News & Current Events

[ad_1] Image used for representative purposes (AFP) Hanoi, Apr 17, 2025 -Vietnam has dramatically increased its wind and solar targets as it looks to up its energy production by 2030 to meet soaring demand, according to a revised version of its national power plan.The Southeast Asian country has committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and the latest edition of its Power Development Plan 8 (PDP8), as it is known, maps out how it will reach those goals.The manufacturing powerhouse has been heavily reliant on coal to meet its rapidly expanding energy needs. But now it wants to "strongly develop renewable energy sources", according to the plan, which was published Wednesday on the government's news portal.With targets set at 73 gigawatts (GW) for solar and 38 GW for onshore wind energy by 2030 -- and a significant increase to […]

[ad_1] Representative AI image generated by Denny China has suspended all imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States for over ten weeks, effectively cutting off trade in the sector as new tariffs make American gas unviable in the Chinese market.According to Financial Times shipping data, the last recorded LNG shipment from the US—a 69,000-tonne tanker from Corpus Christi, Texas—arrived in China’s Fujian province on 6 February. A second shipment bound for China was diverted to Bangladesh after failing to dock before a 15% tariff came into effect on 10 February. That duty has since been raised to 49%, effectively pricing US LNG out of China.“There will be long-term consequences,” said Anne-Sophie Corbeau of Columbia University’s Centre on Global Energy Policy. “I do not think Chinese LNG importers will ever contract any new US LNG.”The current freeze mirrors […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Harpreet Singh, a terror accused wanted in India for his alleged role in 14 grenade blasts across Punjab, has been arrested in Sacramento, California by the FBI and US immigration authorities.Singh, who is also accused in 17 criminal cases in India, including terrorism and drug trafficking, was detained on Thursday, the FBI’s Sacramento office confirmed.“Today, Harpreet Singh, an alleged terrorist responsible for terror attacks in Punjab, India, was arrested by the FBI & ERO in Sacramento. Linked to two international terrorist groups, he entered the US illegally and used burner phones to evade capture,” the FBI said in a post on X.Singh, also known as Happy Passia and Jora, is a native of Passia village in Amritsar district. After spending a short period in the UK, he illegally crossed into the US via Mexico in 2021. According […]

[ad_1] Juan Carlos Lopez Gomez walked out of a Florida jail after spending a night in custody for being wrongly accused of being an “unauthorised alien,” reported CNN.A video on social media shows his emotional reunion with his mother.Gomez was arrested on Wednesday by the Florida Highway Patrol during a traffic stop, according to his lawyer Mutaqee Akbar. He was travelling to Tallahassee for his construction job, crossing the Florida state line from his home in Georgia—a routine 45-minute commute for work.Who is Juan Carlos Lopez Gomez?Juan Carlos Lopez Gomez, aged 20, was born in the United States, in Grady County, Georgia, and lives in the town of Cairo, Georgia.He works in carpet installation and has been employed in the same company for four years.Although born in the US, he spent much of his childhood in Mexico.His first language is […]

[ad_1] Kevin Patel, a 28-year-old Indian-American man, was fatally shot in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighbourhood on Wednesday night, sparking calls for enhanced security and intensified policing in the area.The Chicago Police Department said the shooting occurred around 9:20 pm in the 800 block of West Lill Avenue, just steps from the office of 43rd Ward Alderman Timmy Knudsen. Officers responded to reports of gunfire and found Patel lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed his identity.Witnesses reported seeing a man and a woman fleeing the scene before police arrived. No arrests have been made so far, and the case is under investigation by Area Three detectives.The fatal shooting left local residents shaken. Garrett Moores, a […]

[ad_1] Ukraine and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday (US local time) over a potential minerals agreement, signalling progress toward a broader economic partnership, Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said, according to The New York Times. Signed via video call with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the memorandum falls short of a final deal but marks renewed momentum following weeks of stalled negotiations and public tensions.While the White House has not issued an official comment, Bessent said separately that a full minerals agreement is expected next week. “It is important that we reaffirm by our agreements the desire of the American people to invest together with the Ukrainian people in a free, sovereign and secure Ukraine,” Svyrydenko wrote in a Facebook post, calling the agreement a move toward a “joint economic partnership” and a fund to […]

[ad_1] In a light-hearted moment following the signing of an executive order, US president Donald Trump joked about being “royalty” after receiving a cultural garland from a delegation of American Samoa. The delegation explained that the garland is a symbol of royalty in their culture. In response, Trump asked, "Does that mean I’m royalty?" The moment was caught on camera and shared by the White House Communications Director, Margo Martin.Trump signed the executive order titled "Unleashing American commercial fishing in the Pacific," aimed at opening up Pacific waters to US fishing fleets. The order addresses issues such as the loss of access to nearly half of the US Exclusive Economic Zone due to commercial fishing restrictions and foreign competition.The new policy will give American Samoa’s private sector more access to the Pacific fishing industry, which is crucial for the territory's […]

[ad_1] Donald Trump and Mark Carney (R) Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday said that eliminating trade barriers within the country would deliver greater economic benefits than anything US President Donald Trump could undermine through his ongoing war, as he made his case for re-election in the final debate before the April 28 vote.He also termed Trump as a "biggest risk" to Canada, which came in the backdrop of his aggressive tariff policies and continuous assertion to add Canada as "51st state" of US.Carney, who assumed office last month after Justin Trudeau’s resignation, has set a July 1 target to establish free trade among Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories. He said the country’s long-standing internal trade barriers have stifled economic potential for decades and that a breakthrough agreement is already in place."We can give ourselves far more than […]

[ad_1] During a joint press conference at the White House between Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and US president Donald Trump, an Italian journalist asked Trump if he had ever called Europeans "parasites." The question was asked in Italian, after the journalist requested to switch languages. Meloni quickly stepped in and responded, "No, he never said that." She then turned to Trump and asked him, “Have you ever said Europeans are parasites? Have you said that?” Trump denied the claim, saying, “I have never said that. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.” A March 2025 article in The Atlantic cited leaked Signal messages from Trump administration officials that described Europeans as parasites in the context of discussions around airstrikes in Yemen.The awkward exchange at the press meet did not derail the leaders’ meeting, focused on trade and diplomacy. […]

[ad_1] Following Thursday’s mass shooting at Florida State University that left two dead and six injured, 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner has been identified as the suspected gunman. In the immediate aftermath, social media users began scrutinising Ikner’s political affiliations, resurfacing old quotes, social media posts, and what appear to be voter registration records.One widely circulated post on X claims Ikner is a registered Republican, pointing to a Florida Voter Registration form allegedly listing his party as GOP. The same post notes that Ikner’s Instagram bio frequently cited Bible verses, drawing assumptions about his conservative leanings.Also read: 'Guns don't shoot ... ': What Donald Trump said after Florida State University shootingFurther fuelling the speculation, users shared a screenshot from a 2017 FSUNews article where Ikner commented on an anti-Trump rally held on campus prior to Donald Trump's inauguration. “These people are usually […]