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Washington, Feb 13 (IANS) US President Donald Trump announced what he called “the single largest deregulatory action in American history,” formally terminating the Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency’s endangerment finding that underpinned federal greenhouse gas regulations.

“Under the process just completed by the EPA, we are officially terminating the so-called endangerment finding,” Trump said, describing it as “a disastrous Obama-era policy that severely damaged the American auto industry and massively drove up prices for American consumers.”

The 2009 finding had determined that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare, forming the legal basis for a range of emissions standards. Trump said the determination “had no basis in fact” and “had no basis in law.”

“This action will eliminate over $1.3 trillion of regulatory costs and help bring car prices tumbling down dramatically,” he said. He added that the move would lower the average cost of a new vehicle by “close to $3,000.”

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called the rollback “the single largest act of deregulation in the history of the United States of America.”

“The 2009 Obama EPA endangerment finding is now eliminated,” Zeldin said. “This action will save American taxpayers over $1.3 trillion. What that means is lower prices, more choices, and an end to heavy-handed climate policies.”

He said American families would save “over $2,400 for a new vehicle” and that manufacturers would no longer be required to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions for vehicles and engines.

“The forced transition to electric vehicles is eliminated,” Zeldin said. “No longer will automakers be pressured to shift their fleets towards electric vehicles.”

Trump also said the administration was repealing “the ridiculous endangerment finding and terminating all additional green emission standards imposed unnecessarily on vehicle models and engines between 2012 and 2027 and beyond.”

He said the administration had canceled what he called “absurd tailpipe emission standards” and revoked “Biden’s emissions waiver that would have allowed California to regulate automobiles for the entire nation.”

Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said, “Literally no other president would have done this to get at the foundations of the Green New Deal.”

Trump argued the rollback would not harm public health. “I tell them, don’t worry about it because it has nothing to do with public health,” he said in response to a question. “This is all a scam, a giant scam.”

Zeldin said, “Today’s action does not change regulations on traditional air pollutants and air toxics. This EPA is committed to providing clean air for all Americans.”

--IANS

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Washington, Feb 13 (IANS) The US Senate failed to advance a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), raising the prospect of a partial government shutdown as temporary funding for the department expires at the end of Friday.

The procedural vote was 52-47, short of the 60 votes required to advance the bill, Xinhua news agency reported.

The legislative stall came as the White House and congressional Democrats have been unable to reach an agreement on immigration enforcement regulations, following two fatal shootings by federal law enforcement officers in the city of Minneapolis.

"Democrats have been very clear: We will not support an extension of the status quo," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday.

Democrats blocked the legislation after rejecting an offer from the White House they said didn’t go far enough to reform immigration enforcement operations after the fatal shootings of two protesters in Minneapolis last month.

As a result, funding for key agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Coast Guard will lapse Saturday without further action from Congress.

The recent fatal shootings of two US citizens -- Renee Good and Alex Pretti -- by federal enforcement in Minneapolis have prompted Democrats to seek changes to how immigration agencies operate.

The Congress has recently passed a funding package to fund multiple US federal agencies for the remainder of the fiscal year, yet DHS only received a two-week continuing resolution at current funding levels.

--IANS

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Dhaka, Feb 13 (IANS) Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Tarique Rahman said that his party is set to secure a "historic victory" in the country's national parliament election, local media reported Friday.

In a separate statement, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi extended greetings and congratulations to the people of the country, hailing the party's victory in securing a majority of seats in the election, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to local media reports, preliminary vote counting results from constituencies across the country show that the BNP has secured more than half of the seats in the national parliament election held on Thursday.

Meanwhile, serious allegations of rigging, use of money to influence voters and violent incidents emerged across several parts of Bangladesh on Thursday as the country held its 13th parliamentary elections, local media reported.

Amid rising electoral misconduct, a Jamaat-e-Islami leader, Zainal Abedin, was detained and fined for distributing cash during voting in Ranashal village of Gorai Union of Mirzapur Upazila in Tangail District.

The mobile court magistrate and upazila Assistant Commissioner (AC Land), Tarek Aziz, imposed a fine of 3,000 Bangladeshi Taka while confirming the incident.

Violence erupted at several polling booths across Bangladesh on Thursday, leading to the death of a political leader as the voting was underway across the nation, local media reported.

Incidents started unfolding after polling began early morning, reflecting the deteriorating law and order situation and volatile security landscape in Bangladesh.

