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Trump nominates Indian American Kash Patel as FBI Director

Mr. Trump said Mr. Patel played a pivotal role in uncovering “the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax,” standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution.

President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday (November 30, 2024) nominated close confidante Kash Patel for the powerful position of Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, making him the highest-ranking Indian American in his incoming administration.

“I am proud to announce that Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People,” Mr. Trump announced on Truth Social, a social media platform he owns.

Mr. Trump said Mr. Patel played a pivotal role in uncovering “the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax,” standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution. Mr. Patel, 44, served as chief of staff to the Acting United States Secretary of Defense in the last few weeks of the Trump Administration in 2017.

“Mr. Kash did an incredible job during my First Term, where he served as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defence, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Mr. Kash has also tried over 60 jury trials,” he said.

“This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle the migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the Border. Mr. Kash will work under our great Attorney General Pam Bondi, to bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI,” Mr. Trump said.

Who is Kash Patel?

New York-born Mr. Patel has his roots in Gujarat. However, his parents are from East Africa — mother from Tanzania and father from Uganda. They came to the U.S. from Canada in 1970. “We are Gujarati,” he had told PTI in an earlier interview.

The family moved to Queens in New York — often called as Little India — in the late 70s. It is here that Mr. Patel was born and grew. Mr. Patel’s parents are retired now and spend their time in both the U.S. and Gujarat. After his schooling in New York and college in Richmond, Virginia, and law school in New York, Patel went to Florida where he was a state public defender for four years and then federal public defender for another four years.

“So, lots of trials, lots of international investigations, lots of time in court, understanding the federal system and trying cases and learning how to run investigations,” he said.

From Florida he moved to Washington DC as a terrorism prosecutor at the Department of Justice. Here he was an international terrorism prosecutor for about three and a half years. During this period, he worked on cases all over the world, in America in East Africa as well as in Uganda and Kenya.

While still employed by the Department of Justice, he went as a civilian to join Special Operations Command at the Department of Defense. At the Pentagon, he sat as the Department of Justice’s lawyer with Special Forces people and worked interagency collaborative targeting operations around the world.

After a year in the position, Congressman Davin Nunes, Chairman of the House Permanent Select on Intelligence Committee, pulled him as senior counsel on counterterrorism. After April 2017, he spearheaded the Russia investigation of the House Intelligence Committee. It was here where he attracted media attention and played a key role in drafting a GOP memo, which, according to then-President Donald Trump, exposed the role of Democratic party and its leadership in the Russian investigation.

The New York Times described this as a “Kash Memo.” Patel said that this was a “great team effort.”

Mr. Patel is an Ice hockey fan and has been playing the sport since he was six. “I still play and I spend a lot of time volunteering coaching youth hockey in the area.”

Mr. Patel, who attended both the Houston and Ahmedabad rallies of Mr. Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2019 and February 2020, had earlier told PTI that the bilateral relationship had deteriorated under the Biden Administration.

“President Trump and Prime Minister Modi had an extraordinary relationship with respect. And they were working together to counteract the things like Chinese aggression, not just on the Indian border but on the global stage. They were also working together to counteract things in Pakistan when it came to counterterrorism matters and hostage situations,” MR. Patel said.

The two leaders knew that not only the strong relationship but also allowing the economies of scale to be built in India and America were mutually beneficial, Mr. Patel said.

Last fall he wrote the book ‘Government Gangster’ which argued that there is a severe lack of accountability. The book talks about the deep state and is highly critical of the U.S. bureaucracy, which he claims is highly infiltrated or dominated by lawbreakers.

Responding to a question, Mr. Patel then told PTI that the Biden Administration and the deep state are interwoven.

“The Biden administration is filled by these corrupt government gangsters who I list in the back of my book by name and title. It’s not a Democrat or Republican thing. It’s an apolitical thing that these individuals, whether they’re Trump appointees like Christopher W Ray or Biden appointees like Merrick Garland, they are led to this two-tier system of justice where they weaponise government and intelligence and law enforcement to target either conservatives or Trump supporters or call people on January 6th, domestic terrorists,” he said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

India re-elected to UN Peacebuilding Commission

India is among the largest contributors of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping.

