Manila, July 22 (IANS) The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States briefly met in Manila on Wednesday, Seoul officials said, amid a range of pending alliance issues, such as follow-up measures related to a joint fact sheet covering their security, trade and investment commitments. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had “pull-aside” talks shortly after a trilateral meeting involving their Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, took place on …
Latest White House News & Updates
Washington, July 22 (IANS) China has emerged as the first peer-level competitor to the United States in research spending, the White House said in a major science policy report, warning that Beijing’s coordinated drive is rapidly expanding its capabilities in critical and emerging technologies.The assessment appears in “Science: A New Golden Age,” released Tuesday by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as a blueprint for restructuring America’s roughly $200 billion an…
Washington, July 21 (IANS) US President Donald Trump and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun presented a united front at the White House on Tuesday, pledging to advance a US-backed framework aimed at ending decades of hostility between Lebanon and Israel while strengthening the Lebanese Armed Forces and reducing the influence of Hezbollah.Calling Lebanon “a very mistreated country for a long period of time,” Trump said the United States intended to play a central role in its recovery.”We’re going to …
Washington, July 21 (IANS) President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Lebanon could eventually become part of the Abraham Accords, signalling his administration’s ambition to expand the US-backed normalisation agreements despite decades of hostility between Lebanon and Israel. Responding to a question about Lebanon’s laws prohibiting contact with Israel, Trump said he intended to raise the issue with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.”I will,” Trump said.”The Abraham Accords have been, I think, a …
Washington, July 21 (IANS) President Donald Trump imposed an additional 50 per cent tariff on hundreds of Canadian products, accusing Ottawa of discriminating against American exports of automobiles, alcoholic beverages and dairy products, in a major escalation of trade tensions between the two North American neighbours.Invoking Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, Trump signed three separate proclamations imposing the new duties on selected Canadian imports. The White House said the action wa…
Washington, July 21 (IANS) US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation creating a new tariff incentive programme aimed at encouraging companies to build, expand or refurbish aluminium smelters in the United States, saying the move would strengthen the country’s industrial base and address national security concerns tied to imports.The proclamation directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish an investment incentive programme under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 for companie…
Washington, July 17 (IANS) Senior White House adviser Peter Navarro on Friday indicated that allegations of Chinese interference in the 2020 US presidential election would not automatically alter the Trump administration’s broader engagement with Beijing, saying election security and US-China policy should be treated as “separate lanes” even as he defended President Donald Trump’s push for tighter election safeguards.In an interaction with reporters at the White House a day after Trump unveiled …
Washington, July 17 (IANS) President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled the most sweeping election reform agenda of his second presidency, combining the release of declassified intelligence with a series of executive actions and a renewed push for legislation that would tighten voting rules ahead of next year’s US midterm elections.In a rare prime-time address from the White House, Trump asserted that the United States faced an urgent election security crisis and outlined what he described as a c…
Washington, July 17 (IANS) President Donald Trump accused China of orchestrating a wide-ranging campaign to interfere in US elections, alleging that Beijing sought to undermine his presidency, acquire millions of American voter records and conceal its activities through what he described as a cover-up inside the US intelligence community.In a nationally televised address from the White House, Trump announced what he called the immediate declassification of intelligence records relating to electi…
Washington, July 17 (IANS) President Donald Trump has ordered the release of a sweeping collection of intelligence and law-enforcement records that he said expose Chinese acquisition of American voter data, foreign interference risks and serious weaknesses in the United States election system.“Tonight, I’m announcing the immediate declassification and release of critical intelligence, revealing shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure,” Trump said in a nationally televised a…