Central News Hub

Month: September 2022

  • UK govt announces £1.5 bn to improve energy efficiency

    UK govt announces £1.5 bn to improve energy efficiency

    The announcement comes ahead of unprecedented government support which kicks in this weekend, helping to protect households, businesses and public sector organisations from rising energy costs following Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine…reports Asian Lite News

    Around 130,000 low-income households across England could see bills slashed by around £400 to £700 a year as their homes receive energy efficiency upgrades through the government’s latest Help to Heat funding.

    Up to £1.5 billion is being made available through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Home Upgrade Grant schemes, allowing social housing providers and local authorities to submit bids for funding to upgrade the properties of around 130,000 low-income and social households.

    The funding will see the installation of measures such as external wall and loft insulation, energy efficient doors and windows, heat pumps and solar panels, with multiple measures often being installed in a single home to considerably improve the energy performance.

    Local authorities and social housing providers will be able to submit bids for funding and will deliver upgrades from early next year until March 2025, building on more than 30,000 homes already being upgraded under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Home Upgrade Grant schemes.

    The announcement comes ahead of unprecedented government support which kicks in this weekend, helping to protect households, businesses and public sector organisations from rising energy costs following Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine.

    Thanks to the government’s Energy Price Guarantee, for the next two years, the typical annual household bill will be £2,500, a saving of at least £1,000 a year based on current prices and energy usage. This is on top of existing government plans to give all households £400 off bills this winter. This direct and decisive action means households will receive significant protection from an 80% rise in the Energy Price Cap and won’t see average household bills increase to over £3,500 annually, with some reports predicting bills could have risen as high as £6,500 next year.

    There was also no price cap in place for businesses, meaning British companies were also experiencing significant increases in energy costs – in some cases of more than 500% – but thanks to government intervention through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, businesses, public and third sector organisations will pay wholesale energy costs well below half of expected prices for this winter.

    Business and Energy Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said, “Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, would have had dire consequences on the energy bills of both households and businesses this winter, without the government’s decisive action. Today I am cutting costs even further for the most vulnerable households for years to come. By making homes warmer and cheaper to live in, we are not only transforming the lives of households across England, we are creating huge growth in the economy, backing the green energy sector and supporting thousands of high-skilled jobs.”

    Social housing with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D or lower will be eligible to receive Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) upgrades, while the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) funding will help people who are most vulnerable to fuel poverty, living in privately-owned – both rented and owner-occupied – off gas-grid homes and on low incomes.

    The cash boost forms part of £12 billion combined funding under the government’s ‘Help to Heat’ schemes, which also include the Local Authority Delivery and Energy Company Obligation schemes, targeting support to lower income and more vulnerable households.

    ALSO READ-UK govt weighs support package as Europe battles energy crisis

  • UK govt must abandon budget, says Starmer

    UK govt must abandon budget, says Starmer

    The Labour leader said the Government must call back MPs – currently on a conference recess – back to Parliament and abandon its controversial new budget comprising a raft of major tax cuts…reports Asian Lite News

    Opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer has called for Parliament to be recalled after the Government’s mini-budget plunged the UK financial market into turmoil.

    The Labour leader said the Government must call back MPs – currently on a conference recess – back to Parliament and abandon its controversial new budget comprising a raft of major tax cuts.

    Speaking to reporters in Liverpool on Wednesday, Sir Keir said: “The Government has clearly lost control of the economy.

    “What the Government needs to do now is recall Parliament and abandon this budget before any more damage is done.”

    His comments came as the Bank of England launched an emergency UK government bond-buying programme to prevent borrowing costs from spiralling out of control and stave off a “material risk to UK financial stability”.

    The Bank announced it was stepping in to buy government bonds – known as gilts – at an “urgent pace” after fears over the Government’s economic policies sent the pound tumbling and sparked a sell-off in the gilts market.

    The Bank’s extraordinary intervention, responding directly to the Government’s tax-cutting strategy announced in its mini-budget unveiling last week, will pile further pressure on Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng to defend a vision for the economy that has spooked markets and shocked most mainstream economists.

