During the song launch, Aamir talked about his first love and how crestfallen he was after she left. And his first love is a very close friend to him who has no idea about his unrequited feelings…reports Asian Lite News
Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan opened up about his first heartbreak during the launch of the song ‘Phir Na Aisi Raat Ayegi’ from his movie ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’.
During a live interaction with some of the young Indian creators, Aamir shared: “This was the time when I used to play tennis, she was also in the same club with me, and one fine day I found out that she left the country with her family.”
“I was very heartbroken, and the tricky part is that she doesn’t know, Bas Ek hi cheez achi Hui ki main bohot accha tennis player ban Gaya (Only good thing was I became a very good tennis player), later after some years, I played tennis in state-level championships and became a state-level champion”.
During the song launch, Aamir talked about his first love and how crestfallen he was after she left. And his first love is a very close friend to him who has no idea about his unrequited feelings.
‘Laal Singh Chaddha’, produced by Aamir Khan Productions, Kiran Rao, and Viacom18 Studios, also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan, Mona Singh, and Chaitanya Akkineni.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) provided humanitarian assistance to the Afghan minorities by paying for their airfare….reports Asian Lite News
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Thursday in coordination with the Indian World Forum and the Government of India commenced the transfer of distressed Afghan minorities – Hindus and Sikhs.
A special flight comprising 11 Afghan Sikhs from Kabul to New Delhi was arranged at 11.30 am today which included Raqbir Singh who was injured in the Karte Parwan Gurdwara attack in Kabul on June 18 and the ashes of Sawinder Singh, killed in the attack.
SGPC provided humanitarian assistance to the Afghan minorities by paying for their airfare. Kam Air, the largest private Afghan airline, flight no 4401 is airborne from Kabul and is expected to land in New Delhi at 12:45 pm.
The Sikh body also reiterated to provide financial aid to those seeking rehabilitation in India.
Officials of SGPC and Afghan Hindu and Sikh Community leaders were present at the airport to facilitate the distressed Afghan minorities.
#WATCH | 11 Afghan Sikhs to reach Delhi from Kabul today. Ashes of late Sawinder Singh, who was killed in a gurudwara attack in Kabul will also arrive with the group
Transfer of Afghan minorities to India is being facilitated by SGPC in coordination with Indian World Forum & GoI pic.twitter.com/UOK1YtTNzg
After their arrival, the entire group will be leaving for Gurdwara Sri Guru Arjan Dev, K Block, Tilak Nagar.
Harjinder Singh, President, SGPC, and Indian World Forum have directed their officials to facilitate these distressed persons at the highest level.
Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) attacked Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Afghanistan’s Kabul city.
ISKP released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. According to ISKP, ‘Abu Mohammed al Tajiki’ carried out the attack which lasted for three hours. The group claimed that besides submachine guns and hand grenades, four IEDs and a car bomb were also used in the attack.
It further claimed that about 50 Hindu Sikhs and Taliban members were killed in the attack and the attack was conducted as revenge for the insult of Prophet Mohammed by an Indian politician.
— Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) (@SGPCAmritsar) June 27, 2022
However, in the attack, at least two civilians, including a Sikh man and a Muslim security guard, died and seven others were wounded. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday condemned the terrorist attack at Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Afghanistan’s capital.
Religious minorities in Afghanistan, including the Sikh community, have been targets of violence in Afghanistan. In October, last year 15 to 20 terrorists entered a Gurdwara in the Kart-e-Parwan District of Kabul and tied up the guards.
In March 2020, a deadly attack took place at Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib Gurudwara in Kabul’s Short Bazaar area in which 27 Sikhs were killed and several were injured. Islamic State terrorists claimed responsibility for the attack. (ANI)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun has said his country remains committed to the implementation of the UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1701, the Lebanon presidency said in a statement…reports Asian Lite News
“Lebanon is keen to preserve stability and security on its southern borders,” Aoun added on Wednesday during a meeting at Baabda Palace with UN Special Coordination for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka to discuss indirect border negotiations with Israel in addition to cooperation with the UN in different fields.
