News for 'US Agency for International Development'

Modi-Biden talks: A call on Taliban to end terror

Modi-Biden talks: A call on Taliban to end terror

Rediff.com25 Sep 2021

In a US-India Joint Leaders' Statement issued after the first in-person bilateral meeting between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Friday, the two leaders underscored the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan.

'Abu Salem will be bumped off... by Indian intelligence agencies'

'Abu Salem will be bumped off... by Indian intelligence agencies'

Rediff.com29 Dec 2014

'Even the mafia has certain ethics and follow certain rules, but Abu Salem was so ruthless, so inhuman, there was no ethics at all. He had no basic humanity in him.' India's foremost crime writer S Hussain Zaidi on the dreaded gangster.

Coming soon! AMCA, India's Gen-5 fighter

Coming soon! AMCA, India's Gen-5 fighter

Rediff.com28 Dec 2019

While its operating radius remains secret, a back-of-the-envelope calculation indicates it can easily strike targets 1,000 kilometres away and return to base.

As India watches, China grows powerful in Sri Lanka

As India watches, China grows powerful in Sri Lanka

Rediff.com8 Jun 2021

Xi Jinping is winning the war without firing a shot in Sri Lanka, observes Colonel R Hariharan (retd).

Father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb AQ Khan passes away at 85

Father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb AQ Khan passes away at 85

Rediff.com10 Oct 2021

AQ Khan, a controversial scientist known as the father of Pakistan's clandestine nuclear programme, passed away here on Sunday after a brief illness. He was 85.

India's tryst with coal and clean energy is coming unstuck

India's tryst with coal and clean energy is coming unstuck

Rediff.com17 May 2022

India's jugalbandhi with coal and clean energy is coming unstuck, neither achieving adequate renewable generation nor ensuring sufficient coal-fired power in the quest to become a $5-trillion economy. Six months have elapsed since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ambitious climate agenda for India at COP26 at Glasgow. The net zero emissions target by 2070 is a distant one, but there are nearer-term plans to meet 50 per cent of energy demand with renewables by 2030 by increasing capacity to 450 Gw. A cursory look at the balance sheet of India's climate progress since November reveals ponderous progress towards meeting the renewables target even as the country is scrambling to expand coal-fired generation in the face of a power crisis.

China endorses new Taliban govt; announces $31 million aid

China endorses new Taliban govt; announces $31 million aid

Rediff.com8 Sep 2021

Taking part in the first meeting of Foreign Ministers of the neighbouring countries on Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China will provide Afghanistan with 200 million yuan ($31 million) worth of grains, winter supplies, vaccines and medicines as per its requirements, official media in Beijing reported.

Why are electric two-wheelers in India catching fire?

Why are electric two-wheelers in India catching fire?

Rediff.com12 May 2022

Nearly a decade ago, the first fully electric vehicle (EV) caught fire on the road in the US. It was a model from Tesla, the world's most admired EV maker. A metal fragment punctured the underbelly of the vehicle, penetrating its battery pack, leading to a fire. Indian lawmakers and automakers have had nine years to study the incident (in fact, three Tesla Model Ss caught fire in two months in 2013) but seem to have learnt little.

NIA to probe Kerala gold smuggling case

NIA to probe Kerala gold smuggling case

Rediff.com10 Jul 2020

The gold, weighing over 30 kg, was seized from the "diplomatic baggage" that had landed by air cargo at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport recently from the Gulf.

SoftBank-backed Ola raises $500-mn term loan

SoftBank-backed Ola raises $500-mn term loan

Rediff.com17 Dec 2021

IPO-bound mobility platform Ola, said it has successfully raised $500 million via a Term Loan B (TLB) from marquee international institutional investors. This term loan has no impact on the valuation of Bhavish Aggarwal-led Ola. The Bengaluru-based firm recently raised $139 million. This is part of a $1 billion funding round for which the company is in talks with investors, increasing its valuation to about $7.5 billion, according to the sources.

Anil Pahwa chosen as Jefferson Science Fellow

Anil Pahwa chosen as Jefferson Science Fellow

Rediff.com5 Jun 2014

Anil Pahwa, Logan-Fetterhoof chair professor of electrical and computer engineering, Kansas State University, was last month named among the 13 Jefferson Science Fellows. The prestigious program is administered by the National Academies and supported through partnerships with the science, technology and engineering academic community, professional scientific societies, the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development.

Gaganyaan likely to be delayed by 1 yr due to pandemic

Gaganyaan likely to be delayed by 1 yr due to pandemic

Rediff.com7 Dec 2020

The Gaganyaan project has the objective of demonstrating human space flight capability to Low Earth Orbit with three crew members in orbit and safely recovering them after the mission.

