Lalit K Jha &Amp;Amp; Yoshita Singh

Stories by Lalit K Jha &Amp;Amp; Yoshita Singh

FBI finds more classified documents from Biden's home

FBI finds more classified documents from Biden's home

Rediff.com   22 Jan 2023

The total number of classified documents found in the residences and private offices of Biden has now increased to nearly a dozen and a half. All documents, including from his term as vice president from 2009 to 2016, have now been taken into possession of federal agents.

Difficult to eject Russian troops from Ukraine in 2023: US general

Difficult to eject Russian troops from Ukraine in 2023: US general

Rediff.com   21 Jan 2023

That does not mean it cannot and will not happen, General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Friday.

Modi can play key role in Ukraine-Russia talks: French journalist

Modi can play key role in Ukraine-Russia talks: French journalist

Rediff.com   21 Jan 2023

However, at this moment it looks "extremely difficult" because Ukraine does not want to hold discussions and wants the International Court of Justice to judge Russian President Vladimir Putin, Laura Haim said on Friday.

Google to axe 12,000 workers; CEO Pichai says 'sorry'

Google to axe 12,000 workers; CEO Pichai says 'sorry'

Rediff.com   20 Jan 2023

Google will lay off 12,000 jobs across the globe, its CEO Sundar Pichai announced on Friday, becoming the latest tech giant after Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon to retrench staff en mass amid the global economic downturn. In an email to employees, the Indian-origin CEO said: "I have some difficult news to share. We've decided to reduce our workforce by approximately 12,000 roles." Pichai said the layoffs at Google were carried out after a "rigorous review" of its operations.

Is Indian American Nikki Haley running for US prez? Stay tuned, she says

Is Indian American Nikki Haley running for US prez? Stay tuned, she says

Rediff.com   20 Jan 2023

Prominent Indian-American Republican leader Nikki Haley has said that she thinks she can be the "new leader" who can take the country in a new direction and the United States cannot have a second term under Joe Biden as president.

Microsoft to axe 10,000 jobs, nearly 5% of global workforce

Microsoft to axe 10,000 jobs, nearly 5% of global workforce

Rediff.com   18 Jan 2023

Microsoft will lay off 10,000 workers, about five per cent of its total workforce, its CEO Satya Nadella announced on Wednesday, terming it a hard choice that the tech giant had to make to remain a "consequential company" amid global economic uncertainties. Microsoft is the latest company after Facebook and Amazon to cut jobs as the bloodbath continues in the technology sector in 2023. Describing the current times as "significant change", Indian-origin Nadella said customers who accelerated their digital spend during the Covid-19 pandemic, are now optimising their digital spend to do more with less.

US readies plan to eliminate visa wait time in India

US readies plan to eliminate visa wait time in India

Rediff.com   18 Jan 2023

The US is 'putting every ounce of its energy' to eliminate the long visa wait time in India, including sending a cadre of consular officers to the country and opening up its other overseas embassies as far away as Germany and Thailand for Indian visa applicants, according to a senior US visa officer. India was one of the very few countries where applications for US visas saw a major upswing after coronavirus-related travel restrictions were lifted. There have been growing concerns in India over the long waiting period for first time visa applicants, especially for those applying under B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) categories.

UN blacklists over 150 Pak-linked terrorist entities, individuals

UN blacklists over 150 Pak-linked terrorist entities, individuals

Rediff.com   18 Jan 2023

About 150 terrorist entities and individuals, either based or with links to Pakistan have been blacklisted by the United Nations, with the latest addition being of Abdul Rehman Makki, the Lashkar-e-Taiba deputy chief designated by the Security Council's Al Qaeda sanctions committee.

UN names Hafiz Saeed's brother-in-law as 'global terrorist'

UN names Hafiz Saeed's brother-in-law as 'global terrorist'

Rediff.com   17 Jan 2023

Makki and other LeT/JUD operatives "have been involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalising youth to violence and planning attacks in India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)," the sanctions committee said, providing a statement for the reasons of Makki's listing.