    While the pound hit an all-time record low of 1.03 against the US dollar on Monday, the yield on 10-year gilts – which is a proxy for the effective interest rate on public borrowing – has also soared by the most in a five-day period since 1976, according to experts.

    The scale of the crisis in the markets has led to unease in some quarters of the Conservative Party, just days before Tory MPs and thousands of members will descend upon Birmingham for Liz Truss’ first party conference as Prime Minister.

    The Bank of England said, “Were dysfunction in this market to continue or worsen, there would be a material risk to UK financial stability. This would lead to an unwarranted tightening of financing conditions and a reduction of the flow of credit to the real economy. In line with its financial stability objective, the Bank of England stands ready to restore market functioning and reduce any risks from contagion to credit conditions for UK households and businesses.”

    The Treasury responded by reaffirming its commitment to the Bank of England’s independence and said the Government “will continue to work closely with the Bank in support of its financial stability and inflation objectives”.

    The Bank said it would buy bonds “on whatever scale is necessary” in order to steady gilts after Chancellor Kwarteng’s mini-budget last Friday spooked the markets with his package of tax cuts and increased borrowing.

    It said the bond-buying programme would be temporary, starting from today until October 14.

    “The purpose of these purchases will be to restore orderly market conditions,” the Bank said.

    It also postponed next week’s planned kick-off of its £80 billion sale of gilts under the so-called quantitative tightening programme until October 31.

    Neither Kwarteng nor Truss have shown any willingness to step back from the policies announced on Friday, many of which made good on the promises she had delivered on her leadership campaign trail over the summer.

    But the market angst in recent days has seen the Chancellor step up efforts to reassure the City about his economic plans after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) criticised the Government’s strategy – and as the pound suffered further falls on Wednesday.

    At a meeting on Wednesday, Kwarteng “underlined the government’s clear commitment to fiscal discipline” at a meeting with Bank of America, JP Morgan, Standard Chartered, Citi, UBS, Morgan Stanley and Bloomberg amongst others.

    He also told the meeting that the plan announced on Friday would “expand the supply side of the economy through tax incentives and reforms, helping to deliver greater opportunities and bear down on inflation”, according to a Treasury readout.

    Mortgage borrowers have also been hit by a record overnight drop in the choice of home loan products as the economic fallout from Friday’s mini-budget continues.

    Moneyfacts.co.uk said 935 fewer residential mortgage products were on the market on Wednesday compared with Tuesday – the highest since its records began – amid uncertainty over interest rates.

    The Bank has been facing calls to convene an emergency meeting to consider hiking interest rates to try and counter the Government’s tax cut measures.

    The Bank’s chief economist, Huw Pill, said on Tuesday a “significant monetary response” may be required, but signalled this would not come until policymakers are due to meet as scheduled in November.

    Representatives from Bank of America, JP Morgan, Standard Chartered, Citi, UBS, Morgan Stanley and Bloomberg were called to attend a meeting with Mr Kwarteng on Wednesday following days of turmoil.

    In an extraordinary statement, the IMF said it was “closely monitoring” developments in the UK and was in touch with the authorities, urging the Chancellor to “re-evaluate the tax measures”.

    It warned the current plans, including the abolition of the 45p rate of income tax for people on more than £150,000, are likely to increase inequality.

    ALSO READ-UK govt weighs support package as Europe battles energy crisis

  • Kamala’s Seoul visit annoys Kim

    Kamala’s Seoul visit annoys Kim

    North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles just days after Pyongyang’s last test and ahead of a visit to South Korea by Vice President Kamala Harris…reports Asian Lite News

    North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, Seoul’s military said, just days after Pyongyang’s last test and ahead of a visit to South Korea by Vice President Kamala Harris.

    The launches, part of a record-breaking blitz of weapons tests this year by North Korea, came after Seoul’s spy agency warned that Pyongyang was close to conducting another nuclear test.

    South Korea’s military said it had “detected two short-range ballistic missiles fired from the Sunan area in Pyongyang”.

    The missiles flew “around 360 kilometres (223 miles) at an altitude of 30 kilometres at the speed of Mach 6”, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, adding that it was analysing the details of the launches.

