Actress Alicia Vikander said she does not relate with the idea of marriage and romance is more important for her. The ‘Light Between Oceans’ star, who is dating actor Michael Fassbender, said she is not in a hurry to walk down the aisle with her partner.
“My parents were divorced when I was three months old and my father is happily married to his fourth wife, so marriage as an idea has never meant that much.” “For me, the word family means everything, that’s the true connection. And I think it’s better to come up with your own romantic ideas because that’s what will give you wonderful memories,” Vikander said.
The bliss of a biology teacher’s family life in Delhi is shattered when her daughter, Arya (Sajal Ali) is physically assaulted by Jagan (Abhimanyu Singh) and gang. Does Devki Sabarwal (Sridevi) wait for the law to take its course? Or does Devki become Maa Durga and hunt down the perpetrators of the crime?
REVIEW
Mom reminds you for the umpteenth time that we’re in Nirbhaya country. Like other films on the same subject, debutant Ravi Udyawar’s emotional thriller tells you that India, or should that be New Delhi specifically, isn’t safe enough for women, especially young girls. And its relevance makes it an important watch.
There’s a lot packed in here. To begin with, the film dwells on the dynamics of a teenager’s standoffish relationship with her stepmom. This entire track is beautifully handled. Then again, it is post the teenager’s abduction and assault when the film reveals its true facet.
To say anything more on the actual plot is to risk spoiling its surprises. Instead, it would suffice to say that when the avenging mother is joined by an inconsequential-looking private detective, DK (Nawazuddin), the screen ride becomes edgier and more exciting.
There’s also a tough-as-nails cop, Francis (Akshaye), who stays close on the heels of the vigilantes, adding gusto to proceedings. At times, there is that sense of deja vu that you experience because most parents looking- for-a-missing-teen movies follow certain set devices. But this one still manages to stay ahead with some interesting twists and turns.
However, it is in the graph and the strength of Sridevi’s character wherein the victory of this script lies. In her 300th landmark movie (coincidentally produced by her husband Boney Kapoor) Sri demonstrates why she is the high-priestess of desi cinema. Here she turns in a captivating performance; happiness, helplessness, vendetta and victory, she walks you through the entire gamut of emotions with panache. Supporting her ably is her onscreen husband Anand (Adnan), who plays the polished gent with flair. Nawazuddin, with his quirks and one-liners, turns in a class act and Akshaye Khanna, who is in terrific form here, forces you to ponder why he takes such long matinee breaks.
Dew fresh Sajal Ali, who seems to have grown up watching Kareena Kapoor films, seems like a clone of the senior actor. But this is not to take away from her otherwise adept performance. A R Rahman’s background score adds the required chills without distracting and Anay Goswamy’s camera lingers as lovingly on the actors’ faces as it does on the snow-capped peaks.
Reports had once claimed ‘Bajirao Mastani’ actress Deepika Padukone has charged a whopping Rs 12 crore for the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film ‘Padmavati’.
However, it was said to be justified due to her extremely demanding shooting schedule which kept her off the hook from signing other projects. According to the latest report in Mumbai Mirror, the actress who made her Hollywood film debut with ‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage’, was approached by a filmmaker for a project featuring a leading Khan and one more heroine. However, DP stuck to her fixed fee of Rs 12 crore and is in no mood to bring it down in the near future.
Yes, this has happened! Our desi girl has slayed with her impeccable performances overseas and is now featured in the Forbes highest paid television actresses in the world after starring in American TV crime drama ‘Quantico’. No brownie points for guessing that we are indeed talking about Priyanka Chopra. Now according to recent reports, PeeCee is the highest paid television actress worldwide withan earnings of $11 million. Her earnings are from the TV series and her pay check from ‘Baywatch’. While that is a huge amount to wrap our heads around, the former Miss World has also managed to beat her international desi competitor Deepika Padukone in this race. DP’s earnings are revealed to be $10 million from her Bollywood movies as well as her Hollywood debut film, ‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage’. Now will this create further rift between the once BFFs of Btown?
Radhika Apte might be just a few movies old in Bollywood, but with her stellar performances and strong screen presence, Radhika has made her mark in the cinema industry.
Her critically acclaimed film ‘Phobia’ that spoke about a woman who has a rare phenomenon of a disease called agoraphobia, where a person faces an extreme or irrational fear of open or public places, is said to be getting a sequel. Since Bollywood is suddenly all about the biopics and sequels, this is a great time to venture into something like this and making a follow-up of a movie which doesn’t fall under the commercial category.
As per reports in a leading daily, the makers of ‘Phobia’ are keen on making the sequel a big budget one with a leading star. Apparently, the makers will touch upon the subject of Aviophobia (fear of flying) in ‘Phobia 2’.
Since ‘Phobia’ had Radhika Apte playing the protagonist, as per reports, the sequel will have a male lead. ” I am doing Phobia 2, but this time it’s with a male lead. The script demanded a male lead. The film was critically acclaimed and it made to the list of top ten films of 2016. So, we want to get someone who can pull off that kind of performance ,” Viki Rajani of production house Next Gen Films Pvt Ltd told a leading newswire.
The makers have reportedly locked in the script and the movie is said to go on floors soon. ” There will supporting actors as it’s on a flight and about phobia of flying, ” Viki said.
LONDON (TIP): Novak Djokovic raced into the Wimbledon third round for the ninth year running, with a 6-2 6-2 6-1 drubbing of tournament debutant Adam Pavlasek on a sweltering Court One.
