Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Joe Biden puts on full pomp for Modi

White House has tapped California's top plant-based chef for a dinner for the Indian leader

Joe Biden puts on full pomp for Modi

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (21) opened a state visit to Washington as the United States steps up its wooing of India.

President Joe Biden is putting on the full pomp for only the third state visitor of his administration, with the billion-plus country seen as a pivotal partner in a growing global competition with China.

Modi - flying in from New York where he exerted Indian soft power with a public yoga demonstration - kicked off his visit with an intimate private dinner with Biden at the White House.

On Thursday (22), India's most powerful leader in decades will be welcomed with full military honours at the White House, address a joint session of Congress and be feted by a state dinner.

The White House tapped a top California-based plant-based chef for the dinner for Modi, a strict vegetarian. Unusually for a leader who often criticizes the press, the White House said Modi will take questions alongside Biden.

People following the trip expect a series of significant announcements, including likely a deal for General Electric to supply engines for India's first home-grown fighter jets.

The world's two largest democracies are also likely to make announcements on climate, one area where the two countries have long clashed, albeit politely, on the responsibilities of developed versus developing countries.

The United States has been seeking a closer relationship with India since the late 1990s, seeing the nation as like-minded both on the challenges of China and of radical Islamism.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the visit, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby played down the connection to China - which Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited earlier in the week in a bid to lower the temperature after soaring tensions.

"It's not about sending a message to China," Kirby said.

"We are deepening and continuing to improve this partnership with India, which we believe has truly become a force for global good. And we know that India is going to be a strategic partner for decades to come," he said.

But he implicitly acknowledged India's strategic location, saying, "They are showing a growing commitment to being more engaged in the Indo-Pacific."

Playing down differences 

It will be Modi's first state visit to Washington, an honour extended to his centre-left predecessor Manmohan Singh by Barack Obama.

Biden, however, has already welcomed Modi as part of a summit of the so-called Quad - an initiative of four democracies including Japan and Australia that is widely seen as countering China's influence in Asia.

Modi had developed a close relationship with Biden's predecessor Donald Trump, endearing himself by arranging a massive rally in his home state of Gujarat for the fellow right-wing populist.

The Biden administration has vowed a greater focus globally on human rights but has kept a light touch with Modi, who has faced mounting criticism from human rights groups.

The State Department in its latest report on religious freedom pointed to attacks on minorities in India and to statements viewed as inflammatory from members of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.

Two Muslim members of the US House of Representatives, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, are boycotting Modi's speech.

But India has otherwise largely enjoyed a pass from the United States including over Russia, which Biden is seeking to isolate over its invasion of Ukraine.

Modi has refused to join Western-led sanctions on Moscow, which supported New Delhi during the Cold War, and India has instead seized on the war to buy Russian oil at discounted prices.

The muted US reaction comes in contrast with growing calls from Congress to punish South Africa for its stance on Russia.

Rick Rossow, an India specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the United States considered the long-term concern about China - over which India is aligned with the United States - as greater than any gap on Russia.

"There are going to be areas that pop up where you're going to have divergence. But the convergence is big enough where I think it'll outweigh everything," he said.

(AFP)

More For You

Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE is now investigating more than 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects, following years of public criticism and institutional failings in tackling child sexual exploitation.

A new report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has revealed the force has made “significant improvements” in dealing with group-based sexual abuse and related crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Diwali

This year’s Diwali event will still see Belgrave Road continue to host what is left of the festival. (Representational image)

Major changes announced for Leicester’s Diwali celebrations amid safety fears

LDRS

THIS year’s annual Diwali celebrations will be stripped back amid public safety fears. Leicester City Council has said there will be no fireworks or stage entertainment as part of major changes announced for the event.

Cossington Street Recreation Ground will also not be used for the festivities, the council has revealed. The green space previously was the location for the main stage and the Diwali Village with its food stalls, funfair rides, fashion and arts. The annual fire garden display was also based there, offering “a peaceful oasis amid the festive excitement”.

Keep ReadingShow less
Corbyn- Zarah Sultana

Zarah Sultana with Jeremy Corbyn during a protest outside Downing Street demanding the UK government to stop all arms sales to Israel. (Photo: X/@zarahsultana)

X/@zarahsultana

Zarah Sultana leaves Labour, plans new party with Corbyn and independents

FORMER Labour MP Zarah Sultana has announced her resignation from the party and plans to launch a new political party alongside ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and other independent MPs and activists.

Sultana, who represents Coventry South, lost the Labour whip last year for supporting the removal of the two-child benefit cap.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hasmukh Shah

The certificate was presented to Shah at the Welsh parliament by Anita Bailey, Home Office Director Windrush Unit.

Hasmukh Shah receives UK minister’s certificate of appreciation

A prominent Asian doctor has been recognised for his services to the community. Prof Hasmukh Shah has received a certificate of appreciation for his contribution and services to the United Kingdom.

The certificate was issued by Seema Malhotra MP, UK Minister for Migration and Citizenship, as part of the Windrush Cymru Elders and Race Council Cymru’s Windrush work in Wales.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai-Lama-Getty

Dalai Lama looks on as offerings presented by Buddhist followers are laid on a table during a Long Life Prayer offering ceremony at the Main Tibetan Temple in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala, India, on June 30, 2025.(Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

India says Dalai Lama alone can decide successor

A SENIOR Indian minister has said that only the Dalai Lama and the organisation he has established have the authority to decide his successor as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. The comment runs contrary to China’s long-standing position on the matter.

The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule, said on Wednesday that after his death he would be reincarnated as the next spiritual leader, and that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust would be able to identify his successor. He had earlier said that the next Dalai Lama would be born outside China.

Keep ReadingShow less