Month: April 2025

The much-awaited series ‘The Royals,’ which stars actors Zeenat Aman, Ishaan Khatter and Bhumi Pednekar, now has an official release date.

The coming-of-age royal comedy is set to stream on Netflix starting May 9.

Netflix, on Thursday, took to its Instagram account to share the announcement along with a new poster featuring the lead pair.

The caption read, “A ziddi rajkumar meets a girlboss aamkumari. Royal mess, or shahi love story? Watch The Royals, out May 9, only on Netflix.”

Check out the poster

Directed by Priyanka Ghose and Nupur Asthana, the eight-episode modern-day Indian royalty rom-com series will provide a glimpse into the glitter and romance of royal life.

The series also stars Sakshi Tanwar, Nora Fatehi, Milind Soman, and Dino Morea.

Speaking earlier at Lakme Fashion Week, Ishaan shared his thoughts on the project and his experience working with legendary actor Zeenat Aman and Bhumi Pednekar.

“The Royals will come out on Netflix very soon… It was a really fun experience, and it was a whole new kind of experience. It is very fresh, and it’s going to be a lot of fun. It is very bingeable, and it has something for everyone,” said Ishaan.

On working with Zeenat Aman, he said, “We had a blast, and it was great working with her as well as the entire cast. She is an icon.” (ANI)

Chinese e-commerce giant Taobao has been fined NTD 1.2 million (USD 36,900) by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs for breaching local regulations through unauthorised advertising practices, as scrutiny intensifies over China’s economic influence and suspected use of Taiwan as a conduit for goods amid broader geopolitical tensions, Taipei Times reported.

The Ministry said that Taobao’s promotional activities, including prominent advertisements placed in Taipei metro stations last November, exceeded the platform’s officially approved business scope. It ordered the company to make necessary corrections within the first half of this year, warning that failure to comply could lead to the revocation of its license to operate in Taiwan.

The fine and enforcement come amid rising concerns about the role of Chinese firms in potentially laundering goods through Taiwan to bypass international restrictions.

During a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee, lawmakers addressed the broader issue of origin laundering and dumping of Chinese goods into Taiwan’s market. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen accused China of dumping beer and said platforms like Taobao were employing similar tactics, reported Taipei Times.

The committee called on government agencies to tighten oversight and implement stronger safeguards against such practices, especially as the United States, under former President Donald Trump’s administration, has taken a hard-line stance on curbing Chinese origin laundering globally.

Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Cynthia Kiang confirmed the fine and reiterated that Taobao’s advertisements were not covered by the business categories under which it is registered in Taiwan – namely, electronic information supply services and advertisement leaflet distribution. She said the ads in metro stations clearly exceeded the latter scope.

The ministry said Taobao’s actions violated Article 73 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area and Article 9 of the Regulations Governing Investment Permits by Mainland Area People, Taipei Times reported.

The platform failed to seek approval before altering its investment plan, it said. If no corrective measures are taken, the ministry may issue additional fines, revoke the investment permit, and order a withdrawal of operations. (ANI)

India and China are set to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a sacred pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in Tibet, after a pause since 2020.

In a weekly media briefing on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, confirmed that preparations are underway and a public notice will be issued soon.

“The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra will happen this year, and we are making preparations. We will soon issue a public notice regarding the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. There is a possibility of resumption of the Yatra soon,” added Jaiswal, offering hope to thousands of devotees awaiting the reopening of the sacred pilgrimage route.

The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra has remained suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both countries have also agreed in principle to resume direct air services, with technical teams discussing the modalities, including an updated framework.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that during Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to Beijing in January 2025, both nations discussed resuming direct flights.

Jaiswal said, “In principle, both countries have agreed that flight operations will resume. The technical teams on both sides are looking into the technical arrangements for the flight services to resume. When the foreign secretary had visited Beijing, both sides had agreed to resume direct air services. It was also agreed that relevant technical authorities would meet and negotiate. An updated framework is necessary to initiate direct flight services. The two civil aviation authorities have met and are discussing the relevant modalities, including the updated framework…”

He added, “I don’t have a timeline at this point in time, but technical level discussions are happening, which means that things are moving in the right direction.”

