NEW JERSEY:- Advay Jain, a four-year-old of Indian origin residing in South Brunswick, New Jersey, has set a Guinness World Record as the youngest person to publish a book.

Jain was 3 years and 345 days old when his book, titled ‘Dino Learns Not to Waste Food’, was published earlier this year through Panda Publishing Agency. Following this achievement, Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, the Consul General of India in New York, honored him.

This book is based on Advaya’s experience after enrolling in a new preschool where bringing food from home was not permitted. The book’s protagonist, ‘Dino’, learns the importance of not wasting food.

According to Advaya’s father, Neeraj Kumar, over 1,300 copies of the book have been sold worldwide, and sales continue to rise.

According to an old interview cited in South Brunswick news reports, Kumar and his wife, Sonal Bansal, began working on the book in July 2025, and the process took ten months.

Advaya’s storytelling began with drawings. He would put his ideas down on the walls, and his parents helped transform those drawings and short stories into a book.

Advaya’s 12-year-old sister, Avya, is also a published author and artist; she has written the book  ‘The Call of the Nether’.

Congratulating Advaya and Avya, the Consulate General of India in New York stated that Advaya’s book would inspire young readers to appreciate food and avoid wasting it.

Advaya is currently working on a sequel, in which Dino will learn further lessons.

COLUMBIA:- Birenkumar Rameshbhai Patel, an individual of Indian origin based in South Carolina, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to obtain a ‘U Visa’ for an Indian national by staging a fake robbery at a store.

Birenkumar Rameshbhai Patel (also known as “Mike Patel”) admitted to his involvement in the conspiracy in a South Carolina federal court, where U.S. District Judge Joseph A. Anderson Jr. accepted his guilty plea.

According to federal court records, 47-year-old Patel and a store employee orchestrated a staged robbery at a shop in Fairfield County, South Carolina, on March 9, 2025.

When officers arrived at the scene in response to a 911 call reporting the crime, they found the employee attempting to provide details about the incident before being transported to the hospital. Patel also arrived at the scene and gave his own account of the event.

After reviewing the shop’s surveillance footage, investigators determined that the robbery was a staged fraud designed to portray the employee as a victim of a crime, with Patel playing the role of the robber. Patel had covered his face in an attempt to conceal his identity.

According to the details of the incident, on March 25, 2025, Patel and the employee requested a copy of the incident report from local authorities, and on April 3, they submitted a federal certification form to the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office; the form requested the sheriff’s signature acknowledging that the employee was a victim of a “serious criminal assault,” a necessary step to qualify for the visa.

During the investigation, officials discovered that the employee was an Indian national and that obtaining a ‘U Visa’ would have enabled them to reside legally in the United States.

This fraud scheme came to light through an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office.

Patel, having admitted guilt, could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and a three-year term of supervised release following his imprisonment.

Federal officials confirmed that the store employee involved in the planned robbery has since been deported to India.

LOS ANGELES:- Cerritos High School senior Eshan Patil and the Youth Civics Think Tank brought students, civic leaders, authors, and members of the community together on September 23 for an evening with Lakshmi Puri, former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and former Deputy Executive Director of UN Women.

Organized by the Youth Civics Think Tank, or YCTT, the event combined a discussion of Puri’s novel, Swallowing the Sun, with a student-led conversation about diplomacy, women’s leadership, advocacy, public service, and the responsibilities of the next generation.

Patil founded YCTT to expand the role young people can play in civic and policy conversations. Aparna Hande also served as a primary organizer of the event, helping coordinate the evening and its broader program.

“I originally founded the Youth Civics Think Tank because I’ve seen that too often young people are talked about in civic spaces, but never really get the chance to contribute to them,” Patil said. “My goal is to create opportunities where students can actually engage the very people shaping policy, diplomacy, and public well-being.”

The evening opened with networking and conversations among attendees before YCTT introduced its work and recognized community leaders in attendance.

Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, the inaugural Consul General of India in Los Angeles, attended the full program and delivered remarks about Puri and her work. La Palma Mayor Nitesh Patel, who serves as an advisor to YCTT, also attended and formally honored Puri during the program. City of Artesia Councilmember Zeel Ahir was also in attendance, joining the broader civic and community conversation.

