picked up, but hiring remains a “widespread” challenge, the Federal Reserve said. “The pace of job growth varied by industry but was generally strongest in manufacturing, construction, and leisure and hospitality,” the central bank said in its latest Beige Book released on Wednesday. “Hiring remained a […]

Washington, April 15 (IANS) International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said she is “confident” the financial organisation will distribute a new allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) to member countries by mid-August. “It is a remarkable demonstration of multilateralism” that the IMF membership has agreed to support a new SDR allocation of $650 […]

Washington, April 15 (IANS) US President Joe Biden has announced that all US troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan before September 11, a move to end the longest war in American history. “The United States will begin our final withdrawal, begin it on May 1 of this year,” Biden said on Wednesday in his remarks […]

Washington, April 14 (IANS) US President Joe Biden wants to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a senior administration official has said. Biden has been facing mounting pressure to make a decision on the deployment of troops in Afghanistan, where the US has had a sustained […]

Washington, April 14 (IANS) US President Joe Biden has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to de-escalate border tensions with Ukraine and proposed the two leader hold a summit in the coming months, the White House said. Biden spoke by phone with Putin on Tuesday to discuss a range of issues, from arms control to cyberattacks […]

By Arul LouisUnited Nations, April 14 (IANS) India has been invited to an Afghanistan peace conference in Turkey to back up the slowed down negotiations in Qatar between the Taliban and the Kabul government ahead of a delayed US withdrawal from that country, according to diplomatic sources. The convening of the meeting announced at the […]

Washington, April 13 (IANS) G7 member countries have said they were deeply concerned about the build-up of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine and the annexed Crimea region. Recent reports of Russian military activity in and around Ukraine as well as ceasefire violations have sparked international concern that the seven-year conflict between the two […]

Washington, April 13 (IANS) One person was shot dead and a police officer was injured during a shooting at a high school in the US state of Tennessee, police said. A gunfight erupted on Monday police officers responded to a report of an armed man at the Austin-East Magnet High School in Knoxville city, Knoxville […]

Quito, April 13 (IANS) Ecuador’s National Electoral Council (CNE) will take a few days to officially announce the winner of the presidential runoff due to procedural requirements, a top official said here In a statement on Monday, President of the election body, Diana Atamaint, said preliminary results issued late Sunday by the CNE indicated an […]

Washington, April 13 (IANS) A police officer who fatally shot a 20-year-old African-American man in the US state of Minnesota used her gun by mistake instead of her taser, a police chief said on Monday. “It is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their taser, but instead shot Wright with a […]

Washington, April 13 (IANS) At least three police officers were shot and injured during a car chase in the US state of Georgia, authorities said, adding that one suspect was dead and another has been taken into custody. A Georgia State Patrol trooper tried to stop a car around 3.30 a.m. on Monday after he […]

Washington, April 13 (IANS) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday embarked on a visit to Brussels, Belgium, to consult with NATO allies on a range of shared priorities. Taking to Twitter, Blinken said: “Glad to be heading back to Brussels. The US is committed to rebuilding US alliances, particularly with our NATO allies. […]

Washington, April 13 (IANS) US President Joe Biden will nominate Chris Magnus, the chief of police in the city of Tucson, Arizona, to lead the Customs and Border Protection, the country’s border enforcement agency that is currently dealing with a migrant influx. On Monday, the White House announced the nomination of Magnus, a critic of […]

Washington, April 13 (IANS) The White House said that the United States was not involved in a recent attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility. “We, of course, have seen the reports of the incident at the Natanz enrichment facility. The US was not involved in any manner. We have nothing to add on speculation about […]

La Paz, April 10 (IANS) The Bolivian government said it has decided to keep the country’s border with Brazil closed for another seven days to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, especially the Brazilian variant of the virus considered to be more contagious and possibly more lethal. Bolivia first closed its border with Brazil […]

San Francisco, April 10 (IANS) San Francisco Mayor London Breed has signed legislation to fund new grants and loans to provide immediate financial relief for small businesses struggling as a result of Covid-19. The $10.9 million grant program will focus on helping storefront businesses that have received little to no federal or city funding, businesses […]

United Nations, April 10 (IANS) Over 2.3 million people in Niger could face food insecurity in the coming months, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). About 1.6 million of them are likely to face severe food insecurity as soon as May, a 30 per cent increase compared to projections […]

