2026 TN elections: Piyush Goyal in Chennai today to begin talks with NDA partners

IANS | December 23, 2025 8:34 AM

Chennai, Dec 23 (IANS) Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, recently appointed as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s election in-charge for Tamil Nadu, is set to formally initiate alliance negotiations with the AIADMK and other National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners during a one-day visit to Chennai on Tuesday.

USCIS tightens H-1B, legal immigration in 2025 review

IANS | December 23, 2025 8:28 AM

Washington, Dec 23 (IANS) US immigration authorities say they are tightening oversight of H-1B visas and other legal immigration programs, citing fraud investigations, new regulatory limits, and a broader enforcement push outlined in a year-end review released.

US to retain seized Venezuelan oil, says Trump

IANS | December 23, 2025 8:00 AM

Washington, Dec 23 (IANS) President Donald Trump said the United States will retain control of recently seized Venezuelan oil, signalling a hardline approach toward Caracas as Washington weighs options ranging from resale to placement in strategic reserves.

Rubio casts US Navy as backbone of global peace

IANS | December 23, 2025 7:31 AM

Washington, Dec 23 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the American naval dominance is a central pillar of global peace and stability, and argued that the US Navy's strength underpins freedom of navigation, deters conflict, and sustains the international order.

2025 tests India-US relations amid tariffs, Pakistan tilt: Expert (IANS interview)

Lalit K Jha | December 23, 2025 7:22 AM

Washington, Dec 23 (IANS) The year 2025 has emerged as a testing phase for India-United States relations, marked by sharp trade frictions and renewed US engagement with Pakistan, even as the two strategic partners made quiet but consequential progress in defence, technology and energy cooperation, a leading India-US policy expert has said.