SAN FRANCISCO: A 17 year old Indian-origin Sikh boy was shot while he was on his way home from work, in California. Gurnoor Singh Nahal was in his garage on Kandinsky Way when he was shot. His grandmother found him lying on the floor and said he cried for help but then it was too late. His uncle Tejinderjit Singh said, "We cannot imagine it. We are lost. She heard it and it was very loud and she came out and then she saw him." A police investigation has been prompted as the victim's family say they did not know the reason behind the murder. Neighbours said such incidents never happened in their neighbourhood.
Sikh youth mistaken for Muslim, abused at US store
BOSTON: A 22 year old Sikh Harvard Law School student was allegedly abused and harassed at a store near the campus. First year law student, Harmann Singh said he was shopping in a store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when a man walked in and said to the clerk, "Oh look, there a $*#& Muslim." He said the man began following him around the store, harassing him, and asking where he was from. From Buffalo, New York, Singh said he tried to ignore the man and continued talking on the phone with his mother who could hear the man questioning Singh. The owner of the store said he was going back and forth between the back and front of the shop at the time of the incident that took place on November 11 and saw the man who spoke to Singh come in. "I don't know where that guy came from and I hope I don't see him again," the store-owner said.
PIO attacked after bandana taken for hijab
SAN FRANCISCO: A 41-year old Indian-American woman was attacked in California after a bandana tied on her head was mistaken to be a hijab. Nicki Pancholy was on her 'peace walk' when she found her car window shattered, her purse gone, and a note calling her a "Hijab wearing b****". A Rajasthani by origin, Pancholy has been diagnosed with Lupus, which causes hair loss, which is why she puts the bandana on her head to protect from the Sun. The police has launched an investigation as a hate crime and auto burglary.
Pakistan bans two militant outfits
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government has banned two more militant outfits for their involvement in terrorist activities across the country. The Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi Al -Alami were proscribed following recent attacks on sectarian grounds in different parts of the country. Confirming the development, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry said the decision was made a few days ago. A senior official in Sindh's security establishment said, "The two organisations were added to the banned outfits' list on Nov 11. The latest addition came after series of investigations led to the fact that the two militant groups were actively involved in the terrorism activities mostly on sectarian grounds. Karachi has also witnessed a recent surge in attacks on sectarian grounds executed mostly by the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi Al-Alami."
27 killed in suicide attack at Shia mosque in Kabul
KABUL: A suicide blast at a Shiite mosque in Kabul resulted in the death of at least 27 people and wounded 35 others. Senior police official Fridon Obaidi said, "It was a suicide bomber who blew himself up among worshippers inside the mosque." Police cordoned off the area around the Baqirul Olum mosque in the Afghan capital. Worshippers had gathered in the place of religion to mark the Shiite ceremony of Arbaeen, which comes 40 days after Ashura. Earlier this year, a powerful blast targeting the community during Ashura took place in northern Afghanistan, killing 17. No group has claimed responsibility for the recent attack. A witness said, "I was in the mosque, the people were offering prayers. Suddenly I heard a bang and windows broke. I had no idea what had happened. I rushed out screaming."
President of Oregon Institute of Technology
OREGON: Dean at the University of Toledo, Nagi Naganathan has been chosen to be the next president of the Oregon Institute of Technology. OIT announced the hiring made by the board of trustees on November 16. The Indian-American is slated to earn a salary of $300,000. "Oregon Tech has so many unique and high value assets and opportunities at this point in its history. Engaging with everyone to take the university to its next level of excellence is a venture I can't wait to begin," Naganathan said. A graduate of the National Institute of Technology in Tiruchirappali, Clarkson University and Oklahoma State University, earning a bachelor's, master's and doctorate, Naganathan has led the college of engineering as dean since 2003. He has also served as the founding chairperson of the mechanical, industrial, and mechanical engineering department between 1995 and 2000. He will assume his Oregon Tech post in spring.
26 hurt after man sets fire to Oz bank
MELBOURNE: A man set fire to a bank in Australia, critically injuring at least 26 people in the process. Police said the man entered the busy Commonwealth Bank branch in the Melbourne suburb of Springvale with flammable liquid and doused himself with it. The horrifying incident left several people, including toddlers and elderly customers, badly hurt. Witnesses say the man who started the blaze had picked up a plastic drum outside a shop minutes earlier. Inspector Jacqui Poida said, "He had some sort of accelerant with him. A container, not sure what he had. And somehow that accelerant was lit inside the bank." While the motive remains unclear, several sources believe he is an asylum seeker from Myanmar and may have been reacting to his welfare payment being rejected. The 21 year old believed to have set fire to himself is also said to be a part of the Rohingya community.
