Category: USA News
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No probe into Clinton Foundation donations
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The US Department of State said it is not planning to investigate the Clinton Foundation’s failure to report private donations that it received while Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State. “The State Department has not and does not intend to initiate a formal review, or to make a retroactive judgment about items that were not…
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ISIS using social media to win recruits in US
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Amidst a federal investigation into a foiled attack on a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest in Texas, FBI Director James Comey has said that Islamic State is leveraging social media to recruit people in US. “Hundreds, maybe thousands” of people across the country are receiving recruitment overtures from the terrorist group or directives to attack the…
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US to investigate Baltimore police force
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The US Justice Department plans to launch a pattern or practice investigation into the methods of the Police Department in Baltimore, which was rocked by protests and violence over the police custody death of a black man. The investigation was requested by Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, mayor of Baltimore, a city of 600,000 people, two thirds of…
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US Senate passes Iran nuclear review bill
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The US Senate has passed a bipartisan bill to allow Congress to review and potentially reject an international nuclear agreement with Iran. The bill was approved 98-1 on with Republican Tom Cotton being the only naysayer, as he wants a potential deal with Iran to be presented to Congress as a treaty. Under the Senate…
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SpaceX astronaut escape system tested successfully
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The California-based Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) has successfully tested an astronaut escape system for its Crew Dragon spacecraft. A loud whoosh, a faint smoke trail and billowing parachutes marked the successful demonstration by SpaceX of its Crew Dragon spacecraft abort system – an important step in NASA’s endeavour to launch crews to the International…
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US business urged to seize India’s potential
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By Arun Kumar With India moving quickly on its commitment to reform, the new Indian ambassador to the US, Arun K. Singh, has expressed confidence that American business and industry will seize the potential to reinforce India-US strategic ties. “We are in a very momentous phase of our relationship,” he said in an address Wednesday…
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US envoy concerned over ‘challenges faced by NGOs in India’
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The US envoy to India Richard Verma voiced “concern” over reports about “challenges faced by NGOs operating in India”, as the government has put the US-based Ford Foundation under the scanner. Speaking at the Ananta Aspen Institute on the Foundations of the US-India Strategic-Plus Relationship, the ambassador said: “I read with some concern the recent…
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Turkey, US to sign agreement against fighters joining ISIS
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Turkey and the US are planning to sign an agreement for cooperation on sharing systematic information about actual and suspected foreign fighters who want to join ranks of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Syria and Iraq. “We are working now with government of Turkey on specific details on how we can better share…
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Kerry arrives in Somalia amid tight security
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US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, marking the first visit of a US secretary of state to the country in over 20 years. Security in Mogadishu has been tightened with roads leading to the airport sealed off, Xinhuia news agency reported. Kerry is scheduled to officially open the…
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Obama selects new Joint Chiefs of Staff
US President Barack Obama has selected Marine General Joseph Dunford as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, US media reported. According to The Washington Post, CNN and FOX News, citing top government officials, Obama selected Dunford to replace General Martin Dempsey, who will leave the top job later in the year after…
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‘Sense of unfairness’ behind protests: Obama
By Arun Kumar A “sense of unfairness and powerlessness” has helped to fuel protests across America that have occurred after the deaths of black men at the hands of police, according to President Barack Obama. “By almost every measure, the life chances of the average young man of colour is worse than his peers,” he…
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Silicon Valley’s Dave Goldberg dies in a gym accident
