A US Navy veteran was awarded three consecutive life sentences on federal hate crime charges for killing Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla and wounding two others at a Kansas City bar last year. Adam Purinton of Olathe shot and killed 32-year-old Srinivas Kuchibhotla, and wounded two others - Indian national Alok Madasani and Kansas resident Ian Grillot in February 2017. Earlier this year, he pleaded guilty in federal court to hate crime and firearm offenses arising out of the shooting. Purinton admitted that he targeted and shot Kuchibhotla and Madasani because of their race, colour, and national origin, and that he shot Grillot during an attempt to flee the scene of the crime. The sentences will run consecutively to another life sentence 53-year-old Purinton previously received for first-degree murder in Johnson County District Court.
Sikh man shot dead, cousin injured in Canada
A 19-year-old Sikh man was shot dead outside his home and his cousin was injured by unidentified persons in an apparent targeted shooting in Canada, police said. Gagandeep Singh Dhaliwal, who was known to local police but had no criminal records, got home on Sunday with his family following a wedding reception. He then went to the garage to hang out with his cousin, and it was at that time when the shooting started, his family was quoted as saying. The police took both to hospital where Dhaliwal was pronounced dead shortly after arriving in hospital and his cousin is in hospital receiving treatment, the report said. The injured man has not been identified. "It's not clear what the motive was but investigators believe the shooting was targeted," police said.
Woman detained at Dubai airport for drinking wine
A woman had to go through a terrible ordeal in Dubai for drinking a glass of wine on a flight from London. Ellie Holman was asked if she had consumed alcohol by an immigration official at Dubai International Airport. When her reply was affirmative, the mother-of-three was arrested and was held in the airport detention centre. Holman said, "My little girl had to go to the toilet on the cell floor. I have never heard her cry in the same way as she did in that cell. My passport remains confiscated until the case is settled, which I have been told will take at least a year. So far this situation has cost me around £30,000 in legal fees, expenses and missed work. My practice is closed. All our savings have gone."
Pak singer faces flak for singing Indian song in US
Pakistani singer Atif Aslam was trolled on social media and also criticised by the country’s mainstream media for singing a popular Bollywood song at a Pakistan Independence Day function in New York. Atif sang “Tera Hone Laga Hoon” from the film “Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani” at the function earlier this month. The performance prompted many of his fans back home to question his patriotism. “Zero respect for Atif Aslam!” wrote a Twitter user. “Boycott Atif Aslam Ap Ne Dil Tor diya #boycottAtifAslam #AtifAslam,” wrote another user. The singer responded in a long Instagram post. “Simply love my haters. ...Allah is the only one who can make someone worthy of respect or not. The Pakistani flag is my identity and my fans know that I respect it a lot. I’m glad my fans know how to deal with fake propaganda against me,” he said.
Pak actress-singer shot dead, allegedly by husband
In yet another incident of violence against women artistes in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, actress and singer Reshma was recently shot dead allegedly by her husband in Nowshera Kalan area. According to a report, Reshma, who was the suspect's fourth wife, used to live with her brother. Police revealed that the suspect had entered the house and started firing at his wife, following a domestic dispute. He then managed to escape from the crime scene. This is the 15th such incident of violence against female artists in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year.
120 killed in Taliban offensive in Afghanistan
About 100 Afghan policemen/soldiers and at least 20 civilians were killed in four days of fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban over a key provincial capital, defense minister, Gen. Tareq Shah Bahrami said. The insurgents captured several parts Ghazni town from the security forces. The fall of Ghazni town, a city of 270,000 people, would mark an important victory for the Taliban. It would also cut off a key highway linking Kabul to the southern provinces. Bahrami said about 1,000 additional troops have been sent to Ghazni and helped prevent the city from falling into Taliban hands. He said 194 insurgents, including 12 leaders, were killed with Pakistani, Chechen and Arabs foreign fighters among the dead.
Sri Lankan tourist police told to learn Hindi
Sri Lanka's Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara asked the police personnel to learn Hindi. He said that in a few years, the tourism sector was expected to become the largest foreign exchange earner for the country. Therefore, ensuring safety of the foreigners visiting Sri Lanka will be a top priority for the police force, Jayasundara said. "Officers manning the tourism division should pay special attention to language training. In addition to English, they should also learn languages such as Chinese, Hindi and French," Jayasundara said. Sri Lanka's tourism industry, which was in doldrums during the ethnic conflict, has become one of the leading industries after s the ountry was dubbed one of the world's greatest tourist hot spots by several international publications.
Hardline Lankan Buddhist monk jailed for 6 years
A Sri Lankan court has sentenced a hard-line Buddhist monk to six years in prison for contempt of court. Galagoda Atte Gnanasara is the leader of a Buddhist group accused of instigating attacks on minority Muslims. The court found him guilty of interrupting a court hearing in 2016 for military personnel accused of involvement in the disappearance of a journalist. He has accused the journalist of supporting the separatist Tamil Tigers, who were defeated in a civil war. Two months ago, the monk was sentenced to six months in prison for harassing and intimidating the journalist's wife.
Nepal landslide kills woman, seven children
A landslide killed at least eight people in Nepal over the weekend, as officials said while warning about the possibility of more landslides and flash floods due to torrential rain. Flash floods and landslides in the June-September season are common in mostly mountainous Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains including Mount Everest. An official at the Kathmandu weather forecasting office, said more landslides and flash floods were likely as heavy rains were forecast for hilly areas in central and western Nepal. Residents in Terai, the southern low lying region bordering India, had been warned of floods as water levels were rising in many rivers, he said.
436 killed in Indonesia quake
The death toll from a devastating earthquake on the Indonesian island of Lombok jumped to 436 as strong aftershocks triggered panic among traumatised survivors waiting for aid in the worst-hit regions. The 6.9-magnitude quake last week levelled tens of thousands of homes, mosques and businesses across Lombok, with relief agencies only just starting to reach survivors in some of the worst-hit areas four days later. “Our latest update is that 319 people died,” said Indonesia’s chief security minister Wiranto adding that rescue efforts were ongoing and complicated by aftershocks. Around 1,400 people were seriously injured and more than 1,50,000 displaced, authorities said earlier.
Macau will replace Qatar as the world’s richest place
Macau, the Chinese gambling enclave, will soon become the world's richest place replacing Qatar. The global casino hub’s economy will reach the equivalent of about $143,116 per person by 2020, according to projections from the International Monetary Fund. That will put Macau ahead of the current No 1 Qatar, which will reach $139,151 in the same time frame. A former Portuguese outpost on the southern tip of China, Macau has become a gambling mecca since returning to Chinese control almost two decades ago. It’s the only place in China where casinos are legal, turning it into a magnet for high-rollers from the mainland. Macau’s gross domestic product has more than tripled from about $34,500 per capita in 2001, the IMF data shows.
Airline worker steals empty plane in Seattle
An airline worker stole an empty plane from Seattle airport and crashed it into a nearby island, sparking a security scare that saw US fighter jets readying for action. There was no indication that the incident was an act of terror, the sheriff's office said. The 29-year-old pilot appeared to have acted alone, the sheriff said, adding he was probably killed in the crash. An officer of Horizon Air said that an employee of the airline undertook an unauthorized take-off of a Q400 twin-engine turboprop airplane. It is unclear how the employee was able to taxi the plane on a runway and take off without authorization. An Alaska Air spokesman said he did not have information about how the incident occurred.
