Month: March 2023

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the Centre’s curative plea for enhanced compensation for the victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy from US-based firm Union Carbide Corporation, now owned by Dow Chemicals.

“The sum of Rs 50 crores lying with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shall be utilized by the Government of India to satisfy pending claims,” Supreme Court said while dismissing Centre’s curative plea for enhanced compensation for the victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy.
The judgment was pronounced by a five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul. The bench also comprised Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Abhay S Oka, Vikram Nath and JK Maheshwari.

“If it is reopened then it may open a pandora’s box and will be detrimental to the claimants. The curative petition cannot be entertained,” the court said.

The court noted that the failure to take insurance policies is gross negligence on the part of the Government of India.

On January 12, the Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on the Centre’s curative plea for enhanced compensation for the victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy from US-based firm Union Carbide Corporation, now owned by Dow Chemicals.

The Centre’s curative plea for enhanced compensation for the victims sought a direction to Union Carbide and other firms for over Rs 7,400 crore additional amount over and above the earlier settlement amount of USD 470 million (RS 715 crore at the time of settlement in 1989) for paying compensation to the gas tragedy victims.

The government sought a re-examination of the apex court’s February 14, 1989 judgment which had fixed compensation at USD 470 million, contending that the 1989 settlement was seriously impaired.

The contention of the Central government was that the compensation, determined in 1989, was arrived on the basis of assumptions of truth unrelated to realities.

During the hearing, successor firms of the Union Carbide Corporation told the apex court that the depreciation of the rupee since 1989, when a settlement was arrived at between the company and the Centre, cannot be a ground to now seek a top-up of compensation for the victims.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for one of the firms, had told the top court that the government of India never suggested at the time of the settlement that it was inadequate.

The Bhopal gas tragedy, touted as the world’s worst industrial disaster, had claimed the lives of several thousand people after deadly gas leaked from the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984.

The tragedy unfolded in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, when the highly dangerous and toxic gas, methyl isocyanate (MIC), escaped from the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) and resulted in the death of 5,295 human beings, injuries to almost 5,68,292 persons besides loss of livestock.

The apex court had already dismissed a curative petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2010 for enhancement of punishment. The agency had approached the Supreme Court, facing public outcry over a Bhopal court order that sentenced Union Carbide executives to two years imprisonment. Those convicted included former Union Carbide India chairman Keshub Mahindra.

Dismissing the CBI’s curative plea in 2011, the top court had held that “no satisfactory explanation has been given to file such curative petitions after about 14 years from the 1996 judgment”. (ANI)

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Hitting out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks during his London visit, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday said that the Wayanad MP’s attendance in Lok Sabha is lower than the average attendance of MPs in Parliament.

Recently, Rahul Gandhi while addressing British parliamentarians in London alleged that the functioning microphones of Opposition leaders in Parliament are often silenced.
The Union Minister further said that Rahul Gandhi should come to the Parliament and apologise to the nation.

Addressing a press conference, “Today India is emerging as a global superpower and India is chairing the G20. All these things show the progress of India but on the other hand, Rahul Gandhi is not leaving any chance to humiliate India.”

Thakur said that Rahul Gandhi goes abroad and insults the country.

“He should come to the Parliament and apologise to the nation. He says that he is not allowed to speak in Parliament but his attendance in Lok Sabha is lower than the average attendance of MPs in Parliament,” said the Union Minister.

“Congress knows the art of corruption and corruption through art. They are running a campaign against the country. They should apologise to the nation and stop their Cambridge cries,” he added.

He further said that organisations investigating terror-funding cases are now conducting a case study on the corruption model of Congress.

During the interaction at the Chatham House in London recently, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the microphones of Opposition leaders in Parliament are often silenced. He attacked the BJP-led government at the Centre and levelled several allegations.

Rahul Gandhi even said that Europe and the US are not doing enough to restore democracy in India as they are getting trade and money from the country.

The Congress leader also alleged that various institutions in the country were under threat.

“It shocked me how successful they have been at capturing the different institutions of our country. Press, Judiciary, Parliament, and Election Commission are all under threat and are controlled in one way or the other,” Gandhi said.

