Asian Lite News Archive

Category: USA News

  • Obama names NRI as IMF director

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    President Barack Obama has nominated Sunil Sabharwal, an independent Indian American investor in the payments sector, as US Alternate Executive Director at International Monetary Fund for a term of two years. The White House sent Sabharwal’s nomination to the Senate. At over two dozen, Obama administration boasts of having the highest number of Indian Americans…

  • Obama, Bibi divide gets bigger

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    By Arun Kumar US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took pot shots at each other as the latter warned against entering a “very bad” deal with Iran over its nuclear programme. “This is a bad deal – a very bad deal. We’re better off without it,” he said in a defiant…

  • Iran calls Bibi speech ‘show of deception’

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    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in US Congress  on a potential agreement on Iran’s nuclear issue was a “show full of deception,” Iran’s foreign ministry said. Netanyahu’s speech was the sign of “weakness and isolation” of the radicals in Israel and their attempts to influence the international policies, ministry spokesperson Marzieh Afkham was quoted…

  • Obama slams Netanyahu

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    By Arun Kumar   Ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the US Congress, President Barack Obama slammed his approach on a nuclear deal with Iran even as the Israeli prime minister struck a conciliatory note. Pointing to the 2013 interim deal with Iran, Obama told Reuters news agency on Monday that Netanyahu, who has come to…

  • Sikh boy in US shares racism footage

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    A shocking video of a bunch of school kids abusing a Sikh boy in the US state of Georgia was uploaded on video-sharing website YouTube and is going viral. The video, which was uploaded on Sunday by a user named “Nagra Nagra”, claims that the Sikh boy being bullied is named Harsukh Singh and is…

  • Americans divided over Netanyahu visit

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      Nearly half of American voters think that US House Speaker John Boehner should not have invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address US Congress without having consulted the White House, according to a new poll released . A total of 48 percent of those surveyed believed Boehner’s decision to invite Netanyahu without first…

  • Another temple attack in US

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     A Sanatan Dharam temple was vandalised in Washington state with windows broken and the word “Fear” painted on it, less than a fortnight after another temple was attacked. Members of the the Sanatan Dharma Temple in Kent, about 30 km from Seattle, who came for worship Friday “were greeted by shards of broken glass after…

  • US to reopen Cuba embassy by April

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      The US government is optimistic about the prospects of reaching an agreement with Cuba to reopen embassies before April’s Summit of the Americas in Panama, Washington’s chief negotiator in talks with Havana said. “I do think we can get this done in time for the Summit of the Americas,” Assistant Secretary of State Roberta…

  • Bibi under pressure to cancel speech to US Congress

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    Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog  called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel his planned speech to the US Congress March 3, saying it will cause “strategic damage” to Israel’s ties with the US, Xinhua news agency reported. Herzog, who is chairman of the Labor Party, started his attack against Netanyahu at a press…

  • NASA to study Earth’s magnetic field

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      The US space agency is set for the launch of Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft March 12, the first space mission dedicated to the study of magnetic reconnection. This fundamental process occurs throughout the universe where magnetic fields connect and disconnect with an explosive release of energy, a NASA statement said. “Magnetic reconnection is one…

  • Ties depends on US: Cuba

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      Restoring Cuba-US diplomatic ties in time for an upcoming summit in April solely depends on Washington’s willingness to create the right conditions. Deputy Director for US affairs at Cuba’s foreign ministry Gustavo Machin  indicated removing Cuba from a list of countries alleged to be “sponsors of terrorism” was one of the most important measures,…

  • Bibi condemned for opposing Iran’s n-talks

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    US Secretary of State John Kerry has said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was wrong in opposing the ongoing nuclear talks between Iran and the world powers. Netanyahu intensified his criticism of the US-led nuclear talks with Iran, accusing the world powers of “giving up on their commitment” to stop Tehran from getting nuclear weapons,…