On the visa issue between India and China, the spokesperson said, “We are having talks with China regarding visas, and it is happening at multiple levels. During the talks, we discussed several issues, including people-to-people ties, connectivity, direct air services, and the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. So it’s evident that when we talk about these issues, in the matter of visa, there will be some kind of consensus between the two countries…”

The yatra holds significant cultural and spiritual importance for Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains, and its resumption is expected to boost tourism and people-to-people exchanges between India and China.

The decision comes ahead of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and China, which will be utilised to enhance public diplomacy efforts and create better awareness about each other.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressed the Rising Bharat Summit 2025 hosted by CNN News18, where he said that India’s relationship with China is “much better than before” and mentioned that both countries are actively discussing key collateral matters including the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, resumption of direct flights, and pandemic-era disruptions. “The relationship is much better than before. I think the disengagement, particularly the Depsang Demchok, was important,” he said.

Jaishankar emphasised that many of the unresolved issues between India and China stemmed from a build-up of forces along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the broader complications introduced during the COVID-19 era.

“We are now addressing, to some extent, the issues on the border because there has been a force build-up over a period of years. There were many other things that also happened during this period. Some of it was collateral for the situation. Some of it was a carryover from the COVID era,” he said.

He further pointed out that strained relations from 2020 to 2024 had hurt both nations, with disruptions such as suspended direct flights and the halting of the Mansarovar Yatra still lingering. “We are trying to see whether… we can progress on this. We are looking at it because… the situation that we saw between 2020-2024 was not in the interest of either country,” he said.

In October 2024, India and China had reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements in the Depsang Plains and Demchok following several rounds of talks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping also met in Kazan last year during the 16th BRICS Summit, where they welcomed the disengagement agreement. (ANI)

Malaysia and China have signed numerous agreements to deepen cooperation between the two countries during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Malaysia, amid Beijing’s trade war with Washington, DC.

Malaysia was the second stop on Xi Jinping’s three-nation tour of Southeast Asia, which also included Vietnam and Cambodia. During the three-day State visit to Malaysia at the invitation of the King Sultan Ibrahim, Xi touted a “new golden era” of Chinese-Malaysian relations, following the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties last year. The king announced new cooperation between the countries in various fields, including artificial intelligence.

Malaysian Communication Minister Fahmi Fadzil stated that a total of 31 MoUs (memoranda of understanding) were signed by the two leaders during the visit, which he termed “among the most significant achievements in our history,” according to Bernama news agency.

A joint statement released at the end of Xi’s State visit stated that both sides agreed to build a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future to accelerate their modernisation efforts and jointly promote regional and global prosperity and stability.

They also reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing cooperation under the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, the World Health Organisation, and BRICS.

Xi met with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya on Wednesday, and the talks covered bilateral relations and the current economic landscape, according to Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, as reported by the Bernama news agency.

With China being Malaysia’s main trading partner, he said that discussions looked at ways to “further enhance bilateral trade,” the news outlet cited Hasan as saying. The discussions were the issue of security in the South China Sea as well. Both China and Malaysia have staked claims over the South China Sea.

Malaysia is the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose members are among the most heavily impacted by the US’s new tariffs.

The Trump administration imposed tariffs of 24 per cent on Malaysia. The tariffs have been, however, paused for 90 days.

According to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, in 2024, China-Malaysia trade reached USD 212 billion, nearly 1,000 times the level at the inception of diplomatic relations between the two countries. China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi departed Malaysia for Cambodia on Thursday. Xi said he hopes his visit to Cambodia will spearhead progress in building a China-Cambodia community with a shared future.

In an article published in several Cambodian media outlets ahead of his arrival in the country, Cambodia for a State visit, Xi noted that a China-Cambodia community with a shared future is powered by equality and mutual benefit.

For many years, China has been Cambodia’s largest trading partner and the largest source of investment. The industrial and supply chain cooperation between the two countries has continued to deepen, Xi said, as cited in a report by Chinese state media Global Times. (ANI)

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Durgesh Pathak on Thursday launched an attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the centre, accusing them of using raids to “scare” him and others in the party.

He said he would cooperate with the investigative agencies but would not get scared.

“I think this is merely a tactic to scare AAP leaders and workers. I will fully cooperate with the investigative agencies, but I will not be scared,” Pathak, who is the co-incharge of AAP in Gujarat, said while addressing a press conference.