The President told Wronecka that Lebanon is following up on the matter after talks with US Senior Advisor of Energy Security, Amos Hochstein in Beirut earlier this month on the potential of resuming indirect border demarcation talks with Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.
Aoun has urged Hochstein to give feedback about Lebanon’s response to the US proposal on maritime border demarcation.
The Resolution 1701 was adopted in August 2006 to seek a full cessation of hostilities shortly after a month of deadly warfare between Israel and Hezbollah ended with a fragile truce.
Since then, the situation along the borders remained generally calm except for occasional fire exchanges between Lebanon and Israel.
Lebanese officials have on many occasions called for completing border demarcation with Israel to reduce tensions on the border and allow both countries to undertake oil and gas exploration near the disputed waters.
Lebanon is in dire need to begin oil and gas exploration as the country is going through a steep financial crisis.
It’s only one of several radical changes he’s made to his health over the past few years. After Pitt’s ex-wife Angelina Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, he got sober and spent a year and a half attending Alcoholics Anonymous…reports Asian Lite News
Contributor and author Ottessa Moshfegh meets actor and producer Brad Pitt at his Hollywood Hills home in a new cover story for GQ magazine’s August issue. Throughout their conversations, Pitt is open and honest about his career’s future, the various changes he’s made to improve his health, and his feelings of loneliness. He also talks about his upcoming projects, which include the action comedy Bullet Train.
Pitt is a legendary leading man, Hollywood power broker, and possibly the greatest heartthrob of all time. However, he has recently appeared onscreen less frequently and has been more focused on his role as a film producer. He tells GQ that he’s trying to think about what’s next and what kind of path he wants to take in the final stages of a prolifically creative career.
“I consider myself on my last leg, this last semester or trimester,” he says. “What is this section gonna be? And how do I wanna design that?”
Part of that design includes his production company, Plan B Entertainment. This year, Plan B is putting out Women Talking – an adaptation of Miriam Toews’s novel about a group of Mennonite women who unite against their rapists – directed by Sarah Polley.
“It’s as profound a film as anything made this decade,” Pitt remarks.
Like all accomplished actors, he has become more picky about which films he will appear in. Pitt, on the other hand, is happy to lend his talents to an unusual blockbuster when the timing is right, especially if there’s a personal connection. Pitt will star in Bullet Train, an action comedy thriller directed by David Leitch, who previously worked as Pitt’s stunt double in Fight Club, Troy, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Pitt plays Ladybug, an assassin on a train from Tokyo to Kyoto who has recently recovered from burnout and is returning to his high-stakes job with a somewhat erroneous sense of confidence in his fitness for duty.
“You know, you do a month of therapy, you have one epiphany, and you think you’ve got it all figured out, and you’re never going to be forlorn ever again,” Pitt says of his character. “That was that. I got this, I’m good to go!”
Pitt also tells GQ about his mission to improve his health. He explains that he quit smoking during the pandemic after offering Moshfegh a nicotine mint. Although he initially attempted to reduce the amount of cigarettes he smoked, he realised that simply cutting back on cigarettes wasn’t going to suffice-he needed to quit completely.
“I don’t have that ability to do just one or two a day,” he says. “It’s not in my makeup. I’m all in. And I’m going to drive into the ground. I’ve lost my privileges.”
It’s only one of several radical changes he’s made to his health over the past few years. After Pitt’s ex-wife Angelina Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, he got sober and spent a year and a half attending Alcoholics Anonymous.
“I had a really cool men’s group here that was really private and selective, so it was safe,” he tells GQ. “Because I’d seen things of other people, like Philip Seymour Hoffman, who had been recorded while they were spilling their guts, and that’s just atrocious to me.”
Pitt has talked in the past about how he struggles to remember new people, to recognize faces, and he fears it’s led to a certain impression of him: that he’s aloof and self-absorbed. Moshfegh, however, finds him to be the opposite. Pitt is deeply committed to forging meaningful connections, to probing life’s existential quandaries, and hearing the personal stories of others.
“I always felt very alone in my life,” he explains, “alone growing up as a kid, alone even out here, and it’s really not till recently that I have had a greater embrace of my friends and family. What’s that line, it was either Rilke or Einstein, believe it or not, but it was something about when you can walk with the paradox, when you carry real pain and real joy simultaneously, this is maturity, this is growth.”