The three-time champion pinned his Czech opponent behind the baseline with unerring groundstrokes off both wings, moving him from side to side and forcing error after error.
Pavlasek was playing his childhood idol and the 22-year-old, ranked 136, appeared overawed by the occasion. He rarely tested the Serbian second seed, who is looking to salvage his season after losing his Australian and French Open crowns.
Djokovic will next play Latvian Ernests Gulbis who beat Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro 6-4 6-4 7-6(3). German 27th seed Mischa Zverev beat Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin 6-1 6-2 2-6 3-6 6-4 after an intense battle that lasted over three hours.
In the women’s draw, American Coco Vandeweghe beat German Tatjana Maria 6-4 6-2 in their second-round match. Svetlana Kuznetsova needed just over an hour to book a spot in the third round, beating fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-0 7-5.
MUMBAI (TIP): As the clock begins to tick away for the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) to zero in on Team India’s new coach, a question – better asked sooner than later – has become the talking point.
How exactly do the members of this committee propose to recuse themselves from any potential conflict in settling for who they think will be a suitable candidate for the position of the national coach? To be fair, there’s no conflict to mention in definitive terms. Yet, as the word itself (conflict) continues to trigger panic in the country’s cricketing fraternity these days, there’ll be questions asked and answers will have to be given if there is lack of clarity.
To date, the CAC has not gone into the details of why they chose Anil Kumble over Ravi Shastri in 2016, knowing the latter’s contribution and who the team wanted. “If details are not given, people will speculate. Was there board politics involved? Was there an ego issue between individuals?
Was there a serious conflict of interest? And when answers to such things come out from unexpected places, they end up giving way to all kinds of controversies,” say those tracking developments from close quarters. Shastri and Kumble, both, lived up to their roles impressively, but it is not the ability of the candidates that is coming in to question. Instead, it is the ability of the CAC to do the right thing that went unanswered last year and once again comes under the scanner.
KINGSTON (TIP): Skipper Virat Kohli led from the front with a fluent century as India today wrapped up the five-match series 3-1 with a convincing eight wicket win over West Indies, here on July 6.
Asked to bowl, comeback man Mohammed Shami bagged four wickets as an under-fire India produced a disciplined bowling effort to restrict West Indies to a modest 205 for nine.
Playing only his second ODI after a long injury lay-off, Shami picked up four wickets giving 48 runs from his 10 overs to pull West Indies back.
Besides Shami, Umesh Yadav gave him ample support from the other end and returned with impressive figures of three for 53. For West Indies, Shai Hope topscored with a patient 51 off 98 balls during which he hit just five boundaries,while his brother Kyle made 46 off 50 deliveries with nine fours to his credit.
Later chasing the total, India hardly faced any trouble as Kohli (111 not out) and ever-consistent Ajinkya Rahane (39 off 51) shared 79 runs for the second wicket in 17.5 overs to set the platform for the comfortable win.
Virat Kohli lets out a roar after getting to his 28th ODI ton, West Indies v India, 5th ODI, Kingston. Pic courtesy: AFP
Today’s match was a test of character for Kohli and his men after the unexpected 11 run loss against the hosts in the low scoring fourth ODI in Antigua.
But Kohli meant business as he anchored India’s chase with his 28th ODI century that came off 115 balls balls and was studded with 12 fours and two sixes Besides the early dismissal of Shikhar Dhawan, the Indians were in complete control of the chase.
In the pursuit of the target, India lost Dhawan in the last delivery of the opening over, caught by Evin Lewis off Alzarri Joseph.
But thereafter, it was Kohli and Rahane’s show as the duo dominated the proceedings with consummate ease. While ever-consistent Rahane played the second fiddle, Kohli played with aggression from the onset.
But Rahane was unlucky to miss out on his fifth consecutive half-century of the series as he was dismissed Devendra Bishoo adjudged LBW in the 19th over. He struck five boundaries during his knock.
But Kohli played a chanceless knock and dictated the terms. He showed his class and brought up his 28th ODI century, a record 18th while chasing, with a boundary of Kesrick Williams.
Together with Dinesh Karthik (50 not off 52 balls), Kohli stitched unbeaten 122 runs for the third wicket to take India home with 79 balls to spare.
Earlier opting to bat,West Indies made a decent start before the hosts lost their first wicket in the ninth over when Lewis (9) was caught by India skipper Kohli off the Hardik Pandya’s (1/27) second delivery of the innings.
Hope brothers, Kyle and Shai then shared 37 runs off 45 balls for the second wicket before Umesh struck twin blows in consecutive balls to peg West Indies back. Kyle, who was looking good, struck Umesh for two consecutive boundaries in the 16th over but in search of one too many he perished, picking out Dhawan at midwicket while trying to attempt for an ambitious pull.
Umesh then had Roston Chase LBW for a duck with a full and straight delivery in the next ball. The batsman went for the review but to no avail with West Indies slumping to 76 for three by the end of the 16th over.
Shai and Jason Mohammed (16) then stitched 39 for the fourth wicket before Kedar Jadhav (1/13) struck with his golden arm, dismissing the latter with a straight forward return catch.
Young Shai held one end up and and played with caution to notch up his second half-century of the series in the 38th over. Together with skipper Jason Holder, Shai added 48 runs for the fifth wicket to keep West Indies’ innings afloat. While Shai played with caution, Holder was aggressive from the onset and piled up his 36 runs off just 34 balls with the help of four boundaries and one six.
