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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know A bright star in the eyes of her par- ents and teachers, with a promis- ing future, Savitha Shan’s life was cut short in the mass shooting March 1, 2026, in Austin, TX. “As a dual-degree student at the Univer- sity of Texas at Austin, I blend a strong foundation in Management Information Systems and Economics with a passion for using technology to solve complex busi- ness problems. With hands-on experience in technology strategy consulting, product management, and business analytics …,” Shan’s accomplished bio on Linkedin goes on. Her death was caused by a gunman who opened fire in a vrowded bar, killing 3 and injuring 14 others. Other victims were identified as Ryder Harrington (19), and 30-year-old Jorge Pederson. The gunman was killed in an exchange of fire with police officers. The incident is being investigated as a potential terror attack, FBI told media, coming on the heels of the US-Israel attack on Iran, newsreports said. A law enforcement of- ficial told Associated Press the shooter, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, was wearing clothes with an Iranian flag design and bearing the words “Property of Allah” during the attack. Shan’s professor Russ Finney posted the following on X on March 3 – “Savitha was one of our superstar students at the UT Austin McCombs school of business – she was set to graduate this May, and then she was on to start her career at a big pro- fessional services firm. She was a double major with honors. Involved in student organizations – a light in the classroom. Absolutely crushing to lose her.” Shan served as a student volunteer at the Austin Tamil Sangam for 4 years and 8 months starting in August 2021, her Linkedin profile reveals. She was also a budding entrepreneur on Etsy for almost 4 years starting in 2020, where she says she, “Oversaw and operated sticker/apparel shop on Etsy with 110+ unique sticker designs resulting in 14K sales/8K+ 5-star reviews.” She “Managed social media ac- counts with 22K followers on Instagram and TikTok by posting audience-tailored graphics consistently.” Indian American Savitha Shan, Star Student, Among 3 Killed In Austin Shooting PHOTO LINKEDIN Savitha Shan, 21, killed in the Austin, TX mass shooting incident March 1, 2026. KV Subramanian Becomes First Indian Economist To Win Chicago Alumni Award T he University of Chicago has honoured Professor Krish- namurthy V. Subrama- nian with the Alumni Award for Professional Achieve- ment, making him the first Indian economist to receive the distinction in the award’s 85-year history, according to an official press release. Subramanian, who served as the 17th Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India from 2018 to 2021 and as an Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund, is the first Indian economist to receive the honour since it was established in 1941. Reacting to the achieve- ment, Professor Subrama- nian stated, “To be included in this academic lineage is profoundly humbling. What makes it meaningful is that this is recognition for work done from India and for India. To follow, in my modest way, the inspiring footsteps of Indians who did their finest work based in India, from C. V. Raman and Homi J. Bhabha to Vikram Sarabhai and M. S. Swaminathan, is a genuine privilege.” The award places him among a distinguished group of past recipients that includes at least 14 Nobel laureates and global thought leaders such as Paul Samuelson, Gary Becker, Claudia Goldin, Carl Sagan, and Philip Kotler, the release added. According to the Universi- ty’s official citation, Professor Subramanian’s Economic Sur- veys of India were described as a “landmark” document that provided “the intellec- tual foundation for India’s approach to self-reliance, anchored in competitive mar- kets, policy autonomy, and inclusive growth”. The citation also credits his early diagnosis of the COVID-19 crisis as a supply- side disruption and notes that his public articulation of a V-shaped economic recovery “helped anchor confidence in India’s economic resilience”, the release stated. -ANI “My Family Was Threatened”: Pakistani Man Tells US Court Iranian Spies Coerced Him Into Plot To Kill Trump, Biden A Pakistani national ac- cused of conspiring to assassinate American political figures testi- fied that Iranian intelligence operatives coerced him into a plot targeting Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the NewYork Post reported. Asif Merchant, 47, provided his account in court onWednesday, claiming he was pressured into the scheme to protect his rela- tives. During his testimony in a Brooklyn federal court, the defendant, who is charged with terrorism and murder-for-hire, stated that he felt compelled to act. “I had no other options. My family was threatened,” Merchant informed the jury. The accused, a former banker, allegedly paid USD 5,000 to two undercover FBI agents who were masquerading as assassins. According to the NewYork Post, Merchant claimed that an Iranian handler instructed him in April 2024 to travel to the United States to “maybe to have somebody murdered.” While the handler allegedly did not specify a single individual initially, Merchant testified that three names were provided. “He did not tell me exactly who it is, but he named three people to me: Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Nikki Haley,” he explained. At that time, Trump and Biden were the frontrunners for the 2024 presidential race. Merchant, who has maintained a plea of not guilty since his arrest in August 2024, claimed he was already involved in helping the Iranian regime evade sanctions through money laundering. The NewYork Post noted that he identified his handler as Mehrdad Yousef, a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Merchant asserted that his cooperation was a result of Yousef putting “pressure” on his family members living in Iran. Though he did not detail spe- cific threats against his wife and daughter in Iran, he described an intimidating encounter where Yousef visited his home and bran- dished a weapon. “My family was under threat, and I had to do this,” he told the court. The NewYork Post reported that surveillance footage from June 2024 showed Merchant in a Queens motel discussing the mechanics of the plot, asking of a target: “This is the target. How will it die?” Merchant claimed he antici- pated his own capture and never expected the plan to succeed. “I didn’t think I would be able to be successful,” he testified, adding, “I was not wanting to do this so willingly.” He further remarked that the USD 5,000 payment was an indi- cation of the plot’s lack of realism, noting “nobody does anybody’s murder” for such a small amount. The NewYork Post highlighted his claim that he had been “mentally ready” to be caught and intended to cooperate with US officials. “I was going to tell the govern- ment,” he said, adding, “I wanted to apply for a green card.” Merchant is scheduled for cross-examination on Thursday and faces a potential life sentence if found guilty. By a StaffWriter PHOTO:COURTESY ANI PHOTO:COURTESY ANI From News Dispatches Community News India Times (March 7, 2026 - March 13, 2026) March 13, 2026 7