A 34-year-old Indian-origin Israeli soldier has been killed during fighting in Gaza Strip this week, according to the community members. Master Sgt. (res.) Gil Daniels from Ashdod was killed and his funeral was held at the military cemetery in his hometown, they said. The Indian Jewish Heritage Centre said that Gil went to the reserves on Oct 10 soon after the war started. Gil did his Masters at the School of Pharmacy at Hebrew University. “He was a genius with a great personality. Just got engaged a month ago. Such a loss!” his friend said. He was a member of the Bene Israel community,whose origin lies in India’s Maharashtra region. Some 86 Israeli soldiers are said to have died in Gaza since Israel launched ground operation. At least four Indian-origin soldiers are among them.
22 die after eruption of Indonesia’s volcano
At least 22 climbers died following an eruption of Indonesia's Mount Marapi volcano, officials said. One person remained missing. More than 50 climbers were rescued after the initial eruption. New eruptions spewed more hot ash as high as 2,620 feet into the air, reducing visibility and temporarily halting search and recovery operations, an official said. The bodies of eleven climbers were located in two days. One climber remained missing and was presumed dead because of being very close to the eruption site, said Edi Mardianto, the deputy police chief in West Sumatra province.
Cow dung fuels Japan’s space ambitions
Japan’s space industry opened potentially an utterly new chapter with a start-up testing a prototype rocket engine that runs on fuel derived purely from cow dung. The experiment saw the engine blast out a blue-and-orange flame 30-50 feet horizontally out of an open hangar door for around 10 seconds in the rural northern town of Taiki. The liquid “biomethane” required was made entirely from gas derived from cow manure from two local dairy farms, according to Interstellar Technologies chief executive Takahiro Inagawa. “We are doing this not just because it is good for the environment but because it can be produced locally, it is very cost effective, and it is a fuel with high performance and high purity,” Inagawa said.
Hunter Biden indicted on 9 tax charges
Hunter Biden was indicted on nine tax charges in California as a special counsel investigation into the business dealings of President Joe Biden’s son intensifies against the backdrop of the 2024 election. The new charges - three felonies and six misdemeanors - are in addition to federal firearms charges in Delaware alleging Hunter Biden broke laws against drug users having guns in 2018. They come after the implosion of a plea deal over the summer that would have spared him jail time, putting the case on track to a possible trial as his father campaigns for re-election. Hunter Biden “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” special counsel David Weiss said in a statement.
Pennsylvania varsity president quits
The University of Pennsylvania’s president has resigned amid pressure from donors and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say under repeated questioning that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy. The departure of Liz Magill, in her second year as president of the Ivy League school, was announced by the school. The statement said Magill will remain a tenured faculty member at the university’s Carey Law School.
Dr Sachin Jain among 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare
Dr Sachin H Jain, the California-based CEO of the SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan, has been recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare of 2023 by Modern Healthcare. Modern Healthcare’s recognition program identifies individuals deemed by their peers and senior editors as the most influential figures in the industry, focusing on leadership and impactful contributions. Jain has consistently advocated for “radical common sense” reforms to elevate patient care within the US healthcare system. As the CEO of SCAN, Jain has translated his visionary ideas into tangible actions by spearheading cutting-edge programs, products, and initiatives. These endeavors aim not only to improve the healthcare experience for older Americans but also to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion within the organization. Jain’s initiatives include Homebase Medical, which provides comprehensive care to homebound older adults through Annual Wellness Visits, Chronic & Palliative Care, and Care Transition Management. Building on his early experiences in homeless healthcare, Jain conceived Healthcare in Action, a street-based medical group providing healthcare for the unhoused, garnering national attention and serving over 1,000 patients in six counties across California.
Sikh couple from India shot dead in Canada
A Sikh couple from India who were targeted last month in a shooting spree in the Canadian province of Ontario could have possibly died in a case of mistaken identity, police said. Officers from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and paramedics responded to reports of a shooting on Mayfield Road near Airport Road, shortly before midnight on November 21. Upon arrival, they found Jagtar Singh (57) dead on the scene, and rushed his wife Harbhajan Kaur (55) and their daughter to hospital with life threatening injuries. While Kaur succumbed to her injuries in hospital, their daughter, yet to be identified by the police, continues to battle for life at a trauma centre in Toronto.
Iran court orders US to pay $50 bn in damages
A Tehran court has ordered the US government to pay nearly $50 billion in damages for assassinating a top Iranian general nearly four years ago, the judiciary said. Then-US president Donald Trump ordered a drone strike near Baghdad airport that killed General Qasem Soleimani, 62, and his Iraqi lieutenant Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on January 3, 2020. Days later, Iran retaliated by firing missiles at bases in Iraq housing American and other coalition troops. The Iranian judiciary’s Mizan Online news agency said that a Tehran court had sentenced the US government to pay $49.7 bn after a lawsuit filed by more than 3,300Iranians. The court found 42 individuals and legal persons guilty, including Trump, the US government, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and former defence secretary Mark Esper, Mizan added.
Taxi driver arrested for driving into pigeons
A Tokyo taxi driver was arrested for deliberately driving into a flock of pigeons and killing one, police said, reportedly because he was angry that the birds were on the road. Atsushi Ozawa, 50, “used his car to kill a common pigeon, which is not a game animal”, in the Japanese capital last month, and was arrested for violating wildlife protection laws, a Tokyo police spokesman said. Ozawa sped off from a traffic light when it turned green, ploughing his taxi into the bevy of birds at a speed of 60 kmph. The sound of the engine reportedly prompted a surprised passer-by to report the incident. Tokyo police had a veterinarian perform a post-mortem on the hapless pigeon and determined its cause of death as traumatic shock.