Washington, April 10 (IANS) American aerospace major Boeing announced that it has recommended 16 carriers to address a potential electrical issue in a specific group of 737 MAX planes, which were globally grounded after two fatal crashes that took place within months, before further operations. The recommendation is made to allow for verification that a […]

Washington, April 10 (IANS) US President Joe Biden has signed an executive order establishing a commission to study the possibility of adding more seats to the Supreme Court and other reforms. The Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the US will be co-chaired by former White House counsel Bob Bauer and Cristina Rodriguez, a […]

United Nations, April 10 (IANS) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the steps announced by the International Monetary and Finance Committee (IMFC) and the World Bank Group Development Committee to address debt crises and other financial distress to economies arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. In a statement issued via his spokesperson on Friday, the UN […]

Vienna, April 10 (IANS) The Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the Iran nuclear deal, resumed talks here again, with the lifting of sanctions on Iran and nuclear implementation measures on top of the agenda. The European External Action Service (EEAS) said in a press release earlier on Friday […]

Washington, April 9 (IANS) Tennessee will become the latest US state where residents will be allowed to carry guns without a permit after Governor Bill Lee signed an “open carry” bill, a local media report said. The “constitutional carry” law which takes effect July 1 will allow most citizens over 21 years old and legally […]

Washington, April 9 (IANS) The US State Department has warned against high expectations for Vienna talks as parties of the Iran nuclear deal will reconvene on Friday. “These talks have been described as constructive, as businesslike, as accomplishing what they set out to do and that is true,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters […]

United Nations, April 9 (IANS) The UN and humanitarian partners have expressed concerns about allegations of beheadings and unverified reports of the use of child soldiers in Mozambique, a spokesman of the world body said. The allegations in reports of violations against civilians by non-state armed groups and clashes in Cabo Delgado’s Palma District said […]

San Francisco, April 9 (IANS) San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced that the city is on track to issue guidelines that will resume indoor live events with capacity limits and other safety protocols beginning April 15. San Francisco plans to allow up to the maximum capacity of 35 per cent for indoor ticketed and seated […]

Buenos Aires, April 9 (IANS) The Argentine government has extended the social, preventive and mandatory distancing measures established to control the Covid-19 pandemic until April 30, according to a presidential decree. The decree stated published on Thursday that “in all areas, both public and private”, people must maintain a minimum distance of two metres from […]

Washington, April 9 (IANS) US President Joe Biden called gun violence in the country an “epidemic” and an “international embarrassment”, as he delivered a speech from the White House introducing new executive actions aimed at addressing the issue. “Nothing I’m about to recommend in any way impinges on the Second Amendment,” Biden said in the […]

Washington, April 9 (IANS) The US is “increasingly concerned” by the Russian military build-up on its border with Ukraine, the White House said, adding that Moscow now has more troops on that frontier since 2014. “The US is increasingly concerned by recent escalating Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, including Russian troop movements on Ukraine’s border,” […]

Washington, April 9 (IANS) President Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan expressed US concern over the crisis in the Tigray region to Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, the White House said. In a Wednesday phone call with Mekonnen, Sullivan “expressed the Biden Administration’s grave concern about the continued humanitarian and human rights crisis […]

Washington, April 9 (IANS) Three retired senior officials of the US Department of State have urged the current administration to pay the arrears the country owes to the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping budget. These dues have been accruing for four years and total more than $1 billion, according to the writers — former Secretary of […]

Washington, April 8 (IANS) The US and Iraq have agreed to redeploy the remaining Washington-led coalition combat troops outside the war-torn country to contribute in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terror group, an official statement said. The joint statement issued on Wednesday said the decision was made following the US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue, Xinhua […]

San Francisco, April 8 (IANS) San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced the opening of a new neighbourhood Covid-19 vaccine site in Excelsior District to bolster the city’s ongoing efforts to ensure that highly impacted areas have equitable access to a jab against the virus. The new site locates in the Excelsior District, which is home […]

Washington, April 8 (IANS) World Bank Group President David Malpass said that the bank is working to conclude the International Development Association’s twentieth replenishment (IDA20) by December to help reduce global poverty. “We’re continuing to expand the commitment capacity of the Bank. And IDA20, the acceleration of the next replenishment cycle of IDA, will help […]

