Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Biden nominee for India envoy says will raise rights, Russia

Biden nominee for India envoy says will raise rights, Russia

ERIC GARCETTI, the nominee for US ambassador to India, promised on Tuesday (15) to raise human rights and arms purchases from Russia as lawmakers said the concerns clouded the growing relationship with New Delhi.

The Los Angeles mayor told his Senate confirmation hearing that he will "actively raise" human rights if confirmed as president Joe Biden's choice as ambassador.


"I'll raise them with humility - it's a two way street on these - but I intend to engage directly with civil society," Garcetti said.

"There are groups that are actively fighting for human rights of people on the ground in India that will get direct engagement from me."

US policymakers across party lines broadly support warmer relations with India, seeing common cause with a fellow democracy faced with a rising China, but several lawmakers have voiced alarm over rights under prime minister Narendra Modi.

He has pushed forward a controversial citizenship law that critics say marginalises the Muslim minority.

Senator Bob Menendez, who leads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, pointed to concerns with India over "reports of democratic backsliding and discrimination against religious minorities."

"New Delhi will need to address our concerns if it seeks to deepen our partnership even further," Menendez said.

Both Menendez and his Republican counterpart, Jim Risch, also voiced concern about India's recent announcement that Russia has begun delivery of the S-400 missile defence system.

Under a 2017 law, the US is required to impose sanctions over significant weapons deals with Russia and it has already done so after Turkey bought the S-400.

Unlike Turkey, a NATO ally whose ties with the West have drifted, India has historically bought weapons from Russia but has seen its relationship grow rapidly with Washington over the past two decades.

Garcetti said Secretary of State Antony Blinken would decide whether to waive sanctions but that as ambassador he would be "very clear about what the threats are to our systems" if they operate alongside Russian hardware.

A State Department spokesperson said Blinken had not made a decision on sanctions but that the US was urging all countries to "avoid significant new transactions for Russian weapons systems."

Garcetti, who is barred from seeking a third term as mayor next year, has been seen as a rising star in Democratic Party politics and flirted with a presidential run.

The 50-year-old told the committee that he developed a lifelong interest in India after a visit as a university student and began studying Hindi and Urdu.

More For You

Southport stabbings: Terrorism watchdog rejects definition change

FILE PHOTO: Riot police hold back protesters near a burning police vehicle in Southport, England (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Southport stabbings: Terrorism watchdog rejects definition change

TERRORISM watchdog has rejected calls to redefine terrorism following last summer's tragic Southport murders, while recommending a new offence to tackle those intent on mass killings without clear ideological motives.

Jonathan Hall KC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, published his highly anticipated report on Thursday (13), concluding that the existing definition of terrorism should remain unchanged despite growing concerns about violent attackers with unclear motives.

Keep ReadingShow less
Commonwealth wreath-laying ceremony held in London

A military piper, choir, and the Sikh soldiers of the British Army took part in the ceremony.

Commonwealth wreath-laying ceremony held in London

A WREATH-LAYING ceremony was held at the Memorial Gates on Constitution Hill in London on 10 March to honour Commonwealth servicemen and women who fought in the First and Second World Wars.

Lord Boateng, chairman of the Memorial Gates Council, led the event, highlighting the importance of remembering those who served.

Keep ReadingShow less
Student visas

The ongoing negotiations focus specifically on business mobility, addressing only the relevant business visas

iStock

Student visas excluded from UK-India FTA talks, says government

THE government last week clarified that only temporary business mobility visas are part of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations.

Other types of visas, such as student visas, will not be included in the trade deal, it was revealed during a debate in the House of Lords.

Keep ReadingShow less
India Detains Crypto Administrator Wanted by US for Laundering

Aleksej Besciokov, was charged with money laundering and accused of violating sanctions and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, according to the US Justice Department. (Photo: US Secret Service)

India arrests crypto administrator wanted by US for money laundering

INDIAN authorities have arrested a cryptocurrency exchange administrator at the request of the United States on charges of money laundering conspiracy and sanctions violations, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Wednesday.

The arrest follows a joint operation by the United States, Germany, and Finland, which dismantled the online infrastructure of Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer-Getty

Starmer said that the change would free up funds for doctors, nurses, and frontline services while reducing red tape to accelerate improvements in the health system. (Photo: Getty Images)

Starmer scraps NHS England, brings health service under ministerial control

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer has abolished NHS England, bringing the health service under direct ministerial control.

The decision reverses a key reform introduced by former health secretary Andrew Lansley during the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, The Guardian reported.

Keep ReadingShow less