iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

Vivek Ramaswamy, who was appointed by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as the co-head of a body to improve government efficiency, is planning to run for governor of Ohio, according to media reports.

USA Today reported on Sunday that according to a source close to him, Ramaswamy will announce his run for governor “shortly”.

If elected, he would become the third Indian-American elected governor, after Bobby Jindal in Louisiana and Nikki Haley in South Carolina, all Republicans.

The three made unsuccessful bids for the party’s presidential nomination.

An avowed anti-Left crusader, Ramaswamy, 39, ran against Trump for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination but dropped out to become one of his most vociferous supporters.

Trump appointed him to be the co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with Elon Musk after having hinted during the campaign that he may even be considered for Secretary of State.

“He’s really smart, and I hope he’s going to be involved in our administration,” Trump said.

“We can put him in charge of one of these big monsters (in government) and he’ll do a better job than anybody you can think of.”

At the DOGE, only an advisory body outside the government, Ramaswamy, who has a strong personality and is a multi-millionaire, was overshadowed by Musk, who has a stronger personality, is a multi-billionaire and closer to Trump.

While DOGE’s role has to be firmed up, Ramaswamy’s position is even vaguer, and a run for governor gives him an out.

Last week, there were reports that Trump recommended that Ramaswamy take the Senate seat vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance if it was offered to him.

But Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who appoints an interim Senator, chose Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted who was considered his possible successor.

That opened the gubernatorial run for Ramaswamy, who will have to first win the Republican nomination for the election in November next year, along with Midterm polls for Congress.

Ohio’s Attorney General Dave Yost and Treasurer Robert Sprague were reported to be preparing to run for the nomination.

The state is overwhelmingly Republican, giving whoever is the party’s candidate a smooth path to the governorship.

Trump won it with a lead of over 11%, and Republicans have a commanding majority in both Chambers of the legislature.

Ramaswamy, whose net worth Forbes puts at $960 million, has a financial advantage in the race as he can himself finance the campaign, unlike his rivals.

He made his fortune first as a biotech entrepreneur and now runs a hedge fund that he co-founded.

In August, Ramaswamy had shown interest in running for both Senator and governor.

In an interview with the Outback website, Ramaswamy said, “Governor is something that people are pushing me for a lot in Ohio. And how could I not consider it?”

“But also, there’s JD Vance, a Senate seat that’s now open in my home state in Ohio, and I think that’s something that a lot of people have really pushed me to consider,” he added.

By Justice Markandey Katju-

(Justice Markandey Katju is a former Judge, Supreme Court of India, and former Chairman of Press Council of India. The views expressed are his own.)

I was motivated to write this article on reading this link.

A University is an institution of higher learning, in which knowledge is not just transmitted from teacher to student ( that is also done in primary and high schools ) but in addition to that, the boundaries of knowledge are extended, by research.

Great discoveries have been made in many Universities of the world in science, history, economics, and other subjects, which have extended the branches of knowledge. For instance, great discoveries were made in the Cavendish Laboratory of the Physics Department of Cambridge University in UK, in which great scientists like JJ Thompson, Rutherford, Niels Bohr ( who propounded the modern atomic theory) and others worked. The same happened in many American, German, Russian and other Western Universities.

The Vice Chancellor of a University is the head of the institution, and he should be an eminent scholar, renowned for his knowledge and learning. Apart from his administrative duties, the Vice Chancellor is also the head of the selection committees for selecting professors and other teachers in various departments. These professors and other teachers should be appointed on their merit, not on political or other extraneous considerations, for only then can high standards be maintained in the University.

In my own Alma Mater, Allahabad University, which was once known as the Oxford of the East, there were at one time eminent Vice Chancellors like Dr Ganga Nath Jha and his son Dr Amar Nath Jha, who were renowned as outstanding scholars.

Later, standards fell, and we started having mediocre persons as Vice Chancellors, so much so that at one time Allahabad University had a Vice Chancellor who was a teacher in an intermediate college and was made VC only because he was close to a state minister of UP.

In most Universities in India Vice Chancellors began to be appointed not because they were eminent scholars, but because they were close to influential politicians. The result was that standards declined in Indian Universities, and academic rigor was greatly diluted.

In Central Universities ( Universities under the Central Government e,g. Jawaharlal Nehru University, AMU, Jamia Milia, etc) the Vice Chancellors are appointed by the Central Government and hence are often political appointees.

Under BJP rule, all institutions have been ‘saffronised’, including educational institutions. So VCs of Central Universities in India are nowadays not appointed because they are outstanding scholars, but because they have leanings towards the ruling BJP.

As regards state universities, I may give a personal example. Under section 12 of the UP State Universities Act, the VC of a state university in UP is appointed by the Chancellor ( the Governor of the state). There is a committee of 3 persons, a High Court Judge appointed by the Chief Justice, a person nominated by the Chancellor, and a person nominated by the Executive Council of the University. This committee has to submit a panel of at least 3 names to the Chancellor, who could select anyone in the panel, and appoint him VC.

I was a Judge of Allahabad High Court and had been appointed to the committee by the Chief Justice of the High Court.

What I found was that in every meeting of the committee, the Chancellor’s nominee suggested that each member of the committee should recommend one name to be on the panel, but every time the Chancellor appointed as VC the person suggested by his own nominee out of the panel submitted to him, and invariably he was a person close to the ruling political party,

Realizing that I was being used, I resigned from the committee.

Many American Universities have half a dozen Nobel Laureates in their faculty. On the other hand, Indian Universities have produced only one scientist who was an Indian citizen, CV Raman (3 other scientists of Indian origin won Nobel Prizes, though they had become US citizens ).

Australia with a population of 26.6 million has 180 FRS ( Fellows of the Royal Society), while India with a population of 1430 million has only 18.

As already stated above, the fundamental difference between a high school and a University is that in the latter not only teaching to students is done but also extending the frontiers of knowledge by research.

The quality of research in Indian Universities is abysmal, and much of it is plagiarism. Such ‘research’ is only to get a job, not to extend the frontiers of knowledge.

It is only when our scientists go to America or some other Western country that they achieve anything.

This is the truth about Indian Universities and their Vice Chancellors.

 

iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

India’s Olympic gold medalist and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is now married.

Taking to social media on Sunday, January 19, Neeraj posted the news and shared a series of photographs with his wife Himani, an accomplished tennis player.

“Started a new chapter of life with my family. Grateful for every blessing that brought us to this moment together. Bound by love, happily ever after. Neeraj Himani,” the star athlete wrote on X.

Chopra arguably became one of the biggest athletes that India ever witnessed after sending his javelin to a record-shattering distance in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Chopra fell short of retaining his gold medal, after finishing with a best throw of 89.45 meters.

Despite a strong performance on his second attempt, he struggled with four consecutive foul throws, which prevented him from winning gold.

Chopra became the second male athlete from post-independence India to win two Olympic medals in an individual event. He is also the only Indian athlete to bag two different medals (Gold in Tokyo 2020 and Silver in Paris 2024) at the Olympics.

Chopra’s first and third attempts were invalidated by red flags, and his final three attempts were fouls. Despite a strong performance in the qualification round with a throw of 89.34 meters, his 89.45-meter throw was not enough to retain his gold.

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won gold with a throw of 92.97 meters, setting a new Olympic record. Grenada’s Anderson Peters secured bronze with a throw of 88.54 meters.

Chopra narrowly missed out on another title by just 1 centimetre, finishing second in the Diamond League final with a best throw of 87.86 meters at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium last year.

(Photo courtesy: x.com/Neeraj_chopra1)

iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

Thousands of Donald Trump’s supporters waited for hours in the cold and rain to attend his victory rally on Sunday, January 19, a day before the President-elect returns to power with plans to aggressively reshape U.S. immigration and trade policy.

The Republican, 78, placed a wreath first at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Sunday before making his first major speech in Washington since a January 6, 2021, rally with his supporters that preceded the storming of the U.S. Capitol.

Trump saluted the tomb as a military bugler played “Taps”.

The “Make America Great Again Victory Rally” was due to start at 3 p.m. ET (2000 GMT) at Capital One Arena, an indoor hockey and basketball stadium and the venue for some of Monday’s inauguration festivities after forecasts of bitter cold prompted officials to cancel a planned outdoor celebration.

The line of supporters, many dressed in Trump’s trademark red jackets and MAGA hats, stretched over several downtown Washington blocks. Some chanted “USA! USA!” and others spoke over megaphones while they waited to be allowed in.

Trump himself is set to speak later on Sunday along with Vice President-elect JD Vance and their family members at the event at Capital One Arena in downtown Washington.

Large swaths of the city around the US Capitol and White House have been blocked off by steel fences since last week and there was a heightened police presence throughout the area.

Trump’s rally, along with his inaugural address on Monday, January 20, could preview the tone he plans to adopt during his second White House term. In recent weeks, Trump has bewildered foreign allies by musing aloud about taking over Greenland and the Panama Canal and turning Canada into a U.S. state.

Immigration will be a target of Trump’s first executive actions after taking office, along with energy issues and policies aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, his incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz told CBS.

