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Washington, Sep 14 (IANS) US Vice President JD Vance has raised questions as to why leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies are asking the government to regulate them. He called for agreement between Congress and the White House on rules that address risks while keeping the United States ahead of China.

Vance, in an interaction with reporters, acknowledged concerns about AI development. But he expressed scepticism about the motives behind technology companies’ appeals for government oversight.

“There are obviously risks to AI, there are benefits to AI. I have to say, personally, I feel a little bit weird about the fact that we have so many frontier AI tech companies kind of talking to the government and begging the government to regulate them,” he said.

“It feels a little bit to me like a bit of a Trojan horse, so I think we just have to be careful about this.”

Vance did not name any companies or explain what he believed they hoped to gain from regulation.

Asked about concerns over AI development and calls over the weekend to pause it, he said: “It’s something that we’re concerned by, but we want to make sure that we regulate smartly.”

He did not explicitly endorse a pause. Instead, he pointed to competition with China as a consideration in deciding how Washington should proceed.

“The other thing the President has said pretty consistently is we know that the Chinese are engaged in this long-term AI race against the United States. We want to make sure the United States, we do things smartly but we stay ahead of the curve.”

Asked whether Congress or the administration should lead on regulation, Vance said both should agree on an approach.

“Any regulatory regime we’d like, ideally, Congress and the White House to agree on it so that we actually are able to make it stick and so that we actually get some real consensus behind it.”

Pressed on whether Americans should be frightened, Vance said the administration wanted to stay on top of the risks. He acknowledged that AI, like other technologies, had downsides.

The Vice President also addressed questions about the Houthis and the Red Sea. He said the administration was communicating with the Emiratis, the Saudis and others in the region.

“We’ve also been engaged in direct conversation with the Houthis themselves. So we actually feel like we are on top of the situation; it’s a very fluid and dynamic thing. We want to keep on monitoring it.”

He provided no details about those direct conversations.

Vance also defended speaking directly to senior military officers when asked about a report that he had sought their unvarnished views.

“It’s like the Vice President calls around to admirals and generals to try to understand American foreign policy, of course, I do.”

--IANS

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Mogadishu, Sep 14 (IANS) A total of 171 Somali migrants stranded in Libya returned home safely on Monday aboard a charter flight organised by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

According to the IOM, the returnees, including three minors, were stranded in Libya after surviving hazardous journeys across several countries, only to face severe hardship, exploitation and abuse at the hands of smugglers, Xinhua News Agency reported.

"Migration should never compromise a person's safety, dignity or future. By supporting voluntary returns and reintegration, the government, the European Union and IOM are enabling Somali migrants to turn a challenging chapter into an opportunity to rebuild their lives at home, in safety, with dignity, and integrated in their communities," Manuel Marques Pereira, chief of mission for IOM Somalia, said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

Supported by the EU through the Migrant Protection, Return and Reintegration in Sub-Saharan Africa (MPRR-SSA) program, and in coordination with the Somali government, the charter flight first landed in Hargeisa, northern Somalia, where 42 returnees disembarked.

The remaining returnees arrived in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, where authorities and families welcomed them before they received immediate post-arrival assistance.

Many returnees had been separated from their families and lacked access to basic services, leaving them in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection support.

Since August 2022, the EU-IOM partnership with the Somali government has facilitated the voluntary return of about 2,000 Somali migrants from Libya, with additional charter flights scheduled for late 2026, according to the IOM.

According to the IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), hundreds remain stranded in Libya under dangerous conditions.

Severe insecurity and a lack of necessities, including food, shelter and medical care, leave thousands in urgent need of protection and humanitarian assistance.

The MPRR-SSA initiative enables safe and voluntary returns for Somali migrants. After arrival, returnees receive housing, medical and mental health care, as well as transport to their home regions.

They later receive individualised financial assistance to help them rebuild their lives and reintegrate into local communities.

--IANS

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Washington, Sep 14 (IANS) US Senate Republicans have released the final text of a sweeping cryptocurrency market bill, adding tougher ethics and consumer-protection provisions ahead of a crucial procedural vote on Tuesday.

The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act is intended to establish federal rules for cryptocurrency markets and divide regulatory responsibilities among US agencies.