Tunisia’s Maritime Guard rescued 108 illegal migrants and recovered five bodies off the country’s coast, Tunisia’s National Guard said….reports Asian Lite News
“The rescue operation took place late Tuesday off the country’s central-eastern coast,” National Guard spokesman Houcemeddine Jbabli said in a statement on Wednesday.
The rescued migrants, who were sailing to the Italian coasts, included 104 African migrants, the statement added.
More than 2,000 Tunisian illegal migrants have managed to reach the Italian coasts in the first five months of this year, according to the latest figures released by the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights.
Thousands of illegal migrants attempt to cross the Mediterranean annually as Tunisia is one of the main points of access to Europe through irregular channels, Xinhua news agency reported.
Momen in his speech expressed solidarity with the flood victims in Sylhet and other areas of Bangladesh and spoke in detail about the relief and rescue operations the government has been implementing…reports Sumi Khan
Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen has asked that those who made false corruption allegations against the Sheikh Hasina government over the Padma Bridge project must apologise and pay compensation.
“Under the courageous leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the historic Padma Bridge has been built with our funds and resources and now represents a nation on the road to self-reliance and prosperity,” said Momen while speaking as the chief guest at Bangladesh High Commission, London’s gala celebration titled “Padma Bridge: Milestone of a Decade of Growth and Prosperity” held on Monday in east London, the heart of British-Bangladeshi community.
Highlighting the significant economic growth that Bangladesh achieved in the past decade, the Foreign Minister added, “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s timely and innovative initiatives made Bangladesh a self-sufficient country in staple crop production, which increased four-fold from 11 to 44 lakh tonne, and her business-friendly government boosted export earnings from $7-$8 million to $48 million. Apart from this, our economy gained a strong foothold during the pandemic as expatriate Bangladeshi, including from the UK and Ireland, remitted $25 billion to their homeland.”
Padma Bridge (Photo Twitter@RussEmbDhaka)
Momen in his speech expressed solidarity with the flood victims in Sylhet and other areas of Bangladesh and spoke in detail about the relief and rescue operations the government has been implementing since the recurrence of the natural disasters.
The Foreign Minister also said that he had discussed the latest flood situation as well as relief and rescue operations with the high-level government authorities and relevant ministries to ensure that the flood victims received adequate support.
Additionally, he had spoken with the Education Ministry about supplying textbooks to those districts where the school children lost their books to the flooding and gave assurances that they would be provided with new books.
Speaking on some problems facing expatriate Bangladeshis, the Minister added that he has suggested the ministries concerned to form a special tribunal to solve the disputes and cases relating to their land and property; and to ease further the security checks at the airports in Bangladesh, and issue passports in the shortest possible time.
High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem in her welcome remarks, said, “Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave us an independent nation in 1971. After 51 years, his visionary daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave the historic Padma Bridge, which is a glorious symbol of Bangladesh’s self-reliance and self-respect and a milestone in the development and prosperity of Bangladesh towards Bangabandhu’s ‘Sonar Bangla’.”
The High Commissioner lauded the contributions of Bangladeshis living in the UK and Ireland to Bangladesh’s economy, including the Padma Bridge, by sending record remittances back home.
Expressing her deep solidarity with the flood-affected people in Bangladesh, including in Sylhet division, the envoy added, “Bangladesh High Commission has set up a helpline to provide the necessary information and emergency assistance to the expatriate Bangladeshis whose family members and relatives are affected by the flooding.”
“If anyone needs assistance for sending and distributing relief materials to the flood-affected areas, they can also communicate the High Commission through the helpline details which are available on the High Commission’s Facebook page,” she said.
Speaking on the occasion, Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman, who is a British-Bangladeshi citizen, congratulated Sheikh Hasina and her government for building the Padma Bridge, which significantly improved the country’s communication infrastructure.
Commenting on natural disasters across the world, including the current floods in Bangladesh, the Mayor cited the statement of Sheikh Hasina delivered at the COP26 in November 2021 holding developed countries responsible for some of the climate-related incidents in Bangladesh.
