Asked for my death’: Navjot Singh Sidhu’s wife

Navjot Sidhu’s wife tweeted about the diagnosis of her cancer and operation

The file for Navjot Sidhu’s early release was once rejected by the Punjab government. Now the former Punjab Congress chief is likely to be released on April 1.

Former MLA and Navjot Singh Sidhu‘s wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu who has been battling with cancer on Friday posted a heartfelt message a day before her husband’s likely release from jail. She said out of anger she asked for death from God, but God left her in between.

On May 20, 2022, Sidhu was sent to jail in the 1988 road rage case after he was sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court. It was reported earlier that Sidhu can get an early release based on the normal remission available to all convicts. The file for early release of Sidhu and 51 other prisoners, who were eligible for release under the scheme of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”, was moved in January by the jail department, but the Punjab government did not allow any relief.

Now he is likely to be released on April 1 if he gets a 45-day remission. His scheduled release from the jail is on May 16. According to jail officials, Sidhu may get an early release on April 1 because of his good conduct.

A few days ago, Navjot Sidhu’s wife tweeted about the diagnosis of her cancer and operation. “Waited for you, seeing you denied justice again and again. Truth is so powerful but it takes your tests time and again. KALYUG. Sorry can’t wait for you because it’s stage 2 invasive cancer. Going under the knife today. No one is to be blamed because it’s GODS plan: PERFECT (sic),” she wrote.

‘Will never forgive Russia’- Ukraine’s Zelensky

Zelensky said Bucha had become “a symbol of the atrocities” committed by Russian forces.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Ukraine would “never forgive” Moscow for its occupation of Bucha, a year after the town became a symbol of alleged Russian war crimes.

Russian forces pulled back from the commuter town northwest of Kyiv on March 31, 2022, just over one month after President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine.

AFP journalists on April 2 last year discovered the bodies of at least 20 people in civilian clothing, some with their hands tied behind their backs, lying in a street of the suburb.

Zelensky said Bucha had become “a symbol of the atrocities” committed by Russian forces, who have been linked to the extra-judicial killings of unarmed civilians in Bucha.

“We will never forgive. We will punish every perpetrator,” Zelensky said in a statement on social media.

During a visit to Bucha days the Russian troops’ withdrawal, Zelensky described the killings as “genocide”.

Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Russian troops of war crimes after the discoveries, pointing to an abundance of footage and witness accounts.

Prosecutors in Kyiv say Russian forces killed some 1,400 civilians around Bucha and that they have identified dozens of Russian soldiers responsible.

But Moscow denies the accusations, claiming the atrocities in Bucha were staged.

Many foreign leaders and officials who have visited Ukraine since the war started have made a stop in Bucha.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he had a “strong sentiment of indignation” in Bucha last week.

After Russia withdrew from near Kyiv, fighting shifted to the south and east of Ukraine, with the embattled city of Bakhmut now the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle since the invasion.

But a year after it was retaken by Kyiv’s forces, Bucha has not forgotten its victims.

The community of the suburb is rebuilding, and locals told AFP “the pain subsides” and that they must “continue to live”.

AFP on Thursday saw dozens of construction workers weaving between diggers and trucks, as they worked to rebuild homes and roads in the town, which had a pre-war population of some 37,000 people.

Archpriest Andriy, who runs the local parish, said it is “important” not to forget those who are “not with us today”.

“But it is also important for us not to live in the past but in the future,” he told AFP.

In the weeks following Russia’s withdrawal from other towns near Kyiv, hundreds more bodies were found in homes, basements and shallow graves across the north.

Ukraine wants to establish a special tribunal to prosecute Russia’s leaders but there are complex legal disputes over how it could work.

The International Criminal Court earlier this month issued an arrest warrant for Putin over the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine.

Chief ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan has described Ukraine as a “crime scene”.

Russia has repeatedly denied any abuses by its forces, and foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova this week described scenes in Bucha as a “crude and cynical provocation” by Kyiv.

