Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto confessed that his country has failed to urge the UN to pay attention to the Kashmir issue due to India’s massive influence and diplomacy.
He acknowledged that Islamabad has an ‘uphill task’ to put the Kashmir issue at the centre of the UN’s agenda, due to strong objections from India. In his subsequent reference to the latter, he fumbled, addressing India first as ‘our friend’ before calling it a ‘neighbouring country.’
He was addressing a press conference at the United Nations. “You’re also right to note that we face a particularly uphill task to try and get Kashmir into the centre of the agenda at the United Nations,” he opined while responding to a query that compared the Palestinian and Kashmir’s current situations.
“And whenever the issue of Kashmir is brought up, our friends within, with our friend, neighbouring countries, strongly object, vociferously object and they perpetuate a post-fact narrative where they try to claim that this is not a dispute for the United Nations, that this is not a disputed territory recognized for the international community,” the foreign minister asserted. He added, that they (India) insist that their usurpation of Kashmir should be endorsed.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader continued, “while we do find it difficult to get the truth across, we are persistent in our efforts.” He claimed, that he always makes an effort to bring up both the predicament of the people of Kashmir and Palestine whenever possible, whether it be in the UN Security Council or at other forums.
“I think your parallel is very justified. There are many similarities between the plight of the people of Kashmir and the plight of the people of Palestine. I think it’s fair to say that both issues remain unaddressed by the United Nations and we’d like to see an extra focus not only on Palestine but also on Kashmir,” he alleged.
Zardari was speaking to the media on the outcomes of the Women in Islam Conference and Commemoration of the First Islamophobia Day.
India recently rebuked the FM for bringing up the Kashmir issue at the UNSC debate on ‘Women, Peace and Security.’ Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, referred to his remarks as ‘malicious and misleading propaganda’ that ‘is undeserving of even receiving a response.’
In a letter addressed to Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor, conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar has informed that Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is currently lodged at the VVVIP ward in Tihar jail.
“Mr Manish Sisodia is lodged in Ward No. 9 of Jail-1, which is a VVVIP ward in all of Tihar Jail. It is a special ward for the high profile VIP prisoners which is almost 20,000/- sq. ft. gated special ward where only 5 cells are present,” he said.
“This ward has to date housed VIP/high profile inmates like Suboroto Roy of Sahara, Mr Kalmadi, Mr Amar Singh, Mr A. Raja and recently Sanjay Chandra of Unitech, and I myself was lodged in the said ward from 2017 to 2018 on the instructions of Satyendar Jain,” Sukesh Chandrasekhar further emphasised.
In his letter to LG Vinai Kumar Saxena, the conman pointed out that a few sevadars and old inmates have been roped in to ensure comfort for Manish Sisodia. He said that the VVVIP ward, where Delhi Deputy CM is currently lodged, has wooden flooring, a special badminton court, a dining area and a large garden, besides other amenities.
He has also sought a probe from the Lieutenant Governor into the matter. “I humbly request for your urgent intervention in the interest of justice as I am a witness against AAP, and kindly request you to initiate an urgent enquiry on VVVIP facilities currently given to Mr Sisodia…,” the conman requested.
Sukesh Chandrasekhar also rubbished claims about Sisodia being housed with gangsters. “Sir, Mr Sisodia is being well-taken care of in this VVVIP ward, and all these allegations are well planned and orchestrated by Mr Kejriwal, Satyendar Jain and the jail administration,” he added.
‘Kejriwal is a wazir…after Sosidia, he will be next’: Conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar
During his appearance in Patiala House Court, Sukesh Chandrasekhar informed that Delhi CM and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal would be the next to be arrested in the liquor scandal case.
“Kejriwal is a wazir (kingspin). I will expose each one. There will be more arrests in liquor policy scam. Kejriwal is doing his job well… I have nothing to do with liquor policy”, he said, adding that he has been closely associated with the AAP from the year 2015 and that he would expose all party members.
On being asked about the arrest of AAP leader Manish Sisodia he said, “Truth has prevailed, and next will be Arvind Kejriwal.”
On Friday (March 10), a Delhi court remanded Manish Sisodia to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till March 17 this year. The court passed the ruling while hearing a money laundering case filed in connection with the Delhi liquor policy scam.
On Saturday, March 11, a Delhi Police team visited a farmhouse in Delhi where Bollywood Actor-Director Satish Kaushik was staying before his death. Delhi Police is investigating the death of Satish Kaushik who as per initial reports died of a heart attack on March 9, 2023.
