Month: April 2022

Bennifer fans rejoice! As almost a year after rekindling their romance, star couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have gotten engaged again!

Lopez, 52 confirmed that Affleck, 49 has put the ring on her finger again by posting a short video of her “perfect” green-hued diamond band, via her fan newsletter, On The JLo.
The ‘Marry Me’ star also teased the same on her Instagram handle by saying, “I am really excited to announce this.”

As per the engagement announcement video obtained by Page Six, Lopez stared adoringly at her massive green-hued diamond ring.

“You’re perfect,” Lopez says in a voiceover as romantic music plays.

The couple sparked engagement rumours earlier this week when Lopez was photographed by paparazzi, wearing a ring on her wedding finger while shopping in LA with her 14-year-old daughter Emme.

For a quick recap of Bennifer 1.0 days, As per E! News, the Lopez and Affleck began dating in July 2002 while filming the famous box office bomb ‘Gigli’. The ‘Gone Girl’ actor proposed that November with a USD 2.5 million 6.1-carat pink solitaire custom-made Harry Winston diamond ring.

However, the couple at that time decided to postpone their planned 2003 wedding, blaming “excessive media attention” in a statement, as per Page Six.

Before officially walking down the aisle, the couple split in 2004 and a rep for Lopez confirmed the news to People magazine at that time saying, “Jennifer Lopez has ended her engagement to Ben Affleck. At this difficult time, we ask that you respect her privacy.”

After partying ways, Affleck married actor Jennifer Garner. They welcomed three children together– daughters Violet and Seraphina, and son Samuel.

His relationship with Garner did not survive long as they officially divorced in 2017.

On the other hand, Lopez married singer Marc Anthony in June of the same year. The couple went on to have twins Max and Emme in 2008. They got divorced in 2014.

Lopez entered into another whirlwind romance with former MLB star Alex Rodriguez in 2017.

The ‘Jersey Girl’ co-stars rekindled their romance in April, just a month after Lopez ended her two-year engagement to Rodriguez.

Meanwhile, Affleck before rekindling his romance with Lopez was dating actor Ana de Armas and split with her in January.

On the occasion of her birthday, Jennifer Lopez made her relationship with Ben Affleck Instagram official.

Since the reunion, the duo has been virtually inseparable. The two have been clicked making most of their time vacationing with each other and working hard to have their families along every step of the way.

The duo recently made headlines after being spotted visiting their lavish estate in the ritzy Bel-Air area of Los Angeles, which they are planning to buy in order to move in together. (ANI)

Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Mohammad Saeed’s son Hafiz Talha Saeed has been declared a designated terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

In a notification dated April 8, the MHA said Hafiz Talha Saeed was a senior leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and head of the cleric wing of the terror outfit.
Talha Saeed has been “actively involved in recruitment, fund collection, planning and executing attacks by LeT in India and Indian interests in Afghanistan,” the notification said.

The notification comes on the day that Talha’s father and the chief of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Hafiz Saeed was sentenced to 31 years in jail by a Pakistan anti-terrorism court.

The MHA notification further said that Talha Saeed has been “actively visiting various LeT centres across Pakistan and during his sermons propagating for jihad against India, Israel, the United States of America and Indian interests in other western countries.”

“The Central Government believes that Hafiz Talha Saeed is involved in terrorism and Hafiz Talha Saeed should be notified as a terrorist under the said Act,” said the MHA notification.

Notably, the Central Government had amended the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 in August 2019, to include the provision of designating an individual as a terrorist. Prior to this amendment, only organizations could be designated as terrorist organizations.

Following the amendment, the Ministry had designated nine individuals as designated terrorists under provisions of the UAPA Act in July 2020.

By invoking the said amended provision, in September 2019, the Central government designated four individuals as terrorists, which included Maulana Masood Azhar, Hafeez Saeed, Zaki-ur-RehmanLakhvi and Dawood Ibrahim.

The nine individuals who were designated terrorists in July 2020 include Wadhawa Singh Babbar, Pakistan based Chief of “BabbarKhalsa International”, Lakhbir Singh, Pakistan based Chief of “International Sikh Youth Federation”, Ranjeet Singh, Pakistan based Chief of “Khalistan Zindabad Force”, Paramjit Singh, Pakistan based Chief of “Khalistan Commando Force”, Bhupinder Singh Bhinda, Germany based key member of “Khalistan Zindabad Force”, Gurmeet Singh Bagga, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canada based Chief of “Khalistan Tiger Force”, and Paramjit Singh, United Kingdom-based Chief of “BabbarKhalsa International”. (ANI)

India logged 1,150 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours with a case positivity rate of 0.25 per cent, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.