“The American people gave him a clear mandate. Lock down our border, deport the worst of the worst, take on the cartels,” Waltz said in an interview with “Face the Nation”.

Trump’s agenda was a likely topic at his breakfast with Republican US Senators at Blair House, the guest quarters across from the White House. Top Senate Republican John Cornyn, and Senators Susan Collins, Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, and Tim Scott were among the attendees seen leaving the event on Sunday.

The rally is likely to resemble the free-wheeling arena speeches that have been a Trump staple since his first White House campaign in 2016.

The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, who has become a Trump confidant since spending more than $250 million on his campaign, is scheduled to speak at the event, along with Vice President-elect JD Vance, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, conservative activist Charlie Kirk and conservative commentator Megyn Kelly.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew planned to attend the rally hours after Trump said he would revive the app’s access in the US when he takes office on Monday.

TikTok began restoring service to US users on Sunday after Trump said that he would sign an executive order on Monday following his inauguration to delay a federal ban on the app. Chew is expected to join other tech executives at Trump’s inauguration on Monday.

Singer and rapper Kid Rock, disco group The Village People, singer Billy Ray Cyrus, and singer Lee Greenwood are all scheduled to perform at the rally.

Biden, meanwhile, made his last official trip as President on Sunday to Charleston, South Carolina, to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is also on Monday, the White House said. He will attend services and speak about King’s legacy at Royal Missionary Baptist Church.

The inauguration is scheduled for noon ET (1700 GMT) on Monday when Trump will take the presidential oath of office inside the rotunda of the Capitol building after the cold weather prompted organisers to move the ceremony indoors.

Nearly 25,000 law enforcement personnel will be on hand to provide security.

(Photo courtesy: Donald Trump Instagram)

iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

Leading experts on India’s growing economic power and widening global influence will gather Jan. 25 at the University of Southern California for India Conference 2025.

Themed “India’s Leap Forward,” the conference will draw more than 300 people and is poised to become a major platform for dialogue, collaboration, and inspiration. The event seeks to empower participants to forge stronger ties between India and the global community by bringing together leaders across industries.

A distinguished lineup of speakers will include representatives of the Indian government, venture capitalists, industry leaders, attorneys, and more. The conference promises to spark engaging discussions and fresh insights with topics ranging from India’s global healthcare leadership to its rise as a tech powerhouse.

The conference is inspired by the success achieved by the Indian diaspora in the United States. Co-founder Tejaswa Gavankar, a recent USC MBA alumnus, highlighted the group’s accomplishments.

“The Indian diaspora in the U.S. is one of the most successful communities globally,” Gavankar said. “With incomes double that of the national average, and exceptional educational achievements — 80% holding a bachelor’s degree, it was clear to us that this group has immense potential. We want to create a forum that inspires people to aspire higher and fosters a supportive network to help them achieve those aspirations.”

The conference also aims to keep attendees connected to India’s rapid economic growth. The other co-founder, Raghav Mahajan, a current MBA student at USC, said that, “Even though many of us have found success in the U.S., it’s important to recognize that India is growing at three times the pace of the U.S. economy. Whether it’s your next business idea, career move, or investment opportunity, keeping an eye on India is not just prudent — it’s essential.”

This event is being made possible by the initiative of student leaders from USC’s MBA program and the broader Association of Indian Students at the university, and the backing of multiple USC schools and corporate sponsors.

The conference also aims to foster mentorship and community. Reflecting on organizing the event, Raghav said, “The most rewarding part of this journey has been the overwhelming support and mentorship from senior industry leaders both in and out of the USC Trojan family. Their encouragement has validated our efforts and motivated us to build something truly impactful for the community.”

Planned to be an annual series of conferences, “India Rising” is laying the groundwork for future editions. Tejaswa expressed optimism about its legacy: “This is just the beginning. I’m excited to see how future student leaders take this vision forward and shape their unique versions of this conference in the coming years.”

Despite being the inaugural edition of the India Conference, the team has raised funds for a scholarship designed to support and celebrate standout individuals who demonstrate a commitment to advancing the South Asian community while excelling academically and professionally.

Highlights:

“India’s Leap Forward”: A discussion on U.S.-India relations featuring Dr. K. Srikar Reddy and Gunjan Bagla.

“India’s Role in Global Healthcare”: Insights from Vik Thapar of Emcure Pharmaceuticals and Ray Mathoda of Anchor Loans on India’s place in global pharmaceuticals and healthcare.

“The Indian Diaspora”: A fireside chat with Kanwal Rekhi, a titan of Silicon Valley on how he has seen South Asians in the entrepreneurship system evolve.

“Tech Talent”: A discussion with Sumant Mandal from March Capital, Priya Rajan from MUFG, and Kavitha Mariappan from ZScaler on whether India can become the next Silicon Valley.

“The Immigrant Dream”: A forum where you can have your questions answered by immigration experts like Gladys Gervacio and Sameer Khedekar.

More panels: Students will explore the role and portrayal of Indians in Hollywood and the evolution of cricket in America.

Attendees will also have a chance to connect with Punita Khanna, and receive a signed copy of her book, Mixed Desis.

 

 

iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

Ahead of his inauguration on Monday, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced on the social media platform Truth Social that he plans to issue an executive order on Monday to delay the enforcement of the TikTok ban for 90 days.

The extension aims to facilitate negotiations for a solution that safeguards national security and allows the app to continue operating in the United States. Trump proposed a joint venture granting the U.S. a 50 percent ownership stake in TikTok.

“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order,” Trump stated.

He added, “Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations. I would like the United States to have a 50 percent ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands, and allow it to stay up. Without US approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars–maybe trillions. Therefore, my initial thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the U.S. gets a 50 percent ownership in a joint venture set up between the US and whichever purchase we so choose.”

Earlier on Saturday (January 18) night, TikTok went offline in the United States as the Supreme Court upheld a bipartisan law banning the app unless it is sold to a U.S.-based or allied company. Users attempting to access the platform encountered a message reading, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”

The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, prohibits U.S. companies from hosting or serving content for TikTok unless ownership is transferred. Despite the ban, TikTok hinted at a potential reinstatement as early as Monday, expressing optimism about working with Trump’s incoming administration.

Trump has hinted at delaying the ban to provide a resolution. In an interview, he confirmed, “The 90-day extension is something that will most likely be done because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation. If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”

The app’s removal from major platforms like Apple’s App Store and Google Play marked the enforcement of the ban. U.S. tech companies expressed concerns about potential legal consequences for violating the terms of the law, prompting the removal.

Concerns over TikTok’s ties to China and its potential access to U.S. user data remain at the forefront. However, Trump’s recent statements position him as the app’s potential savior, while negotiations with TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew are expected to continue. The outcome now rests on Trump’s administration as he prepares to take office.

 

iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani and Reliance Foundation founder and chairperson Nita Ambani on Sunday congratulated the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at a private reception in Washington D.C. ahead of his inauguration. The couple will be attending Trump’s inauguration ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on January 20, according to an official involved with planning the event.

The Ambanis expressed hope for deeper India-U.S. relations with the president-elect and wished him a transformative second term of leadership at the White House. The power couple emphasized the potential for progress and collaboration between the two nations and the world during his presidency.

The couple will have a prominent spot at Trump’s inauguration ceremony, seated together on the platform with other notable guests, including Trump’s Cabinet nominees and elected officials. The Ambanis arrived in Washington DC, on January 18.

The inaugural events started on Saturday with a reception and fireworks display at the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia.

On Sunday, Nita and Mukesh Ambani will be attending a “candlelight dinner” with President-elect Trump and an intimate experience with Vice President-elect JD and Usha Vance, one of the most sought-after events. Inauguration Day will feature several high-profile attendees, and Indian business tycoons will be among the most notable names on the guest list.

In addition to billionaire Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg, tech moguls from across the pond will also attend the ceremony. French billionaire and tech entrepreneur Xavier Niel will be present with his wife.

Mark Zuckerberg is also co-hosting a black-tie reception on Monday with the Republican mega-donor Miriam Adelson to celebrate the inauguration. The Ambanis are expected to attend this reception as well.

During the inauguration event, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. He previously served as the 45th president between 2017 and 2021. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent the Indian government at the swearing-in ceremony of US President-elect Donald Trump.

 

[Photo courtesy: ANI]

 

iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

 

U.S. Representative Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06), Democrat was reappointed to serve on the influential House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for the 119th Congress.

Rep. Bera was appointed on January 17 by Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.

The Intelligence Committee is charged with providing oversight of the nation’s intelligence activities, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), the National Security Agency (NSA), and the military intelligence programs.

“I am honored to be reappointed by Leader Jeffries to serve on the House Intelligence Committee, which plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and national security of the United States,” said Representative Bera. “As we face heightened instability and newfound challenges both at home and abroad, the work of this committee is more important than ever. I take seriously the responsibility entrusted to me to protect and defend American families, while ensuring the Intelligence Community remains objective and independent. With more than a decade of experience working on critical national security issues, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure our intelligence agencies operate effectively and with integrity to safeguard our great nation.”

