Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed progress in talks between the US and Iran on Tehran's nuclear program during a conversation with US President Donald Trump on Monday, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said, and offered Russia's help.Ushakov said Putin also welcomed the results of Trump's visit to the Middle East last week.

US Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on Monday introduced a bill that would prevent any foreign aircraft from being used as Air Force One, the aircraft that transports the US president.Schumer introduced the "Presidential Airlift Security Act" after news last week that President Donald Trump planned to accept a $400 million airplane from Qatar, which legal experts said raised a raft of questions about the scope of laws that relate to gifts from foreign governments and are intended to thwart corruption and improper influence.

The US Senate on Monday confirmed Charles Kushner, father of President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and the recipient of a presidential pardon after his conviction for witness tampering and tax evasion, to be ambassador to France.The Senate backed Kushner 51 to 45. Senator Cory Booker, who represents Kushner's home state of New Jersey, was the only Democrat to vote along with Trump's fellow Republicans in favor of the nomination. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the only Republican who opposed it.

The United States announced on Monday the formation of a new unit that will crack down on federally funded universities that have diversity, equity, and inclusion policies using a civil anti-fraud law, the Justice Department said in a memo.The creation of the "Civil Rights Fraud Initiative" marks the latest escalation by the administration of President Donald Trump against colleges and universities that it has claimed are pushing antisemitic, anti-American, Marxist, and "radical left" ideologies.

The US Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday that it is terminating $60 million in federal grants to Harvard University due to its "failure to address antisemitic harassment and racial discrimination."

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX-owned satellite internet service Starlink launched in Bangladesh on Tuesday, as the South Asian nation steps up efforts to ensure reliable, uninterrupted access to the internet.Muhammad Yunus, who has led the government since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh following weeks of violent protest last year, has said the deal provided a service that could not be disrupted by any future political upheaval.Monthly packages start at 4,200 taka ($35) for the service now available nationwide, said Yunus aide Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, with a one-time payment of 47,000 taka required for setup equipment.