But an irresponsible shot led to Holder’s dismissal as he was holed out to Dhawan at long-on to hand Shami his first wicket. An over later Shami struck again when he dismissed Shai with the set batsman attempting an ambitious shot and Ajinkya Rahane did the rest by latching on to an outstanding running catch at midwicket. Shami again struck in his next over removing Ashley Nurse, who chipped one straight to Kuldeep Yadav at short midwicket.
Shami also accounted for Devendra Bishoo, caugh by Dhoni behind the stumps. Rovman Powell (31 off 32 balls) played a good hand towards the end to get West Indies past the 200-run mark.
“I think Liaoning’s visit definitely gives the central government a chance to display its military power. It’s quite a positive and smart strategy to step up publicity overall,” said Sean Moran, a tourist from the United States, as the ship passed behind him on a blustery morning.
HONG KONG (TIP): China’s first aircraft carrier sailed into Hong Kong waters on Friday in the latest show of the country’s growing military might at a time of heightened regional tensions.
Tourists and residents gathered early to catch a glimpse of the massive carrier on its maiden visit to Hong Kong, part of celebrations marking 20 years since the handover of the city from British to Chinese rule.
The Liaoning was accompanied by several other naval ships from its strike group, with jet fighters and helicopters visible on the flight deck alongside hundreds of crew dressed in white uniforms.
“The Liaoning’s visit shows that China is a militarily superior country,” said Jack Chan, a retired businessman, who was watching the aircraft carrier from an oceanfront park.
Thousands of Hong Kong residents queued for hours on Monday, many unsuccessfully, for 2,000 tickets allowing access to the vessel this weekend. Even though the former Russian naval ship remains a training vessel for China’s rapidly modernizing navy, its missions through tense regional seas have been closely followed in Hong Kong, which is more used to hosting US carriers and other foreign warships.
“I think Liaoning’s visit definitely gives the central government a chance to display its military power. It’s quite a positive and smart strategy to step up publicity overall,” said Sean Moran, a tourist from the United States, as the ship passed behind him on a blustery morning.
US consulate officials said that they have yet to be invited on board the Liaoning. The US navy often hosts the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on ships visiting Hong Kong, sometimes flying local military chiefs to aircraft carriers.
The Liaoning’s most recent drills at the weekend included operations in the Taiwan Strait that were closely monitored by Taiwan’s military given recent tensions with Beijing, which regards the island as a breakaway province.
With its Soviet-era takeoff ramp distinguishing it from the ordinary Hong Kong traffic of container ships and bulk cargo vessels, the 55,000-tonne Liaoning steamed down the congested East Lamma channel shortly after dawn. Significantly smaller than the US carriers that have long stopped in Hong Kong, the Liaoning started life as one of the Soviet Union’s last carriers under construction, before being sold by Ukraine as a stripped down hulk to private Chinese interests in 1998.
The vessel was later refitted in a northern Chinese shipyard in what was seen by foreign military analysts as a key early test of China’s naval modernization.
The Liaoning began sea trials as China’s first aircraft carrier in 2011 and has more recently conducted fully integrated drills with its complement of J-15 jet fighters and a variety of support ships. (Reuters)
LONDON (TIP): Oil-rich Saudi Arabia is the chief foreign promoter of Islamist extremism in the UK, a new report has claimed, asserting that a “clear and growing link” can be drawn between overseas money and the recent wave of attacks in Britain and Europe.
The Henry Jackson Society, a foreign affairs think-tank, called for a public inquiry into the role of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations, BBC reported.
The think-tank said there was a “clear and growing link” between Islamist organisations in receipt of overseas funds, hate preachers and Jihadist groups promoting violence.
However, the UK’s Saudi Arabian embassy says the claims are “categorically false”. Ministers are under pressure to publish a report on UK- based Islamist groups.
The Home Office report into the existence and influence of Jihadist organisations, commissioned by former Prime Minister David Cameron in 2015, has reportedly yet to be completed amid questions as to whether it will ever be published.
Critics have suggested it could make uncomfortable reading for the government, which has close and longstanding diplomatic, security and economic links with the Gulf, particularly Saudi Arabia.
Today’s report says a number of Gulf nations, as well as Iran, are providing financial support to mosques and Islamic educational institutions which have played host to extremist preachers and been linked to the spread of extremist material.
At the top of the list, the report claims, is Saudi Arabia. It alleges individuals and foundations have been heavily involved in exporting what it calls “an illiberal, bigoted Wahhabi ideology”, quoting a number of examples.
In a minority of cases, the report alleges institutions in the UK that receive Saudi funding are run directly from Saudi Arabia, although in most instances the money appears to “simply buy foreign donors’ influence”.
In a statement, the Saudi embassy here said any accusations that the Kingdom had radicalised “a small number of individuals are baseless and lack credible evidence”.
And it pointed out that the country has itself been subject to numerous attacks by al-Qaeda and so-called Islamic State.
It added: “We do not and will not condone the actions or ideology of violent extremism and we will not rest until these deviants and their organisations are destroyed.”
The report’s release comes at a time when Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt are all accusing Qatar of supporting extremism – a charge the report says is hypocritical. Arab foreign ministers are meeting in Cairo to discuss possible further sanctions on Qatar, while the Qatari foreign minister will be making his own country’s case at a press conference in London.