The active caseload in the country stands at 11,365 which is 0.03 per cent of the total number of cases.
As many as 1,194 COVID patients recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours taking the total number of recoveries since the beginning of the pandemic to 4,25,01,196. The recovery rate currently in the country stands at 98.76 per cent.

According to the Ministry, 83 patients succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours taking the death toll to 5,21,656.

4,66,362 COVID samples were tested in the last 24 hours. With this, 79.34 crore tests have been conducted in the country so far with a weekly positivity rate of 0.23 per cent.

As far as the vaccination is concerned, 14,79,544 COVID vaccine doses were administered during this period taking the total number of vaccines jabbed under the Nationwide Vaccination Drive to 1,85,55,07,496. (ANI)

After Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s aka Bulldozer Baba’s comeback in Uttar Pradesh, the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday said that there is zero tolerance towards crime and criminals and added that around 80 criminals have surrendered.

As per the official press release, “the impact of the government is understandable from the fact that in the last fortnight, around 80 criminals have surrendered. There is a fear of the government’s bulldozer among the mafia and illegal occupiers.”
The government release notified that bulldozer is being used only for illegal construction and on encroached government lands. The demolition act is not being misused and the same directions have been given to police officers, it informed.

Zero tolerance towards crime and criminals and sensitivity towards the poor has been the mantra of the Yogi government for the last five years. In his second innings also, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has carried forward this principle in administration. Also, the poor welfare schemes have been started to be implemented with new speed.

In the context of this, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has given strict instructions to the officers that the action of demolition of illegal properties by bulldozers should be done on mafias, criminals, and bulldozers will not work on any poor person’s hut. The demolition of illegally constructed buildings by mafia and criminals in the state is going on continuously.

Prompt action should be taken against those who encroach on the property of the poor, the state government said. (ANI)

Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed was on Friday sentenced to 31 years in jail by a Pakistan anti-terrorism court.

The court also imposed a fine of PKR 3,40,000 on the UN-designated terrorist who is co-founder of the Lashkar-e-Toiba terror outfit, local media reported.
The sentence was handed out by Ejaz Ahmad Buttar, Judge, Lahore Anti-Terrorism court under various sections of Pakistan’s Anti-terrorism Act, 1997.

“This is to authorize and require you, the said Superintendent to receive the said convict Hafiz Muhammad Saeed s/o Kamal Din into your custody in the said jail, with this warrant and to keep him there safely until you receive further warrant or order of this court, carrying into effect the order of the court according to law,” the warrant of commitment of sentence read.

Hafiz Saeed has been in Lahore central jail since his sentencing in 2020 in a terror funding case.

Pakistan has been on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for failing to check money laundering leading to terror financing.

Hafiz Saeed, the founder of the terror organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is a United Nations designated terrorist, who is the mastermind of Mumbai terror attack in November 2008. He heads the Jamaat-ud-Dawa terror outfit. (ANI)

As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 44th day, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Eduard Heger on Friday said that his country has provided an S-300 air defence system to Ukraine against Russia’s aggression.

Taking to Twitter, the Slovakian PM wrote, “I would like to confirm that #Slovakia has provided #Ukraine with an air-defence system S-300. #Ukrainian nation is #bravely defending its sovereign country.”
“It is our duty to help, not to stay put and be ignorant to the loss of human lives under #Russia’s aggression,” he added.

This comes at a time when Russia was suspended from the UNHRC on Thursday following a UNGA vote moved by the US, which sought the country’s suspension for perpetuating Human Rights violations during its ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

With 93 countries voting in favour, 24 against and 58 abstaining on the resolution, UNGA suspended Russia from the Human Rights Council.

The Russia-Ukraine war resulted in millions of refugees fleeing to nearby countries to the West, as well as thousands of civilian casualties.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has reported a total of 3,838 civilian casualties since the start of the hostilities from February 24 to April 6. (ANI)

Uyghur journalist who went missing in November 2017 is serving 15 years in prison in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region for “political crimes”, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported.

Qurban Mamut, an Uyghur journalist disappeared several months after he and his wife returned home after visiting their son, Bahram Sintash, at his home in Virginia in 2017.
Chinese authorities had kept Mamut’s imprisonment and sentence a secret since they arrested him, said his son, a police officer and a Chinese court official in Xinjiang, RFA reported.

It further reported that Mamut’s arrest coincided with a Chinese government crackdown on Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang. In some cases, authorities have not disclosed sentencing terms from the families of the jailed Uyghurs.

“None of these efforts helped me to get any information on my father,” Sintash told RFA in February when he learned from his older sister that Mamut was alive but serving 15 years in prison.

“Qurban Mamut was sentenced to 15 years in prison for political crimes,” the police in Kucha told RFA.

Sintash expressed deep concern about his father’s health now that he is confined to a “hospital prison” where detainees receive medical treatment while they are handcuffed to their beds and under increased supervision.

