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Top Indian-American editor steps down to save staff jobs

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 An Indian-American Pulitzer-winning editor of a prominent US publication has announced his decision to step down next year in an attempt to save the jobs of his staff members from impending company wide layoffs.

Peter Bhatia, 69, editor and vice president of Gannett-owned Detroit Free Press, announced his decision at a staff meeting held last week after the company reported back-to-back quarterly losses.

“We’re in a difficult period economically,” Bhatia was quoted as saying in his newspaper, which employs a total of 110 people.

“The company is going through a layoff process and I essentially made the decision to lay myself off in the interest of saving other jobs. I do have other opportunities that will probably come to work out at some point,” he added.

“But if by getting my salary out of the budget it saves some jobs of people on the staff, I think that’s the right thing for the Free Press,” Bhatia, who will step down in January, said.

Bhatia, who hails from Lucknow, joined The Free Press in September 2017, after two years as editor and vice president of The Cincinnati Enquirer and cincinnati.com.

There are no reports of Bhatia’s replacement yet but the deadline for the newspaper staffers to volunteer for layoffs is next week, Detroit Free Press reported.

The staff layoffs are tentatively set to take effect January 18, 2023, the paper reported.

Meanwhile, journalists who worked with Bhatia over the years, took to Twitter to say that he stood for “quality journalism” and his quitting is a “big loss” and a “sad day” for Detroit Free Press.

“Turns out you can be an amazing journalist, win Pulitzers and keep your principles after all. Peter is one of the absolute best,” reporter Amber Hunt wrote.

“Tragic news for the Detroit Free Press. Peter was a big reason for my decision to work here. Nobody has championed newsroom diversity and acted on it as much as he has, or made sure his colleagues were in a good place. Truly a rare kind in leadership,” reporter Dana Afana tweeted.

A seven-time Pulitzer juror, Bhatia has led newsrooms that won 10 Pulitzer Prizes, including six in Portland.

He is the first journalist of South Asian descent to lead a major daily newspaper in the US, running The Oregonian from 2010 to 2014.

Bhatia graduated in 1975 from Stanford University with a B.A. in history and a double major in history and communication.

In 2020, he won the Ben Bradlee editor of the year award from the National Press Foundation.

Earlier this month, Gannett named him its 2022 top employee.

International News

PM Modi And UAE President Mohammed Bin Zayed Reaffirm Commitment To Deepen Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan reaffirmed their commitment to deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the official statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

According to the release, PM Modi spoke yesterday with the President of the UAE over the telephone, and the two leaders reaffirmed their mutual commitment to further strengthening the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and the UAE.

“They positively assessed the remarkable progress made across various sectors of bilateral cooperation and laid emphasis on further developing and deepening collaboration for the shared benefit of the peoples of both countries,” the release said.

Moreover, the UAE President also extended congratulations to PM Modi on becoming the second longest-serving Prime Minister in India’s history and wished him continued success in his service to the nation, the press release added.

Similarly, PM Modi also thanked the UAE President for his gracious wishes and the affection he expressed for the people of India.

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International News

Thailand, Cambodia Clash With Jets, Rockets, Artillery In Deadly Border Row

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Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military targets on Thursday as Cambodia fired rockets and artillery, killing a civilian, in a dramatic escalation of a long-running border row between the two neighbours.

The neighbours are locked in a bitter spat over an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet, and which is home to several ancient temples.

The squabble has dragged on for decades, flaring into bloody military clashes more than 15 years ago and again in May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a firefight.

The conflict blazed up on Thursday, with Cambodia firing rockets and artillery shells into Thailand and the Thai military scrambling F-16 jets to carry out air strikes.

Six jets were deployed from Ubon Ratchathani province, hitting two “Cambodian military targets on the ground”, according to Thai military deputy spokesperson Ritcha Suksuwanon. 

The Thai prime minister’s office said a Cambodian artillery shell hit a house over the border, killing one civilian and wounding three others, including a five-year-old child.

Both sides blamed the other for starting the fighting, which erupted near two temples on the border between the Thai province of Surin and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey.

“The Thai military violated the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Cambodia by launching an armed assault on Cambodian forces stationed to defend the nation’s sovereign territory,” defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said in a statement.

“In response, the Cambodian armed forces exercised their legitimate right to self-defence, in full accordance with international law, to repel the Thai incursion and protect Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The Thai military blamed Cambodian soldiers for firing first, and later accused them of a “targeted attack on civilians”, saying two BM-21 rockets had hit a community in Surin’s Kap Choeng district, wounding three people.

According to the Thai military, the clashes began around 7:35 am (0035 GMT) when a unit guarding Ta Muen temple heard a Cambodian drone overhead.

Later, six armed Cambodian soldiers, including one carrying a rocket-propelled grenade, approached a barbed-wired fence in front of the Thai post, the army said.

Thai soldiers shouted to warn them, the army said, but around 8:20 am, Cambodian forces opened fire toward the eastern side of the temple, about 200 metres from the Thai base. 

Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said “the situation requires careful handling, and we must act in accordance with international law”.

“We will do our best to protect our sovereignty,” he said.

Thailand’s embassy in Phnom Penh urged its nationals to leave Cambodia “as soon as possible” unless they had urgent reasons to remain, in a Facebook post.

Long-Running Row 

The violence came hours after Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own envoy in protest after five members of a Thai military patrol were wounded by a landmine. 

Wechayachai said an investigation by the Thai military found evidence that Cambodia had laid new landmines in the disputed border area — a claim denied by Phnom Penh.

On Thursday morning, Cambodia announced it was downgrading ties to “the lowest level”, pulling out all but one of its diplomats and expelling their Thai equivalents from Phnom Penh.

Recent weeks have seen a series of tit-for-tat swipes by both sides, with Thailand restricting border crossings and Cambodia halting certain imports.

The border row also kicked off a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office pending an ethics probe over her conduct.

A diplomatic call between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, Cambodia’s former longtime ruler and father of Prime Minister Hun Manet, was leaked from the Cambodian side, sparking a judicial investigation.

Last week, Hun Manet announced that Cambodia would start conscripting civilians next year, activating a long-dormant mandatory draft law.

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International News

Mumbai Police Reach Kapil Sharma’s House After Kap’s Cafe Firing In Canada

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Hours after shots were fired at comedian Kapil Sharma’s eatery, Kap’s Cafe, in Canada, the Mumbai Police on Friday reached his house in Mumbai to question him about the incident. Around 1 am on July 9 (Canada time), several rounds were fired at the cafe, located in Surrey.

Khalistani terrorist Harjeet Singh Laddi claimed the responsibility for the attack, and demanded an apology from Kapil for his alleged objectionable remarks.

the attackers felt that Nihang Sikhs were insulted on Kapil’s show. The report also mentioned that the attackers said the comedian ignored their calls seeking an apology, and that shots were fired at his eatery to warn him.

Kap’s Cafe team issues statement

Kapil is yet to issue an official statement on the incident.

The management of the eatery, however, took to their social media handles and wrote, “We opened Kap’s Cafe with hopes of bringing warmth, community, and joy through delicious coffee and friendly conversation. To have violence intersect with that dream is heartbreaking. We are processing this shock but we are not giving up (sic).”

It further stated, “Your kind words, prayers, and memories shared via DM mean more than you know. This cafe exists because of your belief in what we’re building together. Let’s stand firm against violence and ensure Kap’s Cafe remains a place of warmth and community. From all of us at Kap’s Cafe, thank you and see you soon, under better skies (sic).”

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