India has been re-elected to the UN Peacebuilding Commission for 2025–2026.

India’s current term on the Commission was expiring on December 31.

“India has been re-elected to the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) for 2025–2026. As a founding member and major contributor to @UNPeacekeeping, India is committed to continuing its engagement with the PBC to work towards global peace and stability,” the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations said in a post on X on Thursday.

The Peacebuilding Commission is an intergovernmental advisory body that supports peace efforts in conflict-affected countries and is a key addition to the capacity of the International Community in the broad peace agenda, according to its website.

The PBC is composed of 31 Member States, elected from the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Economic and Social Council. The top financial contributing countries and the top troop-contributing countries to the United Nations system are also members.

The Commission is mandated to bring together all relevant actors to marshal resources and to advise on and propose integrated strategies for post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery; to focus attention on the reconstruction and institution-building efforts necessary for recovery from conflict and to support the development of integrated strategies in order to lay the foundation for sustainable development.

It is also mandated to provide recommendations and information to improve the coordination of all relevant actors within and outside the United Nations, to develop best practices, to help to ensure predictable financing for early recovery activities and to extend the period of attention given by the international community to post-conflict recovery, the Commission said.

The Commission also focuses on promoting an integrated, strategic and coherent approach to peacebuilding, noting that security, development and human rights are closely interlinked and mutually reinforcing; serving a bridging role among the principal organs and relevant entities of the United Nations by sharing advice on peacebuilding needs and priorities, in line with the respective competencies and responsibilities of these bodies.

India is among the largest contributors of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping.

It currently deploys about 6,000 military and police personnel to UN operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, the Middle East, Somalia, South Sudan, and Western Sahara.

Nearly 180 Indian peacekeepers have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, the highest number by far from any troop-contributing country.

source/contents: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

Two Mahseer fish species discovered in south Odisha from Indravati river

These fish species belong to the cyprinidae family, which are large-bodied and big-scaled carps, and are also included under 20 mega fishes of the world, officials said.

Researchers at the Central University of Odisha have discovered two Mahseer fish species from the Indravati river system in the state’s southern region, officials said.

These fish species belong to the cyprinidae family, which are large-bodied and big-scaled carps, and are also included under 20 mega fishes of the world, they said.

They are often referred to as the ‘king of the Indian aquatic system’.

In Odisha, Mahseer fish species have earlier been reported from the Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers and the Similipal region. However, the rare species were for the first time spotted in any river in the southern part, the Koraput-based institute said in a statement on Saturday.

“It is a sacred fish and worshipped in many Hindu temples in India,” it said.

Researchers led by Sharat Kumar Palita, dean of School of Biodiversity and Conservation of Natural Resources (SBCNR), discovered the fish species, said the statement.

Under close scrutiny in the university laboratory, the fishes were identified as Mahseer fishes and later confirmed by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Calcutta. The ZSI identified the two species as ‘tor tor’ and ‘tor putitora’, it said.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

India successfully tests K-4 nuclear-capable missile from nuclear submarine INS Arighaat

The test positioned India among an elite group of six nations possessing SLBM technology, a crucial component of a credible nuclear triad.

In a leap forward in deterrence capability, India has successfully test-fired the indigenously developed long range nuclear-capable ballistic missile K-4 from a home grown submarine positioned at an undisclosed location in the Bay of Bengal, making it a strategic player in the South East Asia region.

Defence sources said the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) was flight-tested by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) for the first time from INS Arighaat on Wednesday. The INS Arighaat is a 6,000-tonne nuke-powered submarine that was commissioned in the armed forces in August.

Code-named after former President APJ Abdul Kalam, the missile, with a strike range of over 3,500 km and designed for precision targeting and deterrence, is capable of striking deep into enemy territory while being launched from a stealthy underwater platform.