Bera was first appointed to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the 118th Congress, where he served on the National Intelligence Enterprise Subcommittee and the National Security Agency and Cyber Subcommittee.

Rep. Bera was also elected to serve as Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific for the 119th Congress on January 15. “I am proud to continue my leadership on the House Foreign Affairs Committee as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific. This region is vital for our national security, economic interests, and values as we work to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific. I am committed to working with both my Democratic and Republican colleagues to address the many challenges facing the region, including countering the People’s Republic of China’s aggressive and coercive actions, securing critical supply chains, and strengthening multilateral alliances. Together, we can build a stronger and more prosperous future for all nations in the East Asia and Pacific region and beyond,” he said.

Bera has served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee since entering Congress in 2013. During the 118th Congress, Bera served as Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific, where he worked to strengthen relationships with our allies and partners in the region. He has traveled extensively in the region, including official visits to our allied and partnered nations in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands, to promote economic cooperation, enhance regional security, and support initiatives to advance technological innovation, support public health and address the climate crisis. He will also serve on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia in the 119th Congress.

 

IANS-

The Mumbai Police has arrested a man named Vijay Das as the main accused in the Saif Ali Khan stabbing case from Maharashtra’s Thane West area, officials said in the early hours of Sunday.

The arrest was made in a joint operation conducted by DCP Zone-6 Navnath Dhavale’s team and the Kasarvadavali police at a labor camp near the metro construction site, behind the TCS Call Center in Hiranandani Estate, Thane West.

Actor Saif Ali Khan suffered six stab wounds while struggling with the intruder who broke into his Bandra residence early on Thursday with the intent of robbery.

The attacker had fled the scene, following which the actor’s son Ibrahim Ali Khan rushed him to Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries.

Saif Ali Khan, who was said to be out of danger, is under recovery at the hospital.

The prime accused, identified as Vijay Das, was previously employed at a pub in Mumbai. Now that he has been arrested, police will present before court later on Sunday for remand, the Mumbai crime branch said.

Mumbai Police has said that the accused had multiple names including Vijay Das, Bijoy Das, and Mohammad Iliyas, media reported.

The attacker was caught in CCTV footage of the Satguru Sharan building, which houses actor Saif Ali Khan and his family.

DCP Zone-9 Dikshit Gedam revealed that the attacker used the staircase to get upstairs to Saif’s 12th-floor apartment.

Saif Ali Khan’s home staff Eliyamma Philips alias Lima was present in the house at the time of the incident and was the first one to spot the accused. In a bid to stop him, she engaged in a scuffle with him which resulted in the injuries on her hand.

Hearing Lima’s scream, Saif Ali Khan got alarmed and stepped out of his room. As he struggled with the accused, he struck the actor with a sharp knife around six times. Following this, the attacker fled the scene.

In her statement to the Mumbai Police, Lima had described the attacker as a slim, dark-complexioned man in his late thirties, around 5 feet 5 inches tall.

Almost six hours after this incident, the accused was caught on CCTV camera buying headphones at a store in Dadar in a blue shirt around 9 a.m. on Thursday. Earlier, he was also seen at Bandra railway station, where he is believed to have boarded a train.

Saif Ali Khan’s wife and actress Kareena Kapoor Khan had told the police that the accused got ‘very aggressive’ during his scuffle with Saif and stabbed the actor repeatedly. However, she said, he did not touch any of the jewellery kept in the open.

Saif Ali Khan was grievously injured in the scuffle with the attacker at his home. Doctors at Lilavati Hospital had revealed that the actor walked in with a knife lodged in his spine, adding that his spinal fluid was leaking.

Admitted with six injuries to the hospital, which included two deep wounds on his left hand and neck, Saif Ali Khan underwent multiple surgeries and was said to be “out of danger”. He was moved to the intensive care unit to be kept under observation.

On Friday, Niraj Uttamani, the chief operating officer of the Hospital, told reporters that Saif was shifted to a special room and was under recovery.

“He is completely cheerful. In fact, we are planning a discharge in the next two to three days,” he added.

Doctors praised Saif Ali Khan’s courage and said that they have kept the visitors in check to ensure that he gets enough rest.

 

By Partha Chakraborty-

Over five decades in the limelight of national politics, of which eight years spent as the Vice President and the last four years as the President of the United States, leaving the country in the best economic shape among big industrial nations post Pandemic, a forceful pushback against Russia leveraging a coalition of the willing, culminating with a Ceasefire deal in the Israel-Hamas war that brings hostages back in due course, leaving the nexus of evil surrounding Iran at its weakest it has ever been in recent decades… These could be opening chapters in an epic biography of President Joseph Robinette Biden who was elected to heal the nation after a rather raucous tenure of a tempestuous tyrant.

It is not to be.

After four years Biden is about to be replaced by his predecessor Donald John Trump. Biden’s exit approval ratings is among the lowest of any single-termer, his Democratic Party lost both chambers of Congress, and his relationship with his chosen successor frayed beyond repair. The Democratic Party arguably lost its vaunted position as the mouthpiece of the working class and the immigrants, two pillars of its base in any election. Not that Donald Trump found religion and the Republican Party swung to capture grounds, it is the electorate that swung away from the Democratic Party, in almost every single county.

As chronicled on these pages, the Democratic Party moved away from the Spirit of America – an unadulterated celebration of American Exceptionalism bookended with a paean to the 5F’s (Family, Freedom, Faith, the Flag, and Fortune) that govern most American lives, no matter the race, ethnicity, national origin, sex or sexual orientation. It can be argued that most of what happened in the November elections would have happened regardless of Biden. But it is a fact that Biden’s presidency triggered an avalanche of bad omen, and the administration did fuel much of it or at least did nothing to stanch the stench.

If the Democratic Party was delusional, the rot started at the top.

It will baffle me to the end how the cocoon around Biden failed to recognize that the diminished acuity of a sitting President will eventually come out, no matter how hard they try and no matter how pliant the media is initially. The nation needs to know if the elected Commander in Chief is able to serve, failing to do so they violated a sacred obligation of transparency to the nation. On top of that, Biden decided to run for a second term when his presence in public events in the later years of his first term questioned how and if he really makes the decisions for the nation. As reports came out recently in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, Biden was available at most a few hours a day and that too in not so lucid manner and the Democratic Party functionaries knew it, abetted the denial and facilitated the lies. Mainstream media was either shut out rather successfully; more likely they were complicit in propagating the lie, chastening – nee, censoring – anybody who dared to even hint.

On top of that, Biden started auditioning for four more years as the Leader of the Free World when he himself was locked up in a world of support that was closing in on him. The dam broke at the debate when legitimate questions of elder abuse were raised and the truth was too glaring for even the Democratic Party to ignore. True to the dynastic nature of the Party, it anointed Kamala Devi Harris, the sitting Vice President, as the new nominee without a primary. Harris failed to win a single primary in her last run as a candidate and very soon it was apparent she was not ready for the highest office despite all the hoopla around her from all corners of the intelligentsia, media and the celebrity ecosystem.  The nation already knew what it needed to know about the Party – that it is delusional, dynastic and decrepit beyond recognition.

To belabor an obvious fact in any election, the Democratic Party and its nominee lost because they represented a choice worse than the alternative. Swing voters, Independents and some Democrats even, did recognize the delusion and the condescension and they voted for their feelings, despite everything.

As I write this, I see signs of the Party ignoring tea leaves about citizens’ disaffection of the people, policies, preferences, and projections. Maybe they are banking on a failing Trump 2.0, whose grand proclamations most definitely elicits a rupture in more ways than one. Maybe people will grow tired of the shenanigans of the zealots, and a loss of normalcy of being in their neighborhoods.  Maybe Trump 2.0 will bring in tempests outside of our borders; supply chain, if broken down precipitously, will spike inflation before there is any tangible reshoring of capacity building at home. Or maybe not. It is just as likely that we will see a new new world order starting with a redefined Middle East that prioritizes peace, prosperity and co-existence in and across borders. Maybe grand posturing by a bull(y) will cause rational thinking stateside – resulting in energy abundance, resurgence of manufacturing and infrastructure building, and rationalized immigration policies implemented as mandated. Maybe we will have a China policy that addresses how our short-term thinking has penalized our workers and has sacrificed our intellectual properties over the last few decades.

No matter how Trump 2.0 turns out, there shall be long memory of the delusion that Biden and the Democratic Party functionaries instigated, and enforced till they could not. Paraphrasing a maxim, it does not matter much what Biden, or the Democrats, did in the last four years, it matters how they made people feel.

Biden may not like it after five decades in public office, but his legacy of delusion defines his Democratic Party as he vacates the White House today.

By Om Malik-

(Om Malik is a partner at True Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based early-stage venture capital group. Prior to joining True, he was the founder of Gigaom, a pioneering technology blog and media company. The views expressed in this article are his own)

It is just over a year since Apple launched its face computer, and seventeen years ago it launched its skinny computer. The trajectory of one tells a lot about the future of the other. But before we get to that, a little trip down memory lane embellished with some grainy photos snapped with old camera phones.