    “Our military has reinforced monitoring and surveillance and is maintaining utmost readiness in close coordination with the United States,” it added.

    Japan also confirmed the launches, with deputy defence minister Toshiro Ino saying North Korea’s recent spate of missile tests were “unprecedented” in frequency.

    “The repeated missile launches cannot be tolerated,” he said.

    Washington also condemned the launches but said it remains open to dialogue with North Korea.

    “These launches are in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions and pose a threat to the DPRK’s neighbors and the international community,” a State Department spokesman said, using the abbreviation for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

    “We remain committed to a diplomatic approach to the DPRK and call on the DPRK to engage in dialogue,” this official said.

    North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, wearing a white marshal uniform, waves to soldiers during a photo session on April 27, 2022.(Yonhap_IANS)

    ‘Test was Destabilising’

    Kamala Harris said North Korea’s recent missile test was destabilising as she visited the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas a day after the reclusive North’s test launch of two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast.

    Harris said she discussed the test launch with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol who she met with after arriving in Seoul early on Thursday amid simmering tensions in the region over North Korea’s missile launches and China’s actions in the Taiwan Strait.

    The latest launch comes after North Korea test-fired a short-range ballistic missile on Sunday.

    Harris is due to arrive in Seoul on Thursday for a brief visit, during which she will go to the heavily fortified border between North and South Korea.

    The White House has said Harris’s trip, which follows a visit to Japan, intends to underscore the importance of the alliance with Seoul.

    Seoul key security ally

    Washington is Seoul’s key security ally and stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to help protect it from the North.

    Last week, the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan conducted joint drills with South Korea’s navy in waters off the Korean peninsula.

    Under Seoul’s hawkish new President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May, the two countries have boosted joint exercises, which they insist are purely defensive — but North Korea sees them as rehearsals for an invasion.

    South Korean and US officials have been warning for months that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is preparing to conduct another nuclear test.

    Earlier Wednesday, Seoul’s spy agency said Pyongyang appeared to have completed “a third tunnel at its Punggye-ri nuclear site”, MP Yoo Sang-bum told reporters after a briefing from Seoul’s National Intelligence Service.

    Pyongyang is likely to choose the window between “China’s upcoming Communist Party Congress on October 16 and the midterm elections in the United States on November 7” for its next nuclear test, Yoo said.

    North Korea, which is under multiple UN sanctions for its weapons programmes, typically seeks to maximise the geopolitical impact of its tests with careful timing.

    The isolated regime has tested nuclear weapons six times since 2006. Its last and most powerful one in 2017 — which Pyongyang claimed was a hydrogen bomb — had an estimated yield of 250 kilotons.

    Seoul has also detected signs the North is preparing to fire a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the president’s office said Saturday, a weapon Pyongyang last tested in May.

    ALSO READ: US will operate undaunted in Taiwan Strait: VP Harris

  • ‘Growth of China’s N-arsenal can be a threat’

    ‘Growth of China’s N-arsenal can be a threat’

    China’s nuclear armament comes amidst a host of international tensions, including North Korea’s aggressive nuclear testing in recent years..reports Asian Lite News

    China’s rapid growth of its nuclear arsenal can be a threat to the US, American General Anthony Cotton warned.

    General Anthony Cotton warned the Senate Armed Services Committee about the threat of China’s rapid growth of its nuclear arsenal, but China is still far from being a threat to the US, The Singapore Post reported.

    Recent geographical developments in China show the country’s rapid building of missile silos which house its missiles. Beijing had 229 new fields under construction at Hami and Yumen, created as recently as 2021.

    As per the sources, China has a total of 350 warheads, which are ready to use, of which, 248 ballistic missiles are for land use, and 72 ballistic missiles are for deployment in the sea.

    The Chinese nuclear arsenal has also seen a growth in the number of road-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) along with its strategic nuclear submarines. Moreover, the construction of more than 200 new missile silos on China’s mainland has rival countries wary of Beijing’s intentions. This recent increment suddenly surpasses the non-threatening count of 20 silo-based ICBMs the country has maintained for the last two decades, according to The Singapore Post.

