New York: In a suspected hate crime, a 25-year-old Sikh cab driver in the USA was assaulted and his turban knocked off by drunk passengers. The incident left Harkirat Singh, an immigrant from Punjab, scared. The New York Police Department was investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. Singh said he picked up three men and a woman from Madison Square Garden. When they reached their destination in the Bronx, they began complaining that Singh had taken them to the wrong address and assaulted.
PIO ordered to pay $135,000 to ex-worker
New York: An Indian-American woman CEO has been ordered to pay $135,000 to her former domestic worker from India after a probe found that she underpaid the employee and mistreated her.
Himanshu Bhatia, CEO of Rose International and IT Staffing, will have to pay Sheela Ningwal back wages and damages under the terms of a consent judgement. An investigation by the labour department found that Bhatia wilfully and repeatedly violated federal labour laws' minimum wage and record keeping provisions from July 2012 to December 2014.
Pak court lets Sharif stay but orders a probe
Islamabad: Pakistan prime Minister Nawaz Sharif narrowly managed to save his premiership after a Pakistan Supreme Court bench declared there was “insufficient evidence” to remove him from office but ordered the setting up of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the graft allegations against his family. The charges relate to alleged money laundering by Sharif in the 1990s when he twice served as prime minister to purchase assets in London.
NZ toughens requirements for skilled immigrants
WELLINGTON: New Zealand has introduced tougher requirements for skilled overseas workers as it tries to control immigration numbers that have reached an all-time high. The changes come a day after Australia said it would scrap a temporary visa for skilled overseas workers and after US President Donald Trump signed an order he said should help American workers whose jobs are threatened by skilled immigrants. New Zealand's immigration minister Michael Woodhouse said in a speech that the government was unapologetic that industries relying on overseas workers are finding it harder to recruit people from abroad.
Taliban kill '140' troops in Afghan base attack
MAZAR-I-SHARIF: As many 140 Afghan soldiers were killed by Taliban attackers apparently disguised in military uniforms in what would be the deadliest attack ever on an Afghan military base. As many as 10 Taliban fighters, dressed in Afghan army uniforms and driving military vehicles, talked their way onto the base and opened fire on soldiers eating dinner. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the attack was in retaliation for the recent killing of several senior Taliban leaders in northern Afghanistan.
Kenyan conservationist shot during ambush
Nairobi: Kuki Gallmann, the Italian-born author and conservationist, was being treated in a Nairobi hospital after being shot in the stomach near her lodge in Kenya. Gallmann, 73, was ambushed while driving her vehicle, Kenyan media reported. She was rushed to the Nanyuki County Hospital for emergency before being flown to Aga Khan hospital in Nairobi. In March, Kenyan cattle herders fired shots at Gallmann and her daughter after burning down her luxury lodge at the Laikipia Nature Conservancy. Nomadic cattle herders have been carrying out raids against Kenya’s wildlife conservancies and private farms in the Laikipia region.
Madhesis strike deal with Nepal govt
Kathmandu: Nepal's Madhesi parties struck a deal with the Prachanda-led coalition government under which they would take part in the local body elections after a revised Constitution amendment bill would be passed in Parliament through a fast-track process. The Federal Alliance, a group of agitating Madhesi parties and ethnic groups, reached an agreement on fast-track endorsement of the revised Constitution amendment bill and to conduct local elections in two phases, according to the Prime Minister's office. Subsequently, the Madhesi parties called off the stir.
Pak sisters kill man for having 'blasphemed' 13 years ago
NEW DELHI: Three sisters in Pakistan shot dead a man accused of 'blasphemy' 13 years ago, saying they couldn't kill him earlier as they were "too young then." In their statement to the police, the three sisters said Fazal Abbas, 45, had committed blasphemy in 2004, but "we couldn't kill him at the time because we were too young then". They added that they had vowed they would kill him when they get a chance. "Finally, we have shot dead the blasphemer after the long wait of 13 years," the sisters said to the police upon their arrest.
Canteen in-charge fired for serving beef to Hindus
Dhaka: A canteen leaseholder at Bangladesh’s prestigious Dhaka University has been fired for serving beef to Hindu students and hurting their religious sentiments, a media report said. The university has formed a committee to investigate the incident. The committee has been asked to submit a report within a week. Zakir Hossain, a class-four employee who became the leaseholder of Faculty of Fine Arts canteen, was expelled for ‘creating disorder’ on ‘Pahela Baishakh’ when thousands of students gathered on the campus to celebrate the Bangla New Year.
