Media reports say that four Sikh men from India drowned in a sewage tank on a cattle farm in Italy due to the carbon dioxide fumes coming out from the cow manure. The incident happened at a cattle farm near Pavia, a city in south Milan. Out of the deceased, two were brothers - Prem, 48, and Tarsem Singh, 45 - who were running the farm. The duo registered their farm in 2017. The other two were workers, identified as Arminder Singh, 29, and Manjinder Singh, 28. Initial investigations reveal that the three men jumped to rescue a worker who was emptying the tank to use the manure as a fertiliser on the farm’s fields, BBC reported. Investigators suspect that the four died due to the carbon dioxide fumes coming from the cow manure.The victims’ wives raised the alarm when the men failed to turn up for lunch. They rushed to the scene and spotted one body in the sewage. The women then called firefighters, who donned masks and emptied the tank to recover all the bodies, the report said.
Indian man in Dubai on trial for stealing two mangoes
An Indian man working at the Dubai International Airport faced a trial at the Court of First Instance for stealing two mangoes from the baggage of a traveller. The 27-year-old Indian was accused of committing the theft in 2017. The man, confessing to stealing mangoes worth 6 dirhams (around Rs 116), said he stole them from a cargo consignment to India. He said he was thirsty at the time and was searching for water when he opened a fruit box and found two mangoes which he consumed. In April last year, the police summoned and interrogated him about the incident. He was later arrested and charged with stealing the fruits. Records confirmed that he ate the fruits in August 2017, but didn't mention why he was only referred to the court in 2019. If the defendant is found guilty, he may face a jail term, pay the amount of the stolen items along with an equivalent fine.
Indian to return home after spending 12 years in Bangla jail
After spending nearly 12 years in Bangladesh jail, an Indian national - Satish Chaudhary - was released from the prison. Information about Chaudhary's release was shared by the Bangladesh government to the High Commission of India in Dhaka over the phone. According to officials, the Indian national will be handed over to a team of Border Security Force (BSF) by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at Gede border. After the information was received, Chaudhary's brother Mukesh left for Bangladesh to bring him back. According to family members, Chaudhary, who was mentally challenged, went missing on April 12, 2008, near Gandhi Maidan, Patna, Bihar. Later the family came to know that Chaudhary was lodged in the Lakshmipur district jail in Dhaka.
Bangladesh removes Pak’s name from border pillars
Forty-eight years after Bangladesh’s independence, Pakistan’s name engraved on the border pillars installed after the partition of the Indian subcontinent have been removed on the orders of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. All Bangladeshi border pillars have been renamed BANGLADESH/BD instead of PAKISTAN/PAK, said a statement by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). The BGB started replacing the labels on the pillars following Prime Minister Hasina's order in which she observed that some of the pillars of the bordering areas still show Pakistan's name. After the partition of India-Pakistan in 1947, more than 8,000 pillars were installed, in which “IND-PAK/INDIA-PAKISTAN” label was engraved.
Two Taliban governors, 38 fighters killed in sir strikes
Afghan forces backed by US forces killed two senior Taliban leaders and at least 38 fighters of the hardline insurgent group in joint air strikes conducted in northern and western regions of Afghanistan, officials said. The operations were aimed at foiling attacks planned by the Taliban on Afghan forces, said a senior security official, adding that clashes have escalated following the collapse of diplomatic talks between the US and the Taliban. The defence ministry said that the Taliban’s designate governor for northern Samangan province, Mawlavi Nooruddin, was killed along with four fighters in an air strike in Dara-e-Soof Payeen district. In another incident, Mullah Sayed Azim, a Taliban designate governor for Anar Dara district in western Farah was killed in a joint Afghan and foreign force raid.
Taliban sends warning to Trump
The war of words between the Taliban and President Donald Trump escalated as the Afghan insurgents warned that the US leader had failed to grasp “what type of nation he is dealing with”. The latest salvo in the bitter exchange comes a day after Trump boasted during a 9/11 anniversary ceremony that US forces have “hit our enemy harder than they have ever been hit before and that will continue” just days after peace talks between the two sides collapsed. Until this weekend there had been steadily mounting expectations of a deal that would see the US draw down troop levels in Afghanistan. In return, the Taliban would offer security guarantees to keep extremist groups out.
