Asian Lite News Archive

Category: USA News

  • Defining partnership of 21st century: Obama

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      Terming India-US relations as one of the “defining” partnerships of the 21st century, US President Barack Obama Friday said forging closer ties between the two countries has been a key part of his foreign policy. “Forging deeper ties between our two nations has been a key part of my foreign policy since I took…

  • Obama arrives Jan 25

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    Barack Obama accompanied by his wife Michelle Obama will touch down in the Indian capital on the morning of Jan 25 on a three-day state visit that, besides the symbolism of being the first time a US president would be chief guest at the Republic Day parade, is expected to see “substantive outcomes” from talks…

  • Indian security agencies face heat over Obama visit

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    By Rajnish Singh  An advance team of US Secret Service agents who are in the capital to ensure the security of President Barack Obama during his three-day India visit are reportedly “bullying” their Indian counterparts on every aspect of the security. Well-informed sources said that around 25 Secret Service agents arrived in the capital Jan…

  • From Raj Ghat to Taj Mahal

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    By Arun Kumar   Reflecting the economic focus of President Barack Obama’s trip to India as guest of honour at its Republic Day, top commerce officials, members of Congress and top American business leaders will accompany him. First Lady Michelle Obama will be with the president on the trip but their daughters Malia and Sasha are…

  • The invite that took Obama by surprise

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    By Arun Kumar   Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to President Barack Obama to be the first American leader to be the chief guest at India’s Republic day took him by “some surprise” but he felt “personally honoured” to accept. Given the “complicated history” between the two countries, “I think it took us by some surprise,”…

  • US keen to implement n-deal

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    As an India-US nuclear contact group met for the third time to try and resolve the contentious nuclear liability issue, ahead of US President Barack Obama’s India visit, the US said it will continue to work with India towards implementing the stalled deal. A contact group comprising diplomats and officials associated with nuclear energy from…

  • Delhi ready to receive Obama

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      The national capital was fully prepared to receive US President Barack Obama, who lands here Sunday for a three-day visit. Home Minister Rajnath Singh Wednesday said security has been tightened and there will be no problems. “All security arrangements are in place. There will be no problem anywhere,” he told reporters. An unprecedented security…

  • Obama visit reflects sea change in ties

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    By Arun Kumar  Besides its powerful symbolism and optics, President Barack Obama’s presence as the guest of honour at India’s Republic Day reflects the big change in India-US relations since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power. He even advanced the State of the Union address to a joint session of the US Congress traditionally…

  • US looking forward to Obama visit

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    US corporate honchos are looking forward to President Barack Obama’s visit to India to understand market accessibility after the BJP-led government came to power, an Assocham CEOs’ survey in India and the US, released here, said. The industry chamber said the survey was done between Jan 6 and Jan 16 among major Indian corporates and…

  • A defiant Obama, bats for middle class

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    By Arun Kumar  Noting that he had no more campaigns to run, a defiant Barack Obama set out to seal his legacy in his final two years with a blunt veto threat against any attempts to undermine his legislative achievements. “I have no more campaigns to run,” he reminded the Republican controlled Congress as he…

  • US warning reports baseless: Pakistan

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    Pakistan ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani denounced Indian media reports which alleged a warning, concerning President Obama’s visit to India, was issued by the US to the former. “The Indian media has a tendency to invent and exaggerate things,” said Ambassador Jilani, Dawn reported . “As a matter of fact, US Secretary of…

  • NRI Frank Islam receives Martin Luther award

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    An eminent Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist Frank Islam has been presented with the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. Award in recognition of his contribution to the legacy of the great leader through his efforts in international service and civil engagement. The award, which carries the name of Martin Luther King Jr., an apostle of peace,…

  • India-US ties looks promising with Obama visit

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    By Ranjana Narayan  India-US ties are set to move to the transformative level during President Barack Obama’s India visit later this week, building also on the personal rapport developed between him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with both sides keen to have promising outcomes from the talks on a range of issues, including defence, energy,…

  • Will Obama land with family in New Delhi?

