An Indian student, Rachel Albert from Tamil Nadu, has been stabbed by an unidentified assailant in Canada's Toronto. India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asked MEA officials to arrange a visa for the family. “Family members may immediately contact us," Jaishankar said in a tweet. The 23-year-old sustained stab wounds to her neck during the assault, local media reported. She was subsequently rushed to a trauma centre with life-threatening injuries. Although she underwent surgery, she remains in hospital in critical condition. The Toronto Police in a tweet described the suspect as an Asian male in his mid-20s. The police Operations also tweeted phone numbers to seek any information about the case.
Pak Hindu bride abducted; forcibly married to Muslim
In yet another case of forced conversion in Pakistan, a Hindu girl was abducted during her wedding ceremony and was married off to a Muslim man after being converted to Islam. The woman - Bharti Bai - was abducted by a group of people during her marriage ceremony in Hala, a city located in Matiari district in Sindh province. She was then married to Shah Rukh Gul. The authorities have not taken any action against the abductors. According to reports, the police helped the men in forcibly taking away the bride. Every year, around 1,000 young Sindhi Hindu girls between the age of 12 and 28 are abducted, forcibly married and converted to Islam, US-based Sindhi Foundation has said. Over the past few months, several incidents have come to fore highlighting the miserable condition of minorities in the country. In August last year, 19-year-old Jagjit Kaur remained missing for several days. Later she was forcibly married to a Muslim man by her abductors.
US diplomat warns Pak against China investment
Renewing her criticism of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), senior US diplomat Alice Wells has claimed that Chinese financing was adding to Pakistan’s debt burden and Islamabad should rethink its involvement with the project, local newspapers reported. China was quick to reject Wells’ remarks, saying “they were nothing new.” Speaking at an event in Islamabad, principal deputy assistant secretary Wells criticised China’s flagship project ‘One Belt One Road Initiative’, which CPEC is a part of. She said there was no transparency in CPEC projects and claimed that Pakistan’s debt burden was growing due to Chinese financing. “By getting Chinese financing for the projects, Pakistan was buying expensive loans and, as a buyer, it needed to be aware of what it was doing as this would take a heavy toll on its already struggling economy,” she was quoted as saying.
Iran MP offers reward for killing Trump
An Iranian lawmaker has offered a $3 million reward to anyone who killed US President Donald Trump, amid Tehran's latest standoff with Washington. US disarmament ambassador Robert Wood dismissed the reward as "ridiculous", telling reporters in Geneva it showed the "terrorist underpinnings" of Iran's establishment. Tensions have steadily escalated since Trump pulled Washington out of Tehran's nuclear agreement with world powers in 2018 and reimposed US sanctions. The standoff erupted into tit-for-tat military strikes this month. "On behalf of the people of Kerman province, we will pay a $3 million reward in cash to whoever kills Trump," lawmaker Ahmad Hamzeh told the 290-seat parliament. He did not say if the reward had any official backing from Iran's clerical rulers. The United States and it Western allies have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons. Tehran insists it has never sought nuclear arms and never will, saying its nuclear work is for research and to master the process to generate electricity.
Turkey quake kills 39
The death toll rose to 39 from the earthquake that struck eastern Turkey last week, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said, as rescue teams continued the search for two others who remained under a collapsed building. The magnitude 6.8 quake caused 35 deaths in Elazig province and four in neighbouring Malatya. More than 1,600 others were hurt, including 86 still being treated in hospitals, though none were in serious condition, the government said. The two remaining people were under the remains of a building in Elazig, about 550 km east of Ankara. Forty-five people had been rescued from under the rubble so far in the search. Authorities have warned residents not to enter damaged buildings because of the danger of collapse and further aftershocks, leaving many without a home in a region where temperatures fell to -6 C. Addressing reporters, Soylu said the government would provide financial support to those whose homes were damaged. Some 1,000 temporary homes would be built, and some schools and mosques were now being used as shelters, he added.
US to impose visa restrictions for pregnant women
The Trump administration is coming out with new visa restrictions aimed at restricting “birth tourism”, in which women travel to the US to give birth so their children can have a US passport. Visa applicants deemed by consular officers to be coming to the US primarily to give birth will now be treated like other foreigners coming to US for medical treatment, according to state department guidance. The applicants will have to prove they are coming for medical treatment and they have the money to pay for it. The state department planned to publicise the rules, according to two officials.
450 schools shut as pollution chokes Thai capital
Authorities in the Thai capital ordered closure of nearly 450 schools as pollution levels reached dangerously unhealthy levels. Bangkok, the world's most visited city, saw levels of PM 2.5 particles at 78.3 pg/m3. A level above 35 is considered unhealthy, according to independent air quality monitor AirVisual. PM 2.5 particles can include dust, soot and smoke and are so small they can lodge deep in the lungs and enter the bloodstream. "Students get affected a lot by air pollution because they are exposing to outdoor all the time even waiting for the bus or just walking,” Panpimon Jumsook, a teacher at one of the schools said. Like many growing Asian cities, Bangkok is plagued by vehicle fumes, dust from construction sites and emissions from industry but the burning of stubble and undergrowth in fields in surrounding rural areas is believed to contribute to much higher pollution levels in the dry, winter months.
