An Indian national working at a logistics company at Singapore’s Changi Airport has been jailed for eight weeks and fined 800 Singapore dollars for accepting bribes to under-report the weight of passenger bags, a media report said. Hiteshkumar Chandubhai Patel, 37, worked as a customer service associate for logistics service provider between January 2015 and November 2016. He took money from one Gopal Krishna Raju, who ran a side business of buying gold in Singapore and sending it to Chennai to be sold. “Instead of using a courier service, he would look for travellers to Chennai to help him carry the gold over in their luggage, and they would in turn get paid by his relatives there,” The NewPaper reported.
Indian man in UAE wins raffle draw, but rejects calls for claiming it
An Indian man in the UAE has won dirham 15 million ($4 million) in a raffle draw in Abu Dhabi, the latest addition to the long list of lucky winners from India. Shojith KS, who lives in Sharjah, won the Abu Dhabi Duty Free's Big Ticket series draw. Shojith who bought the winning ticket on April 1, is unaware that he is now a multi-millionaire as he repeatedly rejected the calls of the officers who tried to get in touch with him. "If (our calls) don't get through we will keep on trying. And if we still can't get in touch with Shojith, we are going to his house," Richard, who conducts the raffle, said. Last year, Indian driver from Kerala John Varughese won dirham 12 million in the raffle draw. In January, another Keralite in the UAE had won a dirham 12 million in the draw. Eight Indians were among the 10 people who had won dirham 1 million each in a mega draw in Abu Dhabi in October 2017.
40 killed as Russian plane on fire makes emergency landing
At least 40 people died after a passenger plane on fire attempted an emergency landing at Moscow's busiest airport as flames and thick black smoke poured from the fuselage, Russian news agencies reported. "For the moment, we confirm the death of 13 people, two of them children,' said a spokeswoman for the crash investigation team. It attempted an emergency landing but did not succeed in the first time, and on the second time the landing gear hit (the ground), then the nose did, and it caught fire," a source said. The agencies did not immediately say how many people were on board and TASS did not specify the number of injured. It said ambulances were sent to the scene of the landing and the passengers were evacuated.
Plane crashes into US river, 21 hurt
A Boeing jetliner with 143 people aboard from the US outpost at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, slid off a runway into a shallow river in Jacksonville, Florida, while attempting to land at a military base there during a thunderstorm, injuring 21 people. There were no reports of fatalities or critical injuries. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said that all 21of the injured were taken to a hospital, where they were listed in good condition. The plane, a chartered Boeing 737-800 arriving from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba with 136 passengers and seven crew members, crashed into the St. Johns river at the end of the runway at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, a spokesman for the Florida air base said. A passenger on board the plane, attorney Cheryl Bormann said: “We came down, the plane literally hit the ground and bounced. It was clear the pilot did not have total control of the plane. It bounced again,” she said, adding that the experience was “terrifying.”
US coach gets 180 years in jail for abusing 400 boys
An American youth basketball coach who pleaded guilty to multiple accounts of sexual exploitation of minors and child pornography was sentenced to 180 years in prison by a US district court. Greg Stephen, 43, had been accused by prosecutors of sexually exploiting at least 400 boys over several years. According to a report, he ran the Iowa Barnstormers, an elite youth programme that helped many get college athletic scholarships, including at Division I schools such as Iowa, Northern Iowa and Wisconsin. Most of the boys were tricked by Stephen into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves while he posed as a girl who promised to reciprocate. He was also accused of touching some of his players.
NZ PM Jacinda Ardern engaged to longtime partner
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is engaged to her longtime partner Clarke Gayford, her spokesman said. Gayford, the 41-year-old host of a TV fishing show, takes care of their ten-month-old daughter, while Ardern, 38, runs the country. Her pregnancy announced in early 2018 was seen by many as a symbol of progress for women in leadership roles. She is only the second elected leader to give birth while in office, after Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto in 1990. The calm and compassion shown by Ardern in response to the killing of 50 Muslims in March burnished the credentials of a leader who has been criticised domestically over handling of the economy and flip flops in government policy
Election candidate dropped over Islamophobic comments
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that he had forced a candidate to quit his Liberal Party because of Islamophobic comments posted on social media. Jessica Whelan is the third Liberal candidate to be dropped by the party in the past week because of offensive social media posts. Morrison said her posts, which included one on genital mutilation, were at odds with the views of the Liberal Party. "Whether she's contrite about it... I won’t have a candidate like that," Morrison said in Victoria, where he was campaigning for the May 18 election. Whelan, who will remain on the ballot as her resignation came after early voting has begun, said the posts were "inappropriate" as she urged voters to back a candidate from the National Party – the junior partner in Morrison's coalition government.
