A 27-year-old Indian national, Fazil Khan, who worked as a journalist, was killed in a “devastating” fire caused by a lithium-ion battery in an apartment building in Manhattan. The fire broke out in a six-storey residential building in Harlem that left about 17 other people injured. The New York City fire department said that its marshals have determined that the fire was caused by a lithium-ion battery. Khan was a data reporter at New York-based media company The Hechinger Report and according to his profile on X, he was an alumnus of Columbia Journalism School. The Consulate General of India in New York expressed condolences on Khan’s death and said it is extending all possible assistance to repatriate his mortal remains to his family in India.
Raja Krishnamoorthi among powerful Chicagoans
The 'Chicago Magazine' has named Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi as one of the 50 most influential individuals in Chicago, ranking him at 24th on the "heavy hitters" list. This makes Krishnamoorthi the highest-ranked person of South Asian descent on the list. Born in New Delhi to parents from Tamil Nadu, Krishnamoorthi was raised in Illinois. Krishnamoorthi, 50, having been elected to Congress in 2016, is serving his fourth term as a representative for Illinois' 8th District, which consists of Chicago's west and northwest suburbs and the city's 41st ward.
Indian origin man gets life term for killing wife
A 40-year-old Indian-origin man was awarded life in jail in British Columbia, Canada, for stabbing his wife to death. Navinder Gill killed his wife Harpreet Kaur Gill in December 2022. They had three children together, all under 10. British Columbia's homicide investigation team has announced that Navinder would not be eligible for parole for 10 years. The attack took place at their residence in Surrey on December 7, 2022. Harpreet, 40, sustained multiple stab wounds and died in a hospital despite life-saving efforts of first responders. Navinder was arrested on December 15. He was charged with second-degree murder on December 16, 2022. He pleaded guilty to his wife's murder on June 22, 2023.
Texas college reinstates Indian professor
Dr Johnson Varkey is getting his job back at St Philip’s College which had fired him a year ago for saying in class that sex is determined by X and Y chromosomes, consistent with human biology. First Liberty Institute, a law firm that “defends religious liberty” said as an adjunct professor, Varkey taught Human Anatomy and Physiology at St Philip’s College to more than 1,500 students for 22 years, where he taught the same principles. On November 28, 2022, four of his students walked out of his class for saying it just as he had been for several years. Varkey’s termination letter, however, had accused the professor of making anti-LGBTQ+ comments, participating in “misogynistic banter” and engaging in other inappropriate classroom behavior.
Taliban publicly execute 2 for murder
Taliban authorities publicly executed two men convicted of murder in a football stadium in eastern Afghanistan. Both men were executed by multiple gunshots to the back in Ghazni city after Supreme Court official Atiqullah Darwish read aloud a death warrant signed by Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. "These two people were convicted of the crime of murder... after two years of trial in the courts of the country, the order has been signed," Darwish said. Families of the men's victims were present and asked if they wanted to grant the condemned a last-minute reprieve but they declined in both cases.
Iran sent hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia
Iran has provided Russia with a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, sources said, deepening the military cooperation between the two US sanctioned countries. Iran’s provision of around 400 missiles includes many from the Fateh-110 family of short-range ballistic weapons, such as the Zolfaghar, sources said. This road-mobile missile is capable of striking targets at a distance of between 300 and 700 km, experts say. The shipments began in early January, one of the Iranian sources said. Iran’s Shahed drones have become a staple of Russia’s assaults on Ukraine.
Harvard’s interim prez condemns antisemitic toon
Harvard University’s interim president, Alan Garber, condemned an antisemitic cartoon that circulated on social media over the weekend, taking a swift stance after the school was criticised for not doing enough to protect Jewish students. The cartoon depicted what appeared to be an Arab man and a Black man with nooses around their necks, held by a hand emblazoned with a Star of David, Garber said. It was posted online by groups purporting to speak on behalf of Harvard affiliates. The university will review the situation to better understand who was responsible for posting the cartoon and to determine what further steps are warranted, he said.
Life term for man who intentionally kill Muslim family
A man found guilty of using his pickup truck to kill four members of a Muslim family was sentenced to life in prison as a Canadian judge ruled that the actions of the admitted white nationalist amounted to terrorism. Nathaniel Veltman has also been sentenced to a concurrent life sentence for the attempted murder of a boy who survived the 2021 attack. Veltman, 23, was found guilty in November of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for hitting the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk.
Germany votes to legalise cannabis possession
Germany joined the small group of countries and jurisdictions that have legalised cannabis when the Bundestag passed a law allowing individuals and voluntary associations to grow and hold limited quantities of the drug. The law passed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s ruling coalition legalises cultivating up to three plants for private consumption and owning up to 25 grams of cannabis. Larger-scale, but still non-commercial, cannabis production will be allowed for members of cannabis clubs with no more than 500 members, all of whom must be adults.