--IANS

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New York, Feb 13 (IANS) US President Donald Trump announced the revocation of a key 2009 climate determination that has served as the legal foundation for federal climate regulations, including rules on greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles and mandates supporting electric vehicle adoption.

Trump and US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin unveiled the decision at the White House, describing it as the "single largest deregulatory action in US history."

"We are officially terminating the so-called endangerment finding, a disastrous Obama-era policy that severely damaged the American auto industry and drove up prices for American consumers," Trump said at a news conference.

The determination, known as the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, concluded that carbon dioxide, methane and four other greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. It has been used to justify regulations such as vehicle emissions standards and requirements for fossil fuel companies to report their emissions, Xinhua news agency reported.

"This determination had no basis in fact -- none whatsoever. And it had no basis in law. On the contrary, over the generations, fossil fuels have saved millions of lives and lifted billions of people out of poverty all over the world," Trump said.

Former US President Barack Obama said on X that the endangerment finding has served as the basis for limits on tailpipe emissions and power plant rules. "Without it, we'll be less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change -- all so the fossil fuel industry can make even more money."

--IANS

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Kathmandu, Feb 13 (IANS) The Nepali government has formally declared the wild red monkey (Macaca mulatta) an agriculture-damaging wild animal, allowing farmers to chase away or capture the animals without prior approval from authorities.

By publishing a notice in the Nepal Gazette on Thursday, the Ministry of Forests and Environment said the declaration will remain valid for one year.

Shrinking cultivation and expanding forest cover around abandoned land have unintentionally increased monkey habitats, leading to intensified human-wildlife conflict.

Rampant raids by monkeys on private farmland, causing massive crop damage, have forced many farmers to abandon cultivation.

Growing incidents of human-wildlife conflict are being reported across the country, where wildlife conservation successes have sometimes increased pressure on farming communities in the absence of adequate mitigation measures.

"According to the notice, if wild red monkeys enter farmers' fields and cause damage to crops or to life and property, farmers may individually or collectively drive them away or capture them. However, the rule does not apply within national parks, wildlife reserves, hunting reserves, conservation areas, or national forest areas," the Ministry added.

If a red monkey is captured, it must be handed over to the concerned national park office, wildlife reserve office, hunting reserve or conservation area office, division forest office, or the nearest subordinate office.

"If a monkey is killed during efforts to drive it away, it may be buried in the presence of at least one representative of the concerned local government and five local witnesses," according to the notice.

"Information about the incident must be provided to the national park or forest office, as well as to the local ward office," it said.

If red monkeys are killed, the concerned offices must submit detailed reports to the Ministry every two months.

In the eastern district of Dhankuta, some candidates for the upcoming House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5 have also made the monkey menace a campaign issue.

They have once again promised fencing, compensation schemes, and stronger wildlife management policies as part of their election agenda.

--IANS

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United Nations, Feb 12 (IANS) A United Nations terrorism monitoring team has contradicted Pakistan’s assertion that the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) is “defunct”, noting in a recent report that the group remains active and has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks, including the Red Fort strike in Delhi last November.

The UN’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, in a report submitted to the Security Council last week, said JeM was “reported to be linked to an attack on the Red Fort in New Delhi on 9 November that killed 15 people”.

Without naming Pakistan, the report stated that “a Member State reported that JeM was defunct”, but added that the same submission noted that its leader, Mohammed Masood Azhar Alvi, had “formally announced the establishment of a women-only wing, Jamaat ul-Muminat”.

The report said JeM “had claimed responsibility for a series of attacks”.

JeM and Azhar Alvi are listed under UN sanctions.

India welcomed the acknowledgment of JeM’s role in the report. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday: “We have seen that they have taken on board India’s inputs in regard to our concerns on cross-border terrorism and also as to how we can strengthen the global fight against terrorism.”

The report also referred to the killing of three individuals allegedly linked to the Pahalgam attack, which was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), described as an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), another UN-sanctioned organisation.

“It was reported that on 28 July, three individuals allegedly involved in the attack perpetrated in Pahalgam, in Jammu and Kashmir, were killed,” the report said.

In the attack last April, 26 people were killed at the tourist town in what authorities described as religion-based killings.

The TRF has been sanctioned by the United States and India, but has not been listed by the UN, reportedly due to objections from Pakistan, an elected member of the Security Council, and China.