Developed by DRDO, the missile successfully hit its target in the Indian Ocean region with high accuracy. “The notice to airmen was issued for a range of 3,490 km, marking the missile’s full length. The weapon tested in full operational configuration covered close to the coordinated distance, demonstrating India’s technological and operational readiness,” sources told The New Indian Express.

Although defence officials are tight-lipped about the mission, the missile fired from the onboard silos of the ship-submersible ballistic nuclear (SSBN) submarine also validated the capability of the newly built underwater war vessel to fire nuclear capable long range missiles and the killing efficiency of the advanced weapon system.

This successful test underlines India’s strategic deterrence capabilities, enhancing its security posture in the Indo-Pacific region. It also positioned India among an elite group of six nations possessing SLBM technology, a crucial component of a credible nuclear triad. Other countries having the capability are the US, Russia, China, France and UK.

Defence experts said the ability to launch nuclear-tipped weapons from submarines ensures greater survivability as compared to land or air-based systems and aligns with India’s ‘no first use’ nuclear policy that focuses credible deterrence without aggressive intent.

The solid-fueled K-4 missile with the features of boost-glide flight is hard to detect and can defeat any anti-ballistic missile system. Equipped with satellite updates to modify accumulated errors from its inertial navigation system, the weapon system is dangerous in terms of lethality and one of its kind in the world.

The 10-metre long missile with a diameter of 1.5 metre weighs around 20 tonne and can carry warheads up to 2.5 tonnes. India is now developing the K-5 SLBM, which will have a strike range of more than 5,000 km.

The New Indian Express was the first to report the missile’s successful trial from a submerged pontoon (replica of a submarine) off Visakhapatnam coast in March 2016.

Fire power

Operational Range – 3,500 km / Length – 10 metres / Width – 1.5 metre / Weight – 20 tonnes / Warhead – 2.5 tonnes / Engine – Solid fueled

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

IAF team in Egypt for 2nd edition of elite Tactical Leadership Programme

The month-long instructor-level exercise, with the other participants being the Air Forces of Egypt, Jordan and Greece, will facilitate sharing of best practices and interoperability at a much higher level.

An Indian Air Force contingent of SU-30MKIs and personnel is in Egypt for the second edition of the month-long Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP) at Egyptian Air Force (EAF) Weapon School, along with the Air Forces of Jordan and Greece.

This is a unique exercise different from regular military exercises as it is done at the instructor level with sharing of best practices and interoperability at a much higher level. The IAF team is led by Gwalior-based Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE), which trains the top cream of fighter pilots.

The IAF team reached Egypt on Tuesday (November 26, 2024), sources confirmed. The TLP will see exchange of ideas in the domain of large force engagements involving complex and multi-aircraft missions deepening interoperability, sources said.

In the maiden TLP in 2022, TACDE participated with three Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft and six combat instructor pilots. The induction and de-induction had involved flights of over six hours with mid-air refuelling support from the IAF and UAE Air Force. This time too, the IAF has deployed a IL-78 mid-air refueller for non-stop flight.

During the programme, IAF’s SU-30MKI jets and pilots will hone their war fighting skills and refine tactics in missions by day and night, involving air to ground and air to air combat scenarios flying alongside Egyptian F-16, Rafale and Mig-29 aircraft as well as F-16s from Greece and Jordan.

India and Egypt have significantly deepened military to military cooperation over the years. Cooperation between the two Air Forces dates back to the 1960s when Gp. Capt. Kapil Bhargava, an IAF Test Pilot, test flew the Egyptian prototype of the Helwan HA-300 with Test Pilots from the Egyptian Air Force. This was followed by Indian Qualified Flying Instructors training young Egyptian pilots, a programme that continued into the 1980s.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Who is Jay Bhattacharya? Kolkata-born academic picked by Donald Trump to lead US’ National Institutes of Health

President-elect Donald Trump appointed Jay Bhattacharya as head of the NIH. He is a Stanford academic and known as Covid-19 policy critic.