Senators Cynthia Lummis, John Boozman and Tim Scott released the revised draft on Sunday after more than a year of negotiations.

The lawmakers said the text includes 126 substantive changes requested by Democrats. The revisions are aimed at attracting enough opposition-party support to overcome the Senate’s 60-vote procedural threshold.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune had said last week that supporters appeared short of the votes needed to advance the measure, CQ Roll Call reported. His assessment came before the latest changes were unveiled.

The final draft adds ethics provisions covering federally elected officials, judges and their spouses. It also gives state attorneys general a role in enforcement.

The bill would grant the Treasury secretary new authority to prevent deposit flight linked to payment stablecoins. Supporters described the provision as a circuit breaker intended to protect community banks.

Among other things, it proposes safeguards governing affiliate trading and conflicts of interest. Other provisions clarify the application of state consumer-protection laws and seek to shield software developers from certain money-transmission registration requirements.

“After a year of intense daily bipartisan negotiations, this bill is ready,” Lummis said.

“This text is truly bipartisan and includes more than 120 of Democrats’ demands,” she said. “A no vote on Tuesday means opposing real ethics reforms on politicians’ personal investments, handing American leadership in digital assets to our foreign competitors, and leaving Americans with zero protections in the digital asset markets.”

“We have an opportunity to establish clear rules of the road that will protect consumers, strengthen our markets, and ensure we remain a global leader in digital asset innovation,” Boozman said.

“We cannot afford to wait any longer,” Boozman added.

Scott said the bill would protect consumers while keeping cryptocurrency innovation and employment in the United States.

“The Clarity Act will protect Americans’ hard-earned money, keep innovation and jobs in America, and strengthen our national security,” he said.

If the Senate invokes cloture on the motion to proceed on Tuesday afternoon, the revised text would be offered as a substitute amendment. Failure to secure 60 votes could stall the legislation before the November 3 midterm elections.

Lummis and Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand first introduced bipartisan legislation seeking a comprehensive digital-asset regulatory framework in 2022. They reintroduced it the following year.

The Clarity Act advanced from the Senate Banking Committee in May 2026 by a bipartisan 15-9 vote. Its progress is being watched beyond the United States because American rules could influence cryptocurrency companies, investors and regulators in major markets, including India.

--IANS

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Washington, Sep 14 (IANS) The US Congress returned to Washington on Monday with a crowded agenda but little time to act before lawmakers leave the capital to campaign for the November 3 midterm elections.

The House is expected to remain in session for only one week, while the Senate has yet to secure agreement on several Republican priorities, CQ Roll Call reported.

Congress has limited must-pass business because President Donald Trump has already signed legislation funding the federal government through December 11.

The shortened calendar leaves lawmakers considering action on cryptocurrency regulation, sanctions against Russia and Iran, college-athlete compensation, energy permitting and surveillance powers.

One measure with significant international implications is a bipartisan sanctions bill that has already cleared the Senate by an 86-11 vote.

The legislation would impose penalties on the Kremlin and some entities doing business with it for five years. It would also extend certain sanctions against Iran for the same period.

The House Rules Committee was scheduled to consider a rule on Monday that would govern debate on the measure. House approval could send the legislation to Trump for his signature.

Some House Democrats have raised concerns that the bill gives the President too much authority. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, one of its principal Senate supporters, has urged lawmakers to accept the compromise.

He described it as “the result of painstaking, sometimes painful, negotiations” involving Congress and the Trump administration.

The Senate’s immediate business is a procedural vote on Tuesday on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act.

Republicans released a revised version on Sunday containing tougher ethics provisions and more than 120 changes sought by Democrats. Senate Majority Leader John Thune previously said supporters appeared short of the 60 votes required to advance it.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that failure to proceed could undermine US leadership in cryptocurrency regulation.

“Failing to do so would send a troubling signal to our allies and adversaries alike that America is unwilling to lead on the future of digital assets and willing to forgo enhanced national security tools to combat their misuse,” Bessent said.

Thune said legislation governing college athletes’ ability to profit from their name, image and likeness would be next on the Senate’s agenda.

He also wants a vote on changes intended to accelerate permits for energy and infrastructure projects.

