Arvind Raman, an Indian-origin professor and administrator has been named the Dean of Purdue University’s prestigious College of Engineering based in the US state of Indiana. Raman, an IIT Delhi graduate and the executive associate dean of engineering and the Robert V Adams Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the university, was named the Dean by the Purdue executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity, Patrick Wolfe. “Professor Raman is passionate about the role of engineering in creating innovative solutions for people. We’re confident that as our next engineering dean, he will lead the college to new levels of excellence,” Wolfe said.
Attack on Pak cop's house; 8 hurt
Some unknown militants stormed the house of a police officer and opened indiscriminate firing, injuring eight people in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, local police said. The militants attacked the house of the police assistant sub-inspector in the Ghulam Khan area of the tribal district of north Waziristan bordering Afghanistan, and injured eight people, including the ASI and two women, the police said. The condition of three people is said to be critical. Meanwhile, the vehicle carrying the injured also blasted on the way, but authorities managed to shift the victims to the hospital, police said.
Next Bangladesh president
Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu, a former judge and freedom fighter, is set to become Bangladesh’s next president after the ruling Awami League, which holds an absolute majority in Parliament, nominated him for the top post. Chuppu, 74, will replace President Mohammad Abdul Hamid, whose tenure ends on April 24. “The EC has received his (Chuppu’s) nomination paper submitted by Bangladesh Awami League,” a spokesman of the independent statutory body said. He said the EC would now accomplish the procedural formalities for his election by members of parliament.
Pak’s 1st Hindu women civil servant posted in Punjab
For the first time in the history of the town of Hassanabdal (Punjab province), a 27-year-old Hindu woman was chosen as the assistant commissioner and administrator. According to the media, Sana Ramchand Gulwani, who was raised in the city of Shikarpur in the province of Sindh, completed her medical education at her parents' request before applying to the Federal Public Service Commission. She became the first woman from the Hindu community to join the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) after clearing the Central Superior Services (CSS) exam in 2020. She assumed charge as the assistant commissioner and administrator of Hassanabdal city in the Attock district last week, media reported.
SA rapper AKA shot dead in Durban
One of South Africa’s hottest rap artists, Kiernan Forbes, known as AKA, has been shot dead outside a restaurant in the southeastern city of Durban, his family said. The 35-year-old who won multiple South African awards, was nominated several times for a Black Entertainment Television Award in the United States, and was once nominated for an MTV Europe Music Award. He was gunned down alongside another man while they were walking towards their car.
Australia to remove Chinese cams
Australia’s national war memorial will remove several Chinese-made security cameras installed on the premises because officials are concerned they could be used for spying, local media said. Eleven surveillance cameras manufactured by Hikvision, partly owned by Chinese state investors, will be removed from the Australian War Memorial in Canberra by mid-2023, according to the Canberra Times. The Australian War Memorial said it did not comment on security matters. Hikvision did not respond to a request for comment.
SA police probe ‘unusual’ corpse theft
South African police said they have launched an “unusual” investigation after robbers carefully dug the side of a grave, broke into the coffin and stole the corpse. The theft of the corpse, of a man who died last year aged 83, was discovered at a village cemetery in South Africa’s Limpopo province. Police “have launched unusual investigations of violation of grave and theft of the corpse”, they said. No arrests have been made yet. The robbers “cut the coffin on the leg side and pulled the corpse out of it" leaving the coffin inside the grave, police said.
2 killed in Jerusalem car-ramming
A Palestinian plowed a car into a crowded bus stop in east Jerusalem, killing two people, including a six-year-old, and injuring five others before being shot and killed, Israeli police and medics said, the latest escalation as violence grips the contested capital. The car-ramming took place in Ramot, a Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem. Tensions have soared in the Israeli-annexed eastern half of the city, following a Palestinian shooting attack outside a synagogue on January 27 that killed seven people in the deadliest attack in Jerusalem in over a decade.
Moldovan govt quits
Moldova’s pro-Western government resigned after a turbulent 18 months in power marked by economic turmoil and the spillover effects of Russia’s war in neighbouring Ukraine. President Maia Sandu accepted PM’s Natalia Gavrilita's resignation and nominated 48-year-old presidential aide and former interior minister Dorin Recean to replace her. Recean, who is expected to quickly win parliamentary approval, said he would press on with Moldova’s bid to join the EU and revive the economy.
Bill Gates ‘dating’ Paula Hurd
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has found love again. According to People Magazine, a US-based media house, Bill Gates is dating Paula Hurd - the widow of Mark Hurd. Mark Hurd was the the CEO of software company Oracle and the onetime boss of Hewlett-Packard. He passed away in 2019. “It’s widely known that Bill Gates and Paula Hurd are dating, but she hasn’t met his kids yet,” a source said. Gates and Hurd were photographed seated side by side during the Men’s Singles Final at the Australian Open last month.
Biden to travel to Poland
US President Joe Biden will travel to Poland on Feb 20 to 22 to mark the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the White House said. John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said that Biden will make clear that additional security assistance will be coming from the United States. "The President will make it very clear that the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes," Kirby said.