Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Modi's £16,129 diamond tops Jill Biden's gift list for 2023

Modi also gifted president Biden a carved sandalwood box, a book titled The Ten Principal Upanishads, a statue, and an oil lamp, with a combined value of approximately £5,029.

Bidens-Modi-Getty

The 7.5-carat lab-grown diamond was presented during a private dinner at the White House in June 2023, as part of Modi's state visit at the invitation of US president Joe Biden. (Photo: Getty Images)

A DIAMOND worth £16,129, gifted by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to US First Lady Jill Biden, was the most expensive gift received by the Biden family from a foreign leader in 2023, according to the US State Department.

The 7.5-carat lab-grown diamond was presented during a private dinner at the White House in June 2023, as part of Modi's state visit at the invitation of US president Joe Biden.


Modi also gifted president Biden a carved sandalwood box, a book titled The Ten Principal Upanishads, a statue, and an oil lamp, with a combined value of approximately £5,029.

The diamond, however, remains with the First Lady "for official use in the East Wing," according to the US State Department's annual gift disclosure published Thursday.

Smit Patel, convenor of the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, said the diamond was created using technology that mimics the natural process of diamond formation.

"This 7.5-carat diamond represents 75 years of India's Independence and was created using green energy, reflecting India's focus on renewable energy under PM Modi," Patel said in 2023.

Other gifts Modi presented during his visit included a wall hanging worth £685 for Kurt Campbell, the US coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, and camel bone and jali work boxes valued at £101 each for US Senators Mitch McConnell and Charles Schumer, respectively.

The second-costliest gift to the First Lady in 2023 was a steel fragment brooch worth £11,343, presented by Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the US, in July.

Additional gifts reported

The US president also received high-value gifts, including a photo album worth £5,726 from South Korea's president Suk Yeol Yoon, a £2,661 silver bowl from the Sultan of Brunei, and a collage valued at £1,935 from Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

US law requires gifts exceeding £387 to be declared. Most CIA officials who received luxury items, including jewellery and watches, reported destroying them as per protocol. The combined value of such destroyed gifts exceeded £1,06,452.

CIA director William Burns received a telescope worth £14,516, now transferred to the General Services Administration, while destroying an £8,871 Omega watch.

Other CIA employees reported receiving jewellery and watches valued at tens of thousands of pounds, all of which were destroyed, the report said.

(With inputs from agencies)

More For You

Indian and American investors delay Hundred deals: report

FILE PHOTO: The Oval Invincibles celebrate after The Hundred Final between Oval Invincibles and Southern Brave at Lord's Cricket Ground on August 18, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)

Indian and American investors delay Hundred deals: report


THE England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has extended the deadline for finalising the £520 million sale of The Hundred franchises after pushback from several prospective owners, particularly the Indian and American investors behind the two London teams.

The eight-week exclusivity window agreed in February has passed without contracts being signed, with negotiations now expected to continue until at least the end of April. While all parties remain committed to completing the deals, several key issues remain unresolved, the Telegraph reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Salman Khan

Salman Khan’s £32,000 Ram Temple edition watch sparks controversy as a Muslim cleric calls it ‘haram and illegal’

Getty Images

Salman Khan slammed by Muslim cleric for wearing £32,000 Ayodhya Ram temple watch, calls it 'haram'

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has found himself at the centre of a religious controversy after wearing a limited edition watch featuring the Ram Janmabhoomi temple design. The accessory, which was noticed during the promotions of his upcoming film Sikandar, has drawn criticism from Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi, president of the All India Muslim Jamaat.

Maulana Razvi has expressed strong disapproval, stating that as a Muslim, Salman Khan should avoid symbols associated with other religions. He referred to the act as “haram” (forbidden) under Islamic law and urged the actor to be mindful of his influence, especially given his large Muslim fan following.

Keep ReadingShow less
India bids for 2030 Games
with eye on 2036 Olympics

Prime minister Narendra Modi (pictured centre with some of India’s 2024 hockey Olympians) has been keen to bring the 2036 Olympic Games to India.

India bids for 2030 Games with eye on 2036 Olympics

INDIA has officially submitted a bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, marking a major step in its broader ambition to stage the 2036 Olympic Games in the country.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) sent the ‘expression of interest’ (EOI) to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) last week, ahead of next Monday’s (31) deadline, a senior sports ministry official said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Court reopens Asian child sex offender's deportation case

Home Office successfully challenged a ruling that allowed him to remain in Britain (Photo for representation: iStock)

Court reopens Asian child sex offender's deportation case

A PAKISTANI man convicted of sexually assaulting a child under 13 will face a fresh deportation hearing after the Home Office successfully challenged a ruling that allowed him to remain in Britain, reported The Times.

The offender, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had initially won his case to stay in the UK after claiming he would face "inhuman or degrading treatment" if sent back to Pakistan due to his alcoholism.

Keep ReadingShow less
India launches Operation Brahma to aid quake-hit Myanmar

Rescue teams work to save residents trapped under the rubble of the destroyed Sky Villa Condominium development in Mandalay on March 29, 2025. (Photo by SAI AUNG MAIN/AFP via Getty Images)

India launches Operation Brahma to aid quake-hit Myanmar

INDIA has swiftly responded to the devastating earthquake in Myanmar by launching Operation Brahma, sending emergency relief and rescue teams to the disaster-stricken nation.

A C-130J military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force landed in Yangon on Saturday (29), carrying 15 tonnes of relief supplies including hygiene kits, blankets and food parcels. The aid mission comes after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday (28), killing more than 1,000 people and injuring nearly 2,400 others.

Keep ReadingShow less