Washington, April 8 (IANS) US Federal Reserve officials last month indicated that it would take some time before the Fed starts tapering its asset purchases, according to the minutes of the Fed’s recent policy meeting released. “The Federal Reserve’s asset purchases since last March had materially eased financial conditions and were providing substantial support to […]

Washington, April 8 (IANS) President Joe Biden spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah II to voice US support for his leadership and affirmed the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Biden expressed “strong US support for Jordan and underscore the importance of King Abdullah II’s leadership to the United States and the region,” the White House […]

Washington, April 8 (IANS) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva urged policymakers to take the right actions by giving everyone a fair shot, as global economy is seeing a multi-speed recovery. “The good news is that there is light at the end of the tunnel. After the worst global recession since the […]

Washington, April 8 (IANS) Finance officials from the Group of 20 (G20) major economies called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to prepare for a new allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) while agreeing to extend debt relief for the world’s poorest countries through the end of 2021. “We call on the IMF to make […]

Washington, April 7 (IANS) William “Billy” Evans, the Capitol Police officer who was killed when a car rammed into him last week, will lie in honour at the US Capitol Rotunda, Congressional Democratic leaders announced. Evans, an 18-year veteran, will be honoured on April 13 with a lying-in-honour ceremony and a viewing period for members […]

By Arul LouisNew York, April 7 (IANS) Unicef Executive Director Henrietta Fore has called for simplifying intellectual property rights governing Covid-19 vaccines in order to make them universally available, but expressed reservations about completely suspending the patents during the pandemic as demanded by India and South Africa. “This challenge requires not forced IP waivers but […]

San Francisco, April 7 (IANS) California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state is ready to fully reopen its economy by June 15 if vaccine and hospitalisation numbers remain stable. Newsom made the announcement during a news conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported. “This is a big day in terms of the […]

United Nations, April 7 (IANS) UN Undersecretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix on Tuesday asked Mali to carry forward the current political transition. “Any sustainable improvement of the security situation in Mali is predicated, in no small part, on the success of the current political transition,” he told the Security Council in a briefing. While […]

Washington, April 7 (IANS) The US is seeking to increase the scale of climate finance and working with the international community to tackle climate change, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Tuesday. “Climate, by its very nature, requires strong global cooperation. We lost four important years, and we recognize that many of you around […]

Washington, April 6 (IANS) The US is looking into how it can share more vaccine resources with other countries in future, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. “We believe that we’ll be in a position to do much more on this front. I know that many countries are asking for the US to do more, […]

Bogota, April 6 (IANS) Colombia’s capital Bogota stepped up pandemic restrictions by declaring an orange alert in a bid to curb the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Stricter measures were necessary as the city’s intensive care units (ICUs) are at 64.6 per cent capacity and transmission rates are on the rise, Xinhua news agency […]

Washington, April 6 (IANS) The US State Department said that its goal of Tuesday’s talks in Vienna is to set the stage for a mutual return to compliance with the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but does not anticipate an immediate breakthrough. State Department spokesperson Ned Price […]

Washington, April 6 (IANS) US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Monday called for a global minimum tax rate on corporations that would provide a more level playing field for all countries. “We are working with G20 nations to agree to a global minimum corporate tax rate that can stop the race to the bottom,” Yellen […]

Hanoi, April 5 (IANS) Vietnams ruling Communist Party on Monday swore in former Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc as President, while Pham Minh Chinh, the chair of the partys Central Organisation Committee, was elected as the new premier. Party members voted in both Chinh and Phuc at the tail end of a 12-day National Assembly […]

Hanoi, April 5 (IANS) Vietnams ruling Communist Party on Monday confirmed that Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the country’s Prime Minister since 2016, will take up the largely ceremonial role of state President. A resolution on electing Phuc as the new President was adopted with an approval rate of 97.5 per cent at the ongoing 11th session […]

New York, April 5 (IANS) Over 10,000 Asian-Americans gathered in New Yorkfor a “Stop-Asian-Hate” rally. The demonstrators on Sunday assembled at Foley Square in Lower Manhattan, and marched to City Hall Park and across the Brooklyn Bridge before ending at Cadman Plaza, reports Xinhua news agency. Local officials, victims of hate crimes and people from […]