Reportedly, the investigating team recovered some ‘medicines’ from the farmhouse. Speaking about the alleged objectionable packets of medicine recovered from the farmhouse, the Delhi Police said that Digene and regular sugar medications were among the medicines the police retrieved from the farmhouse. Additionally, there are some medicines that are being investigated.
The police have found nothing suspicious in the death so far, but an investigation into the cause of the death is on.
According to Delhi Police officials, a Holi party was held at the farmhouse owned by an industrialist. The industrialist who hosted the party is also wanted in connection with another case. “Police are checking the guest list to determine who was present at the farmhouse. As the inquiry into Satish Kaushik’s death is concerned, so far nothing suspicious has emerged. However, the probe is on,” an official source told ANI.
#SatishKaushikDeath | Party was organized at the farmhouse of an industrialist. Police is going through the guest list. The party was attended by an industrialist who is wanted in a case: Sources
The police are currently waiting for the detailed postmortem report to know the exact cause of Satish Kaushik’s death. The doctors who treated him before his death has not given any details yet. Reportedly, the late actor’s heart and blood have been retained to run some tests. The detailed postmortem report will be available in one or two weeks.
Notably, Kaushik was at the farmhouse in Bijwasan, Delhi, for the Holi party organised by a close friend. He first felt ill on the night of March 8. He was taken immediately to a Gurugram hospital, however, the veteran actor could not survive.
Citing sources, India TVreported that the farmhouse where Satish Kaushik was staying and a Holi party was organized belonged to industrialist Vikas Malu. Notably, a rape complaint filed by Vikas Malu’s wife is currently being investigated. Vikas Malu has frequently been in Dubai since the case was registered, but he came to Delhi for the Holi celebrations.
Bangladesh’s popular cricketer Shakib Al Hasan was hit with another controversy after a video of him hitting a fan went viral on social media.
The Bangladeshi allrounder was in Chattogram for a promotional event, and a huge crowd showed up to see him. He managed to find his vehicle when a fan tried to seize his cap from him. Amidst the uproar, Shakib appeared to lose his composure at this action and repeatedly attacked the person with the cap before being led away.
Interestingly, this is not the first time that Shakib is embroiled in controversies. He snapped at the leg umpire during this season of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), in January. He scolded the latter for not awarding a wide to the ball that was above his head. He later apologized for his behavior.
The Bangladesh captain was suspended from all forms of cricket for two years in 2019 by the International Cricket Council (ICC). One year of the ban was suspended, after he pleaded guilty to three counts of violating the ICC anti-corruption code.
In 2021, in the course of two overs during a T20 match between Mohammedan Sporting and Abahani Limited, Shakib lost his cool not once, but twice. Shakib violated multiple standards of conduct by kicking, uprooting, and tossing the stumps on the ground because he was upset with the umpires’ rulings and showed full contempt for the match officials.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board issued him a three-match suspension in 2014 after he made an offensive gesture on live television during the second one day international match against Sri Lanka in Mirpur. He was also fined (Bangladeshi taka) BDT 300,000 ($3800).
In the same year, he had beaten up a spectator, Raeeszade Raeed, in a Bangladesh stadium. It was alleged that he had misbehaved with the skipper’s wife, Umme Ahmed Shishir.
A distressing video of some young males harassing a 22-year-old Japanese girl on the day of Holi had been making the rounds on social media, on March 10. The incident happened in the National Capital’s Paharganj region.
A Japanese girl was molested and harassed and groped by multiple men in broad daylight on the streets of Delhi in the day of holi. Their faces are clearly visible.
They need to get arrested and punished for what they did.
According to the Delhi Police, three people have been apprehended in relation to the molestation and abuse of the woman. One of the offenders is a juvenile and all three are from the Paharganj area of central Delhi. She didn’t file a complaint against anyone yet, they added.
The woman flew to Bangladesh yesterday. She claimed to be in good physical and mental health. She added, that she was unaware of the gravity of the matter, and would give a more detailed explanation tomorrow.
I have just arrived in Bangladesh. I’m really sorry that I didn’t know it was a serious situation. I am fine in mind and body. I will explain more tomorrow.
In the clip, the males are touching her and smearing colour on her face. One of them cracked an egg on her head while shouting ‘Holi Hai, Holi Hai.’ The woman is heard saying ‘bye bye’ and attempting to flee. She once smiled for the camera, but when a man tried to touch her, she slapped him and finally left from there.
