Month: September 2020

Television actors Sanam Johar and Abigail Pande on Thursday again visited Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office in Mumbai for interrogation in connection with a drug case.

On Wednesday also, these two television actors were interrogated by the NCB for five long hours.

Earlier in the morning today, Fashion Designer Simone Khambatta was grilled by the NCB for the same case.

The NCB yesterday summoned actors Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shradha Kapoor, Rakulpreet Singh, Simone Khambatta and celebrity manager Shruti Modi in connection with a drugs case related to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Karishma Prakash, who works at KWAN talent agency, has also been summoned this week. Moreover, KWAN CEO Dhruv Chitgopekar and film producer Madhu Mantena appeared before the NCB for questioning in the matter.

Shruti Modi, the former business manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, was questioned by the NCB in the case in the past as well.

Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court is slated to hear on Thursday the bail plea of actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik and others in the drugs case. Earlier, a special Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances court had refused to grant bail to the accused in the case.

The NCB had launched an investigation after it received official communication from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in which there were various chats related to drug consumption, procurement, usage and transportation.

The ED had on July 31 registered an Enforcement Case Information Report in the late actor’s death case after a First Information Report was filed by Rajput’s father KK Singh against Rhea Chakraborty in Bihar on July 28.

Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14. (ANI)

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said in his address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that he supports the US-led efforts to achieve reconciliation in the Middle East by securing peace accords between Israel and Arab states.

“We support the efforts of the current US administration to bring about peace in the Middle East by bringing both Palestinians and the Israelis together at the negotiating table to reach a fair and comprehensive agreement,” the Saudi King said.

On September 15, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain officially reconciled with Israel by signing US-brokered peace agreements at a ceremony in the White House.

The agreement signed with the UAE is a peace treaty for establishing diplomatic ties and full normalisation of relations with Israel, while the agreement with Bahrain is a declaration of peace.

The accords will see the countries exchange embassies with Israel, allow direct flights, and boost commercial cooperation. The UAE became the third and Bahrain the fourth Arab state to normalise relations with Israel after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.

US President Donald Trump has said that at least five or six more countries are at advanced stages of negotiations with Israel and may soon follow suit. (ANI/Sputnik)

By Amit Kumar

It appears that all is not well in the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ as another one of its key allies, Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), is likely to quit and join the National Democratic Front (NDA) just ahead of the Bihar Assembly Election.

Sources told ANI that RLSP leaders are in close touch with JDU and BJP leaders and several rounds of talks have already taken place between them in Bihar.

RLSP sources told ANI that party secretary-general Madhaw Anand is playing a key role in bringing back RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha into the NDA again.

When ANI contacted RLSP secretary-general Madhaw Anand and asked whether RLSP was joining the NDA, Anand said, “Our first priority is the Mahagathbandhan. I am expecting that all would be well at the earliest. As far as the NDA is concerned, in politics, the doors are always open. There is no permanent political enemy, so wait for a few days and the picture will be clear.”

Anand said that everything is not well in the Mahagathbandhan and confusion is growing among the people of Bihar that the grand alliance is failing to pose a serious threat to the NDA.

“The coordination between the ally parties is very poor. Tomorrow our party has called a national and state council meeting to discuss the prevailing situation in the Mahagathbandhan and the current political situation of Bihar,” he added.

The RLSP had broken away from the NDA in December 2018 before the general election 2019 and its president Upendra Kushwaha, who resigned as Minister of State for Human Resource Development, had joined the Mahagathbandhan.

The RLSP president has been upset since the BJP made it clear that it will not be given more than two Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 polls against the three it had fought on in the year 2014. (ANI)

A photo exhibition titled “Stop Uyghur Genocide! Stop Uyghur Forced Labour” has been organised at Broken Chair in front of UN during the 45th Human Rights Council Session in Geneva.

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) organised the three-day-long photo protest to highlight the situation in Xinjiang province of China which is rapidly deteriorating.

Pictures of Uyghur victims were put up to make the international community aware of the crisis.

Dolkun Isa, president of the World Uyghur Congress said, “Today we are organizing a photo expedition against forced labour and to stop the Uyghur genocide. Here, 45th Session of Human Rights Council is going on so we are using this opportunity to raise awareness about the Uyghur genocide and draw international attention”.

He added, “Today more than 3 million Uyghur Muslims are suffering in a 21st-century concentration camp by the Chinese government. The Chinese government is using Uyghur Muslims as forced labour so that’s why we are calling the world to stop business with China. We are pleading with the Chinese government to stop the Uyghur genocide. It is a shame in the 21st century and silence is a crime. So we ask the whole world and entire human being to stand with Uyghurs. Support us”.

Recently, the new revelations of the use of Uyghur forced labour and the forced sterilisation of Uyghur women by the Chinese government have added a new dimension to the crisis: this now constitutes ”Genocide” under the Article 2 of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

This adds on to the existing crimes against humanity occurring in East Turkistan (Xinjiang).

In the last three years, the Chinese government has forcibly detained between 1.8 to 3 million of Uyghurs and other Turkic people, destroyed mosques and graveyards, banned the use of Uyghur language as a teaching medium in some schools, denied the fundamental rights of Uyghurs in an attempt to erode the Uyghur culture, identity and society altogether.

This event aims to highlight the Chinese Communist Party’s genocidal policies implemented in East Turkistan against the Uyghurs and other Turkic people, particularly the Uyghur forced labour issue and the forced sterilisation of Uyghur women.

