Latest news with #Indian-Panamanian
News18
3 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Who Are Panama's Influential Women Genesis Arjona And Lorena Castillo de Valera?
As part of Operation Sindoor, a global outreach mission focused on anti-terrorism, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is currently leading an all-party delegation across five countries. The team has made stops in the US and Panama, and will next be visiting Guyana, Brazil and Colombia. While sharing highlights from his Panama visit, Tharoor posted on X about a special evening hosted by the Indian Ambassador. He wrote, 'Also at the Ambassador's reception for the delegation, with: Genesis Alonjo, member of Parliament 2019-24; Lorena Castillo de Valera, former First Lady of Panama; Mehr Eliezer, Miss Panama 2109 and aspiring politician; and two ladies instrumental in the success of our mission, Kathy Bhiku, Indian-Panamanian Networker Extraordinaire, and Embassy staffer, Milena Alvarado."
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Shashi Tharoor's pics with Indian-origin beauty queen, ex-First Lady of Panama get 1.5 million views
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is leading an all-party parliamentary delegation to five countries after Operation Sindoor, attended at event in Panama where he met several dignitaries including the former first lady of Panama and Miss Panama 2019. On Thursday, Tharoor shared his photos with Genesis Alonjo, a former member of parliament in Panama, Lorena Castillo de Valera, the former first lady of the Central American country, Indian-origin Mehr Eliezer who was crowned Miss Panama 2019. Tharoor described the beauty pageant winner as an aspiring politician. He also praised two other women - Indian-Panamanian Kathy Bhiku and Milena Alvarado - calling them 'instrumental in the success of our mission.' Tharoor's post on X, featuring photos of the people he mentioned, went viral with over 1.5 million views, over 2,500 replies, nearly 4,000 reposts and 35,000 'likes'. During the Panama visit, Tharoor on Wednesday met with the President and the foreign minister of the country, and showed them pictures of Pakistani Army officials at the funeral of UN-designated terrorists who were killed in India's Operation Sindoor. Just a day before, the delegation had met with the president of the Panama assembly and other parliamentarians, explaining to them India's stance on terrorism and Pakistan's terror links. Addressing the Panama assembly President Dana Castaneda and some select parliamentarians, Shashi Tharoor asserted that India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 only after it waited to see whether the Pakistani government would take any action against the perpetrators of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. "When nothing was clearly being done, two weeks later, on the 7th of May, we attacked the known headquarters of terrorist bases inside Pakistan. We had no interest in starting a war, but we felt that a terrorist act must not go unpunished," he added. After Panama, the Tharoor-led all-party delegation travelled to Colombia on Thursday. The team was received by the Indian ambassador in the South American nation.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Who are Genesis Arjona and Lorena Castillo de Valera, who met Shashi Tharoor in Panama?
Image credits: X/@ShashiTharoor Shashi Tharoor , the Congress MP of Thiruvananthapuram is currently leading a multi-party delegation where he will be visiting five countries to clear India's stance on anti-terrorism. The delegation led by Tharoor, has already visited the US and Panama and now will be moving to three more destinations, namely Guyana, Brazil and Colombia. Sharing about his visit to Panama, Tharoor took to X to introduce the dignitaries he met in the Central American country where the ambassador held a reception for the delegation. The 69-year-old member of parliament shared photos with Genesis Arjona- a member of parliament from 2019-2024, Lorena Castillo de Valera- former First Lady of Panama, Mehr Eliezer- Miss Panama 2019 and aspiring politician and two other ladies "instrumental" in the success of the mission, Kathy Bhiku- Indian-Panamanian Networker Extraordinaire and Milena Alvarado, an Embassy staffer. Two of these women, Genesis Arjona and Lorena Castillo de Valera have been very influential in their work in the Panamanian government and country. Here's who they are. Who is Genesis Arjona? Image credits: Instagram/Génesis Barbie Arjona Gensis Arjona is a former Deputy of the Republic of Panama who served a term from 2019 to 2024 as a representative of the Cambio Democratico party. Born in the city of Panama on December 28, 1992, she holds a Bachelor's degree in Maritime and Port Business Administration from the University of Panama. During her time as the deputy, she introduced more than 40 bills focused on health, security, education, youth, seniors, people with disabilities and more. She also runs her own foundation called the Genesis Arjona Foundation which focuses on social projects such as training unemployed people, feeding children, and improving public facilities. Along with being involved in politics and social work, Arjona has had a penchant for television since a young age when she appeared in television commercials and on the covers of national and international magazines. She has worked as a TV presenter and also carried out campaigns for brands such as Nike and Covergirl. She has been an influential figure in the political and social scape of the country. Who is Lorena Castillo de Valera? Image credits: Getty Images Lorena Castillo de Valera, born on July 31, 1968, is a Panamanian journalist and politician who served as the First Lady of Panama from 2014 to 2019 as her husband Juan Carlos Varela was elected as the President. She holds a Bachelor's degree in journalism from the Latin American University of Science and Technology (ULACIT). After becoming the first lady, Lorena was appointed as the "Special Advocate for AIDS in Latin America" by UNAIDS in November 2015. In 2012, she left her journalistic aspirations to follow in her husband's footsteps of a political career. Tharoor's meeting with these women is vital in making countries like Panama understand India's staunch opponency towards terrorism and all its proponents.