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The Silicon Valley entrepreneur and SurveyMonkey chief executive Dave Goldberg died of severe head trauma, according to local officials. Mr Goldberg, 47, husband of Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg, was found lying next to a gym treadmill at a Four Seasons resort in Mexico reports BBC. Mexican authorities have no plans for a criminal investigation. The…
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Obama unveils NGO for US minorities
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US President Barack Obama has launched a new non-profit foundation intended to offer more opportunities to young minority men amid continued heated national debates about racial relations following the death of 25-year-old African-American Freddie Gray. The new programme, “My Brother’s Keeper Alliance,” mirrored a previous Obama administration’s initiative, “My Brother’s Keeper,” launched in 2014 to…
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Being black in America
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By Arun Kumar Even with an African-American president in the White House, it’s a still a hard day’s life for the blacks 150 years after Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and 50 years after two landmark legislations outlawed racial discrimination. With a population of 45 million, blacks make up about 14 percent of the total…
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SpaceX to test life-saving crew capsule
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The Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), a California-based space transportation firm, is set for first-ever “pad abort” test that will help NASA save lives in case of an emergency in a human spaceflight. The test of “Crew Dragon” spacecraft, scheduled for May 6, will help NASA abort from a launch or pad emergency and safely…
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Baltimore mayor lifts city-wide curfew
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Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has lifted a city-wide curfew which had been in effect. “Effective immediately, I have rescinded my order instituting a city-wide curfew,” Rawlings-Blake announced via her twitter account on Sunday. Protests for the death of African-American man Freddie Gray, culminated in rioting and looting late on Monday as hundreds of rioters in…
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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar brings meditation to US lawmakers
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Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar led a meditation session with US lawmakers on Capitol Hill that House member Jan Schakowsky termed as a “beautiful and self-empowering experience.” The event highlighted how meditation can help resolve several concerns particularly Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among America’s veterans and youth issues. “The secret of meditation…
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India rejects US panel report on religious freedom
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India has rejected a US government panel report that claims direct link between the 2014 general elections and the spike in attacks on religious minorities in the country. The report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) says that since the 2014 elections, religious minority communities in India have been “subject to derogatory…
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Six Baltimore policemen charged
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Six members of the Baltimore City Police Department will face charges for the death in custody of black man Freddie Gray, the prosecutor handling the case said . Maryland state prosecutor announced criminal charges against all officers involved in the death of the 25-year-old black man Gray, reports Efe. The state’s attorney for Baltimore City…
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Sikhs explain the turban to US lawmakers
By Arun Kumar Sikhs have to explain to American people what the turban means because that is the immediate source of their identification, according to the author of a new report on Sikhs in America presented to US lawmakers. “Sikhs have to explain what it symbolizes and what values it represents,” said Geoff Garin, former…
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Baltimore police submit report on Gray’s death
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The Baltimore City Police Department delivered its report on the death of black resident Freddie Gray to prosecutors , a day earlier than promised. The report was submitted before 9 a.m, Efe quoted police commissioner Anthony Batts as saying in a press conference. Batts initially set a deadline of May 1 for the task force…
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Hillary calls for overhaul of US criminal justice system
By Arun Kumar Saying that it’s time for America to come to terms with “unmistakable and undeniable” racial patterns in policing, Hillary Clinton has called for overhauling the “out-of-balance” criminal justice system on display in Baltimore. In her first major policy speech since announcing her presidential run two weeks ago, the former First Lady and…
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Baltimore: A problem of lawless law enforcement?