I was still in the hospital, convalescing from my heart attack, when I saw Steve Jobs announce the new tiny MacBook Air. In one simple action, Apple’s co-founder showed why it was superior to all those netbooks. I really miss Jobs’ showmanship — how he slid it out of a manila envelope. Imagine seeing a computer that was 0.16 inches thick at a time when all MacBooks were an inch thick. And it weighed less than 3 pounds compared to traditional computers that tipped the scales at over 5 pounds.

Screenshot

The visual impact of that one action was astounding — and that’s why I see all the current generation of executives and founders, both from Apple and elsewhere, as mere Temu-clones of the impresario. Imagine how he would have handled Apple Intelligence’s launch. Or the Vision Pro.

I knew I had to have it, even though my priorities at the time were different. Still, it allowed me to get excited about something, instead of obsessing over my health challenges and feeling negative about my circumstances. I was excited about things that continue to excite me: new technologies. The allure of cutting-edge gadgets provided a welcome distraction from my health concerns, offering a glimpse into a world of innovation and possibility.

A week after its launch, after the reviews came out and it was available for preorder, I ended up ordering one. It had a 13.3-inch display, Intel Core 2 Duo processor and, if memory serves me right, set me back about $2,500. And then I had second thoughts. Oh, did I have second thoughts.

Life, I had learned, is too short to be swayed by less-than-stellar commentary or lack of features. In the end, I simply loved the idea of the MacBook Air and the future it portended. The underpowered Intel chip was not fast enough to do much, except generate heat and make it uncomfortable to use on a lap. I remember my colleague Liz Gannes’ then-new puppy, Crash (RIP), would come and sit on the laptop. I guess he liked the warmth, as all puppies do.

That underpowered chip was probably one of the initial reasons why Apple created its own chip design program. Thinking about the power requirements made them the first company to consider power consumption as a crucial aspect of computing on the go — something that remains a key part of their chip strategy. That underpowered device with a single port likely made me yearn for better wireless connectivity on my computers and other networked devices.

The original MacBook Air wasn’t perfect, but I still took that curvy little thing with me everywhere. The device essentially helped me form clear and strong ideas about cloud computing — many of those ideas eventually made their way into iPad and Chrome-based machines from Google. If you go back to Jobs’ commentary during the launch, you could easily see the future.

 

He was right when he said, “We see these really as the next generation of MacBooks. We think all notebooks are going to be like this one day.” He saw the Air’s design compromises as the future of laptop computing, prioritizing portability over traditional features and ports. He touted ideas like watching movies as rentals through iTunes instead of using a DVD drive — a future we now commonly live by streaming video. He wanted you to use iPods for music instead of burning CDs. Apple Music or Spotify is how we stream today. Or use Time Machine and Time Capsule for wireless backups. We now seamlessly back up to iCloud or Backblaze. And we all have multiple remote disks in the cloud.

Apple has long been a laggard in incorporating the internet into its products. In my 2016 essay for The New Yorker, I pointed out that “internet services and infrastructure are its Achilles heel. They are in tough competition with services provided by Internet native giants like Google, Amazon and Facebook.”

That lack of network-first thinking has allowed Spotify to become a leader in digital music and a major player in podcasts. Apple’s inability to view networks, rather than hardware, as the epicenter of consumer behavior has been an ongoing challenge for the company. In 2017, I wrote: “Apple has problems when it comes to its internet infrastructure and, more importantly, lacks the cloud-and-data-native thinking that is crucial for success in the post-device world. None of Apple’s senior management team is internet native and they need to kickstart the cultural shift to a more data-centric, internet-native company.”

I am digressing — this is about the MacBook Air, one of the best-selling computers of all time.

Nonetheless, there are vital lessons in MacBook Air’s success, and it can be viewed as a blueprint for Apple’s long-term product strategy. In 2008, at $1,800, the Air was a radical compromise. It sacrificed ports, power, and features for unprecedented thinness. At that time, thinness was so unique that it allowed Apple to position the Air as a premium product. This approach enabled Apple to pioneer new manufacturing techniques and establish a new product category while recovering R&D costs through high margins.

In time, technologies improved. Solid-state drives became cheaper, batteries got a little better, memory costs dropped, and screens improved. Eventually, as manufacturing efficiencies increased and component costs declined, the Air transitioned from an expensive technological showcase to Apple’s mainstream laptop at $999. We’ve seen Apple do the same with its high-end iPhones, which is why I’m excited about Vision Pro’s future trajectory. (Happy belated first birthday, Vision Pro!)

Vision Pro’s $3,499 launch price reflects its position as a technological pioneer with significant compromises. Like the original Air, it trades practical limitations for breakthrough capabilities. It’s not an easy product to make, and it’s severely limited by what consumers can do with it, but just like the original MacBook Air, it shows what’s possible with time. If anything, Air’s 17th birthday should be a good reminder: The Vision Pro will eventually spawn more accessible variants while maintaining premium options.

As for the MacBook Air, I haven’t owned one for nearly a decade. I’ve upgraded to a more expensive MacBook Pro. That said, the original device is and will always remain a special part of my life. I wish I still had the unit — it went with the old company’s assets, along with many other personal mementos.

 

By Mayank Chhaya-

The January 20th presidential inauguration will likely witness the rise of two potentially conflicting power centers in President Donald J. Trump and his current closest adviser Elon Musk vis-à-vis India and China respectively arising out of their business interests.

India has emerged as Trump’s standout destination for his real estate branding business expected to include ten properties. There are already two Trump Towers in India, one each in Pune and Mumbai. The New York Times reported on December 9, 2024, “Kalpesh Mehta, the founder of Tribeca Developers, a Mumbai-based company that works with the Trump Organization, told Indian newspapers in November that there would be Trump Tower buildings in the southern cities of Hyderabad and Bengaluru and more in Mumbai, Pune and the exurbs of New Delhi.”

Once they come up, Trump will have the highest number of buildings branded after his name outside the U.S. According to the Times, “There is one Trump Tower each in the Philippines, Turkey and Uruguay, and the company has struck deals to bring Trump Towers to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.” India with many more is clearly of considerable business value to him and his family.

Musk, on the other hand, has huge investments in China running into several billion dollars. On December 20, 2024, Democratic Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro from Connecticut, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, sent a letter to congressional leadership, saying, “Musk’s investments in China and his ties with the Chinese Community Party have only grown over the last few years with Tesla’s Shanghai plant producing about 50 percent of Tesla’s global automobile output.”

She said, “Given the need for Chinese government approvals for his company’s projects in the country, it is similarly unsurprising, yet concerning, that Musk has ingratiated himself with Chinese Communist Party leadership.”

At the time, Musk made several posts critical of DeLauro, including saying that she “needs to be expelled from Congress!”

With that as the backdrop, it would be interesting to see how Trump approaches his foreign policy priorities when it comes to balancing between India and China. On the face of it, it would be logical for him to prioritize his own corporate interests in India over those of Musk’s in China. That has the potential to be a point of tension between the two.

For Musk a great deal rides on his investments in his “gigafactory” in Shanghai, said to be Tesla’s largest manufacturing facility. It is crucial for him to keep the Chinese leadership in good humor and that could mean having to advise Trump in favor of China over India.

It would be useful for India’s Ministry of External Affairs to factor in these details, especially the oversized influence of Musk in the new Trump administration and how his corporate interests in China may motivate him to lean on Trump in the context of how Washington deals with the two Asian giants.

It is conceivable that Musk would try to moderate not just Trump’s highly aggressive tariffs regime with China but also Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio’s strident anti-Beijing views.

Even though on paper, Musk’s government role is limited to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with drastically reducing the size of the bureaucracy and cutting down the deficit by $2 trillion, the mega billionaire has had his imprint in many other areas. He has been a permanent fixture by Trump’s side since November 5, 2024, including his meetings with foreign dignitaries.

Come Monday and as the new Trump administration begins its work, New Delhi will have to watch out for many of Musk’s moves as well when it comes Beijing. It is an unusual challenge given that he is known to be both blunt and capricious like Trump.

iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

Foetuses of women who gain excess weight in the first trimester of pregnancy are likely to have excess fat distribution in their body, according to a study.

The study, led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), showed that foetuses in the womb may have more fat in their upper arm and the abdomen.

The findings, appearing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, may be key to developing early intervention strategies to prevent adult obesity associated with heavier birth weight.

Excessive weight gain early in life is a known risk factor for adult obesity and related conditions, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. For the study, the researchers analysed data from an earlier study of more than 2,600 singleton pregnancies.

This included information on maternal weight before and during pregnancy and three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound scans (up to five) throughout pregnancy.

The results showed that pregnant people with excessive weight gain — defined as more than 2 kilograms (about 4.4 pounds) in the first trimester — had foetuses with larger abdominal circumferences.

Compared to women with adequate weight gain in their pregnancy, these babies in the womb also had more abdominal area and larger foetal arm fat thickness.

Further, the team reported that foetuses from the excessive weight gain group continued to have greater arm thickness and abdominal measurements through the end of pregnancy, even when weight gain was not considered excessive during the second and third trimesters.

In contrast, most previous studies have not examined foetal 3D measures during pregnancy and have only linked total weight gain across pregnancy, not just in the first trimester, with birth weight.