The report was to be submitted to the Security Council’s 1267 Committee, established to oversee sanctions related to the Islamic State, al-Qaeda and associated entities, which include JeM and LeT.

However, the committee is currently without a chair, amid differences within the Council over the appointment. In the absence of a chair, the report was submitted to the United Kingdom, which holds the Council presidency this month.

Last year, Pakistan had sought the chairmanship of the 1267 Committee but did not secure it. Following discussions, Pakistan was appointed chair of the Taliban Sanctions Committee, while Denmark was named head of the 1267 Committee.

--IANS

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New Delhi/Ottawa, Feb 12 (IANS) India and Canada are not linked by geography or alliance structures but by economic complementarity and shared global governance interests - ties that have historically endured, a report said on Thursday.

If current trends persist, India–Canada relations over the next decade are likely to be driven less by political turbulence and more by investment flows, energy integration, supply chain partnerships and deeper people-to-people ties, former diplomat Sanjay Kumar Verma opined in 'India Narrative'.

He stated that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s expected visit to India in the next few weeks is likely to signal a shift from stabilisation to a more structured phase of expansion in the bilateral ties, with a strong focus on trade architecture, investment flows and long-term energy integration.

“Movement toward finalising the Terms of Reference for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement could represent the most consequential next step in institutionalising economic engagement between the two countries. Greater regulatory facilitation of Indian exports in pharmaceuticals, digital services, engineering goods, and refined petroleum products would significantly expand Indian market access in Canada,” wrote Verma.

“Reciprocally, India is expected to further open market space for Canadian exports in energy resources, potash, pulses, timber, and advanced agricultural technology. Canadian institutional capital already ranks among the largest sources of foreign institutional investment in Indian infrastructure and renewable energy. A structured trade framework has the potential to substantially scale bilateral trade volumes over the coming decade, possibly doubling current levels if tariff, regulatory, and mobility barriers are progressively reduced,” the seasoned diplomat added.

According to Verma, apart from trade, the visit is expected to help shape a clearer economic, security, and strategic framework for the next phase of the partnership.

“Energy cooperation is expected to deepen through structured hydrocarbon supply engagement and expanded discussions on long-term uranium procurement to support India’s civil nuclear expansion and clean baseload energy requirements. Supply chain complementarities are likely to drive reciprocal market access conversations across agriculture, energy, advanced manufacturing inputs, and services trade,” he stated.

“Industrial and technology collaboration is expected to expand across critical minerals processing, advanced materials, aerospace, digital technologies, and next-generation manufacturing ecosystems. Clean and green technology cooperation, including renewable energy integration, carbon management technologies, and emerging hydrogen value chains, is likely to emerge as a defining pillar of the relationship. Parallel expansion is expected across innovation ecosystems, including research collaboration, start-up partnerships and advanced skills mobility,” Verma detailed further.

Along with advancing economic objectives, the report said the visit is also expected to deepen cooperation on security challenges, particularly in countering cross-border terrorism, including Khalistani networks and anti-India elements based in Canada, as well as their financing and transnational enablers.

It highlighted that enhanced coordination between law enforcement and security agencies is expected to “focus on intelligence sharing, disruption of illicit financial flows, and joint action against organised criminal and terror-linked supply chains”.

“At the multilateral level, both sides are also expected to reiterate support for reform of global governance institutions, including the United Nations system, to better reflect contemporary geopolitical and economic realities, strengthen counter-terror cooperation frameworks, and improve the effectiveness of global development and security responses,” Verma noted.

--IANS

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Hanoi, Feb 12 (IANS) Highlighting that India is negotiating a major fighter aircraft deal with France to purchase 114 Dassault Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF), a report has mentioned that by also getting the French aerospace company to also license its systems for construction, India is growing its capabilities and becoming more self-reliant.

As the IAF seeks to modernise and expand its capabilities with the high-performing multirole aircraft, securing a license to manufacture its systems in India will boost the country's capabilities, a report said on Thursday.

“New Delhi is committed to greater indigenisation of their supply chain. So, Indian firms would be doing the lion’s share of creating components and assembling a majority of the jets in India. Dassault is even willing to establish a Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India to ensure the fleet of new planes is properly maintained in the country. In fact, this MRO could serve other operators,” a report in Vietnam Times detailed.

According to the report, local production will enhance India’s indigenous aerospace industry skills, strengthen local supply chains, and could boost export earnings over time.

