Hemant Mistry, a 59-year-old manager at a motel in Grove, died after being attacked on June 22 when he asked 41-year-old Richard Lewis to leave the motel property. Lewis punched Mistry to the ground, where police later found him unconscious. Despite being taken to a hospital, he succumbed to his injuries the following day,according to the Oklahoma police. A video of the assault has gone viral on social media. In the footage, Mistry can be seen engaged in a heated argument with Lewis. The argument quickly escalates, and Lewis lands a punch on Mistry’s face, causing him to collapse while Lewis walks away. Lewis was later found at another hotel and arrested.
2 youths from Haryana drown in US
In a tragic incident, two youths hailing from Kaithal district of Haryana drowned in the US. The deceased have been identified as Sachin Kumar (22) and Pargat Singh (27), residents of Mohna village of Pundri. As per information, Pargat, along with his three friends, went to a lake in California. While Sachin reportedly drowned in the lake, Pargat was rescued and shifted to a hospital, where he died later. Pargat’s father said his son went to the US about eight years ago and had come home in January for his wedding. Meanwhile, Naresh Kumar, Sachin’s uncle, said: “Sachin was sent to America through the ‘donkey route’ after selling one-acre land in 2022.
Indian origin man jailed for fatal gang fight
A 25-year-old Indian-origin man in Singapore was sentenced to more than a year in jail and fined SGD 2,000 for his involvement in a rival gang-inspired brawl at a hotel here in 2023 in which one person was killed. Sharvin Jay Nair pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt to Mohammad Isrrat Mohd Ismail, who died following the brawl at the hotel in the tourist belt of Orchard Road, The Straits Times newspaper reported. Nair, who also admitted to other charges, was sentenced to 12 months and eight weeks in jail by a court here. More than 10 men have been charged over their alleged involvement in the brawl.
Minister held for ‘performing black magic’
Police in the Maldives have arrested a state environment minister, with media in the Indian Ocean nation reporting she was accused of performing “black magic” on the president. State minister for environment, climate change and energy, Fathimath Shamnaz Ali Saleem, was arrested along with two others in Male, police said. She has been remanded in custody for a week pending investigations, officers added, without giving details for her arrest. “There have been reports that Shamnaz was arrested for performing black magic on President Mohamed Muizzu,” said the Sun, a local media outlet.
US House resolution seeks probe into Pak elections
The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a resolution supporting democracy and human rights in Pakistan, urging an independent probe into claims of irregularities in the country’s Feb 8 general elections. The polls were plagued by a nationwide mobile internet shutdown on election day, arrests and violence during the lead up, and unusually delayed results. These issues led to accusations of the vote being rigged. The resolution, passed by a 368-7 vote, urged Prez Biden to collaborate with Pakistan in upholding democracy, human rights, and rule of law. Islamabad criticised the resolution, saying that it was neither constructive nor objective due to its “lack of understanding of Pakistan’s political situation and electoral process”.
China lunar probe returns with samples of the moon
China’s Chang’e 6 probe returned on Earth with rock and soil samples from the little-explored far side of the moon in a global first. The probe landed in northern China last week in the Inner Mongolian region. Chinese scientists anticipate the returned samples will include 2.5 million-year-old volcanic rock and other material that scientists hope will answer questions about geographic differences on the moon’s two sides. The near side is what is seen from Earth, and the far side faces outer space. The far side is also known to have mountains and impact craters, contrasting with the relatively flat expanses visible on the near side.
Trudeau’s party suffers major upset
Canadian PM Trudeau’s Liberal party has suffered a major upset in a special election for a Toronto district it has held for three decades, raising doubts about Trudeau’s leadership ahead of next year’s general election. Elections Canada reported that opposition Conservative candidate Don Stewart won the Toronto-St Paul’s district by almost 600 votes, 42.1% over the Liberal candidate’s 40.5% with all 192 polling stations. The Liberals had held Toronto-St Paul’s since 1993. It is one of 338 seats in Canada’s House of Commons. Losing in Canada’s largest city, a traditional Liberal stronghold, does not bode well for Trudeau ahead of the election expected in the fall of 2025.
Russia starts secret trial for US scribe
US journalist Evan Gershkovich went on trial behind closed doors in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, where he faces charges of espionage and a likely sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors say the Wall Street Journal reporter gathered secret information on the orders of the US Central Intelligence Agency about a company that manufactures tanks for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Gershkovich, his newspaper and the US govt all reject the allegations and say that he was just doing his job as a reporter accredited by the foreign ministry to work in Russia. “This bogus accusation of espionage will inevitably lead to a bogus conviction for an innocent man,” Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker said in a letter.
Assange returns home after US plea deal
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange landed to an ecstatic welcome in Australia after pleading guilty to violating US espionage law in a deal that sets him free from a 14-year legal battle. Assange disembarked from a private jet at Canberra airport, waving to waiting media and cheering supporters before passionately kissing his wife, Stella, and lifting her off the ground. He embraced his father before entering the terminal building with his legal team. Assange has not spoken publicly since being released and did not appear at a Wikileaks press conference at a hotel in Canberra, where Stella said it was too soon to say what her husband would do next.
N Korea's hypersonic missile explodes in flight
A suspected hypersonic missile launched by North Korea exploded in flight, South Korea’s military said. The missile was travelling off the North’s east coast before it blew up, South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said. Missile fragments were scattered in the water up to 250 km from the launch site near North Korea’s capital, it said. No damage was immediately reported. The joint chiefs of staff said the launch generated more smoke than normal, possibly because of an engine fault.