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) appointed Stanford academic and Covid-19 policy critic Jay Bhattacharya as the head of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The NIH, a part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s top medical research agency.

Who is Jay Bhattacharya?

• Born in Kolkata in 1968, Jay Bhattacharya pursued both his MD and PhD in economics at Stanford University.

• He is a professor of health policy at Stanford University and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He also directs Stanford’s Center for Demography and Economics of Health and Aging.

• Jay Bhattacharya’s research revolves around the health and well-being of vulnerable populations, emphasising the links between economics, biomedical advancements, and government policies.

• During the pandemic, Jay Bhattacharya’s work explored the epidemiology of Covid-19 and evaluated government responses. He has called for reforms in public health agencies to foster innovation and adjust bureaucratic power dynamics.

• Jay Bhattacharya was a vocal critic of the US government’s Covid-19 policies during the pandemic.

• In March 2020, Jay Bhattacharya co-authored an opinion piece in titled ‘Is the Coronavirus as Deadly as They Say?’. The article argued that there was insufficient evidence to justify shelter-in-place orders and quarantines.

• In October 2020, Jay Bhattacharya co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, advocating for a return to normal life for those not at risk of the virus. Later, Bhattacharya filed a lawsuit against the government, claiming it pressured social media platforms to censor his views.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

55th IFFI, Goa: ‘Stories are more powerful than any single technology’

The ‘Film Festival Directors’ Round Table’ was held Thursday, moderated by Shekhar Kapur, the festival director of 55th IFFI, Goa.

EVEN though the world of cinema is fast evolving, boosted by technological advances, there is one thing that remains constant: the collective experience of watching a movie on a large screen.

The ‘Film Festival Directors’ Round Table’ was held Thursday, moderated by Shekhar Kapur, the festival director of 55th IFFI, Goa. The panel featured CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival Cameron Bailey, artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival Giona Nazzaro, and Festival producer of Edinburgh International Film Festival Emma Boa. They believe that even though “technology will keep changing, the powerful thing about cinema is that it’s watched together”.  Expressing his concerns over people getting hooked to short videos and reels while “around 10% of the world is watching cinema as we know it”, Kapur wondered if they had the responsibility to protect cinema.

Bailey believed that “stories are more powerful than any single technology”. He said: “Technology will keep changing but the powerful thing about cinema is that it’s watched together. That amplifies the emotion, the experience and what viewers take back with them. But we can’t hide what technology has done to screen storytelling. That is more powerful today since people are watching on their phone or laptop. But the collective experience should be protected.”

For Nazzaro, “cinema is a technology-oriented art form”. The problem with the technology, he believed, was that it can hijack what the audience needs. “Nowadays, we don’t say films anymore, we say content. Films are not content. They are art. They are still people who are yet to make their first short film or feature. They need to defend the idea that what they are going to say (through their movies) could be art.”

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

India Begins Exporting Pinaka Weapon Systems To Armenia

The DRDO recently also carried out important test of the guided Pinaka rockets which are produced by Nagpur-based Solar Industry’s Economic Explosives Limited along with government-owned Munitions India Limited.

Amid growing global interest in the indigenous multi barrel rocket launchers (MBRL), India has started the supply of the highly capable Pinaka rockets to Armenia.

The supplies of the DRDO-developed rocket launchers have started around the same time India has started deliveries of the Akash air defence missile system to that country.


The first lot of the Pinaka multi barrel rocket launcher systems has been supplied to Armenia, defence sources told ANI.

The Pinaka rocket launchers are highly capable weapon system with variants which can strike targets over 80 Kms.

The contract between Indian firms and Armenia for the supply of these weapons was signed about two years ago after extended negotiations.

Armenia is one of three largest buyers of Indian weapons and equipment along with the US and France.