“I don’t know what hospital prison is or what kind of place it is … but after hearing the news I am more concerned about my father. When his 15-year prison term ends, he will be in his 80s if he comes out of the Chinese prison live,” he said, according to RFA.

For years, Chinese authorities have subjected Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in Xinjiang to arbitrary arrests and detentions in internment camps, physical abuse, and restrictions on their religious practices and culture in what the United States and legislatures of several other Western countries say amounts to genocide and crimes against humanity.

The US and parliaments in some Western countries have declared China’s actions against the Uyghurs and other Turkic people a genocide and crimes against humanity, though China has denied accusations of abuse, Radio Free Asia reported. (ANI)

As ‘Pushpa’ star Allu Arjun turned a year older on Friday, his uncle, megastar Chiranjeevi Konidela, took to social media to shower him with blessings.

“Happy Birthday Bunny @alluarjun Your hard work and focus gives you success. Party hard and make this landmark birthday memorable,” Chiranjeevi wrote.

Speaking of the birthday boy, Allu Arjun’s ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ shattered many box office records by earning more than Rs 100 crores even at a time when theatres had only 50 per cent seating capacity.

The movie, which is an action entertainer directed by Sukumar, was released in theatres on December 17 and has been widely praised. It has been produced by Naveen Yerneni and Y Ravi Shankar of Mythri Movie Makers in association with Muttamsetty Media.

The movie stars Allu Arjun as Pushpa Raj and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead role of Srivalli.

After the pan India success of ‘Pushpa: The Rise’, Allu Arjun is gearing up for its sequel, ‘Pushpa: The Rule’, which will have Fahadh Faasil and Rashmika sharing screen space with him again. (ANI)

Hackers who are believed to have links with China are launching cyber attacks against Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the country with reports that they are seeking to target the Ukrainian government.

In mid-March, researchers at US-based Google’s security arm and a group of anonymous analysts called Intrusion Truth posted articles about repeated Chinese cyberattacks on Twitter, as per the portal.
Intrusion Truth also revealed that the hackers have links with China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army. It suggests that they are seeking to target the Ukrainian government.

The cyber defence unit of Ukraine issued a warning about these cyber attacks. In one of the incidents, an email containing malware was sent throughout Ukraine. The email asked the users to store the videos evidencing damage being carried out by the Russian forces to the civilians. The malware in the email is intended to use in order to steal or destroy the collected data, reported Asia Nikkei.

One US security company named SentinelOne also identified that hacker group Scarab has links with the Xi Jinping government. The Senior threat researcher, Tom Hegel, said the attack by Scrab “represents the first publicly reported attack on Ukraine from a non-Russian [Advanced Persistent Threat].” Numerous signs are there of China manoeuvring secretly in cyberspace.

Not only security agencies from the US but also The Times of London reported cyberattacks by China. The Times of London cited intelligence memos and reported that China launched “a huge cyberattack on Ukraine’s military and nuclear facilities in the buildup to Russia’s invasion.” According to the Times, more than 600 websites belonging to Ukraine’s defence Ministry and other institutions “suffered thousands of hacking attempts.” (ANI)

The High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles, on Friday said that the decision of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to suspend Russia from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) reinforces the authority of the principal organ of the United Nations.

“This suspension is necessary to uphold the integrity of the Human Rights Council. The decision reinforces the authority of the UN General Assembly and demonstrates the readiness of the international community to act,” the EU high representative said.
This is only the second time since the establishment of the UNHRC in 2006 that a member’s rights have been suspended. The first suspension happened in 2011 when Libya was suspended for a crackdown on anti-government protests.

“The scale and gravity of Russia’s violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law call for a strong and united international response,” EU high representative Fontelles said.

“The latest vote in the UN General Assembly shows the clear determination of the international community to hold Russia accountable. Moreover, it is a powerful demonstration of solidarity with the people of Ukraine and all other people affected by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” he added.

Russia was suspended from the UNHRC on Thursday following a UNGA vote moved by the US, which sought the country’s suspension for perpetuating Human Rights violations during its ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

With 93 countries voting in favour, 24 against and 58 abstaining on the resolution, UNGA suspended Russia from the Human Rights Council.

Notably, condemning the killings in Ukraine’s Bucha and supporting the call for an independent investigation, India abstained from voting on the resolution.

“It is time for the Russian Government to listen to the voice of the UN General Assembly and appeals from the UN Secretary-General and people all over the world to stop this war and bring an end to the senseless human suffering immediately,” the EU High Representative said.

The war in Ukraine has entered well into the second month, resulting in millions of refugees fleeing to nearby countries to the West, as well as thousands of civilian casualities.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has reported a total of 3,838 civilian casualties since the start of the hostilities from February 24 to April 6. (ANI)