U.S.

February 20, 2025 8:26 PM

Zelenskiy calls for US pragmatism after Trump calls him a ‘dictator’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was counting on Ukrainian and European unity and U.S. pragmatism as Kyiv faces a mounting crisis in relations with its hitherto key U.S. ally under the leadership of President Donald Trump. In an extraordinary rift, Trump said on Wednesday that Zelenskiy was a "dictator without elections" who should act quickly or lose his country, unthinkable rhetoric from a U.S. leader for most of Russia's three-year-old all-out war. Trump is pushing for a quic...

February 14, 2025 4:50 PM

Vance warns Moscow on Ukraine, urges Europe to spend more on defence

U.S. Vice President JD Vance warned Russia that Washington could hit Moscow with sanctions if it does not agree to a good peace deal with Ukraine, while urging Europe to spend more on defence as he arrived for the Munich Security Conference. Ukraine, and prospects for peace talks, preoccupied many at the high-profile global gathering after Donald Trump startled U.S. allies by calling Russian President Vladimir Putin and announcing the start of talks to end the war in U...

February 6, 2025 9:31 AM

Trump order seeks to ban transgender women and girls from female sports

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday attempting to exclude transgender girls and women from female sports, a directive that supporters say will restore fairness but critics say infringes on the rights of a tiny minority of athletes. The order directs the Department of Justice to make sure all government agencies enforce a ban on transgender girls and women from participating in female school sports under Trump's interpretation of Title IX, a law against sex discrim...

January 13, 2025 4:14 PM

Nvidia says new rule will weaken US leadership in AI

Nvidia on Monday criticized a new effort by the Biden administration to tighten Washington's grip on artificial intelligence chip flows around the world, saying the regulation would jeopardize current U.S. leadership in AI. The new rule, which is expected to be published as soon as Monday, "threatens to derail innovation and economic growth worldwide," and would "undermine America's leadership," Nvidia Vice President of Government Affairs Ned Finkle said in a statement. Reuters reported last m...

December 3, 2024 12:36 PM

Ukraine pushes for NATO invite 30 years after failed nuclear deal

Ukraine on Tuesday blasted an agreement struck 30 years ago under which it relinquished nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances that never materialised, as it makes a concerted push for an invitation to join the NATO alliance. Kyiv is desperately calling for robust security guarantees to protect it from renewed Russian aggression as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House raises fears of a rapidly-struck settlement to the war that would leave it exposed. Ukrai...

November 21, 2024 10:57 AM

Bitcoin breaks $96,000 for first time on optimism over Trump crypto plans

Bitcoin's march toward $100,000 made further ground on Thursday as investors bet a friendlier U.S. regulatory approach to cryptocurrencies under President-elect Donald Trump will unleash a boom era for the asset class. Bitcoin prices topped $96,000 for the first time in Asia trade, touching a high just above $96,898. The cryptocurrency's price has more than doubled this year and is up about 40% in the two weeks since Trump was voted in as the next U.S. president and a slew of pro-crypto lawmak...

October 23, 2024 10:29 AM

U.S. reaffirms commitment to strong and positive relations with India, Brazil, South Africa

The United States has reiterated its commitment to maintaining a strong and positive relationship with India, Brazil, and South Africa. In a media briefing on Tuesday, US Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel emphasized the US’s ongoing collaboration with these countries in various key areas, as well as the intention to responsibly manage its relationship with China. On being asked about BRICS Summit, Vedant Patel said, "We believe all countries are sovereign countries and they have thei...

October 21, 2024 2:51 PM

Latin America braces for US election impact on trade, tariffs

Latin America is anxiously counting the days to Nov. 5, when U.S. voters will choose between relative continuity under Vice President Kamala Harris or a return to policies that triggered volatility in the region's largest markets and economies under former president Donald Trump. Trade and tariffs, as well as monetary policy's effect on global interest rates, are likely the largest avenues for the election to jolt the U.S.'s neighboring region. Washington's economic war with China could particu...

October 21, 2024 1:23 PM

Gulen, the powerful cleric accused of orchestrating a Turkish coup, dies

The U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who built a powerful Islamic movement in Turkey and beyond but spent his later years mired in accusations of orchestrating an attempted coup against Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan, has died. He was 83. Herkul, a website which publishes Gulen's sermons, said on its X account that Gulen had died on Sunday evening in the U.S. hospital where he was being treated. Gulen was a one-time ally of Erdogan but they fell out spectacularly, and Erdogan held him respons...

October 17, 2024 2:34 PM

Biden heads to Germany for talks on Ukraine, Middle East

U.S. President Joe Biden takes off for Berlin on Thursday for a rapid visit to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine with the leaders of Germany, France and Britain as Kyiv urges its western allies to take urgent steps to end the fighting. The rapidly expanding conflict in the Middle East is also expected to be high on the agenda in talks between the leaders as diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting have stalled. Biden had originally been scheduled to convene a broader meeting of Ukraine's mil...