Month: July 2022

Iconic composer Ilaiyaraaja, celebrated athlete PT Usha, Indian philanthropist Veerendra Heggade and screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad Garu have been nominated to Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

The President nominates 12 members to the Rajya Sabha from people who have special knowledge or practical experience in art, literature, science and social service. The rationale behind this principle of nomination is to provide eminent persons a place in the Rajya Sabha without going through the process of election.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated those who have been nominated to Rajya Sabha on Twitter.

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi wrote, “The remarkable PT Usha Ji is an inspiration for every Indian. Her accomplishments in sports are widely known but equally commendable is her work to mentor budding athletes over the last several years. Congratulations to her on being nominated to the Rajya Sabha.”

PM Modi said that Ilaiyaraaja has enthralled people across generations and his works beautifully reflect many emotions.

“The creative genius of @ilaiyaraaja ji has enthralled people across generations. His works beautifully reflect many emotions. What is equally inspiring is his life journey- he rose from a humble background and achieved so much. Glad that he has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha,” he said in a tweet.

The Prime Minister also said that Heggade is forefront of outstanding community service.

“Shri Veerendra Heggade Ji is at the forefront of outstanding community service. I have had the opportunity to pray at the Dharmasthala Temple and also witness the great work he is doing in health, education and culture. He will certainly enrich Parliamentary proceedings,” tweeted PM Modi.

The Prime Minister said that Vijayendra Prasad Garu is associated with the creative world for decades and his works showcase India’s glorious culture.

“Shri V. Vijayendra Prasad Garu is associated with the creative world for decades. His works showcase India’s glorious culture and have made a mark globally. Congratulations to him for being nominated to the Rajya Sabha,” PM Modi tweeted.

The Rajya Sabha should consist of not more than 250 members – 238 members representing the States and Union Territories, and 12 members nominated by the President.

Rajya Sabha is a permanent body and is not subject to dissolution. However, one-third of the members retire every second year and are replaced by newly elected members. Each member is elected for a term of six years. The Vice President of India is the ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha. The House also elects a Deputy Chairman from among its members. Besides, there is also a panel of “Vice-Chairman” in the Rajya Sabha. The senior-most minister, who is a member of Rajya Sabha, is appointed by the Prime Minister as Leader of the House. (ANI)

World oil prices plummeted on Wednesday (local time) and dropped below USD 100 a barrel for the first time since early May.

The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude tumbled as much as 10 per cent Tuesday, to hit a low of USD 97.43 before closing at USD 99.50, down 8 per cent on the day, reported CNN. The slump reflects investors’ growing concerns about a US recession that could crimp demand for oil.

It’s the first time that WTI has been below USD 100 since May 11. That was also the last time Brent, which typically trades a bit higher, was below USD 102 a barrel. Brent has not been below USD 100 since April 25, reported CNN.

Wholesale gas futures fell as well, down almost 10 per cent for the day at the close, or 36 cents a gallon.

The national average cost of a gallon of gas at the pump is now USD 4.80, according to the latest AAA reading, down one penny from Monday and 8 cents from a week ago. Gas prices crossed the USD 5 mark for the first time on June 11 and hit a peak of USD 5.02 a gallon on June 14.

Rising fears about the chances of a recession are the primary driver of the latest sell-off in oil and gasoline futures, said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis for OPIS.

Until fairly recently, oil and gasoline investors had believed that there was little in the way of market forces to keep prices in check in the near term, reported CNN.

There have been mounting fears of a recession in recent weeks, which has sharply lowered oil prices. Brent was at USD 123.58 a barrel on June 8, while WTI was at USD 122.11.

But since that peak, the Consumer Price Index showed consumer prices hit a 40-year high, one of the key metrics that prompted the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point as a way of combating those price pressures.

That has raised expectations that the central bank’s aggressive moves to cool the economy could cause job losses and a recession, reported CNN.

Oil and gas prices surged earlier this year after the Russia-Ukraine war prompted the United States and its European allies to sanction Russian energy exports, effectively choking off one of the world’s largest producers.

The previous time gas hit a record high was during the Great Recession, when the national average reached USD 4.11 a gallon in July 2008.

US gasoline retailers have little incentive to cut prices more deeply with strong demand for gasoline with the summer driving season in full swing, reported CNN.