“The findings suggest that the timing of weight gain, instead of total weight gain, could be important for developing efforts to prevent excess foetal size and reduce the risk of heart disease and other conditions later in life,” the researchers said.

iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

A 30-year-old Indian national who is an international virtual currency vendor operating under two monikers (“elonmuskwhm” and “la2nyc”), was sentenced late Wednesday, January 15, by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, to 121 months in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering.

According to court documents, Anurag Pramod Murarka since at least April 2021 and continuing until September 29, 2023, operated an international money laundering business.

Murarka advertised his services online, often on dark net marketplaces, as a money laundering service.

Customers would then contact him through encrypted messages, in response to those advertisements, and negotiate an exchange rate. Once the exchange rate had been set, Murarka, located in India, directed his customers to send cryptocurrency to certain cryptocurrency addresses.

He then worked through a complex, pre-arranged hawala operation emanating out of India to arrange for cash to be delivered to his employees in the United States.

Murarka’s network of employees throughout the United States and overseas would collect cash from Murarka’s hawala connections and then package the cash in a variety of ways, including between the pages of books and sealed in multiple envelopes, before mailing the cash to the customer.

As per the court document, Murarka collected a fee for his services and used part of the fee to pay off his employees and co-conspirators. “He was aware that many of his customers engaged in criminal activity – specifically computer hacking and drug trafficking – and therefore knew that his business facilitated that criminal activity, by assisting in disguising the source of the unlawful activity. In total, Murarka and his co-conspirators laundered more than $20 million in criminal proceeds,” it said.

A joint operation between the FBI and USPIS resulted in Murarka’s arrest. Thereafter, the FBI assumed his online identity, taking control of the money laundering operation and conducting undercover activity. This operation resulted in law enforcement actions against several of Murarka’s customers, including the prevention of multiple financial account takeovers (in excess of $1.4 million), the seizure of counterfeit and illegal drugs and drug manufacturing equipment, and related prosecutions. Additionally, the FBI seized millions of dollars’ worth of criminal proceeds.

“Under federal law, Murarka must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon Murarka’s release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years,” it said.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, said, “Using the internet, the defendant provided his assistance to countless other criminals as they tried to conceal their stolen money and illegal drug proceeds.”

“This case highlights the global scope of cybercrime, as well as the demand for diligence and collaboration in fighting money laundering – a devastating second layer of criminal conduct. The dedicated work of our law enforcement partners has now held him accountable; and we remain committed in our collaborative efforts to combat this destructive criminal activity.”

Michael E. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, said, “Gone are the days when cyber criminals, who enable and profit from the horrendous criminal conduct of others, can sit safely in their dens, across oceans, convinced of the limited reach of justice. The success of this operation proves that the FBI can unmask even the most careful anonymous online actors. Moreover, the FBI will leverage every advantage against criminal networks that cause damage to our communities, to apprehend these malicious actors, seize the proceeds of their crimes, and expose their network of co-conspirators.”

Lesley Allison, U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge – Pittsburgh Division, said, “The successful conclusion of this case involving the sentencing of Anurag Murarka, a cryptocurrency exchanger, shines a light on the United States Postal Inspection Service’s relentless pursuit of criminals who think they can use the anonymity of the dark web to perpetrate crimes and make the US Postal Service an unwitting partner in transferring ill-begotten funds.”

(Photo courtesy: IANS)

iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday, January 16, announced the issuing of revised Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regulations to permit more liberal use of INR accounts held by NRIs to make payments, in order to promote cross border transactions in the Indian rupee and national currencies of trading partner countries.

According to new regulations, overseas branches of authorised dealer banks will be able to open INR accounts for a person resident outside India for settlement of all permissible current account and capital account transactions with a person resident in India.

“Persons resident outside India will also be able to settle bona fide transactions with other persons resident outside India using the balances in their repatriable INR accounts such as Special Non-resident Rupee account and SRVA,” an official statement read.

The new rules further allow persons resident outside India to be able to use their balances held in repatriable INR accounts for foreign investment, including FDI, in non-debt instruments.

Besides, Indian exporters will be able to open accounts in any foreign currency overseas for settlement of trade transactions, including receiving export proceeds and using these proceeds to pay for imports.

The revised regulations and directions to effect these changes have been issued, the RBI statement said.

According to the RBI statement, these changes have been made in the extant FEMA regulations after holding consultations with the Central Government.

To encourage greater use of Indian Rupee (INR) for trade transactions, in July 2022, an additional arrangement in the form of Special Rupee Vostro Account (SRVA) was introduced. Several foreign banks have since opened SRVAs with banks in India.

The Central Bank has also signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the central banks of the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Maldives, to encourage cross-border transactions in local currencies.

Further, in December 2023 the Foreign Exchange Management (Manner of Receipt and Payment) Regulations were revised to enable cross border transactions in all foreign currencies (including local currencies of trading partner countries) and INR.

By Rimon Tanvir Hossain-

As the brush fires which started on Tuesday, January 7, rage on with the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, and Hurst Fires accounting for 40,000 acres of Los Angeles County burning from four different vicinities—the Pacific Palisades, Santa Clarita, West Hills and Altadena—, inner-city immigrant communities are bracing themselves for a potential spread to their dense and heavily populated areas. One such community is the Little Bangladesh neighborhood located in the Mid-City, Koreatown area, home to over 15,000 first-generation, working-class Bangladeshi immigrants who have been settling in the neighborhood since the 1990s, earning the Little Bangladesh designation in 2010.

 

The population density of Little Bangladesh as well as the wider Mid-City, Koreatown neighborhood is 42,611 people per square mile, making the community one of the densest neighborhoods in the United States. Six grocery stores, three restaurants and two mosques serve this community and while they receive heavy foot traffic on any given week, their respective management and leadership have noticed a sharp decline in business and visits as a result of the fires. The owner of Sonar Bangla, a corner grocery store next to Masjid Al Falah on 3rd and Serrano, Mohammed Kawser Ali, stated how, “very few people are coming and it hasn’t been the same since the fire.”

 

When questioned about the business the same week, Ali stated, “The business is very slow.” One block down, another grocery store on 3rd and Hobart, Khurshid Alam, the owner of another grocery and restaurant, Amar Bangla, echoed a similar experience. “Compared to before the fire, few customers are coming.” When Alam was questioned whether the city provided any support or notification for support to their business after the fires, he reported, “We are receiving notices on our safety, but not a single word from the city for our small business support.” Alam also added, “We want the fires to slow down because if we have to leave the store, we lose everything and have no support from the city.”

Another long-standing Little Bangladesh storefront, Deshi, owned by Nazmul Chowdhury, argued that their business hasn’t yet been affected by the fires. Chowdhury said, “The fires have only recently started and I can’t say that it has been affecting our business.” When questioned about resources or outreach from the city authorities, he said not yet, but that, “SNAP, EBT and other benefits are in effect until February 8, 2025.” When the conversation came to whether Chowdhury had any plans for evacuation, Chowdhury mentioned that similar to the experience from COVID-19 lockdowns, “we have no plans.” Hare Nath, the owner of Asian Mart, a grocery store on Alexandria Ave and 3rd which he has owned for twenty-five years, explained how, “very few customers are coming because many of my customers are from the affected neighborhoods.” On top of having his business heavily affected the week of the fires, Nath also stated, “We  have received no special notices for our businesses aside from the Amber alerts to our personal phones.”

Kasturi is one of the last Bangladeshi-owned restaurants on 3rd Street, located on the corner of Berendo Street, whose manager Mukul Mridha, expressed how his business has slowed similar to the experience of the majority of Bangladeshi grocery stores and restaurants on 3rd Street. When asked if he had any evacuation plans, Mridha stated, “We have to save our own lives first before the business.” He said, “Typically on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we don’t have space to offer all our customers a seat, but this weekend, we have had hours gone by without a single customer.” Mridha said that this has been the case since Wednesday when news of the fires started spreading.

Members of the Artesia-based non-profit organization started in 1990, South Asian Network, a social services and civic engagement group with a second office in Little Bangladesh opened in 2023, made rounds to every store, restaurant and place of religious worship in the neighborhood to distribute masks, share fliers on fire safety and offer the management a chance to speak about their experience. “After learning firsthand from the South Asian small businesses, we call on the City of Los Angeles to allocate adequate resources for their full recovery from the economic impact of the wildfires,” said Shakeel Syed, Executive Director of South Asian Network. A consensus has been that aside from one exception, there has been a considerable drop in their foot traffic, sales, and visits. Concerning any communication or notice from the city authorities, none has been made and they remain independent on themselves in case of an emergency. Similarly, on the topic of evacuation plans in case the fires were to spread to Little Bangladesh, none of the small businesses or places of worship have an evacuation plan in order.

As of Sunday, January 12, 2025, the nearest fire, the Pacific Palisades Fire which has made it to Beverly Glen, is 13 miles away from the Little Bangladesh neighborhood. Given the population density of Little Bangladesh and its surrounding neighborhoods, evacuation efforts for the residents as well as all the community-owned businesses will have unprecedented impacts on the densely populated area. The experiences from similar neighborhoods like Altadena smell extreme levels of long-lasting consequences to the people of densely populated, working-class immigrant communities.