He said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials who came to his residence with a search warrant didn’t find anything and failed to inform him about the matter at hand.

“The CBI team thoroughly investigated my two-room house for three to four hours. They search every corner (in the house). If they found a book, they turned each page. They checked everything but didn’t find anything. While going back, they took photocopies of the Aadhaar cards of people who used to come for assistance regarding their work when I was an MLA. There were nearly five to six people,” Pathak said.

He called out the ruling party’s alleged “tactic” of “scaring” AAP leaders and workers. Pathak claimed that the raids happened after the party appointed him in charge of Gujarat ahead of the forthcoming assembly elections, which are scheduled to be held in 2027.

“I have no idea why they came, and in connection with what case…they didn’t tell me either. They showed me a search warrant, and I invited them in. Since the party has made me co-incharge in Gujarat, I think they came to scare me because of that. I think like this because AAP emerged as an alternative during the previous assembly elections in Gujarat, where five of our MLAs had won, after which they arrested Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, and Sanjay Singh,” he added.

The CBI is probing AAP leaders Durgesh Pathak and Kapil Bhardwaj for alleged FCRA violations. The case pertains to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and some of its office bearers for allegedly violating the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010, as amended in 2020.

According to the FIR, the case is against AAP office bearers, including Durgesh Pathak and Kapil Bhardwaj.

The CBI is now formally investigating, based on permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated the probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and shared findings with the MHA. (ANI)

The Supreme Court on Thursday recorded the Centre’s request for additional time to file a response in the matter related to the Waqf Act. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, submitted that a preliminary reply will be filed within seven days, along with relevant documents.

The court took note of the Solicitor General’s assurance that no appointments to the Waqf Board or Council will be made until the next hearing. The court also stated that existing Waqf properties, including those registered by the user or declared through notification, will not be identified.

The Solicitor General said that the Waqf Act is a considered piece of legislation and that the Centre has received a large number of representations regarding the classification of land as Waqf. He added that staying the entire Act would be a severe step and sought one week to submit a reply.

The Supreme Court stated that it had earlier noted some aspects of the legislation as positive and reiterated that there can be no complete stay of the Act at this stage. The court also said that it does not want the current status to be altered while the matter is under its consideration.

The bench reiterated that the objective is to maintain the existing situation without changes while the matter remains under judicial review.

Earlier on Wednesday, following a two-hour-long hearing, the apex court indicated that it may stay certain key provisions of the Act, including the inclusion of non-Muslims in the Central Waqf Council and Waqf Boards, powers of Collectors on deciding disputes over Waqf properties and provisions on de-notifying properties declared as Waqf by courts.

The top court was about to dictate the order, but Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, and other counsels who were appearing for parties defending the Act said they should be heard before passing the interim order.

A three-judge bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justices PV Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan are hearing the case.

During the hearing yesterday, the bench had said that it was considering passing an interim order that would balance equities.

“We will say that whichever properties have been declared by the court to be Waqf or held to be Waqf will not be de-notified as Waqfs or be treated as non-Waqf properties, whether they are by Waqf-by-user or waqf-by-declaration or otherwise… declared by courts or otherwise also,” the bench had said.

“Second, Collector can continue with proceedings, but the proviso will not be given effect to. If he wants, he can move an application before this court, and we can modify it. Third, as far as the constitution of the Board and Council is concerned, ex officio members can be appointed, regardless of their faith, but the other members should be Muslims,” the CJI had added.

CJI had observed that “government cannot rewrite history” through the changes brought in by the amendments to Waqf law while referring to the scope under the new Act to de-notify properties declared as Waqf long ago.

On the issue of non-Muslim members in Waqf Boards and Councils, the bench had said that the nearest example is the Hindu Charitable Endowments Act.

“Whenever it comes to Hindu endowments, it would be Hindus who would be governing,” Justice Viswanathan had said.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the petitioners, had said that a Collector is the officer designated to decide whether a property is Waqf or not; if there is a dispute, this person is a part of the government and is thus a judge in his own cause.

“This is per se unconstitutional. This also says that property will not be a Waqf till the officer decides so. Only Muslims had been part of the Waqf council and Boards, but now, after the amendment, even Hindus can be a part of it,” he had contended.

