Washington DC

01 Nov 2020; MEMO: The United States has agreed to extradite to Japan the two US citizens, Michael Taylor, a Special Forces veteran, and his son, Peter Taylor, who are suspected of helping ex-auto mogul Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan at the end of 2019.

30 Oct 2020; MEMO: The Trump administration has notified Congress of its intent to sell advanced F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a key lawmaker announced Thursday, Anadolu Agency reports.

Outgoing House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel confirmed the notification, saying its export “requires very careful consideration and Congress must analyze all of the ramifications.”

Engel cited in particular, possible ramifications for “Israel’s military edge” in the region.

Washington, Oct 29 (PTI) The US economy grew by 33.1 per cent in the third-quarter of this year, indicating a revival of the economy from affects of the coronavirus pandemic.

President Donald Trump, who is seeking re-election for a second four-year term, has welcomed the latest GDP estimates released by the US Department of Commerce on Thursday.

Washington, Oct 29 (PTI) The Trump administration has proposed to scrap the computerised lottery system to grant H-1B work visas to foreign technology professionals and replace it with a wage-level-based selection process, a move that is expected to counter the downward pressure on the wages of US workers.

A notification on the new system is being published in the Federal Register on Thursday. Stakeholders have 30 days to respond to the notification, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Wednesday, less than a week before the US presidential election.

Washington, Oct 29 (PTI) US President Donald Trump has accused both the mainstream and social media companies of blocking serious charges of corruption against his rival and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, saying the situation was causing America to experience suppression of the press.

Trump said the media was not willing to write against Biden and his family.

United Nations, Oct 28 (AP/PTI) The United States and several Western allies on Tuesday accused the Syrian government of deliberately delaying the drafting of a new constitution to waste time until presidential elections in 2021, and avoid UN-supervised voting as called for by the UN Security Council.

26 Oct 2020; MEMO: The United States has called on the Egyptian government not to allow Chinese companies to help establish the country’s 5G telecommunications infrastructure.

In an official statement, the American embassy in Egypt urged Cairo to join the US so-called “Clean Network” programme to obtain 5G from what it described as “reliable partners”. The embassy added that the network was “the path which most global developed economies follow to obtain the 5G technology.”

Washington, Oct 26 (PTI) US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has left for India for the third edition of the 2+2 ministerial dialogue to be held in New Delhi on Tuesday during which the two sides are expected to explore ways to further bolster bilateral defence ties and security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, amidst China flexing its muscles in the strategic region.

The visit comes a week before the US presidential election on November 3.

Washington, Oct 25 (AP/PTI) Just a week before November's election, two of President Donald Trump's top national security aides will visit India for meetings focused largely on countering China's growing global influence.

As the bitter race between Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden winds down, the talks this week in New Delhi aim to reinforce the president's anti-China campaign message.

Washington, Oct 25 (PTI) US President Donald Trump is seeking a second term to help himself and his wealthy friends, Barack Obama has alleged, as he tore into his successor for not having a plan to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and walking out of an interview.

Seeking support for former vice president Joe Biden, who is the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, and his running mate Senator Kamala Harris, Obama at a drive-in car rally in the battle ground State of Florida on Saturday urged Americans not to give a second term to Trump.