Indian-American Richard Verma confirmed for powerful US State Department post

Richard Verma has served as Vice Chairman of The Asia Group, Partner and Senior Counsellor at Steptoe and Johnson LLP.

The US Senate has confirmed Indian-American lawyer, diplomat and executive Richard Verma as the Deputy Secretary of State, Management and Resources, a position which is normally seen as the CEO of the powerful State Department in the US government. Verma, 54, was confirmed by a vote of 67-26 on Thursday.

He served as the US ambassador to India from January 16, 2015, to January 20, 2017, and is currently the chief legal officer and the head of global public policy at Mastercard.

During the previous Obama administration, Verma served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs.

Earlier in his career, he was National Security Advisor to United States Senator Harry Reid and was Democratic Whip, Minority Leader and then Majority Leader of the United States Senate.

Verma has served as Vice Chairman of The Asia Group, Partner and Senior Counsellor at Steptoe and Johnson LLP, and Senior Counsellor at the Albright Stonebridge Group.

He is a veteran of the United States Air Force, where he served as a Judge Advocate.

Verma, who was born in 1968 to an Indian immigrant, grew up in Pennsylvania. He attended a private college on a US Air Force scholarship. He earned a B.S at Lehigh University, a J.D. cum laude at American University, an LLM with distinction at Georgetown University Law Center, and a PhD at Georgetown University.

He is the recipient of numerous awards and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Medal from the Department of State, the International Affairs Fellowship from the Council on Foreign Relations and the Meritorious Service Medal from the United States Air Force.

Verma was appointed to the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board and is a former member of the Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Commission.

He serves as a trustee of The Ford Foundation and is on numerous other boards, including that of the National Endowment for Democracy and Lehigh University.

An historic number of workers are seeking work in other countries, many of them professionals. Should a nation depend on the export of its human capital?

Queues still snake outside Sri Lanka’s main office issuing passports as they did during the height of the country’s economic crisis last year but they are not nearly as long anymore. Still, large numbers of people continue to leave the island nation in search of better economic opportunities. And many of these now come from the professional ranks.

Over at the Sri Lankan mission in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates dozens of Sri Lankans who land there on visit visas without jobs can be found pleading for cash from other Sri Lankan expatriates. The United Arab Emirates is one of the few countries where Sri Lankans get a visa on arrival.

These two examples illustrate the crisis that Sri Lanka is facing — thousands of mostly young people are leaving Sri Lanka’s shores seeking better opportunities to support their families, leaving behind a country that is battling an economic crisis, rising inflation and shortages in fuel, cooking gas and foreign exchange.

The World Bank says more than 500,000 Sri Lankans lost their jobs last year due to the crisis while the numbers living below the poverty line have increased. New personal taxes have shot up and affect middle class incomes.

As a result, Sri Lanka issued an all-time high of almost 900,000 passports last year, compared to the previous high of just over 650,000 in 2016, according to government data.

“We are losing a lot of talent and this will severely impact the economy, particularly the productive sectors,” noted Dhananath Fernando, founder and CEO of the Advocata Institute, an economic development think tank in the capital city of Colombo.

An economy that brought new taxes and no fuel

At the peak of the economic crisis in mid-2022, long queues were a prominent feature outside the passport office with mostly young people seeking to go abroad in search of greener pastures.

Sri Lanka at that time faced a major crisis due to dwindling foreign reserves which led to fuel shortages for vehicles and cooking, resulting in queues at fuel stations and rationing. While the queues have ended, fuel rationing still exists.

Last year’s crisis was exacerbated by a new tax system on income above 100,000 rupees — about $280 — per month, as the government struggles to increase revenue and meet rising costs. According to a UN classification, an average family in Sri Lanka requires a minimum 100,000 rupees for their costs and thus anything above this is taxed. Previously, only incomes above 250,000 rupees per month were taxed.

According to figures released by the state-owned Foreign Employment Bureau, more than 310,000 people left the country with secured jobs overseas in 2022, the highest in history.

However these figures relate only to those — mostly unskilled and semi-skilled workers — who seek compulsory registration with this government agency promoting outbound migration. They don’t reflect the large number of unregistered professionals who go abroad.

