Tulsi Gabbard extends warm welcome to PM Modi ahead of US visit, says 'sorry for not joining you at Howdy, Modi'

Agencies
September 20, 2019

Sept 20: Tulsi Gabbard, the first Indian-origin woman candidate for US presidential elections, has extended a warm welcome to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit to US while also apologised for not being able to join the "Howdy Modi" event scheduled to be held in Houston on September 22.

Gabbard, a member of the Democratic Party of the United States clarified that she won't be able to present at the event due to prior commitments related to her scheduled presidential campaigns.

"Namaste! I would like to extend a warm welcome to Prime Minister Modi on his latest visit to the US and I am sorry that I will not be able to join there in person due to previously scheduled presidential campaign events. I am really glad to see so many Indian Americans from all across our country as well as colleagues from Congress coming together there," she said in a video message.

Terming India as US' one of the most important partners in the Asia-Pacific region, she said, "India is the world's largest democracy and one of the most important partners of US in the Asia-Pacific region. Our two nations must continue to work closely together if we are to address the pressing issues that impact us and the world, issues like combating climate change. preventing nuclear war and nuclear proliferation and improving the economic well being of our people."

Invoking the age-old principle of "Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam", Gabbard said, "So as we build a strong and lasting partnership between our two nations focusing on areas of growth, wealth and opportunity and equality, science, health, environment, security and counter-terrorism...we can bring about the idea of "Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam" recognising that everyone on our planet..we are all one family. There is no place for hate, bigotry, ignorance and prejudice."

Earlier in a tweet, Gabbard had informed that though she will not be able to attend the event but hopes to meet Prime Minister Modi during his US visit.

Referring to an article, she tweeted, "This article is misinformed. I'm not attending the Houston event due to previously scheduled presidential campaign events. However, I'm hoping to meet PM Modi on his visit to discuss the importance of maintaining the strong partnership of the world's oldest & largest democracies."

The White House had confirmed that the US President Donald Trump will be making a joint appearance with Prime Minister Modi at the "Howdy Modi" event in Houston.

The mega event is believed to be one of the largest events to welcome a foreign head of government ever in the history of the United States.

It will mark the first time that the two leaders would meet outside of either capital Washington DC or New York, where the United Nations is headquartered.

Over 50,000 people have already been registered for the event, which will be hosted by the Texas India Forum.

Moreover, the fact that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the second-highest-ranking Democrat, will also address the gathering, further reflects the strong bipartisan support for the relationship between the two countries.

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News Network
February 28,2020

Washington, Feb 28: US intelligence agencies are monitoring the global spread of coronavirus and the ability of governments to respond, sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, warning that there were concerns about how India would cope with a widespread outbreak.

While there are only a few known cases in India, one source said the country's available countermeasures and the potential for the virus to spread given India's dense population was a focus of serious concern.

US intelligence agencies are also focusing on Iran, where the country's deputy health minister has fallen ill during a worsening outbreak.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday the United States was "deeply concerned" Tehran may have covered up details about the spread of coronavirus. A US government source said Iran's response was considered ineffective because the government only has minimal capabilities to respond to the outbreak.

Another source said US agencies were also concerned about the weak ability of governments in some developing countries to respond to an outbreak.

The US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee has received a briefing on the virus from the spy agencies. "The Committee has received a briefing from the IC (intelligence community) on coronavirus, and continues to receive updates on the outbreak on a daily basis," an official of the House Intelligence Committee told Reuters.

"Addressing the threat has both national security and economic dimensions, requiring a concerted government-wide effort and the IC is playing an important role in monitoring the spread of the outbreak, and the worldwide response," the official added.

A source familiar with the activities of the Senate Intelligence Committee, led by Republican Senator Richard Burr and Democratic Senator Mark Warner, said the panel was receiving daily updates. The role of US intelligence agencies in responding to the coronavirus epidemic at this point principally involves monitoring the spread of the illness around the world and assessing the responses of governments.

They are working closely with health agencies, such as the US Center for Disease Control, in sharing information they collect and targeting further intelligence gathering.

One source said US agencies would use a wide range of intelligence tools, ranging from undercover informants to electronic eavesdropping tools, to track the virus' impact.

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News Network
May 1,2020

Washington, May 1: The United States on Thursday recorded 29,625 new coronavirus cases, and 2,035 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The total number of coronavirus cases has reached 1,069,534 and the death toll stands at 63,001, CNN reported.

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 3.2 million people and killed at least 233,000 globally, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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News Network
June 22,2020

Geneva, Jun 22: The global count of coronavirus cases has surpassed 8.7 million, with 183,020 new cases recorded on Sunday, the World Health Organisation said in its daily situation report.

Over the last 24 hours, 4,743 people died from COVID-19 worldwide, taking the death toll to 461,715 fatalities, according to the report.

The cumulative global toll of confirmed cases has now reached 8,708,008, as stated in the report.

The WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, shared that Europe accounts for 31 per cent of COVID-19 cases and 43 per cent of COVID-19 deaths globally.

Dr Kluge highlighted that several countries continue to face increasing disease incidence and that "preparing for the autumn is a priority now at the WHO Regional Office for Europe"

The United States continues to be worst affected by the contagion with the highest count of cases and fatalities -- 2.2 million and 118,895, respectively.

The novel coronavirus was declared a pandemic by WHO on March 11.

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