  • American Sniper’s killer gets life

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    Former US Marine Eddie Routh has been sentenced to life in prison for the murders of Chris Kyle, who inspired Clint Eastwood’s box-office hit “American Sniper”, and Chad Littlefield two years ago. A jury of 10 women and two men Tuesday declared Routh to be guilty at the end of a trial that lasted two…

  • Obama committed to boosting trade with India

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    By Arun Kumar  Asserting that President Barack Obama was committed to boosting India-US trade ties, the US has suggested that they work together in a way that benefits the economies and job creation in both countries. “There is an opportunity for us to try to advance the interests of both our countries by working together…

  • Obama taps Indian Americans

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    By Arun Kumar  President Barack Obama, with the largest number of Indian Americans in his administration, keeps dipping into the expanding talent pool of the three million-strong Indian American community, to take care of issues ranging from combating terrorist propaganda abroad to nation’s health at home. Last week, after an international conference on terrorism, Obama…

  • NRI workers in US awarded $14 million

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    By Arun Kumar   After seven long years, five Indian ‘guest’ or temporary workers who were allegedly defrauded and exploited in a labour trafficking scheme have won $14 million in compensatory and punitive damages by a US court. The workers were allegedly exploited by Signal International, an immigration lawyer and an Indian labour recruiter who lured…

  • Correct distorted impression of Muslims: Obama

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    By Arun Kumar    Citing the good work by Muslims around the world including India, with one of the world’s largest Muslim populations, US President Barack Obama acknowledged that many in the US have a distorted impression of Muslims. A part of the challenge in fighting the scourge of terrorism, he said was to correct the…

  • Humanitarian visa sought Patel’s wife

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    A noted Indian-American lawyer has sent a letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry to issue a humanitarian visa to the wife of an Indian grandfather assaulted by an Alabama policeman. New York based lawyer Ravi Batra has sent another letter Air India’s Regional Manager to fly in free the wife of Sureshbhai Patel,…

  • Not at war with Islam: Obama

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    By Arun Kumar   Asserting that not religion but people are responsible for violence and terrorism, President Barack has declined to call the war against Islamic State terror group in Iraq and Syria as a war against a religion. “We are not at war with Islam, we are at war with those who have perverted Islam,”…

  • Indian origin docs to brief US lawmakers on healthcare issues

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    The largest ethnic organization of physicians, representing over 100,000 physicians of Indian origin, would hold a Legislative Day in Washington in March to brief lawmakers on their views regarding healthcare issues. A large number of US senators and House members are expected to attend the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin’s (AAPI) Legislative Day and…

  • Hindu temple vandalized in US

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     In the latest attack targeting Hindus places of worship, a temple in Washington State was vandalized on the eve of its planned celebration of Maha Shivaratri, according to media reports. When members of the Hindu Temple Cultural Center in Bothell, 36 km from Seattle, went there on Sunday they found a swastika painted on it…

  • Indian grandfather assaulted by US police

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    By Arun Kumar   The FBI is investigating an incident in which an Indian grandfather’s encounter with police in Alabama left the man partially paralysed, while one of the involved officers has been arrested. Sureshbhai Patel, 57, had recently come from India to help care for his grandson, who was born prematurely and was suffering from…

  • Obama’s video selfie goes viral

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    A new video of US President Barack Obama, in which he uses a selfie stick to sell his ambitious health insurance plan, has gone viral – generating over 15 million views in just eight hours of its release late Thursday. The two-minute video by the Los Angeles-based BuzzFeed Motion Pictures Group is made with a…

  • Obama opens door to combat operations against ISIS

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    US President Barack Obama sent Congress a draft legislation authorising the use of military force against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, earlier known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In a letter to Congress, Obama warned that if the extremist group was left unchecked, it would “pose a threat beyond…

  • US to support reforms in India

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      US Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew expressed his country’s commitment to support growth and reforms in India and encourage greater opening of the Indian economy to US firms. “I hope we can work together to deepen capital markets to unlock domestic resources and welcome foreign investment into India, strengthen financial regulatory reform, improve our…