Netizens flagged the video to the Delhi Police and the National Commission for Women for action.
The Japanese embassy was contacted by Delhi Police for assistance in determining her identity. The embassy claimed they were oblivious to any such incident.
The accused were located using local intelligence, according to officials, who also stated, they are continuously in touch with the Japanese embassy.
Tejashwi Yadav, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) politician and deputy chief minister of Bihar, was called in by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday for interrogation in the land-for-jobs case. He has received a summons in connection with the matter twice, the first being on February 4. However, reports mention that Yadav will not appear before the CBI today as his pregnant wife has been hospitalised following the ED raids.
The wife of the Dy CM is said to have fainted due to BP problems after twelve hours of ED interrogation on Friday. “Yadav was earlier called for questioning on March 4 but he had not appeared before the CBI sleuths, following which a fresh date was given for Saturday,” the officials confirmed. According to the reports, the case pertains to people allegedly given employment in the railways in return for land parcels gifted or sold at cheap rates to the Yadav family and its associates.
The summons was issued to Tejasvi Yadav after the ED on Friday raided 15 places of Lalu Yadav’s close associates in Delhi, Mumbai, Noida, and Patna. These include Tejashwi Yadav’s house in Delhi and the residences of Lalu’s three daughters Hema, Ragini, and Chanda. Apart from these, the Ghaziabad residence of Lalu’s brother-in-law Jitendra Yadav was also raided. The ED, during the raids, seized Rs 53 lakh, US$ 1,900, 540 grams of gold, and 1.5 kg of gold jewellery.
Previously, as part of a money laundering investigation into a purported “land-for-jobs” case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched 24 places, including Yadav’s Delhi home, other locations in the national capital area, Patna, Ranchi, and Mumbai.
Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, two former chief ministers of Bihar, were also questioned by the CBI on Monday in this regard in Delhi and Patna. “It is an open secret that probe agencies are acting against political opponents of the BJP and helping those who agree to align with that party,” Tejashwi Yadav had stated earlier on his parents being questioned on the case.
In the case involving Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, and 14 other people, the CBI has already submitted a charge sheet alleging criminal conspiracy and violations of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Lalu Prasad and the other defendants were given the notice to appear before a Delhi court on March 15 after receiving a summons last month.
Bhola Yadav, who served as Lalu Prasad’s officer on special duty while he was the railway minister, as well as Hridayanand Chaudhary, a railway employee and alleged beneficiary of the scandal, and Dharmendra Rai, a second alleged beneficiary, have all been detained by the CBI so far in connection with the case.
In conjunction with the investigation, the agency also has searched roughly two dozen places in August of last year.
An incident of theft at the house of a judge took place in Ludhiana in Punjab recently. The official residence of Additional Sessions Judge Ravdeep Hundal was broken into, and the thieves fled after stealing taps and a geyser from the house. The thieves also searched the premises for costly stuff but came up empty-handed, and left the house with bathroom fittings. On Thursday, the matter came to light when Judge Hundal, who had gone out of town, returned to his residence on Mall Road in Ludhiana.
On the basis of a statement made to the police by Sardool Singh, the gunman of Judge Ravdeep Hundal, Division Number 8 police have filed an FIR against unidentified thieves and initiated an investigation.
The complaint said that on March 6, the extra sessions judge spent a few days on vacation in Chandigarh with his family. On March 9, when they came home, they found that the house had been looted.
Even though the burglars had ransacked the entire residence, they only took a geyser and some taps before escaping. The complainant claimed that the police recorded the statement and began an investigation.
Senior police officers were made aware of the incident, and officers from the concerned police station arrived at the scene to conduct an investigation.
There were no CCTV cameras installed at the home, according to sub-inspector Janak Raj, additional SHO, division number 8 police station. The main road’s CCTV cameras are being scanned by the police.
A case has been filed against the unidentified accused under Sections 457 (house trespassing) and 380 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code.
The Officer’s Colony is a high-security zone since it houses multiple judges, Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, and Public Service Commission officers. Every officer has been provided 24-hour security cover.
Notably, two similar incidents were reported last year as well. Thieves broke into the homes of district attorney (Ludhiana administration) Amarpal Singh and Jagraon additional district commissioner Nayan Jassal on May 5, 2022. In another incident on June 7, 2022, unidentified individuals had broken into judicial magistrate Anubha Jindal’s residence in Officers’ Colony near Old Session Chowk. The intruders were compelled to flee when a peon spotted them and raised the alarm.