Delhi-Alwar rapid rail: India in talks for $3 bn funding

Delhi-Alwar rapid rail: India in talks for $3 bn funding

Rediff.com7 Oct 2020

The project will be in three stages and sources indicate that the funding will be for the first stage of 107 kilometre from Sarai Kale Khan to SNB Urban Complex.

How Kharge Can Change Indian Politics

How Kharge Can Change Indian Politics

Rediff.com28 Oct 2022

A new Congress leader may make an electoral impact by his very presence. Congress voters who had moved away from the party, after being influenced by the BJP's 'family rule' campaign, can now return with a certain moral satisfaction, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.

CBI case may be GVK chief's biggest test yet

CBI case may be GVK chief's biggest test yet

Rediff.com10 Jul 2020

Real estate development on Mumbai airport land and the work on Navi Mumbai airport have been inordinately delayed, which have prompted rating downgrades and raised questions on its financial capabilities. It is also trying to stave off Adani group's entry as a shareholder in the Mumbai airport project.

New India can achieve difficult targets: PM on 1bn jabs feat

New India can achieve difficult targets: PM on 1bn jabs feat

Rediff.com22 Oct 2021

"It is a matter of pride for us that India's vaccination programme has been science-born, science-driven and science-based," Modi said.

Tokyo gold winners to get Rs 75 lakh from IOA

Tokyo gold winners to get Rs 75 lakh from IOA

Rediff.com23 Jul 2021

IOA also said that the member State Olympic Associations "will also receive a sum of Rs 15 lakh each, as a contribution from IOA towards developing sports infrastructure in the states and in encouraging more athletes to take up sports."

China announces additional $30 million grant for WHO

China announces additional $30 million grant for WHO

Rediff.com23 Apr 2020

The grant will be in addition to the $20 million provided by China, the world's second largest economy, earlier to the WHO.

Cleared of doping Chanu to finally get Arjuna award

Cleared of doping Chanu to finally get Arjuna award

Rediff.com25 Jun 2020

Sanjita Chanu will be conferred with the Arjuna award as per a 2018 Delhi High Court order, which directed the selection committee to consider her and keep the decision in a sealed cover to be disclosed only if she was absolved of the doping charges.

Aryan Khan's bail plea to be heard on Oct 13

Aryan Khan's bail plea to be heard on Oct 13

Rediff.com11 Oct 2021

Aryan Khan was arrested on October 3. He is currently in judicial custody and lodged at the Arthur Road prison in Mumbai.

'If the Taliban see my father, they could harm him'

'If the Taliban see my father, they could harm him'

Rediff.com17 Sep 2021

For Afghans in India, including medical tourists from the war-torn country as well as migrants and refugees staying here much longer, the safety of friends and families is the biggest concern - particularly for those linked to the now collapsed government or who have had work ties with the US.

How IITs, NITs are grading students

How IITs, NITs are grading students

Rediff.com25 Jun 2020

To stay on course with their academic calendars, several steps for graduating batches and fresh incoming batches are being taken.

Surging prices threaten to spoil India's coming-of-age gas party

Surging prices threaten to spoil India's coming-of-age gas party

Rediff.com17 Dec 2021

Around 15 years ago, when Reliance Industries (RIL) struck natural gas in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin off the east coast, the government made plans to supply that fuel cheaply to scores of generators that sprang up in India triggered by the discovery. Most of the plants, which account for 6 per cent of India's total generation capacity, operate sparsely after the KG-D6 area first failed to meet production targets, and then finally shut shop. Affordable domestic gas was why those thermal plants came up and the rate of the fuel today is why those generators hardly operate. Record liquefied natural gas (LNG) rates may yet again unravel India's ambitions to expand use of gas in industries, households and vehicles. Rates, while volatile, may stay strong this decade as developed nations with higher purchasing power embrace gas as the transition fuel.

When R K Krishna Kumar Spoke To Rediff

When R K Krishna Kumar Spoke To Rediff

Rediff.com2 Jan 2023

Few people know Ratan Tata as well as R K Krishna Kumar does. Widely perceived to be among the managers closest to Tata, Krishna Kumar assesses Ratan Tata, the man and business leader, in this exclusive interview to Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel.

Trouble brewing for India's GIFT City

Trouble brewing for India's GIFT City

Rediff.com25 Nov 2019

At the end of October, Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena handed over the deeds for the transfer of 116 hectares in Colombo Port City to China Harbour Engineering Company on a 99-year lease to build a financial centre.

