London: Arundhati Roy's latest work of fiction, 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness', has made it to the list of this year's Man Booker Prize. The book came after 19 years since the author's debut novel 'God of Small Things,' that won the Booker Prize in 1997. The judges described the book as 'a rich and vital book' that 'comes from the bowels of India' and has 'remarkable scale' and 'extraordinary style and intelligence.' Born in 1961, Arundhati has published several works of non-fiction. 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness' is her second work of fiction.
India-born named dean of MIT's engg school
New York: India-born academician has been named as the dean of the engineering school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Anantha Chandrakasan, head of the department of electrical engineering and computer science was last month named the dean of the MIT's School of Engineering. The Chennai-born academician had previously headed the MIT's largest academic department, spearheading a number of initiatives that opened opportunities for students, postdocs, and faculty to conduct research, explore entrepreneurial projects. Since joining the MIT in 1994, Chandrakasan has produced a significant body of research focused largely on making electronic circuits more energy efficient.
Sikh man asked to take off kirpan in Australian bus
MELBOURNE: A Sikh man in Australia was asked to take off his kirpan and "get out" of a bus when a passenger called police in panic after seeing the ceremonial knife. Police boarded the busy bus in Auckland and asked the Sikh passenger to remove the kirpan and get down from the bus. A police spokeswoman said officers were called after a member of the public reported seeing a kirpan. The spokeswoman said the kirpan was not confiscated. A baptised Sikh has five articles of faith and the kirpan is one of them. Australia is home to more than 72,000 Sikh, a population that is expected to rise in this year's census.
Lanka, China sign $1.1 bn port deal
Colombo: Sri Lanka signed a $1.1 billion deal with China to sell a 70% stake in the strategic Hambantota port to a state-run Chinese firm, a move that could raise security concerns in India. The deal had been delayed for months over concerns that the deep-sea port could be used by the Chinese navy. As part of the deal, the stake in the loss-making port has been sold to China's state-run conglomerate China Merchant Port Holdings. According to the new deal, only the Sri Lankan navy will be responsible for security of the deep-sea port, and the port will not be allowed to become a base for any foreign navy. The new provision is seen as an attempt to allay India's concerns over Chinese navy's possible presence in Lanka.
Singapore's next prez may be of Indian or Pak descent
Singapore: The candidates seeking nominations for the post of Singapore's president has come under scanner, with a debate going around whether they are “Malay enough” as the likely contenders are of Indian and Pakistani descent. The favourite for the ceremonial head of the state post is Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, whose father was Indian and mother Malay. The second aspirant is Salleh Marican, who has Indian heritage and struggled to speak Malay. The third candidate Farid Khan is of Pakistani heritage.
Mush mulled using nukes against India
Dubai: Pakistan's former military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf has said that he mulled the use of nuclear weapons against India amid tensions following the 2001 terror attack on the Indian Parliament, but decided against it for fear of retaliation, according to a media report. Musharraf recalled that he had many sleepless nights, asking himself whether he would or could deploy nuclear weapons, the Japanese daily `Mainichi Shimbun' said. When tensions were high in 2001, there was a “danger when (the) nuclear threshold could have been crossed,” the paper quoted Musharraf as saying.
Australia thwarts `Islamic-inspired' plane attack plot
Sydney: Security has tightened security at Australian airports after police foiled an “Islamic-inspired” plans for a bomb attack on an aircraft during counter-terrorism raids in which four men were arrested. The increased security presence caused some delays in the operations of the flights and authorities warned travellers to prepare for more disruptions as traffic picked up during the week. “In recent days, law enforcement has become aware of information that suggested some people in Sydney were planning to commit a terrorist act using an improvised device,” police commissioner Andrew Colvin said.
Egypt army kills 40 militants in Sinai raids
Cairo: At least 40 militants were killed in military raids on terrorist hideouts in North Sinai province of Egypt, the army said. An army spokesperson said that five other militants were arrested in the raids. Egypt has been battling anti-security activities, mostly centred in Sinai peninsula, since the army-led ouster of former Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi in 2013, which left hundreds of police and army personnel killed. The spokesman added that a large quantity of explosives, weapons and some documents were also seized.
30 Afghan soldiers killed in Taliban attack
KANDAHAR (Afghanistan): At least 30 soldiers were killed when Taliban fighters attacked an army base in the southern province of Kandahar. Sediq Esa, spokesman for the 205th Corps in Kandahar, said the Taliban attacked an outpost in Khakriz district, north of Kandahar city, seizing the outpost and capturing weapons and vehicles. "As a result of the fighting, 30 army personnel have been killed and many others wounded," he said. The attack came after days of fierce fighting across Afghanistan that underlined the steadily deteriorating security in much of the country, which has also seen a string of high profile attacks in cities, including the capital Kabul.
Air India air hostess, crew detained in S Arabia
New Delhi: The air hostess and crew members of the Air India Mumbai-Jeddah flight were detained in Saudi Arabia for three hours due to a permit issue. The incident took place when the crew members landed in Jeddah. The air hostess and crew were returning to their hotel after having dinner when their taxi was intercepted by Saudi police to check their permits. Despite showing the xerox of immigration and valid Air India IDs they were put in the police vans and locked in a room. After three hours an Arab hotel staff came and explained the police official about their identity following which they were released.
Putin orders 755 Americans to leave Russia
Moscow: In retaliation to the new sanctions announced by Washington, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered 755 US diplomats to leave the country. The Russian foreign ministry had earlier demanded the US cut its diplomatic presence in Russia by September to 455 - the same number Moscow has in the US. Putin said, “755 people must stop their activities in Russia.” Earlier this week, following the US Congress' approval of new sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea, the Russian foreign ministry announced that Moscow told Washington to reduce the number of its diplomatic staff in Russia to 455 people.
Woman sets house afire in bid to kill bug
Houston: A woman trying to burn a bug inside her bedroom in the US started a fire which resulted in the evacuation of people from the building and an estimated $140,000 damage to the property. The incident took place at an apartment complex in Kansas, with Fire Marshal Mike Martin saying the blaze occurred in the master bedroom of an apartment. The cause was listed as being accidental, resulting from an “occupant trying to kill a bug with a lighter.” Monique Quarles said the blaze started after she tried to burn a bug that was found in the bedroom with a flip-style lighter that malfunctioned.