He also termed the RSS a “fundamentalist” and “fascist” organisation alleging that it has captured pretty much all of India’s institutions.

Rahul Gandhi had criticised the Centre alleging that an attack has been unleashed on the basic structure of Indian democracy.

In his speech at Chatham House the Congress leader had claimed that the basic idea behind Chinese troops on the Ladakh and Arunachal borders is similar to what is happening in Ukraine now. Rahul Gandhi had also said the China threat was dismissed by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as a “ludicrous idea”. (ANI)

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US President Joe Biden on Monday (local time) said the American banking system remains safe following the collapse of two US banks — Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.

“Small businesses across the country that had accounts at Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank can breathe easier knowing they’ll be able to pay their workers. It won’t cost taxpayers a dime. This is paid for with the fees that banks pay into Deposit Insurance Fund,” said Biden.
However, the failures have nonetheless created concern among customers who hold their money in other similarly-sized banks.

US regulators closed the Silicon Valley Bank on Friday after it experienced a traditional bank run, where depositors rushed to withdraw their funds all at once. It is the second largest bank failure in U.S. history, behind only the 2008 failure of Washington Mutual.

In a sign of how fast the financial bleeding was occurring, regulators announced that New York-based Signature Bank had also failed.

Biden underscored that the American banking system remains “safe” as he laid out how his administration is taking action to contain the collapse.

He blamed the previous US administration for the banking failure. Biden said, “During the Obama-Biden administration, we put in place tough requirements on banks like Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, including Dodd-Frank Law, to make sure that the crisis we saw in 2008 would not happen again. Unfortunately, the last administration rolled back some of these requirements. I am going to ask Congress and banking regulators to strengthen the rules for banks to make it less likely this kind of bank failure would happen again and to protect American jobs and small businesses.”

Meanwhile, at First Republic Bank in Studio City Monday morning, there was a steady stream of customers taking their money out and moving it to bigger banks.

This came amid worries about what may be next to topple following the second-and third-largest bank failures in US history.

The pressure is majorly on the regional banks a couple of steps below in size of the massive, “too-big-to-fail” banks that helped take down the economy in 2007 and 2008.

Shares of First Republic plunged 62.6 per cent, even after the bank said Sunday it had strengthened its finances with cash from the Federal Reserve and JPMorgan Chase, reported ABC 7.

Amid the turmoil, the First Republic in a response to Eyewitness News, tried to reassure its nervous customers.

“We’re continuing to fully serve the needs of our clients by opening accounts, making loans, executing transactions and delivering exceptional service at our offices and online,” First Republic said in a statement.

Huge banks, which have been repeatedly stress-tested by regulators following the 2008 financial crisis, weren’t down as much. JPMorgan Chase fell 1.2 per cent, and Bank of America dropped 3.9 per cent.

First Republic Bank is small compared to the nation’s largest banks. (ANI)

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Actress Sara Ali Khan is currently on vacation mode.

Taking to Instagram, Sara dropped a string of images from her trip to Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh.
In the images, she can be seen gorging on “parathes” amidst snow-capped mountains.

For the caption, she channelled her inner shayar and wrote, “Parvato Mein Parathe..Jannat in Pahad..Chalti Rahi Coffee ke Sahare…Barf mein bhi Bahaare..Toh Azmaao yeh Nazaare.”

Sara looks gorgeous in her fashionable winter outfits. She is seen dressed up in a black and white printed bomber jacket, white joggers and sneakers.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Sara is all set to come up with a film titled ‘Gaslight’. Helmed by Pavan Kirpalani, ‘Gaslight’ also stars Vikrant Massey and Chitrangda Singh in the lead roles.

The film will stream exclusively on the OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar from March 31.

‘Gaslight’ has been a learning curve for Sara.

“The character and story is very distinctive from the ones I have played before. The film has given me an opportunity to expand my horizons in acting and introduce different shades of Sara to my fans. It is an interesting whodunit and will keep the audience at the edge of their seats till the end. It has been an exciting journey during the shoot. Gaslight also marks my second association with Disney+ Hotstar and I am looking forward to audience reactions once they watch it,” she had earlier said.

