Obama hosts Indian PM, unlikely friend

US president to pay first visit to Spain

WASHINGTON, June 6, (Agencies): President Barack Obama welcomes India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House this week in a low-key nod to the improved ties between the world’s biggest democracies.

That the pair would get along was not a given: When Obama came to office in 2009, the Hindu nationalist was banned from entering the United States over his role in antiMuslim riots.

But the ban was lifted after Modi was sworn into office in May 2014 and he has since made four US visits — two to Washington — while Obama has twice travelled to India.

Relations

Relations between the countries are not always easy — India insists on staying out of formal alliances and forging its own course — but both leaders can boast that ties have improved.

For Obama, who will step down from office in January, this is now a matter of his legacy — friendship with India and inroads into its huge market are a victory for his so-called “pivot to Asia.”

For Modi, Tuesday’s visit is a

American tradition of boycotting in support of social justice.”

In addition, Cuomo’s action violates the First Amendment protection of free speech, Azmy said.

“Cuomo’s action has the ugliest attributes of McCarthyism: identifying organizations that engage in speech we dislike and, ‘Let’s blacklist them,’” said Azmy. “This is a well-orchestrated, well-funded, time to set the seal on what has been achieved and set the stage for what he hopes will be a mushrooming in US-India trade from $120 billion to $500 billion.

Ahead of the trip, India’s Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar told reporters Obama had invited Modi as one of the leaders with whom “he had a close and productive working relationship.” “So, in many ways you can say it is sort of a consolidation visit,” he added. On Monday, Modi will head to Arlington National Cemetery for a wreath-laying ceremony and meet with think tank scholars.

He will have a working lunch with Obama on Tuesday, followed by a series of meetings with US business leaders and members of the three million strong Indian-American community.

On Wednesday, he will become the fifth Indian premier to address a joint session of the US Congress, and afterwards will be hosted at a reception for dignitaries and lawmakers. Officials played down the chances of major announcements during the visit, but noted that India is very close to a deal with US electric giant Westinghouse to build a nuclear plant.

organized strategy to disproportionately punish US-based activists. Really ugly.”

The United Jewish Appeal in New York, however, praised Cuomo for being the first governor to issue an executive order opposing BDS.

In a statement, CEO Eric S. Goldstein said his organization is “proud that the governor of New York state has taken this historic action to stand with Israel and

“There is a very detailed and advanced negotiation,” Arun Singh, India’s ambassador to the United States, told reporters, adding that only the financing details of the scheme remain to be agreed.

Deal

The multi-billion dollar deal to provide power to India’s growing, energy-hungry populace had been on hold because of concerns about site safety in Modi’s home state Gujarat.

But a new location for the six-reactor plant has been found in Andhra Pradesh and concerns about insurance have been ironed out, Singh said. Another potential arena for greater cooperation is in the military and security arena.

India has made the United States its main arms supplier — spending $14 billion over the past five years — but also spends heavily with French, Israeli and Russian suppliers. The two countries are negotiating a Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), although it is not clear whether a final draft will be ready for Modi to sign on his visit.

This arrangement, long-sought by Washington, will allow the two

reject the BDS movement.” (AP)

Congress urged to reject TPP:

More than 450 groups on Monday called on Congress to reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) if it comes up for a vote this fall, saying the trade deal would allow fossil fuel companies to contest US environmental rules in extrajudicial tribunals. militaries to seek supplies and spare parts from each other’s bases.

Singh did not say whether agreement was imminent — India also wants deals to acquire advanced US arms technology — but noted that Indian and US troops now train together regularly.

Also: WASHINGTON:

President will pay his first presidential visit to next month for meetings on security and the economy.

The White House says Obama will add a stop in Spain on July 9 to his previously announced trip to

starting July 7 for a NATO summit. Obama also plans to meet in with the heads of the European Council and the European Commission to discuss counter-terrorism, refugees and economics.

Obama’s visit to Spain comes during a period of political uncertainty there. A stalemate had stopped Spanish politicians from forming a government since December. Another election is expected to be held on June 26.

The White House says Obama will meet with the acting prime minister during his visit. He’ll also sit down with the Spanish king.

The groups, most of them environmental organizations, warned that companies could challenge US environmental standards in tribunals outside the domestic legal system under provisions of the 12-nation TPP and the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with Europe.

Congress is expected to vote on the TPP after the Nov 8 election during a lameduck session. President Barack Obama wants the agreement ratified before he leaves office on Jan 20, but opposition to the deal has grown during this year’s presidential campaign.

“We strongly urge you to eliminate this threat to US climate progress by committing to vote no on the TPP and asking the US Trade Representative to remove from TTIP any provision that empowers corporations to challenge government policies in extrajudicial tribunals,” the groups wrote in the letter to every member of Congress.

Obama’s political ally and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has said she wants to renegotiate the TPP to include stronger rules on currency manipulation.

Voter anxiety over the impact of trade deals on jobs and the environment has helped power the campaigns of Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee, and US Senator Bernie Sanders, who is running against Clinton for the Democratic nomination.

The letter says approving the deals would enable fossil fuel companies to use “investor-state dispute settlements” to demand compensation for environmental rules through cases decided by lawyers outside the US judicial system. (RTRS)