Endorsing the report, Labour MP Dan Jarvis said it shed light on “very worrying” links between Saudi Arabia and the funding of extremism and he called for the government to release its report on foreign funding. (PTI)
NEW DELHI (TIP): As the Doklam standoff enters its fourth week, the Chinese embassy here has launched a media blitz to drive home its point that India’s position on the issue is “groundless”. After its late night statement on Mansarovar Yatra on July 6, the embassy came up with a video in which it sought to explain that it was India that was trying to change the status quo in the region as Doklam+ belonged to China.
“As far as solution is concerned, the Indian troops must pull back to Indian side of the boundary unconditionally and immediately. This is the precondition for any meaningful dialogue between China and India+ ,” Li Ya, the political counsellor with the embassy, said in the video. “We have strong evidence to prove that Doklam belongs to China.
Doklam has always been the traditional pasture for Chinese border inhabitants. Archives of Xi Zang Autonomous Region still retain some receipts of the grass tax paid by Bhutanese herdsmen. Today, the Chinese border troops still patrol there and the herdsmen graze their livestock there, and production and living facilities have been built there,” he said.
Li accused India of crossing a delimited boundary and entering another country’s territory in the name of security concerns, adding that this won’t be acceptable to any sovereign state. Li, who claimed that he had first-hand knowledge of the area, said that based on his knowledge and work “for the past decade”, India’s “position is groundless”.
HAMBURG (TIP): The European Union should keep its doors open to Britain if it wants to change its mind about leaving the bloc, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said on July 6.
Speaking at an event ahead of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Schaeuble said it was not up to him to advise the British to change their decision, but added: “If Britain were to move in this direction, the door would be open, even after Brexit.” Lagarde said the Brexit decision should not be made irreversible, adding the EU and Britain must continue to cooperate closely.
Lagarde also noted there were global challenges which demanded more global cooperation but also other challenges that needed regional cooperation. For his part, Schaeuble said the United States would not remain the strongest power if it takes a “Just America” line. (Reuters)
HAMBURG (TIP): At least 76 police officers were hurt on Thursday in clashes with anti-G20 protesters in Hamburg, German authorities said, as a demonstration dubbed “Welcome to Hell” erupted in violence shortly after it began.
“Police are still being attacked,” said a spokesman for Hamburg’s police force, adding that most of the officers hurt sustained light injuries.
Demonstrations turned violent late Thursday, as German police clashed with a group of masked anti-capitalist activists hurling bottles and stones.
What should have been a peaceful march by around 12,000 people in Hamburg protesting against globalisation was halted as police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse around 1,000 far-left militants.
Police called with loudspeakers on protestors to remove their masks but this was ignored and after more objects were thrown, authorities decided to separate them from the other protestors, police said on Twitter.
“Unfortunately it has come to the first clashes. We are implementing corresponding measures,” read another tweet.
Protesters were seen scrambling to leave the scene, while others defiantly stood in the way of water cannon trucks as they moved in surrounded by riot police with helmets and batons.
Police tweeted a photo of a car and flames and said shop windows were smashed. The main “Welcome to Hell” march was then called off but thousands of people remained as night fell and demonstrators engaged in smaller skirmishes in the back streets of Germany’s second city, AFP correspondents said.
Up to 100,000 demonstrators are expected before and during the two-day Group of 20 meeting gathering Trump, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping of China starting on Friday.
There were 20,000 police on standby together with armoured vehicles, helicopters and surveillance drones. A holding centre for detainees has been set up in a former hardware store with space for 400 people.
“War, climate change, exploitation are the result of the capitalist system that the G20 stands for and which 20,000 police are here to defend,” demonstrator Georg Ismail told AFP.
Major events like the G20 have in recent years usually been held in remote locations, but Germany was forced by its logistical demands to host it in a large city with a big venue and dozens of hotels.
Hamburg is desperate to avoid a rerun of the kind of major clashes seen at the 2001 G8 summit in Genoa or the Frankfurt opening of the new European Central Bank building in 2015.
In Hamburg, some 30 demonstrations have been announced, organised by anti-globalisation activists and environmentalists, trade unions, students and Church groups.
“Welcome to Hell” organiser Andreas Blechschmidt said the motto is “a combative message… but it’s also meant to symbolise that G20 policies worldwide are responsible for hellish conditions like hunger, war and the climate disaster”.
The main focus of attention inside the G20 venue on the first day of the summit on Friday will be Trump’s first face-to-face meeting with Putin. Speaking in the Polish capital earlier on Thursday in front of 10,000 people, Trump didn’t mince his words about Moscow.
“We urge Russia to cease its destabilising activities in Ukraine and elsewhere, and its support for hostile regimes — including Syria and Iran — and to instead join the community of responsible nations in our fight against common enemies and in defence of civilisation itself,” he said.
Arriving in Hamburg later Thursday, Trump headed to talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has vowed to defend the 2015 Paris climate accord despite the US leader’s decision to withdraw.
Merkel said before meeting the US president that Trump was facing isolation within the G20 over the issue — one of several topics where the new US leader is likely to clash with his fellow leaders. (Reuters)
CRANS-MONTANA (TIP): Talks to reunify the divided island of Cyprus collapsed in the early hours of July 7, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said after a stormy final session.
“I’m very sorry to tell you that despite the very strong commitment and engagement of all the delegations and different parties … the conference on Cyprus was closed without an agreement being reached,” he told a news conference.
The collapse marked a dramatic culmination of more than two years of a process thought to be the most promising since the island was split more than 40 years ago.
