Tag: india

US, India Sign Critical Minerals And Rare Earths Mining Pact

The United States and India signed a key agreement on May 26 to secure critical minerals and rare earth mining, processing, and supplies, further loosening China’s grip on the global market, during Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s four-day visit.

“We are two countries who have a strategic interest in ensuring reliable long-term access to critical minerals and supply chains that are important for our innovation economy,” Rubio said during the signing. “This is a very important step.”

Rubio was in India for a four-day diplomatic visit May 23-26 to shore up the United States’ partnership with what he called “one of our most important strategic partners in the world.”

He said the talks included a scope of issues that the United States works together on with India.

In a similar statement about the agreement, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the framework will strengthen resilient and diversified supply chains, help both nations collaborate on financing, and also help with the effective management of critical minerals and rare earths.

“I think it’s a very important initiative,” Jaishankar said during the signing. “It’s one more sign of how close our cooperation is and how important it is today in a world where there are so many challenges but also so many opportunities.”

The framework for the agreement first began to take shape in February when India signed onto Pax Silica, a U.S.-led strategic initiative and coalition aimed at securing a global supply chain for artificial intelligence (AI) progress and economic security. India was one of 14 countries to sign the agreement.

India has one of the world’s largest rare earth elements reserves, and existing processing capabilities that can be developed, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a bipartisan think tank organization. The country has rich sand deposits containing monazite, which includes thorium and other minerals. Thorium is a nuclear fuel.

China accounts for about 60 percent of global rare earth elements production and about 90 percent of processing.

On May 26, Rubio also announced signing a partnership charter and agreement on critical minerals with Armenia.

Rubio held a ceremony with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan signing the bilateral framework agreement on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity. They also signed a Strategic Partnership Charter and agreement on critical minerals.

Armenia mainly mines iron, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, gold, silver, antimony, and aluminum. The country also has valuable reserves of rare metals, including gold-polymetallic, copper-molybdenum, and copper pyrite deposits, according to the U.S. International Trade Administration.

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FBI Shuts Down India-Based Call Center Scam Targeting Hundreds of Elderly Americans

A major international fraud scheme centered in India has been dismantled by Americans. authorities, exposing a sprawling network that targeted elderly Americans and siphoned millions of dollars out of the country.

The case is now fueling renewed concerns about foreign-based scam operations exploiting vulnerable U.S. citizens.

Federal investigators say the operation relied heavily on call centers operating out of India, where fraudsters posed as legitimate tech support agents, according to various reports. These overseas networks systematically targeted elderly Americans, many of whom were unfamiliar with modern cybersecurity threats.

At the center of the case are two America-based executives, Adam Young and Harrison Gevirtz, who pleaded guilty to enabling the scheme. Prosecutors say the pair provided critical telecommunications infrastructure that allowed India-based scammers to reach victims across the United States.

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Communist Dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel Threatens ‘Bloodbath’ Against America as Cuba Stockpiles 300+ Russian and Iranian Drones in Desperate Panic Under Trump’s Crushing Pressure

Cuba’s blood-soaked communist dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel lashed out Monday, warning that any U.S. military action against his crumbling island prison would unleash a “bloodbath with incalculable consequences.”

The thug-in-chief, who has spent years crushing dissent, jailing protesters, and turning Cuba into a starving socialist dumpster fire, took to X to spew his hollow threats after explosive reports revealed his regime has been quietly amassing over 300 military drones from Russia and Iran.

Just days ago, reports emerged that the Trump administration was weighing aggressive options amid growing national security concerns surrounding Cuba, while CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly warned Havana that it could no longer function as a “safe haven for adversaries.”

According to classified intelligence cited by Axios, Cuban officials have acquired more than 300 military drones of varying capability since 2023 and have held discussions about how such systems could be used in the event of hostilities with Washington.

Potential targets discussed include the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, American military vessels, and possibly even locations in southern Florida, including Key West.

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India Panics, Further Tightens Gold Flows As Rupee Collapses

With the Rupee accelerating its declines to ever lower record lows against the dollar, Indian authorities have stepped up capital controls, focusing on curbing demand in the gold ‘exit’ route.

4 days ago, there were no signs of import duty hikes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi  issued a rare weekend appeal urging citizens to forgo gold purchases as well as unnecessary foreign travel in order to help hold up the currency..

2 days ago, tariffs were more than doubled on gold and silver imports to 15% and 6% respectively.

And today, they are doing even more with India now tightening the advance authorisation route, effectively capping how much gold individual exporters can bring in through that channel. 

A government notification stated that imports of bullion exceeding 100 kilograms would be subject to prior authorization, adding that any subsequent imports would only be granted after exports equivalent to 50% had been carried out.

The notification also introduced stricter checks for first-time applicants seeking permission to import gold under the scheme.

The government has also linked future import approvals to export performance.

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Top MAGA influencer revealed to be AI — created by a guy in India who made a mint off lonely men online

A comely MAGA influencer who racked up millions of followers with patriotic content of her posing in a bikini while ice fishing, drinking Coors Light and shooting guns has been unmasked — as an Indian man who put himself through med school on the proceeds of his trickery.

