Free Republic

Nikki Haley may have been born in the United States but her extended family back in India is thrilled that the South Carolina governor has been named by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as ambassador to the United Nations. Haley's parents hail from rural Punjab, in northwestern India. They moved to Amritsar - home to the Golden Temple that is the most holy place of the Sikh religion - before emigrating to North America in the early 1960s. Haley, 44, was born Nimrata Randhawa in Bamberg, South Carolina - she was called "Nikki" as a child and took the family name...

The Indian Air Force (IAF) took a vital step on Wednesday towards boosting its dwindling fleet of combat aircraft. As MiG-21s and MiG-27s retire, forcing the IAF to close down squadrons, a new avionics upgrade for the nuclear-capable Jaguar strike fighter will let it fly for another two decades. This is Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd’s (HAL’s) new DARIN-III (Darin Three) “navigation-attack" system that allows the Jaguar to do pinpoint bombing. The DARIN-III allows a pilot to feed in the co-ordinates of targets deep inside enemy territory. Once airborne, the computer’s inertial navigation system directs the pilot to the target, telling him...

Three months after leaving the White House in 2001, former President Bill Clinton arrived in India to cheering throngs to help those who had just lost a million homes in the aftermath of a massive earthquake that killed 20,000 and injured 166,000. In classic Clinton style, he solemnly promised that his new nonprofit — called the American India Foundation (AIF) — would rebuild 100 villages. Rajat Gupta, his millionaire co-chairman, pledged $1 billion for the victims. It never happened. Years later, AIF’s annual reports were reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation and show only seven villages were partially rebuilt...

Do you see my children I am shaking all that can be shaken in order to bring forth Holiness for as My Word "Be holy as I am holy" is an eternal Truth and this is what shall remain standing only those things that are eternal for all else will fail and is failing before your eyes even now ! Do not be caught up in the landslide for as we are one I shall lift you high above the turmoil and you shall not look back as you cast your eyes upon Me your Savior and King of kings...

Officials said that prima facie the cause of the accident could be due to track fracture. Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha told reporters at the spot that it seems the cause of the accident is rail fracture. Member (Engineering) of the Railway Board will find out the cause of the mishap and action will be taken against those responsible, he said. With several passengers feared trapped, rescue personnel employed cold cutters to break open the compartments as gas cutters produced excessive heat and suffocation hampering their efforts. A number of trapped passengers were rescued. Teams of army doctors,...

Tyler DurdenNovember 19, 2016 India's 'de-monetization' scheme has caused chaos across the nation, and while SocGen says the government's plan may have some short-term success in curbing so-called 'black-money', investors should "brace for economic disruption" as Bloomberg reports the Indian government is considering a cap on cash holdings for individuals. As SocGen concludes, "people will now be more inclined to park their black income in gold rather than in currency." The daily images of utter chaos in India that has brought the conutry's economy to a standstill since they unleashed their war on cash... Are perhaps about to get worse,...

Old notes will be accepted at government hospitals, petrol stations and toll booths for 10 more days. A day after Prime Minister Narendra chaired a meeting to review the demonetisation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes and its impact, Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das on Monday announced that the now defunct currency would be accepted at government hospitals, petrol stations and toll booths till November 24. The Prime Minister’s meeting came amid continuing chaos and growing public anger across the country over limited cash availability following the surprise demonetisation of the two higher value notes. On Sunday, the cash...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy on Friday said it had prevented Indian Navy submarine from entering Pakistani territorial waters on Monday, November 14. “In order to divert attention from the indigenous freedom movement in Indian Occupied Kashmir, India has persistently embarked upon a series of provocative actions against Pakistan,” a press statement issued by Pakistan Navy said. “The Indian Navy, in order to fulfill its nefarious designs, was deploying submarines. The Pakistan Navy, alert and using its extreme skill, prevented Indian submarine from entering Pakistani waters,” it said. “The unsuspecting submarine was detected and localised south of Pakistani coast on Nov 14,”...

It is only a matter of time before Pakistan can launch short-range missiles to counter conventional attacksNew Delhi - A study of Google satellite images and information from other intelligence sources by US nuclear scientists Hans Kristensen and Robert Norris released earlier this week contains startling revelations: contrary to the conditions laid down by the US when it sold Pakistan F-16 fighters, the US jets, along with the Pak air force's French Mirages, are now nuclear-enabled.Speaking exclusively to DNA, Hans Kristensen, co-author of the 'Nuclear Notebook on Pakistani Nuclear Forces' released November 16 acknowledged that despite the study, US strategic...

Previous Ambassador to the US and now the Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar is travelling to the US on what the Indian Foreign Office says is a "routine trip". But the obvious purpose of his visit will be to link up with acquaintances on Trump’s transition team. New Delhi (Sputnik) – Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar is on a undeclared mission to open up communications channels with the Trump transition team. “I can confirm that Foreign Secretary is in US for routine visit,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup told the media. Foreign Secretary will try to fix an early...

