A 26-year-old Indian doctoral student died after being shot inside a car in the US state of Ohio, in an incident described by his medical university as “sudden, tragic and senseless”. Aaditya Adlakha was a fourth-year doctoral student in the molecular and developmental biology programme at the University of Cincinnati Medical School, according to a statement from the medical school. Adlakha died earlier this month at the UC Medical Center, according to the Hamilton County Coroner's Office. After police were informed about the shooting, Adlakha was transported to UC Medical Center where he was in critical condition and was pronounced dead two days later.
Indian origin couple apologises
Krushi Mistry, the Wall Street oil analyst who was dismissed after being seen on camera ordering a Jewish American to "go back to your country" and covering hostage posters with antisemitic placards, has apologised. In it, Mistry and his partner, Shailja Gupta, wrote, “After taking time to contemplate and reflect on our recent actions, we want to send our sincerest apologies to the Jewish gentleman we yelled at as well as apologize to the global Jewish community for our recent actions in NYC. Our behavior was simply unacceptable, and we are ashamed of our actions and words. We hope to have the opportunity in the near future to speak to the gentleman personally and apologize directly to him. They added, “We have never supported Hamas and have always believed it is a terrorist organisation.
Oil tanker seized; Indians among crew
Attackers seized a tanker linked to Israel off the coast of Aden, Yemen, authorities said. The attackers seized the Liberian-flagged Central Park, managed by Zodiac Maritime, in the Gulf of Aden. Zodiac called the attack “a suspected piracy incident. Our priority is the safety of our 22 crew onboard,” it said. “The Turkish-captained vessel has a multinational crew consisting of a crew of Russian, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Indian, Georgian and Filipino nationals. The vessel is carrying a full cargo of phosphoric acid.” London-based Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group.
Stop using ‘sahib’ for govt officials: Pak CJ
Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa has barred the addition of the word “sahib” to the title of public servants, saying that it unnecessarily elevates their status and makes them feel not accountable to the people. In a two-page order, Chief Justice Isa said adding sahib with one’s job title is not favourable as it may instill delusions of grandeur and a perception of unaccountability, which is unacceptable since it is against the interests of the public whom they are meant to serve, The Express Tribute newspaper reported.
Plea in Pak SC for removal of president
A petition has been filed in Pakistan’s Supreme Court seeking President Arif Alvi’s removal as the head of the state over “misconduct” and failure to maintain impartiality in performing his duties, according to media reports. The petition, filed by one Ghulam Murtaza Khan, alleges that the president has been evasive in performing his constitutional obligations. “He has violated the Constitution and committed gross misconduct; therefore, he is not eligible to continue his duties as the president and needs to be declared that he should not continue as president of Pakistan,” the petition said.
Iran hangs 17-year-old for murder
Iran has executed a 17-year-old convicted of murder, two rights groups said, expressing outrage that the Islamic republic continues to hang people for crimes committed as minors. Hamidreza Azari was executed in prison in the eastern town of Sabzevar in Razavi Khorasan province, the Norway-based Hengaw and Iran Human Rights (IHR) groups said in separate statements. Persian-language satellite TV channel Iran International also reported the execution, saying Azari was the only child in his family and despite his age, he had already started working as a scrap worker a few years ago. Citing documents they had seen, both Hengaw and IHR said he was 16 years old at the time of the crime and 17 when executed. He had reportedly been sentenced to death for killing a man in a brawl in May.
US navy plane misses runway, ends up in ocean
The Marine Corps reported that a US Navy maritime patrol plane that had landed at a Marine Corps installation in Hawaii overshot a runway and ended up in surrounding waters. Nine crew members made it out of the situation unscathed. According to Lt Hailey Harms, the base's assistant director of public affairs, the mishap happened close to Marine Corps Base Hawaii, which is located near Kaneohe Bay. A standard training mission had been flown by the aircraft, a P-8A Poseidon, according to her. All nine navy personnel on board escaped from the aircraft and were later rescued from an inflatable life raft floating in the water, Harms said.
World’s largest iceberg has broken free
The world’s largest iceberg is on the move for the first time in over three decades, scientists said. At almost 4,000 square km, the Antarctic iceberg called A23a is roughly three times the size of New York City. Since calving off West Antarctica’s Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in 1986, the berg - which once hosted a Soviet research station - has been stranded after its base became stuck to the floor of Weddell Sea. Satellite images reveal the iceberg, weighing nearly a trillion metric tonnes, is now drifting quickly past the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, aided by strong winds and currents. It’s rare to see an iceberg of this size on the move, said British Antarctic Survey glaciologist Oliver Marsh.
Severing ties will be a mistake: China to Argentina
China said it would be a “serious mistake” if Argentina were to cut ties, after the weekend presidential election victory of a right-wing libertarian who has said he will not deal with communists. Argentinian president-elect Javier Milei has criticised China as well as Brazil, which are among his country’s key trading partners. Milei has even likened the Chinese government to an “assassin” and said the people of China were “not free”. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the development of relations with Argentina had been showing good momentum, and it would be a “serious mistake” for Argentina to cut ties with China and Brazil.
China to allow visa-free entry to boost tourism
China announced it will allow visa-free entry for citizens of five European countries and Malaysia as it tries to encourage more people to visit for business and tourism. Starting December 1, citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia will be allowed to enter China for up to 15 days without a visa. The trial programme will be in effect for one year. The aim is “to facilitate the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges and high-level opening up to the outside world,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said.