Puneet Talwar, one of the most respected Middle East policy specialists in administration and Congressional circles, has been nominated by United States President Barack Obama to a senior State Department position.
Former US Ambassador Robert Blackwill cautioned on Tuesday that India may encounter eventual US pressure on Kashmir issue because of Obama Administration's focus on Pakistan.
Corporate America, which played a key role in clinching the civilian nuclear deal, wants the Obama Administration to elevate its relationship with India to the next level, bestowing "special status" on the country in various categories.
The Obama Administration, which is making maximum use of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter in governance, feels these are "effective tools" that can enhance diplomacy.
In a major shift, US President Barack Obama has signalled a potential compromise on the contentious issue of immigration reform that could provide a path to citizenship to 11 million people, including some 2,40,000 Indians, already in America illegally.
The Obama administration has expressed its deep disappointment with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse for relegating the devolution of power in the Tamil majority areas, in the country's northern province, to the back-burner. The international community had urged the Lankan government to put the motion in process after crushing the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
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.
United States President Barack Obama has nominated Nisha Desai Biswal as the new assistant secretary of state for south and central Asian affairs.
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.
With India requesting for higher-level training from the United States in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the Obama administration has asked the Congress to double its anti-terrorism budget to India to $ 4.5 million for the fiscal 2011.
At least 10 Indian-Americans, almost all of them Democrats, have won local and state level elections held in several parts of the country, reflecting the growing political empowerment of the ethnic community that constitutes a little over one percent of the United States' population.
Ahead of the key strategic dialogue with Pakistan, the Obama administration on Wednesday shot down Islamabad's plea to help it resume peace talks with India and mediate on key disputes with New Delhi on issues including Kashmir.
Observing that the future of Afghanistan has a regional dimension, the Obama Administration has hoped that Iran would play a constructive role in bringing long-term peace and stability in the war-torn country.
But there is no unanimity within the Obama Administration on this issue that has the potential to jeopardise the Indo-US business ties.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
Barack Obama and Raul Castro vowed to set aside their differences in pursuit of what the US president called a "new day" for the relationship between the neighbours.
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.
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.
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.
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.
They have also urged the Obama administration to review its decision in this regard.
On the White House website, his staff post a variety of proposals ranging from an "American First Foreign Policy" to killing former President Obama's climate action plan with agenda largely echoing his campaign website.
India has a huge trade surplus with US - over $20 billion a year in the past five years.
"This is something we will keep working on together. We strongly support India's accession in the NSG," he said.
The deal, estimated to be worth USD 2 to 3 billion, has been approved by the state department, the sources said.
Glimpses from the first State dinner at the White House in the Biden administration.
It is in Prime Minister Narendra Modi Modi, officials in Washington believe, US President Barack Obama has found an Indian leader who is willing to walk the talk to realise the common goals of the two countries. Lalit K Jha reports
As anger in the Muslim world over anti-Islam film continued to smolder, the United States administration has turned to social media and television ads to try to stem global protest.
United States Agency for International Development's Indian-American head Raj Shah, who has established himself as one of the most successful administrators of the agency, is being seen as a strong contender for a Cabinet position as President Barack Obama prepares for his second term and forms a new team.
The United States has been successful in engaging with India on tracking money used by radical groups to penetrate into the country, the Barack Obama administration has said as it praised Indian Muslims for demonstrating a great deal of "resilience" against overtures by terrorist groups.
Given Congressional objections, we have told the Pakistanis that they should put forward national funds for that purpose," US State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
Obama and Modi would primarily focus on climate change but will also review progress in bilateral relationship and discussion on regional and global issues including terrorism.
In what the Obama administration is describing an attempt to increase access to the White House, United States President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle have teamed up with Google to create a virtual 360-degree tour of the historic building's public rooms.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will be summoning US Ambassador Richard Verma to convey India's "displeasure".
America's top counter-terrorism official Michael Leiter will quit next month, adding to the turmoil at the top levels of United States President Barack Obama's national security team.
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