Indian-American jailed for trying to join IS
NEW YORK: A 21 year old Indian-American man was sentenced to over three years for trying to fly overseas to join terrorist outfit the Islamic State. Mohammed Hamzah Khan gave no reaction when the judge at a federal court in Chicago handed down the 40 month sentence. District Judge John Tharp said Khan had faced up to 15 years behind bars, he'd instead been given a second chance. "Instead of the public beheading, you've been given a public trial proceeding. The enemy government has not tried to kill you. It has tried to help you," Tharp said. Khan has already been in custody for two years, and with good behaviour he'd be eligible for release in August when he plans to enroll in college. However, in addition to the prison time, the judge has also ordered Khan to remain under court supervision for at least 20 years after his release.
Arrest warrant against Khaleda Zia
DHAKA: A local court has issued an arrest warrant against Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Khaleda Zia over her controversial birthday celebration on August 15, observed as National Mourning Day in the country. Observed in memory of the assassination of founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members in 1975, Zia's birthday celebration hurt the eye of the ruling Awami League since she began celebrating it in 1996. "(Zia) was summoned by the court but she did not appear during three previous hearings... So the magistrate issued the arrest warrant in line with legal procedure," a court official said. He added that her "defiance" prompted the prosecution to seek the arrest warrant. Complainant Gazi Zahir had filed a case earlier this year questioning the genuineness of the birthday. "I have submitted copies of all these documents before the court as none of those suggest that she was born on August 15," Zahir said.
Employees scared for safety: Nooyi
NEW YORK: PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi has said that Donald Trump' victory has left her daughters, gay workers, employees, basically every one who isn't a white devastated as there was "serious concern" among them about their safety. "I had to answer a lot of questions from my daughters, from our employees. Our employees were all crying. The question that they are asking, especially those who are not white 'Are we safe', women are asking 'Are we safe', LGBT people are asking 'Are we safe'," Nooyi said. She added, "The first thing that we all have to do is to assure everybody that they are safe, nothing has changed because of this election. We will all come together and unify the country." A staunch Clinton supporter, Nooyi also extended her wishes to the president-elect saying "the process of democracy happened, we just have to let life go on." Nooyi stated that at some point the nation would have to "pick up the big issues of technological unemployment, global trade, immigration, all of which needs reform and have serious conversation about that."
Merkel to run for fourth term as German Chancellor
BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced her intentions of running for a fourth term in next year's crucial national election. Stressing on the complex challenges she will face and "absurd" expectations Germany could take a world leadership role once Barack Obama leaves office. "I have spent an unending amount of time contemplating this, as to stand as a candidate for a fourth time after 11 years in power is anything other than a trivial decision, neither for the country, for the party, nor for me," she was quoted assaying in a press conference. She asserted she wanted to serve Germany ever since she first took up the post in 2005, adding she has tried to orientate herself according to this principle. She assured she felt "wide awake and full of ideas" and said the decision would depend on the state of her health. She also listed her challenges saying, "The European Union is currently under great strain with the euro crisis, with the refugee question, and following the decision of the United Kingdom to want to leave the EU, and with a situation in the world which, to put it delicately, needs to focus itself anew following the elections in America and also regarding the relationship to Russia."
Oz cuts stay of `457 visa' holders, Indians to be hit
MELBOURNE: Australia has announced changes to the '457 visa' programme for skilled foreign workers to limit their ability to look for another job after their official employment ends. The move will adversely affect Indians working in the country as foreign workers on the programme will now only be able to stay in Australia for 60 days after their employment ends, instead of 90. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said, "From November 19, the period that a subclass 457 visa holder may remain in Australia after their employment ceases will be reduced to 60 days. The change is expected to assist in ensuring that the 457 programme met its intent of acting as supplement to, rather than a substitute for, Australian workers apart from reducing the vulnerability of 457 visa holders who were only permitted to work for an approved sponsor and were not eligible for unemployment benefits, from entering into informal employment arrangements."