Sara also has Laxman Utekar’s upcoming untitled rom-com film opposite Vicky Kaushal and Homi Adajania’s next ‘Murder Mubarak’ in her kitty. (ANI)

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The US on Monday (local time) raised concern over a possible 7th nuclear test by North Korea, urging the international community to take concerted action in response to such a destabilising event.

In his final address to media briefing as the spokesperson of the US State Department, spokesperson Ned Price said, “DPRK has finalized all of the steps it would need to take to conduct what would be its 7th nuclear test. A 7th nuclear test would be a dangerous provocation that would itself constitute a significant threat to peace and security in the region.”
Indian American Vedanta Patel will soon step in as the interim spokesperson of the US State Department, as Ned Price is going to step down.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s assertion on September 8 that his country will never abandon its nuclear weapons and the growing speculations that it is preparing for its seventh nuclear explosion has raised many questions in South Korea and its “Security Treaty partner” United States.

Kim has now made his “rubber-stamp parliament” pass a new law that spells out conditions where North Korea would be inclined to use its nuclear weapons.

The law requires North Korea’s military to “automatically” execute nuclear strikes against enemy forces, including their “starting point of provocation and the command,” if Pyongyang’s leadership comes under attack.

The new law also says that North Korea could use nukes to prevent an unspecified “catastrophic crisis” for its government and people. In other words, Pyongyang will not hesitate to use its nuclear weapons when threatened proactively.

Kim was referring to the region of the United States and its allies. His latest comments underscored the growing animosity in the area as he accelerates the expansion of his nuclear weapons and missiles program.

“The entire world would need to respond in a case like that. Countries on the Security Council, especially the Permanent Five, we would hope to see, concerted action in response to such a destabilising event,” urged US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price.

Predictably, Kim’s assertion has invited global reactions and concerns, mainly from South Korea, the United States, and Japan. These three countries are most affected if and when North Korea fires missiles and conducts nuclear tests.

Meanwhile, North Korea fired two “strategic cruise missiles” from a submarine in waters off its east coast over the weekend in an apparent protest over a regular South Korea-US combined military exercise to begin this week, state media said on Monday, reported Yonhap News Agency.

The missiles were fired from 8.24 Yongung in waters off Kyongpho Bay in the East Sea in an underwater launching drill held at dawn Sunday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The latest launch came on the eve of the allies’ major Freedom Shield exercise, which kicks off Monday. The North has decried the exercise as “preparations for a war of aggression” against it.

Washington and Seoul are scheduled to kick off the Freedom Shield (FS) exercise Monday for an 11-day run, along with a large-scale field manoeuvre, called the Warrior Shield. (ANI)

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Lifting sweeping restrictions in force since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, China will resume issuing a range of visas to foreigners beginning March 15, 2023, announced the country’s embassy in Washington on Monday (local time).

In addition to new travel documents being reviewed and approved, visas issued before March 28, 2020, that are still valid will once again allow entry to China, said the embassy notice.
The updated policy will also allow for the resumption of visa-free travel for those arriving on cruise ships to Shanghai, as well as for certain tourist groups from Hong Kong, Macau, and countries within the ASEAN regional grouping, the notice said.

While most other countries began reopening to international travel earlier, China only began emerging from its zero-Covid policies in late 2022, after protests broke out against the hardline restrictions.

Earlier in January, Chinese embassies suspended issuing new visas for South Koreans and Japanese in apparent retaliation for Covid-19 testing requirements recently imposed by those countries on travelers from China.

The embassies in Tokyo and Seoul announced the suspensions in brief online notices.

The Seoul notice, posted on the embassy’s WeChat social media account, said the ban would continue until South Korea lifts its “discriminatory entry measures” against China. The announcement covered tourist, business and some other visas.

China’s Foreign Ministry threatened countermeasures against countries that had announced new virus testing requirements for travelers from China.

At least 10 in Europe, North America and Asia have done so recently, with officials expressing concern about a lack of information about rapidly spreading virus outbreaks in China.

