Washington: US immigration authorities would give preference to better-educated and trained visa-seekers who can contribute to the American economy under a less-noticed provision of the immigration bill in the US Congress.
The bi-partisan bill in the US Senate would rewrite the half-century-old standards that control legal immigration to favor skills over family ties.
The winners of this proposed "merit-based" system, experts say, would be primarily from Asia, particularly from India, China and the Philippines, whose citizens are more likely to have attended college or have on-the-job training in skilled occupations such as engineering and technology. The losers are likely to be Mexicans and Central Americans.
The new system, long advocated by economists and politicians who believe the main purpose of immigration laws should be to serve economic growth, would replace one geared mainly to reuniting families....
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01:07 PM, May 05, 2013
New Delhi: The delegation of US Congressman and business leaders visiting the country left for home on Sunday after a 10-day trip of India. "After visiting Golden Temple and Jallianwala bagh in Amritsar, the visiting US delegates were accorded a warm adieu," BJP national committee member and convenor of BJP overseas affairs Vijay Jolly said in a release. During the visit, US Congressman Aaron Schock from Illinois, Cathy McMorris Rodgers...
05:47 AM, Apr 08, 2013
Delhi BJP Vice-President Vijay Jolly on Tuesday claimed the meeting of US Congressmen with Narendra Modi was not sponsored and those spreading such rumours were "jealous" of the Gujarat Chief Minister. "The trip hasn't been sponsored by either BJP or Gujarat government. These rumours are being spread by our opposition parties which are feeling jealous that Modi's good governance mantra is admired by foreign countries also," Vijay Jolly, BJP's Overseas...
03:02 AM, Apr 03, 2013
There is more controversy over the meeting of US delegates with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday as media reports suggested that organisers of that delegation canvassed for participants in the trip at prices ranging from $ 3,000 to $ 16,000. ...
10:10 AM, Mar 30, 2013
Expressing disappointment at the decision of Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) on rescinding its invitation to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, a US lawmaker has said that for Wharton "to suppress the views of some at the expense of others" is simply not right. "When extending its invite, Wharton knew like the US knows that, more than a decade later, India's Supreme Court has not found any evidence against CM...
08:22 AM, Mar 06, 2013
The new Congress on Friday rushed out $9.7 billion to help pay flood insurance claims to 115,000 people and businesses afflicted by Superstorm Sandy, two days after New Jersey's governor and other Northeast Republicans upbraided Speaker John Boehner for killing a broader package for state and local governments in the storm's path. ...
04:06 AM, Jan 05, 2013
The US Congress has approved a five year extension of sweeping Surveillance laws to allow American spy agencies to wire-tap suspicious foreign citizens without warrants. The classified George Bush era Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was approved Friday by the Senate by a 73-23 vote after lawmakers shot down attempts to add oversight and transparency safeguard clauses. ...
03:22 PM, Dec 29, 2012
Washington: The Pentagon has notified the Congress about its decision to reimburse $688 million to Pakistan, under Coalition Support Fund (CSF), which is cost of providing support for some 140,000 troops stationed at the Afghan-Pak border. Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, notified the Congress of its decision of the US Department of Defence in a letter dated December 6, 2012, a Pentagon official said. "In making this determination, I find...
12:05 PM, Dec 19, 2012
Washington: Indian-American physician Ami Bera has won the Congressional election from California in a tight race, becoming only the third from the community to make it to the US House of Representatives. Nearly 60 years after Dalip Singh Saund scripted history by becoming the first Indian-American to be elected to the House, Democrat Bera repeated the feat defeating incumbent Republican Dan Lungren in California's Seventh Congressional District. While the counting...
04:03 PM, Nov 16, 2012
New Delhi: Indian markets tumbled on on Thursday as Wall Street worried about the fiscal crisis and the European economy's further deterioration, underpinning the safe-haven dollar and yen as well as US Treasuries on safety bids. US Congress must avert the fiscal cliff of nearly $600 billion worth of spending cuts and tax increases set for early 2013. There is also the issue of a debt ceiling, which needs to...
