Indian American elected mayor of Edison in US
Samip ‘Sam’ Joshi, 32, created history of sorts when he was elected as mayor of Edison in New Jersey – the first Indian-American in the town of 100,000 population with 44% Asians. Joshi, who is a second generation Gujarati settled in the US, traces his roots to central Gujarat. His term as mayor begins from January 2022. Interestingly, one of the other candidates in fray against Joshi was Mahesh Bhagia, another second generation Gujarati in Uncle Sam's land. Apart from Joshi, eight odd persons with Gujarati roots have either been elected or appointed to various public positions in the past few years, says a report.
Indian girl dies of bullet injury in US
A 19-year-old Kerala girl was shot dead in Alabama in the US by her neighbour. The deceased is identified as Mariam Susan Mathew, a native of Kerala. The victim was asleep in her house when bullets from the upper floor allegedly pierced through the ceiling and killed her. Susan Mathew is the daughter of Boben Mathew, a native of Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district. Steps are being taken to take the body back to Kerala after completing legal formalities. Earlier this month, another Keralite was shot dead by a robber in Dallas. Sajan Mathews (56), was at his beauty supply store in Dallas when a robber barged into his shop and fired at him.
Pak embassy’s video targets Imran
In a big embarrassment for Pak PM, the official Twitter handle of Pakistan’s embassy in Serbia posted: “With inflation breaking all previous records, how long do you expect Imran Khan that we government official(s) will remain silent and keep working for you without been paid for past 3 months and our children been forced out of school due to nonpayment of fees. Is this naya (new) Pakistan?” “I am sorry, Imran Khan, am not left with another option,” the embassy tweeted, along with a parody music video on the Pakistani Prime Minister. The tweets were later deleted.
Pak activist convicted of espionage
A Pakistani rights and political activist has been convicted of espionage and sentenced to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment, according to a media report. The verdict on Idris Khattak was pronounced this week after the trial concluded in Jhelum. “Khattak was found guilty of espionage and leaking of sensitive information by a Field General Court Martial (FGCM),” a security source was quoted as saying. The source said that he was tried under the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act, 1923. He was accused of providing the sensitive information to a foreign intelligence agency.
Pak PM bars ministers from foreign visits
Pakistan Prime Minister has barred members of the federal cabinet from travelling abroad without permission, stating that he himself was not undertaking foreign visits, local media said. According to The Express Tribune, National Assembly Member (MNA) Riaz Fatyana's trip to Glasgow for the global climate summit and his allegations of a brawl were among matters that came in for discussion during the cabinet meeting. The Prime Minister said that when he was not undertaking foreign visits, the ministers of his cabinet should also avoid such visits. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also said that MNAs and senators travel abroad more than the ministers. Responding to this, Imran Khan said that even the government MNAs and senators should not go on foreign trips.
