'I think we just got to make the protocol we set out: that if you're flying from China, you got to be tested, and so on'
While the two leaders have met earlier when Biden was the Vice President of the country, this is for the first time that Biden will be meeting Modi after he became the 46th president of the US in January.
A US Congress-constituted quasi-judicial body on Monday recommended to the Biden Administration to designate India, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and 11 other nations as "country of particular concern" in the context of status of religious freedom.
'India's specific concerns about whether Russia will be a reliable defense supplier and diplomatic partner in the event of heightened hostilities with China has undoubtedly accelerated the process of US-India defense and intelligence cooperation intended to support Indian military positions along the Line of Actual Control.'
The US Trade Representative noted that India's average applied tariff rate stood at 17% per cent, the highest of any major world economy.
"Contradicting the emerging narrative, Indian-Americans remain committed to the Democratic Party. Nearly three-quarters of registered Indian-American voters intend to support Joe Biden this Fall, compared to just 22 per cent for Donald Trump," it said.
Two powerful US Senators have urged President Joe Biden not to impose provisions of the punitive Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act against India for buying the S-400 surface-to-air missile system from Russia.
"Throughout our history we've learned this lesson -- when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos. They keep moving. And, the costs and threats to America and the world keep rising," Biden said addressing the joint session of the Congress in his first State of the Union.
Indian billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Anand Mahindra, Apple CEO Tim Cook and corporate leader Indira Nooyi were among the guests. CEOs of Google, Microsoft and Adobe -- Sunder Pichai, Satya Nadella and Shantanu Narayen -- also attended the event.
It's not how you talk about friends and it's not how you solve global challenges like climate change,Biden said in a tweet.
An independent United States Congressional research report has alleged that the scope and scale of human rights abuses in India has increased under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
However, Biden expressed his sympathy for the crisis in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the nation in mid-August.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the UN Human Rights Council and prohibiting any future funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Trump also directed the US to review its participation in UNESCO, citing concerns about anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment within the organizations. The executive order argues that the UNHRC, UNESCO, and UNRWA have drifted from their missions and act contrary to US interests. Trump previously halted funds for UNRWA during his first term, and President Joe Biden put a block on US funds for UNRWA in January 2024 over allegations that staff for the agency participated in Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack against Israel.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and SpaceX on Wednesday scrubbed the launch attempt of the agency's Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station due to a 'hydraulic system issue with a ground support clamp arm for the Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A' at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Notably Trump had withdrawn from the Paris Agreement immediately after his first inauguration in January 2017. Joe Biden reversed that decision later.
'India should be aware that China will take full advantage of US domestic turmoil and reduced international prestige,' warns Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
'Don't be fooled. There is nothing more moderate about the revived Taliban government'
The world is watching what's taking place here. We're going to count all the votes, Pompeo said.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF)'s 401st Brigade has eliminated approximately 150 terrorists and gained control over Hamas terrorist strongholds in northern Gaza.
Richard Verma, the highest-ranking Indian-American official in the State Department, has expressed optimism about the future of US-India ties and emphasized the need to base the relationship on shared values rather than mere transactional dealings. Verma, who previously served as America's Ambassador to India, stressed the importance of the Quad in defending the international order, highlighting its shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
'We will stand with friends, partners and allies to advance our shared prosperity, security and values in the Indo-Pacific region'
US Special Coordinator for Tibetan issues Uzra Zeya will travel to India and Nepal this week to deepen cooperation on human rights and democratic governance goals with the two nations, the state department has announced.
Biden got a third Pfizer dose after booster doses were approved by federal health officials.
During a press briefing on Tuesday (local time), White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the United States is closely monitoring the situation and encourages both sides to utilise existing bilateral channels to discuss disputed boundaries.
The Muslim ban initially restricted travel from seven Muslim-majority nations: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Georgia and North Carolina were the last American states to be projected in the race for the White House. Biden's victory in Georgia added 16 electoral votes to his tally, bringing him to 306 -- matching US President Trump's total against Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
US deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said the US raised the issue directly at the most senior levels of the Indian government.
The defence secretary was responding to a question from Congressman Joe Wilson, a friend of India in the Congress who, of late, has been critical of India deciding to take an independent position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Modi will arrive in New York on June 20 and will lead the 9th International Yoga Day celebrations at the UN headquarters on June 21.
The about two-hour-long conversation between the two leaders over a secure video call focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it said.
It would be a challenge to India's policy makers how to deal with Trump so that mutual economic growth remains sustained and mutual understanding on global issues are not hampered, observes Dr Rajaram Panda.
Verma, 54, who served as a former US ambassador to India from January 16, 2015, to January 20, 2017 is currently the chief legal officer and head of global public policy at Mastercard.
The extension aims to facilitate negotiations for a solution that safeguards national security and allows the app to continue operating in the United States. Trump proposed a joint venture granting the US a 50 per cent ownership stake in TikTok.
'The consensus was that the debate was between looking backward and looking forward.' 'Trump, with his great enamourment of his own 'achievements,' was obviously looking backward, while Harris, nearly 20 years his junior, was focussing on the future, with hope,' notes Shreekant Sambrani.
The last meeting of the 2+2 was held in New Delhi and the next meeting is to be hosted by the US in Washington, DC.
"This trip will advance the Biden-Harris administration's rock-solid commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in Washington, DC on Wednesday.
... and there is no stopping its pan-Islamic agenda, cautions Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The new Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal and inconsistent with international law, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said, reversing a Trump-era policy.
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Donald Lu, was speaking to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, just after India had abstained from a vote on the United Nations General Assembly resolution.
President Trump, a Republican, however, did not formally concede the election to Biden, saying he would 'continue to fight and will prevail'. He has launched a slew of lawsuits in key states, but has not provided any evidence to back his claims of electoral fraud. Many of the lawsuits have been dismissed by courts.
