All stories by Lalit K Jha
Chinese toys popular in India seized in US for having dangerous chemicals
Rediff.com22 Oct 2021The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), ahead of the holiday shopping season, warned consumers to be extra diligent while shopping online for children's toys after the recent seizure of toys that were coated in unsafe levels of lead, cadmium and barium.
China aggressor against India, says next US envoy to Beijing
Rediff.com21 Oct 2021China has been an aggressor against India along the Himalayan border, a top American diplomat nominated by President Joe Biden as his next envoy to Beijing has told lawmakers, stating that the US must hold the Chinese government accountable for failing to play by the rules.
Gita Gopinath to quit as IMF chief economist, return to Harvard
Rediff.com20 Oct 2021IMF's Chief Economist Gita Gopinath will leave her job in January next year and return to the prestigious Harvard University, according to the global financial institution.
US court rejects Nirav Modi's plea against fraud charges
Rediff.com19 Oct 2021In a major blow to Nirav Modi, a bankruptcy court in the US has rejected a petition of the fugitive diamond merchant and two of his associates, seeking dismissal of fraud allegations against them by the trustee of three companies they previously owned indirectly.
US condemns attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh
Rediff.com19 Oct 2021The State Department condemns the recent reports of attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh, a spokesman said.
Indian economy to grow at 9.5% this year and 8.5% in 2022: IMF
Rediff.com12 Oct 2021India's growth projection released by the latest World Economic Outlook remains unchanged from its previous WEO (World Economic Outlook) update of July this summer but is a three-percentage point in 2021 and 1.6 percentage point drop from its April projections. According to the latest WEO update, released ahead of the annual meeting of the IMF and the World Bank, the world is expected to grow at 5.9 per cent in 2021 and 4.9 per cent in 2022.
India expected to grow by 8.3% in 2021-22: World Bank
Rediff.com8 Oct 2021Buoyed by an increase in public investment and incentives to boost manufacturing, India's economy is expected to grow by 8.3 per cent in the fiscal year 2021-22, less than the previous projection early this year before the country was hit by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank has said in its latest report. World Bank chief economist for the South Asia Region Hans Timmer told PTI here that when one looks at the high frequency data, they see that as a result of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the recovery paused, and some indicate that the recovery actually declined briefly. "We project for this fiscal year 8.3 per cent (growth rate for Indian economy) that is less than we projected early in the year before the health crisis caused by the second wave. "Given the sharp contraction of the economy last year, it might not look like a lot, but in my view, that is actually very positive news, given the violent second wave and the severity of the health crisis," he said on Thursday.
US Hindu group files complaint against university over 'anti-Hindu' conference
Rediff.com7 Oct 2021In a complaint to the Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Suzanne Goldberg and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement Randolph Wills, the Hindu American Foundation has asked the Office of Civil Rights to investigate and determine whether the University of Pennsylvania and its Department of South Asia Studies, South Asia Center created a hostile environment for students and faculty of Indian and Hindu descent, and whether the same entities and individuals misused any federal funds.
Facebook, WhatsApp back online; Zuckerberg apologises over outage
Rediff.com5 Oct 2021While the users of the three social media platforms remained clueless as they repeatedly received error messages for most part of the day, the stocks of Silicon Valley firm Facebook dropped by nearly five per cent as a result.
Biden administration to revisit Trump-era trade deal with China
Rediff.com4 Oct 2021In January last year, the US signed the first phase of the trade deal with China, which former President Donald Trump described as historic, concluding more than a year of tough negotiations including several months of suspension of talks between the two largest economies of the world.
Very honest about concerns on safe havens in Pak: US
Rediff.com1 Oct 2021Afghanistan and the US have criticised Pakistan in the past for allowing Taliban fighters to cross into Pakistan where they are provided safe havens and also receive medical treatment.
Biden advised to keep 2500 troops in Afghanistan
Rediff.com29 Sep 2021Taliban failed to honour Doha accord, never renounced Al-Qaeda: US general Mark Milley
Pak home to 12 foreign terrorist organisations: Report
Rediff.com28 Sep 2021United States officials have identified Pakistan as a base of operations or target for numerous armed and non state militant groups, some of which have existed since the 1980s, the independent Congressional Research Service said in the report.
Who does Indra Nooyi belong to? India or US
Rediff.com26 Sep 2021'I am still the girl who grew up in a close family in Madras, in the South of India, and I am deeply connected to the lessons and culture of my youth. I am also the woman who arrived in the US at age twenty-three to study and work and, somehow, rose to lead an iconic company, a journey that I believe is possible only in America. I belong in both worlds,' says the ex-Pepsico chief in her memoir
Modi raises H-1B visas issue with Biden: Foreign Secretary Shringla
Rediff.com25 Sep 2021Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first-ever in-person meeting with President Joe Biden raised a number of issues involving the Indian community in America, including access for Indian professionals in the US and speaking about the H-1B visas, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has said.
Biden hosts Modi in White House, extols Indo-US ties
Rediff.com24 Sep 2021Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Joe Biden at the White House on Friday in his first bilateral meeting with the US president during which the two leaders are expected to discuss a wide range of priority issues, including combating Covid-19, climate change, economic cooperation as well as Afghanistan.
Covid, Afghanistan on agenda of Modi-Biden talks: WH official
Rediff.com24 Sep 2021While the two leaders have met earlier when Biden was the Vice President of the country, this is for the first time that Biden will be meeting Modi after he became the 46th president of the US in January.
Working group on space to be among Quad leaders' announcements
Rediff.com24 Sep 2021Quad leaders are also planning to roll out vaccine deliverables and announce a series of measures in the field of healthcare and infrastructure sector, officials in Washington, DC said.
After Biden, Harris to meet Quad leaders
Rediff.com24 Sep 2021US Vice President Kamala Harris would host a separate meeting with the prime ministers of three Quad countries -- India, Australia and Japan -- at the White House to discuss with them the important factors for democracies to go forward, officials said.
Modi thanks Kamala Harris for Covid help, invites her to India
Rediff.com24 Sep 2021'Your being elected as the Vice President of America has been such an important and historic event. You are the source of inspiration for so many people around the world,' Modi said.