Hanoi, April 5 (IANS) The National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam on Monday elected Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc as President. A resolution on electing Phuc as the new President was adopted with an approval rate of 97.5 per cent at the ongoing 11th session of the 14th NA, Vietnam News Agency reported. In his swearing […]

Sofia, April 5 (IANS) A coalition between Bulgaria’s centre-right GERB party and the right-wing Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) is leading in the country’s parliamentary elections, according to exit polls. According to Alpha Research Agency’s exit poll, GERB-UDF is expected to have 25.7 per cent of the votes, against 17.6 per cent for a five-party […]

Bogota, April 5 (IANS) Colombian President Ivan Duque has announced new restrictive measures for several cities where the number of Covid-19 cases are on the rise and the occupancy of intensive care units (ICUs) is over 70 per cent. “The national government, headed by the Ministries of Health and the Interior has issued a series […]

Washington, April 5 (IANS) One person was killed and two others suffered life-threatening injuries in a triple shooting on Saturday night in Virginia Beach, police said on Sunday. The Virginia Beach Police Department said in a press release that officers responded to a call for a gunshot wound about 10:08 p.m. local time on Saturday […]

Sofia, April 4 (IANS) People across Bulgaria were casting their ballots on Sunday in the country’s parliamentary elections amid a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the raging health crisis, voting will be accompanied by many health regulations, while mobile ballot boxes will be provided for people who are in quarantine, reports dpa […]

New York, April 4 (IANS) Former US President Donald Trump’s fundraising campaign used deceptive tactics to trick supporters into donating millions of dollars that they never intended, according to a media report. According to The New York Times report published on Saturday, Trump’s supporters ended up making more donations than they intended as the campaign […]

Washington, April 4 (IANS) At least five people were shot outside a bar in the US state of Alabama, authorities said, adding that two suspects have been arrested. Police responded to a call at 2.47 a.m. on Saturday after shots were fired in the parking lot of the Roxy Nightclub in downtown Tuscaloosa, Xinhua news […]

Washington, April 4 (IANS) Three people were killed and four others injured during a house party shooting in the US state of North Carolina, police said. The incident took place on Saturday in Wilmington city, reports Xinhua news agency. The injured victims were hospitalised in unknown conditions, according to the Wilmington Police Department. No one […]

United Nations, April 4 (IANS) The Security Council has condemned an attack on UN peacekeepers in Aguelhok, Mali, that claimed the lives of four and injured 19 others. In a statement on Saturday, the members of the Security Council expressed their deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, as well as to […]

Buenos Aires, April 3 (IANS) Argentine President Alberto Fernandez announced on Saturday that he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Taking to Twitter, the President said that he took an antigen test after developing “a fever and a slight headache” which came back positive, Xinhua news agency reported. Fernandez, who turned 62 on Friday, […]

Havana, April 2 (IANS) The European Union (EU) has agreed to mediate in Cuba-US relations, according to a local media report. EU High Representative Josep Borrell has accepted a request made by the Group of Friendship and Solidarity with the People of Cuba in the European Parliament “to mediate before the US government in order […]

La Paz, April 2 (IANS) Bolivia will temporarily close its border with Brazil starting from Friday, to prevent the spread of a more contagious Covid-19 variant first detected in Brazil, President Luis Arce announced. “As part of the measures to protect the population, we are instructing the temporary closure of borders with Brazil for seven […]

Washington, April 2 (IANS) Initial unemployment claims in the US rose to 719,000 last week, after dropping to the lowest level since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Labour Department. In the week ending March 27, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits increased by 61,000 from the previous week’s downwardly revised level […]

United Nations, April 2 (IANS) Half of Yemen’s population will face crisis levels of food insecurity by June, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. With the Yemeni rial depreciating, food and fuel prices doubling, even tripling in some cases since the civil war began in September 2014, 16.2 million people […]

Washington, April 2 (IANS) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed the escalated conflict in the country’s Donbas region, which Moscow and Kiev have blamed each other for. The two diplomats spoke on the phone on Thursday during which they discussed the conflict which erupted in the volatile region […]

Washington, April 2 (IANS) The US Department of State said that it welcomes the European Union (EU)-led virtual meeting between representatives of Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the UK to discuss the prospect of a possible return of Washington to the 2015 Tehran nuclear deal. The meeting of the Joint Commission of the deal, […]