“Sam,” a 22-year-old orthopedic surgeon in training, told Wired that he got the idea to sell AI-generated images of a young woman in a bikini while scrounging for money in school — and trying to save up enough to emigrate to the US after graduation.

He turned to Google’s Gemini AI for advice and decided to create a “hot girl” crafted specifically for the “MAGA/conservative niche,” after the software told him that “the conservative audience (especially older men in the US) often has higher disposable income and is more loyal,” according to Wired.

And that’s how Emily Hart was born.

According to her profile, she was a registered nurse with Jennifer Lawrence looks who offered red-meat posts to lonely conservative men online.

One post showed her firing a rifle with the caption: “If you want a reason to unfollow: Christ is king, abortion is murder, and all illegals must be deported,” and “POV: You were assigned intelligent at birth, but you identify as liberal.”

Sam told the magazine, “Every day I’d write something pro-Christian, pro-Second Amendment, pro-life, anti-abortion, anti-woke, and anti-immigration.”

The account “blew up,” and Emily Hart had 10,000 followers within a month.

Every reel he posted garnered millions of views and earned him more followers.

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Trace DNA Found on Shroud of Turin Suggests ‘Unexpected’ Connection to India

Scientists examining DNA contained on the Shroud of Turin were surprised to find evidence indicating that the materials used to make the relic may have originated in India. The fascinating study reportedly involved researchers re-examining samples collected from the controversial artifact in 1978, with the intention of gaining new insights from the genetic information left behind on the pieces. In detailing their analysis of the trace DNA, the scientists revealed that they detected a remarkably diverse array of plants and animals that had their proverbial prints on the relic.

But what particularly intrigued scientists were their findings with regard to the people who came into contact with the shroud. Specifically, the researchers noted that nearly 40 percent of the human DNA found on the relic was from “Indian lineages.” This “unexpected” result, they noted, “is potentially linked to historical interactions associated with importing linen or yarn from regions near the Indus Valley.” Alas, given the complex history of the relic, the scientists were unable to determine its age based on the trace DNA from “centuries of social, cultural, and ecological engagement” with the shroud.

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Mobs in India Destroy Christian Homes After Believers Refuse to Renounce Jesus

Christians in the Indian village of Midapalli had their homes destroyed by an angry mob after refusing to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ.

About 25 believers — four families and two other individuals — were confronted by a mob on Jan. 11 and told to renounce their faith, according to a report from Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

They refused to comply — even after being threatened with death.

The mob of about 20 fellow villagers then proceeded to destroy four of their homes.

When the Christians asked the police in Kavande village for assistance, the police not only declined, but sided with the mob.

“The officer in charge threatened the Christian families, questioning their decision to embrace Christianity as members of a tribal community and warning that their unique identity cards and ration supplies would be cancelled,” Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported.

On Jan. 14, the authorities questioned their pastor, banning him from visiting households in Midapalli.

The mob was emboldened even more, and new death threats were directed at the believers.

The Christian families have no choice but to remain in their destroyed homes, which now offer poor shelter.

“It is deeply concerning to witness the grave and unacceptable assault and humiliation these families have been subjected to on account of their religion,” Christian Solidarity Worldwide President Mervyn Thomas said.

“Even more alarming is the failure of the police to protect these vulnerable citizens, which has emboldened the perpetrators,” the statement added.

“We call upon the district administration and state authorities to intervene as matter of urgency, ensuring the safety of the affected families, restoring their rights, compensating them for the loss of their homes, and holding those responsible to account under the law.”

Such mob violence against Christians is sorrowfully more and more common in India.

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Family of Teen Indian Sexual Attacker Condemns American Victim for ‘Overreacting’

The family of a teenage Indian boy who groped a female American tourist at a New Delhi metro station is accusing the victim of “overreacting” to the incident, arguing that the teen merely got “carried away” during his first encounter with a blonde woman.

The American woman was reportedly visiting India to attend a friend’s wedding. She described her encounter at the train station as the “one unfortunate and ugly incident” that marred a “fun and memorable eight days in India.”

Her story was relayed through social media on Friday by Gaurav Sabnis, a professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology whose class the woman once attended. She contacted him because she recalled his warning, based on his youthful memories of growing up in India, that she would attract a great deal of unwanted attention based on her looks.

“I told her, be on guard for sexual harassment. Especially in Delhi. Here, you’re just another blond. There, you’ll be a target,” Sabnis recalled telling his student.

According to the woman, strangers began approaching her as soon as she landed in New Delhi, asking to take pictures with her. Recalling Sabnis’ advice, she said “no” to the many men who approached her, but agreed to take a few pictures with women and children.

“But then a teenage boy, maybe 14 or 15, at a Delhi Metro station just ruined it forever,” she said. “He was with his mom and sister, so I thought okay, why not.”