    Consequently, China has succeeded in creating a well-functioning triad of nuclear power, having acquired missiles which work across land, air and sea- and the country is continuing to develop these means in the name of nuclear force ‘modernization’.

    Most recently, China has acquired an intermediate-range mobile ballistic missile with dual-capability and has upgraded the medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM), road-mobile launcher and an air-launched dual-capable ballistic missile.

    China’s nuclear armament comes amidst a host of international tensions, including North Korea’s aggressive nuclear testing in recent years, the lack of countries’ willingness for nuclear disarmament, the dissolution of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between the USA and Russia in 2019 and most alarmingly, the volatile issue of Taiwan.

    The relations between China and US deteriorated after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. That trip angered China’s ruling Communist Party — which views Taiwan as part of its territory, despite never having governed it — and it responded by launching unprecedented military drills around the island, sending warplanes across the Taiwan Strait and firing missiles over the main island.

    After Pelosi, US Senator Marsha Blackburn also made her visit to Taiwan. After her visit, China commenced military drills in the seas and airspace around the self-governed island.

    According to the publication, Xi is expected to roll out big plans for the Centenary of the CCP in 2049, part of which could be to achieve the unification of the motherland by incorporating Taiwan.

    With Chinese nuclear forces expected to quadruple by 2030, there seems little chance of disarmament before 2049, at least, The Singapore Post reported.

    The sudden shift in China’s nuclear ambitions, without any official mention of a doctrinal change, leaves room for the country to consolidate its nuclear force in the midst of considerable ambiguity regarding Chinese motivations, The Singapore Post reported.

    ALSO READ: Blinken urges flood-hit Pakistan to seek debt relief from China

  • Celebration of Banaras tradition

    Celebration of Banaras tradition

    The collection continues the brand’s journey of delving into rich Indian art and draws inspiration from the night garden as depicted in the miniature Kangra paintings…reports Asian Lite News

    Swati & Sunaina Gold celebrates the use of wild silks and their organic hues and sheen in its special 2022-23 collection – Vanya. The collection is being launched in collaboration with Sharan Apparao at the Apparao Gallery in Chennai.

    True to the brand’s genesis and core values of pursuing rare weaving traditions of Banaras, Vanya suggests the idea of the rare Tussar, Eri and Muga, much like metallic yarns, as threads of gold. This is the first such extensive exploration of contemporary Banaras handlooms in such silks – where Mulberry’s use is the convention – by exploring creative possibilities in the traditions of Rangkaat, Tissue, Kadhuwa and Gyaser in the elaborate ways is seen here. The new collection will highlight the culmination of all four varieties of silk in ornamental Banarasi saris.

    Swati & Sunaina

    The collection continues the brand’s journey of delving into rich Indian art and draws inspiration from the night garden as depicted in the miniature Kangra paintings. The term ‘Vanya’ is of Sanskrit origin, meaning untamed, wild, or forest-based. The colour palette reflects Krishna’s rich dark blue with subtle green hues, traditional peethambar yellow and royal colours of magenta as accents with highlighted flowing white flowers.

    The Brahmakamal (night-blooming cereus), Aparajita (butterfly pea), Rajnigandha (tuberose), Bela (Arabian jasmine), Juhi (night blooming jasmine) and Champa (Plumeria), with their shades and tones

    of white, come alive with the natural wild silks.

    Commenting on the launch of this special collection, Swati & Sunaina said, “Our core philosophy has always been purity & rarity of the material while striving to find a balance between tradition and innovation. Vanya translates our philosophy and vision into beautiful ornamental Banarasi sarees. A brand friend and a believer in promoting Indian design talent, Sharan Apparao’s gallery felt like the perfect place to launch this special collection. This collection is a celebration of Banaras’ rich and rare weaving traditions through impeccable craftsmanship and innovative techniques.”

    ALSO READ-Dicaprio joins Gigi Hadid in Milan for fashion week

  • Israel ready to share nuke tech with Arab nations

    Israel ready to share nuke tech with Arab nations

    Edri made the rare remarks in an address to the 66th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) convening in Vienna…reports Asian Lite News

    Israeli Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC) Director General Moshe Edri said his country is “ready” to share its state-of-the-art nuclear technology with Arab nations that have signed a peace deal with the Jewish state.

