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Newsmakers of the Week JULY 03, 2026 | The Indian Eye 34

NEWSMAKERS OF THE WEEK

Selected stories about Indian diaspora from our website www.theindianeye.com

BIMAL PATEL RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI

Indian candidate elected UN’s Congressman condemns ‘Go back

ITLOS tribunal judge to India’ chants

ashington, DC: Democrat
Congressman Raja Krish-
Wnamoorthi on Thursday (lo-
cal time) condemned white suprem-
acist slogans, including “Go back to
India” and “You will not replace us”,
outside a Texas city hall, saying such
hate targeting any community has no
place in America.
Krishnamoorthi urged unity
against bigotry.
In a post on X, he said, “Go back to
India.” “You will not replace us.” Those
were the chants of white supremacists
outside a Texas city hall just weeks ago.
Whether directed at Hindus, Muslims,
Jews, or any other community, hate has no place in America. We must stand shoul-
der-to-shoulder against bigotry, prejudice, and discrimination wherever it appears.”
In a similar vein, earlier during his visit to India in May, US Secretary of
State Marco Rubio strongly defended the United States as a welcoming country
while dismissing racist comments targeting Indians in the United States as the
actions of “stupid people”, saying such remarks do not reflect America’s broader
character as an immigrant-friendly nation.
ew York, NY: India’s candidate, Professor Bimal N Patel, has been Addressing a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister S Jais-
elected as a Judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea hankar in New Delhi, Rubio responded to a question on racism against Indians
N(ITLOS) in New York, serving for the 2026-2035 term, the Permanent in the US and said he takes such concerns seriously, but emphasised that offen-
Mission of India at New York said on Friday. sive remarks made by individuals do not reflect the values of the United States.
External Affairs S Jaishankar extended his congratulations to Patel on Rubio reiterated his stance of how “people say stupid stuff” when asked
the election. about racist comments targeting Indians in the United States, following a ques-
“Congratulations Dr. Bimal Patel! Sincerely thank UNCLOS member tion raised at a press conference in the national capital on Sunday.
states for their support,” he said in a statement on X. Clarifying his response, Rubio said he was referring to online comments and
Patel will take office on October 1 this year in the tribunal, which acts as a suggested that some of them could be posted by trolls or bots.
specialised global court ensuring the peaceful, legal regulation of the world’s Noting that he did not know the exact context of the question being referred
oceans, its uses, and its resources. to, Rubio said he assumed it was about online activity.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal termed Patel’s election as a “signif-
icant milestone.” KUNAL SHAH
“We thank all member states for their trust in India and congratulate
Prof. Patel and all eminent members elected to the Tribunal,” he stated. CRED founder to lead
Patel’s successful election ensures India’s continued representation in the
tribunal. The election was held within the framework of the 36th Conference WhatsApp globally
of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from June 15 enlo Park, CA: CRED founder Kunal Shah on Monday announced
to June 19. that he will join Meta to lead WhatsApp globally, while stepping away
“Congratulations to Prof. Dr. Bimal N. Patel for being elected as Judge of Mfrom his operating role at CRED after building the fintech platform
the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in New York today. over the past several years.
His election takes forward India’s enduring commitment to multilateralism Sharing the development in a social media post, Shah said CRED is now
and the Law of the Sea,” the Permanent Mission of India at New York said. ready for its next phase of growth and that Miten Sampat will take over as inter-
Wishing Patel, the mission thanked all member states for their support im Chief Executive Officer. CRED is ready for its next phase. I am stepping back
and applauded all candidates for their vision and commitment to UNCLOS. and @miten steps in as interim CEO,” Shah said in the post.
UNCLOS came into effect in 1994 and currently has 172 members. He added that Miten Sampat has been leading strategy and finance at the
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) is an indepen- company and has been associated with him since 2020.
dent judicial body established by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Reflecting on his entrepreneurial journey, Shah said that after exiting
Law of the Sea. Continued on next page... >>

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