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    As US President Barack Obama prepares to land in India, mum’s the word with official lips tightly sealed. Very little or no information is being breathed out about the high-level visit, while frenzied preparations continue. When is he arriving? For how many days? Besides Delhi, what are the other places he is likely to visit?…

  • Maiden visit to Cuba by US delegation

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    A US delegation has arrived here for the first time since the two neighbouring countries decided to restore diplomatic ties last month, Xinhua reported. The visiting six-member delegation, headed by US Senator Patrick Leahy, during its stay in the capital city till Monday will discuss with Cuban officials and civilian leaders the practical measures required…

  • Obama visit set to cement India-US ties

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    By Arun Kumar  Beyond the symbolism of President Barack Obama being the first US president to be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day, his second visit to India in four years promises to galvanise India-US ties. There is also a great deal of speculation about who gains more from the visit – Prime Minister…

  • Cyber war game to begin between UK and US

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    David Cameron, who is in Washington to meet President Barack Obama and discuss the need to intercept internet communications and the setting up of the joint “cyber cell” to defeat cyberattacks, said there was a “broad agreement” between the US and UK. An unprecedented amount of intelligence co-operation and information sharing between the two nations…

  • Intellectual property on India-US agenda

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      Intellectual property rights and a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) would be key issues on the agenda in the ongoing India-US dialogue on the economic front, according to a State Department official. Secretary of State John Kerry had “a very good visit” to India recently for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vibrant Gujarat economic summit, and…

  • US to loosen restrictions on Cuba

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    The Obama administration said that it will loosen trade, finance, and travel embargo against Cuba. The US Departments of Treasury and Commerce  announced regulatory amendments to sanctions on Cuba following the US president’s announcement of a set of diplomatic and economic changes to chart a new course in US relations with Cuba in December 2014,…

  • India on high alert ahead of Obama visit

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      Militants will try to sneak into India and attack schools in Jammu and Kashmir on the eve of US President Barack Obama’s visit to the country, a top army official said here Thursday. “Around 200 militants are waiting in 36 launch pads across the Pir Panjal mountain range to infiltrate into the Indian side,”…

  • US court dismisses case against Modi

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      A US court has dismissed a lawsuit accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of failure to control the 2002 Gujarat riots, saying as a sitting head of government he was entitled to immunity. In dismissing the case filed by human rights group American Justice Centre (AJC) in New York, US District Judge Analisa Torres  upheld…

  • Obama names two NRI’s to key posts

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    By Arun Kumar  President Barack Obama has nominated two Indian-Americans to key posts of chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) and member of the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Jonodev Osceola Chaudhuri, son of a native American mother and an Indian immigrant father, is currently the acting chairman of…

  • Kamala Harris to run for US senate

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    By Arun Kumar   California’s Indian-American Attorney General Kamala Harris, a “good friend” of President Barack Obama, has thrown her hat into the ring for the 2016 race to replace fellow Democrat veteran Barbara Boxer in the US Senate. “I will be a fighter for the next generation on the critical issues facing our country,” pledged…

  • Obama, Netanyahu discuss Iran

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      US President Barack Obama has reassured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Washington’s commitment to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb, a White House statement said. Obama made the pledge  hours after US Secretary of State John Kerry, presently visiting Pakistan, expressed a wish to accelerate nuclear talks with Iran, Xinhua reported. In…

  • Kerry skipped Paris march for India

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    By Arun Kumar   In damage control mode, US admitted that it should have sent a higher profile official to the Paris unity march, but said President Barack Obama could not go because of security considerations. Secretary of State John Kerry too could not make it to the anti-terrorism rally attended by over 40 world leaders…

