Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former OpenAI researcher, was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on November 26, reportedly by suicide. Balaji, a University of California, Berkeley graduate, accused OpenAI in October of copyright violations, claiming the company scraped copyrighted content to train its models. A prominent programmer, he placed 31st in the ACM ICPC 2018 World Finals and won major contests. He worked at Scale AI, Helia, and Quora before OpenAI, where he contributed to ChatGPT development. Balaji’s critique focused on generative AI's adverse effects on the internet and reliance on "fair use" for justification. Investigations found no foul play.

Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former OpenAI researcher and whistleblower, was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on November 26. Police discovered his body after friends raised concerns about his well-being. Authorities suspect suicide, with no evidence of foul play. Balaji had accused OpenAI of copyright violations, claiming its AI models, including ChatGPT, harmed the internet ecosystem by using copyrighted material without authorization. His statements fueled lawsuits against OpenAI by authors and journalists. In his last social media post, Balaji criticized generative AI's reliance on “fair use” claims. Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to the news with a cryptic "hmm."

Switzerland has revoked India's 'Most Favoured Nation' (MFN) status following a 2023 Supreme Court ruling in the Nestle case. The court decided that the MFN clause in the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) does not apply automatically when a country joins the OECD. As a result, Switzerland will raise the tax on dividends from 5% to 10% for Indian entities starting January 1, 2025. Experts warn this will increase tax liabilities for Indian companies in Switzerland and may affect Swiss investments in India.

The High Commission of India in London hosted a joyous Christmas reception on December 12, 2024, welcoming the Apostolic Nuncio to the UK, H.E. Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, along with members of the UK Parliament, Lords, Councillors, business leaders, media personalities, and the Indian Diaspora. High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and Archbishop Buendía lit the Christmas tree and cut the Christmas cake, marking the festive occasion. The evening was enhanced by a "Jazz and Carols" concert featuring renowned Indian tenor Anand Mukherjee and Bernardi Music, filling the celebration with soul-stirring melodies.

largest deportation drive in US history, targeting 1.5 million undocumented individuals. Among them, nearly 18,000 Indians face deportation. The US has approximately 725,000 undocumented immigrants from India, the third-largest group after Mexico and El Salvador. ICE recently deported Indian nationals via chartered flights and criticized India for delays in confirming citizenship and issuing travel documents. India is among 15 countries labelled "uncooperative" by ICE. Many undocumented Indians struggle to legalise their status, with some waiting years for clearance. Trump's policy has sparked concerns about the fate of affected families and US-India relations.

India expressed sadness over the murder of three Indian students in Canada and called for a thorough investigation. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the killings as "terrible tragedies" and said Indian missions are working closely with Canadian authorities. The missions are also in touch with the victims' families and have offered condolences. India urged its nationals, especially students, to remain cautious due to rising violence in Canada. Relations between the two nations have worsened in recent months, with India accusing Canada of providing space to anti-India groups, further straining diplomatic ties.

The Ashmolean Museum at Oxford University has agreed to return a stolen idol of saint poet Thirumangai Alwar to the Soundararaja Perumal Temple in Tamil Nadu. The bronze idol, stolen over 60 years ago, was traced by Tamil Nadu’s idol wing CID. Oxford University verified its origins and promised to cover all costs for its return. Investigations revealed the temple uses replica idols for worship, while originals are in foreign museums. Efforts are ongoing to repatriate other stolen idols. Experts urge authorities to check for more fake idols in temples. The idol will return to India soon.

Sanjay Shah, a 54-year-old Indian-origin British hedge fund trader, was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Danish court for orchestrating a $1.2 billion tax fraud. Shah masterminded a "cum-ex" scheme, fraudulently claiming $1.27 billion in dividend tax refunds between 2012-2015. The court also seized $1 billion of his assets, including properties. Shah, who was arrested in Dubai in 2022 and extradited to Denmark, has appealed to the Danish High Court. He also faces a $1.83 billion civil tax fraud case in London, set to conclude in April 2025.

The US Visa Bulletin for January 2025 shows progress for Indian green card applicants, especially in family-sponsored and employment-based categories. The family-sponsored category limit is set at 2.26 lakh, with the employment-based preference capped at 1.4 lakh. Key updates include advancements in final action dates for F1, F2B, F3, and F4 family categories, along with changes in EB-2 and EB-3 employment categories. Over 1 million Indians await green cards, with delays extending up to 195 years, per Congressional Research Service. The bulletin marks a slight but significant relief for Indian applicants striving to reduce prolonged immigration backlogs.

IndiGo Airlines faced severe criticism after around 400 passengers were stranded at Istanbul Airport for over 24 hours due to delays in flights to Delhi and Mumbai. Passengers complained about inadequate food, poor accommodation, and lack of communication from the airline's staff. Social media was flooded with posts highlighting their ordeal, with some accusing IndiGo of "failing basic service standards." Despite promises of lounge access, overcrowding left many standing for hours. IndiGo apologised for the inconvenience and assured direct communication with affected passengers but offered no detailed explanation for the delays. Both flights remain grounded as of now.