While Chopra's appointment does not need any confirmation by the US Senate, Shah's nomination does, but is expected to be a formality, considering his impeccable track record at the Gates Foundation and his previous experience, expertise and tremendous qualifications which includes both an MD and a Masters degree in health economics.
Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, went ballistic at a forum in Washington DC, slamming Congressional critics, the media and leading analysts who have predicted that Pakistan is on the verge of becoming a failed state and bound to implode, and those who have accused the ISI of colluding with al Qaeda and the Taliban while Islamabad rakes in the massive largesse of American economic and security assistance.
It was imperative if the war against extremism and terrorism that threatens to tear apart both countries and could have dire consequences to the region is to be combated, Afghanistan's Ambassador to the United States Said Jawad said, adding that while Afghanistan does not question Pak civilian government's commitment to combat terrorism, the military still seemed to be obsessed with India instead of the existential threat that threatens the very fabric of Pak and Afghanistan.
'The high profit margins in this kind of crime make it little wonder why gangsters and terrorists have turned to piracy.'
Two Sikh-American military recruits, both medical professionals already in the US Army, who have been denied the right to report for active duty in July unless they remove their turbans and cut their unshorn hair and beards, have called on the Pentagon to allow them to serve their country without having to compromise their religious principles.
'We already have Indian Islamic extremist groups working in India, and secondly, if Pakistan slides even further, India will be sharing a border with the Taliban,' says Ahmed Rashid, perhaps the world's foremost expert on the Taliban.
The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values, the fourth such center in the world, seeks to promote the Dalai Lama's vision of a better world by sponsoring interdisciplinary programs and deliberations on ethics. Attending the two-day event, among others, will be former Indian President A P J Kalam.
Two nonproliferation hawks, who vehemently opposed the US-India civilian nuclear deal, will soon man the White House and State Department and lead the charge to push President Obama's non-proliferation agenda to seek a worldwide ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and a strengthening of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty that is bound to bring pressure to bear on India that has been loath to sign the CTBT and has maintained the NPT is discriminatory.
The appointment of veteran diplomat Peter Burleigh as charge d'affaires at the American embassy in New Delhi was a Department decision and not on the recommendation of Richard Holbrooke, Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, as had been rumored because of their earlier longtime working relationship, senior Administration sources have told rediff.com.
President Barack Obama has appointed the first Hindu community activist and one of the first Hindu women priests in New Jersey, Anju Bhargava, to the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Senior administration officials acknowledged that US wants India to be a key stakeholder in the development efforts in this beleaguered country, where winning the hearts and minds of the populace will be imperative in the war against the al Qaeda, Taliban and other extremists elements.India's experience and expertise on helping the US in its developments efforts would be invaluable, because "there is a clear recognition that Indian aid to Afghanistan has been effective."
The Maryland House of Delegates has passed major legislation authored by Majority Leader Kumar Barve--the longest-serving Indian American legislator--to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state.
The decision by the new Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Leon Panetta who chose India for his first overseas trip--unprecedented in the annals of the spy agency's history-- was deliberate and intended to sustain the momentum and institutionalize the unprecedented intelligence cooperation between Washington and New Delhi that began in the aftermath of the horrific 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, say intelligence officials.
Foreign Service Officer Robert Orris Blake, Jr, who is currently the United States' Ambassador to Sri Lanka, before which he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in New Delhi from 2003 to 2006, is the top contender for the post of the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, currently held by diplomat Richard Boucher.
Although Pakistan faces an 'existential' threat from terrorists within its borders, many of its leaders are still hung up on India as that country's principal enemy, the chief of United States Central Command has informed the US Congress.This observation was made by Army General David Petraeus, who was addressing the Senate Armed Services Committee to sell President Barack Obama's comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, which he unveiled last week.
A recent study on film piracy conducted by the Rand Corporation confirms what India has been saying for long about Dawood Ibrahim, an underworld don who is currently on the wanted list by the Interpol. The Rand study says that Ibrahim is one of the examples exemplifying the links between crime and terror around the globe.
International sanctions need to be imposed on any government that helps terrorists anywhere in the world, New York Democrat Gary Ackerman, who is serving his 14th term in the United States Congress, stated on Monday.Ackerman, who was addressing the audience on the inaugural day of a two-day conference on 'Israel and India: A Relationship Comes of Age' in New York, did not name any country.
A procedure known as the Technology Alert List, used to screen visa applications or stamping of visa extensions of people coming to the United States for graduate studies, research or employment in certain specialized areas, seems to have become a hurdle for some highly qualified Indians who want to return to the US.
Half of all Americans expect another country to emerge this century as the world's technology leader, according to a survey released earlier this month by Duke University. 72 per cent expect the technological advancements of the 21st century to surpass those of the previous century, and only 49 per cent predict the US will lead the way in producing these advances.
'By developing a culturally-competent approach to health care, SATHI will significantly improve the quality and delivery of health care and health outcomes for New Jerseyans of South Asian descent,' Upendra Chivukula (Democrat, Somerset) and deputy speaker of the NJ Assembly, said.
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