This visa issue had gotten so embarrassing that former Defence Secretary William Cohen, now a member of the US-India Business Council's board of directors, who was presiding along with Ambassador Nirupama Rao at the launch, had to prevail upon Secretary of State John F Kerry and get the visas okayed.
The Forbes 5th annual '30 Under 30' list features 600 women and men.
There was a discussion on trade matters, market access, regulatory issues and barriers. Both leaders underlined the importance of free and fair trade
'2016 may have been unkind, more than other years, but we are here and we owe it to the ones who are gone -- to live and love fully this wonderful gift of life,' says filmmaker Suparn Verma.
As China begins rejuvenation of its military power, there is an urgent need for transformation of the Indian military, says Lieutenant General Anil Chait (retd).
Here's your weekly digest of bizarre moments from around the world.
India has said the multiple terror attacks in Paris and Beirut highlight the urgent need to finalise a global convention on terrorism.
Chaos prevailed at Nepal's only international airport with hundreds waiting to be evacuated from the earthquake-ravaged country.
Nothing spawns the creation and perpetration of conspiracy theories more effectively than an official obsession with secrecy.
Recruitment and import of aircraft still to get going
'I try and be a part the audience to get reactions. If I can predict the expression you will have on your face when you are watching it, then I am in the business of feelings.' Neerja director Ram Madhvani gets ready for his first feature film.
Prices in most areas have been stagnant but some regions are showing reasonable appreciation.
The Bharatiya Janata Party claims it has over six lakh committed workers in Bihar, a team of 10 deployed for each of the 62,200 polling booths.
'In being dismissive of Naveen, his colleagues showed incredible naivety.' 'On the few occasions that he put his foot down, the overconfident party leaders, who believed they were using him and not the other way around, failed to read the signs of what was to come.'
Charles Darwin found his passion playing with rocks halfway around the world.
Rediff.com gathers digs deep, to bring you interesting facts about the Democrat and the former White House First Lady.
Growing trade and commerce in the region could support passenger demand
Amitabh: "There is a very famous limerick that aptly describes my presence tonight, ladies and gentleman: A funny young man from Clyde In a funeral carriage was spied; When asked, "Who is dead?" He giggled and said, "I don't know; I just came for the ride."
'The BJP is no longer the BJP. It has become the Bharatiya Janata Poaching Party.' 'They talk of black money and here they are ready to pay Rs 100 crore to MLAs.'
The Bullet train is a childish desire to join an elite club at the cost of 99.9 per cent of rail passengers, says S Pushpavanam.
Politicians have continued taking people for granted and managed to stay above the law, says T N Ninan
The DGCA probe detected serious issues related to safety oversight.
Is a martyred soldier just a statistic? Our nation, a great civilisation, a great culture has to learn to respect and feel oneness with its soldiers, says Tarun Vijay.
Happy with her latest move, Indrani departed from Courtroom 51 with a spring in her step. The woman who hopped up into the jail truck was a cheerful one.
About 800 people already have paid or put down deposits for rides on SpaceShipTwo, a six-passenger, two-pilot suborbital spaceship owned by Virgin Galactic.
Saroj Kumar Rath, author of the newly-published book Fragile Frontiers: The Secret History of Mumbai Terror Attacks, speaks to Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa.
'The real challenge cannot be underestimated considering that this is still very much a "boutique relationship" -- a transactional relationship at its core based on its utility value to both countries -- but enveloped in an aura of romance,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, US Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker from New Jersey and US Congressmen Steny Hoyer (Maryland), Ami Bera and Ed Royce (California) Elliott Engel, Joe Crowley, Nita Lowey, Carolyn Maloney, Jerald Nadler (New York), Frank Pallone (New Jersey), Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii) Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas) Joe Wilson (South Carolina) and Jim McDermott (Washington) are among those confirmed their attendance.
The weekly fashion round-up, where we bring you the latest on supermodels, style, designers and everything in between.
'India is going to maintain its ties to China, India is going to develop a strong relationship with the United States. It means that India is going to have the flexibility to pick and choose its friends.' 'That's traditional Indian foreign policy, and it's smart.' Former US ambassador to India Frank Wisner, one of America's sharpest minds on South Asia, tells Aziz Haniffa/Rediff.com what Washington can expect from Narendra Modi's visit.
'I believe in giving my opinions and standing up for what's right but in the past two-three years, I thought it was scary to say anything because everything is twisted and a lot of it was damaging my career. People are just nasty.' Sonam Kapoor puts on a brave front for Neerja.
'I don't necessarily want to be an actor or make it my profession but if it happens organically, I will accept it.' While he's at it, we get to enjoy Shekhar Ravjiani on the big screen, in Neerja.
As a function head or a founder, it is your primary role to get good people excited to work for you or your firm, feels T N Hari, head of HR, BigBasket.
AAI has 51% stake in the project while Punjab and Haryana have 24.5% equity each.
'It was the first document he had seen that asked him about his past in such detail; it was the only interest this country (America) had shown in his origins, and it was most inconvenient. To get ahead, he had to find out where he had come from.'
It would be a chance lost if India cannot learn from and lean more on China to kick-start trade, infrastructure programmes, and increased ties, says Ravi Agrawal
Paris spells r-o-m-a-n-c-e, oodles of it. Those who've visited cannot get enough. Those who haven't cannot stop wishing
A billion dollars in renewable energy is huge.
The choking of natural drainage brings monsoonal Mumbai to its knees year after year.
An airline's birth is a result of passion and enterprise, often not without its challenges and ordeals. And, Tata-run airlines are no exception