10:00 AM, Nov 08, 2012
War veteran and Hawaii native Tulsi Gabbard is expected to be inducted into the US Congress. She will be the first Hindu-American diplomat to be inducted into the US Congress. Speaking to CNN-IBN, she said she was happy and said she would work to improvise the US-India ties. ...
10:42 AM, Nov 05, 2012
Washington: Visiting Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has received prestigious Congressional Gold Medal, a rare honour bestowed to any foreign leader by the US administration. The National League for Democracy leader also met President Barack Obama on a day when the US lifted additional sanctions on Myanmar. "This is one of the most moving days of my life, to be here in a house undivided, a house joined...
11:43 AM, Sep 20, 2012
Chicago: A US Congressman who has mounted a campaign to revoke the ban on an American visa for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi says in the "trying economic times" this country "could learn a great deal from him". "Modi has been recognised across the world for his staunch stance against corruption and for making Gujarat a shining example of the successes that pro-growth, limited government policies can create. In the...
11:20 AM, Sep 13, 2012
Washington: The US Senate has unanimously passed a resolution urging the Obama Administration to designate the dreaded Haqqani network as a foreign terrorist organisation. The resolution comes after the US House of Representatives passed Haqqani Network Terrorist Designation Act of 2012 early July. The bill, which was passed in 2011, had to be passed by the Senate again because of the changes made in it by the House. After Senate's...
11:31 AM, Jul 28, 2012
Washington: In a latest jab at Pakistan by the US, the House of Representatives has unanimously voted to cut American military aid to Islamabad by $650 million as Republicans sought to tamp down demands for deeper reductions. The amendment to cut the aid, which was proposed by Republican Congressman Ted Poe, passed on the floor in a voice vote. Poe had demanded a $1.3 billion cut, but settled for the...
11:29 AM, Jul 20, 2012
Washington: The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the vast majority of President Barack Obama's historic health care overhaul, including the hotly debated core requirement that virtually all Americans have health insurance. The 5-4 decision means the huge overhaul, still taking effect, will proceed and pick up momentum over the next several years, affecting the way that countless Americans receive and pay for their personal medical care. The ruling hands Obama...
09:19 PM, Jun 28, 2012
Will Ferrell plays a US Congressman in 'The Campaign' who is running for the fifth term. This political comedy by Warner Brothers will hit the theatres this August. ...
06:12 PM, May 16, 2012
Washington: A Congressional resolution urging Gujarat government to restore religious freedom in the state has been introduced in the US House of Representatives on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of communal riots. The non-binding resolution (H Res 569) "recognising the 10th anniversary of the tragic communal violence in Gujarat" was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Keith Ellison, early this week. Unlike most of such resolutions, it...
07:56 AM, Mar 03, 2012
Washington: Former Senator Rick Santorum rejuvenated his presidential hopes on Tuesday with overwhelming victories over front-runner Mitt Romney in Republican nominating contests in Missouri and Minnesota. Santorum, who until Tuesday had won only one of the first five Republican contests, crushed his rivals in a non-binding primary in Missouri and in the Minnesota caucuses. His previous victory had been by a slim margin over Romney in Iowa. Results were still...
10:18 AM, Feb 08, 2012
Chicago: Raja Krishamoorthi, a Democratic Congressional candidate of Indian-origin for Illinois' newly created district, has come under apparent racist attacks from Tea Party bloggers for protesting against an event organized by them. Krishamoorthi,(38), one-time advisor to President Barack Obama, encountered unexpected attacks after his appearance at the TeaCon 2011 Convention last autumn. Tea Party groups from around the country gathered for the TEACON 2011 convention in Schaumburg, Illinois, an event...
04:47 PM, Jan 19, 2012