There could be more price drops at the pump in the near term — a decline of another 10 cents a gallon in the next week or so wouldn’t be a surprise, Kloza said.

Station owners who are paying less for wholesale gas will be watching to how much of the savings their competitors are passing on to customers before they set their own prices.

There likely won’t be any big declines until schools reopen and the summer driving season ends this fall, he predicted.

There are also risks that further developments in Russian oil exports tied to the war in Ukraine or hurricanes hitting US oil infrastructure along the Gulf Coast could send prices climbing up rapidly once again. (ANI)

President Ram Nath Kovind accepted the resignation of Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Steel Minister RCP Singh from the Union Cabinet on Wednesday.

“The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignations of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Ram Chandra Prasad Singh from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution,” read the notification of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Notably, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani has been given the additional charge of the Ministry of Minority Affairs while Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has been given the additional charge of the Ministry of Steel.

“Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, the President has directed that Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, in addition to her existing portfolio,” said the notification.

“Furthermore, as advised by the Prime Minister, the President has directed that Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Steel, in addition to his existing portfolio,” it added.

Two Cabinet Ministers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and RCP Singh who will cease to be members of the Rajya Sabha from Thursday resigned from the Union Cabinet on Wednesday.

The Rajya Sabha term of Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Steel Minister RCP Singh will end on Thursday.

According to the sources, this is the first time that a sitting minister has been out of both Houses of Parliament.

Recently, several BJP leaders were elected to Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. However, the party did not give a Rajya Sabha ticket to Naqvi.

Pertinent to mention here, RCP Singh, who comes from an ally party in Bihar, JD(U), had sworn in as a minister in the Modi government a year ago on July 7, 2021. However, in the recent announcement of the Rajya Sabha tickets, Nitish Kumar denied RCP Singh’s election to the Rajya Sabha.

A Rajya Sabha seat fell vacant in Tripura after the resignation of Manik Saha who was recently elected to the Tripura Assembly. Besides this, there is no Rajya Sabha seat which is going to be vacant in the next few months. (ANI)

Looks like Parineeti Chopra has hired a new stylist! Well, the ‘Jabariya Jodi’ actress made her fans meet her cute little stylist on Instagram recently and her fans are in awe of them both.

Parineeti took to Instagram to share an adorable video of a toddler who’s her friend’s son. In the video, the kid is seen helping Parineeti select an outfit in the cutest way possible. Parineeti is seen wearing a bathrobe while the little toddler picks an outfit for her. She captioned the post “Hired a new stylist”.

The cute boy chose a black evening gown for the actress and later also chose pink stilettoes for her. Parineeti was seen wearing the outfit in one of the pictures she posted on Instagram. According to the post, she wore the outfit to an event held in Dubai. She had earlier posted pictures on Instagram wearing the same outfit.

She captioned the post “An amazing night spent with the people of Dubai and Mid day. Thank you for acknowledging my performances in Sandeep aur Pinky Faraar, The Girl on the Train, and Saina. Thank you for making it a memorable one!”

On the work front, Parineeti was last seen in Saina Nehwal’s biopic titled ‘Saina’. The film was released in March 2021. She will next be seen in Ribhu Dasgupta’s untitled project. She will also be seen in Sooraj Barjatya’s ‘Unchai’. The film also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani and Anupam Kher. Apart from this, she is also a part of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film ‘Animal’, alongside Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol.

Parineeti has also been roped in for Imtiaz Ali’s next film ‘Chamkila’ opposite Diljit Dosanjh. (ANI)

As edible oil prices are slashed down globally, the prices in India will come down by Rs. 10 to Rs. 12 per litre, said sources on Wednesday.

The sources cited surplus stock and the consecutive low demand as the primary reason behind the price drop.
“All major edible oil brands have cut prices by 10-15 rupees,” Secretary Department of Food and Public Distribution, Sudhanshu Pandey said over the last months falling prices.

He added that this has been possible due to constant monitoring by the department, constant engagement with all stakeholders and multiple interventions by the government.

According to sources, the MRP of Fortune Refined Sunflower Oil 1 litre pack has been decreased to Rs. 210 from Rs. 220. The MRP of Soyabean (Fortune) and Kachi Ghani oil’s 1-litre pack from Rs. 205 to Rs. 195. The reduction in oil prices comes in the wake of Central Government reducing the import duty on edible oils making them cheaper.