  • US think tank applaud India’s N-Deal

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    By Arun Kumar  Beyond the nuclear deal breakthrough, President Barack Obama’s trip to India showed that the new Indian government with a strategic global outlook was willing to fulfill its commitments, according to a US think tank. Questions have been raised over whether the workaround for civilian nuclear trade is the breakthrough both sides claim,…

  • US names its biggest threats

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    Russian aggression in Eastern Ukraine, terrorists and hackers are among threats cited in the new national security strategy document released by the White House. National Security Advisor Susan Rice fleshed out a 29-page report released Friday, in an appearance at the Brookings Institute, laying out the administration’s foreign policy priorities, CNN reported. In the wake…

  • NYT asks Modi to break his ‘dangerous silence’

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    By Arun Kumar  As President Barack Obama’s comments that religious intolerance in India would have shocked Mahatma Gandhi raised a storm in India, the New York Times asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his “deafening silence.” Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy is an inspiration for the US too, said the White House, while a bipartisan commission…

  • China warns Obama over Dalai Lama

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      China has warned that “positive trends” in its relations with the US will be reversed if President Barack Obama meets the Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama. A commentary in the People’s Daily, the official organ of the Communist Party of China, also said that “chumming with a secessionist” would amount to “playing with fire”.…

  • Obama meets Muslim leaders

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    US President Barack Obama has met his country’s Muslim leaders to discuss a range of national and foreign policy issues. Health reform, violence and discrimination against Muslims, the White House summit on extremism and the fight against the the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group were some of the matters discussed, the White House said in…

  • NRI pilot’s selfies caused plane crash

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    An Indian-American pilot and/or his passenger in Colorado were likely taking selfies when the pilot lost control of the plane, causing it to crash, and killing them both last spring, according to federal investigators Pilot Amritpal Singh, 29, and his passenger were killed instantly when Singh’s Cessna 150K crashed into a wheat field shortly after…

  • US defence secretary pick for expanded ties with India

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    By Arun Kumar   Noting that India and US have built a strong strategic partnership over the last decade, President Barack Obama’s nominee for defence secretary has said he would prioritise the steady growth of their relationship. Ashton Carter, 60, a former Pentagon No. 2 who launched the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) with India,…

  • No ties at the cost of China and Pakistan: US

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    By Arun Kumar Denying suggestions that the US-India partnership was intended as a counterweight to China, a senior US official said its sole intent was “to build India up” working on common core values. “I would fundamentally point to the fact that this is a US-India effort and it’s not necessarily to counterweight anyone,” Phil…

  • Indo-US ties back on rails

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     India’s relationship with the US is back on the rails with the US president Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking its ownership, former Indian ambassador Meera Shankar has said and noted that the outcomes during Obama’s visit last month were marked by pragmatism as well as convergence. Speaking at a panel discussion on…

  • Romney not running for president

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      Republican Mitt Romney, who had lost to Democrat Barack Obama in the 2012 US presidential election, said he would not seek nomination from his party to run for the presidency in 2016, media reports said Friday. The former Massachusetts governor shared his decision on a conference call with a small group of advisers, The…

  • Obama to raise spending in budget

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    By Miriam Burgues   US President Barack Obama will present his annual budget proposals for the 2016 fiscal year next week, with proposed boosts in expenditure on defence, health and education programmes. In an article published in “The Huffington Post” , Obama said his budget would “fully reverse” the spending cuts known as sequestration that took…

  • Obama snubs Netanyahu

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     US President Barack Obama said that he will not meet the visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in March, because the Israeli leader’s US trip would be too close to the elections in his country. “I’m declining to meet with him (Netanyahu) simply because our general policy is (that) we don’t meet with any world…