Toronto, April 2 (IANS) Canada’s most populous province of Ontario announced that it will impose a four-week shutdown starting from Saturday onwards due to the worsening Covid-19 situation. The shutdown comes as Ontario’s Covid-19 Science Table released new modeling data on Thursday showing that without a new order, the province will be unable to curb […]

Washington, April 2 (IANS) The US Treasury Department said that it is working with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to provide a new allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to help low-income countries battle the Covid-19 pandemic. “An allocation of IMF Special Drawing Rights would help build reserve buffers, smooth adjustments, and mitigate the risks […]

San Francisco, April 1 (IANS) At least four people were killed and two others injured during a shooting incident in the US state of California, according to authorities. The incident took place on Wednesday evening in the city of Orange, 55 km southeast of Los Angeles, Xinhua news agency reported. The Orange Police Department said […]

Washington, April 1 (IANS) Private companies in the US added 517,000 jobs in March, indicating continued laboUr market recovery, payroll data company Automatic Data Processing (ADP) said in a report. The employment growth was mainly in the service-providing sectors, which added 437,000 jobs in the month, according to Wednesday’s report, which was produced by the […]

Madrid, April 1 (IANS) International tourist arrivals fell by 87 per cent year-on-year in January due to the coronavirus pandemic, the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said. After a drop of 74 per cent in 2020 due to the global pandemic, “all world regions continued to experience large drops in tourist arrivals in the first […]

By Arul LouisNew York, April 1 (IANS) US President Joe Biden has unveiled an ambitious $2 trillion plan to overhaul the nation’s deteriorating infrastructure and create jobs while putting the country on its way to “win the global competition with China”. Outlining it in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, he called the plan “a once-in-a-generation investment in […]

Washington, April 1 (IANS) Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts amid escalating tensions in Kiev. On Wednesday, Milley and Ukrainian Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Ruslan Khomchak discussed the current security environment in Eastern Europe, Xinhua news agency quoted a statement […]

Washington, April 1 (IANS) US President Joe Biden has announced a massive plan to modernise infrastructure, including the largest jobs programme the country has seen since World War II. The approximately $2-trillion package is a “once-in-a-generation investment in America, unlike anything we’ve seen or done,” Biden said on Wednesday in Pittsburgh, in the state of […]

By Arul LouisNew York, March 31 (IANS) US President Joe Biden has nominated an Indian American to be a judge in the local court system of the nation’s capital after having withdrawn another’s nomination made by his predecessor Donald Trump. The White House announced on Tuesday that Biden was nominating Rupa Ranga Puttagunta to be […]

Washington, March 31 (IANS) The US has advised its citizens not to go to Myanmar and raised its travel advisory for the country to level 4 amid a deteriorating situation. In an advisory on Tuesday, the US Department of State said it had ordered all non-emergency government employees and their family members to leave the […]

Washington, March 31 (IANS) The White House on Tuesday announced new actions including additional funding and a cross-agency initiative to curb the alarming rise in violence and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Today’s announcements are additional steps in the Biden Administration’s work to advance equity for Asian American, […]

Dar es Salaam, March 30 (IANS) At least 45 people died in a stampede that occurred at a stadium in Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam during a mourning for late President John Magufuli, local media reported on Tuesday. The stampede that took place on March 21 also injured 37 people after a huge number […]

Brasilia, March 30 (IANS) Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro appointed Carlos Alberto Franco Franca to replace Minister of Foreign Affairs Ernesto Araujo, in a Cabinet reshuffle. In the reshuffle on Monday, Bolsonaro replaced six Cabinet members including the heads of the Defence, Health and Justice Departments for the past few days, amid mounting domestic pressure over […]

Washington, March 30 (IANS) The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged of killing African-American man George Floyd under custody last May, has officially started. Ahead of opening statements in the trial on Monday, members of the Floyd family and their legal team knelt in front of a Minneapolis courthouse for eight […]

Washington, March 30 (IANS) Former US President Barack Obama’s Kenyan step-grandmother and the family’s matriarch, Sarah Obama, has passed away aged 99 years old. Taking to Twitter on Monday, the former President said: “My family and I are mourning the loss of our beloved grandmother, Sarah Ogwel Onyango Obama, affectionately known to many as ‘Mama […]