“By building these systems in India, the IAF is going to see a real impact in its operational capabilities. Today, the IAF's gold standard has been to maintain around 42 fighter squadrons. Currently, however, that number is much lower—possibly as low as 30. By infusing indigenously built Rafales with the current fleet, India is making a real enhancement,” it mentioned.

The report stated that there are substantial risks involved, such as India’s difficulty in meeting tolerances at scale. It added that while the approach is a smart move for India, there is a chance that costs could escalate.

“Ultimately, this Rafale deal is not really about France, or even about the bird itself. India is buying itself a stopgap from France. It’s a stopgap that ensures the IAF will have the requisite squadron strength and strategic breathing room — all while enhancing the country’s indigenous aerospace industry at a time it will soon be able to maintain modern fleets, meaning true strategic autonomy will have been achieved — the dream of India’s strategists since the earliest days of independence,” it noted.

--IANS

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Islamabad, Feb 12 (IANS) Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has admitted that the Gulf countries have stopped issuing visas to Pakistanis as mafia groups continue to export "beggars" to these nations.

Sharing a video on social media that revealed how beggars in Pakistan earn enough money to purchase houses through organised networks, Asif highlighted that this has prompted the Gulf nations to stop issuing visas to Pakistanis now, UAE's leading daily Khaleej Times reported.

The video showed a Pakistani man speaking with a child beggar and revealing how entire families work together to earn money through begging. Reacting to the video, Asif said "begging has become a profession" that is quite organised.

"There are formal contractors who recruit children, women, and fake disabled people and earn billions. This same mafia exports these beggars to Gulf countries in the thousands." He further mentioned that fed up by this, the Gulf nations have stopped issuing visas to Pakistani nationals.

According to Pakistan's Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development data, more than 7,800 Pakistanis were deported from 2019-2025 for various charges, including begging. Pakistan started cancelling passports of deportees in 2025.

Asif stated that Pakistani airport staff was also involved in these rackets and mentioned that this "business" is not possible in any city without the support of the administration and the police, Khaleej Times reported.

In the video, when asked by the interviewer about his earnings, the child shared details of what he and his three brothers make Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 12,000 on an average day. The boy revealed that his sibling "acts" and is not specially-abled and his family has purchased a house in Faisalabad.

In December 2024, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and several other Gulf countries imposed an indefinite ban on granting visas to people from at least 30 different cities of Pakistan, following an alarming rise in the number of cases where Pakistani nationals were caught begging or being involved in smuggling, drug trafficking, human trafficking and other criminal offences abroad.

--IANS

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Washington, Feb 12 (IANS) Two Pakistani nationals have been indicted in Chicago for their alleged roles in a $10 million healthcare fraud scheme that prosecutors say siphoned funds from medicare and private insurers and routed proceeds overseas.

Burhan Mirz and Kashif Iqbal, along with several co-schemers, used nominee-owned laboratories and durable medical equipment providers in 2023 and 2024 to submit fraudulent claims for items and services that were never provided, federal prosecutors alleged.

Mirza, 31, is described in the indictment as “a Pakistani native who resided in Pakistan” and who “obtained the identifying information of individuals, providers, and insurers without their knowledge and used the information to support the bogus claims submitted on behalf of the nominee-owned companies.”

Iqbal, 48, also identified as “a Pakistani native,” resided in Lavon, Texas, and was allegedly associated with multiple durable medical equipment providers that submitted fraudulent claims. Prosecutors say Iqbal “laundered fraud proceeds obtained by the co-schemers and coordinated the transfer of money obtained through the scheme to Pakistan.”

“These alleged criminals stole from a program designed to provide health care benefits to American seniors and the disabled, not line the pockets of foreign fraudsters. We will not tolerate these schemes that divert taxpayer dollars to criminals,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

US Attorney Andrew S Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois said, “Every fraudulent submission in this case was a hand in the pocket of a senior citizen or disabled person who relies on Medicare to fund critically important care.” He added: “The defendants didn’t just steal from a government program; they stole from taxpayers who fund the promise of healthcare in this country.”

Mirza faces 12 counts of health care fraud and five counts of money laundering. Iqbal is charged with 12 counts of health care fraud, six counts of money laundering, and one count of making a false statement to US law enforcement. Arraignments have not yet been scheduled.

Three alleged co-schemers — Mir Akbar Khan, Fasiur Rahman Syed, and Navaid Rasheed — were previously indicted and have pleaded guilty to federal health care fraud charges. They are awaiting sentencing.

--IANS

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