Month: September 2020

The coveted list of The Times 20 Most Desirable Women on Television 2019 is out. Based on their popularity and votes of an internal jury, these gorgeous women, who have wooed the audience on Hindi TV shows, have grabbed a spot on this list. Talented, stunning, and sassy, these ladies on Hindi television have made news for all the right reasons.

Hina Khan tops the list for the second consecutive year. The actress, who played the demure Akshara in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai for many years has upped her fashion game and has made a splash every time she has stepped on the red carpet. She was appreciated for her style quotient on Bigg Boss 11 and as Komolika in Kasautii Zindagii Kay 2.

Also, in the Top 5 are Jennifer Winget at number 2, Nia Sharma at number 3, Erica Fernandes at number 4, and Karishma Tanna at number 5. Divya Agarwal, Shivangi Joshi, Surbhi Jyoti, Miesha Iyer, and Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia take the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth place, respectively.

“I must say that the title of the most desirable woman on TV is quite intriguing, and I accept it with a lot of love. It’s like being called the most dreamed girl (laughs), who wouldn’t like that?” said Hina about winning the top spot for the second consecutive year.

“For me, the most desirable woman is Priyanka Chopra Jonas. She inspires me, and I am sure, millions get inspiration from her in ways that even she wouldn’t know. Even before she made it big internationally, I looked up to her. As far as the most desirable man is concerned, I really like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his subtlety, calm persona, and charisma. He is just perfect,” she said when asked who she would rate as the most desirable man and woman in the country.

Pakistan Prime Prime Minister Imran Khan’ top aide Lt Gen (Retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa announced his resignation on Thursday shortly after debunking allegations of corruption against him in a rebuttal that was posted on Twitter.

Bajwa said he will step down as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Imran Khan, on information and broadcasting, Geo News reported.

The former chief military spokesperson said this during a conversation with television show host Shahzeb Khanzada and said he will hand in his resignation to the prime minister today.

Imran Khan’s top aide, however, said that he will continue his work as Chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority, which he said was a priority with the premier. “And I believe as well that this project is the country’s future,” he said.

“I hope that the prime minister will allow me to concentrate all my focus on CPEC,” he added according to Geo News.

The Dawn also quoted Bajwa as saying: “I decided to put all my energies into CPEC because we thought that a lot of focus is currently needed on the CPEC Authority”

Bajwa decision to step down followed his detailed Twitter rebuttal to the “false and incorrect” allegations made against him and his family for assets concealment.

“I strongly rebut the baseless allegations levelled against me and my family. Alhamdolillah another attempt to damage our reputation belied/exposed. I have and will always serve Pakistan with pride and dignity,” he said in a four-page press release posted on the microblogging website.

An investigative report by Pakistani journalist Ahmed Noorani alleged properties and business worth millions of Bajwa and his close family members in Pakistan and abroad.

The report claimed that Bajwa’s brothers, wife and two sons own a business empire, which has set up 99 companies in four countries including a pizza franchise with 133 restaurants worth an estimated USD 39.9 million.

Refuting all the allegations, Bajwa in his rebuttal said, “It has been alleged that one of my sons had owned a company by name of Scion Builders and Estates (Pvt) Ltd, which has been registered in the SECP. It may be stated that this company has never done any business and same is dormant since inception.” (ANI)

The world is slowly waking up to the scathing realities of China, especially its crimes against humanity of the ethnic minority group Uyghur, whom Chinese Communist Party officials claim are the “happiest Muslims in the world.”

However, evidence of the human tragedy unfolding in Xinjiang province in northwest China point out that the amount of human depredation is at par with North Korean totalitarianism and South African apartheid, according to a report in the National Review. The author Jimmy Quinn says new reports and fresh evidence have even led to comparisons to the Holocaust.

Approximately, over a million Uyghurs and other members, are estimated to have been detained while a total of 3 million people to have been swept up in various “reeducation” and “vocational training” facilities.

“Beijing, which charges these people with bogus crimes, claims that it is stamping out extremism, however, under the shroud of its true aim, it is solidifying Han Chinese dominance over Xinjiang,” the National Review report said.

Beijing’s sophisticated disinformation efforts and its investments in other countries have granted it near-impunity to act against the Uyghurs, it added.

Researchers and journalists, who worked on the issue have called it “cultural genocide,” a term that carries a “blistering significance.” This term also unmasks CCP’s intent to wipe out Uyghur culture and traditions.

Earlier in June, Adrian Zenz, the German anthropologist came forward with a groundbreaking study on forced birth control in Xinjiang mass-detention camps.

