Page 119 - United States

United States troop pullout will leave behind an uncertain Afghanistan

The Biden administration's surprise announcement of an unconditional troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by September 11 appears to strip the Taliban and the Afghan government of considerable leverage

It's time to end America's longest war: Joe Biden on Afghanistan

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said it is time to end America's longest war in Afghanistan, a responsibility which he does not want to pass on to his successor. Biden is the fourth US president to preside over the war in Afghanistan, which began in 2001, soon after Al Qaeda terrorists based in Afghanistan attacked the twin-towers in New York. In his speech to the nation, Biden, observing that the US went to Afghanistan because of a horrific attack that happened 20 years ago, said that he "cannot explain" why the US should remain there in 2021. "Rather than return to war with the Taliban, we have to focus on the challenges that will determine our standing and reach today and into the years to come," Biden said. A day earlier, the White House said that Biden has decided to withdraw all American troops out of war-torn Afghanistan by September 11 this year, the 20th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attack on the twin towers in New York. "We cannot continue the cycle of extending

Shortage of key chemical hits Bharat Biotech's Covaxin ramp-up plans

Bharat Biotech is trying to ramp up capacities of Covaxin to 12 million doses per month by July, from the current 5 million doses per month

India calls out historical polluters including US before climate meeting

The world's third-biggest emitter, India has come under pressure to make a net-zero pledge ahead of the US meeting and global climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, this November

Heights of nationalism

Book review of The World Beneath Their Feet: The British, the Americans and the Nazis and the Race to Summit the Himalayas

Joe Biden set to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by September 11

Biden's decision would miss a May 1 deadline for withdrawal agreed to with the Taliban by his predecessor Donald Trump

India fast-tracks emergency use of foreign-made Covid-19 vaccines

No need for prior local clinical trials for vaccines cleared by regulators

US budget deficit jumps to an all-time high of $1.7 trillion this year

The US government's budget deficit surged to an all-time high of USD 1.7 trillion for the first six months of this budget year, nearly double the previous record

Joe Biden tells execs US needs to invest, lead in computer chips

President Joe Biden used a virtual meeting with corporate leaders about a global shortage of semiconductors to push Monday for his USD 2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, telling them that the US should be the world's computer chip leader. We need to build the infrastructure of today, not repair the one of yesterday, he told the group of 19 executives from the technology, chip and automotive industries. China and the rest of the world is not waiting and there's no reason why Americans should wait. He said the country hasn't made big investments to stay ahead of global competitors, and it needs to step up its game. Biden made an appearance at the meeting between administration officials and company leaders held to discuss developing a stronger US computer chip supply chain. The meeting came as the global chip shortage continued to plague a wide array of industries. CEOs of AT&T, Dell, Ford, General Motors, Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler), Intel, Northrop Grumman, and others were

Fed's Powell sees US boom ahead, with coronavirus still a risk

The US economy is poised for an extended period of strong growth and hiring, the chair of the Federal Reserve has said

Ex-Boston officer stayed on force despite child abuse allegations: Report

A former Boston police officer and union chief, charged with molesting multiple children, first faced child abuse allegations in the mid-1990s, according to a published report

Statsguru: 6 charts explain how corporate taxes help govts globally

A look at select countries - four advanced economies, three emerging markets and India - shows the extent to which corporate taxes help governments

Fine, thank you, says Alibaba Group after China's $2.8-billion penalty

It's a sign of how odd China's crackdown on the power of big tech has been compared with the rest of the world

LG, SK reach $1.8-billion settlement to end electric-vehicle battery spat

SK Innovation agreed to pay 2 trillion won ($1.8 billion) to LG Energy Solution, a unit of LG Chem, according to a statement from the two companies

Unnecessary panic: Astra vaccine unmasks the great East-West divide

'Let's not become part of that war between the different firms, because it's already visible'

Trump: The key to Republican success is more Trumpism, populist policies

Staking his claim to the Republican Party, former President Donald Trump is casting his populist policies and attack-dog politics as the key to future GOP success

Google Pixel 5a 5G to launch in United States, Japan later this year

The company said the upcoming smartphone will be released in the US and Japan later this year

Futility of protest: Easier to start a revolution than influence its course

Myanmar, Belarus, China's Hong Kong and Russia have all pointed to a futility of protests, and that even sustained street revolutions fail now in country after country, writes T N Ninan

Best of BS Opinion: Cloud over climate action, Tata vs Mistry, and more

Here's a selection of Business Standard opinion pieces for the day

Biden willing to negotiate on corporate taxes, 'sick & tired' of non-payers

"I'm willing to negotiate that," he told reporters. "But we've got to pay for this."