A major portion of the event centered on Swallowing the Sun. Puri discussed the novel’s inspirations, characters, themes, connections to real experiences, and use of poetry and storytelling. The discussion explored themes including women’s experiences, family, history, identity, and social change.

“What made Swallowing the Sun such a strong fit for this event was that the book opens the door to much larger conversations about gender, history, identity, family, and social change,” Patil said. “It gave us a way to connect literature with the kinds of civic questions we want young people thinking about.”

At the center of the program was a fireside conversation led by Patil and Saivi Sodhi, a junior at Fairmont Preparatory Academy in California and a member of the YCTT team.

Rather than focusing only on Puri’s book, the students asked about her path through diplomacy, her advocacy for women, her experience in international institutions, and the lessons she would pass on to young people interested in public service.

“What made this event especially meaningful was the opportunity for young people to learn directly from someone who has spent decades working at the highest levels of diplomacy and women’s advocacy,” Patil said. “We wanted the conversation to focus not only on what Ambassador Puri has accomplished, but on what the next generation can learn from her experience.”

The program also recognized seven U.S.-based authors for their literary and community contributions. YCTT team members, including Omkar Siddeswaran and Aditya Komaragiri, joined Patil and Sodhi in supporting the youth-led program.

For YCTT, the evening reflected a broader goal of expanding who feels welcome in civic institutions and who receives meaningful opportunities to participate.

“Civic or political participation should not be age-dependent, nor should it depend on your race, background, or experience navigating institutions,” Patil said. “We want people from every background imaginable to feel that they have a real, legitimate place in these conversations.”

LOS ANGELES:- City Councilmember Nithya Raman has posed a strong challenge to Mayor Karen Bass in a poll conducted for the upcoming Los Angeles mayoral election in November.

In a new survey conducted by the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley—co-sponsored by the *Los Angeles Times*—City Councilmember Nithya Raman holds a lead over Mayor Karen Bass among likely voters, with 39% support compared to 28%.

However, a survey of 2,150 likely voters conducted between September 15 and 20 shows that 33% remain undecided.

Survey director Mark DiCamillo told the *Los Angeles Times* that Raman holds a “clear lead,” but the large number of undecided voters is making the contest and its outcome uncertain.

Raman, who finished second behind Bass in the non-partisan primary election held in June, had previously trailed Bass in earlier polls.

However, a recent survey shows Raman overtaking Bass in nearly every part of the city. In the San Fernando Valley, Raman garnered 34% support compared to Bass’s 26%, with 40% of voters undecided; on the Westside, Raman holds a lead over Bass, 35% to 34%.

The survey also reveals a significant gap between the candidates based on age. Among voters aged 18 to 29, Raman secured 66% support compared to Bass’s 4%, while in the 30 to 39 age group, she garnered 64% support against Bass’s 12%.

In the latest survey, Raman received 50% support among voters aged 40 to 49, whereas Bass received 18%. However, the contest was much tighter among voters aged 50 to 64, with Raman at 35% and Bass at 33%.

In the survey, 63% expressed disagreement with Baas’s performance, while 28% expressed agreement and 9% had no opinion. There was a 40% positive view regarding Raman, whereas 39% held a negative view and 21% had no opinion.

Raman spent the period leading up to July criticizing Bass’s record, including the city’s handling of homelessness and its response to major fires. She has also garnered support from labor groups, including UNITE HERE Local 11 and the Democratic Socialists of America.

“We aren’t taking anything for granted—not a single vote,” Raman said in response to the poll. “So, my question to every Angeleno who is still making up their mind is simple: take a look at our campaign and give me the chance to earn your vote.”

Mail-in ballots for the November 3 election will start arriving in voters’ mailboxes on October 1.

LOS ANGELES:- Through the Tarsadia Foundation, the family of Indian-American BU Patel has pledged $10 million over five years to the Rebuild India Fund, supported by Dasra.

The fund provides flexible, multi-year support to grassroots organizations serving marginalized communities across India and emphasizes local knowledge in determining how the grants are utilized.

Southern California residents BU Patel and his family built their wealth through hospitality and investment. His philanthropic vision was shaped by the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat and the lessons learned about communities determining their own responses to local challenges.