When Zenz’s study on forced birth control came out in June, official media had vilified him and said Beijing is “considering suing” him for libel, while the foreign ministry denounced him.

Hospitals in Xinjiang have been forced to abort and kill babies born in excess of family planning limits, Radio Free Asia reported citing an Uyghur obstetrician who worked in multiple hospitals in China’s northwest province.

“Break their lineage, break their roots, break their connections, and break their origins,” CCP religious-affairs official was quoted as saying by the Nation Review in an article published in 2019.

And that not even it, what is more, astounding is “Beijing’s sophisticated disinformation efforts and its investments in other countries have granted it near-impunity to act against the Uyghurs.”

“The CCP has achieved the remarkable feat of not just convincing other countries to turn a blind eye but even pressuring many to endorse its actions. At the U.N. Human Rights Council, 46 countries praised the Xinjiang detention drive in the immediate wake of the forced-sterilization report, congratulating Beijing for its “remarkable achievements” and its work to fight terrorism. Many of the 46 are developing countries in Africa and the Middle East that have received significant Chinese investment and believe Beijing’s narrative about extremism,” Nation Review said.

According to a latest report, Chinese President Xi Jinping uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tighten his government’s totalitarian control and is exporting the technology to other countries across the world.

Xi wants to build an all-seeing digital system of social control, patrolled by precog algorithms that could identify potential dissenters in real-time. While China has already installed hundreds of millions of cameras in place, the Chinese government hopes to soon achieve the full video coverage of key public areas, writes Ross Andersen, a deputy editor of The Atlantic.

Every person who enters a public space in the future can be instantly identified by AI, matching them with their personal data, including their every text communication, and their body’s one-of-a-kind protein-construction schema.

“In time, algorithms will be able to string together data points from a broad range of sources — travel records, friends and associates, reading habits, purchases — to predict political resistance before it happens,” Andersen added.

Amid the grave situation surrounding the Uyghurs, activists around the world have urged the current US administration to bring forth the tales of survivors such as Mihrigul Tursun.

In 2018, Tursun testified in the Congressional-Executive Committee on China, saying: “Please take an action against the Chinese officials responsible for my torture, and the death of my little boy, and the deaths of so many innocent Uyghurs in the camps.” (ANI)

India will soon be hosting a meeting of Quad, which also includes Australia, Japan and the United States, and details are also being worked out for India-US 2+2 dialogue.

The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed about the diplomatic engagements at the regular weekly briefing today.

The 2+2 dialogue and Quad meeting are taking place at a time when China is facing the global ire for trampling democracy in Hong Kong, human rights violations in Xinjiang, alleged breach of internet privacy in various countries and attempting to unilaterally change the status quo at the India China border violating all bilateral agreements and protocols.

Beijing is also displaying strong-arm tactics in the South China sea and is also blamed by some quarters for the spread of COVID-19 globally which originated in its labs in Wuhan. US President Donald Trump has referred to COVID-19 as “Chinese virus”.

The US had also imposed restrictions on Chinese diplomats in the country.

India has also banned several Chinese apps and popular game Pubg and Indian Railways has cancelled Chinese investment.

As major powers of the world get sceptical about China, India is looking forward to replacing the Asian giant as a production and services hub of the world.

Quad countries including Australia and Japan have assured huge investments in India’s infrastructure technology and supply chain.

The United States has also hailed India as a big power in India-Pacific.

Quad or quadrilateral security dialogue is a grouping of four democracies -India, Australia, US and Japan.

China watchers here feel that Beijing will be watching Quad and 2+2 meet very closely as it views this grouping of democratic powers with a sense of alarm. (ANI)

Terrorist leaders acting under instruction from across conspired with some of their overground associates and other anti-social elements and prepared hit lists containing names and details of civilians, activists, political workers and security personnel, said Jammu and Kashmir Police.

Terrorist leaders with overground associates have prepared hit lists containing names and details of civilians, activists, political workers and Security Force personnel on August 29 and September 2.

“Such hit lists were circulated widely with two motives, that is, to use it as a direction to other terrorists operating elsewhere and their associates to target these persons and also to terrorise civilians, government employees and security personnel from serving the public honestly,” according to the police.

“Separately but connectedly a fake image depicting a young boy joining the terrorist ranks too was created and uploaded to spread negativity and also harm the boy variously,” the release read.

Police have taken the cognisance of the matter and an FIR has been registered.

A full-fledged criminal investigation backed by technical teams has been initiated and efforts are afoot to identify both the original offenders, who created the content as well as others who are allowing their connections and accounts to maintain the communication systems of the terrorist networks, the police said.