Migrants donning stethoscopes and business suits

More than 2 million, almost 10% of Sri Lanka’s population of 22 million, are abroad sending back money to sustain their families back home. The country joins a growing number of countries in Asia, and in particular South Asia which includes Bangladesh and Nepal, where government policy encourages migration for employment and the economy depends on the money migrant workers send home.

In Asia, the Philippines is the number one source of migrant workers to the Middle East, sending back billions of dollars in remittances.

According to Dr. Bilesha Weeraratne, research fellow and migration specialist at the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, it is the prime working age population (between 30 and 40 years) that’s going abroad.

“Some are going on visit visas without a job while some have jobs,” Weeraratne said. “Going abroad has been a key component of the Sri Lankan labour force. However there was a drop during the COVID-19 pandemic and there was a backlog. Some of the huge exodus that we are seeing can be attributed to this backlog because those who wanted to go in the 2020-21 period didn’t have many opportunities.”

The economic situation in the country and the economic difficulties and inflation have prompted many people to leave and earn more overseas, she said. Most of the people leaving are professionals, particularly IT specialists, doctors, accountants, bankers and tourism industry personnel.

Fernando from the Advocata Institute said that to keep skilled and professional workers, many of the big companies are increasing pay to help them pay the increased taxes. Starting salaries in the private sector are well over 100,000 rupees per month.

“This is being done since if people start leaving that would be a much bigger problem for companies,” Fernando said. Last year IT companies began paying salaries to their staff pegged to the U.S. dollar, he added. Inflation is also high, at one time running at 90% in 2022 and now at 50%.

A third wave of migration

For different reasons, Sri Lanka has witnessed waves of outbound migration since it gained independence from colonial British rule 75 years ago.

In the late 1950s, a large number of the Burghers, a small minority in Sri Lanka’s current population of 22 million, migrated to Australia after the government in 1956 introduced the ‘Sinhala language Act’, whereby all government business was to be conducted only in Sinhalese, the language of the Sinhalese population, which accounts for 74% of the overall population.

The mostly English-speaking Burghers, now less than 30,000, have descended from an ethnic mix of Portuguese, Dutch and British settlers during the country’s colonial history.

The next wave of outbound migrants occurred during the country’s ethnic riots in 1983 with the Sinhalese targeting minority Tamils who number 15% of the population. Many Tamils migrated and now reside in Europe and the United States. The current outflow of professionals mostly to the Middle East, Europe and the U.S. is the third wave of migration.

Jehan Perera, executive director at the National Peace Council and a noted political commentator, said there is a positive side to the outward migration.

“They are not leaving the country with an angry mind (like the Burghers and the Tamils),” Perera said. “They are educated and another positive is that the amount of foreign remittances will increase and reduce the burden of a shortage of foreign cash.”

An indication of how prevalent the current exodus of professionals is can be seen in one message sent out by tweet by HSBC Bank in Colombo: “Considering moving overseas for work, studies or with family? Get a head start with a pre-set up bank account overseas with HSBC’s International Services which makes settling down so much easier, subject to prevailing foreign exchange regulations….”

Two houses in Srinagar, belonging to Zargar, were today attached under the provisions of UA(P)A, by a team of NIA. Zargar is a ‘designated individual terrorist’ under the UA(P) Act and has been operating from Pakistan ever since his release.

In a major offensive against terrorists operating from Pakistan, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday attached the Srinagar-based property of fugitive terrorist Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar – the founder and chief commander of Al-Umar Mujahideen.

Zargar was released with two other terrorists, including Masood Azhar, in exchange for hostages of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane in Afghanistan’s Kandahar in 1999.

Zargar was also involved in the kidnapping of former Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s daughter, Rubaiya Sayeed, in 1989.

Two houses in Srinagar, belonging to Zargar, were today attached under the provisions of UA(P)A, by a team of NIA. The representatives of district administration and local police were also present at the spot.

