The former Indian-American mayor of a city in California has agreed to plead guilty to multiple felony charges including obstruction of justice, wire fraud, and making false statements to the FBI. Harish ‘Harry’ Sidhu, the first Sikh to be elected as the mayor of Anaheim in 2018, admitted to obstructing an FBI probe into a failed stadium sale, lying to FBI agents, and expecting $1 million for leaking confidential information, the US Attorney’s Office said. According to court documents, Sidhu, 66, admitted to cheating California tax authorities and making false statements to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in relation to his purchase of a helicopter. Sidhu is expected to make his initial appearance in the District Court in Santa Ana later this month.
Indian American family found dead
An Indian couple and their six-year-old child have been found dead in the US state of Maryland in a suspected case of double suicide-murder, police said. The three people, from Karnataka, were found dead from gunshot wounds in their Baltimore County home when police responded to a welfare check around noon, police said. The deceased were identified as Yogesh H. Nagarajappa (37), Prathiba Y. Amarnath (37) and Yash Honnal (6). “Based on the initial investigation, the incident is believed to be a double murder-suicide that Nagarajappa committed,” Baltimore County Police spokesperson Anthony Shelton was quoted as saying. “Each appeared to suffer from an apparent gunshot wound,” Shelton added.
Lab owner sentenced to 27 years in prison
A person of Indian origin, who owned a laboratory in the US state of Georgia, has been handed a 27-year prison sentence for orchestrating a fraudulent genetic testing scheme that swindled Medicare out of approximately $463 million over a span of three years. Minal Patel, the owner of LabSolutions LLC, received a formal sentencing of 27 years in prison for his pivotal involvement in deceiving Medicare. The scheme involved submitting over $463 million worth of genetic and various other laboratory tests to Medicare, which were neither necessary nor requested by the patients. These tests were obtained through illicit methods such as kickbacks and bribes.
No consensus among PML-N leaders on Sharif’s return
The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leaders have failed to reach a consensus on the return of party supremo and former PM Nawaz Sharif from London to Pakistan ahead of the general elections, a media report said. Nawaz Sharif, 73, has been living in self-imposed exile in the UK since November 2019. He was convicted in the Al-Azizia Mills and Avenfield corruption cases in 2018. A meeting of PML-N leaders presided over by party president Shehbaz Sharif was held to discuss the country's political situation, upcoming general elections and Nawaz's return home. Some of the leaders suggested that Nawaz should return by September, while others proposed that the party supremo should return by October, a media report said.
3 tonnes of cocaine seized in Mexico
Mexico’s Navy said that its personnel seized an open boat carrying three tonnes of cocaine, about 200 nautical miles (360 km) off the Pacific coast. The Navy said three suspects were detained aboard the craft. The boast was carrying 80 sacks that contained 6,130 pounds (2,800 kgs) of cocaine. The suspects had two outboard motors and a tank with about 40 gallons (150 liters) of gasoline. The bust was made southeast of the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco in Guerrero state. The Navy also found a sack with about 55 pounds (25 kg) of cocaine floating in the Caribbean just off the beach at the resort of Akumal, in the state of Quintana Roo.
Pak ex-foreign minister arrested for leak of diplomatic cable
Pakistan’s former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, a close aide of jailed former PM Imran Khan, has been arrested from his house under the Official Secrets Act in connection with the leakage of a confidential diplomatic cable. Qureshi, 67, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s vice chairman, was arrested and taken to the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) headquarters soon after he demanded that a level playing field be provided to the embattled party during the upcoming general elections. Qureshi was arrested under the Official Secrets Act for violating the secrecy of the official cable sent by the Pakistani embassy in the US to the foreign office when he was the foreign minister.
China assures help to Lanka in addressing debt challenges
Sri Lanka’s largest bilateral creditor, China, has assured the nation its help in effectively addressing the debt challenges as it has to finalise the external and domestic debt restructuring of $41 billion by September before the IMF’s first review. The IMF is set to conduct its first review of the $2.9 billion bailout granted to Sri Lanka this year from September 11-19. A release from the PM’s office said Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, who met Lanka PM Dinesh Gunawardena on the sidelines of the China-South Asian Expo assured that it will help in addressing the debt challenges. “China is always Sri Lanka’s reliable strategic partner and appreciates that Sri Lanka has always been friendly to China and has stood by China...”, Wang was quoted as saying.
Rescuers recover 33 bodies from a landslide at Myanmar
Rescuers have recovered the bodies of 33 people from a landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar and are searching for three people believed to be missing. In the landslide in Hpakant, the center of the world’s largest jade mining district, earth and debris from several mines slid about 300 meters (1,000 feet) down a cliff into a lake below, carrying more than 35 miners with it. A rescue leader says about 150 people using small boats recovered the bodies from the muddy lake in Kachin state. Human rights activists say jade mining is an important source of revenue for Myanmar’s military-installed government. Opponents of army rule advocate sanctions and boycotts to reduce jade sales.
Iran foreign minister visits Riyadh in first trip in years
Iran’s foreign minister travelled to Saudi Arabia, marking the first trip to the kingdom by Tehran’s top diplomat in years after the two nations reached a détente with Chinese mediation. The visit by Hossein Amirabdollahian comes as both Saudi Arabia and Iran try to ease tensions between their nations, which long have viewed each other as arch rivals for influence across the wider West Asia. Amirabdollahian’s trip to Riyadh comes as the two nations are reopening diplomatic missions in each others’ countries. He was accompanied by Iran's new ambassador to the kingdom. The last Iran foreign minister to visit Saudi Arabia was in 2015. The kingdom broke ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts there. Saudi Arabia had executed a prominent Shia cleric days earlier.