He suggested Bangladesh government to continue its campaign so developed countries take responsibility for climate-related losses and damage.
A prominent British-Bangladeshi community member Jalal Uddin also spoke at the event, attended by more than 400 enthusiastic expatriate Bangladeshis who came from different cities and towns of the UK and Ireland to celebrate the inauguration of Padma Bridge.
Chochuwong fought hard to stay in the match in the second game. Sindhu, however, once again broke free late with six consecutive points after trailing 15-17…reports Asian Lite News
Ace Indian shuttlers,PV Sindhu and Parupalli Kashyap, moved into the second round while Saina Nehwal crashed out in the opening round at the Malaysia Open 2022 women’s and men’s singles events respectively at the Axiata Arena, here on Wednesday.
Sindhu, seventh in the badminton world rankings, beat world No 10 Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand 21-13, 21-17 in the first round.
On the other hand, World No 26 Saina, who was competing for the first time since the Thailand Open in May, was beaten by 30th-ranked Iris Wang of the US 11-21, 17-21.
The London 2012 bronze medallist is yet to go past the second round this year.
Former world champion Sindhu took control of the match from the start with a four-point lead at the first break. With scores at 16-13, Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, won five successive points to take the 1-0 lead.
Chochuwong fought hard to stay in the match in the second game. Sindhu, however, once again broke free late with six consecutive points after trailing 15-17.
With this win, Sindhu improved her head-to-head record over Chochuwong to 6-3. She will now face world No 20 Phittayaporn Chaiwan of Thailand in the second round.
Meanwhile, Commonwealth Games gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap, got better of South Korea’s Heo Kwang Hee 21-12, 21-17 in the first round of men’s singles.
In the women’s doubles, Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam went down to two-time world champions Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara of Japan 11-21, 14-21.
India’s mixed doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and B Sumeeth Reddy also lost to European Games medallists Robin Tabeling and Selena Piek of the Netherlands 15-21, 21-19, 17-21 to make a first-round exit.
Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, recently concluded a two-day visit to Florida, which focused on expanding the bilateral UAE-US trade and commercial relationship…reports Asian Lite News
His trip to the “Sunshine State” builds on recent economic development missions to the UAE by local South Florida officials.
Dr. Al Zeyoudi met with Broward County Mayor Michael Udine, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam, and Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Chairman of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners.
The leaders discussed ways to enhance collaboration between the UAE and Florida, with a focus on investment, tourism, city planning, and healthcare. These meetings follow a delegation in March by Florida mayors to Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, where they engaged with the UAE business community and attended closing events for Expo 2020 Dubai, including visiting the US Pavilion.
“Florida is the commercial gateway to the Americas and the UAE sits at the crossroads of global trade and commerce. It makes perfect sense that the Emirates is developing close ties with this economically vibrant region,” Dr. Al Zeyoudi said. “The UAE was pleased to host multiple delegations of Florida mayors recently and we remain committed to expanding economic partnership opportunities here.”
In Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Minister Zeyoudi attended high level business development and networking events and meetings hosted by the US-UAE Business Council, The International Trade Consortium (ITC), Enterprise Florida, a public-private partnership promoting economic development in Florida, and eMerge Americas, an organising focused on establishing Miami as the tech hub of the Americas.
In 2021, Florida exported over US$1 billion of goods to the UAE, making it one of the top 10 states exporting to the Emirates. These exports supported an estimated 6,000 US jobs. The UAE also exported over US$180 million of goods to Florida that same year.
During Mayor Suarez’s visit to the UAE in March, he signed a sister city agreement alongside Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary-General of Dubai Executive Council, deepening ties between the cities of Dubai and Miami.
Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, participated in the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC), co-hosted by the governments of Portugal and Kenya in the Portuguese capital Lisbon…reports Asian Lite News
Running from 27th June to 1st July, UNOC seeks to drive the development of much-needed science-based innovative solutions aimed at starting a new chapter of global ocean action to support the implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Life Below Water. The conference is running under the theme ‘Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: Stocktaking, partnerships and solutions’.
