Indian American journalist Meeta Agrawal has joined The New York Times as arts & leisure editor. Agrawal will work with Michel and Cruz on The Times Sunday Arts & Leisure section, which provides long-form features, essays and conceptual packages. Agrawal previously worked at Entertainment Weekly for 11 years, beginning as a correspondent, and then moving up to executive editor and then deputy editor. Agrawal was in charge of print and digital coverage of TV, film, books, podcasts and pop music. She also led the magazine’s live event strategy, and curated the Entertainers of the Year edition, among other responsibilities. Prior to joining EW, Agrawal was a staff editor at Life magazine.
Fastest growing language in US is Telugu
Telugu is the fastest growing language in the US, says an American think tank. The number of US residents speaking Telugu rose by 86 per cent between 2010 and 2017, according to World Economic Forum. But Telugu, the fourth most spoken language in India, is still outside the top 20 of the most widely-spoken languages other than English in the US. Last year there were more than 400,000 Telugu speakers in the US. Out of the top 10 fastest-growing languages in America, seven are from South Asia. The rise of Telugu was connected to the links forged between Hyderabad and the US engineering and technology industries, Prasad Kunisetty, founder of the Telugu People Foundation, a non-profit organization, was quoted as saying.
Indian couple dies after falling in California's Yosemite National Park
In a tragic incident, an Indian couple died after falling 800 feet in an area with steep terrain in California's Yosemite National Park this week, according to a media report. Vishnu Viswanath, 29, and Meenakshi Moorthy, 30, fell to their deaths from Taft Point in Yosemite National Park. They were identified as a married couple from India living in the United States, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The report said that the couple had recently moved from New York after Viswanath took a job as a systems engineer at Cisco, based in San Jose. Together, they chronicled their adventures of travelling around the world in a blog called 'Holidays and HappilyEverAfters'.
UN Human Rights Prize for Pak activist Asma
Late Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer Asma Jahangir has been has been named as one of the four winners of of 2018 UN Human Rights Prize. The announcement was made by the President of the UN General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces. The other three winners are Tanzanian activist Rebeca Gyumi, Brazil's first indigenous lawyer Joenia Wapichana and Ireland's human rights organisation Front Line Defenders. Asma became the fourth Pakistani woman to be awarded the UN Human Rights Prize. Before her, Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan (1978), Benazir Bhutto (2008) and Malala Yousufzai (2013) had been accorded the honour. Asma, who passed away on February 11, was known for her outspoken nature and unrelenting pursuit of human rights as well as for remaining undaunted in the face of extreme pressure and opposition. She fought her battles on the streets and in the courts, opposed military strongmen and steadfastly championed the rights of women, minorities and LGBTs.
PoK activists hold anti-Pak protest
Exiled political activists from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) gathered outside the European Parliament in Brussels to protest against Pakistan sponsored atrocities and plundering of resources in the region. Disgruntled PoK activists shouted slogans against Islamabad blaming it for construction of the Neelum- Jhelum hydro power project and Diamer Bhasha dam that has not only severely affected the flora and fauna of the region but has left the common people reeling under abject poverty.
World's longest sea bridge opened in China
The world's longest cross-sea bridge, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, in Zhuhai city, that connects the east and west sides of the Pearl River Delta in South China has finally opened. The 55-km bridge will slash through the Pearl River Estuary, lessening the travel time between Hong Kong and Zhuhai from 4 hours to 45 minutes. The main section of the project is a 22.9 km bridge and a 6.7 km underwater tunnel. The bridge is part of Beijing's "Greater Bay Area" Scheme, aiming to provide better passenger and freight land transport between Hong Kong and Mainland China, integrating the Guangdong province into a better business hub.
6 new corruption cases against former Malaysia PM
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been charged with six new corruption charges in relation to alleged embezzlement of funds involving the state-owned 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund. Razak, 65, who is out on bail for previous charges, was accused of abuse of power and money laundering of government funds, during his appearance in court. Along with Razak, former Treasury Secretary General Irwan Serigar was also was charged for the same accounts of corruption. Each of the charges is punishable between two and 20 years in prison, to which a fine could also be added. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The new charges were added to the already existing 32 cases of corruption against Razak with all of them being related to the 1MDB investigations.
