in brief Biden appoints Indian-American Neera Tanden as top domestic policy advisor

ASTRONOMERS SPOT SUN-LIKE STAR

For the first time, astronomers have caught a star in the act of swallowing an entire planet, hinting that Earth may meet the same fate though not in the near future The Sun-like star, called ZTF SLRN-2020 lies about 15,000 light-years away in the Milky Way galaxy in the constellation Aquila and is said to have engulfed a hot gas giant bigger than Jupiter The study, published in Nature journal, is an international collaboration among 26 astronomers from several key institutes mainly MIT Harvard University and Caltech Among the 26 astronomers six are Indianorigin researchers

Iran Forces Seize Second Oil Tanker In 6 Days

Iranian forces seized a Panama-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the US navy said, the second such incident in less than a week The Greek-owned tanker was sailing from Dubai towards Fujairah, another port in the UAE, when it was stopped by Iran s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy “A dozen IRGCN fast-attack craft swarmed the vessel in the middle of the strait,” said a Bahrain-based US Fifth Fleet statement “The IRGCN forced the oil tanker to head toward Iranian territorial waters off the coast of Bandar Abbas,” it said

Six days ago, Iran’s navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, maritime security firm Ambrey The captured tanker was also moved to Bandar Abbas Ambrey said the latest seizure followed a warning from Greek authorities after the US seized a tanker with Iranian oil last month

100 HELD DURING EUROPEAN ANI-MAFIA SWOOP

Police in eight European countries raided 150 addresses and arrested more than 100 people in a vast, coordinated swoop targeting the notorious Italian Ndrangheta mafia, Belgian prosecutors said “It is likely the biggest operation ever carried out in Europe against the Calabrese mafia,” a spokesman for the federal prosecutors’ office Eric van Duyse said He said 1,400 police officers in Italy and over 1,000 officers in Germany took part

W A SHI NG T O N : Nee ra Tand en, a p r o m in e n t m e m be r o f t h e

In d ia n -A m e r ic a n De m o c r a t i c

Par ty, was chosen by Pre side nt

Joe Biden to be his domestic policy a dviser , ma king he r t he first

A si a n - A m e r i c a n t o e v e r c ha ir o n e of t he m o s t i m p o r t a n t White House ad visor y councils

In a statement, Biden said, “I am pleased to announce that Neera Tanden will continue to drive the formulation and implementation of my domestic policy, from economic mobility and racial equity to health care, immigration and education ” Tanden, who has served as Biden’s staff secretary in this term, will replace Susan Rice, a former American national security advisor and ambassador to the United Nations who worked as Biden’s top domestic policy advisor since his presidency began Tanden had supervised decision-making procedures across

Musk settles defamation case brought by Indian-origin student

N EW YO RK : Tesla CEO El on Musk has agre ed to pay $10,000 to r esol ve a de fama tion cl a im made against him b y Randee p Hothi, an Indian-America n Sik h cr i t ic a n d i n d e pe n d e n t resear cher

Hothi, a doctoral student in Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan, had filed a defamation case against Musk in 2020, alleging that the billionaire businessman falsely accused him of actively harassing and "almost killing" Tesla employees

Following a lengthy and hard-fought litigation, in March 2023, Musk asked Hothi to settle the case "This case was about taking a stand, not seeking fame or money I feel vindicated," said Hothi, announcing that he accepted Musk's settlement offer in a statement "I brought this case to defend my work, clear my name, and send a message I believe I ve accomplished that, thanks in no small part to Musk, whose own behaviour over the last year has highlighted the need to scrutinise his every word and deed "

In 2018, Hothi began to monitor Tesla s manufacturing at its Fremont, California, factory while posing as a social activist

In April 2019, Tesla filed a restraining order against Hothi, claiming that the latter struck an employee with his car in a parking area of the Tesla factory Hothi fiercely rejected the claim

When Hothi and his legal team successfully obtained a court order requiring Tesla to hand over video evidence of the alleged encounter, Tesla abruptly dropped its lawsuit in July 2019

Yet the following month, Musk e-mailed a reporter accusing Hothi of "actively harassing" and "almost kill(ing)" Tesla employees

Musk's accusations prompted an outpouring of public support for Hothi, including from whistleblowers, researchers, journalists, and critics

India-born engineer among Texas mall shooting victims

T E X A S : A 27 - ye ar- o l d I nd i a n w oman, wh o was wo rking in th e U S as a project engineer, w as among th e eigh t peo ple killed wh en a gunman o pened fire at a crowded m all in A llen in Texas state

Aishwarya Thatikonda was shopping with a friend when they were shot by a gunman at the Allen Premium Outlets The shooting erupted as throngs of shoppers filled the outdoor mall At least eight people were killed before Mauricio Garcia, the 33-year-old gunman, was shot dead by a police officer

Aishwarya, the daughter of a judge in Rangareddy district court in Telangana, worked as a project engineer at Perfect General Contractors LLC She had been working in the US for more than two years

Aishwarya had spoken to her family members before the incident, and when they called her back after learning about the shooting, they did not get any response, according to a family friend “They (the family) is in shock,” the friend said Aishwarya’s family is planning to bring her body back to India Aishwarya’s friend, who was not identified, was injured but is currently in stable at the hospital

Mehul Choksi who alleges Indian kidnap plot wins Antiguan court ruling

S ain t John 's: Fug iti ve Ind ia n-bor n busin essman ha s won the fir st r ound of a court ba ttle t o prove that a UKba sed gr oup, includ ing a y oun ge r wom an, was pa rt of an India n in tellig ence ser vice plot to lure him to a C aribbe an villa to be kidn appe d a nd e xt rad it ed t o his home count ry

