South Africa has provisionally withdrawn an arrest warrant for Ajay Gupta, a businessman and friend of former president Jacob Zuma, in a corruption case, police said. The case against Gupta relates to allegations made by former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas, who said that a member of the Gupta family offered him the job of finance minister and a large bribe if Jonas would help the Gupta family with its business ventures in South Africa. The Guptas have denied any wrongdoing. “The warrant for Ajay Gupta was provisionally withdrawn,” said Hangwani Mulaudzi, a spokesman for the Hawks police unit. “But it can be reinstated.”
Man faces hate crime charge for punching Sikh
A man was arrested on hate crime charges in the US state of California after he punched a Sikh clerk and threw hot coffee on him as he believed the victim was a Muslim, according to a media report. The man, identified as John Crain, threw hot coffee at the clerk and then punched him in the face before fleeing. The clerk told cops that Crain had prepared himself a cup of coffee and attempted to leave without paying, according to police. He is seen in the CCTV footage confronting Crain before being attacked. Crain told police he “hated Muslims” and attacked the Sikh clerk because he believed he’s Muslim.
GMU scientist Padmanabhan Seshaiyer to be honored
Vrije Universiteit Brussel will confer Padmanabhan Seshaiyer, associate dean for academic affairs for George Mason University’s College of Science and a professor of mathematical sciences, with the title of Doctor Honoris Causa, an honor given to an elite cadre of “committed scientists who transcend the boundaries of their own disciplines and to personalities that have been at the frontiers of societal change.” “Having a societal impact [with] our research is always a good thing,” the Indian American professor said in a statement. “If that research can lead to societal change, it really adds a lot of value to what you’re doing.” Seshaiyer has been at the forefront of a multidisciplinary effort that connects science to societal problems in hopes of effecting positive change.
One Indian American, 14 Indians named among MIT Sloan Fellows
One Indian American as well as a number of individuals from India were among the 111 people recently named to the 2019 class of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management’s Fellows MBA Program. Among the Fellows was Indian American Priya Sampath. Sampath who is the director of foundation relations at the Habitat for Humanity International. In addition to Sampath, there were 14 India-based individuals named to the program. Among them were Shweta Aprameya, Mukesh Bansal, Neha Chaudhry, Brotish Das, Aditya Srujan Jandhyala, Ambuj Jhunjhunwala, Karthik Mahalingam, Kiranmayi Muntha, Vijay Nair, Vishnu Pogunulu, Nanda Ponnambalam, Neha Sharma and Rohit Sharma.
Sikh activist to fight for City Council seat in Fishers
Gurinder Singh Khalsa, an Indian American Sikh activist in Fishers, Indiana, recently announced his intention to run for city council in the midwestern town. Khalsa, a Republican, filed his papers to make his candidacy official, according to reports. Gurinder Singh, along with his supporters, reached the Hamilton County Circuit Court where Khalsa filed his papers and presented them to Hamilton County Circuit Court Clerk Kathy Kreag Williams, the reports said. His wife Gagandeep Kaur was present, among others. Khalsa, a native of Haryana, said, "I have been proud to call Fishers my home and look forward to giving back to the community. Please vote for me."
Lanka hunting for 2 hangmen
Sri Lankan prison authorities are hunting for two hangmen after the president pledged to end a 43-year moratorium on capital punishment and execute condemned drug traffickers amid alarm over drug-related crime in this Indian Ocean island nation. Interviews of the candidates will be conducted next month and two will be hired, prison department spokesman. The officials are looking for candidates with "excellent moral character" and should pass a test to check the "mind and mental strength." The move to hire hangmen comes after President Maithripala Sirisena said executions will resume in the next two months for condemned drug traffickers, vowing to be tough on drug offenders and modeling his country's drug fight after the Philippines. Sri Lanka last executed a prisoner in 1976.
Nawaz Sharif's brother Shahbaz indicted in housing scam
A Pakistani anti-graft tribunal has indicted the country's opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif over his alleged links to a multi-million dollar housing scam in the eastern city of Lahore. Sharif was arrested in October on charges of abusing power as chief minister of Punjab from 2013 to 2018 by awarding contacts for the housing scheme to those connected to his Pakistan Muslim League party. The court also indicted 10 other people on corruption charges in connection with a housing program for low-income citizens. Sharif and the other co-accused denied the charges. Sharif leads the opposition in the lower house of parliament. He is free on bail pending trial, which starts next week.
US lawmaker apologises for anti-Semitic comments
Freshman Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar has apologised for tweets suggesting that members of Congress support Israel because they are being paid to do so, which drew widespread criticism and a rebuke from House Speaker. She said she had no intention of offending anyone, including Jewish Americans. “We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me about my identity,” Omar tweeted. “This is why I unequivocally apologize.” The statement was the latest reckoning among Democrats of intense differences in their ranks over the US-Israeli relationship, highlighted by criticism from Omar and Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
Trump's ex-aide faces up to 24 year in jail
US President Donald Trump's former election campaign manager Paul Manafort faces upto 24 year jail term, special counsel Robert Mueller has said. Manafort has been accused for "serious, longstanding, and bold" financial crimes. "Manafort acted for more than a decade as if he were above the law and deprived the federal government and various financial institutions of millions of dollars," the special counsel investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 elections wrote in the memo to Judge T.S. Ellis III. Manafort was convicted in August of financial fraud and charges relating to his work as a political consultant in Ukraine. He was found to have hidden more than $16 million in income from US authorities, which allowed him to avoid paying $6 million in taxes. He also hid tens of millions of dollars in foreign bank accounts and secured $25 million bank loans through fraud, reports say.
Egypt lawmakers clear way for Sisi to rule until 2034
Egyptian lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to extend term for President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi until 2034, part of a package of constitutional amendments also set to further enshrine the military’s role in politics that will now face a national referendum. Of the 596-seat Parliament, 485 lawmakers backed the amendments, which could see the former general ruling for the length of four US presidential terms, in addition to the nearly five years he’s already spent in office. Critics of the move argue that Egypt is slipping back into authoritarianism, eight years after a pro-democracy uprising ended autocrat Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade rule. Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Al said the motion would now be discussed by the constitutional and legislative affairs committee for 60 days before returning to Parliament for a final vote followed by the referendum, likely to take place before early May.
Zimbabwe opposition politician convicted
A Zimbabwean court has convicted prominent opposition politician Tendai Biti for announcing that his party's leader won disputed elections held in July. Biti was on trial for "unofficial and false declaration of results." Magistrate Gloria Takundwa fined him $200 for the offence. Biti, also a leading human rights lawyer, fled the country to neighboring Zambia in August citing threats to his life. He was deported back to Zimbabwe days later and arrested for allegedly violating the electoral law. Main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa and his party, the Movement for Democratic Change, have rejected the election results, claiming the electoral agency rigged the vote to ensure a win for President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Fox News host says he has not washed hands in 10 years
Fox News host Pete Hegseth has said that he has not washed his hands in a decade as he thinks “germs are not a real thing.” Hegseth made the shocking admission on ‘Fox and Friends’ episode. The network’s spokeswoman later described Hegseth’s comments as a “joke.” He said the infectious microorganisms did not exist because they could not be seen with the naked eye. “I inoculate myself. Germs are not a real thing. I can’t see them, therefore they’re not real,” added the 38-year-old Harvard and Princeton graduate. His remarks came after co-hosts Ed Henry and Jedediah Bila made fun of him for eating left-over pizza that had not been refrigerated.
