World

Cairo, Feb 20 (IANS) Naval forces of Iran and Russia held a joint drill in the Gulf of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean, amid growing speculation about an impending US military strike against Iran.

Special operation teams from Iran's army, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and Russia conducted an operation to liberate a hijacked ship during the exercise, Xinhua news agency reported quoting a report on the Iranian army's website.

The drill involved Iran's Alvand destroyer, missile-launching warships, helicopters, landing craft, special operation teams, and combat speedboats, among others, the report said.

The exercise followed an IRGC drill in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week, which included a temporary closure of the strategic waterway.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran has 10 to 15 days to reach a deal over its nuclear program, warning that otherwise "really bad things" will happen.

"I would think that would be enough time," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Last week, Trump ordered the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, to the Middle East, reinforcing the USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying guided-missile destroyers already in the region.

After a significant buildup of US air and naval assets in the Middle East in recent days, the US military is prepared to strike Iran "as early as this weekend," CNN reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Axios, another US news outlet, reported Tuesday that an advisor to Trump estimated a "90 per cent chance" of strikes within weeks if nuclear negotiations with Iran fail.

Any US operation could involve a large-scale, weeks-long campaign, potentially conducted jointly with Israel, targeting Iran's nuclear and missile programs and posing a major threat to Tehran's leadership, Axios reported.

On Thursday night, The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that Trump is weighing "an initial limited military strike" on Iran to compel it to meet his demands for a nuclear deal.

"The opening assault, which if authorised could come within days, would target a few military or government sites," it reported, adding that if Iran "still refused to comply with Trump's directive to end its nuclear enrichment," Washington will respond "with a broad campaign against regime facilities."

Iran and the United States concluded a second round of indirect nuclear talks in Geneva on Tuesday. Iran described the talks as more "constructive" than the first round, while US officials acknowledged progress but said "there are still a lot of details to discuss."

Earlier on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to set a deadline for further talks, stating that while "there are many reasons and arguments for striking Iran," diplomacy remains Trump's "first option."

Given the tense situation, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Wednesday urged Polish citizens in Iran to leave immediately and advised against travel there.

Tusk said he did not intend to cause panic but warned that the risk of a "violent conflict" remains significant.

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Washington, Feb 20 (IANS) US President Donald Trump renewed his call for mandatory voter identification and proof of citizenship, arguing that tighter election rules are essential to safeguarding American democracy.

Speaking at a manufacturing plant in Rome, Georgia, Trump told supporters: “We want voter I.D.. We want proof of citizenship.”

He criticised opposition to the proposals, saying Democrats resist voter identification because “the only way they can cheat is if they look, we can stop them so easy.”

Trump added: “The Democrats don't want to give us voter ID because they want to cheat.”

He also dismissed claims that voter identification requirements are discriminatory. “You know what they say, we don't want voter ID because it's racist.”

He argued public opinion strongly supports the move, saying: “When they look at the polls, 95 % of the people want voter ID.”

The President paired the demand for voter ID with calls for tighter controls on mail-in ballots. “We don't want mail-in ballots,” he said, adding that such ballots are “crooked.”

Trump clarified that exceptions should apply “for the military far away, except for people that are ill, disabled, or people that are away even for a vacation will be generous, okay.”

He also pressed for the establishment of documentation standards at polling stations. “Let's prove that you're an American, so please provide proof of citizenship,” he said, adding that Democrats are “fighting that.”

The remarks come as election rules remain a flashpoint in Georgia, a state that has been at the centre of intense political and legal battles in recent cycles.

During the speech, Trump referenced a federal raid in Fulton County, alleging that authorities had seized ballots and that Democrats were attempting to prevent public scrutiny. “They have the ballots,” he said, adding: “Why don't they want them to see the ballots after all these years? You know why they don't want? Because they cheated.”

Trump framed voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements as a long-term political imperative. “Republicans have to win this one,” he said, adding, “We'll never lose a race for 50 years.”

Voter identification laws vary widely across US states. Some require government-issued photo ID, while others accept non-photo identification or allow voters to sign affidavits if documentation is unavailable. Georgia tightened its voting laws after the 2020 election, including changes to absentee ballot procedures and identification requirements.

Proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting have been debated at both state and federal levels. Supporters argue such measures protect election integrity, while opponents contend they risk disenfranchising eligible voters who may lack immediate access to documentation.

