Yashwi Thakur

[ad_1] Fresh from a courtroom loss over The Associated Press' access to the presidency, the White House on Tuesday put forward a new media policy that sharply curtails access to Donald Trump by news agencies that serve media outlets around around the world. It was the latest attempt by the new administration to control coverage of its activities. The move would block the AP and other wire services that serve billions of readers through thousands of news outlets. It comes after a judge ruled the White House had violated the organization's free speech by banning it because it disagreed with the outlet's decision not to rename the Gulf of Mexico. While outlining a new "pool coverage" policy for small spaces like the Oval Office and Air Force One, the White House also said it will ultimately give press secretary Karoline […]

[ad_1] US president Donald Trump is earning rare praise from animal advocacy groups, including PETA, after federal agencies announced plans to phase out animal testing. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have outlined changes that would shift research practices towards modern, humane alternatives. Kathy Guillermo, senior vice president at PETA, called the FDA’s announcement “a significant step” towards ending harmful and outdated testing methods. “PETA applauds the FDA’s decision to stop harming animals and adopt human-relevant testing strategies,” she said, reported Fox News.The group is also urging a broader commitment to end all government-funded animal experiments, including those on monkeys at primate research centres. The FDA plans to replace animal tests with tools such as lab-grown human organoids and AI-based modelling. Commissioner Dr Martin Makary said these approaches could lead to safer treatments, faster […]

[ad_1] Nations reach a historic agreement in Geneva to combat future pandemics. The accord addresses shortcomings exposed by Covid-19. It focuses on pathogen data sharing and technology transfer. Article 11 was a point of contention. The World Health Organization will present the final text for approval next month. The US absence and potential tariffs cast a shadow. GENEVA: Years of negotiations culminated early Wednesday with countries agreeing the text of a landmark accord on how to tackle future pandemics, aimed at avoiding the mistakes made during the Covid-19 crisis.After more than three years of talks and one last marathon session, weary delegates at the World Health Organization's headquarters finally sealed the deal at around 2:00 am (0000 GMT) Wednesday."Tonight marks a significant milestone in our shared journey towards a safer world," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus."The nations of the […]

[ad_1] US President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Wednesday to declare that the US is collecting “RECORD NUMBERS” in tariffs while prices of “gasoline, groceries, and just about everything else” are falling — a message of economic victory under his leadership: “Promises Made, Promises Kept!” But his celebration comes as confusion deepens around his administration’s latest moves on electronics tariffs, particularly those targeting China. On Friday, US Customs and Border Protection announced a pause on new taxes for consumer electronics, offering a temporary reprieve to companies like Apple and HP. Yet within 48 hours, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick contradicted that position, stating the exemption was only temporary and new, sector-specific tariffs would arrive “in a month or two.” Trump himself added to the chaos on Monday, posting that there were “no exceptions at all,” and that electronics would […]

[ad_1] US president Donald Trump on Tuesday posted a video clip of Joe Biden’s first public speech since leaving office. The post appeared on Trump’s Truth Social account — without a caption. The video showed Biden speaking recalling his own early exposure to racial segregation, saying he had never seen “black people” before moving to Delaware from Pennsylvania as a child. While telling the story, Biden used the outdated term “coloured kids”. “I remember seeing kids going by, at the time called ‘coloured kids,’ on a bus,” Biden said. He explained that this moment helped him understand the reality of racial injustice and shaped his political outlook. On social media, reactions poured in. One user wrote, “Biden can’t help himself. He’s been a racist all his life.” Another commented, “Perhaps Trump was saying this man didn’t have the capacity to […]

[ad_1] A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck off the southern Philippines on Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, with no immediate reports of damage or casualties.The quake off the coast of the island of Mindanao had a depth of 30 kilometres (18.6 miles), the USGS added. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology placed the epicentre about 43 kilometres southwest of the town of Maitum, located in a mountainous and sparsely populated area.Local authorities told AFP early indications were that the quake had caused no significant damage."It was strong but didn't last long. We have checked but it was negative (for damage or casualties)," said Gilbert Rolifor, a fire department official in Maitum.Quakes are a daily occurrence in the Philippines, which sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from […]

[ad_1] In his first major public appearance since leaving the White House, former president Joe Biden accused his successor, Donald Trump, of causing deep harm to the social security administration. Speaking at a national conference for disability advocates, Biden said Trump had “taken a hatchet” to the agency, which provides benefits to tens of millions of Americans. “In fewer than 100 days, this new administration has done so much damage and so much destruction. It's kind of breathtaking,” Biden said. “They’ve taken a hatchet to the social security administration.” The speech came as Democrats across the country organised a “Social security day of action” to rally opposition against recent changes. Biden avoided naming Trump directly, referring to him instead as “this guy”. But his message was clear: he believes the Trump administration is undermining a critical safety net."They're shooting first […]

[ad_1] US President Donald Trump (File Image) The Trump administration acted quickly Monday to punish Harvard University after it refused to comply with a list of demands from the federal govt that the school said were unlawful.On Monday afternoon, Harvard became the first university to refuse to comply with the administration's requirements, setting up a showdown between the federal govt and the nation's wealthiest university. By evening, federal officials said they would freeze $2.2 billion in multiyear grants to Harvard, along with a $60 million contract.On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said Harvard should lose its tax-exempt status and be taxed as a political entity if it doesn't submit to his demands for the college to change the way it runs itself.Other universities have pushed back against the administration's interference in higher education. But Harvard's response, which called the Trump administration's […]

[ad_1] Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to US defense secretary Pete Hegseth, has been put on administrative leave for an "unauthorized disclosure," after being identified during an investigation into leaks at the Department of Defense, news agency Reuters has reported.A US official said that Caldwell was "escorted" from the Pentagon, the department's Washington-based headquarters."The investigation remains ongoing," the official further said without providing details about the nature of the disclosure.According to a March 21 memo signed by Hegseth's chief of staff, Joe Kasper, the leaks contained "national security information involving sensitive communications."The memo also left open the possibility of a polygraph. However, it was unclear if the test was performed on Caldwell.Also, the decision to send him on administrative leave is separate from a series of firings in the Department of Defense since Hegseth, a former Fox News host and […]

[ad_1] Anthony Karmelo walked out of jail on bond on Monday. He has been charged with first degree murder after he stabbed Austin Metcalf. Amid a racial debate over the stabbing of Texas teen Austin Metcalf by black teen Karmelo Anthony, comparisons with Kyle Rittenhouse emerged. Anthony stabbed Austin Metcalf and claimed that it was an act of self-defense as Metcalf pushed him at a track event. Social media users who asked why Karmelo had a knife in his backpack were reminded that Kyle Rittenhouse had a gun and in 2020, at the age of 17, he shot two men dead during civil unrest on Wisconsin. Rittenhouse was later found not guilty of murder. The social media debate shifted focus to the race of the two teens and those supporting Karmelo are saying why people did not have a problem […]