Zargar is a ‘designated individual terrorist’ under the UA(P) Act and has been operating from Pakistan ever since his release and has been funding terror activities in the valley.

Zargar was earlier associated with the Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front and was responsible for several terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.

He has also been involved in other heinous crimes, including murders, and has a close association with other terror outfits such as Al-Qaeda and JeM.

Zargar was designated a terrorist by the union government under the Fourth Schedule of UAPA. He grew up in the Nowhatta area of Srinagar and joined JKLF.

He was arrested on May 15, 1992, and was released from jail on December 31, 1999, as part of the Indian Airlines Flight 814 hostage exchange deal.

The far-reaching verdict also means the Election Commission will have an independent secretariat, rule-making powers, an independent budget, and equal protection from impeachment.

The Supreme Court today said Election Commissioners will be appointed by a panel including the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition and the Chief Justice of India, in a landmark verdict aimed at “maintaining the purity of elections”.

The Chief Election Commissioners and two election commissioners, who oversee polls across the country, will be appointed on the advice of a committee that will give the opposition and the judiciary a say.

“Elections should undoubtedly be fair and the buck stops with the Election Commission of India to ensure its purity is maintained,” said a five-judge Constitution bench led by Justice KM Joseph.

“In democracy, the purity of elections must be maintained or else it would lead to disastrous consequences,” said the unanimous verdict.

The far-reaching verdict also means the Election Commission will have an independent secretariat, rule-making powers, an independent budget, and equal protection from impeachment.

The Election Commission can now draw funds directly from the consolidated fund of India, instead of having to go to the Prime Minister’s Officer and the Law Ministry for funds and approvals.

The Supreme Court had in earlier hearings stressed on a “fair and transparent mechanism” so that the “best man” is appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner of the country.

Currently, the President appoints the chief election commissioner and two commissioners for a term of six years each on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, and they are usually former bureaucrats.

Petitions had sought a collegium-like system for the appointment of election commissioners to ensure fair elections in the country, arguing that the existing process was driven by “whims and fancies of the executive”.

The petitions said unlike the appointments of the CBI director or corruption watchdog Lokpal, where the leader of the Opposition and judiciary have a say, the Centre unilaterally appointed members of the Election Commission.

The Supreme Court has questioned the Centre on the appointment of former IAS officer Arun Goel as the new Election Commissioner at “lightning speed”, within 24 hours, and had asked to see the original files related to the appointment.

Arun Goel, a 1985-batch IAS officer, took voluntary retirement from his previous posting on November 18 and was appointed Election Commissioner on November 19. He took charge on November 21.

The Supreme Court, on examining the file, asked how the Ministry of Law and Justice shortlisted four names for the appointment of Election Commissioner. Even among those names, the Centre had selected people who would not get even six years as Election Commissioner

During the meeting, Bill Gates and Ratan Tata talked at length about philanthropic initiatives.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates met Tata Sons Chairman Ratan Tata and Tata Sons Natarajan Chandrasekaran on Wednesday during the former’s visit to India. During the meeting, the business magnates talked at length about philanthropic initiatives. In an enriching discussion, Tata and Gates discussed strengthening their joint efforts and partnering for health, diagnostics, and nutrition.

Gates Foundation took to Twitter to confirm the development. The tweet reads, “Our co-chair and founder Bill Gates had an enriching discussion with Ratan Tata and N Chandrasekaran, about their philanthropic initiatives. We look forward to strengthening our work together and partnering for health, diagnostics, and nutrition.”

In the picture, Gates can be seen presenting copies of his books, “How to Prevent the Next Pandemic” and “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster” to both Ratan Tata and N Chandrasekaran.

The post received a lot of love from the netizens. A user wrote, “It is heartening to see two giants of the corporate world coming together to take the Corporate Social Responsibility to a whole new epitome. It is pertinent for people with resources and capability to endeavour to give back to the society and ensure a better n sustainable future.”

Another user wrote, “This is the ultimate synergy which will push India’s development a few notches !”