China’s embassy in Tokyo said only that visa issuance had been suspended. The announcements appeared to apply only to new applicants, with nothing about people currently holding visas.

China’s move appeared to be grounded in its demands that its citizens be treated the same as those of other countries. About a dozen countries have followed the US in requiring either a negative test before departing China, a virus test on arrival at the airport, or both. (ANI)

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A large number of tourists thronged Mudumalai Theppakadu elephant camp to catch a glimpse of the baby elephant made famous by the Indian documentary film ‘Elephant Whisperers’, which won an Oscar in the ‘Best Documentary Short Film’ category on Monday.

The documentary competed for the honour with fellow nominees ‘Haul Out,’ ‘How Do You Measure A Year?’ ‘The Martha Mitchell Effect,’ and ‘Stranger At The Gate’.
The film’s plot revolves around a family, which adopts two orphan baby elephants in Tamil Nadu’s Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

“It is such a great moment. It’s a pleasure to be here. The elephant is my favourite animal and the fact that the film won an Oscar does make me delighted and excited,” said a tourist.

The director of the Tamil documentary, Kartiki Gonsalves, and producer Guneet Monga stepped up to collect the golden statuette at the 95th Academy Awards on Monday (IST).

In her winning speech, Gonsalves said, “I stand here today to speak on the sacred bond between us and our natural world. For the respect of indigenous communities. For entity towards other living beings, we share our space with. And finally for co-existence. Thank you to the academy for recognizing our film highlighting indigenous people and animals. To Netflix for believing in the power of this film. To Guneet my Producer and my entire team and finally, to my mother father and sister who are up there somewhere, you’re the centre of my universe. To my motherland India.”

This is not the first time involving Guneet Monga that won an Oscar. In 2019, Monga’s documentary ‘Period. End of Sentence’ bagged an Oscar in the ‘Documentary Short Subject’ category. (ANI)

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Following the directives of Islamabad courts to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, sources said the Islamabad police will visit Zaman Park in the next 24 hours to arrest the former prime minister, reported Geo News.

Notably, a sessions court in Islamabad issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khan in a case of threatening a female judge belonging to a court in the federal capital.
Khan was booked in a case for threatening judicial magistrate Zeba Chaudhry and police officers at a rally in F-9 Park on August 20, to “terrorise” police officers and the judiciary, reported Geo News.

Earlier in the day, Civil Judge Rana Mujahid Rahim released the three-page reserved verdict and issued non-bailable arrest warrants over Khan’s repeated non-appearance.

The former prime minister, instead of attending the hearing, filed a plea for an exemption from physically appearing before the judge, requesting permission for joining the court proceedings virtually via video link, reported Geo News.

Desperate to put him behind bars, a police party from Islamabad earlier in the day flew by helicopter to Lahore to arrest the PTI chairman — who was ousted as the prime minister last year in April.

The sources told Geo News that several decisions were taken during a meeting between Islamabad and Lahore’s police officials — as the law enforcers came to the city for the second time to arrest Khan.

The meeting’s participants decided that the Islamabad police would be completely supported and it will be ensured that the capital’s cops reach Khan’s Zaman Park residence with no hindrances, sources said.

“Before Islamabad police leave for Zaman Park, they will contact Khan’s chief security officer,” the sources added.

Two courts have issued Khan’s non-bailable arrest warrants in separate cases, however, he has not appeared before them repeatedly — and instead, held a rally in Lahore, where he also announced to hold a “historic” rally this Sunday.

In connection with the Toshakhana case, the capital police had arrived on March 5 as well in Lahore, but they were told that Khan was not at his Zaman Park residence, resulting in them leaving empty-handed, reported Geo News.

A district and sessions court earlier in the day also restored the former prime minister’s non-bailable arrest warrant in the Toshakhana case.

The Islamabad court had earlier reserved its verdict on a petition filed by the former prime minister seeking an exemption from the hearing of the case.

Last week, the IHC suspended the non-bailable arrest warrant for Khan issued by the local court issued due to the PTI chief’s continuous absence. (ANI)

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Makers of the upcoming suspense thriller film ‘Gaslight’ unveiled the official trailer on Monday.

