Punjabi actor Aman Dhaliwal, who has worked in the Bollywood film 'Jodhaa Akbar' starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, has been attacked at a gym in the US. A video doing the rounds on social media, shows the accused asking for water from people around while Aman is at knife point. A short while later, the actor recognises the proper opportunity, turns around, and tackles the defendant to the ground. Others chase after him and stop him from escaping. Media reports state that the event happened while Aman was working out in the gym. The accused threatened others while brandishing a knife. Aman, who is currently hospitalised, has sustained injuries and scars on his torso, according to a report.
Wipro lays off 120 employees in the US
IT major Wipro has laid off at least 120 employees in the state of Florida, the US, due to a “realignment of business needs”. The company detailed the layoffs in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notice filed with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, reports Channel Futures. The job cuts by Wipro are at only one location in Tampa. “More than 100 of the impacted employees are processing agents. The rest are team leaders and a team manager,” the report mentioned. In a statement, Wipro said this is an isolated incident. “Wipro remains deeply committed to the region,” the company said.
19 killed in Bangladesh bus accident
A speeding bus fell into a roadside ditch in central Bangladesh on Sunday apparently after the driver lost control, leaving at least 19 dead and more than 20 others injured, police said. The bus was travelling to the capital, Dhaka, from the southwestern city of Khulna. The accident took place when the bus reached Shibchar area in Madaripur district, a highway police official said. He said 14 people including the driver died on the spot. Other people died later. The injured were shifted to Shibchar Upazila Health Complex and Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment. It was not clear what caused the crash. Road accidents are common in Bangladesh because of lax enforcement of traffic law and over speeding. Some 8,000 people die each year from road accidents in Bangladesh.
Elite officers in Israel's military plan walkout
In protest against the government's plans to restructure the court system, hundreds of elite soldiers in Israel's military reserves have announced they will skip work. For the first time ever, a political protest within the security services has a scheduled firm date. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial legal overhaul has sparked weeks of mass protests across Israel amidst a deteriorating security situation in the occupied West Bank and rising tensions with Palestinians. Over 750 elite officers from the Air Force, special forces, and Mossad threatened to discontinue volunteering for duty in two separate letters that were publicised. The taboo topic highlights how the makeover plan has riven Israel and is now tearing through the military, which Israeli Jews view as their most revered institution.
N Korea fires 2 short-range missiles
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military said, the latest of several weapons tests as the South and the United States conduct their largest joint military drills in years. The missiles were launched from South Hwanghae Province, which is close to the nation's west coast. Known as "Freedom Shield 23," the 11-day joint exercises between South Korean and American soldiers began last week and will be undertaken on a scale not seen since 2017.
110 held over suspected poisoning of schoolgirls
According to Iranian police, 110 people have been detained in relation to the alleged poisoning of thousands of girls at schools throughout the nation. Students say they have been sickened by noxious fumes in incidents dating back to November that have mainly occurred in girls’ schools. Officials claim to be looking into the instances, but no information regarding who might be responsible or what chemicals, if any, may have been used has been released. Iran, unlike Afghanistan, has never had religious fanatics target women's education, not even at the height of the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. No fatalities have occurred. General Saeed Montazerolmehdi, the police spokesperson, announced the arrests in remarks carried by Iranian media. He also said police had confiscated thousands of stink bomb toys, indicating that some of the alleged attacks might have been copycat pranks.
S Korea, Japan hail thaw in ties amid security concerns
The leaders of Japan and South Korea vowed to turn the page on years of animosity at a meeting, putting aside their difficult, shared history and pledging to work together to counter regional security challenges. The summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, which marked Yoon Suk-first yeol's visit to Japan in 12 years, demonstrated how the two US allies have grown closer as a result of North Korea's frequent missile launches and growing anxiety over a belligerent China. The North fired a long-range ballistic missile just before Yoon arrived, underscoring the seriousness of the security situation.