    Edri made the rare remarks in an address to the 66th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) convening in Vienna, reports Xinhua news agency.

    Edri said Israel has been hopeful that the normalization deals signed in 2020 with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco will “mark a path forward for meaningful direct dialogue within our region, including in the nuclear fora”.

    Such a move will be made under the IAEA umbrella, the Israeli nuclear chief added.

    Israel rarely comments on its nuclear capabilities.

    ALSO READ: Israel envoy hails ties with India

  • US Lawmakers seek probe into Apple, Chinese chipmaker’s deal

    US Lawmakers seek probe into Apple, Chinese chipmaker’s deal

    The US lawmakers wrote to the director of national intelligence, Avril Haines and called for an investigation…reports Asian Lite News

    US Senators protest Apple’s decision to purchase memory chips from Chinese chipmaker Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC) and has ordered an investigation into the threat that the deal poses to national security, media reports said.

    This comes amid reports that Apple was considering purchasing memory chips from YMTC for the new iPhone 14, reported Financial Post.

    Among those who requested the review of the controversial deal were the Democratic chair of the Senate intelligence committee, Mark Warner, and the Republican vice chair, Marco Rubio.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp8taHDyZsM

    The US lawmakers wrote to the director of national intelligence, Avril Haines and called for an investigation.

    YMTC has ambiguous ties to the Chinese Communist party and this new deal which the chipmaker has reportedly brokered with iPhone carries “serious privacy and security risks in the global digital supply chain that Apple helps to develop,” reported Financial Post.

    Furthermore, there have been reports that Beijing’s significant subsidies have helped the chipmaker grow quickly. The media portal while citing a UK-based research firm Omdia provided the data as to how the share of the chipmaker grew from 2020 to 2021.

    “YMTC’s share of the global NAND flash memory market increased from 0.6 pc in 2020 to 2.3 pc in 2021,” reported the outlet quoting the research.

    Apple reportedly said that it was “considering” sourcing certain iPhones in China from YMTC. However, Apple on Thursday declined to comment on the letter by US director of national intelligence, Avril Haines which was also signed by Texas Republican John Cornyn and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

    The senators exhorted that the dangers of the deal to the economy and national security must be assessed. They requested that she investigate the ways in which the Chinese Communist Party uses YMTC to support its native chip industry and oust semiconductor producers from the US and allies.

    They also asked for a review of YMTC’s suspected assistance in Huawei and other Chinese firms evading US sanctions. Many Chinese technology companies have come under increased scrutiny in Washington, including YMTC, reported Financial Post. (ANI)

    ALSO READ: Blinken urges flood-hit Pakistan to seek debt relief from China

  • Rights group demands lifting of PFI ban

    Rights group demands lifting of PFI ban

    He also said that APDR strongly believes that every organisation in this country has the right to uphold its ideology which can be contested ideologically and politically only…reports Asian Lite News

    India’s leading human rights group, Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), on Wednesday, demanded the withdrawal of the ban for five years imposed on Popular Front of India (PFI) and its affiliate organisations, by the Union Home Ministry.

    According to APDR general secretary, Ranjit Sur, PFI, with its declared objective to work for the achievement of socio-economic, cultural and political empowerment of the deprived, downtrodden and the nation at large, claims to work with minorities and historically marginalised.

    “Its political wing, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has participated in elections from the level of Parliament to the local bodies and some of its representatives are being elected as well,” Sur pointed out.

    He also said that APDR strongly believes that every organisation in this country has the right to uphold its ideology which can be contested ideologically and politically only.

    “Banning an organisation can never be the answer to an ideological and political issue, and the Union government should issue a white paper on what it has achieved in past by banning organisations and what can be achieved by this latest banning. Therefore, in irrevocable terms, APDR demands immediate withdrawal of the banning notification and unconditional release of all political prisoners arrested in this connection,” he said.

    Meanwhile, on Wednesday evening, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) general secretary, Dipankar Bhattacharya, while interacting with the media persons, said that the ban on PFI is a ploy to “terrorise the Muslim population in the country”.

