Hyderabad: A post-graduate student from Hyderabad was shot at in a Chicago neighbourhood last week. Mohammad Akbar (30), a computer science student at DeVry University, was shot at and admitted to the Illinois Mason Medical Centre, his family members said, quoting a local newspaper in the US. Akbar’s brother Mohammad Ashraf said, “We are in state of shock. We have not been getting any information on his condition. We only know he was shot at and seriously injured. My father, Mohammed Yousuf, a businessman, has gone into depression. He tried to reach Sushma Swaraj on Twitter on December 7. But we have not received any response so far,” Ashraf said. “He spoke to me two days before the incident. We can’t understand who targeted my brother and why,” Ashraf added.
Indian-origin man sentenced for seeking underage sex
Washington: An Indian-origin man from Canada was sentenced by a US court in Arizona state to 46 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual encounter with a minor. Dilbagh Singh, 57, was sentenced by District Judge Steven P. Logan after he was arrested in May this year, the US media reported. According to a statement by the US Department of Justice, Singh began an online relationship with one "Laura" in January 2017 thinking that she was a 15-year-old girl. Over the course of four months, Singh told the girl that he wanted to engage in various sex acts with her. In May 2017, Singh travelled from Canada to Flagstaff, Arizona, to meet the girl in person and to have sex with her, according to the statement.
Jadhav's mother, wife to meet him on Dec 25
Islamabad: Pakistan has allowed the mother and wife of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to meet him at a prison on December 25, the Foreign Ministry said. A staff member from the Indian High Commission will also be present at the meeting, Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said. A Pakistani military court has sentenced Jadhav to death on charges of espionage and conducting sabotage activities in Pakistan.
Indian schoolgirl drowns in Australia
Adelaide: An Indian schoolgirl who was here to play football at the Pacific School Games drowned off a city beach, police said. The 15-year-old was with four other girls at Holdfast Marina at Glenelg when the incident occurred. Lifesavers were able to rescue the other three but were unable to find the Indian girl. Her body was later recovered from the water. The condition of one of the girls who was rescued was said to be in critical condition. The Indian High Commission was providing support to the group, who were all involved in the sporting event. Pacific School Games organisers confirmed the dead girl was part of the Indian delegation but did not reveal her sport.
US citizen who took bullet to save Indian honoured
HOUSTON: Time magazine has honoured Ian Grillot, the US national who took a bullet for an Indian while trying to intervene during a racially-motivated shooting in Kansas early this year. Grillot's name features in the magazine among "5 Heroes Who Gave Us Hope in 2017." Grillot, then 24, was injured when he tried to intervene in the shooting by a Navy veteran targeting Indians at a bar in Olathe, Kansas, in February. Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32 , was killed in the shooting that also left his colleague Alok Madasani, critically injured. “I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I didn't do anything," Grillot said in an article posted by Time. The magazine saluted the Kansas man as the "bargoer who stepped into the line of fire."
1,000 schools closed in Pak province
Islamabad: Around 1,000 schools in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were closed down due to low enrolment, reports said. The reports said that the abandoned school buildings, which had cost billions, were constructed by the education department at unfeasible places and in violation of criteria merely on the directives of the then rulers to oblige their voters. A senior official said that the education department was helpless as it only followed the directives of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak. A district education officer said they have closed those schools where enrolment was less than 40. He added that most of the closed schools were located in the rural areas.
Khaleda Zia gets bail in corruption cases
Dhaka: A Dhaka court has granted bail to former prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Khaleda Zia in connection with two corruption cases. According to the Dhaka Tribune, Judge Md Akhteruzzaman of Dhaka passed the order when the BNP chief appeared before it and sought bail in the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust corruption cases. Last week, the court had issued an arrest warrant against Khaleeda after she had failed to appear before it in the corruption cases. The Anti-corruption Commission filed the Zia Charitable graft Trust case with Tejgaon police station on August 8, 2011, accusing Khaleda, her son Tarique Rahman and four others of raising funds for the trust from unknown sources through abuse of power.
Missing Bangla Catholic priest found safe
Dhaka: A Catholic priest whose disappearance in Bangladesh days before a visit by Pope Francis raised fears among minority Christians has been found safe and well, police said. Walter William Rosario, a 40-year-old priest and school headmaster, went missing from a village in northern Bangladesh where suspected Islamist extremists last year hacked a Catholic grocer to death. His disappearance followed a rise in Islamist extremism in the Muslim-majority country, where at least three Christians, including two converts from Islam, have been hacked to death in recent years. Police said Rosario had been found in the city of Sylhet, adding the disappearance was likely for personal reasons.
East German village auctioned for just £100,000
Alwine (Germany): An entire village of Alwine, 150 km from Berlin in Germany, has been bought by an anonymous bidder when it was auctioned for $165,000. The auction house named Karhausen had set the minimum bid at USD 147,000 for the 16,000 square meter village. The buyer who was the only bidder during the auction now owns six homes and countless barns and outhouses. The village has no shops or any public services. The population is very sparse, only 20 people reside in the village. The population has reduced to this number since the closure of fuel plant.” Many interested parties made inquiries, including from abroad,” said Matthias Knake, a Karhausen spokesperson, according to Deutsche Welle. “The winner wants to do something good with this purchase - for the welfare of the people who live there,” Knake said.
Saudi Arabia to allow movie theatres after decades of ban
RIYADH: Conservative Saudi Arabia will allow the opening of movie theatres in the country after a gap of 35 years. It's the latest move as part of the young crown prince's efforts to socially reform the country. The kingdom says a resolution was passed paving way for licenses to be granted to commercial movie theatres. Movie theatres were shut down in the 1980's during a wave of ultra conservatism in the country. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has pushed for greater social openings, including lifting a ban on women driving vehicles and bringing back concerts and other forms of entertainment to satiate the desires of the country's majority young population. The government says the first cinemas are expected to open in March 2018.
Australia to hold same-sex marriages from January 2018
Canberra: The Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove signed the law to legalise same-sex marriages, which are now allowed to take place from January 9, 2018, onwards. Following Parliament's approval of the legislation, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Attorney General George Brandis presented the law before the representative of Queen Elizabeth II in Australia to complete the process of approval. The bill to modify the Marriage Act of 1961, which was amended in 2004 to specify that marriage is exclusive between a woman and a man, was approved by the lower house last week , one week after the Senate did so. From midnight onwards, the law will recognise same-sex marriages that took place abroad, while couples who marry in the country under the law must notify their intentions one month in advance.
Indonesia's selfie-snapping monkey named 'Person of the Year'
JAKARTA: An Indonesian monkey who shot to fame after it snapped a grinning selfie, and sparked a landmark US copyright case, was named "Person of the Year" by the animal rights group that took on the simian's cause. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said it was honouring Naruto, a crested black macaque with a goofy-looking grin, to recognise that "he is someone, not something". In 2011, the monkey pressed the shutter button while staring down the lens of a camera set up British nature photographer David Slater on the island of Sulawesi. The photos quickly went viral and PETA launched a lawsuit that claimed the then six-year-old Naruto should be "declared the author and owner of his photograph".
