Biden Nominates Indian-American Rashad Hussain as Ambassador
U.S. President Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American attorney Rashad Hussain as the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, the first Muslim to be nominated to the key position.
Mr. Hussain is currently Director for Partnerships and Global Engagement at the National Security Council.
He previously served as Senior Counsel at the Department of Justice's National Security Division. During the Obama administration, he served as US Special Envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), US Special Envoy for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications and Deputy Associate White House Counsel.
Bill Introduced in US to End Stay of Foreign Students after Studies
A group of US lawmakers has reintroduced a legislation in the House of Representatives to eliminate a programme that allows foreign students to stay in the country for work after the completion of their studies under certain conditions, a Bill if passed into law can affect tens and thousands of Indians studying in this country.
Russia Fines Google 3 Million Roubles
Russia fined Google 3 million roubles ($41,017) for violating personal data legislation, Google's first fine for that offence.
Google confirmed the fine and offered no further comment.
The penalty comes amid a wider standoff between Russia and Big Tech, with Moscow routinely fining social media giants for failing to remove banned content and seeking to compel foreign tech firms to open offices in Russia.
Jul 30, 2021
US, Russia Hold Substantive and Professional Arms Talks
The US and Russia held substantive and professional talks on arms control and other strategic issues.
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman led a delegation of US officials in a meeting with Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Ryabkov, the first in a series of integrated Strategic Stability Dialogue talks arranged in June at President Joe Biden's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
These strategic talks come as Russia is amassing military might in the Arctic and testing its newest weapons, including an unmanned stealth torpedo powered by a nuclear reactor.
Biden administration has stressed that it still seeks to cooperate with Moscow in areas of mutual concern, including climate change. The meeting was the first in a series of planned engagements meant to improve communication and reduce the possibility of diplomatic missteps at a time of strained relations between the two countries.
UN Extends CAR Arms Embargo
The UN Security Council extended the arms embargo against the Central African Republic for a year despite an appeal from China to lift it, saying the government hasn't met UN benchmarks including ensuring the protection and control of all weapons.
The council adopted the resolution, which also extends targeted sanctions on individuals and companies, by a vote of 14-0 with China abstaining.
China Sends New Ambassador to US
China's new ambassador Qin Gang to the United States outlined the challenges the two countries face in what has become an increasingly competitive and contentious relationship, while refraining from any criticism in short remarks after arriving to take up his new post.
Qin's arrival comes as relations with the US have plunged to their worst level in decades with no sign of bottoming out. The two sides remain sharply at odds over a host of issues, including trade, technology, cybersecurity, human rights and China's increasingly assertive foreign policy under President Xi Jinping.
The US currently has no ambassador in Beijing, although President Joe Biden is expected to nominate Nicholas Burns, a former ambassador to NATO and State Department spokesperson.
Jul 29, 2021
Iran Blames US for Pause in Nuclear Talks
Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday declared Tehran would not accept Washington's "stubborn" demands in talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal and said the United States had failed to guarantee that it would never abandon the pact again.
They once violated the nuclear deal at no cost by exiting it. Now, they explicitly say they cannot give guarantees that it would not happen again." Since April 9, Tehran and six world powers have been in talks to revive the nuclear pact ditched three years ago by then US President Donald Trump, who argued it favoured Iran. The sixth round of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington adjourned on June 20.
Jul 28, 2021
Veena Reddy Sworn in as First Indian-American Mission Director of USAID
Indian-American Veena Reddy has been sworn in as the new mission director for US Agency for International Development (USAID). Reddy is the first Indian-American to be elected to this position.
Veena Reddy, a foreign service officer with the US Agency for International Development, is USAID/Cambodia's Mission Director. According to USAID, Reddy arrived in Cambodia in August 2017 and currently oversees a staff of 75 as well as USAID programs in the food security, environment, health, education, child protection, and democracy and governance sectors.
Veena Reddy has served as the deputy mission director in Haiti, where she oversaw post-earthquake reconstruction efforts, elections support, economic growth, food security interventions, hurricane response, and the development of a new strategy.
Prior to this posting, Veen Reddy served in Washington as an assistant general counsel, covering legal matters for USAID's programs in Asia, Middle East, and Afghanistan and Pakistan.
North, South Korea Agree to Restore Severed Communication Links
North and South Korea restored their cross-border communication lines that had been severed for over a year.
This comes 13 months after North Korea cut off all communication lines with South Korea in protest over Seoul`s supposed failure to stop activists from sending anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets into the communist nation.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un have exchanged personal letters several times since April to communicate about issues on the restored inter-Korean relations.
Jul 27, 2021
Yusuffali is Abu Dhabi CCI's Vice-chairman
Lulu Group chairman, M. A. Yusuff Ali has been appointed as the vice-chairman of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI). Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi & Dy. Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces issued a resolution to form a new Board of Directors for Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI).
HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan had honoured Yusuffali with the 'Abu Dhabi Award 2021', the highest civilian honour for his almost 5-decade long contributions in the fields of economic development & philanthropy.
ADCCI is the apex Govt. body of all business established in Abu Dhabi and functions as an effective bridge between the Govt. and business sector. Each of the business establishments in Abu Dhabi, one of the wealthiest and most influential economic hubs in the region, has to be licensed by ADCCI. Yusuffali is the only Indian in the 29-member board, which is primarily constituted of Emirati business owners and CEOs.
China Goes on Offensive against US during Talks
Striking an aggressive stance at the face-to-face talks with the US, China on Monday for the first time handed down to Washington a list of demands and remedial actions to be taken by the Biden administration to end the stalemate in bilateral ties.
Talks between Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to improve the relations got off on a rough note at the northeastern Chinese port city of Tianjin, with Xie launching a blistering attack on Washington, accusing it of being the "owner of coercive diplomacy".
Sherman, the No. 2 diplomat of the US, is the highest-ranking American official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office six months ago.
Imran's Party Wins PoK Poll
Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party is set to form the next government in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as it emerged as the largest political party in the legislative assembly elections in the region which was marred by allegations of irregularities and violence.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party won 23 seats, Pakistan Peoples Party was second with 8 seats and the incumbent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) secured just 6 seats.
US Combat Forces to Leave Iraq by End of Year
President Joe Biden says US forces will end their combat mission in Iraq by the end of this year, but will continue to train and advise the Iraqi military.
The announcement came after Mr. Biden held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi at the White House.
There are currently 2,500 US troops in Iraq helping local forces counter what remains of the Islamic State group.
Numbers of US troops are likely to stay the same but the move is being seen as an attempt to help the Iraqi PM.
The US presence in Iraq has become a major issue since top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and the leader of an Iran-backed Shia Muslim militia were killed in a US drone strike in the capital Baghdad last year.
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