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Candidates ||
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Many Faces of Outsourcing
Delhi Durbar ||
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On the Hill ||
Election 2004
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Profiling
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Capitol Journal ||
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After Nov.2 ||
Newsmakers ||
Census Bureau ||
Review 2004 ||
Tsunamis Kill 125,000 And Still Counting ||
Capitol Debate ||
Under 30 ||
AAHOA Legislative Summit ||
Medical Malpractice Insurance ||
This Week ||
Obituary ||
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CAPITOL JOURNAL
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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Rep. Leach expresses ‘deep concern’ over situation in Nepal
Rep. Jim Leach (R-IA) chair of the House International Relations Subcommittee on Asia and Pacific, expressed “deep concern” over the situation in Nepal and advised the State Department to coordinate efforts with India.
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Rep. Crowley’s bid for vice chair of Democratic Caucus
Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY), former chair of the India Caucus, reportedly launched his bid for vice chair of the Democratic Party Caucus. The prodigious fund-raiser and known campaigner who had his finger in several races in the November elections helping colleagues, is vying for the position against Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), according to the Roll Call.
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Janaki Dighe in Rep. Costa’s Office
Freshman Democrat Jim Costa of California has recruited Janaki Dighe, 22, as staff assistant in his Congressional office, Roll Call reports.
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JINDAL'S LEGISLATIVE AIDE
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‘I thought it was a good opportunity to work for a dynamic member of the Republican Party:’ Delacourt
For Sapna Delacourt, 31, choosing to work in freshman Congressman Bobby Jindal’s (R-LA) as his legislative director and counsel, offers a broader canvas of issues to deal with and a legislator who has promised to “make a difference.”
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SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE
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Natwar’s Pakistan visit ‘most significant,’ Rocca tells Senate
Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh’s February visit to Pakistan was the most significant development in the two years of rapprochement between the two South Asian nations, according to Assistant Secretary for South Asia Christina Rocca, whose statement also stressed Washington’s growing relations with India in resolving regional issues such as the tsunami and Nepal’s growing internal instability.
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Taking its cue from India, U.S. ‘considering’ suspension of military aid to Nepal
Washington is considering suspending military aid to Nepal following on New Delhi and London’s actions, according to the State Department.
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CIVIL RIGHTS
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‘Security forces, insurgents violated human rights in India’
Despite being a democracy that generally respected human rights, India had numerous serious problems, according to the State Department’s ‘2004 Human Rights Report’ released on Feb. 28.
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Mixed report card for U.S. ally Pakistan
Pakistan, the United States frontline ally in the war against terror, garnered mixed response from the State Department on its human rights record last year.
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Good marks for Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan government by and large respected the human rights of its citizens even as it faced problems in areas such as women’s rights and religious freedom, the State Department said. While there were no reports of security forces committing politically motivated killings and no reports of disappearances, there were “extensive” reports of torture and 13 custodial deaths as a result of police torture, said the Department in its ‘2004 Human Rights Report.’
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Situation grim in Bangladesh
The State Department castigated the government of Bangladesh for egregious human rights violations in its ‘2004 Human Rights Report.’
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King Gyanendra failed to deliver after taking charge
The Nepalese monarchy came in for some severe criticism from the State Department for its failure to prevent human rights abuses.
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DELHI DIARY
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State election results a jolt for Manmohan Singh government
The announcement of results on Feb. 27 of a crucial round of Assembly elections in the three northern states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana last month deeply embarrassed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
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At least 278 dead, over 300 missing in avalanche-hit Kashmir Valley
SRINAGAR (Reuters) : Indian army mountaineering teams and sniffer dogs were scouring avalanche-stuck areas of Kashmir for survivors and bodies, officials here said on Feb. 27.
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Indian soldiers recognized for acts of bravery in Lebanon
New Delhi : Twelve Indian soldiers serving with the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon have been recognized for bravery while rescuing other peacekeepers trapped during a shootout between guerrillas and Israeli forces.
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U.S. announces new visa fee structure following new law
New Delhi : The U.S. Embassy has announced new visa fees for a variety of consular services at its mission in New Delhi and at the consulates in Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata from March 8.
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NASA wants seat on India’s moon mission Chandrayan-1
Bangalore : National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), the U.S. space administration, has expressed interest in joining India’s first moon mission project Chandrayan-1 scheduled for launch in 2007-08.
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Manmohan Singh for action to save endangered tigers
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has rushed to the defense of India’s endangered tigers, describing the present situation as a “crisis” and calling for immediate action to save them.
