Trends - biden administration - Business Recorder

World

Biden to raise current U.S. refugee cap from historic lows

U.S. President Joe Biden plans to raise the refugee cap for the current fiscal year to 62,500, a sharp increase from the 15,000 set by former President Donald Trump, two people familiar with the move told Reuters on Friday.
The allocations will create spots for 22,000 refugees from Africa, 6,000 from East Asia, 4,000 from Europe and Central Asia, 5,000 from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 13,000 from South Asia.

Published 06 Feb, 2021 07:12pm

World

Beijing warns off US warship from South China Sea islands

BEIJING: China on Friday warned off a US warship sailing near contested islands in the South China Sea, Beijing ...

Published 06 Feb, 2021 04:06am

Pakistan

China, Pakistan have an understanding on protecting interests in Afghanistan: US report

Report acknowledges Pakistan’s role in taking forward the Afghan peace process, asking the Biden administration to work with Pakistan to end decades of war and destruction in Afghanistan
Pakistan has influence over the Taliban and it should actively use this influence to make the peace process successful: Report

Published 05 Feb, 2021 03:39pm

Business & Finance

Ford says will nearly double electric auto investment

"Right now, estimates from suppliers could suggest losing 10 to 20 percent of our planned first-quarter production."

Published 05 Feb, 2021 10:16am

World

US Senate Democrats prepare to push through Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 package

Senate Democrats need to pass a budget resolution to unlock a legislative tool called reconciliation.
Most legislation must get at least 60 votes in the 100-seat Senate to pass. But the chamber is divided 50-50 and Republicans oppose the Democratic president's proposal.

Published 04 Feb, 2021 09:16pm

Business & Finance

US Treasury says more time needed to decide on Trump tax returns

House Democrats have been examining whether Trump's business dealings involved money laundering or left him vulnerable to foreign influence.

Published 04 Feb, 2021 10:55am

World

Blinken weighs possible sanctions North Korea as Russia, Iran loom

In an interview with NBC News, taped on Sunday, Blinken did not commit to specific sanctions against Moscow as it reviewed the ongoing situation involving jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Published 01 Feb, 2021 06:03pm

World

Former Obama aide Malley named Biden's top envoy on Iran: official

President Joe Biden has named Robert Malley as special U.S. envoy for Iran, a senior official said on Thursday, giving the veteran diplomat a leading role in one of most daunting and politically divisive foreign policy challenges facing the new administration.
Malley was a key member of former President Barack Obama’s team that negotiated the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran and world powers.

Published 29 Jan, 2021 10:00am

World

Containing China is ‘mission impossible’, Beijing warns Biden

BEIJING: Any attempt to contain China is “mission impossible”, the country’s defence ministry warned the US on...

Updated 29 Jan, 2021 09:43am

World

On his first day, Secretary of State Blinken commits to rebuilding U.S. diplomacy worldwide

“The world is watching us intently right now. They want to know if we can heal our nation. They want to see whether we will lead with the power of our example… and if we will put a premium on diplomacy with our allies and partners to meet the great challenges of our time,” he said.

Published 28 Jan, 2021 09:44am

World

House Democrats deliver Trump impeachment charge to Senate

he U.S. House of Representatives delivered to the Senate on Monday a charge that former President Donald Trump incited insurrection in a speech to supporters before the deadly attack on the Capitol.
Trump, a Republican, is the only U.S. president to have been impeached by the House twice and is set to become the first to face trial after leaving office. His term ended last Wednesday.

Published 26 Jan, 2021 08:24pm

World

Israel and Saudi Arabia aim to push Biden away from the Iran nuclear deal

The strategic re-alignment of Israel with major allies in the Middle East in the final days of the Trump Administration presents the Biden Administration with some significant complications.
Israel has been reportedly working very closely with Saudi Arabia, and a confluence of other allies in the Middle East, that are concerned that the Biden Administration will return to the original stipulations of the Iran Nuclear Deal.

Updated 26 Jan, 2021 11:54am

World

South China Sea tension flares again as Biden takes charge

A U.S. aircraft carrier group led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt entered the South China Sea over the weekend to promote “freedom of the seas” at a time of U.S. concern about China-Taiwan tensions and Beijing asserting its maritime agenda.
Taiwan, meanwhile, reported an incursion of Chinese bombers and fighter jets into its air defence identification zone.

Published 25 Jan, 2021 12:46pm

World

Biden Administration to review U.S-Taliban deal

The United States will review the peace agreement reached with the Taliban, according to an announcement from the White House.
Washington wants to check that the Taliban is “living up to its commitments to cut ties with terrorist groups, to reduce violence in Afghanistan, and to engage in meaningful negotiations with the Afghan government and other stakeholders”.

