A 68-year-old man from India was found dead after a man carjacked his vehicle at gunpoint in the US state of Florida. Mathew Korattiyil was carjacked by history-sheeter James Hanson, at Valrico town in Florida. Korattiyil had gone to the Center State Bank in his locality. When he was about to leave the bank, Hanson carjacked Korattiyil at gunpoint, said Tomy M, a close relative of the victim. Hanson fled in Korattiyil’s car with Korattiyil in the passenger seat. Later, police located the car and chased it until Hanson crashed the vehicle into a roadside barrier. Hanson was arrested, but Korattiyil was missing from the car. His body was later found near a community centre in Valrico.
Ranjit Singh's statue vandalised in Pakistan
A statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who ruled over Punjab for close to 40 years in the early 19th century, was vandalised by two men in Lahore. The nine-feet statue, made of cold bronze, was unveiled at the Lahore Fort in June on the 180th death anniversary of Maharaja. Police have arrested two men and registered a case against them under the country's blasphemy laws. The two men were angry after India revoked the special status to Jammu and Kashmir last week. The suspects belonged to Tehreek-Labbaik Pakistan of radical cleric Maulana Khadim Rizvi.
US removes restrictions on Pak envoys
The US has removed restrictions imposed last year on the movement of Pakistani diplomats and diplomatic staff stationed in the country, according to a media report. Under the US restrictions, Pakistani diplomats were banned from moving further than 25 miles from the cities in which they were posted. They were also required to seek permission from the US state department five days in advance if they planned to visit another city. Pakistan had announced ‘reciprocal’ travel curbs on US diplomats. Dawn reported that Islamabad also has restored the facilities that US diplomats had enjoyed in Pakistan until last year.
Saudi Arabia derecognises Pak medical degrees
Saudi Arabia has derecognised postgraduate medical degree programmes of Pakistan and asked several Pakistani doctors in the kingdom to be ready to leave or be deported. The Saudi ministry of health said the Pakistan’s MS (Master of Surgery) and MD (Doctor of Medicine) programmes lacked structured training, which is mandatory to hire medics in high positions. Hundreds of medics have been affected by the decision. Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain are also following the Saudi government’s move to de-recognise Pakistani medical programmes, the report said. Most of the affected Pakistani doctors were hired by the Saudi health ministry in 2016 when it conducted interviews in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, it said.
Taliban suicide blast kills 14 in Kabul
A Taliban car bomb aimed at Afghan security forces ripped through a busy Kabul neighborhood, killing 14 people and wounding 145 shortly after the extremist group and the United States reported progress on negotiating an end to Afghanistan's nearly 18-year war. The bombing was one of the worst attacks in Kabul this year, and it again raised fears among Afghans about what will happen once the estimated 20,000 US and NATO troops in their country go home. The explosives-packed car detonated at a security checkpoint outside police headquarters in Shiite neighborhood in western Kabul. The Taliban said they had targeted a recruitment center for security forces.
Pak police removes pro-India banners
Pro-India banners which appeared in different parts of Pakistani capital hailing India's decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir have been removed by authorities who arrested a man in this connection. The banners carried a map envisioning "Akhand Bharat" (undivided India) showing parts of the present-day states of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and warnings about Balochistan. They carried a message of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut. "Aaj Jammu & Kashmir liya hai Kal Balochistan, PoK lenge. Mujhe vishwsas hai desh ka PM Akhand Hindustan ka sapna poora karenhe," said the message written on the banners.
Typhoon kills 42 in eastern China
At least 42 people were killed and 14 went missing in eastern China in a landslide triggered by a major typhoon, which caused widespread transport disruptions and the evacuation of more than one million people. Typhoon Lekima made landfall in the eastern province of Zhejiang with maximum winds of 187 km per hour, although it had weakened from its earlier designation as a "super" typhoon. Thousands of flights were cancelled in eastern China, according to the country's aviation regulator, with most flights into and out of Shanghai's two major airports cancelled. China's weather bureau issued an orange alert, its second highest, after posting a red alert earlier, when the storm forced flight cancellations in Taiwan and shut markets and businesses on the island.
Kenya MP takes baby to House, asked to leave
A Kenyan lawmaker was kicked out of the parliamentary chamber for bringing her infant daughter in with her, in a move that drew outrage from some fellow politicians and the public. The lawmaker, Zuleikha Hassan, said she took her baby with her to work at the National Assembly in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, after an emergency had left her without child care. I said, ‘Why should I stay at home and not go to work, just because of the baby?’ she said in an interview. “Why should they criminalize having a baby? So, I said, ‘I’m going to Parliament with a baby. She also lamented the lack of child care facilities at the government buildings. In video from inside the chamber, a baby’s soft babbling can be heard in the background as the speaker of Parliament demands that Hassan leave.
