Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Florida Shooting: Indian-American teacher hailed for quick thinking that saved students

An Indian-American teacher has been praised for her quick thinking that helped save a number of lives during the Florida school shooting on February 14 that claimed 17 lives.

Shanthi Viswanathan, a Mathematics teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, locked the doors of her classroom immediately after the alarm inside the school rang for the second time that day. She kept the windows closed and made her students crouch on the floor.


"She was quick on her feet and used her knowledge. She saved a lot of kids," Dawn Jarboe, mother of one of Viswanathan's students, told Sun-Sentinel. She did not open the door even when a member of the SWAT team knocked on it asking her to open it, as she thought the gunman was trying to trick her in order to get inside the room.

The kids and the teacher came out only after the SWAT team entered the classroom through the window and convinced them to leave the room.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, has confessed to carrying out Wednesday's attack and he has been charged with 17 counts of murder. The FBI had earlier received a tip regarding Cruz, who once posted online that he wanted to become a professional school shooter. But the investigating agency failed to act on the tip.

Wednesday's tragedy has re-ignited debates on the need for more gun control, with even students participating in the debate.

On Friday, students of South Broward High School gathered on the street to urge politicians to address the issue of gun control.

“I want to end gun violence,” Sara Rodriguez told HuffPost, adding that she thinks adults have failed her generation. “They don’t pay attention to our voice and we’re really tired of staying silent,” she said. “We are the future. We’re trying to make it but we can’t do it if they’re not listening.”

Shane Dale, 14, said “Nobody needs an AR-15 rifle (the shooter's weapon of choice) for hunting. We need to get rid of assault rifles overall.”

More For You

Shabana Mahmood

Shabana Mahmood (Photo: Getty Images)

Calls grow for Shabana Mahmood to toughen settlement rules

HOME SECRETARY Shabana Mahmood is under pressure to immediately enforce stricter immigration rules as large numbers of migrants approach the point at which they can settle permanently in Britain.

Government figures revealed that from next year about 270,000 migrants will qualify for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), the legal right to stay in the UK. The number is expected to rise sharply, reaching more than 600,000 by 2028, reported the Times.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kamala Harris calls Biden’s 2024 run ‘recklessness’ in new memoir

Former US vice president Kamala Harris speaks at the Emerge 20th Anniversary Gala in San Francisco, California, on April 30, 2025. (Photo by CAMILLE COHEN/AFP via Getty Images)

Kamala Harris calls Biden’s 2024 run ‘recklessness’ in new memoir

FORMER US vice president Kamala Harris said it was "recklessness" to let Joe Biden run for a second term as president, in an excerpt released on Wednesday (10) from her upcoming memoir.

Harris -- who replaced Biden as the 2024 Democratic presidential candidate but lost to Donald Trump -- admitted that the then-81-year-old got "tired" and was prone to stumbles that showed his age.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tejasvi Manoj

Manoj, from Frisco, Texas, created an innovation called ‘Shield Seniors’, a website designed to help people over 60 identify and report fraudulent messages and emails. (Photo credit: LinkedIn/Tejasvi Manoj)

Indian-American teen Tejasvi Manoj named Time’s ‘Kid of the Year’ 2025

SEVENTEEN-year-old Indian-American Tejasvi Manoj has been named Time magazine’s ‘Kid of the Year’ for 2025 for her work on protecting senior citizens from online scams.

Manoj, from Frisco, Texas, created an innovation called ‘Shield Seniors’, a website designed to help people over 60 identify and report fraudulent messages and emails.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mark Rowley

Met chief Sir Mark Rowley (Photo: Getty Images)

Police watchdog calls for end to recording non-crime hate incidents

THE head of the police inspectorate has said that non-crime hate incidents should be scrapped, arguing that officers must draw a clear line between what is offensive and what is criminal.

Sir Andy Cooke, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, made the comments as he released his annual report on the state of policing in England and Wales. He said that while much of the public expect officers to tackle serious crime and anti-social behaviour, too much time is being spent on matters that do not amount to criminality.

Keep ReadingShow less
 University of Kent

The Office for Students welcomed the move, saying more universities may look at mergers as many face financial difficulties. (Photo credit: University of Kent)

University of Kent

Kent and Greenwich to merge into UK’s first regional university group

THE UNIVERSITIES of Kent and Greenwich will merge in 2026 to form the UK’s first regional “super-university”.

The new institution, to be called the London and South East University Group, will have one vice-chancellor and around 50,000 students, the BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less