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Sydney, Feb 20 (IANS) Four teenagers have been arrested and charged over a spate of shootings and arson attacks across western Sydney linked to an organised crime conflict.

The police force in the state of New South Wales (NSW) said on Friday that the four males, aged 16, 18 and two 19-year-olds, were arrested by officers executing search warrants at six western Sydney properties on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

It comes after the NSW Police Force on Wednesday established a strike force to investigate three shooting and arson attacks in western Sydney on Tuesday and Wednesday that investigators believe were linked to an organised crime conflict and targeted the same family.

A 44-year-old man was hospitalised with serious injuries after he was shot multiple times in the first attack on Tuesday morning, but nobody else was injured in the subsequent incidents.

Strike force officers executing the warrants on Thursday seized 1 kg of cocaine, three vehicles, electronic devices and clothes relevant to their investigation.

The 16-year-old boy and one of the 19-year-old men were charged with offenses relating to the shooting of the 44-year-old.

It will be alleged in court that the 19-year-old picked up the gunman involved in the shooting after the attack and that the 16-year-old was involved in supplying the firearm.

The other 19-year-old and 18-year-old were both charged over the firebombing of a property in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The second 19-year-old was also charged with drug trafficking offenses relating to the seized cocaine.

Police said that the strike force was continuing to investigate the incidents.

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Canberra, Feb 20 (IANS) Authorities on Friday launched a new task force to target organised criminals trafficking illicit drugs into northern Australia from Pacific nations.

A statement from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the police force in the northeast state of Queensland said that the North Queensland Joint Organized Crime Task Force (JOCTF) would counter the growing threat of criminals sourcing methamphetamine and cocaine stockpiled in the Pacific, Xinhua news agency reported.

It said that the task force will target organized criminals engaged in trafficking through the Torres Strait, the body of water that separates northern Queensland and New Guinea, to protect vulnerable communities and Australian sovereignty.

"We believe there are tonnes of illicit commodities that have been stockpiled in the Pacific over many years, giving onshore and offshore organized crime syndicates reliable and easy access to dangerous drugs on the doorstep of Australia," AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said.

She said that there is a growing concern among leaders of Indigenous communities who inhabit islands in the Torres Strait that more of their youth are consuming illicit commodities because of the increase in trafficking.

In addition to drug trafficking, the AFP said that the new JOCTF would identify and prevent sexual servitude, forced labor and people smuggling.

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Washington, Feb 20 (IANS) President Donald Trump accused former president Barack Obama of disclosing “classified information” after Obama said in a recent podcast interview that aliens are “real”.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked by Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy: “Barack Obama said that aliens are real. Have you seen any evidence of non-human visitors to Earth?”

“Well, he gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that,” Trump responded.

Pressed on whether aliens are real, Trump said: “I don’t know if they’re real or not. I can tell you he gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that. He made a big mistake. He took it out of classified information.”

Trump also suggested he could intervene on the matter. “I may get him out of trouble by declassifying,” he said during the exchange.

The comments came after Obama, in an interview published last weekend on the “No Lie” podcast with journalist Brian Tyler Cohen, was asked about extraterrestrial life.

“They’re real, but I haven’t seen them,” Obama said, adding that they are not being kept in Area 51.

“There’s no underground facility, unless there’s this enormous conspiracy, and they hid it from the president of the United States,” he said.

Obama later sought to clarify his remarks in a social media post, saying he “saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us.”

“I was trying to stick to the spirit of the speed round, but since it’s gotten attention, let me clarify. Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there,” Obama said.

“But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!” he added.

The White House referred to Trump’s remarks when asked whether Obama had revealed classified information.

Trump has addressed the issue of unidentified flying objects and extraterrestrial life on several occasions in recent years. In June 2019, he told ABC News: “I did have one very brief meeting on it,” adding that “people are saying they’re seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particularly.”

Also in 2019, he told Tucker Carlson: “Well, I don’t want to really get into it too much. But personally, I tend to doubt it. I’m not a believer, but you know, I guess anything is possible.”

In June 2020, when asked about Roswell, Trump said: “I won’t talk to you about what I know about it, but it’s very interesting.”

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Washington, Feb 20 (IANS) President Donald Trump said he threatened to impose a 100 per cent tariff on French wine and champagne to force changes in global drug pricing, offering a vivid example of how he uses trade leverage to reshape international economic arrangements.

