The largest reptile sanctuary in the US, based in Arizona, wants to import six gharials and mugger crocodiles from Tamil Nadu to help conserve these endangered species.

As per a notification issued under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Phoenix Herpetological Society has requested permission from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Meanwhile, the US Federal government has asked for public comments on the matter.

The notification states that Phoenix Herpetological Society has requested permission to import three male and three female captive-bred gharials ( Gavialis gangeticus ). Three male and three female captive-bred mugger crocodiles ( Crocodylus palustris kim have also been requested for import from the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust in Tamil Nadu.

The notification further clarifies that this will be a ‘single import’ meant for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival of these species. The federal agency has requested the public to send their comments on the proposal by August 16.

According to the website of Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology, the Croc Bank was set up by Romulus Whitaker and Zai Whitaker in 1976 in a bid to save India’s crocodile population. The Croc Bank consists has a large reptile park near Chennai along with some other field projects.

As per Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Gharials were historically found in the rivers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar and Pakistan. However, only the fragmented population of these aquatic species now remain in Nepal and parts of India.

India’s engagement with Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) countries has increased in the past nine years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and moved towards a new trajectory, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday as he underlined country’s the upgraded engagement in the region.

Addressing the 9th CII India – LAC Conclave here, Jaishankar said India’s bilateral trade in the region surged close to USD 50 billion during the financial year 2022-23. The external affairs minister said these figures are a “testament to the strength and potential of our economic partnership.”

During the conclave, Jaishankar noted that the future of the India-LAC partnership would be based on four important pillars, which include supply chain diversification, resource partnerships, sharing developmental partnerships and addressing global challenges.

“Over the last nine years, since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been at the helm, our ties have moved forward on a new trajectory. India’s relationship with the region is being nurtured across the full spectrum of Indian leadership. Latin America and Caribbean regions have witnessed notable engagements with 34 high-level visits, which includes six visits each from the President and the Vice President and four from the Prime Minister,” he said.

Jaishankar acknowledged the increasing number of visits by Indian leaders to the LAC region in recent years, stating that it is a reminder to pay greater attention to this part of the world. The minister stated that growing interest in LAC for deeper engagement with India, and trade between the two, is a testament to the strength and potential of the partnership.

“Today, we need to reflect on the impressive growth of trade between India and Latin America in recent times. Our bilateral trade has surged close to USD 50 billion during the financial year 2022-23 and it is a testament to the strength and potential of our economic partnership,” he added.

Drawing a comparison between India’s trade with the LAC countries with the rest of the world, he said, “It’s worth noting that India’s export to Brazil stands at USD 10 billion, which is almost twice what we export to Japan. Similarly, our export to Mexico is in excess of USD 5 billion, which is more than our exports to Canada.”

In his address, the minister said that Indian companies have played a significant role in this region, with a strong presence in sectors like agriculture, energy, information technology, pharma, and automobile.

He noted that Indian companies have invested around USD 15 billion in the region, stating that this shows the level of interest Indian businesses have in this region.

The external affairs minister underlined that India’s development partnership in the region is also expanding element of the relationship. “Government of India has extended 35 lines of credit to our partners Cuba, Bolivia, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Suriname,” he said.

Noting that India’s expanding developmental partnership positively impacts the region, he said “Close to USD 900 million has been extended under these lines and we have already completed 21 of these committed projects. our development projects have generated employment.”

Another point of engagement that Jaishankar touched upon was the complementary nature of trade partnership in terms of the import and export of raw and finished goods.

Moxila Upadhyaya, an Indian-American judge, grabbed the headlines when she presided over the appearance of former US president Donald Trump in a case related to him allegedly orchestrating a plot to try to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Here are 5 facts about judge Moxila Upadhyaya:
Born in Gujarat, Moxila A Upadhyaya was appointed as a United States Magistrate Judge on September 7, 2022.

She received her JD, cum laude, from the American University, Washington College of Law, where she earned distinction for her trial work representing clients in the Criminal Justice Clinic and was a member of the Administrative Law Review.

During her stint as an associate and ultimately partner at Venable, Judge Upadhyaya took up several pro-bono cases representing indigent clients in post-conviction proceedings.

For her work in this capacity, the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project awarded Judge Upadhyaya its Defender of Innocence Award in 2009 and Venable named her Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year in 2006.

During the Trump hearing, the Indian-American judge reprimanded the former US president telling him that he cannot bribe or influence witnesses. A House committee that probed the 2021 Capitol Hill riots found out that Trump and his associates tried to contact and influence a witness in that probe.

Aaron “Ronnie” Chatterji, an Indian-American, will resume his position as a management professor at Duke University after resigning from his position as a White House coordinator at the National Economic Council (NEC).

In September of last year, President Joe Biden’s administration named Chaterji to the top position to oversee NEC’s implementation of the historic $50 billion investment in the semiconductor industry made possible by the CHIPS and Science Act.

“Looking forward to returning to @DukeFuqua after 2 great years in the Biden Administration. Thank you to all my colleagues @WhiteHouse & @CommerceGov. Excited to continue work on these important economic & national security issues,” Chatterji tweeted on Wednesday.

He had taken a leave of absence from the Fuqua School of Business while working at the White House.

In order to offer the nation a competitive edge on the global arena, the CHIPS and Science Act was passed last year with the goals of increasing semiconductor production, enhancing research and design leadership, and growing a diverse semiconductor workforce.

The Biden administration’s semiconductor strategy has reportedly changed from a frantic search for a temporary solution to the world’s chip shortage to placing long-term bets on US-based manufacturing facilities in an effort to depend less on suppliers in Taiwan, which has turned into a political liability amid escalating tensions with China, according to Politico. Chatterji’s departure coincides with this shift.

Since April 2021, Chatterji has held the position of Chief Economist for the Department of Commerce, where he has served as Gina Raimondo’s primary economic advisor.

He was in charge of creating policies for the US’s labour markets, supply chains, innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic expansion in that capacity.

In a statement to Politico, Raimondo referred to Chatterji as “an incredible asset” to the government and said she “relied on his expertise and guidance to help make significant strides in bolstering America’s supply chains, strengthening national security, and creating good jobs across America.”

Additionally, Chatterji served as a senior economist on the Council of Economic Advisers at the White House and a visiting associate professor at Harvard Business School while serving in the administration of former President Barack Obama.

Having worked as a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs and as a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Chatterji has won a number of honours.

In addition to the Aspen Institute’s Rising Star Award and the Emerging Scholar Award from the Strategic Management Society, he also won the 2017 Kauffman Prize Medal for Distinguished Research in Entrepreneurship.

He earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and his B.A. in Economics from Cornell University.