The Indian-American foster father of 3-year-old Sherin Mathews, sentenced to life in prison for the death of the toddler who was found dead in a culvert in 2017, has begun serving the jail term in Dallas. In a case that attracted international attention, Wesley Mathews (39), pleaded guilty on June 24 to a lesser charge of injury in Sherin’s tragic death. He was originally charged with capital murder by authorities in the US state of Texas after they discovered Sherin’s highly decomposed body after a massive search that lasted 15 days. A Dallas County jury heard the case, and Mathews was sentenced to life in prison. Sherin’s adoptive mother, Sini Mathews, was also criminally charged after the child’s body was found, but that case was later dismissed after the Dallas County District Attorney said there was not enough evidence to prosecute her.
Pak opposition demands Imran's resignation
Thousands of supporters of Pakistan's opposition parties are rallying across the country, urging Prime Minister Imran Khan to step down over what they say is his failure in handling the nation's ailing economy. Rallies, dubbed the "Black Day," marked the first anniversary of the parliamentary elections that brought Khan into office. Khan's political opponents say Pakistan's military intervened in those elections on his behalf, allegations denied by the army. About 10,000 people attended an opposition rally in the northwestern city of Peshawar. Similar rallies were held in other major cities. The rallies came less than two weeks after Pakistani businesses observed a daylong strike against taxes, which the opposition says were imposed as part of the International Monetary Fund's recent $6 billion bailout package for Pakistan.
Pakistan to allow dual nationals to contest polls
Pakistanis holding dual nationality can soon contest elections in the country, the cabinet led by PM Imran Khan decided. The decision will require an amendment to the Constitution. The special assistant to the PM on information, Firdous Ashiq Awan, said a committee representing ministries of foreign affairs, interior, overseas Pakistanis and parliamentary affairs will suggest a mechanism to remove hurdles in the way of dual nationals becoming legislators. She said the prime minister believes that providing overseas Pakistanis an opportunity to take part in the political process was in the interest of the country.
Shehbaz Sharif sues UK paper
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif served a legal notice to the British publication the 'Mail', its online site and their journalist David Rose for accusing him of embezzling public funds. On July 14, a story was published in the Mail, claiming that Shehbaz, the former chief minister of Punjab, had embezzled funds provided by UK’s department for international development for the rehabilitation of the victims of the 2005 earthquake. The story was refuted by the PML-N and the party insisted that it was published at the behest of PM Imran Khan. It was also rejected by DFID, maintaining that “our robust systems protected UK taxpayers from fraud”. In the notice, the London-based legal firm, Carter-Ruck Solicitors, confirmed that a complaint was issued against the news outlet and journalist for the “gravely defamatory” story.
Pakistan to launch its first astronaut in 2022
Pakistan said that it would send its first astronaut to space in 2022 using China’s satellite launch facilities. Pakistan’s decision came as India on July 22 successfully launched its second lunar mission Chandrayaan 2. Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan’s Minister for Science and Technology, said the selection process of the astronaut for the space mission would start from February 2020. He said the Pakistani Air Force will play a lead role in the selection process of the astronaut for the space mission. “The Air force will be the custodian of the selection process. Globally pilots are selected for space missions,” he was quoted as saying. He said that initially 50 pilots will be selected, from which the list will be brought down to 25 and then 10. “Ten pilots will be trained and eventually one pilot will be sent to space,” he said.
17 killed as Pak military aircraft crashes
At least 17 people were killed and 12 injured after a Pakistani military aircraft crashed into a residential area near Rawalpindi in the early hours of Tuesday. All five crew members on the aircraft and 12 civilians were killed in the incident. A Pakistani rescue official said that the small plane was on a training flight. The reason for the crash is being ascertained. Rescue teams were rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire. The plane lost communication with the tower, before crashing in the village of Mora Kalu on the outskirts of Rawalpindi, and setting fire to residential structures. "The plane hit the side of the building and completely destroyed, an army officer at the scene said. They also said that the toll could rise as some of the injured were critical.