Philanthropy has been leveraged as a means to build community among Indian Americans. The organization operates through chapters within Indian American communities, involving over 300 volunteer leaders and more than 7,000 donors, and raises approximately $30 million annually. Akshaya Patra has around 40,000 individual donors within the Indian American diaspora.

Bhikhubhai Ukabhai Patel, founder of ‘Tarsadia Hotels’ and chairman of the ‘Tarsadia Foundation,’ is an entrepreneur who later dedicated himself to philanthropy. After establishing a successful textile business in Zambia, he moved to the United States in 1976, where he founded one of the country’s leading hotel management companies.

As a leader in philanthropic endeavors, he established the ‘Tarsadia Foundation’ and the ‘Sanatan Dharma Mandir,’ and also helped found the ‘Asian American Hotel Owners Association.’

He is a trustee of the ‘American India Foundation’ and one of the individuals behind the concept of the ‘Vivekananda Yoga University.’ His work focuses on education, healthcare, economic empowerment, and community service in both India and the United States.

Last week, he provided $50,000 in aid to families affected by the Bhote Koshi floods. Prior to this, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he had supported Nepal by donating 65 oxygen concentrators worth approximately 30 million Nepali rupees.

NEW YORK:- Peacekeeping is a priority in India’s bid for election to the UN Security Council for 2028-2029, with the country committed to ensuring that the UN’s core mechanism has the resources it needs and that its operations are protected, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN P. Harish said.

“Because we regard peacekeeping as irreplaceable to this Council’s core purpose, India has made it a priority for our Security Council candidacy for 2028-2029,” he said on September 18.

“We reaffirm our commitment to a peacekeeping architecture better resourced, protected, and representative of the world it serves,” he said.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar launched India’s candidature at the UN in June for a non-permanent seat representing the Asia-Pacific region in the elections to be held next year.

The manifesto he announced is called Shanti — Peace — an acronym for ‘Securing Holistic Advancement through Norms, Trust (and) Integrity’.

Speaking at the Security Council’s open debate on peacekeeping, Harish highlighted India’s record as the largest troop contributor to peacekeeping, having deployed nearly 300,000 troops across more than 50 missions.

“184 Indian peacekeepers have made the supreme sacrifice as Blue Helmets (and) our approach is shaped not by rhetoric but by their sweat and blood,” he said.

Harish also made several suggestions to make peacekeeping more effective. He said countries that contribute troops and police “should have a structured voice in shaping mandates, through consultation before they are adopted or reviewed”.

The mandates must have “a clear political process, with which this Council must stay engaged”, he said.

He also suggested rationalizing peacekeeping mandates to avoid waste and ensure the best use of resources. “Missions sustained on political life-support without operational rationale drain resources that are needed elsewhere and undermine the credibility of peacekeeping as a whole,” Harish said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called for a longer-term vision of peacekeeping missions before they are deployed.

He called for closer consultation with countries where peacekeeping operations are deployed and said peace “must be built from within — by the national actors, who hold the key”. (IANS)

SAN FRANCISCO:- The ‘Association of Indo-Americans’ (AIA) organized a special interactive program for youth featuring Satish Kumar Sivan, the Consul General of India.

Held in Milpitas, San Francisco, the event facilitated a dialogue with middle school, high school, and college students regarding culture, identity, community, and the opportunities available to young Indian-Americans.

The program provided a platform for young people to share their perspectives, ask questions, and discuss how to strike a balance between—and embrace—both Indian and American cultures. The dialogue explored how they could appreciate the richness of Indian traditions while also embracing the diversity, values, and opportunities found in the United States.

Consul General Shivan encouraged students to identify the strengths of both cultures. He also shared his insights regarding the challenges and disparities young people might face while balancing their cultural heritage with their current lifestyles in the United States. The discussion focused on practical ways to bridge these gaps and on fostering a broad, multidimensional perspective among the youth.

While providing information about the role of the Consulate General of India in San Francisco, Consul General Shivan shared his experiences regarding how the Consulate can assist young people and play a part in strengthening the bond between them and the broader Indian-American community.

The participating students expressed their happiness at having the opportunity to interact directly with the Consul General. They also conveyed their gratitude for the Consul General’s time, thoughtful perspective, encouragement, and willingness to listen to their ideas and concerns.