Some on the British Right see Donald Trump's election victory – following a campaign steeped in an appeal to white nativism – as heralding a transatlantic Anglo-Saxon resurgence. But, if anything, it indicates that America's destiny, and thus the world's, will continue to grow entwined with Asia's – and, in Trump's own estimation, with India's in particular. “Abki baar, Trump sarkaar!” (“This time, Trump government!”), the candidate announced in Hindi in his televised Diwali greeting to Indian-Americans, borrowing from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's own campaign slogan. He also gave a fifteen-minute address before thousands at a Hindu-American rally, in...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought Israel’s help in containing terrorism and extremism from Pakistan even as he vowed to expand defence and security ties during his meeting with the President of Israel Reuven Rivlin. “President Rivlin and I deeply value our strong and growing partnership to secure our societies. Our people are constantly threatened by forces of terrorism and extremism. We recognise that terrorism is a global challenge, knows no boundaries and has extensive links with other forms of organised crime. Regrettably, one of the countries of its origin and spread is in India’s neighbourhood,” Modi said here...

Amid scenes of panic across India, following PM Modi's shock decision to withdraw high-value bills in the middle of the sowing and wedding season, Reuters reports the move, aimed at cracking down on the shadow economy, has brought India's cash economy to a virtual standstill. With over 90% of all transactions done in cash, money flows in and out of the black-and-white system... until now, as Devangshu Datta exclaims, "The system works because everybody believes that those pieces of paper will be accepted by everybody else... This move has shaken that trust." Farmers have been left stranded as traders have...

ST LOUIS: Proposing the setting up of a new, futuristic factory for an upcoming Make in India fighter program, Boeing has said that it is in talks with multiple Indian stakeholders to gear it for the production of the indigenous advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA). Detailing its plan for the Make in India contest – India wants to produce 100-200 fighters domestically with technology transfer to meet deficiencies in the fleet – Boeing has said that it is in talks with several Indian companies to select a partner but the final decision would depend on the government’s strategic partnership model....

Jeff Berwick November 17, 2016 We are living in a world where paper fiat money is becoming a novelty. In Australia, Citibank has just become the first to declare that it no longer will accept notes or coins. Only digital transactions. This follows on the heels of India banning large cash denominations. The cash-oriented changes of these two countries are especially troubling in light of the eventual plans to phase out large denomination euro notes and the US 100 dollar bill by 2018. Just as the Economist predicted nearly 30 years ago, the world is going cashless. A few days...

Chaos in the Wake of the Ban Here is a link to Part 1, about what happened in the first two days after India’s government made Rs 500 (~$7.50) and Rs 1,000 (~$15) banknotes illegal. They can now only be converted to Rs 100 (~$1.50) or lower denomination notes, at bank branches or post offices. Banks were closed the first day after the decision. What follows is the crux of what has happened over the subsequent four days.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin With Indian President Pranab MukherjeeIndia loves Israel; there is not even an iota of doubt about it. Arguably, there were several pretensions and preventions earlier, but now India and Israel are out in open to change their relationship status from ‘it’s complicated’ to ‘engaged’, and perhaps for some, even ‘married’. PM's Modi & NetanyahuWith the arrival of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at Mumbai airport for a six-day visit, both Tel Aviv and Delhi will send a strong message across the world about their bilateral relations. This, for the advocates of Indo-Israeli relations, is happening quite slowly,...

Rivlin will meet with Indian PM, other high level officials in bid to strengthen ties President Reuven Rivlin and First Lady Nechama Rivlin landed Monday morning in India for a state visit at the invitation of Indian President Pranab Mukherjee. During his visit, the official nature of which will begin Tuesday, Rivlin will hold meetings with high level officials, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in attempt to strengthen ties with the Asian country. Upon arriving in New Delhi, Rivlin was given flowers and was welcomed by government representatives. Moments before leaving Israel for the visit, Rivlin said: “I am...

Pakistan's military media wing, ISPR, said in a statement the seven soldiers were killed in the Bhimber sector on the "Line of Control" de facto border in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. A spokesman for India's army said its soldiers had responded to Pakistani firing on Sunday night. "There was a brief ceasefire violation initiated by Pakistani in Noushera sector which was effectively retaliated last night," the spokesman told Reuters, declining to comment on any Indian casualties. He also said there was ongoing firing between the two countries' forces on Monday along another part of the frontier.

Indian Americans are mostly Democrats in the U.S according to quantitative analyses but a large number of them voted for Republican Donald Trump in this election, anecdotal evidence suggests. And one of the main reasons that many cite for doing so is Huma Abedin, former Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s close aide, who happens to be a Muslim. Some others voted hoping that Mr. Trump will cut taxes. Indian American leaders in the Democratic Party - candidates and major donors – have sought to create a larger Asian minority coalition in support of Ms. Clinton with Pakistani activists playing a significant...