An Indian citizen has pleaded guilty to operating a fraud scheme by falsely representing as an employee of the US immigration service in which he used social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp to scam people seeking to obtain American visas. Kanwar Sarabjit Singh, 51, a lawful permanent resident, used Facebook and WhatsApp to falsely represent himself as an employee of the US department of homeland security who worked in US immigration and naturalisation service and who could obtain genuine US visas in exchange for a fee of USD 3,000 to USD 4,000, US attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia said. Singh pleaded guilty to wire fraud and impersonation of a federal officer and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He also admitted to engaging in an investment fraud scheme in Tennessee in 2012 in which he defrauded around 22 investors of approximately USD 3,40,000.
Indian sailor rescued in multi-nation operation
A French vessel finally located injured Indian Navy sailor Abhilash Tomy after a rescue effort involving four nations, over four gruelling and tense days in one of the remotest parts of the world, in the southern Indian Ocean. Tomy, 39, had been injured after his two-masted yacht, Thuriya, was caught in a storm over 5,000 km south of Kanyakumari and 3,000 km west of the Australian coast.
A commander with the Navy, Tomy is the first Indian and the second Asian to complete a solo, unassisted circumnavigation of the world on a sailing ship. Winner of the Kirti Chakra and Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, he is a noted name in international sailing circles. On July 1, he embarked from France for the 2018 Golden Globe Race that is held in honour of the 1968 competition of the same name, which was the first circumnavigation of the world on a yacht.Tomy was on an ordinary yacht - the Thuriya is a replica of the Suhaili, the vessel on which Robin Knox-Johnston won the 1968 race. Suhaili was built in Mumbai, while Tomy’s replica was built in Goa.
UN body fires Indian employee for ‘sexually harassing’ men
An Indian national employed in the UN agency for gender equality and women empowerment has been dismissed from service after an investigation found that he indulged in sexual misconduct. UN Women said that the Office of Audit and Investigation of UNDP had completed its investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations. While the staff member has not been named, sexual misconduct allegations were levelled against Indian national Ravi Karkara, who had served as senior advisor on strategic partnerships and advocacy to the assistant secretary general and deputy executive director at UN Women. The executive director of the UN Women said that following the investigation, the staff member has been dismissed from service. At least eight men had accused Karkara of using his position to sexually harass them.
Indian-origin man arrested for rant against SA prez
A former Indian-origin city councillor in South Africa has been arrested for allegedly making derogatory racist comments against President Cyril Ramaphosa in a video. In the viral video, former Durban councillor Kessie Nair, who was earlier sentenced to six years in prison for fraud in 2005, called Ramaphosa a “kaffir” - a derogatory term used against black people during the racist apartheid era. In the video, Nair said he is prepared to take a bullet or go to prison for the rest of his life. “I... do hereby call for that kaffir state president Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, yes I mean the kaffir state president Cyril Ramaphosa, to be charged for frauding [sic] this nation, for oppressing this nation, for high treason, for failing and he’s the source to all crime violence, poor healthcare, poverty that prevails in a so-called true democracy,” he said in the nearly five minute-long rant.
Japanese PM re-elected as leader of ruling party
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has won the leadership election of ruling Liberal Democratic Partys (LDP), securing a historic third term that will effectively extend his time in power by another three years. Abe comfortably beat his only contender, former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba, by securing 553 out of a total 807 votes. He won 329 out of the 402 valid ballots cast by LDP MPs and 224 out of the remaining 405 votes allocated to party branches in each prefecture based on the number of members age 18 or older who have paid party fees. His extended term in office signals the possibility that Abe, who has already been at the helm of the world's third-largest economy for nearly six years in his second stint as Prime Minister, may become the longest-serving premier in Japanese history. With his renewed leadership, Abe is likely to reshuffle his Cabinet in the coming weeks.