The high court of Antigua and Barbuda has found that Mehul Choksi has an “arguable” case in relation to his civil claim against the country’s attorney general and chief of police over the response to his alleged abduction and illegal rendition to Dominica in May 2021

A submission from Choksi’s lawyers details an alleged conspiracy in which he is said to have been subjected to “inhuman or degrading treatment” after his alleged kidnapping in Antigua It is claimed that the elaborate plot to steal him away had been carefully prepared in collusion with India Should it go to trial, the case could open up to scrutiny the world of secret service operations and the alleged role of experienced individuals in the UK Choksi, 64, is seeking an admission from the Antiguan police that they failed to properly look into the alleged crime and a declaration that they will now relaunch a “speedy and effective” investigation Antigua’s attorney general and police commissioner had sought to have the claim struck out as “ vexatious” But the high court said the defendants had not shown the case to be “unsustainable” It ordered the defendants to file a defence and awarded Choksi 75% of his costs

According to the businessman’s affidavit, Choksi, who is wanted on fraud and money laundering charges in India, was invited to a villa near his luxury home in the Antiguan resort of Jolly Harbour in May 2021

A separate police report identified the person who invited Choksi as a 33-year-old woman Immediately after arriving, it is alleged, he was surrounded by a group of men who claimed to be police officers and repeatedly punched to his head, arm, chest and leg, leaving him covered in cuts and bruises domestic, economic, and national security teams, according to Biden, who said that Tanden served as his staff secretary, processing any material that came to the president's desk

“She has 25 years of experience in public policy, has served three Presidents, and led one of the largest think tanks in the country for nearly a decade She was a key architect of the Affordable Care Act and helped drive key domestic policies that became part of my agenda, including clean energy subsidies and sensible gun reform,” Biden said in his statement Biden said Tanden's perspectives will be beneficial to his administration and the American people because Tanden had relied on some of the same initiatives she will now manage as a child Tanden was born in Massachusetts to Indian immigrant parents, and studied at the University of California Los Angeles and Yale University Her appointment is particularly significant as America heads towards elections in 2024, where domestic policy will be a key area of focus and contestation

China ‘keen’ to recruit Gurkha soldiers to exploit discontent against India

K AT HM AN DU : The Communist gove rn ment in Ne pal ha s de cid ed not t o a llow the 1,3 00-odd Gor kha s to join the In dian Ar my in 2023

The pred icam ent has been the new ly laun ch ed four-ye ar -se rvice Agn ipath (Fir e War riors) sche me of the Ind ia n Ar my

This is an apparent opportunity for Chinese government to exploit the Communist government in Nepal to create an anti-India sentiment in the Himalayan nation For young people in Nepal, joining the Indian Army has been advantageous because the salary is 2 5 times more than in the Nepalese Army, and the pension offers both economic and social security Nepalese nationals have the option to settle in India thanks to jobs in the Indian Army

But, Agnipath changes that There are seven Gorkha regiments in the Indian Army, with 40 battalions and a total of 40,000 soldiers, but only one-fourth of them are of Nepalese origin There are 126,000 Gurkha pensioners of the Indian Army in Nepal, and there is an Indian Ex-servicemen Welfare Organization in Nepal working for retired army personnel

“I really hope that the Nepal government will take a favorable view on it and start the recruitment process, ” Lt Gen DS Hooda (Retired) told the media “The recruitment is mutually beneficial as it gives them employment, and the Gorkha veterans act as goodwill ambassadors between the two countries,” Hooda said

China will not shy from exploiting the situation The Gorkha soldiers have proved their mettle in the various wars India fought in 1947-48, 1965, and 1971 against Pakistan and the one against China in 1962 And an intrigued China funded a study in 2020 to find out what drives the Nepalese youth to join the Indian Army

As the Maoist in Nepal got a say in the government process, the clamor against Nepalese youth joining the Indian Army has been rising There have been demands that India should not post Nepalese Gorkha against China if there is a war

Ajay Banga appointed World Bank President for five-year term

WA SH ING TON : Indian-A merican bu siness leader Ajay Banga h as been appointed as th e President of the World Bank for a five-year term He is the first Ind ian-born nom inee to the World Bank presid ent's role He is exp ected to start the new job in early June, reports said

Banga, 63, was nominated for the office by US President Joe Biden in late February He was the only contender to replace departing World Bank chief David Malpass According to reports, Banga had impressed World Bank shareholders in recent weeks as a true change maker" who will help accelerate reforms at the global development bank It already loans out hundreds of billions of dollars to developing countries but is working to increase its lending to help them address global challenges such as climate change

Banga, a US citizen since 2007, currently serves as vice chair of General Atlantic, a private equity company He also serves as co-chair of the Partnership for Central America, where he worked closely with US Vice President Kamala Harris to mobilise public, private and nonprofit resources for Northern Central America

He is a former CEO of Mastercard He retired in December 2021 after 12 years at the helm of Mastercard Inc, where he set a target of bringing 1 billion people and 50 million micro- and small businesses into the digital economy by 2025

While making the pick, Biden had singled out Banga's experience in mobilising public-private resources to tackle urgent challenges such as climate change at a range of organisations

Born in Pune, Banga completed his bachelor's degree in economics from Delhi's St Stephen's College before pursuing an MBA degree from IIM Ahmedabad He began his career with Nestle in India and went on to work with the Citigroup in India and Malaysia