    Agencies claim PFI planned ‘big’

    The security agencies have claimed that the members of the now banned organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) had been imparting training to individuals to make IEDs at home, supposed to be used by them later.

    PFI leaders had been planning to destabilise the nation, sources in the know of things submitted.

    A written content providing instructions on making IEDs was recovered from Mohammed Nadeem, a PFI leader in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki.

    A document titled ‘a short course on how to make IEDs using easily available materials’ was recovered from Ahmed Beg Nadwi’s place, a PFI leader in Khadra, Uttar Pradesh.

    “Two Lowrance LHR-80 were recovered from the residence of Barakathulla, the SDPI’s Ramnad disrict president in Tamil Nadu,” a source with the security agencies has said.

    According to sources, a huge amount of cash was recovered from the residence of Shahid Khan, a PFI leader in Bengaluru, and physical education (PE) guide was recovered from the PFI office in Kolkata.

    PE materials were also recovered from the house of PFI’s Maharashtra president, Irfan Milli.

    The law enforcement agencies have recovered hundreds of incriminating materials from the hideouts of the accused which indicate that PFI wanted to make India an Islamic nation by 2047.

    Some of the key documents including the brochures and CDs related to Mission 2047 (document containing material for converting India into an Islamic State) was recovered from the possession of vice president of PFI Maharashtra and PE material from the house of state president.

    The agencies recovered pen drives containing videos related to IS, Gajwa-e-Hind and how to spread their ideology. A Lowrance handheld Marine radio sets recovered from Tamil Nadu PFI leadership and many such other materials.

    The agencies said that PFI had a long history of claiming victimisation but the reality was opposite of it.

    It said that the violence orchestrated by PFI’s leaders and cadres post arrest of its leaders exposed their violent tendencies.

    Southern states, especially Kerala and Tamil Nadu where PFI has considerable presence, witnessed spate of violence in aftermath of arrest of PFI leaders.

    Many members of the PFI engaged in violence including throwing petrol bombs and arson in several places in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in protest against the action by the NIA.

    The PFI damaged several government and private vehicles, hurled petrol bombs at several houses and held road blockades, creating inconvenience to the public.

    OMA Salam, the PFI Chairman is presently under suspension from his department Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and undergoing departmental enquiry for his unauthorised travel abroad and also holding the post of PFI Chairman while being a government employee.

    A diary recovered by ED from Salam’s close associate M. Mohammed Ismail revealed about a sinister plot of PFI and Salam to create a civil war-like situation in India.

    Nazarudheen Ealamaram, national secretary of PFI, has 10 cases registered against him under different sections since 2009.

    P. Koya, national executive council member of PFI was a “committed SIMI leader”, and an “Ansar” during 1978-79. He was also involved in creating a divide between Gujjars and Malis of Rajasthan.

    He along with EM Abdul Rahiman, vice president of PFI was privately hosted by IHH, an Al-Qaeda linked Turkish charity organisation.

    EM Abdul Rahiman was the All India General Secretary of SIMI in 1984 and was also associated with Karuna Foundation, a pro-SIMI organisation.

    Anis Ahmed, General Secretary of PFI had openly supported and praised Hamas.

    “The list is long. It will take at least dozens of pages just to describe the criminal past of the PFI leadership. The point is — most of the PFI leaders have a dark past filled with hate for the country and its establishments. All they want is the implementation of their own ideology at any cost. They have no concern for the common Muslims,” a source said.

    ALSO READ-PFI: THE TIP OF AN ISLAMIST ICEBERG

  • ‘Hurricane Ian’s extremely dangerous eyewall moving onshore’

    ‘Hurricane Ian’s extremely dangerous eyewall moving onshore’

    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Wednesday morning that Hurricane Ian is expected to be a “historic” storm with “a profound impact” on the state…reports Asian Lite News

    Hurricane Ian’s “extremely dangerous” eyewall is moving onshore, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) has said.

    The Category 4 hurricane, forecast to make landfall on the west coast of Florida hours later, will “cause catastrophic storm surge, winds, and flooding in the Florida Peninsula soon”, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the latest public advisory issued by the NHC on Wednesday noon.