It may be recalled that in a bid to control the continuous rise in the cooking oil prices over the past one year, the Centre had earlier cut the basic duty on Crude Palm Oil, Crude Soyabean Oil and Crude Sunflower Oil from 2.5per cent to Nil.

The Agri-cess on these Oils has been brought to 5per cent . The basic duty on Refined Soyabean oil and Refined Sunflower Oil has been slashed to 17.5 per cent from the current 32.5 per cent and the basic duty on Refined Palm Oils has been reduced from 17.5 per cent to 12.5 per cent.

Earlier, the central government extended the free import of Refined Palm Oils till the end of this year. (ANI)

China recorded the biggest ever database leak in history with nearly one billion personal data being online for more than a year.

The leak could be one of the biggest ever recorded in history, cybersecurity experts say, highlighting the risks of collecting and storing vast amounts of sensitive personal data online — especially in a country where authorities have broad and unchecked access to such data, reported CNN.

“As it stands today, I believe this would be the largest leak of public information yet — certainly in terms of the breadth of the impact in China, we’re talking about most of the population here,” said Troy Hunt, a Microsoft regional director based in Australia.

The online database contained the personal information of up to one billion Chinese citizens and was noticed after an anonymous user in a hacker forum offered to sell the data last week.

The anonymous user advertised to sell more than 23 terabytes (TB) of data for sale for 10 bitcoin — roughly USD 200,000 — in a post on a hacker forum last Thursday.

The user claimed the database was collated by the Shanghai police and contained sensitive information on one billion Chinese nationals, including their names, addresses, mobile numbers, national ID numbers, ages and birthplaces, as well as billions of records of phone calls made to police to report on civil disputes and crimes, reported CNN.

The vast trove of Chinese personal data had been publicly accessible via what appeared to be an unsecured backdoor link — a shortcut web address that offers unrestricted access to anyone with knowledge of it — since at least April 2021, according to LeakIX, a site that detects and indexes exposed databases online.

A sample of 750,000 data entries from the three main indexes of the database was included in the seller’s post.

Meanwhile, the Shanghai government and police department did not respond to CNN’s repeated written requests for comment.

The seller also claimed the unsecured database had been hosted by Alibaba Cloud, a subsidiary of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

Alibaba said “we are looking into this” and would communicate any updates. On Wednesday, Alibaba said it declined to comment to CNN.

China is home to 1.4 billion people, which means the data breach could potentially affect more than 70 per cent of the population.

It is unclear how many people have accessed or downloaded the database during the 14 months or more it was left publicly available online.

Unsecured personal data — exposed through leaks, breaches, or some form of incompetence — is an increasingly common problem faced by companies and governments around the world, and cybersecurity experts say it is not unusual to find databases that are left open to public access.

The latest data leak is particularly worrying, cybersecurity researchers say, not only because of its potentially unprecedented volume, but also the sensitive nature of the information contained.

A CNN analysis of the database sample found police records of cases spanning nearly two decades from 2001 to 2019. While the majority of the entries are civil disputes, there are also records of criminal cases ranging from fraud to rape.

In one case, a Shanghai resident was summoned by police in 2018 for using a virtual private network (VPN ) to evade China’s firewall and access Twitter , allegedly retweeting “reactionary remarks involving the (Communist) Party, politics and leaders.”

In another record, a mother called the police in 2010, accusing her father-in-law of raping her 3-year-old daughter.

The Chinese government has recently stepped up efforts to improve protection of online user data privacy. Last year, the country passed its first Personal Information Protection Law, laying out ground rules on how personal data should be collected, used and stored.

But experts have raised concerns that while the law can regulate technology companies, it could be challenging to enforce when applied to the Chinese state, reported CNN. (ANI)

Rajasthan Police have arrested a cleric of the Ajmer Dargah for allegedly making a provocative statement against the suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

Speaking to ANI, Additional Superintendent of Police, Vikas Sangwan said, “Ajmer Police arrested Salman Chishti, Khadim of Ajmer Dargah on Tuesday night for allegedly giving a provocative statement against suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma.”

The arrested cleric, a history-sheeter had made the objectionable remarks that was captured on video, following which an FIR was registered against him on Monday.