Following the shutdown of the US-based Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) on Friday (March 10), billionaire investor Bill Ackman sought a bailout package for the commercial bank from the tax-funded US government.
Ackman is the same ‘financial expert’ who upheld the Hindenburg Research report on the Adani group, which wiped out 10 lakh crores worth of investor’s money from the Indian conglomerate in less than two weeks’ time.
While he did not shy away from casting aspersions on the integrity of the Adani group and fomenting turmoil in Indian markets, the billionaire investor took a radically different approach when it came to the US market.
The failure of @SVB_Financial could destroy an important long-term driver of the economy as VC-backed companies rely on SVB for loans and holding their operating cash. If private capital can’t provide a solution, a highly dilutive gov’t preferred bailout should be considered.
In a tweet on Friday (March 10), Bill Ackman claimed, “The failure of SVB Financial Group could destroy an important long-term driver of the economy as VC-backed companies rely on SVB for loans and holding their operating cash.”
“If private capital can’t provide a solution, a highly dilutive gov’t preferred bailout should be considered,” he demanded despite being well aware that such a bailout package (if provided) will be funded by tax-payers.
The billionaire investor further added, “The govt could also guarantee deposits in exchange for a dilutive warrant issuance and other covenants and protections. If SVB Financial Group is indeed solvent, this would buy time to enable SVB to restore the franchise and raise new private capital.”
The gov’t could also guarantee deposits in exchange for a dilutive warrant issuance and other covenants and protections. If @SVB_Financial is indeed solvent, this would buy time to enable SVB to restore the franchise and raise new private capital.
He tried to make a case for the defunct commercial bank by claiming that the bailout package would serve the interests of depositors and not the ‘poor’ management and equity holders.
Bill Ackman concluded, “The risk of failure and deposit losses here is that the next, least well-capitalized bank faces a run and fails and the dominoes continue to fall. That is why govt intervention should be considered.”
The risk of failure and deposit losses here is that the next, least well-capitalized bank faces a run and fails and the dominoes continue to fall. That is why gov’t intervention should be considered.
Earlier, the billionaire investor did not shy away from defending Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of ‘ponzi‘ cryptocurrency exchange FTX. He even claimed that Sam is ‘innocent until proven guilty’ and that ‘(we should not) sacrifice our core values in a rush to convict.’
Response during the Adani Crash
While Bill Ackman was seen batting for the now-arrested American entrepreneur and the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) Financial Group, his reaction was starkly different when it came to the Indian conglomerate.
In his response over the fiasco on January 27 this year, the billionaire investor had said, “Adani’s response to Hindenburg Research is the same as Herbalife’s response to our original 350-page presentation.”
“Herbalife remains a pyramid scheme. I found the Hindenburg report highly credible and extremely well-researched. Adani Group’s response speaks volumes. Caveat emptor,” Bill Ackman emphasised.
Screengrab of the tweets by Bill Ackman
While he conceded that he did not undertake any ‘independent research’ and his judgment was based on the cursory reading of the Hindenburg Research report and Adani’s response, this gave an opportunity to the likes of Ravish Kumar to cast aspersions on the Indian conglomerate based on Ackman’s tweets.
The billionaire investor, in Adani’s case, did not seek a bailout package despite being aware of the short-term impact that the report of the US-based short-seller would have on the Indian economy and markets at large.
He also did not bother to keep his ‘innocent until proven guilty’ argument forward in Gautam Adani’s case, as he did in Sam Bankman Fried’s case. The sweeping statements of Bill Ackman were used by propagandists to suggest that the Indian conglomerate has been involved in wrongdoings.
The Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank
On Friday (March 10), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced the shutdown of the US-based Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and the seizure of its assets.
The development was the result of the sudden shutdown of Silvergate Capital Corp and the unmindful fundraising of SVB, which created panic in the technology industry.
Founded in 1983, Silicon Valley Bank operated out of Santa Clara in California, and provided various services such as online banking, treasury management, and foreign exchange trade.
Reportedly, the crisis came to light on March 8 this year after SVB Financial Group (parent organisation of Silicon Valley Bank) announced a sale of $21 billion of its securities.
This was further worsened by the sale of company shares worth $2.25 billion to shore up its finances, prompted by high deposit outflows at the bank, caused by a downturn in the startup industry. As a result, the Silicon Valley Bank shares fell 60%, leading to a whopping loss of $80 billion.
To salvage the business, SVB CEO Greg Becker held a conference call with clients and venture capital investors, requesting them to “stay calm” to avoid further withdrawals.
However, it was to no avail. Many venture capitalists instead instructed portfolio companies to minimise their exposure to Silicon Valley Bank, withdraw their cash, and look for other lenders (thus further exacerbating the crisis).
In February this year, American business magazine Forbes placed SVB Financial Group in the 20th position in the list of ‘America’s Best Banks.’
A strange video is going viral over social media showing worms raining from the skies in Beijing, the capital city of China. After the instance, some reports state that Beijing would now see its people carry umbrellas to the roadway to prevent getting hit by the bizarre rain.
The phrase “rain of worms”, which was used to promote the video on social media led many people to believe that worms have actually fallen from the sky.
Several suggestions have started to appear online to help solve the mystery, but the Chinese authorities have not yet explained the reason behind the bizarre phenomenon.
WATCH ? China citizens told to find shelter after it looked like it started to rain worms pic.twitter.com/otVkuYDwlK
Some people speculated that the mysterious worms may actually be poplar flowers, a common tree in the region that is loaded with seeds and whose flowers are frequently mistaken for caterpillars.
According to a potential interpretation, the worms were blown toward Beijing by a strong wind. The scientific publication Mother Nature Network backed this claim by explaining that these kinds of animal incidents frequently happen after a storm.
According to The Scientific Journal of the Mother Nature Network, such encounters with animals happen after a storm when wind or a whirlpool carries bugs miles away.
However, a Chinese journalist Shen Shiwei pointed out that the video was fake and that the city of Beijing had witnessed no rainfall in recent times. “I’m in Beijing and this video is fake. Beijing hasn’t got rainfall these days,” he said.
I’m in Beijing and this video is fake. Beijing hasn’t got rainfall these days.
Some netizens called the video a ‘prank’. One of the users said that the worms were just on the car and not on the sidewalks. Hence the video was a prank.
They are just on the cars. Nothing on the sidewalk.
Others, however, said that the scene of falling worms was quite normal and that it happens every spring. A few others also made fun of the event speculating that falling worms were probable dinner of the Chinese people.
nonsense, that is caterpillar swarm, happens every spring
The main accused who made the “fake” videos showing attacks on migrant laborers in Tamil Nadu has been arrested by Bihar Police.
Reportedly, a Bihar police spokesperson said that the other accused, Manish Kashyap and Youraj Singh, are allegedly absconding, and the state police are conducting raids on their alleged hideouts. One of the accused, Jamui district resident Aman Kumar, has already been arrested by the police.
According to the police, Manish Kashyap tweeted a video created by Rakesh Ranjan Kumar on March 8. He uploaded the video on the BNR News Honey YouTube channel.
Two persons were seen tied together in the video. During the investigation, it appeared that the video was made by Rakesh Ranjan Kumar. He was apprehended in Gopalganj and brought to the EOU police station in Patna. The spokesperson said that the accused ultimately confessed to the crime.
“The fake video was created on March 6 in a leased residence in Patna’s Bengali colony, which is within the jurisdiction of Jakkanpur police station, with the assistance of the main accused Rakesh Ranjan Kumar, a native of the Gopalganj district. He admitted to the crime. Recording a video in Patna was done with the intention of misleading the Bihar and Tamil Nadu police. We double-checked with Rakesh Ranjan Kumar’s landlord, and he also confirmed that the video was shot at his house,” the Bihar police spokesperson said.
According to the Bihar Police, Manish Kashyap is a “habitual offender”. Seven criminal cases are pending against him. He also participated in an assault on a police unit. He was convicted of attacking some Kashmiri shopkeepers in Patna’s Lhasa market after the Pulwama episode.
Accused Youraj Singh was also involved in uploading the fake video. In the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, an FIR has been filed against him. He is on the run after being involved in a case of firing in Bhojpur district’s Narayanpur village three months ago. The Bihar Police is conducting searches to arrest him.
An FIR has been registered against Rakesh Ranjan, Manish Kashyap, Youraj Singh, and Aman Kumar in Economic Offence Unit (EOU) police station in Patna.
The EOU unit will be requesting the court to issue an arrest warrant against the absconding accused persons Manish Kashyap and Youraj Singh.
On Friday, ADG (HQ) Jitendra Gangwar informed that the Bihar Police found 30 videos posted on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp in connection with the Tamil Nadu incident and filed two FIRs in the matter. The police also uncovered 42 more social media accounts that had preservation orders issued to them, in addition to 26 suspicious social media profiles. A 10-member EOU team was formed to investigate the matter.