Young investigator award for Faisal Khosa
Dr Faisal Khosa who is serving as an associate professor in radiology at the University of British Columbia has been honoured with young investigator award by the Canadian Association of Radiologists. He received his medical degree in Pakistan followed by board certifications in radiology from Ireland, the USA and Canada. He is an award-winning radiologist, author, educator and scholar, but it is his work as a mentor, researcher and advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion that has created a legacy, not only for his own profession but also for the larger health care and academic community. He has received awards for philanthropy and excellence in research, mentorship and advocacy in Pakistan, the UAE, the USA and Canada including the Canadian Association of Radiologists' Young Investgator award (2019); Vancouver Coastal Health – Healthcare Hero Award (2018); Canadian Radiological Foundation Leadership Scholarship (2017); People First Leadership Award – Vancouver Coastal Health (2017); College of Physicians and Surgeons Examiners Award (2017); Outstanding Support Award by VGH Trauma Program (2016); American Roentgen Ray Society Scholar (2013 – 2016); Outstanding Young Investigator Award in USA (2015); One in One Hundred Mentor Award in USA (2014); “Medal of Excellence” (Tamgha-i-Imtiaz) by the govt of Pakistan (2013); Outstanding Service to Medicine Award by College of Physicians and Surgeons in Pakistan (2012); Education and Mentoring award in UAE (2012).
China sentences Canadian to death for drug offences
A Chinese court sentenced a Canadian national to death for producing and trafficking the addictive stimulant methamphetamine, amid heightened tension between Beijing and Ottawa over the arrest of a Huawei Technologies executive. Canadian Fan Wei was a leader in the production and trafficking scheme, the Jiangmen Intermediate People’s Court said in a statement. In response, Canadian foreign minister Chrystia Freeland condemned the use of the death penalty, calling it “cruel and inhumane punishment.” Another suspect, Wu Ziping, was sentenced to death but Wu’s nationality was not given. The court did not specify the gender of either Fan or Wu. The court also issued judgments against nine other people, including one American and four Mexicans. Fan is the second Canadian to be sentenced to death for drug offences in China this year.
Musharraf case: Pak court adjourns hearing
Pakistan's former military dictator Pervez Musharraf did not turn up for the treason trial against him on 2 May, citing deteriorating health and a special court accepted his plea to postpone the hearing until after Ramazan, according to a media report. The former president's lawyer Salman Safdar, in an application on behalf of Musharraf, stated that despite strong willingness and eagerness to return to Pakistan, the life-threatening ailments and medical complications have forced him not to appear before the special court. The 75-year-old former president also apologised for not appearing before the court and requested it to postpone the hearing until the end of Ramazan, which falls on June 4. "Musharraf should be given an opportunity to appear so as to fulfil the requisites of justice," Safdar said. The counsel further clarified that Musharraf was unable to speak and that he could not respond to the questions in court without his client's assistance. The three-member bench, headed by Justice Tahira Safdar, admitted Musharraf's plea and adjourned the hearing till June 12.
Taliban say gap narrowing in talks with US
The Taliban said the gap is narrowing in talks with Washington’s special peace envoy over a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. The two sides are continuing to meet in Qatar, where the insurgent movement maintains a political office. The Taliban spokesman in Doha, Suhail Shaheen, said both sides have offered new proposals for drawing down US and NATO forces. This would be a significant initial step toward a deal to end nearly 18 years of war and America’s longest military engagement. "There are proposals to lower the gap between the two sides, but (it) still needs negotiation to reach a final agreement," he said in a statement. Other Taliban officials had earlier said that the US was seeking a year and a half to withdraw its estimated 14,000 troops from Afghanistan, while the Taliban wanted it done in six months. Talks between the US and Taliban, which began last year with the appointment of Washington’s peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, have focused on a timetable for a US withdrawal as well as Taliban guarantees that Afghanistan will not be used as a staging arena for global terrorist attacks. The US also wants guarantees that the Taliban won’t harbor terrorists and that the insurgent group will help in the fight against an Islamic State affiliate that has taken root mostly in eastern Afghanistan.