Speaking at a steel plant in Rome, Georgia, Trump described phone calls with foreign leaders after announcing a policy to align US drug prices with the lowest rates paid elsewhere.

He said American consumers were paying far more than buyers overseas, citing an example: “a pill that's selling for $ 10 in New York is selling, let's say in London, in New York is selling for $ 130.13 times more think of that 13 times more.”

Trump said he called French President Emmanuel Macron and demanded price adjustments.

“I said, Emmanuel, you're going to have to lift your price by double or triple,” Trump recounted. “No way, I will not do that. Donald, why would I do that? I would be out of business.”

Trump then described escalating the conversation.

“I said, here's the story. If you don't do it, I'm going to put a 100 % tariff on all of the wine and champagne that you sell into the United States.”

According to Trump, Macron relented. “And you know what he said, I will do it. I will gladly do it.”

The President said he made similar calls to other countries, including Germany and Spain, adding: “And they all said, like I said, we'd love to do it. We'd be honored to do it.”

Trump framed the episode as proof that tariffs remain his most effective negotiating tool.

“I said my favorite word in the whole dictionary is tariff,” he told workers earlier in the speech, arguing that trade measures have revived American manufacturing.

He linked the drug pricing push to his broader tariff strategy, saying the changes were achieved “also tariffs.”

The remarks came as Trump said he is awaiting a decision from the US Supreme Court over his authority to impose certain trade duties. “Without tariffs, this country would be in such trouble right now,” he said.

The President also claimed sweeping economic gains under his administration, saying the US had secured “commitments for over $ 18 trillion” in investment in 11 months and that the stock market had set “all-time record highs since the election.”

The wine tariff threat, however, underscored how Trump blends trade, healthcare, and geopolitical leverage in a single negotiating framework — a style that could carry implications beyond Europe.

The United States has long faced criticism over high prescription drug costs compared with Europe and other developed markets. Efforts to benchmark US prices against international rates have been politically contentious, with pharmaceutical companies arguing that lower prices could affect innovation and global supply chains.

Tariffs have been central to Trump’s economic doctrine since his first term, when duties were imposed on steel, aluminium and a wide range of Chinese goods. Legal challenges over executive authority to impose certain tariffs remain before US courts, adding uncertainty for global trading partners.

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Washington, Feb 20 (IANS) Two senior Republican lawmakers have written to NASA and the FBI raising concerns over what they describe as potential Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-linked research collaborations involving US taxpayer-funded grants, including a NASA award.

In letters dated February 12 to FBI Director Kash Patel and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley and House Select Committee on the CCP Chairman John Moolenaar said they were pursuing oversight of “the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) influence over our nation’s universities and other research institutions.”

“It is well established that our university systems serve as soft targets in China’s quest to acquire US knowledge, research, and intellectual property, which is often funded by our taxpayers,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter that was made available to the media on Thursday.

The letters refer to a December 17, 2025, investigative report by the House Select Committee on China and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which alleged that the CCP “exploits the US Department of Energy (DOE) to gain access and divert American taxpayer-funded research to fuel its military and technological rise.”

One case study cited in the report involved Stanford Professor Wendy Mao. According to the lawmakers, while conducting research under a DOE-funded award, she “concurrently held a position at the Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (HPSTAR)— an organization within the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP), which has been listed on the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Entity List since 1997.”

They added that “Professor Mao has at least 58 co-authored publications acknowledging DOE funding or support, including 31 publications with HPSTAR since 2013.”

The letters point to a 2024 research publication that acknowledged support from NASA’s Exoplanet Programme and the National Science Foundation, while crediting computational resources from a Chinese university’s supercomputing centre. The publication “lists only Stanford and Chinese co-authors yet explicitly acknowledges NASA funding, which—absent an FBI-certified congressional waiver—raises questions about potential violations of the Wolf Amendment.”

The Wolf Amendment, included in annual appropriations legislation, bars NASA and NASA-funded researchers from engaging in bilateral collaboration with Chinese entities without specific authorisation and certification to Congress and the FBI.

In their letter to the FBI, the lawmakers asked whether a Wolf Amendment waiver was sought for NASA Award No. 80NSSC23K0265, how many such waivers have been requested since 2015, and what internal processes the Bureau follows in assessing applications.