“I think that’s enormously important, not just as an energy policy issue, but an economic policy issue for our country,” Thune said.

The House could leave Washington as early as this week. That would equal or surpass its modern record for the earliest departure during an election year, set on September 18, 2014.

All 435 House seats and roughly one-third of the Senate are contested during US midterm elections. The results determine which party controls each chamber during the final two years of a presidential term.

--IANS

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Juba, Sep 14 (IANS) The South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF) on Monday ordered all combatants of the Agwelek militia to gather at designated assembly points for formal integration into the national army.

The directive marks a key operational step toward fulfilling the peace agreement signed between the government and the armed group in January 2022.

SSPDF spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang said the directive, effective Tuesday, applies to forces located in Juba, Greater Tonj in Warrap State, and Twic East County in Jonglei State.

All members of Agwelek forces that are currently in Juba are hereby ordered to report to the Terekeka assembly area in Terekeka County, Central Equatoria State, and reporting time commences on September 15, 2026, Koang said in a statement.

Koang said militia forces in Warrap State, as well as those stationed at Nyakeen in Jonglei State's Twic East County, have been instructed to remain on standby ahead of the arrival of the SSPDF general headquarters screening and integration committee, Xinhua News Agency reported.

"The above orders are for immediate execution and are specifically applicable to all Agwelek forces under the overall command of Johnson Olony Thabo, assistant chief of defence forces for disarmament and mobilisation," Koang said.

The Agwelek militia, formerly aligned with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army-in-Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) led by First Vice President Riek Machar, actively fought against the SSPDF following the outbreak of civil conflict in December 2013.

The ongoing process marks a key milestone in dismantling non-state armed groups and consolidating national command structures following the militia's breakaway from the SPLM/A-IO and subsequent peace accord with the government.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Monday called for safe, predictable and sustained humanitarian access to conflict-affected communities in South Sudan.

In a statement issued in Juba, UNICEF said it and its partners had restored life-saving aid to conflict-isolated communities in Wiechjol and Waat in Jonglei State.

The joint operation provided critical support to vulnerable families, many of whom had been cut off from humanitarian assistance for months.

"For many families, this was the first help they had seen in months. But what we found shows how much more is needed, and how quickly conditions can deteriorate if access continues to be constrained in these areas," said Noala Skinner, UNICEF representative to South Sudan.

According to UNICEF, escalating conflict, mass displacement and unsafe travel routes have severely disrupted services across the region since January.

It said unrest had forced health facilities to close, leaving families without reliable access to healthcare, clean water, protection and nutrition support.

–IANS

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Washington, Sep 14 (IANS) India, the United States, Japan and Australia have moved closer to establishing common procedures for a logistics network aimed at speeding up disaster relief across the Indo-Pacific, the four governments said on Monday.

The Quad partners held a two-day tabletop exercise in Tokyo on September 3 and 4 to examine how their logistics capabilities could support civilian responses to major natural disasters.

In a joint statement released on September 14, the governments reported significant progress towards developing standard operating procedures for the Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network, known as the IPLN.

The procedures would provide a framework for putting the network into operation. The statement did not say when they would be completed or set a date for the network to become operational.

For India, the initiative provides a framework for working with its three Quad partners on regional disaster relief. The network is intended to help the four countries use shared logistics capabilities to save lives, support recovery and assist regional partners more quickly and efficiently.

The Tokyo exercise used natural disaster scenarios to examine how the countries could draw on one another’s capabilities, and its focus was on civilian response efforts across the region.

The four governments also expressed sympathy for people affected by recent floods and reaffirmed their commitment to helping regional partners in times of need.

“Quad partners expressed their deepest condolences to all those affected by the recent devastating floods and underscored their shared commitment to supporting regional partners in times of need,” the statement said.

The partners said work on the network would continue through additional tabletop and field training exercises, confidence-building measures and exchanges among subject matter experts.

Those activities form part of the effort to put the initiative into operation. The Tokyo exercise advanced that process by examining coordination during disaster scenarios and developing the procedures intended to guide the partners’ work.

The governments linked the exercise to the Quad’s wider commitment to practical regional cooperation and a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“This TTX reaffirmed the Quad's unwavering commitment to strengthen practical cooperation to address regional challenges and to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the statement said, using the abbreviation for tabletop exercise.