The third user commented, “Nice to see you Mr Bill Gates with our Mr Ratan Tata. You have truly met a gentleman who has shaped & participated in India’s economic development. Mr Tata is also one of our foremost philanthropists. Also thank you for your kind interest in India.”

Meanwhile, earlier Mr Gates also met Industrialist Anand Mahindra. Taking to Twitter, the Mahindra Group chairman shared a picture with the philanthropist and said they spoke about collaborating to “multiply social impact”. He also shared that Mr Gates signed his book for him, in which he wished his “classmate” the best.

Mr Gates, in his personal blog, Gates Notes, wrote he would visit India to check the progress the country has made over the years. “I’m headed back to India next week. Although I’ve spent a lot of time there over the years doing everything from checking out toilets to visiting a village that’s home to the one poorest, most underserved castes in India-I haven’t been back since before the pandemic. I can’t wait to see how much progress has been made in that time,” he wrote.

Umesh Pal Murder Case: The Prayagraj Police have also identified the miscreants after closely monitoring the CCTV footage of the crime spot. It is believed that the UP govt has already given a go-ahead to the PDA for using bulldozers against the accused in the Umesh Pal murder case. 

New Delhi: In a new twist to the Umesh Pal murder case, the Prayagraj Police on Wednesday used bulldozers to demolish the properties of the accused, who are believed to be close aides of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed. The news agency ANI had earlier reported that bulldozers have been brought to demolish the properties of all the accused involved in the sensational murder in  Prayagraj.

UP Police Bulldozes House of Accused Zafar Ahmad

It was earlier reported that the UP Police have identified the miscreants involved in the murder of Umesh Pal – a key eyewitness in the 2005 murder of the then BSP MLA Raju Pal. It may be recalled that Umesh Pal was shot dead at his residence in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on February 24. Umesh Pal was immediately rushed to a hospital where he died during treatment. The Prayagraj Police have also identified the miscreants after examining the CCTV footage of the crime spot. A list of suspects and others details have been prepared for necesasry action, said sources.

It was reported that the list has been sent to the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) for action against the accused. The PDA authorities have been gathering details of the unauthorised and illegally constructed buildings and residential properties belonging to the accused. The Special Operations Group of the Uttar Pradesh Police and the district police conducted the search operation and spotted the accused near Nehru Park in Prayagraj.

It is believed that the UP government has given a go-ahead to the PDA for using bulldozers against the accused in the Umesh Pal murder case.

Days after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath warned that his government will ”decimate the criminals and mafias’; across the state, the UP Police on Monday gunned down one of the accused – Arbaaz – in the sensational killing of Umesh Pal.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Navendu Kumar later shared that Arbaaz, who was the driver of the white SUV used by the assailants to attack witness Umesh Pal, was surrounded by police teams following an intelligence input. He opened fire at the police and was injured in the ensuing encounter in Nehru Park under Dhoomanganj police station at around 3 pm, Kumar said. He was taken to hospital where doctors declared him dead, the officer said.

Umesh Pal and his police security guard Sandeep Nishad was shot dead on Friday outside his home in the Dhoomanganj area of Prayagraj. Another security guard Raghvendra Singh, who was injured in the attack, was admitted to SRN Hospital in critical condition and was referred to Lucknow on Sunday.

Case Registered Against Gangster Atiq Ahmed 

On the basis of a complaint lodged by Umesh Pal’s wife Jaya Pal, a case was registered at Dhoomanganj police station against gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, his brother Ashraf, wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Gulam and nine others.

They have been booked under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Explosive Substances Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act, police said.

‘Mitti Me Mila Denge’

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had vowed to destroy the mafias after the opposition Samajwadi Party had questioned the law and order situation in the state in the wake of the February 24 killing. Police also arrested a lawyer who lived in an Allahabad University hostel and searched his room where the attack on the witness, police claimed, was planned.

BSP supremo Mayawati on Monday said her party would expel mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s wife Shaista Parveen, named in the FIR in the killing of a prime witness in the Raju Pal murder case, if she was found guilty during the probe. She also charged Samajwadi Party, terming Atiq Ahmed its product.