  • US on alert after ISIS threat

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      The New York City Police Department (NYPD) and other law enforcement personnel responded to a threat from the Sunni militant group Islamic State (IS) after someone re-released an old message that tells followers to “rise up and kill law enforcement officers”. The threat specifically named the US, France, Australia and Canada as targets, CNN…

  • ? Kerry to discuss India-Pak tensions with Sharif

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        US Secretary of State John Kerry, who will arrive here on a two-day official visit Monday evening, will raise with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif the issue of prevailing tense situation between India and Pakistan, Geo News reported. During his strategic talks with the Pakistani leadership, Kerry will raise the issue of tense situation…

  • Cameron to visit US next week

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      British Prime Minister David Cameron will pay a two-day visit to the US next week to discuss a range of issues of common concern with President Barack Obama, the White House announced. “President Obama will host British Prime Minister David Cameron at the White House Jan 15-16,” Xinhua quoted a White House statement issued…

  • Modi, Kerry pay tribute to Paris victims

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    With Parisians gearing up  to hold a massive solidarity rally in France against the terror attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Secretary of State John Kerry paid tributes to the victims of the attack. Modi started his speech at the seventh Vibrant Gujarat global investment summit here by paying…

  • Security tightened for Obama visit

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    All the top luxury hotels in Delhi have been scanned, the security is being worked out to the last minute detail, and, yes, The Beast will very much be part of the official entourage of US President Barack Obama, chief guest at this year’s Republic Day parade. It is learnt that an advance US security…

  • White House silent on North Korean rant

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    The US government remained silent about North Korea’s accusations against President Barack Obama, whom a spokesman of the North Korean National Defense Commission compared to a “monkey” and said he forced Sony to premiere the movie “The Interview” on Christmas Day. North Korea  blamed the US for the repeated hacking attacks currently affecting its principal…

  • US concerned over Lakhvi bail

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      The US is concerned over the bail granted to Mumbai terror attack accused Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, a Pakistani newspaper reported . The State Department also said that the resumption of hangings of terrorists sentenced to death in Pakistan was an internal matters for that country. State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said Washington was concerned…

  • Armed teenager shot dead near Ferguson

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    A police officer in the US shot and killed an armed man near Ferguson, the place rocked by series of protests after black teenager Michael Brown was shot dead by police in August, media reported. The incident took place late Tuesday at a gas station in the St. Louis community of Berkeley. “The man had…

  • Obama lauds decision to screen film

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    President Barack Obama has applauded Sony Pictures’ decision to authorise the screening of “The Interview” — a film satirising North Korean leader Kim Jong-un — in independent theatres, the White House said. “As the President made clear, we are a country that believes in free speech, and the right of artistic expression,” White House spokesman…

  • Friction and division in New York

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    By Mario Villar   A day after two policemen were killed, New York is witnessing new friction between the police force and Mayor Bill de Blasio owing to the latter’s support for protests against police violence in recent weeks. The tragedy occurred  when two officers were shot dead execution style by a man who apparently wanted…

  • Kim Jong-un threatens to ‘blow up’ White House

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      North Korea has accused the US of conniving with the makers of the controversial film “The Interview” to “hurt the dignity” of the country’s supreme leadership and threatened to “blow up” the White House. North Korea threatened more attacks against the US government and other American institutions in the wake of the Nov 24…

  • Two NY police officers shot dead

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    Two New York police officers were shot dead in their patrol car  afternoon by a gunman who claimed that he was angered by two recent racially-charged controversies. Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot dead in their car while working overtime in the East Flatbush neighbourhood of Brooklyn, Xinhua quoted New York Police Commissioner William…

  • More power for NRI’s in US

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    By Arun Kumar   Notching successes in fields as diverse as poetry and politics, some three million- strong Indian American community packed more power and influence far beyond their numbers in the year gone by. A record 30 Indian Americans jumped into November’s electoral battle with Republican Nikki Haley and Democrat Kamala Harris handily winning back…