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DIPLOMACY
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India, U.S. strengthen military ties, to hold joint workshops on missile defense
NEW DELHI: India and the U.S. agreed to hold joint workshops on missile defense at a two-day meeting that concluded in Hyderabad on March 4.
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U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to visit India
NEW DELHI: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to arrive in India on March 16 on her first visit to this country after assuming her new charge, highly placed officials said.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen meets Sen over a working dinner
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, senior member of the International Relations Committee and Co-Chair of the India Caucus, dined with the Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Ronen Sen, and a Indian Parliament member Murli Deora, Member of Rajya Sabha, and his wife.
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HILLARY IN INDIA
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Indian industry should invest more in U.S.: Sen. Clinton
NEW DELHI: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has urged Indian industries to invest more in the United States to help prevent negative feelings over outsourcing of American jobs to India.
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Tea with young MPs and dinner at Sharad Pawar’s house
NEW DELHI: She came, she spoke and she conquered. U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton left an indelible impression on young and first-time Indian lawmakers during an all-too-brief 15-minute interaction with them during her visit here.
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A shirt for Bill and a jacket for Chelsea among purchases at Santushti shopping complex
Hillary Clinton, who visited India from Feb. 24-26, spent a leisurely Feb. 24 afternoon picking up clothes at an upmarket shopping complex in New Delhi.
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NEWSMAKERS
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Dr. Akshay Desai appointed to Florida Board of Governors
Florida Governor Jeb Bush appointed Dr. Akshay M. Desai, a physician based in St. Petersburg, Fla., to the Florida Board of Governors last month, a press release said.
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Briski, Kauffman get Oscar for ‘Born Into Brothels — Calcutta’s Red Light Kids’
There was a visible Indian presence at the 77th Annual Academy Awards with themes and filmmakers from the Indian diaspora. ‘Born into Brothels,’ a compelling look at Kolkata’s red light district and children of sex workers, won the Oscar for ‘Best Documentary,’ producer Anant Singh’s ‘Yesterday’ was among the foreign language nominees and young filmmaker Ashvin Kumar’s ‘Little Terrorist’ was in the shorts category.
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2 awards each go to Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee
MUMBAI: The 50th year of the Filmfare Awards saw Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee winning the ‘Best Actor’ and ‘Best Actress’ Award for their roles in ‘Swades’ and ‘Hum Tum,’ respectively. Mukherjee also won the ‘Best Actress In a Supporting Role’ for ‘Yuva,’ while Khan also won Filmfare’s ‘Power Award’ at a ceremony held here on Feb. 26.
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Mirza upsets U.S.champion Kuznetsova; loses in quarterfinals
DUBAI: Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza pulled off a surprise victory over U.S.champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia in the Dubaiwomen’s tennis championship here on March 1, but two days later, lost tamely to Jelena Jankovich of Serbia-Montenegro in the quarterfinal of the event.
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Narain Karthikeyan revs up for Formula One debut in Melbourne
MELBOURNE: India’s ace car driver Narain Karthikeyan had a brush with trouble in one of his two practice sessions on March 4, ahead of his historic Formula One debut at the Albert Park circuit here scheduled for March 6.
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OUTSOURCING
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Indian outsourcing sector eyes U.S. medical, drug industries
It is not everyday that an Indian American gets chosen to be part of the prestigious New York Philharmonic (NYP). Thirty-year-old Vivek Kamath is that rarity. A violist with a degree in music, Kamath is a seven-year veteran of the NYP. He studied with former Cleveland Quartet first violinist Donald Weilerstein at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. In 1997, he was a prizewinner in the Washington International String Competition as well as the Irving Klein International String Competition.
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UNDER 30
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11-piece performance based on album ‘In What Language? A Song Cycle of Lives in Transit’
It is not everyday that an Indian American gets chosen to be part of the prestigious New York Philharmonic (NYP). Thirty-year-old Vivek Kamath is that rarity. A violist with a degree in music, Kamath is a seven-year veteran of the NYP. He studied with former Cleveland Quartet first violinist Donald Weilerstein at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. In 1997, he was a prizewinner in the Washington International String Competition as well as the Irving Klein International String Competition.
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They all seemed ready and anxious to take on challenge of rebuilding their life
We had come to work in Nagapattinam to gather information about the NGO (nongovernmental organization) work that was being done in the tsunami-affected villages.
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Short Takes
The Indian government has reserved 15 percent of seats in premier technical institutions for foreign nationals and persons of Indian origin and nonresident Indians.
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