Man fakes injury to get free business upgrade on flight
An Australian YouTuber has come under fire for faking a broken ankle in order to get a free flight upgrade. Jamie Zhu, whose YouTube channel has more than 7,00,000 subscribers, recently posted a video called “How To Fly Business Class For Free!”. In it, he describes how he plans to bag a free upgrade from economy to business class on a Cathay Pacific flight by pretending to have an injury. In the video, Zhu pretends his orthopaedic won’t fit in his economy seat. He requests the flight attendant find him another seat and the ploy works. The video, which had more than 57,000 views, got many negative comments. Zhu and Cathay Pacific have not commented.
Too many twins hinder Lanka’s bid for record
Thousands of twins packed two-by-two into a stadium in Sri Lanka’s capital - so many that officials struggled to count them in time to prove they had organised a record-breaking gathering. Huge queues built up at the venue in Colombo as sets of siblings waited to get their birth certificates checked. Many appeared to leave before they could be added to the tally. There was no comment from the Guinness organisation.
Man strangles coyote after it attacks his child
A father saved his two-year-old son’s life by killing a wild coyote with his bare hands after the animal attacked the child in New Hampshire, US. The coyote leapt from woods where Ian O’Reilly was walking with his wife and three kids, and grabbed the child’s hood. O’Reilly kicked the coyote before wrestling it to the ground and suffocating it, police said. The coyote bit O’Reilly twice. His son was unharmed.
US woman drives into traffic to ‘test her faith’
A woman allegedly drove her car into oncoming traffic, hitting a car with three passengers in a bid to “test her faith”, said Pennsylvania police. Nadejda Reilly, 51, was arrested. Trooper Bruce Balliet said: “Reilly related God took care of her by not letting her (get) injured.” One of the victims has been released from hospital while the other’s condition is not known. The other passenger was unharmed.
S African wedding venue refuses to marry gay couple
A wedding venue in South Africa is refusing to host a ceremony for a lesbian couple because of its Christian beliefs, sparking a row in the only African country to permit gay marriage. Sasha Lee Heekes and Megan Watling said they found the perfect venue for their wedding planned for April 2021. But, the owners of Beloftebos Wedding Venue told them they do not host same-sex weddings because of their Christian beliefs. The couple is considering some kind of action, a friend said. South African Human Rights Commission’s official Andre Gaum suggested the decision taken by Beloftebos was discriminatory. But Michael Swain, spokesman for Beloftebos and director of Freedom of Religion South Africa, said it would be unfair for the venue owners to be forced to celebrate something that goes against their beliefs.
S Korea military dismisses its 1st transgender soldier
South Korea’s first transgender soldier said she would sue the military after it announced it would dismiss her for undergoing gender reassignment surgery last year. Byun Hui-su, who holds the rank of staff sergeant, had the operation in Thailand last year while on leave, and had expressed hope of continuing to serve in the female corps. Byun said she would pursue a lawsuit against the army. The army said that while it will make efforts to protect soldiers’ human rights and prevent discrimination, the surgery left Byun unable to continue to serve.
Couple kicked off flight over threatening Wi-Fi name
A couple was kicked off a flight after cabin crew traced a threatening Wi-Fi hotspot name back to them. The delayed GoJet service, operating as a Delta connection flight, was due to fly from Detroit to Montreal when a personal wifi network named “Remote detonator” was detected by the crew and was never switched off, passengers said. Crew members alerted authorities. Police boarded the aircraft and removed a 42-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman from Quebec. Both were arrested but later released, pending an investigation.
Turkey delivery man faces 18 years’ jail for spitting on pizza
A Turkish prosecutor called for a sentence of up to 18 years for a delivery man who spat on a customer’s pizza before handing it over, local media said. The incident - which happened in 2017 in the city of Eskisehir - was captured by a security camera in the customer’s apartment block, according to news agency DHA. The footage showed the delivery man, identified as Burak S, spitting on the pizza and recording the moment on his mobile phone. His motive was unknown. The defendant has already been fined 4,000 lira (600 euros) for endangering a customer’s health, and prosecutors are now seeking a lengthy prison sentence for “poisoning food.”
Australia bushfire conditions return
Some residents of Australia's capital Canberra were evacuated briefly after a bushfire broke out near the airport as searing hot weather ended a few days of respite and the number of out-of-control blazes surged in the southeast of the country. Roads were closed and the authorities told people to leave or stay away from suburbs east of Canberra, as photos posted on social media showed grey smoke billowing above the city's suburbs. There were no reports of injuries or damage, and the warning was downgraded later. "I can see the smoke from my house," said Kane Cawse, a gym owner. In recent weeks, Canberra and the cities of Sydney and Melbourne experienced air quality rated among the worst in the world under thick clouds of bushfire smoke. The fire broke out as a huge dust storm crossed the country's south, leaving skies deep orange and engulfing some outback towns, the Bureau of Meteorology said. Since September, hundreds of wildfires in Australia have killed 29 people as well as an estimated one billion native animals, while incinerating 2,500 homes and a total area of bushland larger than the size of Austria. Firefighters had taken advantage of rain and milder temperatures in the past week, but the respite ended when high temperatures and winds returned.