“It was brought to my notice that Salman Chishti, Khadim of Ajmer Dargah shared an objectionable video and an FIR was filed. He was nabbed from his house and is being questioned. It seems he was in an inebriated state when the video was made. He is a history-sheeter,” the police officer Sangwan said.

Chishti is heard saying in the video that he would gift his house and property as a reward to anyone who brings him the head of Nupur Sharma who had made controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad.

He could also be heard saying that the BJP leader has insulted the Khwaja and the Prophet and alleged that Muslims were being persecuted and killed across the country.

After the video went viral, the Additional Superintendent of Police Vikas Sangwan said that he has also received the video through a WhatsApp message.

He added, “the attitude of the police administration is very strict regarding this video and will take tough action against anyone making remarks that may trigger communal tensions. Salman Chishti seems inebriated in the video.

The police have also spoken to officials of the Dargah and Anjuman, who have urged people to stop the video from going viral.”

Sangwan told ANI, “The accused Salman is a resident of the Chishti Dargah police station area. The police are looking for Salman, he will be soon caught and legal action will be taken against him.”

On June 28, Kanhaiya Lal a tailor in Udaipur was killed in a gruesome manner, shortly after he alleged that he had been receiving threats over his social media post in support of Nupur Sharma.

Two men who filmed a video of the killing and put out a video of it were arrested. The duo had also threatened to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Last month, Noopur Sharma made objectionable remarks against Prophet Muhammad during a television news debate on the Gyanvapi issue.

Sharma’s controversial remarks had triggered protests in various states and had also drawn sharp reactions from other countries. (ANI)

Singer-actor Shehnaaz Gill brought her fans to tears after singing a Bollywood track with absolute perfection, encouraging everyone to do the same without the fear of judgement.

“Dil ki baat” captioned Shehnaaz on Instagram, adding a little heart.

In the 58-second video clip, the Big Boss winner urged her fans that if they felt like singing in this monsoon weather, then they should sing their heart out. Because, according to Shehnaaz, “Who will judge you?”

“If you feel like singing in the rains, then you must. It doesn’t matter how much you of the lyrics you know, you should enjoy it. That is what matters,” said Shehnaaz before she started singing one of the most soulful tracks of the film ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’, ‘Kaun Tujhe’.

The monochrome video showed Shehnaaz singing the lyrics of ‘Kaun Tujhe’, with her amazing vocal skills. She seemed to be sitting on the floor, wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts while keeping her curly hair open. However, it was her gestures that gave the video a serene outcome. Shenaaz enacted some words in the lyrics with her hands and cute expressions.

At one point, when she sang, “Kaun tujhe yun pyaar karega jaise mei karti huun’ Shehnaaz pointed her finger towards the sky, looking up. After completing her singing, she gives virtual kisses on screen to her fans.

The video has been widely loved and appreciated by many Instagram users who speculated whether the song was dedicated to late actor Sidharth Shukla, with whom Shehnaaz shared a close bond.

“Oh Mannnn! I know you see him in nature and everything,” wrote one user.

“The way you pointed at the sky has my whole heart love you forever,” commented another.

“No one can love like shehnaazgill. And as I always say.. Every Sid should get her Naaz.. SidNaaz forever together in our hearts…” commented a third user.

Sidharth and Shehnaaz, popularly called ‘SidNaaz’ by fans, got close to each other when they were in the ‘Bigg Boss 13’ house, though they never officially acknowledged being a couple. Sidharth later won the reality show in 2020.

Sidharth passed away on September 2, 2021 at the age of 40 after a cardiac arrest. (ANI)

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday refused to step down as more Ministers submitted their resignations, bringing the total number to 18.

Johnson said that his government would not fold after two of his senior Ministers and a string of junior officials submitted their resignation in protest of his leadership, New York Post reported.
“The job of a prime minister in difficult circumstances when you’ve been handed a colossal mandate is to keep going. And that’s what I’m going to do,” Johnson told lawmakers.

“We are going to get on and deliver our mandate and win another general election,” he added.

The last staffer to resign was Environment Minister Jo Churchill, who resigned after Johnson apologized for mishandling sexual misconduct allegations against a member of his government.

“Recent events have shown integrity, competence, and judgements are all essential to the role of Prime Minister, while a jocular self-serving approach is bound to have its limitations,” Churchill wrote in her resignation letter.

