Ludhiana-born Anshdeep Singh Bhatia has become the first Sikh to have been inducted into the security detail of US President Donald Trump. Anshdeep was inducted last week after he completed his gruelling training in the United States. His family moved to Ludhiana from Kanpur during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He lost his uncle and a close relative after the frenzied mob stormed their house in Kanpur’s KDA Colony in Barra. Anshdeep’s father Devendra Singh was also injured in the attack and had received three bullet wounds. His grandfather Amreek Singh Bhatia, manager with Punjab and Sind Bank, opted for a transfer to Ludhiana. His father, who was into the pharmaceutical business in Kanpur, married in Ludhiana and moved to the United States with his family in 2000. Anshdeep was 10 at that time. Anshdeep who dreamt of making to the President’s security was told he would have to change his looks. But Anshdeep moved the court against the riders and the decision came out in his favour.
Indian in Dubai kills roommate for talking loudly
An Indian man is facing murder charges in a Dubai court for allegedly killing his roommate for talking loudly on his mobile phone, according to a media report. The 37-year-old construction worker has been charged with murder and consuming alcohol without a licence at the Court of First Instance, Khaleej Times reported. The Indian worker, who was drunk, stabbed the victim during a farewell party on March 30 in Al Qusais, a witness alleged. During the party, a brawl ensued between the accused and the victim over latter talking loudly on his mobile, the witness was quoted as saying.
72 stranded Indian pilgrims rescued from Nepal
A total 72 pilgrims who were stranded while returning from the Muktinath temple in Northern Nepal were rescued after the Indian mission stirred into action. The pilgrims who were from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharastra and some NRI's were caught in flash flood while returning from Muktinath temple. Indian mission in Nepal requisitioned the help of small helicopters for the rescue operation. The rescued pilgrims were first taken to Pokhara and then to capital Kathmandu. "The pilgrims were given initial medical attention upon arrival in Pokhara, and now the pilgrims have left for Kathmandu,” a mission spokesman said.
Film on Indian rural women awarded at Toronto festival
London-based documentary maker Sandhya Suri's directorial "The Field" has won the ICW best international short film award at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Shot in rural north India, the documentary highlights the tough life of rural farm woman Lalla (Mia Maelzer) and her longing for a different life. Suri, whose 2005 documentary "I For India" won many awards, says she was inspired to do this documentary out of empathy because she saw the hardships of rural women while running the film unit at Oxfam. Awarding the film, the TIFF jury said: "It offers a unique and refreshing glimpses into female desire within rural India. It is aesthetically lyrical and features tender performances and has emotional impact which is far greater than its short format." In her acceptance message, Suri said: "The film was thought in London, co-financed in France, shot in India and now getting awarded in one of the world's greatest film festivals and we are truly grateful for that."
11 killed as man goes on stabbing spree in China
Eleven people were killed and 46 others injured when a man drove his SUV into a crowd and later went on a stabbing spree in China's Hunan province. The attack took place as people had gathered in a square by the river in Hengdong county. The driver, Yang Zanyun, 54, first ploughed through the people with his vehicle and later got out of it and went on a rampage attacking people with a knife. Nine people were killed and 46 others were injured, state-run Global Times reported. Yang was detained by the police, who said he has a criminal record and has been jailed several times. Knife attacks by disgruntled people in public places and schools to highlight their grievances periodically occur in China.
Pak PM’s house to become education institute
The Pakistan PM’s House will be turned into a campus of a postgraduate institute, said a minister while divulging governments plans to utilise official buildings for public use. Education minister Shafqat Mehmood said the public was fed up of the previous governments’ “royal” ways of living. He said government officials should live in a way that does not waste public money, which is why PM Imran Khan has decided that he would not stay in the PM House and governors will not stay in Governor Houses to cut down on costs, he added. According to the minister, the annual expenditure of PM House was Rs 470 million. It has been decided that the PM House will be turned into a educational instate, he said.
US imposes sanctions on N Korean IT firms
The US has imposed sanctions on two North Korean-controlled information technology (IT) companies based in China and Russia, accusing them of moving illicit funds to Pyongyang, the media reported. "These actions are intended to stop the flow of illicit revenue to North Korea from overseas information technology workers disguising their true identities and hiding behind front companies, aliases, and third-party nationals," Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said. The department designated the China-based China Silver Star, its North Korean CEO Jong Song Hwa and its Russia-based sister company Volasys Silver Star as such fronts, the Voice of America News reported. The sanctions come at a time when the US is maintaining pressure on the North Korean government in its negotiations to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
Airline to recruit Saudi women pilots
Riyadh-based carrier Flynas has announced plans to recruit Saudi women to work as co-pilots and flight attendants for the first time, just months after the kingdom lifted a decades-long ban on female motorists. Women are not legally barred from working in the aviation sector, but jobs as flight attendants with Saudi carriers have largely been held by female foreign workers from countries such as the Philippines. Nearly 1,000 Saudi women have applied for co-pilot positions with Flynas in the past 24 hours, a spokesman for the airline said.
Ex-comedian becomes Slovenia’s PM
Slovenia’s new PM used to make people laugh. Handling the disparate demands of his five-party coalition government is unlikely to leave much time for jokes. Once a satirist who impersonated prominent politicians, Marjan Sarec has taken the helm of a largely centrist government - a rare phenomenon, at least recently, in Central Europe where populists have been on the march from Italy to Poland. Sarec, who has become Slovenia’s youngest ever premier at 40, will face a tough job keeping the minority government afloat.
Bear on streets sends Canada capital into chaos
The Canadian capital Ottawa was thrown into confusion as police closed in on a bear spotted roaming the streets just a stone’s throw from the parliament building. The black bear was first sighted by bypassers overnight near the city’s Byward Market, a tourist spot that is also home to the US embassy. They alerted police who sealed off the area and called on residents to stay in their homes as they tracked the animal, which was quickly nicknamed Byward Bear on social media. Pictures on social media showed forest service officials tranquilising the bear and removing it from the city. It was the second incident involving a bear loose in the capital in a 24 hour period.
Sharif and Maryam sent back to jail
Pakistan's former premier Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law were sent back to the jail on Monday after the end their five-day parole to attend the funeral of Begum Kulsoom who died last week in London after battling with cancer. Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Capt (retd) M Safdar, currently serving jail terms in the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi after being convicted by an accountability court in a corruption case in July, were granted five-day parole. The Sharifs had been sent to the jail two months ago in the corruption case related to their purchase of four luxury flats in Avenfield House in London. The three left their Jati Umra residence in the afternoon for the Lahore airport amid high security. A special plane transported them to Nur Khan airbase Rawalpindi from where they were shifted to the Adiala Jail.