The statement’s account of the Tokyo discussions centred on disaster preparedness, humanitarian relief and recovery. It set out how the partners intend to keep developing the network, but provided no details on the logistical resources each country would contribute.

--IANS

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Jerusalem, Sep 14 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel has achieved another massive victory over Hezbollah and that the destruction of terrorist infrastructure in the security zone in Lebanon will continue.

"We have achieved another massive victory over Hezbollah: We have destroyed its major terrorist stronghold on the Beaufort Ridge and the Ali al-Taher Ridge. Our policy is clear: We will continue to destroy terrorist infrastructure in the security zone in Lebanon. We will continue to remove any threat to the State of Israel," the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel said on social media platform X.

"And from here, I say to our enemies: If you haven't learned the lesson by now, and you choose to attack us again, you will suffer even heavier blows. There is still work to complete, and with God's help, we will complete it," it added.

Last month, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that progress had been made on border issues and the return of prisoners during the latest negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Rome.

Speaking at a Cabinet session on August 7, Aoun said the Rome talks addressed four main issues: a ceasefire, the demolition and bulldozing of houses, the border, and the return of prisoners and the identification of pilot areas, according to a statement released by the Lebanese presidency.

He noted that "positive progress" had been made on the border and prisoners' issues, expressing hope that practical steps would emerge soon, the statement said.

He said the US administration would work to address the remaining issues of a ceasefire and pilot areas, adding that US General Joseph Clearfield would arrive in Beirut soon to follow up on these matters, reports said.

The remarks came a day after Israeli and Lebanese officials finished three days of negotiations in Rome aimed at advancing security arrangements along their border and implementing a framework agreement reached in Washington in late June, local media reported.

The talks, opposed by Hezbollah, are the seventh round of negotiations between the two governments, Xinhua news agency reported.

--IANS

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Washington, Sep 14 (IANS) In a major development, US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacking each other's energy targets, announcing reciprocal commitments without giving a start date, duration or enforcement details.

"Ukraine has agreed not to hit Russian Energy targets. Russia has agreed to do, likewise!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The announcement offered no details about the facilities covered or whether either country had attached conditions. It did not say whether the commitments had taken effect.

Trump also blamed the Russia-Ukraine war for most of the rise in global diesel prices, rather than Iran.

"The World's Diesel price rise is mostly caused by the Russia/Ukraine War, not Iran," the US President said.

In his Truth Social post, Trump gave no figures or timeframe for the price increase and offered no supporting data for his assessment.

He did not elaborate on the reference to Iran.

The social media post did not announce a broader ceasefire or indicate that fighting beyond attacks on energy targets would stop.

Trump did not identify who negotiated the arrangement or describe any preceding talks.

No statements from the Russian or Ukrainian governments accompanied the material provided for this report.

The terms of the commitments could not be established from Trump's announcement alone.

Energy infrastructure has been heavily damaged during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

A United Nations Development Programme assessment documented extensive damage to Ukraine's electricity networks and generating facilities.

UN human rights monitors have documented disruptions to heating, water supplies, healthcare and schooling following attacks on Ukraine's energy system. They have also reported Ukrainian attacks on electricity and heating infrastructure in Russia's Belgorod region.

--IANS

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Paris, Sep 14 (IANS) A leading international human rights organisation on Monday strongly condemned the extensive crackdown by Bangladeshi authorities on Awami League leaders, activists and supporters across the country, warning that the arbitrary mass arrests linked to peaceful processions and meetings pose a serious threat to civil liberties, political pluralism and accountability in the exercise of state power.

Expressing grave concern, Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) said that participation in—or preparations to participate in—peaceful processions has been characterised as “terrorist and anti-state activity" by the authorities.

Citing media reports, Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) said that more than 200 leaders and activists of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations have been arrested across Bangladesh over the past three days, including 72 in Dhaka’s Gulshan area.

The rights body said that participating in a peaceful procession does not constitute "terrorism", attending a political meeting is not a crime, and supporting a political party cannot, by itself, constitute sufficient grounds for arrest.