“Moreover, the “‘Wall of the Disappeared” is an evocative way to visualise some individuals who have disappeared since 2017, into the vast system of internment camps, as well as forced labour camps. The photos of the missing individuals were provided by Uyghurs in the diaspora”, said a statement by World Uyghur Congress. (ANI)

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday summoned actors Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shradha Kapoor, Rakulpreet Singh, Simone Khambatta and celebrity manager Shruti Modi in connection with a drugs case related to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Karishma Prakash, who works at KWAN talent agency, has also been summoned this week. Earlier today, KWAN CEO Dhruv Chitgopekar and film producer Madhu Mantena appeared before the NCB for questioning in the matter.

Shruti Modi, the former business manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, has been questioned by the NCB in the case in the past as well.

Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court is slated to hear on Thursday the bail plea of actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik and others in the drugs case. Earlier, a special Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances court had refused to grant bail to the accused in the case.

The NCB had launched an investigation after it received official communication from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in which there were various chats related to drug consumption, procurement, usage and transportation.

The ED had on July 31 registered an Enforcement Case Information Report in the late actor’s death case after a First Information Report was filed by Rajput’s father KK Singh against Rhea Chakraborty in Bihar on July 28.

Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14. (ANI)

The Opposition parties staged a joint protest over the farm bills at the Parliament premises on Wednesday.

The Opposition MPs, including Ghulam Nabi Azad and Derek O’Brien, among several others, carried placards with slogans like ‘Save Farmers, Save Workers, Save Democracy’, written on them.

They held a protest before the Gandhi statue in the Parliament premises and also took out a march in the premises later.

Earlier, the Opposition MPs from various parties who had boycotted the ongoing Rajya Sabha session, met at the chamber of Leader of Opposition in the House, Ghulam Nabi Azad.

During the meeting, discussions were held on their further strategy on the farm bills passed by the Parliament.

According to sources, the Opposition members are slated to meet President Ram Nath Kovind today evening amid the ongoing row over farm bills.

The sources added that only five opposition leaders will be allowed to meet the President at 5 PM.

Opposition members had boycotted the proceedings on Tuesday after the speech by Azad in the Upper House. Opposition leaders staged a walk-out from the Rajya Sabha and held a protest before the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament premises. Congress and other parties had also boycotted the proceedings of the Lower House yesterday over the government “not agreeing” to suggestions of the Opposition on the agriculture Bills.

Eight Opposition MPs were suspended by the Rajya Sabha Chairman on Monday over the ruckus and the unruly scenes in the house on Sunday.

While the Opposition members have expressed reservations over the manner in which the agriculture Bills were passed, the government and BJP leaders have accused them of not following the directions of the Chair. (ANI)

As many as six Pakistani banks have been identified for suspicious transactions for close to USD 2.5 million, in a probe that looks into the role that global banks play in money laundering.

Pakistan Today reported that information revealed by data provided by the International Consortium for Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) found that 29 suspicious transactions of Pakistani banks took place between 2011 and 2012.

The list of banks involved in suspicious transactions includes United Bank (UBL), Allied Bank, Bank Alfalah, Habib Metropolitan Bank, Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan, and Habib Bank (HBL).

“Out of the 29 transactions, Standard Chartered filed 28 SARs with FinCEN, while The Bank of New York Mellon Corp., filed one. All of these transactions took place between September and December 2012, except for one transaction that took place in November 2011,” Pakistan Today reported.

The report was based on more than 2,100 suspicious activity reports (SARs) filed by banks and financial institutions between 1999 and 2017 with the US Department of Treasury’s Financial Crime Enforcement Network (FinCEN) that were obtained by Buzzfeed News and shared with ICIJ.

The disclosures again raised questions about the success of government efforts to stamp out the flow of illicit funds around the globe and the effectiveness of internal anti-money-laundering compliance systems, which global banks have spent tens of billions of dollars to revamp in the past decade.

Among the SARs, banks flagged more than two trillion dollars in transactions for potential criminal activity including money laundering and sanctions violations. In some cases, banks continued to do business with individuals after receiving warnings from US officials, the ICIJ reported.

Several of the banks cited in the stories, including HSBC and Standard Chartered, previously paid billions of dollars in fines and agreed to deferred prosecution agreements in the past decade over failures in their anti-money-laundering programmes.

Last week, FinCEN announced it was considering changes to enhance the effectiveness of its anti-money-laundering programme. (ANI)

Actor Ayushmann Khurrana has been judged as one of the most influential people in the world by TIME magazine, which featured him in the most coveted and prestigious ‘Time’s 100 most influential people’ list of 2020.

Some of the other global artists to feature in this list are music sensations Selena Gomez and The Weekend, the visionary director of Parasite, Bong Joon Ho, Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Fleabag fame and Michaela Coel, the British actor who became a rage across the world for the visionary show ‘I may Destroy You’.

Ayushmann is among the only three global actors featured in the TIME list of influential people. Five Indians have been featured in this list, including Ayushmann. The others are Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sundar Pichai CEO of Google and London-based Indian origin doctor Ravindra Gupta, who found a cure for AIDS and Bilkis – Dadi of Shaheen Bagh. Ayushmann is the youngest Indian to be featured in this year’s TIME Magazine.

On achieving the landmark Ayushmann said, “I’m truly humbled with the recognition that TIME has bestowed on me. As an artist, I have only looked to contribute towards bringing a positive change in society through cinema and this moment is a huge validation of my belief system and my journey.”

” I have always believed that cinema has the power to bring about change by triggering the right conversations among people and society. Hopefully, through my content choices, I have been able to contribute towards my country and countrymen.”

Ayushmann made his debut as a sperm donor in ‘Vicky Donor’ and went on to depict a blind man in ‘Andhadhun’, a man suffering from erectile dysfunction in ‘Shubh Mangal Saavdhan’, a gay man in Shubh ‘Mangal Zyada Saavdhan’ and a bald man in ‘Bala’. The actor has proved his acting mettle with commendable performances in ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’, ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’, ‘Article 15’ and ‘Dream Girl’. (ANI)