North America

Washington, Feb 2; PTI: The Indian embassy in the US has opened a 24/7 hotline to assist 129 Indian students arrested by the American authorities in the "pay-and-stay" university visa scam, officials have said.

As many as 129 Indians are among the 130 foreign students arrested for enroling at a fake university allegedly to remain in the US.

The university in Detroit's Farmington Hills was part of an undercover operation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designed to expose immigration fraud, according to federal prosecutors who announced charges in the case.

UN; 3 Feb 2018; GANASHAKTI: The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recognized, Friday, the representation of the Venezuelan Government - led by its Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza - while rejecting the interests of deputy of the National Assembly (AN), Juan Guaido, who unconstitutionally proclaimed himself "president in charge" on Jan. 23.

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the UN secretary-general, confirmed that Guterres responded to a letter, which was sent by Juan Guaido asking the agency to send humanitarian aid to Venezuela.

02 Feb 2019; DW: There were two strong explosions reported over Vinales and the Pinar del Rio area in western Cuba on Friday afternoon before small black stones fell to the ground, witnesses said. The largest fragment of about 11 centimeters (4 inches) was found in a small crater.

The meteorite had been seen flying over the Florida Keys earlier on Friday, according to the US National Weather Service in Key West.

Washington, Feb 2 (PTI) President Donald Trump has said US' massive trade deficit with China cannot be allowed to continue, a day after the officials from both countries concluded their latest round of negotiations on trade issues.

The US and China have been locked in an escalating trade spat since early 2018, raising import tariffs on each other's goods.

Last year, Trump imposed tariff hikes of up to 25 per cent on USD 250 billion of Chinese goods. The move prompted China to increase tariffs on USD 110 billion of American goods.

WASHINGTON (AP) — After a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School seven years ago, the FBI released 1,500 pages of documents from its investigation.

Its report on the 2017 massacre in Las Vegas was just three pages.

The brevity prompted disbelief and disappointment from survivors and relatives of victims. Even President Donald Trump said he was surprised, though he said he understood the FBI had not determined a motive in the Vegas shooting.

01 Feb 2019; AFP: A US negotiator called Thursday on North Korea to provide a detailed account of its weapons to seal a peace deal, saying President Donald Trump was ready to offer a future that includes diplomatic relations and economic aid.

Trump is set to hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in around a month and said Thursday that he would announce the exact date and venue early next week.

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The first in a series of winter storms swept through Southern California on Friday, trigging heavy rain, mudslides and lighting strikes.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Security Council on Thursday adopted a resolution to extend sanctions against the Central African Republic (CAR) for another year.

Resolution 2454, adopted unanimously by the 15-member council, decides to renew the sanctions regime -- an arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze -- till Jan. 31, 2020.

It also decides to extend the mandate of the panel of experts, which helps the Security Council with the implementation of the sanctions, till Feb. 29, 2020.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The latest round of China-U.S. trade talks made important progress for the current stage, and the two sides had candid, specific and constructive discussions, the visiting Chinese delegation said here on Thursday.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The United States is seeking to achieve "a set of concrete deliverables" through working-level negotiations with Pyongyang ahead of the scheduled leaders' summit, said U.S. envoy to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday.