February 2023 - Page 41 of 50 - Lokmarg

5 New Judges To Take Oath As SC Judges Today

By LokMarg 6th February 2023

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Monday will administer the oath of office to the five new judges as the Supreme Court judges.

President Droupadi Murmu signed the warrants of appointing five new judges to the Supreme Court on Saturday.
The new judges will be inducted after a swearing-in ceremony on Monday in the Supreme Court.

Rajasthan High Court (HC) Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal; Patna HC Chief Justice Sanjay Karol; Manipur HC Chief Justice PV Sanjay Kumar; Patna HC judge, Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah; and Allahabad HC judge, Justice Manoj Misra will take oath as judges of the top court.

The Supreme Court Collegium on December 13 last year had recommended these names for the elevation.

On February 3, an apex court bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul gave a word of caution to the Centre saying that things would get “uncomfortable” if the government continues to delay judicial appointments and transfers.

Justice Kaul had told Centre, “If you keep them pending… you will make us take some very, very difficult decisions.”

With the swearing-in of five new judges, the strength of the top court would go up to 32 from 27 and only two vacancies would remain.

The Supreme Court has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges.

The Supreme Court Collegium on January 31 recommended two more names for elevation to the apex court. These two names are Allahabad High Court’s Justice Rajesh Bindal and Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Aravind Kumar.

After August 26, 2021, when nine Supreme Court judges were appointed together, this is the second time when so many judges have been appointed in one single batch. (ANI)

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Turkey Quakes: Seven Days Of National Mourning

76 Dead In Turkey, 42 In Syria As Earthquake Shatters Lives

By LokMarg 6th February 2023

At least 76 people have been killed across seven provinces in Turkey and 42 were reported dead in Syria in initial reports after a deadly earthquake struck 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi in Turkey’s Gaziantep province on Monday, Anadolu Agency reported citing disaster management authorities.

“At least 76 people killed, 440 injured over seven provinces as 7.4 earthquake hits southern provinces of Turkiye,” Anadolu Agency tweeted citing The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) of the country
Meanwhile, Syrian state media SANA reported that close to 42 people lost their lives in the earthquake in Ankara and nearby regions, including the Syria-Lebanon border. Exams scheduled for Monday in at least two Syrian universities have been postponed, SANA said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter that “search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched” to the areas hit by the quake.

Multiple aftershocks followed the quake.

Social media videos showed multiple collapsed buildings and in Turkey and Syria with terrified locals huddling on the streets.

“At least 6 people killed, 79 injured, 6 buildings destroyed in southern Diyarbakir province as 7.4 earthquake hits southern provinces of Turkiye: Diyarbakir governor,” the Anadolu Agency tweeted.

Southern and central Turkey have both experienced powerful aftershocks. According to CNN, the strongest aftershock, measuring 6.7 in magnitude, struck around 32 kilometres (20 miles) northwest of the original earthquake’s epicentre about 11 minutes later.

The governor of Malayta province in Turkey said that at least 23 people were killed in his province, and 420 were injured. 140 buildings were destroyed, he added.

Similarly quoting the governors of Sanliurfa and Osmaniye provinces of Turkey, Anadolu Agency reported that 15 and 5 people were killed in the provinces, separately. The toll of the injured also remains high.

Several provinces in Southern Turkey also reported loss of lives.

There were reports of destroyed buildings in Turkey and Syria, where tremors also were felt.

People took to social media to post footage of the destruction, including collapsed buildings and people trapped under the rubble.

The casualty count is further expected to rise. (ANI)

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Muslim Board Passes Resolution Against Uniform Code, Calls It Unnecessary

By LokMarg 5th February 2023

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Sunday passed a resolution at its executive meeting saying that the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) was not possible as it would be an ‘unnecessary’ Act.

It added that the Places of Worship Act 1991, should be “maintained and well-implemented” and religious conversion was a matter of “Freedom of religion”.

“The executive meeting of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), was held in Navdatul Ulma, Lucknow under the chairmanship of Maulana Rabey Hasani Nadwi. Issues like Uniform Civil Code, and other matters related to Muslim Personal Law which are in court,” AIMPLB stated in a release.

The meeting was attended by Board president Rabey Hasani, vice president Arshad Madani, Board general secretary Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, and many others.

At the meeting of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, many important issues, including the Uniform Civil Code, were discussed.

It was said that ‘poison of hatred’ is being spread in the country, which is very ‘harmful’.

“People of different religions and beliefs have lived in the country over the years and have played an equal part in the country’s progress. If the brotherhood gets finished, it will be a huge loss for the country. So, we urge the government to work in extinguishing this fire of hatred,” the release stated.

Regarding the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), AIMPLB said, “As per the Constitution of the country, every citizen has the freedom to practice his religion, it also includes his personal law. The government should respect religious freedom and implementing UCC would be an unnecessary act. In such a big country, where people follow many religions, such a law is not possible, and nor will it benefit the country.”

Another issue that was discussed in the meeting was The Places of Worship Act of 1991.

“It was discussed that The Places of Worship Act of 1991 is a law made by the government and passed by the Parliament. So, it is the responsibility of the government to maintain it,” the release stated.

On the issue of religious conversion, it said, “Religion is related to one’s personal belief. Also, the right to adopt any religion is a fundamental right in our Constitution, and every citizen is free to adopt any religion. But in some states, laws have been brought to deprive the citizens of this right, which is condemnable.”

AIPMLA also urged people from the Muslim community to establish as many educational institutions as possible, and work for the protection of culture and civilization. (ANI)

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Vikram Bhatt Shares Glimpse Of His Upcoming Horror Project

By LokMarg 5th February 2023

If there’s a production house which popularised the horror genre in the Hindi film industry, it is undoubtedly the Bhatts. Director-Producer Vikram Bhatt has shared a glimpse of his upcoming venture ‘1920 Horrors of the Heart’.

However, it’s not clear from his post whether it’s a series or a film.
Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Vikram shared a couple of pictures. One among them is a spooky house and the other is a mysterious diary. Vikram captioned the frames as, “In the dead of a cold night, when distant howling sounds could be heard, inside a haunted mansion… The pages of an old tattered diary unfurled to tell a frightening tale… #1920horrorsoftheheart coming soon.

Vikram tagged a host of actors in the post suggesting that they will be part of this project. Avika Gor, Danish Pandor, Barkha Sengupta, and Rahul Dev will feature in this project.

Vikram tagged her daughter Krishna Bhatt in the post as well.

Vikram’s daughter Krishna is also a filmmaker. He is the daughter of Vikram and his ex-wife, Aditi Bhatt. Vikram and Aditi divorced in 1998. (ANI)

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Assam: 2,278 Arrested In Connection With Child Marriages

By LokMarg 5th February 2023

The Assam Police have arrested as many as 2278 persons in connection with the cases related to child marriage across the state, the police informed on Sunday.

According to the data shared by Assam police, 139 persons have been arrested in Biswanath, 130 in Barpeta, 126 in Dhubri, 123 in Baksa, 117 in Bongaigaon, 101 in Nagaon, 94 in Kokrajhar, 85 in Kamrup, 84 each in Goalpara and Udalguri district.
Assam police have registered 4074 cases related to child marriage, the police said.

Notably, considering a surge in cases of child marriage (below the age of 18 years) of Assam women as reported by the National Report of the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led State government is carrying the crackdown against child marriages.

The drive was launched on Thursday night after CM Himanta Biswa Sarma chaired a video-conference meeting with senior officials of the police department directing them to launch a crackdown to rid the state of the evil practice of child marriage.

This episode of this slew of crackdowns dates back to May 5, 2022, when the Health Ministry released the fifth report of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), carried out in 2019 and 2020.The report, following a fine and detailed reading by the Assam government, showed serious concerns regarding child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and maternal mortality.

It was found in the report that 31.8 per cent of women in Assam between 20-24 age were married at a minor age or before 18 years. This was even higher than the national average of 23.3 per cent.

Of these 31.8 per cent of women, more than half (50.8 per cent) cases were from All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MP Badruddin Ajmal’s parliamentary constituency, Dhubri.

As per the government, child marriage leads to teenage pregnancy in women causing maternal deaths in the state. (ANI)

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Tried Best To Save JDU: Kushwaha Writes Open Letter

By LokMarg 5th February 2023

Janata Dal (United) leader and party’s Parliamentary Board President Upendra Kushwaha has convened two days open session of his supporter in Patna on February 19-20 to discuss the prevailing situation in JDU.

Kushwaha has written an open letter to party workers and claimed that JDU is getting weaker due to internal reasons.
“After becoming part of the grand alliance, I have been worried about the party’s position since the results of the assembly bypolls were announced. I kept informing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar about the party condition. I have tried my best to save the party from losing ground in Bihar and my efforts continue even today,” he wrote.

Despite all the efforts, Kushwaha said his concerns were not only ignored by Chief Minister Kumar but interpreted incorrectly. He said he is concerned about the supporters of JDU if the party disintegrates.

“I want to save JDU. This is only the motive and intention behind the open letter to party workers. Still, 15 days remain in between. I hope that good sense will prevail in the party,” Kushwaha told ANI.

He also questioned CM Nitish Kumar for not answering on the alleged “deal” with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

“Why are Nitish Kumar and the people around him not answering whether any ‘deal’ has been done between JDU and RJD or not? Either Nitish Ji doesn’t want to answer the question or something else has happened,” he said.

“Why RJD leaders continuously speak against me despite JDU being part of the grand alliance. Should not Nitish Kumar ask why RJD leaders speaking against me?” he questioned.

Asked if he would launch his political party, Kushwaha said, “Till now I have not planned a new party but focus to strengthen JDU.”

Meanwhile, JDU president and party MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh criticized Kushwaha for putting his concerns in public and not in the party forum.

“Only Upendra Kushwaha can tell what is going on in his mind and about his intentions. If a person has issue with his party and his intentions are right, he will speak on the party’s forum. But instead, he is speaking about it publically. Hence, something is wrong,” the JDU chief said. (ANI)

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Migrants Left With No Job, Stable Income Due To Xi’s Zero Covid Policy

By LokMarg 5th February 2023

China lifted the ‘Zero Covid’ policy hoping it would give their citizens relief but it didn’t go well with migrant workers as they have to search for new jobs after being affected by the stringent regulations, Voice Against Autocracy reported.

The Zero-Covid policy hampered China’s economy and affected the migrant workers, who were dependent on the day’s salary. In the week during the Lantern Festival, workers were often seen returning to their homes, leaving factories short on labor, the report stated, adding that following the ‘golden week’, laborers resume their work but this time, they returned early only to search for a job.
Covid has made things different this year with workers returning in search of finding a job sooner than expected and still unable to procure a stable income, reported Voice Against Autocracy.

Following the Foxconn disaster last year, which was attributed to the alleged unfair treatment of labourers, confusion over wages and bonuses, unpaid Covid-19 quarantine protocols, and filthy living conditions, the situation of migrant workers has only worsened.

The situation in almost all areas in China, including Shenzhen, Qiannan, and Guangzhou is the same with them being manufacturing giants in providing jobs to millions of migrant workers, the report added.

Further, according to Voice against Autocracy, if the given situation prevails for a longer period of time, it is highly likely that China’s title of being the ‘world’s manufacturing hub’ might be snatched and bigger countries like the US and Europe might turn their eyes towards other options such as Vietnam and India.

Meanwhile, in Global Strat View, Hong Kong-based economist Zhiwei Zhang highlighted the negative impact of Covid infections and the Xi Jinping government’s dependence on demographics in China’s economy.

“Going forward, demographics will be a headwind. Economic growth will have to depend more on productivity growth, which is driven by government policies,” he said.

In 2022, China’s GDP grew by just 3 per cent, the worst since the Mao era. Similar economic situations were witnessed during Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, reported Global Strat View.

Instead, it is set to be under the weather for a long time, thanks to the severe blows expected as fallouts of the uncontrollable Covid-infections and the demographic crisis.

At the same time, it has been struck with a new problem a lower workforce due to a declining population. These factors will likely seriously impact all major sectors of China’s economy, such as manufacturing, agriculture, and services, reported Global Strat View.

The ‘Zero Covid’ policy was revoked abruptly a few weeks ago, leading to confusion and disturbance in society, reported Global Strat View, adding that this caused Covid cases to go up, making people sick, thus naturally slowing down business activities.

Renaud Anjoran, CFO of Hong Kong-based supply chain management firm Sofeast Limited, said output was slow as over 40 per cent of the workforce, including top officials, was down with Covid.

“The situation is so volatile. China’s production is going to be impacted for some time to come,” he said. (ANI)

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Abhishek Receives Heartwarming B’day Wish From Niece Navya Nanda

By LokMarg 5th February 2023

On the occasion of his 47th birthday, Abhishek Bachchan received a lovely wish from his niece Navya Nanda.

Navya took to Instagram Stories and shared a collage featuring happy moments of hers with ‘mamu’ Abhishek.
In the collage, we can see little Navya posing for the camera while holding her mamu’s hands.

The collage also shows Navya giving a tight hug to Abhishek from behind.

“Happy birthday to the best there is (red heart emoji)…I love you,” she captioned the post.

Abhishek made his Bollywood debut with Refugee in 2000 and since then he has never shied away from shedding his vanity to take up challenging roles which push him out of his comfort zone. Be it Guru or Paa or Bunty Aur Babli or Dasvi or the latest Breathe: Into the Shadows, Abhishek has played many brilliant characters on screen that have managed to leave an imprint on the viewers and critics.

In March 2023, he will be seen in a special appearance in Ajay Devgn’s directorial ‘Bholaa’. It is an official Hindi remake of the Tamil hit ‘Kaithi’. It has been styled as the story of a “one-man army, set in one night, fighting a multitude of enemies in various forms, human and otherwise.”

The original film revolved around an ex-convict, who decides to meet his daughter for the first time after being released from prison but gets caught in a face-off between police and the drug mafia. (ANI)

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Karishma, Varun Celebrate First Wedding Anniversary

By LokMarg 5th February 2023

Television actor Karishma Tanna completed a year of marital bliss with her husband Varun Bangera. The actor took to Instagram on Sunday to share some beautiful moments from her wedding day.

Karishma posted a dreamy video from her wedding day with the caption, “One year down, forever to go. Happy 1st to US. Life has never been so beautiful as it has been this past year with you by my side. Love you baby.”

Karishma chose to wear a pink lehenga along with matching jewellery, while, her husband Varun opted for a white sherwani on their D-day.

In the video, Varun is seen tying a mangal sutra around Karishma’s neck. Karishma shared some mushy moments from their pre-wedding rituals as well.

Karishma’s colleagues sent their warm wishes to them.

Actor Drashti Dhami wrote, “Happyyyyy anni love.”

Actor Dalljiet Kaur wrote, “Living this day like it was yesterday. How time flies babyyyyy. Feels max five months. Like they say good times fly … I wish u manyyyyyyyyyy more years of happinesss and love and togetherness and romance and success and everything that u have everrrr dreamt of. I love you two to the moon n back.”

Actor Esha Gupta posted love emojis on her post.

Karishma’s husband Varun is the director of a real estate company.

On the work front, Karishma was last seen in the Amazon Prime series ‘Hush Hush’, where she played the character of a lesbian cop. Juhi Chawla, Kritika Kamra, Soha Ali Khan and Ayesha Jhulka featured in the series as well. (ANI)

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‘3 Idiots’: Fans Demand Sequel

By LokMarg 5th February 2023

Actor Sharman Joshi recently dropped a video on his social media in which he could be seen reuniting with his ‘3 Idiots’ co-actors Aamir Khan and R Madhavan after 14 years.

Taking to Instagram, Sharman shared a video which he captioned, “3 idiots are promoting “congratulations” film which is releasing today.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoL4sK5JEXp/embed

In the video, the three actors could be seen on a cricket pitch and dressed in matching red uniforms. Sharman tried to speak about his Gujarati film ‘Congratulations’ and gets interrupted by Madhavan who comes up to him and asks about his film.

After that, he again tried to speak about his film and gets interrupted by Aamir Khan, and later both the actors get confused about the film’s title and instead think that Sharman is congratulating them.

Soon after the ‘Golmaal’ actor shared the video, fans flooded the comment section with red hearts and fire emotions.

“Sir isska aik part aur banna chahie,” a fan commented.

Another fan wrote, “So good to see you guys together after so long.”

“We want #3idiotsagain #3idiotssequel,” a fan wrote.

Helmed by Rehan Chaudhary ‘Congratulations’ is a Gujarati drama film which also stars Manasi Parekh Gohil, Jayesh Barbahya, Ami Bhayani, Archan Trivedi, Swati Dave and others.

The film was released on February 3, 2023, and received decent responses from the audience.

Talking about ‘3 Idiots’, the film was directed by Rajkumar Hirani and was released in the year 2009.

The film starred Aamir, R Madhavan, Sharman, Boman Irani and Kareena Kapoor Khan in the lead roles and was declared a blockbuster hit. (ANI)

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