Macron shuns House vote to raise retirement age
French President Emmanuel Macron imposed a highly unpopular bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 by shunning parliament and invoking a special constitutional power. As Macron announced the dangerous decision, which is predicted to quickly lead to motions of no-confidence in his government, lawmakers shouted in protest. Outside the National Assembly, riot police vans sped by with their sirens blaring. Since January, numerous strikes and rallies have been held across the nation in response to the proposed pension changes. The reform, according to Macron, who made it the centre piece of his second term, is necessary to prevent the pension system from going into deficit as France's population ages and life expectancy rises.
Stop registering same-sex couples’ kids, Italy tells Milan
Italy’s right-wing government has told Milan’s city council to stop registering same-sex parents’ children, reigniting a debate around PM Giorgia Meloni’s conservative agenda. Despite Catholic groups' strong opposition, Italy legalised same-sex civil partnerships in 2016, but it refrained from granting them the ability to adopt out of concern that it might encourage surrogate pregnancies, which are still prohibited. In the absence of clear legislation on the issue some courts have ruled in favour of allowing same sex couples to adopt each other's children, and mayors of some cities, including Milan, have registered surrogate births to same-sex couples. Giuseppe Sala, the center-left mayor of Milan, claimed to have received a letter from the interior ministry instructing him to stop registering children born to same-sex couples.
Riyadh Air to buy 78 Boeing planes
Boeing announced that Riyadh Air and Saudia have struck agreements to buy 78 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to support Saudi Arabia's burgeoning aviation objectives. The order ranks fifth in terms of commercial value in Boeing's history and could total up to 121 aircraft if all available options are exercised. The contracts are part of “a blueprint for economic and social reform that is opening Saudi Arabia up to the world,” said Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States. While Boeing did not provide an estimate of the total value of the order, the White House said it could reach $37 billion.
Malawi cyclone toll jumps to 190
Cyclone Freddy's toll in Malawi nearly doubled to 190 as the storm's second hit on Africa in less than three weeks unleashed floods and landslides. After brewing off Australia in early February, Freddy traversed the Indian Ocean, making landfall on southeastern Africa in late February and returning at the weekend to deliver a second punch. “The death toll has risen from 99. . . to 190, with 584 injured and 37 reported missing,” Malawi’s department of disaster management affairs said in a statement. Relief workers said they expected the tally to rise.
Schoolgirls confess to fatal stabbing of 12-year-old
In a case that has rocked the nation, two schoolgirls in Germany have admitted to killing a 12-year-old girl by stabbing her to death, authorities said. In the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, near the town of Freudenberg, the victim, known only as Luise, vanished after leaving a friend's home. Luise’s body was found the following day in a wooded area not far from her home. Two girls, aged 12 and 13, had confessed to the murder, said Florian Locker, head of Koblenz police’s homicide department.
Islamist attack warnings in Vienna
After evidence that an Islamic attack was being prepared, Vienna police increased armed patrols at critical locations throughout the Austrian capital, including churches. The city’s police took the rare step of warning the public on social media that there would be a heightened presence of armed police, including special forces, in the city. Vienna is among the safest capitals in the world and militant attacks are rare. In 2020, an Islamist shooter committed the first fatal attack in a generation, killing four people before being shot dead by police. Vienna police posted on Twitter in English, "Our intelligence services have grounds to think that an assault with an Islamist purpose is scheduled to be carried out in Vienna.
Australian surfs for 40 hours to smash record
Australian Blake Johnston last week shredded the world record for the longest surfing session, dodging swarms of jellyfish to ride hundreds of waves across 40 punishing hours. The 40-year-old former surfing pro broke down in tears after smashing South African Josh Enslin’s previous record of 30 hours and 11 minutes. Johnston surfed back to shore in the evening to rapturous applause from the hundreds of supporters who had gathered at Sydney’s Cronulla Beach to watch. Wearing a black cowboy hat and draped in a thermal blanket, he was carried off the beach on his friends’ shoulders after finally hanging up his surfboard. He rode more than 700 waves in setting the record, braving pitch-black seas that are home to many species of shark.