 

[Rimon Tanvir Hossain works as a community organizer at South Asian Network. South Asian Network is a 35-year-old community organization based in Artesia, CA, and Little Bangladesh, CA. The CCE (Citizenship and Civic Engagement) Unit takes on clients for immigration cases as well as education and outreach on immigration issues, know-your-rights workshops on hate crimes and hate-motivated incidents for the South Asian population throughout Southern California. CCE actively works towards civic engagement opportunities and civil rights efforts to uplift its clients and community. Reach out to SAN at saninfo@southasiannetwork.org and/or at (562-403-0488). Our team is here to listen, provide a safe space, and connect you with any additional resources you may need during this turbulent time.]

 

 

iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

A 49-year-old Indian-origin man was sentenced to 18 months in jail for damaging computers belonging to his former employer, an official statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California, stated.

The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on January 16.

Dublin resident Vamsikrishna Naganathanahalli had pleaded guilty on August 15, 2024, to three counts of knowingly causing the transmission of a program, information, code, or command, and as a result of such conduct, intentionally causing damage without authorization, to a protected computer.

According to his plea agreement, Naganathanahalli worked for MedAmerica, Inc., part of the Vituity group of companies, from October 2018 to June 2022. Vituity, based in Emeryville, California, included physician partners and other healthcare professional employees who worked as contractors in hospital emergency rooms, outpatient clinics, telehealth providers, and other clinical settings.

The company also employed non-clinical healthcare personnel who worked with healthcare providers in various facilities. Vituity used the Oracle Human Capital Management (“HCM”) platform to organize core human resources data for its approximately 7,000 employees. The HCM platform contained records for current and past Vituity employees, including their Social Security numbers, salaries, and addresses. Naganathanahalli worked for Vituity as a Senior HCM Architect.

The defendant admitted that, on May 28, 2022, the day after being told that his employment at Vituity was being terminated, he used his access to a privileged HCM service account to change the password for another employee’s privileged Vituity HCM account without authorization.

On or about September 6, 2022, after his employment had ended, he used that privileged HCM account to change the HCM password for a Vituity contractor. That same day, he used the contractor’s account to load files containing “dummy” or “masked” data, which replaced real data, to the Vituity HCM live production environment.

As Naganathanahalli admitted, the generic masked data overwrote the real data for approximately 90 percent of Vituity employees, current and former. As per the official document, his conduct caused a loss to Vituity of at least $400,930.

In addition to jail, Judge Gonzalez Rogers also ordered Naganathanahalli to pay $400,930 in restitution and a $300 special assessment and sentenced him to a three-year period of supervised release. The defendant will begin serving his sentence on July 20, 2025.

United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Dan Costin made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle J. Kane and Nikhil Bhagat are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kathy Tat. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.

(Photo courtesy: pixabay.com)

iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

India and the United States have reaffirmed their commitment to fostering secure, reliable, and interoperable digital connectivity and ICT infrastructure during the U.S.-India Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Working Group meeting.

The discussions, held in New Delhi on Friday, January 17, highlighted areas of collaboration, including advancements in 5G and 6G networks, artificial intelligence, cross-border data flows, and the promotion of Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN).

The US Department of State in a joint statement said, “The United States and India renewed our shared commitment to open, interoperable, reliable, and secure digital connectivity and ICT infrastructure to support the growth of the digital economy during a meeting of the U.S.-India Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Working Group in New Delhi on October 17, 2024.”

“The 2024 ICT Working Group included discussions with private sector representatives from both countries on the promotion of secure and resilient 5G and 6G wireless networks, including through open and interoperable approaches like Open RAN and quantum communications; digital talent, collaboration on artificial intelligence (AI), expanding opportunities for Indian and U.S. Information Technology, telecommunications, electronics manufacturing, and semiconductor companies in both countries; and support for trustworthy cross-border data flows, data protection, and data privacy measures,” it added.

The U.S. State Department further said that the two governments concurred on collaborating in eight areas.

Recognizing that fostering telecommunications supplier diversity has the potential to lower costs, improve flexibility, spur innovation, and increase options for trusted ICT suppliers, the United States and India intend to continue to promote the adoption of Open RAN at scale, including through continued discussions for the establishment of an Open RAN Academy in India.

Both India and the United States noted that the cross-border movement of professionals has effectively contributed to the economic and technological partnerships between the two nations and in this context the importance of efficient visa processing.

(Photo courtesy: Unsplash)

By Ritu Jha-

Hindu groups in the San Francisco Bay Area have launched a billboard campaign to raise awareness about ongoing atrocities against religious minorities in Bangladesh. The campaign, titled #AskYunusWhy, aims to question Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government, about the continued persecution of Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians in the country.

The billboard initiative began in December, with the first display located on Freeway 880-North near Market Street in Oakland. Another billboard followed in early January in San Mateo-Hayward on CA-92 Westbound. Over the next three months, digital billboards will be featured at six key locations across the Bay Area, including high-traffic areas and major bridges, with messages designed to spark conversations and raise awareness.

The United Hindu Council, the organization behind the campaign, described it as a success in increasing awareness both within the Indian community and globally.

“We have seen how biased Western media is when it comes to issues impacting particularly the Hindu community,” the group said in a statement. “In front of their eyes, Bangladesh Hindus are being butchered, and there is hardly any acknowledgment or concern.”

According to the United Hindu Council, the Hindu population in Bangladesh has dropped from 28% in 1947 to just 8% today, with ongoing violence and persecution escalating in recent years. The group points to the period following the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August as a significant turning point, with the violence against religious minorities reportedly becoming state-sponsored.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddha Christian Unity Council, an organization focused on protecting the rights of religious minorities in Bangladesh, claims there have been 1,769 communal attacks and acts of vandalism since August. These incidents are said to have impacted over 2,000 lives, properties, and places of worship belonging to minority communities.

Samir Kalra, managing director of policy and programs, said the campaign was launched to address the lack of awareness surrounding the violence. 

“There has been very little awareness about the current violence or history of violence against Bangladeshi Hindus,” Kalra said. “Mainstream media has chosen to ignore this or downplay it.”

In addition to the billboard campaign, advocacy efforts have been made to encourage the U.S. government to take action. As a U.S.-based nonprofit, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has been working with government officials and grassroots organizations to push for stronger protections for minorities in Bangladesh. 

Kalra stated that the HAF has met with U.S. Department of State officials and has worked to mobilize the community to contact their elected representatives in support of religious freedom in Bangladesh.

The campaign comes at a time when police in Bangladesh have reported a significant number of communal attacks since the ousting of Hasina. While some government statements have downplayed the severity of the violence, describing many incidents as politically motivated rather than religiously motivated, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddha Christian Unity Council continues to demand greater accountability and protection for religious minorities.

The interim Bangladesh government has pledged a zero-tolerance policy toward communal violence and announced measures to compensate victims and ensure their safety. 

“The Interim Government has a zero-tolerance policy towards any communal attacks in the country,” the government said in a statement. “Police have been ordered to arrest the culprits. The Interim Government attaches the highest importance to the establishment of human rights in the country irrespective of creed, colour, ethnicity, sex, and gender.

“Police have set up a WhatsApp to receive allegations of communal violence. They maintain continuous contact with the minority community leaders. National Emergency Services 999 connects a Focal Point from police headquarters whenever an allegation of communal violence is reported to the Helpline number. Police have attached the highest importance to addressing all the allegations”

Despite these statements, many activists and community members remain skeptical, highlighting the need for continued international attention and support.

The billboard campaign is expected to continue throughout the Bay Area over the coming months, as its organizers push to keep the issue of minority persecution in Bangladesh at the forefront of global discussions.

 

[Photo courtesy: United Hindu Council and HAF]

 

iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

With temperatures expected to plummet in the United States, President-elect Donald Trump announced a change in plans for his second inauguration on January 20, saying all events will be held inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, as he is “obliged to protect the people”.

Earlier, former US President Ronald Reagan was similarly forced to take oath indoors in 1985 due to extreme weather.

The Rotunda is a large, domed, circular room located in the centre of the U.S. Capitol.

Trump reassured supporters that the inauguration event would remain historic and memorable, with the Presidential Parade and other activities continuing as planned, including live viewing at Capital One Arena.

Sharing a post on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, “January 20th cannot come fast enough! … It is my obligation to protect the people of our country but, before we even begin, we have to think of the inauguration itself. The weather forecast for Washington, DC, with the windchill factor, could take temperatures into severe record lows. There is an Arctic blast sweeping the country. I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way. It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of Law Enforcement, First Responders, Police K9s and even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th (In any event, if you decide to come, dress warmly!).”

The post added, “Therefore, I have ordered the inauguration address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda, as was used by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also because of very cold weather. The various dignitaries and guests will be brought into the Capitol. This will be a very beautiful experience for all, and especially for the large TV audience!”

Sharing details of the inauguration programme, Trump further wrote, “We will open Capital One Arena on Monday for live viewing of this Historic event, and to host the Presidential Parade. I will join the crowd at Capital One, after my Swearing In. All other events will remain the same, including the Victory Rally at Capital One Arena, on Sunday at 3 PM (Doors open at 1 PM–Please arrive early!), and all three Inaugural Balls on Monday evening.”