More secret documents found at Biden's residences: White House

More secret documents found at Biden's residences: White House

Rediff.com   15 Jan 2023

Five additional pages of classified material have been found at the Delaware residence of President Joe Biden, the White House has said, bringing the total number of secret documents uncovered to about two dozen.

IMF convinced about India's G-20 leadership

IMF convinced about India's G-20 leadership

Rediff.com   13 Jan 2023

The international community counts a lot on India's leadership of the G-20 at a time when the world is faced with the continued economic slowdown and social distress, the chief of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva has said. "India, which is the president of G-20 countries, remains among the countries that perform better than the global average and by a good percentage," IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva told reporters during a media roundtable on Thursday. India formally assumed the G20 (Group of 20) Presidency on December 1.

US wants India to remove tariffs on American apples it imports

US wants India to remove tariffs on American apples it imports

Rediff.com   12 Jan 2023

The lawmakers from the US State of Washington have urged the Biden administration to help remove or reduce the tariffs on American apples imported to India as the country's fruit industry has incurred significant losses due to New Delhi's retaliatory measures. In a letter to US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, all members of the House of Representatives from Washington State and other two senators said the tree fruit industry suffered losses due to India's retaliation to US tariffs. On average, 30 per cent of the apples, cherries, and pears produced in the Pacific Northwest are exported and India was once a strong market.

Flight ops resume in US after major system failure

Flight ops resume in US after major system failure

Rediff.com   12 Jan 2023

According to FlightAware, a flight tracking company, more than 9,500 flights within, into or out of the United States were delayed and more than 1,300 were cancelled due to the system failure.

US denies cyberattack after snag hits flight system

US denies cyberattack after snag hits flight system

Rediff.com   12 Jan 2023

According to FlightAware, a flight tracking company, more than 9,500 flights within, into or out of the United States were delayed and more than 1,300 were cancelled due to the system failure.

Hundreds of flights across US grounded due to technical glitch

Hundreds of flights across US grounded due to technical glitch

Rediff.com   11 Jan 2023

The outage comes as a result of the failure of the Notice to Air Missions system, which alerts pilots and other personnel about airborne issues and other delays at airports across the country.

Classified documents from Biden's VP days found at private office

Classified documents from Biden's VP days found at private office

Rediff.com   10 Jan 2023

Biden's political opponents, in particular the opposition Republican Party, were quick on slamming the president.

AI peeing incident: Co-flier blames pilot for inaction in handling situation

AI peeing incident: Co-flier blames pilot for inaction in handling situation

Rediff.com   8 Jan 2023

Bhattacharjee in a handwritten complaint to the airlines had stated that the distressed passenger was made to go back to her soiled seat despite four seats in the First Class being vacant.

Republican Kevin McCarthy elected as House Speaker

Republican Kevin McCarthy elected as House Speaker

Rediff.com   7 Jan 2023

Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected as the new speaker of the United States House of Representatives in a dramatic post-midnight ballot on Saturday, after days of intense negotiations and a series of humiliating defeats to finally capture the gavel on a historic 15th attempt.

H-1B, L-1 visa fees to be hiked massively

H-1B, L-1 visa fees to be hiked massively

Rediff.com   5 Jan 2023

The Biden administration has proposed a massive hike in immigration fees, including the much sought-after H-1B visas for high-skilled foreign workers, which is very popular among Indian tech professionals. Under the proposed rule, published by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Wednesday, the application for the H-1B visa increases from $460 to $780, and L-1 from $460 to $1,385. The application fee for O-1 visas has been proposed to increase from $460 to $1,055.

Biden concerned about China's handling of COVID-19

Biden concerned about China's handling of COVID-19

Rediff.com   5 Jan 2023

'I think we just got to make the protocol we set out: that if you're flying from China, you got to be tested, and so on'