Police have sought help from the general public in identifying such miscreants who are aiding and abetting terrorist agenda. (ANI)

By Gaurav Arora

Jamia Millia Islamia University Professor SM Akhtar, consultant architect for the mosque to be built in Ayodhya, said that the mosque will house health and education centres for the common people with an aim to serve mankind with Indian ethos and spirit of Islam.

“I don’t know about the past but I am concerned about the future and what can be done in the future. It is not just a mosque to be built but will serve a social cause and that is why I am interested in this project. The purpose of the construction is that it builds bridges between people. There is a saying that if you serve humankind, you serve God. Every man has God inside him,” Professor Akhtar told ANI.

Professor Akhtar further said that the mosque will be part of a complex which will also house health and education centres for the common people of the region and the broader objective will be to serve mankind with Indian ethos and spirit of Islam.

“There are going to be other institutions apart from a mosque in the complex related to health and education. We plan to build a healthcare centre and an educational centre there. People of Ayodhya and Faizabad have no high-end health centre. These two objectives are defined as of now. Our objectives are to serve mankind with Indian ethos and the spirit of Islam,” he said.

“The spirit of Islam is embodied in the fact that it will be taken care of the fact that there will be a focus on serving humanity through education and healthcare. There will not be any name of the mosque. The society is the Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation under which it will be built,” he added.

He further said that the architecture of the mosque will be based on contemporary needs and it will not be based on any past design, thereby being an original structure.

“If one talks about architecture, then it will be an original design. It will be based on contemporary needs and facilities. We will not imitate any design. There is a fundamental fact about architecture that it can never be replicated and it is always created. It is for the present and the future,” he said.

“There is no timeframe set as of now but there is a focus on developing the design. One thing is clear that it will not be derived from the past but it will serve as a specimen for the future. The needs of the present are different as for example, the environmental needs earlier dictated that thicker walls be created to keep the temperature under control in the inner premises of buildings,” he added.

Speaking on the objection of AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi on the mosque in Ayodhya, Professor Akhtar said that he is only concerned about the construction of the mosque and not other matters.

“We are just labourers. Those matters are for senior intellectual people who formulate policy. Our duty is to deliver whatever we have been assigned,” he said.

“There is no question of feeling lucky or unlucky in this project but there is a satisfaction of serving the society. Our interest in the project is because it is a social venture,” he added.

A Trust named, Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation, for building the Mosque and other facilities for the benefit of the general public, was created by the Sunni Waqf Board in July 2020.

In February, the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board accepted the five acres of land provided for construction of the mosque in Ayodhya.

Apart from this, the Trust will also construct a charitable hospital, public library and a centre showcasing the heritage of Indo-Islamic civilisation which will also serve as a research and study centre for the same. (ANI)

Reacting sharply to latest ban on 118 Chinese mobile apps enforced by India, Spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India Counselor Ji Rong said on Thursday that they oppose the decision and urged Indian government “to rectify the discriminatory practices violating WTO rules and provide an open, fair and impartial business environment for all market players from various countries including China”.

“We are seriously concerned and firmly oppose the Indian government to prohibit the mobile apps with Chinese background with the excuse of “national security,” the spokesperson said.

India has said that it is one of the most open regimes for foreign direct investment and made it clear that companies working here must follow the regulatory framework of the government

Speaking on the ban on Chinese apps, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said on Thursday that digital technology companies operating in the country have the responsibility to abide by rules and regulations issued by ministries and departments of the government and particularly those related to data security and privacy of data.

“India has one of the most open regimes for FDI in the world and this includes internet companies and digital technology companies. However, they have a responsibility to abide by rules and regulations issued by departments of the government of India,” he said.

The Chinese embassy statement said that China has always required Chinese overseas companies to abide by international rules and operate in compliance with laws and regulations.

“The relevant practices by the Indian government not only harm the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese investors and service providers, but also harm the interests of Indian consumers and the investment environment,” the statement said.

“Suppression, self-seclusion and restrictions cannot benefit one country’s development. It’s the right way to integrate into global cooperation by being open, fair and transparent,” it added.

The statement said that China and India are “opportunities of development to each other rather than strategic threats”.

“The essence of economic and trade cooperation between China and India is for mutual benefit and win-win results. We hope that India will work with China to maintain the hard-won cooperation and development situation and return to the right path of win-win cooperation,” it said.

Indian Government on Wednesday blocked 118 Chinese mobile apps stating that they are “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state and public order”.

(ANI)