WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has appointed Indian-American Raj Shah to a key position in his communications team, the White House says. Trump also appointed his confidant Hope Hicks as his Communications Director. "Raj Shah will serve as Deputy Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy Press Secretary," the White House said. Shah formerly served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Communications Director. Shah, 32, was one of the few handful of Trump's aides who landed in the White House within hours of him being sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on January 20.
Indian-origin doctor stabbed to death in Kansas
HYDERABAD: Dr Achutha Reddy, a well-known psychiatrist hailing from Andhra Pradesh, was stabbed to death in the US state of Kansas. The police arrested a suspect, 21-year-old Umar Rashid Dutt, in connection with the murder and have sent to him to jail. The motive for the murder is still unclear. The accused was a patient of Dr Reddy. Police said the clinic manager had found Dr Reddy being assaulted by a man. The doctor managed to run from the clinic but he was pursued by the accused and stabbed again in the alley behind the clinic where his body was found when the police arrived.
Arundhati Roy out of Booker 2017 shortlist
London: Authors from the UK and the US dominated the 2017 Man Booker Prize shortlist, while Indian writer Arundhati Roy failed to make the cut. Arundhati, who won the literary award for her debut book `The God of Small Things' in 1997, had featured on the long-list for her latest novel `The Ministry of Utmost Happiness'. The book was described as “a rich and vital book“ that “comes from the bowels of India“ by the judges. The short-list includes Paul Auster for `4321', Emily Fridlund for `History of Wolves', and George Saunders for `Lincoln in the Bardo', Mohsin Hamid for `Exit West', Fiona Mozley for `Elmet' and Ali Smith for `Autumn'.
25 killed in Malaysia school fire
KualaLumpur: At least 25 people, including students and teachers, were killed in a fire at a religious school in the Malaysian capital. The fire at the Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah broke out in the early hours. Officials said fire engines were at the site within minutes, and the blaze was put out within an hour. In Islamic schools - where children study the Quran – they often live in the schools.
The caused of the blaze is not yet clear.
Pak model found dead in a hotel room
Karachi: A newly-wed woman was found dead under mysterious conditions at a hotel in Karachi. The police and family suspected that she was a model who has been murdered by her husband to whom she got married about two months ago after they met on Facebook. The police initially suspected that it was suicide case. However, later the investigation confirmed that the newly-wed was murdered. After the autopsy, doctors confirmed that she was hanged to death.
Man attacks soldier with knife in Paris
Paris: A knife-wielding man attacked a soldier in Paris last week, the latest assault to raise questions over whether France's anti-terror patrols are a target for extremists. The soldier, who was part of an anti-terrorism operation, tackled the man and was uninjured. The attacker was taken into custody. The man had lunged at the soldier at the central Chatelet metro station, making reference to Allah, a police source said. The attacker was not previously known to police. Investigators have opened an anti-terror probe, government spokesman said. The incident came with France still on high alert following a string of terror attacks which began in January 2015 when jihadist gunmen stormed the offices of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, killing 12.
Former executive puts bounty on Hillary's hair, jailed
New York: Martin Shkreli, the former pharmaceutical executive who is awaiting sentencing for a fraud conviction, was sent to jail after a federal judge revoked his bail because he had offered $5,000 for a strand of Hillary Clinton's hair. Shkreli, who was free on $5 million bail while he awaited sentencing, had made two Facebook posts offering cash to anyone who could “grab a hair“ from Clinton during her book tour. At the hearing, Judge Kiyo A Matsumoto said that Shkreli's post could be perceived as a true threat. “That is a solicitation to assault in exchange for money that is not protected by the First Amendment,” she said.
Slain Indian's widow gets US work visa
Washington: An Indian woman, who lost her residency rights in the US following the murder of her techie husband in a suspected hate crime, can stay in the country for now after an influential lawmaker helped her get a temporary work visa. Sunayana Dumala, whose husband Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed at a Kansas bar in February, fell out of status because her permission to reside in the US was tied to Kuchibhotla through marriage, Congressman Kevin Yoder said. “We're not going to let this happen to Sunayana” Yoder said on Twitter. Dumala managed to regain her residency status, which she had lost after the killing of her husband.
Pak man sentenced to death over blasphemy
LAHORE: A Pakistani judge has sentenced a Christian man to death after finding him guilty of insulting Islam's Prophet in the eastern Punjab province. The man was identified as Nadeem James, 35, who was arrested last year after he sent a poem to his Muslim friend on WhatsApp. Under Pakistan's blasphemy laws, anyone accused of insulting Islam can be sentenced to death. Domestic and international human rights groups say these laws are often misused to settle personal scores and target minorities.
Knife-wielding US student shot dead
Washington: A knife-wielding student was shot dead by the police at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, US, authorities said. The Georgia Tech Police Department responded to a call about a person reportedly carrying a knife and a gun near a school dormitory. Officers arrived at the scene and tried to make contact with Scout Schultz, 21, who was holding a knife. Schultz was not complying with the police as he approached the officers before one of them fired, striking him. He was taken to a hospital where he died later.
Former Egyptian president Mursi jailed for 25 years
Cairo: An Egyptian court sentenced ousted president Mohammed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood to 25 years in prison in a final ruling over a case accusing him of spying for Qatar. Mursi, democratically elected after Egypt's 2011 revolution, was overthrown in mid-2013 by then-general Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, now the president, following mass protests against his rule. He was immediately arrested. Egypt's Court of Cassation reduced Mursi's sentence in the Qatar case to 25 years in its final ruling, from an original 40 years. Mursi is already serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted for the killing of protesters during demonstrations in 2012.
