Biden administration

December 20, 2024 11:32 AM

Top US officials in Damascus to meet new Syrian rulers, State Department says

Top diplomats from the Biden administration are in Damascus on Friday to meet new Syrian authorities led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a State Department spokesperson said, the first in-person and official meeting between Washington and Syria's de-facto new rulers. The State Department's top Middle East diplomat Barbara Leaf, Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and newly appointed Senior Advisor Daniel Rubinstein, who is now tasked with leading the Department's Syria engageme...

September 25, 2024 11:20 AM

US accuses Visa of monopolizing debit card swipes

U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday filed a lawsuit accusing Visa of violating antitrust law by suppressing competition by threatening merchants with high fees and paying off potential rivals. Visa, one of the world's largest payment networks, processes more than 60% of debit transactions in the U.S., bringing it $7 billion each year in fees collected when transactions are routed over its network, the Justice Department said. The company protects that dominance through agreements with card is...

September 14, 2024 1:37 PM

US locks in steep China tariff hikes, some industries warn of disruptions

The Biden administration on Friday locked in steep tariff hikes on Chinese imports, including a 100% duty on electric vehicles, to boost protections for strategic industries from China's state-driven industrial practices. The U.S. Trade Representative's office said that many of the tariffs, including a 100% duty on Chinese EVs, 50% on solar cells and 25% on steel, aluminum, EV batteries and key minerals, would take effect on Sept. 27. The USTR determination, published on Friday and first repor...

September 16, 2024 3:57 PM

Biden administration pressured Meta to censor Covid content, Zuckerberg tells House Committee

Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee has alleged that the Biden-Harris administration "repeatedly pressurised" Meta's teams to censor posts related to Covid. He further said that the platform had to make some changes, that "with the benefit of hindsight and new information," they won't make today. Zuckerberg also said he 'regrets' not being "more outspoken" about it. "In 2021, senior officials from the Biden Administration, including the Whi...

July 29, 2024 4:28 PM

US targets nitrous oxide in new phase of climate fight

The Biden administration on Tuesday announced it would seek to curb U.S. emissions of powerful industrial greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide as it enters a new phase in the national strategy to fight climate change under the Paris agreement. The focus on industrial gases follows U.S. measures to reduce methane emissions, which yielded an international campaign to get other countries to make big cuts as well as domestic reductions. Like methane, nitrous oxide is a shorter-lived but potent s...

September 16, 2024 6:12 PM

US protects Alaska lands important to tribes’ hunting, fishing

Large areas of federal land in Alaska will be protected from development to conserve fish and wildlife habitats that are important to native communities' way of life, under two measures announced by the Biden administration on Friday. The steps by the Interior Department are aligned with President Joe Biden's goal to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters as part of his climate change agenda. In a statement, Interior said it had finalized its rejection of a 211-mile (340 km) road intended to en...

June 25, 2024 9:40 AM

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange strikes a deal with US that could allow him to walk free

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has agreed to enter a plea deal with the Joe Biden administration that could pave the way for him to avoid imprisonment in the United States, according to recently filed federal court documents. The WikiLeaks founder has reportedly consented to plead guilty to a felony charge connected to his alleged involvement in one of the largest breaches of classified US government material. This agreement, if approved by a federal judge, would see Assange receiving a 62-mo...

May 22, 2024 4:18 PM

US announces details on higher China tariffs, some to start Aug. 1

The U.S. Trade Representative's office on Wednesday said some of the steep tariff increases on an array of Chinese imports including electric vehicle batteries, computer chips and medical products will take effect on August 1. President Joe Biden will keep tariffs put in place by his Republican predecessor Donald Trump while ratcheting up others, including a quadrupling of EV duties to over 100% and doubling the duties on semiconductor tariffs to 50%. The Trade Representatives office said a 30...

September 16, 2024 4:51 PM

America ‘outraged’ by Israeli airstrike killing aid workers in Gaza, Britain demands investigation

The Biden administration is outraged and has expressed deep dismay over an Israeli airstrike that resulted in the tragic deaths of seven aid workers in Gaza, a White House official said on Tuesday. President Joe Biden also spoke with Jose Andres, the founder of the affected organisation and conveyed his condolences. On the other hand, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, conveyed his deep concern regarding an Israeli strike on an aid c...

March 31, 2024 10:45 AM

US approves additional bombs, warplanes sales to Israel

The Biden administration has quietly sanctioned the transfer of billions of dollars of bombs and fighter jets to Israel, signalling its unwavering support for Israel's defence strategies. The recent authorizations include a substantial arsenal of munitions, comprising over 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, as confirmed by Pentagon and State Department officials familiar with the matter. The decision to greenlight such significant weaponry raises eyebrows, particularly g...