During the inauguration on January 20, Trump will be sworn in as the forty-seventh President of the United States. He previously served as the forty-fifth President between 2017 and 2021.

iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

In a first-of-its-kind event, Elon Musk hosted a delegation of leading Indian business figures at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas.

The exclusive gathering provided an opportunity for Indian entrepreneurs to engage directly with the American billionaire and tour the company’s cutting-edge space exploration facilities.

The visit on Friday, January 17, included a tour of Starbase and a chance to witness thel launch and booster catch of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7.

During a moderated discussion, Musk emphasized the potential for deeper collaboration between the United States and India, particularly in areas like technology and space exploration. “Things are trending positive. I’m certainly in favour of lowering trade barriers to increase commerce between the U.S. and India,” he remarked.

Speaking about India, Musk said: “India is one of the ancient civilizations and a very great and very complex one.”

The Indian delegation, representing diverse sectors from technology and manufacturing to renewable energy, discussed opportunities for collaboration on global challenges. Topics included the role of technology in finance and regulation, partnerships in space and AI innovation, and India’s growing role in the global innovation landscape.

Musk offered insights into his companies’ work, including SpaceX, Tesla, and Neuralink, highlighting his belief in the transformative potential of technology. The goal of SpaceX is to expand the scope and scale of consciousness beyond what we know to understand what questions to ask about the answer that is the universe, Musk said.

He went on to state: “One of the things we’re aiming for with Grok is we’re pretty confident that soon Grok 3 will be the most sophisticated AI in the world.”

“This event underscores the growing importance of collaboration between India and global pioneers in shaping a sustainable and technology-driven future,” said IGF founder Manoj Ladwa.

“As the world’s most powerful democracy transitions to a Trump presidency, meaningful dialogue is more important than ever in these challenging times. At India Global Forum, our mission is to bring together global leaders and innovators to tackle the defining challenges of our time. As I often say, democracies thrive when they work together. This moment underscores the need for collaboration, bold ideas, and shared purpose. I believe India’s rise presents limitless opportunities, and this meeting signifies the potential for powerful partnerships,” Ladwa said.

The IGF delegation included Prashant Ruia, Director, Essar Capital; Jay Kotak, Co-Head, Kotak811; Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & Group CEO, OYO; Kalyan Raman, CEO, Flipkart; Aryaman Birla, Director, Aditya Birla Management Corporation Private Limited; Nilesh Ved, Chairman, Apparel Group, and Author Amish Tripathi among several others.

(Photo courtesy: x.com/manojladwa)

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The United States Supreme Court has ruled that a proposed ban on TikTok, citing national security concerns due to its ties to China, may proceed this weekend. This apex court rejected an appeal from TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, which argued that the ban violated the First Amendment.

The court’s unsigned opinion, issued without dissent, sets the stage for an unprecedented government action against a major social media platform, reported CNN. The ruling given on Friday, January 17, was driven by warnings from the Biden administration, which deemed TikTok a “grave” threat to national security. The administration’s concerns center on TikTok’s extensive data collection practices and its connections to the Chinese government.

Adding to the complexity, President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to take charge on Monday, in an interview with CNN’s Pamela Brown after the decision, stated, “It ultimately goes up to me, so you’re going to see what I’m going to do.” While he has not committed to reversing the ban, Trump hinted at the possibility, saying, “Congress has given me the decision, so I’ll be making the decision.” He also confirmed having spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping about TikTok, describing their discussion as “a great talk about TikTok and a great talk about many other subjects.”

“The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the not-too-distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Despite the looming deadline for the ban, TikTok’s future remains uncertain. The Biden administration has signaled that enforcement of the ban will be left to Trump, who will assume office just one day after the ban is set to take effect, according to CNN.

ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, has resisted selling the app, complicating efforts to find a buyer that satisfies national security concerns. The law allows the president to extend the deadline by 90 days if significant progress is made toward a sale, but ByteDance has not indicated any movement on this front.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration alongside other tech leaders, signaling potential discussions about the app’s fate under the new administration. Meanwhile, some members of Congress have suggested that TikTok may need more time to secure a buyer, potentially delaying the ban.

In its opinion, the court highlighted the platform’s widespread use in the United States, acknowledging that for 170 million Americans, TikTok serves as “a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community.” However, national security considerations ultimately outweighed these factors.

“Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary,” the court emphasized.

These concerns stem from fears that TikTok could allow the Chinese government to access users’ personal information or manipulate content to advance its geopolitical agenda.

The White House reiterated the Biden administration’s stance on TikTok, emphasizing that the app should remain accessible to Americans but simply under American ownership.

“The Administration, like the rest of the country, has awaited the decision just made by the US Supreme Court on the TikTok matter. President Biden’s position on TikTok has been clear for months, including since Congress sent a bill in an overwhelming, bipartisan fashion to the President’s desk: TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law. Given the sheer fact of timing, this administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday,” the White House said in a statement.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump also reacted to the court ruling in an interview with CNN, said it is “up to him” on the matter after he takes over the presidency.

The court’s decision underscores the national security implications of TikTok’s data practices, which it described as “extensive.”

It noted, “The platform collects extensive personal information from and about its users,” and emphasized the government’s “important and well-grounded interest in preventing China from collecting the personal data of tens of millions of U.S. TikTok users.”

The court added, “Data collection and analysis is a common practice in this digital age. But TikTok’s scale and susceptibility to foreign adversary control, together with the vast swaths of sensitive data the platform collects, justify differential treatment to address the Government’s national security concerns.”

Justice Neil Gorsuch, in a concurrence, expressed “serious reservations” about the level of scrutiny applied to the law but concluded that even under a stricter standard, the government had met its burden. “Speaking with and in favor of a foreign adversary is one thing. Allowing a foreign adversary to spy on Americans is another,” Gorsuch wrote.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor also wrote separately, agreeing with the court’s decision but expressing concern over its handling of the First Amendment implications. She argued, “The court’s line of cases dealing with the First Amendment leaves no doubt that it does,” CNN reported.

The ruling’s narrow focus on TikTok’s specific circumstances leaves room for different outcomes in future cases involving other platforms or technologies. The court acknowledged the transformative nature of new technologies, referencing an 80-year-old precedent to caution against impeding future developments. “We should take care not to ’embarrass the future,'” the justices wrote.

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A team of Singaporean researchers have identified that changes in the immune system are linked to schizophrenia, and potential resistance to treatments.

The reasons behind schizophrenia — a psychotic disorder affecting around 24 million people worldwide and 1 in 116 individuals in Singapore — continue to be unknown.

The study, published in the journal Brain, Behaviour and Immunity, adds to a growing body of research suggesting that immune system dysregulation may be behind the development of the mental disorder.

Moreover, not all patients with schizophrenia respond to standard antipsychotic drugs. Around one in three individuals worldwide diagnosed with schizophrenia are treatment-resistant.

This means they do not achieve remission of symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, despite treatment.

Using changes in immune cell populations, the team from Singapore’s National Healthcare Group (NHG) and Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) predicted potential treatment resistance to help initiate the most appropriate treatment sooner.

“Our goal was to identify immune cell changes that could potentially be used to predict treatment resistance, allowing for earlier and more targeted interventions such as initiating clozapine treatment sooner for better clinical outcomes,” said Dr. Li Yanhui, lead author, NHG Psychiatry Resident at NHG. Clozapine is currently the only psychiatric medicine indicated for treating treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

For the study, the team analysed blood samples of 196 healthy participants and individuals with schizophrenia with varying degrees of treatment resistance.

They identified and compared 66 immune cell populations in the blood of 147 people with schizophrenia and 49 healthy individuals to explore the immune cell populations associated with the disorder and treatment resistance.

The results showed significant differences in certain immune cell populations between healthy individuals and people with schizophrenia.

Further, those changes in immune cell populations also correlate with how resistant a patient with schizophrenia might be to treatment.

The findings offer hope for early identification of patients likely to be treatment-resistant. It will also enable clinicians to select more effective treatment strategies to achieve better outcomes.

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As many as 336 teachers and mentors from around the nation, including five Indian Americans, were named as recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) and the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM).

These awards honor the vital role that America’s teachers and mentors play in shaping the next generation of technical leaders, including scientists, engineers, explorers, and innovators, the official statement from the White House read.

The Indian American recipients are Krishnan Ranjani (Portland, OR; mathematics), Rajini Sundararaj (Jonesboro, GA; science), Anjana Iyer (Hillsborough, NJ; science), Rama Devagupta (Kennewick, WA; science), and Vivekanand Balija (Basking Ridge, NJ; science).

The official citation for Ranjini reads: “Krishnan Ranjani (she/her), who goes by “Ranjani”, began her teaching journey 15 years ago at Gilkey International Middle School in Portland, where she taught 6th grade Math and Science. She has also taught Advanced Mathematics at Health and Science School, Tualatin High School, Ida B. Wells High School, and is currently a Career and Technical Education computer science teacher at Lincoln High School, where she has spent the past eight years. Prior to teaching, Ranjani worked at Wolfram Research, a mathematical software company.

