Author: Malavika Subramanyan

As US Vice President Kamala Harris’s ethnic identity becomes a focal point in the political arena, Indian-American Republican Vivek Ramaswamy has criticized her for allegedly using her Indian heritage selectively. Amidst Donald Trump’s racial jabs, Ramaswamy has argued that Harris has abandoned her Indian roots, causing offense among some Indian Americans. In a Fox News interview, he stated, “Many Indian-Americans are somewhat offended by how Kamala has seemingly disregarded her Indian-American identity.” Ramaswamy pointed out that Harris previously emphasized her Indian-American background when she was running for office in California, but he believes she now adopts a different persona for…

Only electronic registrations submitted during the March 2024 registration window for FY 2025 are eligible for the second selection round, confirmed by USCIS. However, this round will not include the advanced degree exemption, or “master’s cap,” as sufficient petitions were already received to meet the FY 2025 allocation. The second selection will consider registrations indicating eligibility for both the master’s cap and the regular H-1B cap. USCIS will announce when the selections are finalized, and the results will be accessible in the corresponding USCIS accounts. The annual H-1B cap limits new visas to 85,000 per fiscal year. When more registrations…

India, along with 13 other partners of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), has inaugurated three essential bodies to boost supply chain resilience. This initiative, outlined in the IPEF Agreement, marks a pivotal moment in enhancing regional supply chain stability. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry reported that the initial virtual meetings of the Supply Chain Council (SCC), Crisis Response Network (CRN), and Labor Rights Advisory Board (LRAB) are significant milestones in fostering cooperation among member nations. These bodies aim to reinforce supply chain resilience and competitiveness. In their first meetings, the 14 IPEF partners reaffirmed their dedication to improving supply…

On Tuesday, Elon Musk criticized Google for displaying results related to Kamala Harris when users searched for Donald Trump. This followed Musk’s previous day’s concern about the lack of search results on an assassination attempt on Trump. The Tesla CEO took to X, sharing posts where users expressed frustration about finding news on US presidential candidate Kamala Harris instead of Donald Trump. One user shared a screenshot of a Google News search for “Donald Trump,” which had been altered to “Harris, Donald Trump,” resulting in news favoring Harris over Trump. After media coverage of this issue, search results changed to…

Over 0.45 million pilgrims have participated in the ongoing Amarnath Yatra over the past 29 days, surpassing last year’s record. According to officials from the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), which oversees the annual pilgrimage, more than 0.45 million pilgrims have had ‘Darshan’ inside the holy cave since the Yatra began on June 29. This surpasses last year’s record of 0.445 million pilgrims who completed the Yatra throughout its entire duration. On Saturday, approximately 8,000 pilgrims visited the cave shrine, and another group of 1,677 pilgrims departed from Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu for the Valley on Sunday. “This…

Governor Newsom taps Raj Bhutoria for California Youth Empowerment Commission. Bhutoria, who is from Fremont, boasts a diverse and accomplished background. Currently, Bhutoria serves as the Chief of Staff at Snappr, a role he has held since 2023. Previously, he worked as a Strategy Analyst at Accenture from 2022 to 2023 and as a Researcher at the Financial Economics Institute from 2019 to 2021. He also served as an Appel Writing Fellow in 2019 and worked as a Business Strategy Specialist for BYTON Electric Cars the same year. In 2018, Bhutoria was a Legal Assistant at the Office of the…

Former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama have thrown their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris in her run for the presidency. On Friday, Barack Obama shared their endorsement on Twitter, writing, “Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend Kamala Harris. We told her we think she’ll make a fantastic president of the United States and that she has our full support. In this crucial time for our nation, we will do everything possible to ensure she secures a victory in November. We hope you’ll join us.” He also posted a video of their conversation.…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has applauded Abhinav Bindra, the acclaimed shooter and IOC member, for being honored with the Olympic Order by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Bindra, who made history in 2008 as the first Indian to win an individual gold medal in the men’s 10m air rifle event, will receive this prestigious award during the Paris Olympic Games starting Friday. The Olympic Order is awarded for outstanding contributions to the Olympic movement and its values. Prime Minister Modi took to X (formerly Twitter) to express national pride, saying, “Every Indian is proud that @Abhinav_Bindra has been awarded the…

India has taken a significant step in boosting regional security cooperation by assuming the role of lead country for security sector collaboration within the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). This development was underscored during the Senior Officials’ Meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, which was held to prepare for the upcoming 4th Meeting of BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs. The gathering in Myanmar’s capital aimed to strategize and coordinate efforts to tackle common security challenges faced by BIMSTEC member states. “The Indian delegation attended the Senior Officials’ Meeting to lay the groundwork for the 4th Meeting…

The BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton, Canada, has been defaced with hateful and anti-India graffiti amid growing Hinduphobia in the country. The Consulate General of India in Vancouver condemned the vandalism of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton, emphasizing the need for Canadian authorities to investigate and address the incident swiftly. The BAPS organization, which oversees the temple, has yet to respond to the incident. No official action has been reported regarding the vandalism that occurred on Monday morning. Randy Boissonnault, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, stated, “Earlier today, the Edmonton BAPS Mandir was vandalized with paint, displaying hateful…