Heatwave claims 400 more deaths in Netherlands
Almost 400 more people died in the Netherlands during Europe's recent record-breaking heatwave than in a regular summer week, Dutch national statistics agency CBS said. In total, 2964 people died in the Netherlands during the week that started on July 22, the CBS said, which was around 15% more than during an average week in the summertime. Temperature records tumbled across Europe during late July's heatwave, and for the first time since records began topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in the Netherlands on July 25.
Zimbabwe minister sacked over corruption charge
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has fired his tourism minister, who was last month charged with corruption involving $95 million, a senior government official said first cabinet minister to be charged by the newly formed anti-graft agency, which says it is on a drive to bring to account senior government officials suspected of corruption. Mupfumira has been in detention awaiting trial since a court appearance on July 26 on charges over money from the state pension fund after questioning by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission. In a letter, chief secretary to the president and cabinet Misheck Sibanda said managing had removed the minister from office "with immediate effect for conduct inappropriate for a government minister."
Man kills four in California stabbing spree
A man “full of anger” stabbed, slashed and robbed his way across two Southern California cities in a bloody rampage that killed four people and wounded two others who were apparently targeted at random, authorities said. The 33-year-old man from the city of Garden Grove robbed more than half a dozen businesses and killed two men at his own apartment complex during the two-hour wave of violence, police said. He was arrested as he walked out of a convenience store in the neighbouring city Santa Ana, dropping a knife and a gun he had taken from a security guard he had just killed. Authorities did not immediately identify the suspect.
Indian convicted for visa fraud in California
A US federal jury has convicted Abhijit Prasad, 52, of Tracy, California, on 21 counts of visa fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Prasad filed 19 petitions for H-1B visas containing false statements about purported work projects to be performed at locations in California, including Cisco Systems, a release from the US attorney’s office and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said. The release said the evidence at trial showed that Prasad knowingly submitted forged Cisco documents to USCIS in support of his claims that the beneficiaries would work at Cisco. The evidence also showed that. Prasad fraudulently used the digital signature of a Cisco employee, who was not authorised to sign Cisco employment documents, to create a document that would leave the impression that two of the H-1B workers had an existing work project at Cisco. Prasad is scheduled to be sentenced on October 16. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the visa fraud.
Bangladesh's 'tree man' wants hands amputated
A Bangladeshi man known as "tree man" because of bark-like growths across his body has said he wants his hands amputated to relieve him of the pain. Abul Bajandar has had 25 operations since 2016 to remove the warts, caused by a rare genetic condition. But the growths have only continued to spread and get larger, the 28-year-old says. "I cannot bear the pain anymore, I can't sleep at night,” he said. “I asked the doctors to cut off my hands so I can at least get some relief.” Doctors treating Bajandar had previously believed they had beaten the disease but he suffered a relapse in May last year – with growths coming back bigger and quicker than before. He says he would now like to travel abroad for better treatment – but does not have the money to cover the expenses.
Metal shards fall off a Boeing 787 after take off
Plane debris rained down “like bullets” when metal fragments fell off a Boeing 787 Dreamliner shortly after takeoff in Rome. People living under the aircraft’s flight path were pounded by hundreds of eight-inch chunks as the Norwegian jet departed the city airport on Saturday. “It was a storm of steel and iron,” one resident said. Dozens of cars and homes were damaged. A witness said: “They were like bullets.” An investigation has been launched. It is thought the debris fell from the plane’s left engine - although the extent of the problems have not been disclosed. A spokeswoman for Norwegian said that there had been “indications of a technical failure”.
Drunk man calls Uber for injured goldfinch
A man who saw a fledgling goldfinch fall from the sky called an Uber to take the injured bird to a rescue centre because he’d over the drink drive limit. Tim Crowley was drinking with friends when he saw the bird hit the ground, according to KSTU. He called an Uber to taxi the bird to the centre. But, the first driver refused to take the bird in the car, reportedly finding the request too odd. Fortunately a second driver agreed.
Germany prepares law to ban plastic bags
Germany plans a law to ban the use of plastic bags because voluntary agreements with retailers to curb usage have not yielded good enough results, environment minister Svenja Schulze said. “My ministry will get a plastic bag ban on its way,” she said, not giving a timetable for the plan.