They also asked NASA to provide “all records for Award No. 80NSSC23K0265 including subaward records” and to detail “what internal legal guidance, memoranda, or policy interpretations govern NASA’s application of the Wolf Amendment, and when were they last updated.”

The lawmakers set a February 26, 2026 deadline for responses.

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Washington, Feb 20 (IANS) Foreign players linked to China are tightening their grip over America’s food supply and influencing grocery prices, a top Democratic senator said, warning that rising consolidation in agriculture and food markets is squeezing consumers and farmers while posing risks to national security.

In a letter to senior Trump’s Cabinet members, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer urged immediate enforcement action against what he described as anti-competitive practices and growing foreign control across key segments of the US agricultural supply chain.

“The price of groceries has skyrocketed due to Trump tariff taxes and erratic economic policies – and now, costs threaten to go up even higher as the administration ignores how foreign-owned corporations have rigged markets, raising food prices for consumers and hurting American farmers and ranchers that are already struggling from Trump’s trade war,” Schumer said.

“The result is consumers spend more for less, farmers and ranchers’ profit margins shrink, and our food supply is put at risk when foreign corporations monopolize more and more of America’s agriculture and food sector,” he added.

Schumer wrote to Agriculture Secretary Rollins, Treasury Secretary Bessent, and Attorney General Bondi, arguing that “a small number of foreign-owned corporations” now dominate major segments of the sector, from agricultural inputs to meatpacking and food processing.

“This is not just an economic problem. When foreign adversaries hold significant power over what Americans eat and what American farmers need to grow, food security becomes a national security vulnerability,” he said.

Pointing to consolidation in the meat industry, Schumer noted: “Just four firms control roughly 85 percent of U.S. beef processing, and two of them, JBS and National Beef, are subsidiaries of Brazilian conglomerates.”

He added that JBS “has paid over $200 million in settlements across multiple federal price-fixing lawsuits involving beef and pork, while consumers have watched ground beef prices climb more than 13 percent in a single year.”

Beyond beef, he cited Smithfield Foods, owned by China’s WH Group, saying it “holds a dominant position in U.S. pork processing and in January announced a $450 million acquisition of Nathan’s Famous, one of America’s most iconic food brands.”

“When a company controlled by a Chinese parent corporation is buying up beloved American brands while families struggle to afford groceries, something is fundamentally wrong,” Schumer wrote.

The problem, he argued, extends to agricultural inputs such as fertilisers, seeds, and chemicals. Referring to Syngenta Group, owned by ChemChina, Schumer said: “A company that ultimately answers to the Chinese Communist Party sits at the center of supply chains that American farmers depend on, which is a strategic vulnerability that would be exposed in any serious disruption to the US-China relationship.”

He also pointed to increased Russian fertiliser exports to the United States amid the war in Ukraine, warning that dependence on adversaries for key inputs weakens domestic resilience.

Schumer criticised the administration’s enforcement record, saying that despite directives and executive orders, “not a single enforcement action has been brought. No company has been charged. No acquisition has been blocked.”

“Empty promises won't feed families and help pay their bills or keep farmers and ranchers from bankruptcy,” Schumer said as he called for enforcement actions under the Sherman Act, the Clayton Act, and the Packers and Stockyards Act.

The Senator also called for a review of foreign acquisitions through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, and stronger oversight of market concentration.

“American families need relief at the grocery store, and rural America deserves free markets where farmers and ranchers can earn a fair return,” Schumer concluded. “Food security is national security, and the federal government should treat it that way, starting with strong enforcement of the laws already on the books.”

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Washington, Feb 20 (IANS) Two top American Senators have written to the Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth seeking details on vulnerabilities in America’s pharmaceutical supply chain, warning that heavy reliance on foreign sources — particularly Communist China and India — could threaten military readiness and national security.

The letter, sent by the US Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Rick Scott and Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand, asks the Department to outline how it is addressing risks associated with key starting materials (KSMs), active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and generic drugs used by service members and veterans.

“The US Senate Special Committee on Aging is examining how vulnerable pharmaceutical supply chains present a risk to public health and national security,” the senators wrote. “The Department is the primary agency responsible for the health, safety, and readiness of our service members. It plays an essential role in ensuring access to lifesaving medicines.”

The lawmakers noted that an estimated 91 per cent of prescriptions filled each year in the United States are generic drugs. “It is clear that many Americans, including our active duty, reserve, veteran, retired service members, and their family members rely on generic drugs to maintain health, control chronic diseases, or recover from illnesses,” they said.