  • Americans know nothing about Sikhism: Study

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    By Arun Kumar   Although more than half a million Sikhs live in the US, a majority of Americans are unaware of what Sikhism is and some admit wariness when seeing their Sikh neighbours, according to new study. Conducted by Washington-based Hart Research Associates, the study released here Tuesday, shows that there is enormous potential to…

  • US media sees geopolitical implications

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    By Arun Kumar  Taking a generally positive view of US President Barack Obama’s India visit, the US media has suggested that his personal chemistry with Prime Minister Narendra Modi had opened a new chapter in India-US relations. “After years of near misses and unfulfilled promises,” Obama and Modi “appear to have set relations between their…

  • Obama leaves a religious tolerance message for India

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    That US President Barack Obama knows how to work the crowds was evident from his address at the Siri Fort Auditorium where he had a predominantly young crowd screaming out his name, repeatedly applauding him and vying with one another to clasp his hands as well as that of his wife Michelle when both of…

  • Proud to be India’s partner: Obama

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    “Sisters and brothers of India”, is how US President Barack Obama addressed a town hall style gathering here, stressing that the ties between the two countries can be the “defining partnership of the century”. In his speech at the Siri Fort Auditorium before a gathering largely comprising young people, students, NGOs and diplomats, Obama said:…

  • US media makes a splash of Obama visit

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    By Arun Kumar President Barack Obama’s historic visit to India received prominent coverage in US media with major newspapers focusing on the breakthrough on the nuclear deal and splashing pictures of the pomp and pageantry. The influential New York Times carried on top of the front page a four-column picture of Obama reviewing the guard…

  • US Congresswoman promotes US, Hawai’i interests to India

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    Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard concluded her successful tour of India in early January this year, which was prompted by a personal invitation from India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the U.S. in September 2014.  During nearly three weeks of meetings with India’s top government, military, and business leaders, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard sought to…

  • US braces for ‘historic blizzard’

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    Residents of the states of the northeastern US were preparing for what meteorologists said would be a “historic blizzard” that would affect the region from onward. Weather authorities have issued a blizzard warning for Philadephia, Pennsylvania and the east coast including New York, New Jersey and New England, as well as Canada, from Monday afternoon…

  • India display military, cultural power at R-Day parade

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    Military precision blended seamlessly with cultural diversity at India’s 66th Republic Day parade where US President Barack Obama was the chief guest. Heavy armour, marching contingents of the armed forces and the paramilitary and police forces interspersed with brass and pipe bands – tableaux depicting the multifarious heritage of this vast land and schoolchildren dancing…

  • It’s ‘chai pe charcha’ at Hyderabad House

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi took his “chai pe charcha” concept to commanding heights here, serving up the brew to visiting US President Barack Obama from a silver teapot on the verdant green lawns of Hyderabad House. The two leaders stepped out into the garden of the state guest house after a working lunch and leisurely…

  • Obama begins India visit with a bear hug

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      US President Barack Obama, accompanied by his wife Michelle, arrived here on a three-day India visit – his second in four years – during which he will be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade Jan 26. Breaking with protocol, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received him at the VVIP terminal of the Indira…

  • Obama accorded ceremonial welcome

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    US President Barack Obama, who was accorded a ceremonial red carpet welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan , said it’s “a great honour” to be back in India. “It’s a great honour to be back in India. I am grateful for the extraordinary hospitality,” Obama told reporters in the forecourt of the magnificent presidential palace where he…

  • Mobiles will go off in Taj city during Obama visit

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    People in Agra would not be able to use their mobile phones for three hours  when US President Barack Obama comes calling. The Uttar Pradesh government has worked out a security plan for the visit and sent its top officials to the city to work along with US security officials to oversee arrangements and plug…

  • The Beast is back in Delhi

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      The Beast is back in Delhi for the second time in five years – but there’s nothing to panic about. That’s the moniker of the armoured limousine US President Barack Obama will travel in during his visit here Jan 25-27. “Obama’s vehicle has arrived to Delhi and has been parked at the Indira Gandhi…