The discussion highlighted the importance of creating further opportunities for meaningful engagement and interaction among the youth, the community, and the Consulate General for the new generation of Indian-Americans growing up at the confluence of two rich and diverse cultures.

According to the Association of Indo-Americans, the interactive program has been successful in fostering a strong and more connected community by engaging Indian-American youth and providing them with a platform to share their voices.

WASHINGTON:-The US House of Representatives has passed legislation authorizing the President to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on goods from countries that continue to purchase Russian oil and gas. As a result of this authority granted by the House, India—which has been purchasing Russian crude oil—could face tariffs of up to 100 percent.

After the Senate passed it by a vote of 86–11 on August 7, the House of Representatives passed the ‘Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026’ by a vote of 262–159 on September 16. The bill will now be sent to President Trump for his signature.

Russian crude oil constitutes a major share of India’s oil supply, and reliance on it is growing. According to the ‘Global Trade Research Initiative,’ Russia accounted for 30.3 percent of India’s total crude oil imports—valued at $134.7 billion—in the 2026 fiscal year, with purchases amounting to $40.8 billion.

This trend of dependency has been increasing throughout the 2026 period. Published data indicates that Russian crude oil accounted for more than half of India’s total crude oil imports in July.

India is a major partner in the purchase of Russian crude oil. According to the ‘Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air,’ India accounted for 37 percent of Russia’s crude oil exports between December 2022 and August 2026, ranking second only to China, which held a 50 percent share.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has stated that it has taken note of the bill’s passage and has clearly articulated its position regarding the potential impact on bilateral relations and the international energy market.

LOS ANGELES:- Diplomat Richard Verma, a former U.S. Ambassador to India, has joined Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service as a Distinguished Ambassador Fellow and Dean’s Fellow.

Verma will serve as a fellow with the school’s Asian Studies Program. He will teach a course on U.S.-India relations to graduate students, focusing on career paths in international affairs and current issues.

He will also work with students, participate in public events, and continue his scholarship and teaching at the school.

Verma served as Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources from 2023 to 2025. Prior to that, he was the U.S. Ambassador to India, where he led the U.S. diplomatic mission.

He is currently the Chief Administrative Officer at Mastercard, overseeing the company’s legal, government affairs and policy, franchise, corporate security, and community and related functions. He previously served as Mastercard’s Chief Legal Officer and Head of Global Public Policy.

Verma is the Chair of the Advisory Board for Georgetown’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. He was a Centennial Fellow at the School of Foreign Service in 2017–18.

Early in his government career, Verma served as Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs and as National Security Advisor to the Senate Majority Leader. He also served as a member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, the Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board, and the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.

A U.S. Air Force veteran, Verma has received the Meritorious Service Medal and the State Department’s Distinguished Service Award, among other military and civilian honors.

Verma holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from Georgetown University, a law degree (*cum laude*) from American University, a Master of Laws with distinction in International Law from Georgetown University Law Center, and a Bachelor of Science from Lehigh University.

NEW YORK:- Indian-origin Malaika Chitre and Nepali-origin Navam Kaul met with a tragic death after being struck by a train at a New York subway station.

According to reports, after one of them fell onto the tracks, the other jumped down from the platform in an attempt to save them, and both were struck by an oncoming train.

Both of the deceased were 24 years old and have been identified as Malaika Chitre, a resident of Dayton, New Jersey, and Navam Kaul, a resident of Sayreville.

Chitre and Kaul had both studied together at Rutgers University. A harrowing video of the incident has surfaced online, showing the woman laughing and pulling the man toward her at a Lower Manhattan subway station just before the train arrived. According to reports, the accident involved a ‘Downtown Number 4’ train traveling on the local track at the Spring Street station.

It is not yet clear who fell onto the tracks first, but according to New York media reports, Kaul and Chitre died at the scene, and their bodies were recovered from beneath the third and fourth carriages of the train.

According to the police, information regarding the accident was received at 3:14 AM on Sunday after the train could not be stopped in time. Approximately 100 passengers were on board the train at the time of the incident, and they were safely evacuated to the platform.

Kaul studied at Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick, while Chitre completed her Bachelor of Science degree from the Rutgers-New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences in May 2024.

According to their social media accounts, Chitre worked as an Operations Specialist at Acadia Pharmaceuticals, and Kaul was a Financial Data Analyst at Bloomberg.