By Arun Kumar US President Barack Obama has called for some “soul-searching” and Hillary Clinton described it as “a tragedy that demands answers”, but what happened in Baltimore in the aftermath of a black man’s death points to a much larger problem. Monday’s eruption in Baltimore, less than an hour’s drive from the American capital,…
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Hillary dismisses Indian cash swayed her n-deal stance
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Arun Kumar writes about the conspiracy theory claims against Hillary Clinton in the largest selling Asian newspaper in UK. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign has dismissed as conspiracy theory claims made by a new book that cash donations from India swayed her stance as a senator on the landmark India-US nuclear deal. “Clinton Cash is attempting to…
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Hillary’s presidential campaign hits turbulence
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By Arun Kumar Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign is facing new questions with a report claiming the Clinton Foundation distributed useless drugs made by an Indian company to AIDS patients and another challenging the authenticity of her twitter followers. Conservative news site WorldNetDaily (WND) alleged her family philanthropy’s Clinton Health Aids Initiative (CHAI) worked closely with…
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US town erupts into violence
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By Arun Kumar Baltimore City, just 64 km northeast of the American capital, erupted into chaos and violence as protesters mourning the death nine days ago of yet another black man in police custody clashed with police. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard. The mayor of Baltimore…
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US to speed up visa approvals for Indian doctors
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By Arun Kumar Citing a shortage of physicians in the US, two lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan legislation to speed-up visa approval for Indian and Pakistani doctors slated to work at US hospitals. Called the Grant Residency for Additional Doctors (GRAD) Act of 2015, the legislation introduced by Democrat Grace Meng and Republican Tom Emmer,…
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US seeks ‘rebalance’ in Asia
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By Arun Kumar Citing President Barack Obama’s historic “good trip” to India in January, US officials have said that different partnerships it’s forging across Asia can contribute to the stability and prosperity of the broader region. In a conference call on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s state visit next week, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben…
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Women fuel binge drinking in the US
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Heavy drinking and binge drinking have gone up sharply in the US since 2005 due in large part to rising rates of drinking among women, says a study. While heavy drinking increased sharply in 2012, up 17.2 percent since 2005, binge drinking increased 8.9 percent across the US since 2005, showed the findings of the…
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David Petraeus sentenced to two years probation
Former CIA chief David Petraeus was sentenced to two years’ probation and a $100,000 fine for sharing classified information in 2011 with biographer Paula Broadwell, with whom he was having an extramarital affair. Petraeus, who led the CIA after retiring from the US Army as a four-star general, appeared for sentencing before US District Judge…
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Obama takes responsibility for accidental killing of hostages
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US President Barack Obama said that he took “full responsibility” for a counter-terrorism operation in January against Al Qaeda which accidentally killed two hostages. “As president and as commander-in-chief, I take full responsibility for all our counter-terrorism operations, including the one that inadvertently took the lives of Warren (Weinstein) and Giovanni (Lo Porto). I profoundly…
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INTERVIEW: Vivek Murthy
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By Arun Kumar Son of Indian immigrant parents, Dr. Vivek Murthy says his rise to the position of “America’s Doctor” was improbable but he got where he was by standing on principle. “As I look around this arena, I am struck by a simple truth: by any reasonable measure, I shouldn’t be standing here,” he…
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US seeks extradition of NRI UK trader
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US authorities have sought extradition from Britain of an Indian origin trader accused of contributing to the “flash crash” of 2010 that briefly wiped out nearly $1 trillion in stock market value. Navinder Singh Sarao, 36, from West London, appeared in a Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday and said he would oppose extradition to the…
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Obama submits n-deal with China to Congress
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US President Barack Obama has submitted to Congress a proposed 30-year agreement on cooperating with China in peaceful uses of nuclear energy. “In my judgement, it meets all applicable statutory requirements and will advance the nonproliferation and other foreign policy interests of the US,” Obama said in a message to Congress issued by the…
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Palani Kumanan shares Pulitzer Prize
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A software engineer of Indian descent shared The Wall Street Journal’s Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in growing recognition of the importance of using information technology tools for reporting as well as for presentation. Palani Kumanan, who is a software architect and technical lead with Dow Jones that publishes the Journal, was a part of…
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Spotlight on missing black men in America
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By Arun Kumar As yet another black man died, this time in police custody, unleashing a fresh wave of protests asking whether black lives matter, a media report spoke of some 1.5 million missing black men in the United States. For every 100 black women not in jail, there are only 83 black men, the…