Guterres had flown in on Thursday to press Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci to seal a deal reuniting the east Mediterranean island, while U.S. Vice President Mike Pence had phoned to urge them to “seize this historic opportunity”.
Diplomatic efforts to reunite Cyprus have failed since the island was riven in a 1974 Turkish army invasion triggered by a coup by Greek Cypriots seeking union with Greece.
The week of talks in the Swiss Alps, hailed by the United Nations as “the best chance” for a deal, ground to a halt as the two sides failed to overcome final obstacles.
Diplomats said Turkey had appeared to be offering little to Greek Cypriots wanting a full withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island, although the Greek Cypriots had indicated readiness to make concessions on Turkish Cypriot demands for a rotating presidency, the other key issue.
Guterres finally called a halt at 2am after a session marred by yelling and drama, a source close to the negotiations said.
“Unfortunately… an agreement was not possible, and the conference was closed without the possibility to bring a solution to this dramatic and longlasting problem,” Guterres said.
“That doesn’t mean that other initiatives cannot be developed in order to address the Cyprus problem,” he added.
He declined to elaborate on what exactly had caused the talks to collapse, but said there was still a wide gap between the two delegations on a number of questions. Greek Cypriots, who are due to launch a gas drill off the island in coming weeks that Turkey opposes, pointed the finger of blame at the Turkish Cypriot side.
Nicos Christodoulides, spokesman for the Greek Cypriot government, said Turkey had refused to relinquish its intervention rights on Cyprus or the presence of troops on the island.
“Tonight’s development is in no way positive, but it is not the end of the road either,” he said. Guterres, who began his role in January by announcing a “surge of diplomacy for peace”, is known for his energy and drive.
But he appeared tired and downcast as he announced the collapse of the talks to a handful of journalists at an impromptu news conference that lasted only three and a half minutes.
Diplomats say that Cyprus should be much simpler to resolve than many other situations where the United Nations hopes for peace, such as the bloody and complex wars in Syria, Yemen, Ukraine, South Sudan, Libya, or the Korean peninsula.
Success in the Cyprus talks would have given Guterres a high profile at the G20 talks in Hamburg, where he is due on Friday, and where he will meet US President Donald Trump, who has promised to cut the US share of UN funding (Reuters)
JAKARTA (TIP): A volcano popular with tourists erupted Sunday on Indonesia’s main island of Java, injuring 10 people, an official said.Sileri Crater at Dieng Plateau spewed cold lava, mud and ash as high as 50 meters (164 feet) into the sky when it erupted, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
He said the sudden eruption occurred at around 11:30am, when there were about 17 visitors around the crater. Ten people were injured and were being treated at a hospital.
Soldiers and police officers were dispatched to the scene, while local residents and visitors were asked to evacuate the area in case of further eruptions, Nugroho said.
Sileri is the most active and dangerous among some 10 craters at Dieng Plateau. Its most recent eruption was in 2009, when it unleashed volcanic materials up to 200 meters (656 feet) high and triggered the creation of three new craters. (AP)
DHAKA (TIP): A boiler has exploded at a Bangladeshi garment factory killing 10 people and injuring dozens, fire officials said on July 2, the latest mishap to hit one of the world’s biggest garment producers.
The accident happened late on Monday at a plant of Multifabs Limited, a Bangladeshi company on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka, a fire official said.
The firm supplies knitted apparel to clients in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Russia, Spain, Netherlands and Britain, including to Littlewoods, one of Britain’s oldest retail brands, according to its website.
“Nine people were killed in the blast and one died in hospital,” fire service official Palash Chandra Modak said. The company said the plant was functioning well and the boiler had just been serviced.
“This was an accident. Everything was fine,” Mahiuddin Faruqui, company chairman and managing director told Reuters. “The boiler was running well. After servicing when workers were trying to restart it, it went off.” Bangladesh’s garment-making industry, the biggest in the world after China’s, employs four million people and generates 80 percent of its export earnings.
Multifabs started operating in 1992, and reached $70 million in exports in 2016, supplying European brands such as fashion chain Lindex, which is part of Finnish retailer Stockmann and Aldi, Faruqui said. (Reuters)
ISLAMABAD (TIP): Pakistan on Thursday expressed concern over the reported sale of advanced weapons to India by some countries, saying it would undermine the strategic balance in the region.
“Pakistan will continue to raise its voice at the international fora which should objectively assess its actions and policies towards South Asian region,” Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said at his weekly media briefing.
His comments came amid reports that the US has cleared the sale of predator Guardian drones to India. Zakaria said Pakistan was alive toward the issue of its national security which would be safeguarded at every cost.
He also rejected allegations about presence of the Haqqani network in Pakistan and said that it was just “rhetoric” and effort to shift blame on his country.
“The killing of a number of commanders of Haqqani network in Afghanistan clearly indicate that the group is based in Afghanistan and not operating from Pakistan,” he said. He also claimed that in Pakistan there was no organised presence of any terror outfit like the Taliban, Jamaat-ul Ahrar, IS and Al-Qaeda.
Zakaria said that during the visit of the US delegation headed by Senator John McCain, matters pertaining to Afghanistan were discussed.
He repeated Pakistan’s support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process. He alleged that New Delhi was against peace in the war-torn country.
The spokesperson also said that there are reports of Indian forces using ammunition containing chemical agents and precursors in Kashmir. “We call upon the international community, particularly, relevant International organizations to initiate investigations into these reports,” he added. (PTI)
COLOMBO (TIP): Sri Lanka is suffering its worst-ever dengue outbreak, with the mosquito borne virus killed 225 people and infected more than 76,000 this year.