Quito, March 30 (IANS) Ecuador adopted new restrictions on mobility and the sale of alcohol in an effort to further curb Covid-19 spread during the upcoming holidays, President Lenin Moreno announced. In his announcement on Monday, Moreno said the new restrictions were approved a day earlier by the Emergency Operations Committee (COE), which manages the […]

Havana, March 30 (IANS) A car, motorbike, and bicycle caravan hits the roads in Havana, demanding the lifting of the six-decades US embargo against Cuba, known as “blockade” among the locals. Hundreds of car drivers, cyclists, and bikers lined up early Sunday morning by the city’s harbour as part of a global initiative, reports Xinhua […]

United Nations, March 30 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for urgent, bold measures to address an emerging debt crisis caused largely by Covid-19. “We are on the verge of a debt crisis. Today’s meeting, convened with our partners, the prime ministers of Canada and Jamaica, is a call for urgent action,” he […]

Washington, March 29 (IANS) A helicopter crash in the area of Knik Glacier in the US state of Alaska, has left five dead and one seriously injured, Alaska State Troopers said. A team from Alaska Rescue Coordination Center was dispatched to the crash site late Saturday night, Xinhua news agency quoted the state troopers as […]

Hanoi, March 29 (IANS) Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 4.48 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 compared with the same period last year, according to a government report released on Monday. Vietnam’s industrial sector grew sharply, rising by 6.3 per cent compared with the same period last year, while the service […]

Madrid, March 29 (IANS) Two people were killed, while nine thers were reported missing after a boat carrying Algerian migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean from the coast of North Africa capsized 300 metres from the shore of southeast Spain. The accident took place late Saturday night close to the beach of a small resort […]

Washington, March 29 (IANS) US President Joe Biden on Sunday called the military violence in Myanmar “absolutely outrageous” and said Washington was working on reacting with sanctions. The situation in Myanmar, which has seen almost daily protests since a military coup in February, was “terrible,” Biden said in comments reported by journalists travelling with the […]

Washington, March 28 (IANS) The US and Canada have criticized China for retaliatory sanctions imposed by Beijing in an ongoing row over human rights. In a coordinated move, the US, the EM, Britain and Canada on March 22 slapped sanctions on Chinese officials and entities for abuses against the mostly Muslim Uighur people, reports dpa […]

New York, March 28 (IANS) Hundreds of New Yorkers from different races rallied against racism and violence on Asian-Americans, according to the ANSWER Coalition, a protest umbrella group consisting of anti-war and civil rights organisations. The protesters rallied and marched on Saturday in Flushing, a major Asian community in Queens borough, reports Xinhua news agency. […]

Vancouver, March 28 (IANS) One person was killed and five others were injured in a knife-stabbing incident in Canada’s Vancouver city, according to the police. Police have arrested a man who stabbed those people in and around a public library in North Vancouver at around 2 p.m. on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported. Video from […]

Chicago, March 28 (IANS) Thousands of people gathered at Chinatown Square in Chicago to protest against increasing crimes targeting persons of Asian descent and the savage killing of eight people, including six Asian women, in Atlanta on March 16. People holding banners reading “Zero tolerance for racism”, “Stop Asian Hate”, “I stand with Asian-Americans”, “We […]

Lima, March 28 (IANS) A convoy of six fuel tanker trucks exploded on Peru’s Central Highway, which connects several central Andean cities causing an undetermined number of deaths and injuries, National Police Chief of Highway Colonel Erlyn Silva said. In an interview with the local media on Saturday, Silva explained that the accident was caused […]

Mexico City, March 27 (IANS) Mexican police have rescued 87 migrants who were locked up by human traffickers. The group of Central American migrants, including children, were heading towards the US when they were held for three days in Amozoc, dpa news agency quoted the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection in Puebla state as […]

Washington, March 27 (IANS) American media network Fox News is facing a lawsuit for the alleged spreading and reinforcing of lies about the results of the November 3, 2020, presidential election. Dominion Voting Systems, one of the largest election equipment manufacturers in the US, filed the defamation lawsuit on Friday against Fox News in the […]

Washington, March 27 (IANS) At least two people were killed and eight others injured in multiple shootings that took place in the US state of Virginia, police said on Saturday. According to the police, the incidents took place at around 11 p.m. on Friday near the oceanfront in Virginia Beach, Xinhua news agency reported. While […]