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US Sikhs honour Eric Holder
The Sikh community here has honoured the US Attorney General Eric Holder with a siropa, a ceremonial robe of honour, and a Sewa Service Award for services to their community. Guru Gobind Singh Foundation (GGSF) of Rockville, Maryland and National Sikh Centre (NSC) of Washington, DC presented the award to Holder at a ceremony at…
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Hillary leads Democratic pack
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By Arun Kumar As the 2016 US presidential race gets going, Hillary Clinton dominates everyone on the Democratic side while Jeb Bush has a slight edge among the Republicans, a new poll said. Democrats are broadly enthusiastic about the former First Lady and secretary of state’s candidacy, far more than they are for any other…
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Hindu temple vandalised in US
In the latest attack on Hindu houses of worship in the US, a temple has been vandalised in Texas “horrifying” both Hindus and non-Hindus, who have offered to help the temple clean the damage, media reported. In the attack at the North Texas Hindu Mandir in Lake Highlands suburb of Dallas, vandals painted symbols of…
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Obama discusses Yemen with King Salman
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US President Barack Obama spoke with King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia over the phone to discuss recent developments in Yemen, the White House said. Yemen has been suffering from political unrest and clashes between Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemeni President Abd- Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who has fled the country. Obama…
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Ex-employee sues TCS for discrimination
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A former employee of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has accused India’s leading IT services company of discriminating against American workers and favouring “South Asians” in hiring and promotion. In a complaint filed in San Francisco federal court, Steven Heldt claimed that 95 percent of the 14,000 people TCS employs in the US are South Asian…
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Obama calls Modi ‘reformer-in-chief’
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US President Barack Obama said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unleashed “India’s true economic potential” and called him his country’s “reformer-in-chief”. In an article in the influential Time magazine titled “India’s reformer-in-chief”, Obama said that as a boy, Modi helped his father sell tea to support their family. “Today, he’s the leader of…
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New York gets its first NRI judge
By Arun Kumar Chennai born Raja Rajeswari, who came to America when she was 16, has become the first person of Indian descent to be named as a criminal court judge in New York City. Rajeswari, 43, an assistant district attorney at the Richmond County District Attorney’s office, who was nominated to the bench by…
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The Bandit Queen” to premier in New York
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“Phoolan Devi: The Bandit Queen”, a multi-media chamber opera by Shirish Korde, a Uganda born composer of Indian descent, is set for its world premier shows in New York City on June 26-27. With a libretto by playwright Anusree Roy and directed by Tom Diamond, the full-length, semi-staged shows will be performed at the Alvin…
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Obama takes Cuba off from terrorism list
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US President Barack Obama told Congress his intent to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, the White House said. In a message to Congress, Obama certifies that the Cuban government “has not provided any support for international terrorism” over the past six months and it has provided assurances that it…
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Obama pledges continued support to battle ISIS
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US President Barack Obama pledged continued support with training and equipment to help combat the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq. The ongoing fighting against the extremist group dominated Obama’s talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi at the White House, who is on his first visit to the US, Xinhua reported. Obama “pledged to continue…
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SpaceX fails rocket recovery test
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Private US spaceflight company SpaceX has launched its sixth cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS), but failed in an attempt to land a part of its Falcon 9 rocket on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The California-based company’s Dragon cargo ship, filled with over 1,950 kg of supplies and payload, lifted off…
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US Senate panel passes n-deal with Iran
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A Senate panel approved a bill demanding a congressional review of any nuclear deal the Obama administration inks with Iran by the end of June. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday voted 19-0 to pass an amended version of the bill, which will advance to the full Senate for a vote, Xinhua reported. The new…
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Vaisakhi resolution introduced in US House
Sixteen US lawmakers led by Democrat John Garamendi have introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives, honouring the Sikh community’s celebration of Vaisakhi. The bipartisan resolution was co-sponsored among others by the lone Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera, Democratic co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, one of the largest…
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US might take Cuba off terrorism sponsor list
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US President Barack Obama will decide soon on whether or not to remove Cuba from the list of states that sponsor terrorism, a move that would allow Washington to lift a series of sanctions on the island, the White House said. “Expect a decision in the coming days,” spokesperson Josh Earnest told reporters at…