The ruling Congress is seeking to retain power in Chhattisgarh by banking on the welfare schemes of the Bhupesh Baghel government, while the Bharatiya Janata Party is hoping to corner it on the issues of alleged corruption, religious conversions and unfulfilled poll promises.
Boucher, who is the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, was asked by rediff.com not to dodge the question but to clearly articulate which one was binding on Indiathe Hyde Act or the 123 agreement. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had recently assured the Congress that for the nuclear deal to be consummated, it has to be consistent with the Hyde Act.
Confirming rediff.com's scoop of October 15 on how United States officials wanted US President Barack Obama to endorse India's bid for permanent membership in the United States Security Council, advising him it could make his India visit truly historic, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Robert Blake said Monday, that even though the President's announcement of support for India's candidacy during his address to Parliament came as a surprise to many people,
National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon and United States Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher agreed that there was a need for Pakistan to eliminate Lashkar-e-Tayiba, but differed on the tactics to be adopted for such an exercise.American embassy diplomatic cables leaked by the whistle-blowing web site WikiLeaks reveal that US diplomats made repeated efforts to reassure their often frustrated Indian counterparts.
Citing complaints against Rajshekhar for 'running an extortion racket and demanding protection money', Delhi vigilance minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on May 13 ordered withdrawing all work assigned to the officer with immediate effect.
While the international community has long suspected that the US has warheads remaining in Europe, the locations of the bombs have never been revealed -- until now.
India has voiced deep concern over the deteriorating security situation and large-scale loss of civilian life in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, urging the parties to work towards creating conditions necessary for peace and restarting direct negotiations through de-escalation and ending violence.
Suresh Kumar's nomination by United States President Barack Obama, to be assistant secretary of commerce and director general of the United States and Foreign Commerce Service, sailed through two key US Senate Committees last week.Now the full Senate has to vote on his nomination, and sources said he could be in place in his job at Commerce by late February or early March.
In an apparent reference to India, the United States on Friday said it wants emerging powers to cooperate with its effort to galvanise international community in imposing sanctions against Iran through United Nations Security Council.
While welcoming the landmark victory of Mahinda Rajapaksa in the Sri Lankan presidential polls, the United States has underlined the need for a 'thorough' probe into 'possible violation' of election laws.
Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr are among the heroes of United States President Barack Obama, a senior Obama administration official has said. "Barack Obama, first African-American president and a student of those principles, identifies Gandhi's autobiography and Taylor Branch's terrific three-part biography of King, as works that helped shape him," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake said.
The Congress and the Left parties have not only extended support to the Samajwadi Party candidate but are also campaigning for him, in accordance with the spirit of the new opposition togetherness ahead of next year's general election.
United States Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O Blake, the Obama administration's point man for the subcontinent, still can't get over the Bharatiya Janata Party's opposition to the US-India civilian nuclear deal, despite the fact that it initiated and championed this accord during the time it was in power.
The relationship between New Delhi and Tehran has caused some concern on Capitol Hill.
United States President-elect Donald Trump has formally nominated James Mattis, a retired 4-star Marine Corps general who has long voiced concerns about the threat posed by Iran, as the Defence Secretary to replace Ashton Carter.
'Perhaps it isn't protocol at all, but power before which we abase ourselves,' says Sunanda K Datta-Ray.
The United States is working with India to deepen defence co-operation as part of its new rebalancing strategy in Asia which is not aimed at containing China, a top Pentagon official has said.
Even months after India decided to forego the United States bid for the fighter aircraft deal worth $11 billion, the Pentagon apparently is still smarting over this rejection, arguing that it was an enormous disappointment and that New Delhi by its action had lost out on some of the state-of-the art technology.
The United States is talking to both India and Pakistan about their nuclear programmes, a top Obama Administration official has said.
Rice's concerns were over the bills in their current form. India believed this was a case of 'moving the goal-posts.'
It is "too premature" to talk about the extradition of US national David Coleman Headley to India for his alleged role in Mumbai terror attacks, a top Obama Administration official has said.
Ekka, who is embroiled in the controversy for allegedly signing official documents at a private place, was removed from the post following Bharatiya Janata Party's allegation of his conniving with middlemen.
The United States said it expected full cooperation from Pakistan in its investigations related to the Times Square bomb case, in which prime suspect Faisal Shahzad has told federal authorities that he received bomb-making training in Waziristan.
The United States has rejected claims that it was under pressure from India not to provide drone technology to Pakistan.
"Our understanding is, it was a very positive cordial meeting. There were the pledges of further conversation by their Foreign Ministers. We are very encouraged by it," Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley, told PTI.
Amid concern over some NGOs misusing foreign aid, the United States is preparing an online searchable database containing a vetted list of transparent and accountable Indian non-government bodies so that philanthropists can safely donate funds to them.
The US is working to enhance partnerships with India's smaller cities and towns which are fast becoming the engines of the country's economic boom, a senior American official has said.
"I believe it would a great thing if the president were to do this during his visit," Karl Inderfurth, professor of international relations at George Washington University, told Rediff India Abroad
India depends on Iran for 12 per cent of its 80 per cent of imports of crude.
Robert Blake says the United States wants to partner India on a range of global issues.
Hoping to get a bigger slice in the pie of massive Indian defence modernisation efforts, the US has said the level of its willingness to share defence technologies with India has never been higher than it is now.
The Obama administration's point man for South Asia, Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake has said that India is a role model for women's empowerment on the world stage.
The new security assistance provided to Ukraine includes 800 anti-aircraft, 9000 anti-armour systems, 7,000 small arms such as machine guns, shotguns, and grenade launchers as well as drones and other military equipment.
The Obama Administration is encouraged by recent steps taken by the governments of India and Pakistan to initiate closer trade and commercial ties.
The new rules will apply to those within categories of B1, B2, C and D.
State Health Minister K K Shailaja told reporters that the government has declared the epidemic as a 'state calamity' to take all necessary steps to ensure that the outbreak is effectively controlled. A medical bulletin issued by the government said the health status of all the three students, who tested positive for the virus, was 'satisfactory'.
The India Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies -- a leading Washington, DC think tank -- will be occupied by Karl F Inderfurth, erstwhile Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs in the Clinton Administration.