Lanka doctor accused of sterilising women gets bail
A Sri Lankan court granted bail to a Muslim doctor accused of having sterilised over 4,000 women from the Sinhalese Buddhist majority, his lawyer said, a deeply sensitive case in a country long dogged by communal bloodshed. Shegu Shihabdeen Mohamed Shafi, who has denied the allegations, was given bail of 2.75 million rupees ($15,600), defence lawyer Faris Saly say after a five-hour hearing in Kurunagala magistrates court in northwestern Sri Lanka. "He was arrested (in May) under a bailable offence and the judge found no reason to refuse bail," Saly said. The allegations are incendiary on an island where hardliners within the Buddhist majority have accused Muslims of seeking to use a higher birth rate to spread their influence. Shafi’s supporters said he is innocent and the charges were whipped up to stoke inter-communal tensions in the wake of bombings of churches and hotels on Easter Sunday that killed more than 250 people.
Landslides in China kill 14; 42 missing
At least 14 people have died in two landslides in southwestern China and rescuers are looking for 42 others who are missing, Chinese state media said. A landslide buried 21 houses and caused at least 13 deaths in Guizhou province's Shuicheng county, said state broadcaster CCTV. Eleven people were rescued and sent to the hospital while another 42 remained missing. Heavy rainfall is believed to be the main cause, CCTV said. More than 800 rescuers have been scouring the area, where continuous rainfall and the mountain's steep slopes have hampered search efforts. One person died and six others are unaccounted for after an earlier landslide hit a village in Hezhang county in Guizhou.
Tulsi Gabbard sues Google
Tulsi Gabbard, the Democratic presidential candidate and the first Hindu member of the US Congress, has sued Google for at least $50 million for the tech giant’s “discriminatory actions” against her 2020 election campaign and stifling her free speech rights. Gabbard, 38, who has been serving as the US Representative for Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district since 2013, said in a lawsuit that Google infringed on her free speech when it briefly suspended her campaign’s advertising account for six hours on June 27 and 28, after the first Democratic debate in June. It said the tech giant obstructed Gabbard’s campaign committee’s ability to raise money and spread her message to potential voters. Google, however, said it had automated systems that flag unusual activity on advertiser accounts - including large spending changes - to prevent fraud, said Jose Castaneda, a spokesman for the company.
Eight killed as quakes hit Philippine islands
Eight people were killed and dozens injured when a series of earthquakes struck islands in the far northern Philippines, toppling historic buildings and sending terrified locals fleeing their homes. The tremors hit the province of Batanes, a group of sparsely populated islets north of the nation's largest Luzon island, tearing deep cracks in roads and forcing the evacuation of a hospital. Authorities said some of the dead, including two babies under a year old, were crushed by the walls of their own homes. "We saw houses shaking. Some of the walls of the houses collapsed and fell on the victims," Police sergeant Uzi Villa said. "Some people died because they were sleeping since it was still early," he added. Many people were still asleep when the first tremor struck, followed just under four hours later by a second, stronger jolt.
Popstar Bobi Wine to challenge Museveni
Uganda's 36 - year -old pop star turned opposition figure Bobi Wine announced that he would take on veteran President Yoweri Museveni in 2021 national elections. Wine said he was not running under any political party and the revolutionary movement seeks to create "a society which works for everyone. On behalf of the people of Uganda I am challenging you (Museveni) to a free and fair election in 2021," the singer, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, announced at an event in Kampala. Wine was wearing a red tie and his signature red beret, which he has called a "symbol of resistance", a look copied by dozens of his supporters at the event. Wine entered parliament in 2017, has been staging a high-profile campaign to unseat Museveni, one of Africa's longest-serving presidents.
16 US Marines arrested on suspicion of human trafficking
Sixteen US Marines were arrested in Southern California on suspicion of drug-related offences and the smuggling of undocumented migrants along the US-Mexico border, US military officials said. The arrests at Camp Pendleton stemmed from a separate investigation of two other Marines arrested earlier this month on human trafficking charges filed by federal prosecutors in San Diego, a base spokesman said. Those two Marines were also stationed at Camp Pendleton, according to the spokesman, Marine First Lieutenant Cameron Edinburgh. "Information gained from the previous investigation gave way to this string of arrests," Edinburgh said.
Australia plans to ban extremists from coming home
Australia is set to pass laws that would allow the government to prevent suspected extremists from returning home for up to two years while Australian supporters of the Islamic State group are demanding to be repatriated from crowded Syrian refugee camps. The bills based on British law were debated in the Senate after they were passed in the House of Representatives where the conservative government holds a majority. The center-left Labor Party opposition wants the legislation made more consistent with the British model with amendments that would allow a judge rather than Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to decide which Australians are banished. But the opposition supported the legislation in the House, indicating that their misgivings were not sufficient to attempt to block its passage.