A number of countries from South East Asia and Europe have shown interest in the Pinaka rockets whose multiple variants have been developed in recent times and the Indian Army is looking to induct them in a big way.

The DRDO recently also carried out important test of the guided Pinaka rockets which are produced by Nagpur-based Solar Industry’s Economic Explosives Limited along with government-owned Munitions India Limited.

France has shown interest in the acquisition of this weapon system. Named after the Hindu god Shiva’s divine bow, the French interest in the rocket system was shown during a high-level visit by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan earlier this year.

India has been pushing the indigenous systems for export markets and the Centre has been able to achieve success by three times since 2014. Notably, France is the second largest importer of Indian defence equipment after the US with a lot of electronics items going there from India. 

source/content: zeenews.india.com (headline edited)

Internationalisation of UPI progressing rapidly: RBI

The UPI hit a milestone of 16.6 billion transactions in a month in October, with improvements in its capabilities like successful instant debit reversals at 86 per cent (77 per cent in the same month last year). 

The internationalisation of the unified payments interface (UPI) is progressing rapidly, as India emerges as a world leader in leveraging digital technologies for transformative change, according to a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) report. 

The UPI hit a milestone of 16.6 billion transactions in a month in October, with improvements in its capabilities like successful instant debit reversals at 86 per cent (77 per cent in the same month last year).

“India’s UPI, an open-ended system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application of any participating bank, is propelling inter-bank peer-to-peer and person-to-merchant transactions seamlessly,” said RBI Deputy Governor Michael Debabrata Patra in the report.

According to Patra, innovations in the digital credit landscape such as Account Aggregators, OCEN, and financial services on ONDC have also contributed to productivity gains.

As of March 2024, ONDC operates in over 720 cities, with orders at 49.72 million. The Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) addresses the credit gap of MSMEs estimated at around Rs 52.2 trillion by connecting them with banks, and clients, with a reduction in funding costs up to 2.5 percentage points.

“The value of invoices financed through TReDS have surged more than 23 times. As of October 2024, around 5,000 active FinTechs are involved in providing various financial and technical solutions to businesses, including MSMEs, helping businesses better manage their operations and improve supply chain finance,” wrote Patra.

source/content: zeenews.india.com (headline edited)

Meeting of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement committee concludes in Delhi

The 6th meeting of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) Joint Committee concluded in New Delhi, with leaders urging an expedited review process to conclude negotiations by 2025.

According to an official statement by Ministry of Commerce & Industry, the meeting brought together representatives from India and all 10 ASEAN member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The meeting was held from November 15-22 at Vanijya Bhawan in Delhi.

The ministry also stated that there are 8 Sub-Committees under the AITIGA Joint Committee for negotiations on market access, rules of origin, technical standards, customs procedures, trade remedies, and legal frameworks.

While all Sub-Committees participated in discussions, five held physical meetings on the sidelines, marking significant progress in textual negotiations and laying groundwork for tariff-related talks.

The ministry added, “This round of AITIGA review negotiations was preceded by two high level meetings, 21st ASEAN-India Economic Ministers Meeting in September 2024 and 21st ASEAN-India Summit in October 2024, both in Vientiane, Laos”.

During the current round of negotiations, bilateral meetings with Thailand and Indonesia were also conducted to address specific trade issues.

Indian and ASEAN Chief Negotiators held separate discussions to strengthen mutual understanding and set the course for future dialogue.

ASEAN is a key trade partner for India, contributing to 11 per cent of its global trade.

The ministry also stated that the bilateral trade between India and ASEAN reached USD 121 billion in 2023-24 and grew by 5.2 per cent to USD 73 billion in the first half of 2024-25.

The review of the AITIGA is expected to further boost trade sustainably, fostering deeper economic ties.

The next meeting of the AITIGA Joint Committee is scheduled for February 2025 in Jakarta, Indonesia. This review is seen as an important step toward enhancing trade relations between India and ASEAN nations. (ANI)

This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

source/content: theprint.in (headline edited)