“At the end of each school year, Ranjani and her students engage in culminating activities that emphasize student presentations, agency, whimsy, humor, and community.

“Ranjani has also served as an adjunct mathematics instructor at Portland Community College. She holds certifications in Additive Manufacturing and Game Design and Development from MIT. Proficient in various programming languages and educational software, she is a lifelong learner with a strong interest in understanding how to learn and teach content effectively, always seeking to enhance her teaching methods.

“Outside of education, Ranjani is a vocalist, composer, and performer. She released an album in 2015 called ‘Cream of Portland’ featuring original compositions and covers of world music songs. Fluent in English, Hindi, and Tamil, she also has a working knowledge of Spanish and German.

“Ranjani holds a B.A. in mathematics from Reed College, a B.A. Honors, summa cum laude, in music from Lewis & Clark College, an M.S. in mathematics from the University of Illinois, and an M.A.T. from Lewis & Clark College. She also holds National Board Certification in Adolescence and Young Adulthood in Mathematics.”

For Sundararaj, it read: “Rajini Sundararaj has been a science educator for 28 years, teaching all science subjects at Martha Ellen Stilwell School of the Arts for the past nine years; Therrell High School for four years; Langston Hughes High School for two years; and Westlake High School for one year. Her teaching career began with 12 years of experience in India and Saudi Arabia. This coming year, she will teach science for English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in grades 9-12 at South Atlanta High School.

“Rajini uses differentiated instruction, inquiry-based lab activities, and creates academically rigorous, authentic lessons tailored to individual student needs to promote equity in the classroom.

“For over a decade, Rajini has significantly uplifted her students through the Georgia Intern-Fellowships for Teachers (GIFT) program, which offers K-12 teachers STEM field internships to develop relevant classroom curricula. Under her mentorship, students have excelled, winning district, state, and advancing to international science and engineering fairs. She has spearheaded a groundbreaking STEM collaboration between The Knowledge House Fellowship, Inc. and her school, providing technology education to prepare students for 21st-century careers and global citizenship.

“Rajini earned a B.S. and M.S. in physics from Bharathiar University and an Ed.S. in curriculum and instruction from Lincoln Memorial University. She is certified in physics and science (6-12) with endorsements in reading, ESOL, and gifted.

“Rajini’s awards include the 2023 K-12 STEM Community Builder, 2021 ImaginED Georgia Innovative Educator and District STAR Teacher of the Year, 2019 District Magnet and National Magnet Schools of America Region III Teacher of the Year, and GIFT Action Plan Teacher Achievement Award (2018-2021),” it said.

Iyer, according to the citation, has been an educator for 13 years at Hillsborough High School where she has been teaching inclusion and resource level chemistry. “Her commitment to inclusive science education drives her to create welcoming classrooms that integrate students of diverse cognitive abilities. She strives to provide equal opportunities for all students to succeed and foster a love of learning.

“Anjana has co-taught Chemistry with the same colleague for the last 10 years, earning recognition as the best inclusion teachers by the New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education (NJCIE) in 2019. She was awarded the Governor Educator of the Year in 2022, nominated by her colleagues and students, and the Outstanding High School Chemistry Teacher of the Year by the American Chemical Society (ACS) in 2018.

“Anjana utilizes an instructional model that prioritizes an organized, collaborative approach to learning, with an emphasis on sense making. She uses an inquiry-based approach to science education, encouraging students to question and explore phenomena beyond the textbook.

“Anjana has presented sessions on teaching chemistry in inclusion classrooms at several conferences, including NSTA, Chem Ed, and NJ Science Convention. She and her co-teacher are regularly invited to Princeton University’s TeacherPrep program as guest speakers. Anjana was part of the governing board of the American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT) and continues to work with ACS on various K–12 initiatives. She has co-published two articles for AACT.

“Anjana earned a B.S. in chemistry from Stella Maris College and an M.A.T. in special education and general education from The College of New Jersey. She is certified as a teacher of students with disabilities highly qualified in chemistry,” it said.

Devagupta has been an educator for 17 years. She has spent the last 10 years at Southridge High School teaching Biology, Honors Biology, Advanced Placement Biology, and Forensics to students of all grades, and has been an adjunct chemistry faculty at Columbia Basin College for the last 14 years. She previously taught Biology, Environmental Science, and Physical Science at Three Rivers HomeLink, and Earth Science and Physical Science at Highlands Middle School.

“Rama’s infectious passion for science and search for knowledge lead her to seek professional learning opportunities that enrich student learning. She worked at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 2018 and 2019 as a Murdock Partners in Science Teacher and used the supplemental grant funds to purchase Vernier Go Direct Sensors to empower her students with data incorporation technology.

“Rama received the 2024-2025 Hutch Fellowship for Excellence in STEM Teaching from Fred Hutch Cancer Center to do research, 2024 STEM Research Grant from the Society for Science, 2024 Fund for Teachers Innovation Circle Grant, and 2023 Washington Education Association Human & Civil Rights Commission International Peace and Understanding Award.

“As a 2023 Fund for Teachers Fellow, Rama traveled to the Peruvian Amazon and learned about the Maijuna people and environmental injustices. As a 2022 National Education Association Foundation Global Learning Fellow, she focused on the United Nations’ SDGs and created lessons on climate change.

“Rama is National Board Certified in adolescent and young adult science with endorsements in biology and chemistry. She earned her B.S. in chemistry, botany, and zoology and her M.S. in chemistry from Ravishankar University. Rama has a Ph.D. in bioorganic chemistry from Texas A&M University,” the citation stated.

Balija has taught science at William Annin Middle School for the past 11 years. Prior to this, he spent six years of his 17-year tenure at Louis Pasteur Middle School, teaching life and earth science courses. He currently teaches sixth grade physical science and eighth grade earth science and STEM science, and previously taught seventh grade life science.

“Drawing on his prior background as a biochemist and geneticist, Vivekanand brings his love of STEM to his classroom. His students engage in authentic activities such as redesigning weather instruments, creating neighborhood landscape drainage models, and developing weather data sets that are directly related to their community. In addition, he is the co-founder of the Forensics Speech and Debate program at the middle school where he has served as coach for the last seven years.

“Vivekanand has a strong belief in the importance of collaboration and communication with his colleagues, presenting at numerous professional development seminars focusing on project-based learning, gender equity in the classroom, and alternative assessments. He also helped develop and participated in many outreach programs focusing on technology incorporation and online safety to involve families in the school community.

“Vivekanand has a B.S. in biological sciences, an M.S. in cell and molecular biology, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry, all earned at St. John’s University. In addition, he received an M.A. in education from the State University of New York (SUNY), Empire State. He is certified in New Jersey in biological science at all levels, in addition to certification in New York in biology education for grades 5-9,” it said.

(Left to right: Rajini Sundararaj, Rama Devagupta, Krishnan Ranjani, Anjana Iyer, and Vivekanand Balija. Photo courtesy: paemst.nsf.gov)

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India Global Forum (IGF) on Thursday marked its official launch in the United States with a high-profile delegation of Indian business leaders engaging in exclusive, closed-door discussions with members of the incoming administration and key U.S. stakeholders and policymakers.

The landmark initiative comes at a pivotal moment, ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration, underscoring the growing alignment between the two big democracies, the IGF said in a press release.

The event provided a platform for candid and informal conversations on the shared priorities and challenges shaping U.S.-India relations, with a particular focus on geopolitics, security, defense, and economic cooperation. Topics included President Trump’s populist approach, electoral shifts in the U.S., and the influential role of the Indian diaspora.

The dialogue also addressed the U.S. economic landscape, exploring opportunities in digital infrastructure, technology, innovation, and foreign investment, while highlighting ways to strengthen bilateral collaboration.

“Democracies work best when democracies work together,” remarked Manoj Ladwa, Founder and Chairman of India Global Forum, in his opening address to the gathering. “Today, we are here not just to discuss policies or trends but to actively shape the synergies between India and the United States – two of the world’s greatest democracies, working together to navigate a complex and rapidly changing global landscape,” the release added.

The event was attended by Jacob Helberg, the Designated Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment in the new administration besides other key policymakers.

Discussions were guided by a lineup of prominent voices, including Ajit Pai, the former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission of the United States, who shared his observations from working under President Trump’s first administration, noting how Trump 2.0 will have different implications for big tech, crypto, and regulation, as well as his personal insights on the newly created DOGE agency.

Adding a broader geopolitical lens, Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director of ORF America and author of Vishwa Shastra: India and the World, discussed improved cooperation between the U.S. and India, what to expect under a Trump presidency, and India’s strategic priorities, the release said.

Decision Desk’s Scott Tranter joined the IGF Business Delegation to do a deep dive into the data behind the 2024 elections and his predictions for key policy trends over the next four years.

Speaking on natural synergies on defense procurement, energy, and global supply chains, a former National Security Official in the first Trump administration spoke about how the U.S. and India could push the envelope to strengthen bilateral ties.

(Photo courtesy: x.com/manojladwa)