Updated 23 Jan, 2021 08:25pm

World

Saudi Arabia expects 'excellent relations' with Biden administration

I am optimistic. Saudi Arabia has built solid, historical relations where it worked with different administrations.
We will continue to do that as well with President Biden," Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:33pm

World

Biden administration to review US-Taliban withdrawal deal

Washington struck a deal with the Taliban in Qatar last year.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 05:32pm

World

Biden to retain Trump's top Afghan envoy

The Biden Administration is retaining the services of Zalmay Khalilzad, former President Trump's top envoy for Afghanistan peace negotiations, who has led the regular talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
Traditionally an incoming administration replaces politically appointed officials with their own team, particularly on crucial foreign policy matters.

Updated 23 Jan, 2021 03:25pm

World

U.S. Senate confirms Biden nominee Austin as defense secretary

The vote was 93-2 in the 100-member chamber, far more than the simple majority needed.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 02:50pm

World

Biden, citing 'economic imperative,' orders faster relief checks, more food aid

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday ordered the faster issuance of pandemic stimulus checks to needy families and increased food aid for children who normally rely on school meals. *More than 400,000 Americans have died from the virus and millions of jobs have been lost.

Published 23 Jan, 2021 01:27pm

World

'I will fire you on the spot', Biden warns staff if they disrespect colleagues

"I'm not joking when I say this: If you're ever working with me and I hear you treat another with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot," Biden said.
The US president further said that everybody is entitled to be treated with decency and dignity, adding that it has been missing in a 'big way in the last four years'.

Published 22 Jan, 2021 03:02pm

World

Biden nominates Kashmiri-origin diplomat for key State Department role

President Joe Biden nominated a Kashmiri-origin diplomat as Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights - a key State Department position, as the new administration takes office.
Uzra Zeya, who resigned from the foreign service in 2018, in protest against President Trump's policies, has been nominated by the Biden Administration for the key position in the Department of State.

Updated 22 Jan, 2021 02:03pm

World

Democrats with BJP/RSS links excluded from Biden Administration

Obama administration staffer Sonal Shah and Amit Jani, who worked on the Biden campaign team, have so far been excluded, allegedly due their RSS-BJP links.
These allegations were reportedly brought to the Biden campaign by over a dozen Indian-American organisations.

Updated 22 Jan, 2021 12:11pm

Business & Finance

Twitter says it locked account of China's U.S. embassy over Xinjiang-related tweet

The Chinese Embassy account, @ChineseEmbinUS, posted a tweet this month that said that Uighur women were no longer “baby making machines,” citing a study reported by state-backed newspaper China Daily.

Published 21 Jan, 2021 11:00am

World

U.S Embassy briefly includes West Bank,Gaza in Twitter handle, sparking outrage

As President Joe Biden was sworn into office, the U.S Embassy in Israel briefly changed its Twitter account title to include the West Bank and Gaza.
By the time the account was amended, it had already gained a great deal of speculation in the Israeli press.

Updated 21 Jan, 2021 11:12am

Pakistan

PM congratulates Biden, says looking forward in building a stronger Pak-US partnership

The PM said he is also looking forward to working with Biden in improving public health, combating corruption and promoting peace in the region and beyond.
Biden administration said it sees Pakistan as an essential partner in any peace process in Afghanistan.

Published 21 Jan, 2021 10:45am

World

Biden signs executive order to end Trump’s Muslim ban

The controversial ban was introduced during Trump’s first week in office and restricted travel from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
"These are just all starting points," Biden said, as he signed 15 executive actions on his first day in office.

Published 21 Jan, 2021 10:21am

World

Biden's Secretary of Defense nominee lays out military cooperation strategy for Pakistan

In his confirmation meeting with the Senate Armed Services Committee, Lloyd J. Austin, President Biden's nominee for Secretary of Defense, laid out the new administration's international cooperative strategy across the global sphere, including Pakistan.
Austin mentioned that "Pakistan will play an important role in the political settlement in Afghanistan", adding that he would "focus on our shared interests which include training future Pakistani military leaders".

Updated 20 Jan, 2021 06:41pm

World

Biden to assume U.S. presidency amid deep divisions, raging pandemic

Democrat Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, assuming the helm of a country beset by deep political divides and battered by a raging coronavirus pandemic.
Biden, 78, will become the oldest U.S. president in history at a scaled-back ceremony in Washington that has been largely stripped of its usual pomp and circumstance.

Published 20 Jan, 2021 03:51pm

World

Iran's Rouhani says "ball in U.S. court" over nuclear dispute

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged the incoming U.S. administration on Wednesday to return to a 2015 nuclear agreement and lift sanctions on Tehran, while welcoming the end of “tyrant” President Donald Trump’s era.
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who takes office on Wednesday, has said the United States will rejoin the pact, which includes restrictions on Iran’s nuclear work, if Tehran resumes strict compliance.

Published 20 Jan, 2021 02:08pm

World

'It was a non-event': Pro-Trump protests quiet amid massive police presence across U.S.

Law enforcement officers far outnumbered protesters at state capitol grounds on Sunday, as few Trump supporters who believe the president’s false claim that he won the 2020 election turned out.
Some militias and extremist groups told followers to stay home, citing the increased security or the risk that the planned events were law-enforcement traps.

Published 18 Jan, 2021 12:26pm