“It is a parliamentary usurpation of the faith of 200 million persons,” Sibal had added.

At the fag end of the hearing, the bench had also expressed concern over violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district over the Act and said, “The one thing is very disturbing the violence that is taking place. The issue is before the court and we will decide.”

Several petitions were filed in the apex court challenging the Act, contending that it was discriminatory towards the Muslim community and violated their fundamental rights.

President Droupadi Murmu on April 5 gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was earlier passed by Parliament after heated debates in both Houses.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi, Congress MPs Mohammad Jawed and Imran Pratapgarhi, MP Mahua Moitra, AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, MLA from National People’s Party India (NPP) party in Manipur Sheikh Noorul Hassan, MP and President of the Azad Samaj Party Chandra Shekhar Azad, Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal Zia Ur Rehman Barq, President of the Islamic cleric’s body Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind Maulana Arshad Madani, Kerala Sunni scholars’ body Samastha Kerala Jamiatul Ulema, Social Democratic Party of India, Indian Union Muslim League, and NGO Association for Protection of Civil Rights have already approached the top court against the Act.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) also challenged the Act, saying it strongly objected to the amendments passed by Parliament for being “arbitrary, discriminatory and based on exclusion”.

Manoj Jha and Faiyaz Ahmad, MPs in Rajya Sabha from Bihar’s RJD, have also challenged the Wakf (Amendment) Act, 2025, on the grounds that it facilitates large-scale government interference in Muslim religious endowments. RJD MLA from Bihar Muhammad Izhar Asfi also challenged the Act.

The ruling party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu, through its MP A Raja, who was a part of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf Bill, also approached the apex court against the Act. The Communist Party of India, through its General Secretary D Raja, YSR Congress, and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) President and actor Vijay, have also challenged the Act, among others.

Defending the Act, BJP-led governments in the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh approached the apex court and filed impleadment applications.

Apart from state governments, advocate Mahendra Pratap Singh; Aadivasi Seva Mandal; Jay Omkar Bhilala Samajh Sangathan –organisations operating for the protection of rights of Tribals in Madhya Pradesh; Satish Kumar Aggarwal — a member of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha; and Vishnu Gupta — National President of NGO Hindu Sena — also filed applications while opposing the petitions challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

Two PILs were also filed challenging the various provisions of the Waqf Act,1995 and certain provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, alleging discrimination against other communities and demanding equal status and safeguards for their properties. (ANI)

Indian stock markets turned around on Thursday after a negative start in the morning session. The markets surged around 1 per cent by mid-session due to a strong domestic structural story and FPI buying.

The Nifty index gained more than 250 points to 23,707.45 or 1.15 per cent up after opening down 35.35 points or 0.15 per cent, while the BSE Sensex also surged more than 950 points to reach 78,007.05 by mid-session, gaining +950.76 or +1.27 per cent.

Ajay Bagga Banking and Market Expert told ANI “India held up well in the post April 2 sell off. There has been a positive rerating of the Indian markets in view of the domestic structural story and lack of external sector fragility FPIs have turned net buyers this week on the back of rerating rupee strength and forward outlook of a resilient Indian corporate sector A normal to above normal monsoon forecast has strengthened the domestic consumption story Add to that the monetary easing and the ample domestic liquidity injected by the RBI , that is helping the financial conditions and the market’s sentiment both”

In the sectoral indices, except Nifty IT, all other sector stocks surged into the green territory. Nifty Banking shares led in gains with the Private Bank index gaining more than 1.3 per cent, while other sectors also showed signs of recovery.

Nifty IT also reduced the gap and was down by 0.95 per cent at the time of filing this report, as in the opening it had declined more than 2 per cent.

Vijay Chopra, Market Expert told ANI “Markets are in rally mode, supported by easing crude, a strengthening rupee, falling inflation, and a promising monsoon. Bank stocks, in particular, are leading the charge–strong deposit growth, likely fuelled by six months of market weakness, could be setting the stage for robust earnings. Shorts seem trapped amid Trump’s pause and the long weekend.”

In the Nifty 50 index, Bharti Airtel, Eternal, ICICI Bank, and Adani Ports are some of the top gainers in this recovery, while the top losers include Wipro, Hero MotoCorp, Tech Mahindra, and Coal India. (ANI)