China and India, they added, “play a significant role in producing the KSMs and APIs crucial to domestic drug manufacturing and distribution”. The United States’ “limited operational oversight and control over foreign sourcing and manufacturing of these foundational materials represents a vulnerability in the supply chain”.

The senators also pointed to “recent reporting” showing that the Food and Drug Administration has granted exemptions for certain drugs or ingredients subject to import bans imposed on foreign factories found to operate under substandard conditions. They said exempting such facilities “allows for substandard and potentially unsafe drugs to enter the U.S. market” and identified more than 150 drugs and ingredients that have received exemptions since 2013, many linked to factories in China and India.

Geopolitical instability, they argued, adds another layer of risk. Despite a bilateral trade agreement on rare earth elements in April 2025, China imposed new export restrictions in October. “This raises the unsettling possibility that China could similarly restrict exports of pharmaceutical products in future diplomatic or trade conflicts,” the letter said, warning that disruptions could “jeopardize patient care and public health”.

The senators urged the Department to prioritise domestic procurement. “Reliance on China for essential medications, particularly antibiotics, poses an existential risk to the operational capacity of our military,” they wrote, calling for “preferential purchasing of domestically manufactured medications”.

They also pressed for transparency. “Country of origin labeling for pharmaceuticals and APIs must be implemented to provide transparency to purchasers, providers within the TRICARE system, such as physicians and pharmacists, and end-users who rely on medications. Americans deserve to know where their medications come from.”

The two Senators requested a detailed briefing by February 28 on drug acquisition plans, inventory levels in the event China halts exports, exposure to FDA-exempted manufacturers, compliance with the FY 2026 NDAA requirement for pharmaceutical supply chain mapping, and safeguards against sourcing from China’s Xinjiang region.

For India, which is one of the world’s largest suppliers of generic medicines and APIs, the debate in Washington reflects a broader push to reshore critical manufacturing amid US–China tensions. In recent years, successive administrations have highlighted supply chain security — from semiconductors to pharmaceuticals — as central to economic resilience and national security policy.

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Washington, Feb 20 (IANS) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lavished praise on US President Donald Trump at the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace, crediting him with preventing a potential India-Pakistan war — even as he failed to secure a bilateral meeting with the American leader during his Washington visit.

Even his meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department could not materialize. It is understood that the visiting Pakistani delegation pushed hard for bilateral meetings with Trump and Rubio.

Addressing the multilateral gathering, Sharif said Trump’s intervention had “potentially averted loss of tens of millions of people” and declared: “You have truly proved to be a man of peace.”

He went further, telling Trump that “we are truly savior of South Asia,” in a striking endorsement of Washington’s role in regional de-escalation.

Sharif praised Trump’s “unique initiative” and “dynamic leadership,” saying his “bold diplomacy has surely brought calm to many international serious hotspots.”

The Pakistani leader also backed the Gaza peace framework unveiled at the meeting, stating that “the people of Palestine have long endured illegal occupation and immense suffering” and calling for “a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination through the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and contiguous state of Palestine.”

He said Trump’s efforts would “mark a place in the annals of history.”

However, despite Sharif’s strong public support for Trump’s diplomatic claims, there was no bilateral meeting scheduled between him and the US President on the sidelines of the event. Nor did Sharif hold a formal meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the visit, with diplomatic sources indicating that an expected engagement did not materialise.

The absence of a one-on-one meeting with Trump is notable given Sharif’s public endorsement of US mediation in South Asia. While Islamabad publicly embraced Washington’s role, the visit did not translate into a standalone engagement with the US leadership.

Earlier in the event, Trump had described how he intervened during heightened India-Pakistan tensions. He claimed he told both sides: “I’m not doing trade deals with you two guys, if you don’t settle this up,” and added that he warned he would impose “200 per cent tariffs on each of your countries” if the conflict continued.

Referring to the episode, Trump said, “These are two very powerful nations. These are two nuclear nations. And I don’t wanna say what was gonna happen, but, you know, bad things happen.” He added that “we worked out a deal” within days and said he had spoken to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing him as “a great man.”

India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed neighbours, have fought multiple wars since 1947 and remain divided over Kashmir. While ceasefire arrangements have held in recent years, tensions between the two countries continue to draw close international scrutiny, particularly during periods of escalation.

--IANS

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