“Our beloved country is facing an uncertain future and strong headwinds. A clear, selfless vision is needed. The country and party deserve better and so with a heavy heart I have decided to resign,” she added.

Despite the influx of resignations from both senior and junior staffers, Johnson vowed to “keep going” with the job as British leader. Johnson further said that he would only quit if the government could not carry on, according to New York Post.

“Clearly, if there were circumstances in which I felt it was impossible for the government to go on and discharge the mandate that we’ve been given, or if I felt, for instance, that we were being frustrated in our desire to support the Ukrainian people … then I would,” Johnson told Parliament.

Earlier, on Tuesday, two key ministers, namely Sajid Javid, secretary of state for Health and Social Care and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak resigned from their posts.

In his resignation letter, Sunak said he was “sad to be leaving the government”, but has come to the conclusion that he “cannot continue like this”.

“The public rightly expects the government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning,” Rishi Sunak said.

Javid said he had lost confidence in Boris Johnson’s ability to govern following multiple scandals, saying he could “no longer continue in good conscience”. The minister said that many lawmakers and the public had lost confidence in Johnson’s ability to govern in the national interest.

In his resignation letter, which he posted to Twitter, Javid told Johnson that “the values you represent reflect on your colleagues,” and in light of recent scandals, the public had concluded that their party was neither “competent” nor “acting in the national interest.”

The exit of the top minister comes amid the row involving the former Conservative party whip Chris Pincher, who was accused of sexual misconduct.

Last week, Pincher quit as deputy chief whip after claims that he groped two men but Johnson knew about allegations against him as far back as 2019. Boris acknowledged he should have sacked Pincher when he was found to have behaved inappropriately when he was a Foreign Office minister in 2019.

The British PM said he regrets giving Pincher a government role as Deputy Chief Whip following the revelation of a misconduct complaint against him.

“In hindsight, it was the wrong thing to do and I apologise to everyone who has been badly affected by it. I just want to make absolutely clear that there’s no place in this government for anybody who is predatory or abuses their position of power,” he said. (ANI)

Ranveer Singh, turned a day older today, on his 37th Birthday, the ‘Simmba’ actor’s fans and well-wishers showered him with wishes and good luck for the future.

Many big Bollywood celebrities, on their Instagram, poured wishes on the ‘Gully Boy’actor.
Ajay Devgn took to his Instagram and shared a behind-the-scene picture with the ‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar’ actor, to which he captioned, “Happy birthday to little Simmba @RanveerOfficial. Have a roaring one!”.

Vicky Kaushal, on his Instagram, shared a picture of the ‘Bajirao Mastani’ actor in a funky pink striped blazer, which he captioned, “Happiest Birthday to you…you chameleon of an actor and rockstar of a human being”.

Veteran actor Anil Kapoor dropped a throwback picture from the sets of ‘Dil Dhadakane Do’ to which he captioned, “The one in a billion @ranveersingh Keep Roaring… Happy Birthday Tiger!!!”.

Anushka Sharma wished her ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’ co-star with a colourful picture and captioned it, “Happy Birthday Ranveer Wishing you love and light always”.

Director Karan Johar dropped a new look of Ranveer from his upcoming film ‘Rocky aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani’ and wrote, ” Rocky ka Happy Birthday!!! JugJugg Jeeyo mere Couture mein doobe ajoobe!!! Rani tune wish kiya??”.

Ananya Panday dropped a group picture which includes director Karan Johar and the birthday boy, which she captioned, ” Happpppy birthday Ran Ran!! The bestest and my full favourite you spread so much joy and magic everywhere you go there’s truly no one like you”.

Actor Riteish Deshmukh wished the actor with a throwback picture and wrote, “Happy Birthday to one of the most talented actors of this generation- @ranveersingh have a stupendous one.

Rakul Preet Singh wrote, ” Happpy bdayyy to the most energetic man on the planet!! Keep Shining Keep playing”.

Meanwhile, on the work front, the ‘Padmaavat’ actor will be next seen in Karan Johar’s next romantic flix ‘Rocky aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani’ with Alia Bhatt. The film is slated for release on the occasion of Valentine’s Day 2023.

Apart from that he also has the untitled remake of a Tamil film ‘Anniyan’ on his bucket list. (ANI)