  • Obama’s Cuban revolution begins

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    Cuba’s parliament  unanimously approved a government decision to restore diplomatic relations with the United States, which was a long-time foe. More than 600 deputies of the National Assembly of People’s Power voted for the bill, in sharp contrast with the backlash from conservative US legislators to such a decision by President Barack Obama, Xinhua reported.…

  • Cuba announces restoration of relations with US

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      Cuba and the US have agreed to the “re-establishment of diplomatic relations,” which were broken in 1961, and they have made a commitment to “take mutual measures to improve the bilateral climate,” Cuban President Raul Castro said . Castro thanked the Vatican and Pope Francis for their support in the “improvement” of relations between…

  • Obama open doors to Cuba

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    US President Barack Obama  announced a historical, new policy toward Cuba, in a move to normalise relations and end more than five decades of estrangement between the two countries. “We will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests,” Obama said in an address at the White House. “Instead we…

  • Obama to sign Russia sanctions bill

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    US President Barack Obama intends to sign into law a bill that will ratchet up sanctions on Russia and provide additional assistance to Ukraine, the White House said. At a regular briefing, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest expressed the administration’s concerns about the legislation because “it includes some sanctions language that does not reflect the…

  • ‘Modification’ in India-US ties

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    By Arun Kumar    India-US relations are poised for a takeoff after an eventful year and a historic election that transformed India’s new leader Narendra Modi from a US pariah to a partner ready to “chalein saath saath”. Modi hobnobbing with Russian President Vladimir Putin and doing “business as usual” with Moscow, signing deals including one…

  • Vivek Murthy makes American history

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    By Arun Kumar Vivek Hallegere Murthy has made history as the youngest US Surgeon General and the first of Indian descent with his Senate confirmation in the teeth of strong opposition of powerful gun lobby. The Democratic controlled Senate voted Monday 51-43 to confirm Murthy, 37 as ‘America’s doctor’ more than a year after his…

  • Cheney defends CIA interrogations

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      Former US vice president Dick Cheney  defended the controversial CIA interrogation techniques used on terrorism suspects after the 9-11 attacks, despite the fact that the Senate issued a report last week calling such techniques torture. “We were very careful to stop short of torture. The Senate has seen fit to label their report torture.…

  • Putin visit upsets US, Obama visit still on

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    By Arun Kumar  The US is unhappy over India doing “business as usual” with Russia, but it will have no effect on President Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to India which remains an “important partner.” “No. India remains an important partner,” State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters Friday when asked whether deals reached during Russian…

  • CIA chief admits of brutal interrogations

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    Some officers of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) used brutal techniques on terrorist suspects and there was no proof of useful information yielded from the interrogation, the chief of the US spy agency has said. John Brennan, in a rare televised press conference held at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, acknowledged “unauthorised” and “abhorrent”…

  • US Congress averts government shutdown

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    Beating a midnight deadline, the US Congress narrowly averted a government shutdown with the Senate agreeing to a two-day extension of current funding levels to consider a $1.1 trillion spending bill passed by the House. The Senate action came within 20 minutes of the House approving the spending bill that keeps the government open through…

  • NASA offers prizes for climate change app’s

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    NASA has offered $35,000 in prizes to create apps which use US climate data. The contest, called the Climate Resilience Data Challenge in partnership with the US Geological Survey (USGS), offers prizes to citizen scientists for ideas that will help the United States cope with climate change. It is open from Dec 15 till March…

  • NRI doctor donates $20 million to village

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    US-based NRI neurosurgeon Kumar Bahuleyan, 81, donates his personal fortune to his village to establish a hospital…Mr C.O.T Azeez reports Dr Kumar Bahuleyan, 81, earned millions as a  neurosurgeon in the US. He had a lavish life – driving Rolls-Royce and keeping  five Mercedes at garage besides a personal jet for short-trips.But he is quiting everything. Surprisingly, for the sake…