    Catastrophic storm surge inundation of 12 to 18 feet (approximately 3.66 to 5.49 meters) above the ground level is expected somewhere between Englewood to Bonita Beach, including Charlotte Harbor, the advisory said. Catastrophic wind damage is also beginning.

    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Wednesday morning that Hurricane Ian is expected to be a “historic” storm with “a profound impact” on the state.

    US President Joe Biden said from the White House later that the federal government is “on alert and in action” as the storm is closing in on Florida.

    “This storm is incredibly dangerous, to state the obvious. It’s life-threatening,” Biden warned.

    “You should obey all warnings and directions from emergency officials,” he continued. “Don’t take anything for granted. Use their judgment, not yours. Evacuate when ordered. Be prepared.”

    Tampa International Airport tweeted on Wednesday morning that it remained closed to the public due to Ian and that there would be no departing flights through Thursday.

    More than 2,000 flights into, within, or out of the United States were canceled on Wednesday, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware.

    ALSO READ: Blinken urges flood-hit Pakistan to seek debt relief from China

  • ‘I’m much more… probably a bit left-wing’

    ‘I’m much more… probably a bit left-wing’

    The film, which also stars Radhika Apte, is scheduled to hit the screens on September 30…reports Asian Lite News

    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan has said that he is “left wing” and a “liberal” but he followed it up by saying that he knows he “shouldn’t say such things anymore today”.

    While promoting his upcoming film ‘Vikram Vedha’, Saif in an interview talked about how he doesn’t agree with the thoughts and principles of his character in the film, where he plays an encounter specialist Vikram while Hrithik Roshan is Vedha, a gangster.

    Saif told Biz Asia, “When the mafia problem was getting so out of control, there was this urban legend that we won’t show whether the ‘criminal’ was shot genuinely trying to escape, or executed, and later on, do the paperwork to show that he was trying to escape and we had to shoot him.

    “That’s called an ‘encounter’, a ‘fake encounter’. It’s kind of a horrific judicial… I’m sure it’s completely illegal. But it’s cinematically quite disturbing as well, and that’s kind of what my character does. But he’s convinced he’s a good guy, because (he thinks) it’s required.”

    He added: “I’m much more… probably a bit left-wing, I suppose… I don’t know, I probably shouldn’t say these things anymore today.”

    The actor, who is married to Bollywood diva Kareena Kapoor Khan, called himself “liberal”.

    “But yes, I’m really liberal and easygoing, and I think everyone is entitled to a fair trial before judgement. I’m certainly not for executing suspected criminals, which my character seems to love to do,” Saif said.

    ‘Vikram Vedha’ is a Hindi remake of the 2017 Tamil movie of the same name, starring R Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi. It’s said to be based on the Indian folktale, ‘Vikram aur Betaal’.

    The film, which also stars Radhika Apte, is scheduled to hit the screens on September 30.

    Kareena praises Saif and Hritik

    Bollywood diva Kareena Kapoor Khan has tagged her actor-husband Saif Ali Khan and actor Hrithik Roshan, with whom she has worked in films such as ‘Yaadein’, ‘Kabhi Khushi Khabhie Gham’ and ‘Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon’ as best actors.

    The actress, who is known for her pout, also called their upcoming film ‘Vikram Vedha’ a “blockbuster”.

    She took to her Instagram story and shared a poster of the film and wrote: “Best film, best actors, best story, best directors, what a film… a blockbuster.

    ‘Vikram Vedha’ is an action-thriller written & directed by Pushkar-Gayatri.

    Kareena Kapoor.

    The story of Vikram Vedha is full of twists and turns, as the tough cop Vikram sets out to track and chase a dreaded gangster Vedha.

    ‘Vikram Vedha’ is presented by Gulshan Kumar, T-Series and Reliance Entertainment in association with Friday Filmworks & Jio Studios and a YNOT Studios Production.

    The film is directed by Pushkar and Gayatri and produced by Bhushan Kumar & S. Sashikanth and Reliance Entertainment.

    ‘Vikram Vedha’ will hit the big screens globally on September 30.

    ALSO READ-‘India as a country is culturally very rich’