Taking to Instagram, Disney+ Hotstar shared the trailer which he captioned, “Shaq ka ghera hai badhta jaa raha…aakhir khooni hai kaun? Watch the trailer now! #Gaslight streaming on 31st March.”

Helmed by Pavan Kripalani the film stars Sara Ali Khan, Vikrant Massey, Chitrangda Singh and Akshay Oberoi in the lead roles and is all set to stream on the OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar from March 31.

Soon after the makers unveiled the official trailer, fans flooded the comment section with red hearts and fire emoticons.

“You improved sm sara love how subtle you did it here. Looks so interesting can’t wait to watch,” a fan commented.

Another fan wrote, “Can’t Wait For Movie.”

“Worth the wait! Absolutely in love with ur performance ! Can’t wait,” a user commented.

Talking about the film, actor Sara Ali Khan, said, “Gaslight is a classic whodunit- set in an eerie yet beautiful palatial estate. It revolves around the character of Misha who’s trying to find the truth behind her fathers ‘absence’. During her endeavour she comes across a lot of strange and terrifying instances, and the story then becomes about how she navigates her way through this unknown terrain. It was challenging to get into this role both mentally and physically as she’s a very layered and nuanced character. I hope this film is going to be a thrilling ride for the audience as each scene will keep them at the edge of their seat. I am grateful for the association with Tips FIlms Ltd., 12th Street Entertainment, Pavan Kirpalani and Disney+ Hotstar.”

Vikrant said, “It’s been an incredible journey while shooting for Gaslight, the film is a murder mystery with unraveling of truths of each character which makes it more interesting. Kapil is a complex character. The audience will enjoy the film throughout. I am excited to collaborate with Disney+ Hotstar and hope audiences enjoy this film.”

Chitrangda Singh said, “I have always been fascinated by thrillers. Gaslight gave me the opportunity to explore that and enabled me to mold myself into a character like never before. I could explore various facets of myself as an actor with the character of Rukmini and it was indeed something very different. I am glad to be a part of the Disney+ Hotstar family and hope audiences are ready to experience this thrilling journey with Gaslight.”

Apart from this Sara will also be seen in Laxman Utekar’s upcoming untitled rom-com film opposite Vicky Kaushal and in Homi Adajania’s next ‘Murder Mubarak’. (ANI)

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The fashion game is still on. If you think you have seen Deepika Padukone’s most glamorous avatar at the Oscar, hold your breath, there is more to it.

Taking to Instagram on Monday, Deepika shared a fresh set of pictures after the Oscar ceremony. The ‘Padmaavat’ actor captioned it, “And then the after…” She is seen donning a wine-coloured furry dress designed by Naeem Khan. Deepika completed the look with diamond danglers, black stockings, and black gloves. She kept her hair tied in a high bun and sported bold eye makeup.
Fans could not get over this look of Deepika and shared some interesting comments on her post. One wrote, “Global Domination.” Another one wrote, “You make india proud.”

Actors like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani and filmmaker Karan Johar have already praised Deepika for making India proud on the global stage.

Deepika looked exquisite in an all-black off-shoulder velvet gown in the morning. She tied her hair into a bun. She accessorized her look with a yellow diamond drop necklace.

Deepika, for the first time, graced the role of a presenter on the Oscar stage. She also introduced the ‘Naatu Naatu’ singers on the stage before their performance and briefed the audience about the song amidst loud cheers.

She said, “An irresistibly catchy chorus, electrifying beats and killer dance moves to match have made this song a global sensation. It plays during a pivotal scene in ‘RRR’, a movie about the friendship between real-life Indian revolutionaries Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem. In addition to being sung in Telugu and illustrating the film’s anti-colonialist themes, it’s also a total banger!”

She added, “It has earned millions of views on Youtube and Tik Tok. It made audiences dance in movie theatres all around the world and is also the first song ever from Indian production to be nominated for an Oscar. Do you know Naatu? Because if you don’t you’re about to. From the film ‘RRR’ this is Naatu Naatu.” (ANI)

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