Kamathipura: From shanty locality to prized real estate

Kamathipura: From shanty locality to prized real estate

Rediff.com17 Apr 2022

After years of living with his family in a poky 110 sq. ft. 'house', textile worker Sambhaji Surve dreams of moving into a home four times the size once the Maharashtra government starts its ambitious redevelopment of the 39-acre Kamathipura shanty town in south-central Mumbai. Sharing his dream are about 8,000 other families hoping for a better life when the redevelopment project, part of the government's effort to redevelop old settlements and make life more livable for some residents, gets underway. The Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party aims to redevelop BDD Chawl and Dharavi but for Surve all the matters is Kamathipura where he arrived in the 1970s from Nasik to work in a textile mill. Kamathipura was originally built 150 years ago following construction of a causeway to connect the seven islands of Mumbai. From the British Raj to post-independence, it became infamous for slums and brothels.

US Wants To Be Friends With Taliban?

US Wants To Be Friends With Taliban?

Rediff.com4 Feb 2022

Regional States will be worried that the US's nascent engagement with the Taliban behind the fig leaf of humanitarian aid enables the return of US intelligence personnel to Afghanistan, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Don't leave diplomacy to diplomats

Don't leave diplomacy to diplomats

Rediff.com20 Jan 2014

The perfunctory management of external affairs has left India's foreign policy establishment largely unprepared to manage the consequences of dramatic international developments, says Nitin Pai.

Afghanistan can't be terror haven: China warns Taliban

Afghanistan can't be terror haven: China warns Taliban

Rediff.com17 Aug 2021

The remarks by China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, Geng Shuang, came during an emergency meeting of the Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan on Monday after the sudden and rapid takeover of the Afghanistan government by the Taliban insurgents.

H-1B visas: Biden administration says lottery system to continue till Dec 31

H-1B visas: Biden administration says lottery system to continue till Dec 31

Rediff.com5 Feb 2021

The Biden administration has announced that it is delaying the H-1B policy of the previous Trump administration on allocation of the popular foreign work visas by continuing with the lottery system until December 31, 2021, to give the immigration agency more time to develop, test and implement the modifications to the registration system. On January 7, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced to do away with the traditional lottery system in deciding the successful applicants for the H-1B visas. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

Global Indian Diaspora seeks repeal of farm laws

Global Indian Diaspora seeks repeal of farm laws

Rediff.com1 Feb 2021

India has called the remarks by foreign leaders and organisations on protests by farmers as "ill-informed" and "unwarranted", asserting that the matter pertains to the internal affairs of a democratic country.

Why finding COVID-19 vaccine won't be enough to end pandemic

Why finding COVID-19 vaccine won't be enough to end pandemic

Rediff.com13 May 2020

Medical experts have warned that the volume of vaccine available to fight the coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2 in coming years is expected to fall far short of global demand, despite an unprecedented effort to manufacture billions of doses.

'NADA will test cricketers whenever and wherever they want'

'NADA will test cricketers whenever and wherever they want'

Rediff.com9 Aug 2019

BCCI finally agreed to come under the ambit of NADA, in the process becoming a National Sports Federation despite being financially autonomous.

PM visit to sow seeds of change in Israel agri ties

PM visit to sow seeds of change in Israel agri ties

Rediff.com29 Jun 2017

Modi's visit to dwell on water conservation, Israel's expertise in desalination may also be tapped

'Nothing new about cyclones in May'

'Nothing new about cyclones in May'

Rediff.com11 Jun 2021

'It is the most prone month for the development of cyclones in the pre-monsoon period.'

Illegal snooping not possible in India: IT minister in Lok Sabha

Illegal snooping not possible in India: IT minister in Lok Sabha

Rediff.com19 Jul 2021

More than 300 verified mobile phone numbers, including of two serving ministers, over 40 journalists, three opposition leaders and one sitting judge besides scores of business persons and activists in India could have been targeted for hacking through an Israeli spyware sold only to government agencies, an international media consortium reported on Sunday.

Obama's new initiative to boost entrepreneurs, jobs in India

Obama's new initiative to boost entrepreneurs, jobs in India

Rediff.com27 Jan 2015

US president Barack Obama new initiative to help millions of proud Indian-Americans directly invest in India's future.

ICRA sacks Naresh Takkar as MD following probe

ICRA sacks Naresh Takkar as MD following probe

Rediff.com30 Aug 2019

Without disclosing reasons, ICRA informed the stock exchanges on Thursday, 'The board, after due consideration and taking into account the best interests of the company and its various stakeholders, has decided to terminate the employment of Takkar with immediate effect.'

Neeraj to spearhead 22-member Indian team at World Athletics

Neeraj to spearhead 22-member Indian team at World Athletics

Rediff.com1 Jul 2022

Jeswin Aldrin, who had already qualified for the championships, however missed the cut.

USAID's Raj Shah is quitting Obama administration

USAID's Raj Shah is quitting Obama administration

Rediff.com17 Dec 2014

The highest ranking Indian-American in the Obama Administration, Raj Shah on Wednesday announced to step down as administrator of the US Agency for International Development in mid-February next year after receiving high-praise from the President.