Alarmed by the magnitude of the crisis, the government deployed 400 soldiers and police officers to clear away rotting garbage, stagnant water pools and other potential mosquito breeding grounds.
Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni, Colombo’s chief medical officer, said people’s failure to clear puddles and piles of trash after last month’s heavy monsoon rains had compounded the problem. “It’s pathetic that they don’t keep clean their environment,” Wijayamuni said. “Some residents do not allow officials to inspect the houses and clean them. This is really unacceptable.”
The number of infections nationwide is already 38 percent higher than last year, when 55,150 people were diagnosed with dengue and 97 died, according to the Health Ministry. The highest number of cases is in the region around the main city of Colombo, though cases were being reported across the tropical island nation.
“This is mostly an urban disease” said Dr. Priscilla Samaraweera of the National Dengue Eradication Unit. Last month’s heavy rains left the cities waterlogged, with puddles and rain soaked garbage providing ideal spots for mosquitoes to breed and multiply.
In Colombo alone, 25 teams of soldiers, police officers and public health inspectors were knocking on doors at people’s homes, advising them to clear clogged drains and empty outdoor pots that might have filled with rainwater.
Health officials were also fumigating public spaces. This year’s strain is particularly dangerous, Samaraweera said. There is no cure for any of the four strains of the virus, which causes a high fever, weeks of exhaustion and in some cases a vicious skin rash. Patients most at risk of dying are the elderly, children or those with other medical complications.
Hospitals were so crowded with dengue patients, the army was building two temporary wards at Negombo Base Hospital, about 38 kilometers north of Colombo, military spokesman Brig. Roshan Senevirathna said.
President Maithripala Sirisena urged the public to cooperate with officials trying to fight the disease, saying it could affect the ” lives of all the citizens of the country.” (AP)
ISLAMABAD (TIP): Pakistan is closely watching Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic trip to Israel as it can have serious implications on strategic stability in the region, a media report said on July 3.
The Express Tribune reported that Pakistan officially does not comment on bilateral visits of other heads of governments and states, but it is closely following Modi’s trip since it can have serious implications on strategic stability in the region.
“Israel has long been a major supplier of arms and other defence equipment to India and those deals have deliberately been kept secret by the two sides. However, the two countries are now more open and publicly talk about their deepening defence cooperation,” the daily said.
India got access to some of the most modern defence technologies of America through Israel, defence analyst Lt-Gen (retd) Amjad Shoaib was quoted as saying by the daily. Gen Shoaib said India had greatly benefited from the defence and military ties with Israel.
Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, an international affairs expert, said growing defence cooperation between India and Israel would disturb strategic balance in the South Asian region.
The Quaid-e-Azam University professor believes Israel assistance can propel India’s missile programme, something that would undermine Pakistan’s policy of maintaining credible deterrence, the daily reported.
“One of the subjects on which the Indian media has created a lot of hype is the threat emanating from terrorism. It has worked hard to relate terrorism with Pakistan and blame it for virtually any terror incident occurring anywhere in India,” the daily said. PM Modi’s three-day visit to Israel is the first by an Indian Prime Minister to the Jewish nation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu along with his entire cabinet went to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport to receive Modi in a rare gesture.
Modi, before leaving for Tel Aviv, told an Israeli newspaper that terrorism was a common challenge and said New Delhi and Tel Aviv “can cooperate even more closely” in battling it.
Former ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi believes that the Indian media is too much obsessed with Pakistan, saying: “No matter where Modi goes, India always tries to drag Pakistan along.” However, Naqvi was sceptical if Israel would go too far to appease India.
“Pakistan is not under the immediate radar of Israel. Their (Israel) priority at the moment is Middle East.” However, Naqvi said their defence and military cooperation was something that had direct bearing on Pakistan.
For Gen Shoaib, there is a lesson for Pakistan in the ever-growing close relationship between Israel and India.
“If India can cement ties with Israel while at the same time maintaining diplomatic ties with its enemy Iran, why can’t Pakistan also show flexibility in its foreign policy,” Gen argued.
“Our foreign policy should not be merely aimed at appeasing any particular country. Rather we need to follow our own national interests,” he said.
Some analysts have advocated maintaining working relationship with Israel, if not establishing full diplomatic ties, in order to further and protect Pakistan’s interests.
In 2005, during former president Pervez Musharraf’s tenure, Pakistan and Israel established contacts and even foreign ministers of the two countries met in Turkey. However, things could not make headway further after that. (PTI)
Three Weekly Nonstop Flights Connect U.S. and Indian Capitals
Washington Dulles International Airport and Air India celebrated the first-ever nonstop flight connecting the National Capital Region and Delhi, India, on Friday with delegations from the Embassy of India, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia.
The inaugural events, which included a ceremonial water cannon salute, traditional gate-side Indian prayer ceremony, press conference, ribbon cutting and gala luncheon, commemorate Air India’s new three weekly nonstop, roundtrip flights between Indira Gandhi International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.
Air India Inaugural at Dulles, July 7th, 2017. Photography by J. David Buerk: www.jdavidbuerk.com www.facebook.com/jdbphoto @DavidBuerkPhoto
The new Air India service represents another milestone in the growing relationship between the National Capital Region and India. “Today, we celebrate an important partnership and welcome Air India’s direct air service to Dulles,” said Governor McAuliffe. “Virginia is committed to expanding and growing our relationships with the international community, especially our friends in India. We look forward to the opportunities this new route will provide for people in Virginia and India alike. This will be an important avenue for business, tourism and educational opportunities between our two great countries.”
