President Donald Trump has named Sergio Gor, one of his closest aides, to be the next US ambassador to India, a crucial appointment at a time of strained relations with the major Asian ally.
Mr Gor, who is currently director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, would also serve as a special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs, Mr Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account on Friday.
“Sergio is a great friend, who has been at my side for many years. He worked on my historic presidential campaigns, published my best-selling books, and ran one of the biggest super PACs, which supported our movement,” Mr Trump wrote.
“For the most populous region in the world, it is important that I have someone I can fully trust to deliver on my agenda and help us Make America Great Again.”
Mr Gor thanked Mr Trump for the nomination and said it would be “the honour of my life” to represent the United States in the role, in a post on X. His appointment will have to be confirmed by the US Senate.
Mr Gor, 38, has long been involved in conservative politics, having worked for a number of Republican congressmen before joining a fundraising committee for Mr Trump in 2020. He has become one of the most powerful Trump aides in the President’s second term, tasked with vetting about 4,000 appointees for loyalty.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio quickly endorsed Mr Gor’s nomination, saying he would be an “excellent representative of America in one of the most important relationships our nation has in the world” in a post on X.
The previous US ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, stepped down on January 20 as Mr Trump took office.
Ties between the US and India, which Washington considers a key ally in countering China’s growing influence in Asia, have been strained by Mr Trump's trade war.
Negotiations to lower US tariffs on Indian goods collapsed after India, the world's fifth-largest economy, resisted opening its vast agricultural and dairy sectors.
The US was India’s largest trading partner for a fourth consecutive year in 2024-25, with bilateral trade worth nearly $132 billion, according to Indian government data.
Mr Trump's announcement of Mr Gor's nomination came shortly after the abrupt cancellation of a planned visit by US trade negotiators to New Delhi next week.
The US President first imposed additional tariffs of 25 per cent on imports from India, then said they would double to 50 per cent from August 27 as punishment for New Delhi's increased purchases of oil from Russia. He has not imposed similar tariffs on goods from China, the biggest purchaser of Russian oil.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week accused India of “profiteering” with its sharply increased purchases of Russian oil during the war in Ukraine, and said Washington viewed the situation as unacceptable.
Mr Bessent told CNBC in an interview that Russian oil accounts for 42 per cent of India's total oil purchases, up from less than one per cent before the war started in February 2022. He said China, the largest buyer of Russian oil, had increased its share to 16 per cent from 13 per cent.
Mr Trump threatened earlier this month to slap additional sanctions on Russia and secondary sanctions on buyers of its oil, in an attempt to pressure Moscow to end the war. However, he said “we don’t have to think about that right now” after a meeting with the Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The specs: 2018 Maserati GranTurismo/GranCabrio
Price, base Dh485,000 (GranTurismo) and Dh575,000 (GranCabrio)
Engine 4.7L V8
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
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- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Federer's 19 grand slam titles
Australian Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Marat Safin; 2006 bt Marcos Baghdatis; 2007 bt Fernando Gonzalez; 2010 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Rafael Nadal
French Open (1 title) - 2009 bt Robin Soderling
Wimbledon (8 titles) - 2003 bt Mark Philippoussis; 2004 bt Andy Roddick; 2005 bt Andy Roddick; 2006 bt Rafael Nadal; 2007 bt Rafael Nadal; 2009 bt Andy Roddick; 2012 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Marin Cilic
US Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Lleyton Hewitt; 2005 bt Andre Agassi; 2006 bt Andy Roddick; 2007 bt Novak Djokovic; 2008 bt Andy Murray
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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