It said that depriving people of their liberty by labelling criticism of the state or political opposition as “anti-state activity” amounts to an abuse of power, stressing that invoking anti-terrorism legislation cannot legitimise political repression.

“Even when a political organisation’s activities are prohibited by executive order, its members and supporters retain their fundamental rights. Using political affiliation as a substitute for evidence of criminal conduct and carrying out indiscriminate arrests without establishing each individual’s specific role are unacceptable. Vague allegations, political labels or formulaic accusations cannot absolve the authorities of responsibility for mass arrests,” the JMBF mentioned.

Amid the arrest of more than 200 people nationwide over the past three days, including 72 in successive operations surrounding a peaceful procession in Gulshan, JMBF has demanded that the government of Bangladesh explain the grounds for each detention.

The rights body questioned the specific allegations against every individual, their alleged role and the basis on which the necessity of their arrest was determined, stressing that mere participation in a procession or political affiliation cannot constitute sufficient grounds for arrest.

JMBF further said that “imprisoning people for peaceful political participation and driving them out of public life through fear of arrest pave the way for a society governed by fear.”

Highlighting the ongoing political repression in Bangladesh, the rights body called on the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, the European Union, and all international organisations to closely monitor the worsening situation in the South Asian nation.

It also urged the global community to take the necessary measures, including applying effective diplomatic pressure on the government of Bangladesh, to ensure an environment in which everyone can exercise their political and civil rights equally, regardless of political affiliation.

--IANS

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Beijing, Sep 14 (IANS) China and India should translate the understandings reached at the recent meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi into concrete action, the country’s biggest English language newspaper 'China Daily' opined after the conclusion of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Sunday.

It noted that while addressing their differences through dialogue and negotiation, the two countries should explore fresh avenues of cooperation and generate positive momentum for long-term good-neighbourly coexistence.

“The meeting between President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi underscored the importance of partnership and development, setting a pragmatic trajectory for Sino-Indian relations. The two leaders emphasized the strategic importance of the relationship and stressed that the hard-won stability of ties illustrates the potential for further collaboration,” an editorial in ‘China Daily’ detailed.

“Both countries can draw on each other's strengths to pursue common development, supporting one another and helping each other succeed,” it added.

According to the state-owned daily, a mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), meetings between Xi and PM Modi in recent years have played a key role in stabilising ties and preventing differences from impacting the overall relationship.

Citing data from China’s General Administration of Customs, it said bilateral goods trade grew 12.4 per cent year-on-year to a record $155.6 billion in 2025.

“China has re-emerged as India's largest trading partner in the 2025-26 Indian fiscal year. Their economies are also intertwined: Chinese industrial supplies underpin India's manufacturing, while India offers a vast market for Chinese goods," the newspaper noted.

Stressing the importance of preventing the India-China relationship from drifting or being overshadowed by mistrust and strategic rivalry, it said, “How their bilateral ties evolve not only has a direct bearing on the well-being of the more than 2.8 billion people in the two countries, but also helps to shape the geopolitical situation of the region and beyond. Against the complex international landscape characterised by rising unilateralism and bloc confrontation, steady and constructive interaction between China and India is particularly valuable and necessary.”

It mentioned that in recent years, external forces have repeatedly attempted to fuel geopolitical rivalry by creating divisions between Asian countries, including China and India.

Against this backdrop, it said, Prime Minister Modi’s statement that “China-India relations leave no room for manipulation by external geopolitical agendas and India is willing to be a partner rather than a rival to China is conducive to strengthening mutual trust, eliminating disturbances and safeguarding the positive atmosphere for bilateral engagement.”

Xi Jinping participated in the two-day BRICS Summit held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from September 12 to 13.

During his visit to India, Xi also held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi, where the two leaders emphasised that "differences should not become disputes" and reaffirmed that both countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective on their ties.

"The two leaders welcomed the steady progress in India-China bilateral relations since their last meeting in Tianjin in August 2025. They reaffirmed that both countries should take a strategic and long term perspective of their ties. Differences should not become disputes. Prime Minister highlighted that both sides must be guided by three mutuals- mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interest," read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after the meeting.

During the meeting, PM Modi stressed that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remain an essential basis for the continued development of bilateral relations.

--IANS

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