Mariam Almheiri said, “It was a pleasure to attend UNOC that comes at a crucial time for ocean conservation. At the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in the UAE next year, we aim to continue the dialogue on accelerating the deployment of ocean-based climate solutions. We are keen to exchange knowledge and experience with other countries, and explore opportunities for effective partnerships in this space. Because if we want to have a fighting chance of keeping global warming within 1.5ËšC, we need to make the most of every solution available to us, and we need to do it together.”
During the interactive dialogue titled ‘Addressing Marine Pollution’, the Minister explored ways to tackle marine pollution from land- and sea-based sources that has a serious negative impact on the world’s oceans.
Almheiri also attended the high-level meeting on ocean and climate that took place under the theme ‘From Lisbon to Sharm el-Sheikh: accelerating ocean-based climate solutions’. The event’s outcomes will inform policy and investment decisions to be made in the run-up to COP27 and beyond.
In her opening remarks at the meeting, Minister Almheiri highlighted the importance of leveraging nature-based solutions, especially blue carbon ecosystems, to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
The UAE works to protect its marine and coastal environment and preserve its vital ecosystem services in line with its commitment to implementing SDG 14. These include expanding the network of marine protected areas, implementing fishing regulations, developing the aquaculture industry, combatting marine pollution, and rehabilitating degraded marine ecosystems.
The UAE has achieved the two targets of SDG 14 that had a deadline in 2020. Having designated 16 marine protected areas that account for 12.01 percent of its marine and coastal territory, the country reached Target 14.5 that entails conserving at least 10 percent of coastal and marine areas. In addition, the nation maintains global leadership in the Marine Protected Areas category of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI).
Through integrated management of its marine protected areas, whose effectiveness is being regularly evaluated, the UAE has also achieved Target 14.2 that requires countries to implement measures to sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems, and take action for their restoration.
The world’s oceans face a wide variety of threats – such as acidification, marine litter and pollution, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and the loss of habitats and biodiversity – that require targeted efforts to address. UNOC’s sessions put each of these threats in the spotlight to spur a productive exchange of ideas aimed at preserving healthy oceans for future generations.
Sharif Al Olama, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure for Energy and Petroleum Affairs, highlighted the deep-rooted ties between the UAE and Germany, lauding their overall relations…reports Asian Lite News
He made this statement while heading an Emirati delegation visiting Germany, in the presence of Abdullah Al Hameli, Head of Political Affairs Section at the UAE Embassy in Germany.
Al Olama said the four-day visit aims to promote the efforts of the two countries to draft policies to govern energy resources management and development, most notably in areas that promote renewable and clean energy, achieve capacity building and youth empowerment in technologies related to clean energy, and encourage cooperation with partners in Germany.
The visit included a meeting with Dr. Patrick Graichen, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, where promoting further coordination and establishing new frameworks for cooperation in hydrogen was discussed.
“The Emirati-German partnership has helped achieve the objectives of the clean energy transition and supported the efforts of both sides to draft projects and initiatives in line with the Paris Climate Agreement,” Al Olama said.
Under this framework, Al Olama and the Emirati delegation visited the company, 50Hertz Transmission GmbH, which manages the electricity transmission network in northern and eastern Germany, and is responsible for securing electricity supplies for about 18 million people. He was received by Stefan Kapferer, CEO of the Company, who briefed him on the company’s work and ways of integrating renewable energy systems into the energy network.
As part of the visit, the UAE Embassy in Germany hosted the meeting of the UAE-German Energy Partnership to complete a declaration of intent for joint cooperation in energy, which was signed at the start of 2017.
The meeting, which was attended by Al Olama, the UAE delegation, Christine Falken-Grosser, Head of Bilateral Energy Cooperation within the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany, and Ellen von Zitzewitz, Director of Bilateral Energy Cooperation at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, explored future strategies to support the hydrogen sector and related developments in both countries.
The UAE delegation also met several members of the German Parliament, headed by Lisa Badum, a member of the Climate Action and Energy Committee and a member of the German Green Party.
The UAE and Germany launched the UAE-German Energy Partnership in 2017 to promote dialogue and create a framework for cooperation in the energy transition.
