Ann Lata Kalayil, one of the founders of the Chicago-based Indo- American Democratic Organisation, and a close friend and supporter of United States Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama for several years, has been appointed co-chair of the newly minted Asian American and Pacific Islander National Leadership Council of the Obama for America campaign.
Senator Joseph Biden argued that an out of control Pakistan with nuclear weapons is far more dangerous to the United States than Iran seeking 2.6 kg of enriched uranium. "This is complicated stuff. The fact of the matter is that the Iranians may get 2.6 kg of highly-enriched uranium. But the Pakistanis have hundreds -- thousands of kilograms of highly-enriched uranium," Biden argued in a debate among Democrats seeking the party's nomination in Philadelphia.
The US House of Representatives has for the first time passed a resolution recognising the "religious and historical significance" of Diwali.
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday spoke to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee over telephone about the bilateral nuclear deal. During the conversation, Rice conveyed to Mukherjee that the US was keen on moving ahead with the civilian nuclear deal, informed State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. McCormack said, "She (Rice) still supports it going forward. We have conveyed that to the Indian government at a number of different levels."
India must continue with its economic reform agenda or risk lose the credibility it has acquired in the world over the years, a top US administration official has said.
"If the Doha Round does not materialise that would not be on account of the US agricultural subsidies ... major emerging economies (India and Brazil) are not coming up with enough market access, especially in non-agricultural areas such as services including financial services," US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who will be visiting India shortly said.
Paulson has also taken a dig at China "for not being bold" despite the fact that Beijing is integrated into the global economy.
Amid continuing uncertainty over the fate of the India-United States civilian nuclear agreement, the US has said that it is too early to express disappointment about it. US authorities also expressed hope that the two sides 'can get it done'. White House spokesperson Tony Fratto said that the Bush administration remained committed to the civil nuclear agreement despite signs that the Manmohan Singh government may balk due to opposition at home from Left parties.
Asked if the the recent decision to put on 'hold' the US India Civilian Nuclear deal will impact the financial markets, the finance minister said the decision would not have a direct impact on the financial markets of the country although there is bound to be some disappointment. He said the government has clearly mentioned that it has no intentions to impose capital controls, or to keep out any kind of funds.
Countries like India and China would have to be engaged if the World Bank has to successfully address the issue of poverty, president of the Bank Robert Zoellick has said, brushing aside arguments that the portfolios of these countries needs to be reduced due to their strong foreign exchange reserves.
With 3,942 or the 3,967 precincts reporting after the polls closed at 8 pm on October 20, Jindal had received a massive 685,555 votes or 53.69 percent, which put him over the top of the magic 50 percentile that precludes a November run-off and automatically makes him the next governor of this Cajun state
The IMF has said the fall in inflation rate and slowdown in credit growth were positive signs but the RBI must remain vigilant to prevent overheating of the India economy.
Swadesh Chatterjee, coordinator of the US-India Friendship Council--the umbrella organization of community groups--that was formed exclusively to lobby on behalf of the deal in Congress, said, "Disappointment is an understatement."
The Hyde Act, signed into law by President Bush in December last year, grants the President authority to waive certain sections of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 and the 1978 Nuclear Nonproliferation Act
Expressing regret that the US decision to honour him has caused tension between Washington and Beijing, the Dalai Lama on Wednesday categorically said that he was not seeking Tibetan independence. But the Tibetan spiritual leader alleged that his homeland is facing social and environmental degradation due to the Chinese rule.
Bruce Riedel and Karl F Inderfurth, who were the point persons for South Asia in the Clinton administration and are expected to play key roles if a Democratic administration recaptures the White House, particularly a Hillary Clinton Administration, have bemoaned the unraveling of the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement.
Washington on Tuesday said that it is hopeful that New Delhi will continue its efforts to implement the agreement. Without disclosing the details of the conversation between US President George W Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday night, the State Department said the deal was 'positive and good' for both the countries as well as for the broader efforts of non-proliferation.
Terming the Indian growth pattern as impressive, the International Monetary Fund has said that it does not foresee the economy overheating as long as the current monetary policy is in place. "(India's) growth has been impressive--9.7 per cent in 2006, 8.9 per cent in 2007 and we are viewing at 8.4 per cent in 2008. That is really an impressive growth pattern," IMF Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato said.
The lawmaker, who was among the authors of the enabling legislation -- called the Hyde Act -- to facilitate the nuclear agreement, said: "The ball is back in your (India's) court. To those who would try to bully from a minority position, to tell the majority of people what is in their national interests and that if they do not do as that group says, that they are being bullied, are themselves the bullies."
Gore, who lost the 2000 presidential election to Bush, has since transformed himself into an avid environment campaigner, even winning an Oscar for his documentary "An inconvenient truth", a film about global warming.
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