USA

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Congress riven along party lines has approved the landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, as President Joe Biden and Democrats claimed a major triumph on legislation marshaling the government’s spending might against twin pandemic and economic crises that have upended a nation.

NEW YORK, Mar 10 (APP): India is planning to buy 30 armed drones from the United States to boost its defence, according to an American media report.

Citing unnamed officials, Bloomberg, a New York-based international news agency, said India will approve in April the $3 billion purchase of 30 MQ-9B Predator drones manufactured by San Diego-based General Atomics.

Currently, India’s drones can only be used for surveillance and reconnaissance but the addition of armed drones will add to India’s military capabilities, the report said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A man appointed to the U.S. State Department during the Trump administration will remain in jail while he awaits trial on charges that he took part in the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol and assaulted police officers, a judge said on Tuesday.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui in Washington said during a court hearing that he was denying a request by Federico “Freddie” Klein, 42, for pretrial release.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Even at a time of heightened political polarization, Republicans and Democrats can agree on one thing: They generally don’t like Mitch McConnell very much.

The 79-year-old Senate Republican leader, long known as the “Grim Reaper” for killing off numerous Democratic initiatives, ranked dead last among fellow Republicans in an Ipsos poll conducted for Reuters.

09 Mar 2021; MEMO: The Biden administration has revoked a sanctions waiver on Israeli mining magnate Dan Gertler that was issued in the last days of the Trump administration. Reimposing sanctions, the US Treasury said that the exemption was "inconsistent with America's strong foreign policy interests in combating corruption around the world," specifically in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

09 Mar 2021; MEMO: A bipartisan group of 140 lawmakers urged the Biden administration on Tuesday to ensure any resumption of talks with Iran goes beyond its nuclear program to include activities the US considers "malign," Anadolu Agency reported.

Lawmakers said negotiations should also address Iran's ballistic missile program, support for militant proxy groups and the Islamic Republic's cyber activities.

10 Mar 2021; MEMO: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday that his country hopes that Iran will accept Washington's offer to hold direct talks over its nuclear program.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Blinken said Washington's patience is not endless with regards to Iran.

WASHINGTON (AP) — After years of Democratic accusations that former President Donald Trump was too soft on Russia, the Biden administration is facing Republican criticism of its approach to Moscow.

In particular, Republicans accuse him of not doing enough to halt a gas pipeline to Europe that many believe will give Russia a tool for political influence over energy-dependent Central and East European nations. To make their point, they’ve delayed confirmation of some of Biden’s top national security nominees, including for the CIA and top spots at the State Department.

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos plans to spend the $10 billion he invested in the Bezos Earth Fund by 2030, the fund’s new CEO said Tuesday.

Since Bezos announced the fund in February 2020, little has been revealed about how it would be used combat the climate crisis.

Andrew Steer was named as the fund’s CEO on Tuesday, and in a series of tweets, he offered a few details, including that Bezos’ “goal is to spend it down between now and 2030.” That would work out to a pace of more than a $1 billion a year.

NEW YORK (AP) — An accountant witnessed meetings between Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández and a drug trafficker in which they planned the trafficking of cocaine to the U.S., federal prosecutors in New York said Tuesday.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Gutwillig said during his opening statement at the trial of accused Honduran drug trafficker Geovanny Fuentes Ramírez that the accountant was present when Hernández allegedly said he wanted to “shove the drugs right up the noses of the gringos.’”