“He puts an arm on my shoulder,” she told Sabnis. “Weird, but okay, he’s a teenager. And then, professor, he just straight up grabbed my breasts hard, and spanked my butt, and giggled like he had played a joke.”

The woman said she “pretty much exploded in anger” and shoved the teen away, inadvertently knocking him off his feet. The teen’s mother accused her of “overreacting” and said she should have indulged her son because “he had never met a blond lady up close, so he got carried away.”

The woman said the incident was enough to sour her on the idea of returning to India, or even South Asia.

“I feel so sad for Indian women. This is their everyday life?” she remarked.

The Times of India (TOI) on Monday described the incident as something of a viral sensation, with social media users generally supporting the woman while chastising the grabby teenage boy and his “overprotective” mother.

“Whenever my daughter traveled in India, she was left deeply bewildered – why people spoke to her while staring at her chest instead of meeting her eyes, why they asked for selfies as if she were an object rather than a person, and why so many felt entitled to touch, feel, or grab her,” one social media commentator said.

“The saddest thing is, some women are the biggest enablers of their ‘raja betas’ behavior,” said another commentator quoted by India’s News18. “It’s a vicious cycle. Boy moms are of a ‘higher status,’ so she is socialized to defend this, rather than beat the s**t out of him as a lesson.”

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FBI Intercepts Reveal Hillary Clinton’s Shady Discussions on Campaign Donations with Convicted Foreign Felon

Newly released FBI documents show that the bureau intercepted communications involving Hillary Clinton discussing donations with Indian hotel magnate Sant Singh Chatwal, a convicted felon.

The revelations, detailed in documents provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee and published on December 15, expose concerns over foreign bribery, pay-to-play schemes, and the potential misuse of the Clinton Foundation as a personal and campaign slush fund during Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State.

The documents stem from the FBI’s “Cracked Foundation” investigation, which began probing the Clinton Foundation’s activities as early as 2010.

At that time, The Daily Caller found the FBI recorded Chatwal discussing illegal straw donations to Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign.

Chatwal, a longtime Clinton family friend, Clinton Foundation trustee, and key fundraiser, pled guilty in 2014 to laundering those donations through straw contributors and forfeited $1 million as part of a deal with the Department of Justice.

In a chilling quote captured by an FBI informant, Chatwal admitted, “That’s the only way to buy them, get into the system,” referring to his efforts to influence politicians through illicit contributions.

By the spring of 2016, as Hillary Clinton was on the verge of securing the Democratic presidential nomination, FBI field officers in New York, led by Assistant Director in Charge Diego Rodriguez, urged headquarters in Washington, D.C., to interrogate Clinton about these foreign donations.

The agents prepared a series of pointed questions that highlighted red flags uncovered in the investigation, including evidence that the FBI had been “intercepting individuals associated with the Clinton Foundation.”

One of the most damning pieces of evidence was a recorded conversation between Clinton and Chatwal, where they discussed settling her lingering 2008 campaign debt.

According to the documents, Clinton reportedly told Chatwal he could no longer donate directly to her campaign but should instead funnel money to the Clinton Foundation.

Agents wanted to ask Clinton directly, “Based on information derived from a recorded conversation, you (HC) and Mr. Chatwal had a conversation regarding settling debt. You indicated to Mr. Chatwal that he could no longer donate to your campaign but he should instead donate to the Clinton Foundation. Were donations made to the Clinton Foundation used for personal use and/or to settle campaign debt?”

This exchange raises serious questions about whether the Clinton Foundation, ostensibly a global charity, was being exploited as a backdoor mechanism to pay off political debts or fund personal expenses, circumventing campaign finance laws.

State Department documents, first revealed through WikiLeaks in 2011, confirmed Chatwal’s role in helping settle Clinton’s 2008 campaign debt, further fueling suspicions of impropriety.

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Indian Supreme Court Judge Says Those With Nothing to Hide Shouldn’t Fear Surveillance

A courtroom drama over state surveillance in India took a striking turn when a Supreme Court judge suggested that people who live transparently should not be troubled by government monitoring.

The case involved allegations that Telangana’s state intelligence apparatus was used for political snooping, but the discussion soon widened into a philosophical clash over privacy and power.

Former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T. Prabhakar Rao, accused of directing unlawful phone tapping during the previous BRS government, was before the bench as the State sought more time to keep him in police custody.

During the hearing, Justice B.V. Nagarathna questioned why citizens would object to being monitored at all, asking, “Now we live in an open world. Nobody is in a closed world. Nobody should be really bothered about surveillance. Why should anyone be bothered about surveillance unless they have something to hide?”

Her comment prompted Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to caution against normalizing government spying. He asked whether this meant “every government will have a free hand in putting people under surveillance,” warning that secret monitoring without authorization was unlawful and incompatible with basic freedoms.

Mehta reminded the bench that the Constitution, as affirmed in the landmark Puttaswamy ruling, enshrines privacy as part of human dignity and liberty.

“The Supreme Court knows the difference between an ‘open’ world and being under illegal surveillance. My personal communications with my wife… I have a right not to be under surveillance,” he said.

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