Foreign Service: Jennifer Larson is new US Consulate General in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Sep 13 (IANS) Jennifer Larson is the new Consul General of the US in Hyderabad.

She previously served as Deputy Principal Officer at the US Consulate General in Mumbai and as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for India.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be here in Hyderabad. I’ve spent the last five years working on the US-India relationship from Mumbai and Washington. Now I’m honored to have the opportunity to expand our partnership in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha,” she said.

“From joint military exercises and business ties to cultural exchanges and higher education, the US-India relationship is only growing broader and deeper in Hyderabad.”

Jennifer Larson

Jennifer Larson new US Consul General in Hyderabad.

According to a statement from the Consulate General, Larson brings 19 years of diplomatic experience with her to Hyderabad.

She most recently served as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for India in Washington, where she supported the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs in formulating and implementing US-India policy.

In that capacity, she spoke at “A Roadmap for Indo-Pacific Regional Cooperation in a Post-Covid 19 World Order,” an international conference organised by the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad in March.

Larson was most recently overseas as Deputy Principal Officer at the US Consulate General in Mumbai from 2016-2020, the second-highest ranking official in the consulate.

In addition to serving as spokesperson in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs in Washington, D.C., she has also served in Libya, Pakistan, France, Sudan, Jerusalem, and Lebanon.

Before joining the Foreign Service, Consul General Larson worked for National Public Radio’s San Francisco affiliate as a talk show producer.

She completed her undergraduate and graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley in Comparative Literature (Arabic, Spanish and French) and Middle East Studies.

7 killed in Hyderabad e-bike showroom fire, some guests jumped out of window

Seven persons were killed and several others injured in a fire that broke out in an e-bike showroom, which spread to a lodge on the upper floor in Secunderabad, police said.

The incident took place on Monday evening.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner C. V. Anand said that seven deaths were reported.

Those injured were shifted to the Gandhi and Yashoda hospitals.

Two fire tenders were battling to control the fire but the cause of the fire was not known. Many e-bikes were gutted in the fire.

Fire in Hyderabad e-bike showroom

According to eyewitnesses, heavy smoke engulfed Ruby lodge on the upper floor of the building after the fire broke out in the showroom on the ground floor. The Fire personnel managed to rescue nine persons.

The incident sent panic in the building. Some of the guests reportedly jumped out of windows to save themselves.

State Animal Husbandry Minister, T. Srinivas Yadav rushed to the spot and was monitoring the rescue and relief operation.