Pak teen, boyfriend beheaded by father for 'honour'
An 18-year-old girl was beheaded along with her 21-year-old boyfriend in Pakistan by her father and uncle in what the police are calling yet another incident of honour killing. The incident took place in a small village in Attock district when the man arrived at the girl's house to meet her, police was quoted as saying. Soon after, the girl's father and her uncle walked in and, after tying the victims with ropes, beheaded them with a sharp object. The police have arrested both suspects and recovered the murder weapon as well. Scores of people in Pakistan, an overwhelming majority of whom are women, are still being murdered by relatives for bringing "shame" on their family. At least 280 such murders were recorded by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan from October 2016 to June 2017 - a figure believed to be much below than the actual number.
Former Malaysian PM charged with corruption
Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak has been charged in court on four counts of corruption. Najib pleaded not guilty to all counts, each of which carries a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years. Accused of abusing the position of prime minister for "self gratification", he could also be handed a fine of up to £40m. The charges come amid a lengthy probe, and relate to a suspicious transaction involving SRC International, a former unit of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), and Najib's personal account. "As a public official, which is prime minister and minister of finance, used your position for self gratification (for a) total of 42 million ringgit," Attorney General Tommy Thomas said. The charges, three of criminal breach of trust and one count of abuse of power, relate only to a fraction of the total amount allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB. The US Department of Justice has said more than $4.5bn (£3.4bn) was siphoned from the fund.
225 drowned in Tanzania ferry mishap
At least 225 people were drowned after an overloaded passenger ferry sank on Lake Victoria in Tanzania. Regional commissioner, John Mongella, said the seven bodies were discovered on the fourth day of search operations. The government says the passenger ferry MV Nyerere was traveling between Ukara and Bugolora when it capsized. Such ferries often carry hundreds of people and are overcrowded. Accidents are often reported on the large freshwater lake surrounded by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Some of the deadliest have occurred in Tanzania, where passenger boats are often said to be old and in poor condition.
Gunmen storm Iran military parade, kill 25
Gunmen attacked an annual Iranian military parade in the country’s oil-rich southwest, killing at least 25 people, almost half of them members of the Revolutionary Guards, and wounding 53 others, local media reported. An Iranian ethnic Arab opposition movement called the Ahvaz National Resistance, which seeks a separate state in oil-rich Khuzestan province, claimed responsibility for the attack in Ahvaz. Islamic State terror group also claimed responsibility. Neither claim provided evidence. Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said the attackers had hidden weapons in an area near the parade route several days in advance. “All four terrorists were quickly neutralised by security forces,” Shekarchi told state television. The gunmen were trained by two Gulf Arab states and had ties to the US and Israel, according to Shekarchi. “They are not from Daesh (Islamic State) or other groups fighting (Iran’s) Islamic system ... but they are linked to America and (Israel’s intelligence agency) Mossad,” he said.
Philippine typhoon toll mounts to 95
The death toll in two major landslides that struck the Philippines after super typhoon Mangkhut barreled the island nation last week has climbed to 95, authorities said. As of Sunday night, officials said a total of 49 bodies have been pulled out the mining town of Itogon's rubble in the north. The rescue workers had also pulled out another 46 bodies from the landslide site at the foot of a quarrying site in Naga City. In Itogon, a disaster official said at least 19 others were still missing after mud and boulders crashed on a bunkhouse where miners and their families sought refuge as Mangkhut hit Luzon Island on September 15. Rescuers were trying to locate 40 others still missing in the Naga City landslide that buried some 30 houses.
'Alternative Nobel' for 3 Saudi activists
The Right Livelihood Award - known as the "Alternative Nobel" - was awarded to three jailed Saudi human rights defenders and two Latin American anti-corruption crusaders. The prize foundation said the 1 million kronor ($113,400) cash award for 2018 was to be shared by Abdullah al-Hamid, Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani and Waleed Abu al-Khair "for their visionary and courageous efforts, guided by universal human rights principles, to reform the totalitarian political system in Saudi Arabia." The 2018 honorary award was given to Thelma Aldana of Guatemala and Colombia's Ivan Velasquez "for their innovative work in exposing abuse of power and prosecuting corruption." Created in 1980, the annual award honors efforts that the prize founder, Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull, felt were being ignored by the Nobel Prizes.