Washington, March 27 (IANS) At least six people were killed after severe tornadoes and storms hit the southern parts of the US, authorities said. At least five deaths and multiple injuries were reported in Calhoun County, Alabama, after a tornado passed through on Thursday evening, leaving “substantial damage to properties and homes”, Xinhua news agency […]

Dar es Salaam, March 27 (IANS) Tanzania held a burial ceremony for former President John Magufuli in his native town of Chato in Geita region with full military honours. Incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan, along with various dignitaries, including former Presidents Ali Hassan Mwinyi and Jakaya Kikwete, former Prime Ministers and other high ranking officials, […]

By Arul LouisNew York, March 27 (IANS) US President Joe Biden has invited 40 heads of state, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to join him for the World Leaders Summit on Climate to be hosted by his administration on April 22-23. The other leaders including Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of […]

New York, March 27 (IANS) The New York Police Department (NYPD) will begin using undercover officers as decoys in an attempt to combat a rise in hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans in New York City, according to media reports. Plainclothes NYPD officers of Asian descent will be deployed in the city’s public spaces to identify perpetrators […]

Washington, March 27 (IANS) Twenty-six US state Governors have released a joint statement condemning violence against Asian-Americans which has been on the rise since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic a year ago. “What is happening to Asian-Americans is simply un-American. We condemn racism, violence and hatred against our AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) […]

Washington, March 27 (IANS) US President Joe Biden has extended invitations to 40 world leaders for an online summit on the climate crisis hosted by his administration next month — with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the guest list. The White House said on Friday that the summit – scheduled […]

Washington, March 26 (IANS) A Texas-based Indian-American man has pleaded guilty to a $24.8 million Covid-19 relief fraud scheme, according to media reports. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Justice Department said that Dinesh Sah, 55, admitted that he submitted 15 fraudulent applications under the names of various purported businesses that he owned or […]

Hanoi, March 26 (IANS) Vietnam Airlines has resumed inbound commercial international flights, with a flight from Taiwan to the coastal city of Da Nang marking the first to be allowed into the nation after months of coronavirus lockdown, state media said on Friday. Two hundred passengers flew from Taipei to Da Nang on Thursday, with […]

Washington, March 26 (IANS) US President Joe Biden has called efforts by several of the country’s states to make voting in elections more difficult “sick” and “pernicious”. Biden made the remarks on Thursday at his first press conference as President since he took office on January 20. He said that the initiatives are “Un-American” and […]

Washington, March 26 (IANS) The US will “re-open diplomatic channels of communication” with Palestine that had been cut off by the administration of former President Donald Trump, Washington’s Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council. “Since January, our diplomatic engagement has been guided by the premise that sustainable progress toward peace must […]

Los Angeles, March 26 (IANS) The University of Southern California (USC) has announced an $852 million settlement to resolve lawsuits from hundreds of women over sexual abuse by the university’s former gynaecologist George Tyndall. “The USC and the 710 women who filed civil cases in Los Angeles Superior Court involving George Tyndall have reached a […]

Houston, March 26 (IANS) The number of people in the US state of Texas who died due to a massive winter storm last month has increased to 111, according to the latest data issued by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS). In its data issued on Thursday, the agency linked 111 deaths to the […]

Washington, March 26 (IANS) Initial unemployment claims in the US fell to 684,000 last week, the lowest level since the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the labour market early last year, the Labour Department reported. In the week ending March 20, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits decreased by 97,000 from the previous week’s upwardly […]

Washington, March 26 (IANS) US President Joe Biden has admitted that he cannot completely solve what he considered to be the long-existing border problem caused by the excessive influx of migrants, claiming that the situation is improving and that it can get “a lot better” soon. “Truth of the matter is nothing has changed,” Xinhua […]

By Arul LouisNew York, March 26 (IANS) President Joe Biden has indicated that the US is unlikely to meet the May 1 deadline set by his predecessor Donald Trump to get American troops out of Afghanistan. Addressing a news conference in Washington on Thursday, Biden said: “It’s going to be hard to meet the May […]

By Arul LouisNew York, March 26 (IANS) US President Joe Biden is planning to run for re-election with Kamala Harris as his running mate. “I would fully expect that to be the case. She’s doing a great job. She’s a great partner, she’s a great partner,” he said when asked about his vice-presidential candidate in […]