“This inaugural launch highlights our work with the international community to drive business and tourism to the D.C. region,” said District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser. “Here in the nation’s capital, we are delighted to invite many more visitors from India to explore the sights and sounds that make Washington, D.C., the greatest city in the world.”
Sabre Global Demand Data shows that for the year ending March 2016, the Washington, D.C., area welcomed more than 281,000 Indian visitors—making India the fourth largest overseas travel market for the region.
“With international visitation between India and the Washington, D.C., area expected to double by 2025, the Airports Authority’s partnership with Air India, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia is just one way we’re working to enhance the level of service offered at Dulles International,” said Jerome L. Davis, executive vice president and chief revenue officer of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
“India currently represents a 6 percent market share of all international travelers to the Commonwealth and is Virginia’s fourth largest market,” said Todd Haymore, Secretary of Commerce and Trade. “With projected growth, this new direct route to Dulles International will not only help to boost visitation from this high growth market, but also introduce the Commonwealth to new Indian audiences, including businesses, tourists and students.”
Flight service between Dulles International and Delhi is also estimated to bring in an additional 30,000 leisure and business travelers and $30 million in total economic impact annually to the National Capital Region.
“According to Travel Market Insights, visitation from India to D.C. has grown 40 percent since 2013, and 70 percent to the region,” said Elliott Ferguson, president and chief executive officer of Destination DC, the official destination marketing organization for the nation’s capital. “We’re excited about the potential for even more Indian business and leisure travelers to experience Washington D.C.’s dynamic neighborhoods and free attractions as well as the diverse experiences throughout the capital region.”
“Serving 7.5 million international travelers annually with nonstop service to more than 50 international destinations in more than 40 countries, Dulles International Airport is the region’s gateway to the world,” said Margaret McKeough, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Airports Authority. “Air India’s service launch adds our 33rd capital-to-capital connection—linking the world’s oldest democracy with the world’s largest democracy.”
“The Washington, D.C., metro is Air India’s fifth U.S. destination after New York, Newark, Chicago and San Francisco, and it reinforces our commitment to providing the most convenient service between the United States and India,” commented Ashwani Lohani, chairman and managing director of Air India Limited.
As part of an effort to stimulate travel to Virginia through Dulles International Airport, the Commonwealth of Virginia approved an incentive package over a three-year period beginning in fiscal year 2018 to support Air India. In addition, the District of Columbia plans to provide incentive funding this year to support the partnership. Tourism marketing support will be provided by the Virginia Tourism Corporation, Capital Region USA and Destination DC.
For more information on Air India’s new nonstop service from Dulles International to Delhi, visit flydulles.com.
About Air India
Air India is the flag carrier of India and a member of the Star Alliance group. Air India transports passengers, baggage and cargo across a network of 66 domestic Indian destinations and 34 international destinations in the United States, Europe, Australia, Far-East and South-East Asia and the Gulf. Air India flies one of the youngest aircraft fleets—including the wide-body Boeing B777, B747 and B787 Dreamliner, as well as the narrow body Airbus A321, A320 and A319. Air India plans to operate a Boeing 777-200LR, with eight first class, 35 business class and 195 economy seats, on service to Washington Dulles International Airport. For more information, visit airindia.in.
About Virginia Tourism
Tourism is an instant revenue generator in the Commonwealth. For every dollar invested in tourism marketing, Virginia Tourism returns $7 in state tax revenue. In 2016, visitors spent $24 billion, which supported 230,000 jobs and contributed $1.7 billion in state and local taxes. To learn more about Virginia Tourism Corporation, please visit virginia.org.
About MWAA
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority operates Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, the Dulles Airport Access Highway and the Dulles Toll Road and also manages construction of the Silver Line project, a 23-mile extension of the Washington region’s Metrorail public transit system through Fairfax County and into Loudoun County, Virginia. More than 45 million passengers a year pass through the two airports. The Airports Authority generates more than 387,000 jobs in the National Capital Region.
In the first case of its kind, an Army jawan decamped with a service rifle and some ammunition from his unit in Baramulla district of north Kashmir, forcing the authorities to sound an alert across the Valley, especially in Army installations.
Sepoy Zahoor Ahmad Thokar, of Sirnoo in Pulwama district, was posted with the 173 Battalion of the Territorial Army (Engineers) in Baramulla, the police said.
“Thokar deserted the Army on July 5-6 night. He has run away with a service assault rifle and three magazines,” an official said. “All field formations have been alerted,” an official communication of the police said. A top police officer said ground intelligence suggested that he might have joined the militants. “If it is confirmed that he has joined the militants, it will be the first such case,” the officer said. “However, there is no hard evidence at this point as we are still investigating.”
SRINAGAR (TIP): Fearing trouble on the first death anniversary of Hizb-ul- Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, authorities have beefed up security across the Kashmir valley and also decided to block social media sites to prevent rumor mongering.
Sources said more than 200 additional companies of central forces have already arrived in the Valley to ensure there is no trouble this time. With Amarnath yatra also going on, authorities don’t want to take any risk. “Police have already detained hundreds of workers of separatist organizations and seized more than 500 bikes to thwart any attempt by the Hurriyat to mobilize people on July 8,” they said.
Separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik have called for a complete shutdown on July 8 and asked people to reach Tral, the native town of Burhan, where they plan to address a huge gathering jointly.
However, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, Muneer Khan said they will leave no stone unturned to ensure that peace and law and order are maintained in the Valley. “There is no question of allowing any rally or a gathering. Primary concern for security agencies will be to ensure that there is no breach of peace anywhere,” he told reporters.
Khan said that they were not planning a blanket ban on the Internet on Burhan’s anniversary in the valley. “There is nothing like suspending the Internet.
Every step will be taken as per requirement and the situation will be reviewed on day-to-day basis,” he said.
The state government has already announced a 10-day summer vacation in all educational institutions from July 6.
The vacations coincide with a protest schedule issued by the separatists and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir based United Jehad Council (UJC), an umbrella of militant organizations.
NEW DELHI (TIP): Questioning the Centre on lacunae in implementing various policies and programmes to prevent suicide by farmers, the Supreme Court today refused to close a PIL on the issue, even as it said the government was moving in the right direction.
“We are not going to close it. We are just keeping ourselves in the loop. You are moving in the right direction but suicides are going up,” a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar said during the hearing of a PIL by Citizens Resource and Action Initiative (CRANTI), an NGO.
“Giving compensation to the family of a farmer who kills himself is not enough. You are moving but still the suicides are increasing. There are policies but everything is on paper.
You must move towards implementation,” it said. The top court’s comments came after Attorney General KK Venugopal explained the steps taken to deal with the agrarian crisis and tried to impress upon the Bench to leave it to the government to implement the policies which, even the petitioner admitted, were good.
Giving details of its “multi-pronged attack” to tackle the problem, Venugopal said it was not for the court to supervise the government. But the Bench said: “There is a motive for us to hear this. We want you to soften the effect of loan on farmers.”
Hit by consecutive droughts, India has witnessed an agrarian crisis, driving many farmers to suicide owing to failed crops and indebtedness. Suicide by farmers increased by more than 40 per cent in 2015, crossing 8,000. Most of these were from Maharashtra (more than 3,000) and Telangana (more than 1,300). Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh too have seen suicides by farmers.
LONDON/NEW DELHI (TIP): A UK court on Thursday rejected fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya’s request to shift the final hearing date in his extradition case to next year and fixed it for December 4.
Mallya, who is wanted in India for Kingfisher Airlines’ default on loans worth nearly Rs 9,000 crores, has been in the UK since March 2016 and was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant on April 18.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of the Indian government, told the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London that they had “excellent cooperation” with the Indian authorities in the case and now had sufficient material to establish a prima facie case for the extradition of the 61-year-old former chief of erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines.
“We have completed a review of materials and I am happy to state that we have had excellent cooperation with the Indian authorities in this case,” CPS barrister Mark Summers told the judge.
“We are ready and willing to proceed and would invite the court to fix a hearing date at the earliest.” “We have completed a review of materials and I am happy to state that we have had excellent cooperation with the Indian authorities in this case,” CPS barrister Mark Summers told the judge.
“We are ready and willing to proceed and would invite the court to fix a hearing date at the earliest.”
PM Narendra Modi lays a wreath at the Indian cemetery in Haifa, Israel, on Thursday. Forty-four Indian soldiers laid down their lives during the liberation of Haifa in 1918.
LUCKNOW (TIP): Muslim outfits expressed serious concern as three truckloads of red stones reached the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) workshop at Ramsevak Puram in Ayodhya from Rajasthan.
According to the VHP sources over 200 tonnes of stones were unloaded from three trucks in the workshop in the early hours of Wednesday.
Barely a fortnight back, two truckloads of stones had arrived at the VHP workshop from Rajasthan. ”More truckloads of stones are likely to reach the workshop in the days to come,” said an employee at the workshop.
He said that the work of carving of stones was going in full swing at the workshop, which was located not very far from the VHP’s office at Karsevakpuram in Ayodhya.
VHP spokesman Sharad Sharma said that there was no bar on bringing stones in Ayodhya.
”Trucks carrying stones have been arriving at Ayodhya since 1990…and they will keep on arriving in future also,” Sharma told Deccan Herald over phone from Ayodhya on Thursday.
He said that the Akhilesh Yadav government had, under the influence of his ”advisers” had banned the transportation of stones through an ”oral order”.
”The Saint community of the country now expect this government (NDA) to ensure construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya through a Parliamentary legislation on the lines of Somnath Temple in Gujarat,” he added.
Sharma said that even seven years after the Allahabad high court’s verdict in the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid Title Suits, a regular hearing had not started at the Supreme Court.
UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath had also said during an interview to a TV channel recently that the government did not intend to ban the transportation of stones as there was no legal bar on the same.
The then Samajwadi Party (SP) government had imposed a ban on bringing the stones after Muslim outfits reacted sharply when truckloads of stones had arrived at Ayodhya from Rajasthan in 2015. The arrival of the stones assumes significance in the wake of framing of charges against senior BJP leaders L.K.Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti and some VHP leaders by a special CBI court here for their role in the demolition of the Babri Mosque at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.
Muslim leaders said that the government must stop the VHP from bringing stones in Ayodhya. ”The matter is in the court and all parties must wait for the court verdict…nothing should be done to vitiate the communal atmosphere in the country,” said a senior Muslim leader here.
Source: www.deccanherald
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