Drones set Saudi oil hub ablaze, output halved
Saudi Arabia’s oil production was cut by half and its exports hit after a swarm of drones struck at the heart of the kingdom’s oil industry, setting ablaze two oil plants - one being Abqaiq, the world’s biggest oil processing plant. Saudi Aramco cut production by 5 million barrels after the attack on Abqaiq. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who had launched drone attacks on Saudi targets in past as well, claimed responsibility. Experts fear the attack will jolt global energy markets.
Malaysia detains dozens of Shiite Muslims
Malaysian authorities detained dozens of Shiite Muslims in raids as they marked a major festival, sparking fears that the minority is facing growing persecution. Malaysia has a Muslim majority but most follow Sunni Islam. Shiites have long faced discrimination, with religious authorities considering them deviant and imams regularly denouncing them in sermons. Eight men were detained by religious authorities and police in southern Johor state during a Shiite event at a private residence, according to a participant. "They used violence on us, some of us were handcuffed. They accused us of insulting Islam," cleric Hasan Askari said.
Iranian woman football fan ends life fearing jail
An Iranian female soccer fan has died after setting herself on fire outside a court after learning she may have to serve a six-month sentence for trying to enter a soccer stadium. The tragic death immediately drew an outcry among some soccer stars and known figures in Iran, where women are banned from soccer stadiums, though they are allowed at some other sports, such as volleyball. The 30-year old woman died at a Tehran hospital. She was known as the “Blue Girl” on social media for the colours of her favourite Iranian soccer team, Esteghlal. She set herself on fire, reportedly after learning she may have to go to prison for trying to enter a stadium in March to watch an Esteghlal match.
FB suspends Netanyahu’s party bot for hate speech
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party was found to have violated Facebook’s hate-speech policy after a post from his account saying Arabs “want to destroy us all.” Israeli media reported that the post which said Israeli Arabs “want to destroy us all - women, children and men” appeared on Netanyahu’s official Facebook page and was subsequently removed by Likud. “After careful review of the Likud campaign’s bot activities, we found a violation of our hate speech policy... As a result, we temporarily suspended the bot for 24 hours,” a Facebook statement said.
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Man fakes death to prove wife hired hitman to kill him
A man faked his own death to prove his wife had hired a hitman to murder him. Roman Sosa, from Texas, worked with police detectives in 2015 after officers realised that his wife Maria was planning to have him killed. The couple met in 2007 and were going through a contentious divorce by 2015. “Those moments when I first heard that Lulu (wife) wanted to have me killed were surreal ...I slept with the enemy and with one eye open,” Sosa, who has written a book about the ordeal, said. An undercover officer arranged to meet Lulu in a car park in July 2015. She offered the man $2,000 to have Sosa murdered. To further incriminate her, the Texas Rangers staged photos, featuring an apparently dead Sosa lying in a grave. The undercover cop later showed Lulu the photos. She reportedly smiled and shook his hand. In 2016, she was sentenced 20 years in jail.
US man in same-sex marriage sues Japan for long-term visa
A US man whose marriage to his Japanese husband is legally recognised in his country sued the Japanese government for the same right to stay that a heterosexual couple would get, saying he was being denied a family life. According to Japanese law, foreign nationals married to Japanese in heterosexual marriages are granted long-term residence status upon arrival in Japan, but those in same-sex marriages are not. A justice ministry official said they had yet to receive full details of the case and could not comment.
Giant seal helps cops bust drug smuggling gang
A giant seal, angry at being disturbed, helped the Australian police bust an international drug smuggling ring and seize over a tonne of drugs. Fleeing cops, a British and a French national were hiding on an island when they unintentionally woke up the seal. It jumped up with its big chest out and bellowed at them. “The guys basically had the choice of going through the seal or getting arrested,” a police official said
