US | DD News

January 3, 2025 6:17 PM

India says US H1B visas benefit both countries after Trump, Musk backing

The movement of skilled professionals is an important part of India-U.S. ties and benefits both countries, New Delhi said on Friday amid a debate over H-1B visas on which President-elect Donald Trump and his backer Elon Musk commented recently. India, known for its massive pool of IT professionals, many of whom work across the world, accounts for the bulk of such visas issued by the United States. Late last month, Trump said he fully backed the H1B programme for foreign workers opposed by some...

January 3, 2025 5:38 PM

India aims to strengthen economic ties with US, engage with Trump administration

India is looking forward to strengthening its economic relationship with the United States by engaging with the incoming Trump administration, India's trade minister Piyush Goyal told reporters in New Delhi on Friday. "We are looking forward to a very deep and substantive engagement with the new US administration," the trade minister said, noting that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has bolstered bilateral relations with successive U.S. administrations, including those led by Barack O...

January 1, 2025 12:43 PM

Pentagon appeals Court upholds plea deals for 9/11 plotters

A Pentagon appeals court has upheld controversial plea deals for three men accused of orchestrating the 9/11 attacks, clearing the way for the US government to proceed with the agreements, reported The Washington Post. The court's unanimous ruling, delivered late Monday, rejected efforts by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to block the deals. Austin had attempted to nullify the agreements in August, despite a judge's previous approval of the terms. The plea deals involve Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, ...

December 23, 2024 7:12 PM

EAM Jaishankar to visit US ahead of Trump’s second term

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar will embark on an official visit to the United States from December 24 to 29, according to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The visit comes as preparations are underway for US President-elect Donald Trump to assume office for his second term on January 20. Jaishankar's agenda includes discussions with key counterparts on bilateral, regional, and global issues. The EAM will also chair a conference with India’s Consul General...

December 20, 2024 9:05 PM

India raises security concerns over threats to ambassador Kwatra

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has raised concerns with the United States regarding threats issued against Indian Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra. The threats were reportedly made by US-based Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, speaking at the weekly press briefing in New Delhi, stated that India addresses such matters with urgency. “Whenever such threats are issued, we bring them to the notice of the US government,” Jaiswal said....

December 20, 2024 4:08 PM

US to announce final package of new arms for Ukraine in coming days, sources say

The Biden administration will announce in the coming days its final Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package, using up the remaining funds set aside to buy new weapons for Ukraine, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The package includes air defense interceptors and artillery munitions, according to a third source, but the exact contents are expected when the package is announced in the coming days. The package will be worth about $1.2 billion, said the sources. Under USAI...

December 16, 2024 7:56 PM

297 antiquities to be returned to India from the US

The Indian Consulate General in New York has received custody of 297 antiquities that are set to be transported to India. A sanction order for the transportation has been issued, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, informed the Lok Sabha. The responsibility for protecting monuments, sites, and antiquities in India rests with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The ASI deploys regular watch and ward staff, along with private security personnel and the Central ...

December 12, 2024 8:43 PM

US sees Assad’s fall as chance to destroy Syria’s chemical arsenal ‘once and for all’

The United States sees the fall of Bashar al-Assad as an extraordinary chance to rid Syria "once and for all" of chemical weapons that killed or injured thousands of people in its civil war, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday. Washington will strongly back efforts by the global chemical weapons watchdog to eliminate Syria's chemical arsenal, Nicole Shampaine, U.S. ambassador to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, told Reuters in an interview ahead of a closed-door OPC...

November 6, 2024 4:18 PM

US likely to remain cautious about global commitments, EAM Jaishankar says

India’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that the U.S. election is unlikely to change the country’s trend towards caution about foreign commitments and Republican Donald Trump will likely be more articulate in that regard. Speaking at an event in Canberra as Americans were still casting votes, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar underlined what he called a long-term trend in U.S. policy. "Probably starting from (President Barack) Obama the U.S. has become much more cautious about its global commitme...

November 1, 2024 10:16 AM

US urges Israel to extend waiver on co-operation with Palestinian banks

Israel's decision for a month's waiver extension on co-operation between Israeli and Palestinian banks covered a "very short term" and would create "another looming crisis" by Nov. 30, the United States warned on Thursday. The remarks came after a spokesman for Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would sign the waiver to extend banks' co-operation for another month after the cabinet agreed. "The very short-term duration of this extension creates another looming crisis by Nov. 30,...