A 32-year-old man from Andhra Pradesh was among four people killed during firing at a grocery store in Arkansas in the US. The victim was identified as Dasari Gopikrishna, a native of Bapatla district who had gone to the US eight months ago. He was working at the Mad Butcher grocery store at Fordyce, a town in Arkansas, where a gunman opened fire on June 21. Gopikrishna, who was at the billing counter, sustained critical injuries. He succumbed to injuries the next day. He is survived by a wife and a son. According to CCTV footage, the assailant entered the store and opened fire on the man at the counter. As the victim collapsed on the ground, the gunman jumped over the counter and escaped after lifting something from the shelf.
Indian origin jailed for punching Singapore cop
A court in Singpore has sentenced an Indian origin man to five weeks' jail for punching a Singapore police officer in an inebriated state while arguing in a rowdy crowd of over 10 men. The single punch was so powerful that it knocked the officer unconscious "for at least a minute" and caused him to suffer temporary memory loss, according to a report. Devesh Raj Rajasegaran, 24, was sentenced to five weeks in prison. He had pleaded guilty in March this year to one count of voluntarily causing hurt. Devesh will appeal against the sentence, according to the report. The victim was one of four police officers dispatched to an area in Circular Road after a complaint that "more than 10 people having an argument".
MEA slams Australian TV documentary
India slammed a recent ABC documentary which claimed to have uncovered details about alleged efforts by Indian officials to silence Sikh critics in Australia, saying it contains blatant untruths, is biased and reflects unprofessional reporting. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in what was the first Indian reaction to the documentary, said it appears to serve a particular agenda to malign India. “We obviously oppose any such attempts to condone, justify and even glorify terrorism,” he said. The documentary claimed four Indian spies posing as diplomats were also expelled by Australia.
According to the documentary, Indian intelligence officers were trying to gain access to sensitive defence technology.
Priyanka's NY restaurant to shut down
Actor Priyanka Chopra’s restaurant Sona in New York is going to close its doors. The restaurant, which was touted for infusing a modern touch into Indian cuisine, will serve its final brunch service on June 30. The announcement read, “After more than three remarkable years, Sona will be closing. We have immense gratitude for everyone who walked through our doors. It’s been our greatest honor to serve you”. The news comes nearly a year after the ‘Barfi’ actress ended the partnership with the establishment.
Punjab origin dies tragically in Italy
A 31-year-old Indian casual worker in Italy has died tragically after he was dumped on the road without medical assistance by his employer after his arm was severed by heavy farm machinery. Satnam Singh was injured by heavy machinery while working in a vegetable field in Lazio, near Rome. The Embassy of India in Rome posted on on X that it was aware of the very unfortunate demise of an Indian national in Latina, Italy. "We are in contact with local authorities. Efforts are underway to contact the family and provide consular assistance," it wrote without giving more information. Singh reportedly hailed from Punjab. According to Italian media, Singh's employer, Antonello Lovato, loaded him and his wife into a van and left them by the side of the road near their home.
Attack on religious sites in Russia kills 20
At least 20 people were killed when Islamist extremists attacked churches, synagogues and police post in Russia's southern region of Dagestan. Fifteen cops and 5 gunmen were among the victims.
Sunday’s violence in Dagestan’s regional capital of Makhachkala and nearby Derbent was the latest that officials blamed on Islamist extremists in the predominantly Muslim region in the North Caucasus. It was also the deadliest in Russia since March, when gunmen opened fire at a concert in suburban Moscow, killing 145 people. Authorities said at least 46 people were injured. Among the dead was the Rev. Nikolai Kotelnikov, a 66-year-old Russian Orthodox priest at a church in Derbent.
Blaze at S Korea battery plant kills 22
A fire likely sparked by exploding lithium batteries swept through a manufacturing factory near South Korea’s capital, killing 22 workers and injuring eight, officials said. The fire began after batteries exploded while workers were examining and packaging them on the second floor of the factory in Hwaseong city, fire officials said. The dead included 18 Chinese, two South Koreans and one Laotian, local fire official Kim Jin-young said. He said the nationality of one of the dead was to be verified. In the past few decades, many people from China have migrated to South Korea to seek jobs. They often end up in factories or in physically demanding and low-paying jobs shunned by more affluent South Koreans.
Putin, Kim sign new agreement
Russia Prez Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un revived a Cold War-era mutual defence pledge between their nations, signing a new agreement that calls for them to assist each other in the event of “aggression” against either country. The Russian prez, in a briefing after the two leaders signed the document, did not clarify whether such assistance would require immediate and full-fledged military intervention in the event of an attack, as the now-defunct 1961 treaty specified. But he said that Russia “does not exclude the development of military technical cooperation” with North Korea in accordance with the new agreement.
24-year-old held for impersonating as elderly man
A 24-year-old man allegedly impersonating as an elderly man bound for Canada has been apprehended by the CISF at the Delhi international airport. Gursewak Singh, with dyed hair and beard, was intercepted at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport and has been handed over to Delhi Police. The man was first checked by CISF personnel as his activities were found suspicious. He initially produced his identity in the form of a passport bearing the name Rashvindar Singh Sahota, 67. He was supposed to board an Air Canada flight flying out of Delhi last week.
Starliner’s return to Earth delayed again
Nasa said the Boeing Starliner’s return to Earth from the International Space Station, which was scheduled for this week, has been delayed again. The delay of the rescheduled June 26 return will allow more time for the review of the thruster malfunctions and helium leaks that caused the first delay, it said. Starliner’s first crewed mission to the ISS, which had initially been scheduled to last about eight days, has been extended to a date yet to be determined. The spaceship blasted off from Florida atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on June 5 following years of delays and safety scares, as well as two aborted launch attempts that came as astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams were strapped in and ready to go.
