A 27-year-old Indian American store clerk, John Dias, was shot and killed last week at the V Stop Food Mart in Houston. The perpetrator of the crime remains at large. Initial reports say police found Dias in the back room with at least one gunshot wound on his right shoulder. A brief security video prior to this is said to show him attending to the customers when the assailant, approached the counter and shot Dias point blank. Shocked employees and customers gathered outside the gas station on hearing of what had transpired. and were shocked. Dias is originally from Chandor village of South Goa. He was well regarded and known, having played with the local football club and also working at a local hotel. He then worked on a cruise liner and two years ago settled in the US. An only child, he is survived by his grieving mother.
Racial equality award for Manjusha Kulkarni
Activist Manjusha Kulkarni is one of the five recipients of ‘Bank of America Neighborhood Builders: Racial Equality Award.’ She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Los Angeles-based AAPI Equity Alliance, a coalition of 40+ community-based organizations advocating for 1.5 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Los Angeles County with a particular focus on low-income, immigrant, refugee, and other disadvantaged sectors of the population. The bank said the awards initiative was part of its effort to advance racial equality and economic opportunity and that the awardees selected were recognized for their “extraordinary contributions to break down systemic racial barriers and create economic opportunities for Black, Hispanic-Latino, Asian American, and Native American people nationwide.”
India, Maldives partnership reaches $2.6 bn
India and Maldives partnership has reached up to $2.6 billion in terms of grants, concessional loans, budgetary support and capacity building and training assistance. India’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar was in Maldives for two days - from March 26 to March 27, during which he called on president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. He held discussions with the Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid and signed several agreements related to the bilateral development cooperation, inauguration/and handing-over and launch of a number of key India-supported projects that will contribute to the socio-economic development of Maldives and enhance its security.
US scraps Taliban talks after girl schools shut
The US said that it has cancelled planned talks in Doha with the Taliban after the hardline Islamist rulers of Afghanistan shut girls’ secondary schools. “We have cancelled some of our engagements, including planned meetings in Doha around the Doha Forum, and have made clear that we see this decision as a potential turning point in our engagement,” state department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter said. The Taliban shut down girls' secondary schools this week just hours after reopening them. “This decision by the Taliban, if it is not swiftly reversed, will profoundly harm the Afghan people, the country’s prospects for economic growth," Porter told reporters.
Microplastics found in human blood
For the first time, scientists have found traces of microplastics in human blood. A new study published in the journal Environment International said that out of the 22 anonymous blood samples tested, plastic particles were found in 80% of people. According to the researchers, plastic particles can enter the human body from air as well as through food and drink.
Nobel prize winner to donate medal
Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, a co-winner of last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, said he would donate his Nobel medal to be auctioned to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees. The Novaya Gazeta newspaper, where Muratov is editor-in-chief, in early March said it would remove material on Russia’s military actions in Ukraine from its website because of censorship, in response to threats of criminal prosecution of journalists and citizens who veer from the government’s official line. “Novaya Gazeta and I have decided to donate the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Medal to the Ukrainian Refugee Fund,” an article published with Muratov’s name said. “There are already over 10 million refugees. I ask the auction houses to respond and put up for auction this world famous award. ” Muratov, who won the award jointly with Maria Ressa of the Philippines, co-founder of news site Rappler, dedicated his Nobel prize last year to six of the newspaper’s journalists who had been murdered for their work.
N Korea tests largest ICBM
North Korea conducted what is thought to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week, the South Korean and Japanese militaries said, marking a dramatic end to a self-imposed moratorium on long-range testing. It would be the first full-capability launch of the nuclear-armed state’s largest missiles since 2017, and represents a major step in Pyongyang’s development of weapons that might be able to deliver nuclear warheads anywhere in the US. Japanese authorities said the launch appeared to be a “new type” of ICBM that flew for about 71 minutes to an altitude of about 6,000km and a range of 1,100 km from its launch site. It landed inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), 170 km west of the northern prefecture of Aomori, the coast guard said.
Call to extradite Putin’s ‘lover’
Opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine and Russia in a petition have demanded Switzerland to expel the strongman’s “lover” Alina Kabaeva amid claims she is hiding with their secret children in a villa. Kabaeva, 38, is a former Olympic gymnast who is believed to be Putin’s “mistress” and mother to “secret” kids, Daily Mail reported. The petition comes amid reports that Kabaeva was sent to a private chalet in Switzerland earlier this month amid the invasion of Ukraine. “Despite the war, Switzerland continues to host an accomplice of Putin’s regime,” said the petition posted on change. org. It has so far got 57,000 signs.
China locks down city of 9mn
China locked down an industrial city of nine million people overnight and reported more than 4,000 virus cases, as the nation’s “zero-Covid” strategy is confronted by an Omicron wave. Health authorities reported 4,770 new infections across the country, the bulk in the northeastern province of Jilin, as the city of Shenyang in neighbouring Liaoning province was ordered to lock down. China has moved fast in recent weeks to snuff out virus clusters with a pick and-mix of hyper-local lockdowns, mass testing and citywide closures. It reported two Covid-19 deaths earlier, the first in over a year. Authorities have warned of the risk posed to growth by persistent lockdowns. Shenyang, an industrial base home to factories including carmaker BMW, reported 47 new cases as authorities put all housing compounds under “closed management” and barred residents from leaving without a 48 hour negative test result.
Macron rejects Russia demand
French President Emmanuel Macron said there was no reason to accept a demand from Russia to pay up in roubles for Russian gas. “All the texts that have been signed are clear. This is forbidden,” Macron told a news conference after a European Union summit in Brussels. “European firms that buy gas and which are operating on European territory have to do so in euros. Therefore it is not possible today to do what is being demanded, it is not contractual,” added Macron, referring to the Russian demands to be paid in roubles. Russian President Vladimir Putin had said earlier this week that Russia will seek payment in roubles for gas sold to “unfriendly” countries, raising alarm about a possible gas crunch in Europe.
Jailed Kremlin critic Navalny sentenced
Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny urged his supporters to show their opposition to the Russian government after a court sentenced him to nine years in prison for fraud and contempt. The 45-year-old was already serving a two-and-a-half year sentence at a prison camp east of Moscow for parole violations related to charges that he says were fabricated to thwart his political ambitions. His existing sentence will be incorporated into the one handed down, said his lawyers, both of whom were briefly detained after the hearing.
Fire at Saudi oil depot in Jeddah
A raging fire erupted at an oil depot in Jeddah ahead of a Formula One race in the Saudi city. Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed it was an attack by the group among a barrage of others. While Saudi Arabia and its state-run oil behemoth Saudi Aramco did not immediately acknowledge the blaze, it was centered on the same fuel depot that the Houthis had attacked in recent days. The attacks came as Saudi Arabia still leads a coalition battling the Iran-backed Houthis, who seized Yemen’s capital of Sanaa in September 2014. The kingdom, which entered the war in Yemen in 2015, has been internationally criticized for its airstrikes that have killed scores of civilians - something the Houthis point to as they launch drones, missiles and mortars into the kingdom.
Rail link between Russia and EU suspended
Finland’s national railway operator said it would suspend services between Helsinki and St Petersburg in Russia, closing the rail link between Russia and the EU. VR, the operator, said it had been told by the Finnish state it was no longer appropriate to run the service in light of sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. “So we are suspending traffic for the time being,” Topi Simola, VR’s head of passenger traffic, said. Russian Railways said they were aware of the Finnish decision. Trains from Russia to Helsinki have been packed with Russians in recent weeks as some used it to leave the country urgently and mutual airspace closures cut off flight connections between Russia and EU
