After initial skepticism, the Obama administration has finally begun to acknowledge that Hamid Karzai would be re-elected as Afghanistan's President for second consecutive term, media reports said on Monday.
H-4 is issued to the spouse of H-1B visa holders, a significantly large number of whom are high-skilled professionals from India.
The Obama Administration's mega stimulus package that pumped in billions of dollars to revive the sagging US economy at the height of the recession is now giving high returns to the US Treasury, a latest report has said.
The Barack Obama Administration's decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan should not be a cause of concern for India as the regional security situation was taken into account at the time of sale, the Pentagon has said.
"President Obama, Vice President Biden, and I are committed to making the most of this promising moment by deepening the areas of cooperation that exist between India and the United States," Hillary said.
India is one of the key countries that will shape the 21st century, believes Robert D Blake, assistant secretary of state for south and central Asian affairs in the Barack Obama administration.Keynoting a conference titled 'Natural allies? US-Indian Relations in the Obama Era', organised by the Washington-based think tank American Enterprise Institute on Monday, Blake stressed that India's importance to the United States has not diminished.
As the United States grapples with the Af-Pak problem, eight Indian-American organisations on Wednesday appealed to the Barack Obama administration to make military aid to Pakistan conditional and ensure that it is not used against India.In an unanimous resolution, passed after a Capitol Hill briefing on 'Cross-Border Terrorism in Kashmir and the Hindu (Pandit) Victims: Challenges and Solutions', they urged Obama to make sure that the aid is not used against India.
Validating New Delhi's fears that Islamabad was using US security aid to beef up its military against it, the Obama administration has accused Pakistan of illegally modifying the Harpoon anti-ship missile and maritime surveillance aircraft P-3C for land attacks for potential use against India.
United States President-elect Barack Obama's Secretary of State designate Senator Hillary Clinton, appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as part of her confirmation process on Tuesday, said that the Obama administration will condition military aid to Pakistan, on its commitment to counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said it would take quite some time before a decision in this regard is taken by the Obama administration; whose plan to try the 9/11 mastermind in a New York court had to be scuttled due to strong opposition from the New York Mayor and lawmakers from the State.
Former US President Bill Clinton is in North Korean capital Pyongyang to negotiate the release of two American television journalists who were sentenced to 12 years of hard labour for illegally entering North Korea.
The Nuclear Security Summit is being hosted by US President Barack Obama on March 31 and April 1.
Though the Indian caucus in the Obama administration is concerned over the recent reports concerning Pakistan's funds being used against India, it may be unable to bring any changes in the Kerry-Lugar bill that has assured Pakistan of USD 1.5 billion on an annual basis for five years.
"A Biden administration will be mostly positive for India," said Rick Rossow from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank. "I expect most positive areas of cooperation -- notably defence -- to be maintained," he said.
Democrat Joe Biden has defeated Donald Trump in the race to become the 46th US President.
Richard Holbrook, the former United States Ambassador to United Nations, is likely to be appointed envoy to Pakistan, Afghanistan and related matters by the new Obama administration after Hillary Clinton was sworn in as the secretary of State earlier today.Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell is likely to be announced as Middle East Envoy, the Washington Post reported, quoting sources close to the Obama administration.
Observing that the Barack Obama administration is looking at Pakistan through a different lens than its predecessors, a former American diplomat on Wednesday said that the new United States government would quietly focus itself on Kashmir, away from the public gaze. William Milam, the former US Ambassador to Pakistan, identified Kashmir as one of the issues on which the Obama administration would focus on while trying to find a solution to Pakistan.
An influential US Senator has asked the Obama Administration to explain how sending more troops to Afghanistan would help in defeating al-Qaeda when its top leaders have moved to Pakistan's unruly tribal areas.
Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban leader freed from a Pakistani jail on the request of the US less than three years ago, has emerged as an "undisputed victor" of the 20-year war in Afghanistan, according to a British media report.
Describing Iran as an 'important regional player', the new Obama administration has said it has 'a great deal of respect' for the country and is looking for the 'most appropriate framework' for engaging Tehran over its controversial nuclear programme.
The move has now been stalled as lawmakers raised questions about the end use of the combat aircraft.
'Frankly, India has no role to play.' 'This is a showdown between the US and NATO on one hand and Russia on the other.' 'That said, the outcome of this titanic struggle in Central Europe will remould the world order and affect India profoundly,' argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The US spent $1.5 million a day since 2001 fighting the opium war in Afghanistan. After hundreds of airstrikes failed to curtail the Taliban's $200-million-a-year opium trade, the US military quietly ended the campaign when the Trump administration officials engaged in direct peace talks with the Taliban, notes Atanu Biswas.
The Obama administration said there has not been an "iota of change" on its policy on Kashmir, which considers it a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, dismissing the latest Pakistani efforts to seek United States intervention in this regard.
Froman's comments came as the US is pushing countries, including India, Brazil and China to open up their economies for foreign companies.
After Modi became the prime minister, the Indo-US relationship has seen an upward trajectory, he said.
An online White House petition seeking to designate Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism has gained a record half a million signatures, five times the number needed to get a response from the Barack Obama administration.
The United States on Thursday put Iran "on notice" for test-firing a ballistic missile and warned of consequences for its "malign actions", signalling a more hardline stance against Tehran that could set the stage for renewed confrontation between the two nations.
China is going to be an indispensable partner in Russia's ongoing crisis with the US, while on its part, China cannot remain indifferent if Russia gets crushed by the US, lest it loses 'strategic depth', observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The United States on Friday said that there is "a path forward" for India to become a full member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group by the end of the year, hours after the group's plenary meeting ended in Seoul with no decision on India's membership in face of strong China-led opposition.
Specially designated global terrorist Sirajuddin Haqqani, who carries a reward of $10 million US bounty on his head, is the acting interior minister while his uncle -- Khalil Haqqani -- has been named as acting minister for refugees.
The move will boost India's efforts to purchase Predator drones from the US and export its high-tech missiles to friendly nations.
'I have worked long & hard with Robert. He will do a great job!' he said.
The United States is looking forward to welcoming the new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, but refrained from making any announcement on the possible trip in September.
A strong partnership with US would deter China from making any aggressive posture against India, said Puneet Ahluwalia, a member of the Trump's Advisory Committee on Asian Americans.
Through this Budget, the Obama Administration, policy makers, corporate sector and economists in the US are hoping to see a strong sign of a the major economic reforms which were promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his election campaign.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has met US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel and discussed a range of issues, including the strategic Indo-US partnership and future areas of bilateral security cooperation.
US President-elect Joe Biden will work towards providing a roadmap to American citizenship for nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants, including over 500,000 from India, and will also establish a minimum admission number of 95,000 refugees annually.
"This petition has been archived because it did not meet the signature requirements. It can no longer be signed," the White House explained.
The path breaking clean energy policy unveiled by the Obama administration would put the US at a disadvantage against countries like India and China, top US lawmakers and policy advocacy groups have said.
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