NEW DELHI, JUNE 16

US President Joe Biden has homed in on an Indian-origin scientist as his Science Adviser and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

Shanti Prabhakar, 63, would succeed Eric Lander, who resigned in February after admitting to bullying his staff and creating a hostile work environment.

Dr Prabhakar will need Senate confirmation to become the OSTP director but can immediately take up the Science Adviser post.

Brussels, June 16

Meta, Alphabet unit Google, Twitter and Microsoft on Thursday agreed to take a tougher line against disinformation including deep fakes and fake accounts under an updated EU code of practice or face hefty fines.

More than 30 signatories, including advertising bodies, have signed up to the updated Code of Practice on disinformation, the European Commission said.

The signatories agree to do more to tackle deepfakes, fake accounts and political advertising while non-compliance can lead to fines as much as 6% of a company's global turnover, the EU executive said, confirming a Reuters report last week.

The companies have six months to comply with pledges, with a progress report due at the beginning of 2023. Reuters

Beirut, June 16

US-led coalition forces captured a senior Islamic State leader in a military operation in northern Syria on Thursday, the coalition said.

In a statement, it said the captured leader was an experienced bomb maker and operational facilitator.

The statement did not identify the individual nor say where the raid took place. It said the operation was "successful" with no civilians harmed nor any injuries to coalition forces.

The US-backed forces declared victory over the Islamic State in March 2019 after retaking the last piece of territory held by the group in Syria.

But Islamic State continues to operate and carry out deadly attacks in both Iraq and Syria through sleeper cells and maintains several affiliates in various countries.

Arizona: A rare plant that depends on wetlands for survival is now on the federal endangered species list, a designation that environmentalists say will boost efforts to protect the last free-flowing river in the desert Southwest. AP

Spain sees hottest pre-summer in 20 yrs

seville: Spain on Saturday sizzled in the hottest pre-summer heatwave in 20 years. Temperatures reached 40deg;C degrees in the Guadalquivir valley in Seville and Cordoba. Reuters

Melbourne: Scientists have found microplastics — plastic pieces much smaller than a grain of rice — in freshly fallen Antarctic snow for the first time, which they said has the potential to influence the climate by accelerating melting of ice. The findings, published recently in The Cryosphere journal, bring to light a serious threat to the Antarctic region. — PTI

NASA to launch 3 rockets from Australia

Adelaide: Over the next month, NASA will launch three rockets from the Arnhem Space Centre in the Northern Territory on the Dhupuma Plateau, near Nhulunbuy. The rockets are 13 metre "sounding" rockets that will not reach orbit but will take scientific observations.

Tokyo, June 10

Japan on Friday eased its borders for foreign tourists and began accepting visa applications, but only for those on guided package tours who are willing to follow mask-wearing and other antivirus measures as the country cautiously tries to balance business and infection worries.

Friday is the first day to start procedures needed for the entry and arrivals are not expected until late June at the earliest, even though airport immigration and quarantine offices stood by for any possible arrivals. — AP