Kash Patel, the highest-ranking Indian-American in the Pentagon, has filed a $50 million lawsuit against CNN and several of its top reporters for allegedly defaming him. Patel, the chief of staff to acting US defence secretary Christopher Miller, filed the lawsuit in a Virginia court, according to Fox News. Patel has alleged that CNN between November 24 and December 4 published a series of articles that “contain a series of false and defamatory statements” about him. The CNN articles described Patel as a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist, the report said. CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Fox News said.
Deepa Mehta's 'Funny Boy' rejected
Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta's "Funny Boy" has been rejected for an Oscar nomination in the best International Feature Film category at the 93rd Academy Awards. The filmmaker has co-written and co-directed the film that tells the story of a gay Tamil boy growing up in Sri Lanka during the ethnic conflict of the 1970s and 1980s. To be a contender for an Oscar in the International Feature Film category, the film must be produced outside the US, with more than 50 per cent dialogue in a foreign language. But according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Mehta's one hour and 49 minutes long film has only 12 minutes and 27 seconds of Tamil or Sinhala dialogue. In reaction, Mehta said: "Every step of the way of the 'Funny Boy' journey, has been an important one for myself and the 'Funny Boy' team. The message of the book has always been one of resilience and courage.
Award for Indian American Dr Sanjay Gupta
Children's Hope India, a non-profit dedicated to lifting children from poverty to prosperity in India and the United States, announced the honorees for its inaugural Gratitude Awards, recognizing individuals who have made bold civic and charitable contributions in a particularly challenging year. Among the recipients were Indian American Dr Sanjay Gupta, entertainers Deepika Padukone and Chandrika Tandon, as well as activist Hindu Singh Sodha. Additionally, chief infectious diseases doctor and member of the Coronavirus Taskforce Dr Anthony Fauci was named a recipient. CHI co-founder, board member and journalist Lavina Melwani hosted the virtual event on Nov. 26. "In these uncertain times of the pandemic, we may be isolated from our loved ones and unable to share the joy of a Thanksgiving meal in person but we can still warm ourselves by sharing thanks," Melwani said, according to the news release.
Hafiz Saeed gets 15 year jail in another case
Mumbai terror attack mastermind and banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed was sentenced to 15 and a half years in jail by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan in one more terror financing case. The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Lahore also imposed a 200,000 Pakistani rupees (PKR) fine on Saeed. The 70-year-old radical cleric has already been convicted for 21years imprisonment in four terror financing cases of late. “The court sentenced five members of JuD, including Saeed, in another terror financing case... for 15 and a half years,” a court official said. Now, Saeed will have to undergo collective imprisonment of over 36 years in five terror financing cases at the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore. His punishment will run concurrently in the cases. There are reports that he is given “VIP protocol” in jail. The ATC also handed down six-month imprisonment to Saeed’s brother-in-law in this case.
24 killed in Afghan bomb blasts
At least 24 people were were killed in two explosions that took place in Afghanistan recently. In the first explosion, 15 children were killed when a motorbike laden with explosives blew up near a religious gathering in eastern Afghanistan. The children had gathered at a home in Ghazni province to recite Quran verses when the blast happened. “As a result of this incident 15 children were martyred,” said Wahedullah Jumazada, spokesman for the province’s governor. In the second incident, nine people were killed and 20 others injured in a car bomb blast that took place in Afghan capital Kabul. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement condemning the attack, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that the Taliban should stop violence against civilians and accept a ceasefire, to facilitate the current peace process. His statement did not directly lay blame on the Taliban for the car bombing or offer evidence that the group was responsible for it.
Chilean prez fined $3k for mask-less selfie
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera was slapped with a $3,500 fine after posing for a selfie on the beach with a bystander without wearing a mask, authorities said. Pinera turned himself in after the selfie surfaced online earlier this month. Pinera said he had been walking alone along the beach near his home when a woman recognised him and asked for a photo together. The selfie shows the two of them standing close together, neither wearing masks.
Moon rocks in hand, China prepares for future missions
Following the successful return of almost 2kg of moon rocks by its Chang’e 5 robotic probe, China is preparing for future missions that could set the stage for an eventual lunar base to host human explorers, a top space programme official said. China’s next three lunar missions are on track, along with programmes for returning samples from Mars and exploring asteroids and Jupiter, deputy chief commander of the China Lunar Exploration Programme Wu Yanhua said. Chang’e 6, scheduled for a 2023 launch, is to collect samples from the lunar south pole. The capsule of Chang’e 5 were flown to Beijing after landing recently. The mission achieved firsts for China’s lunar exploration programme in collecting samples, launching a vehicle from the moon’s surface and docking it with the capsule to transfer samples for their voyage to Earth, the China National Space Administration said.
US to close last two consulates in Russia
The Trump administration has notified members of Congress that it plans to close the last two remaining US consulates in Russia. In a letter dated December 10, the state department said it plans to close the consulate in Vladivostok and temporarily suspend its operations at the consulate in Yekaterinburg. The closure of these consulates would leave the US with one remaining diplomatic outpost in Russia - the embassy in Moscow. The state department notification was sent days before reports emerged of a suspected Russian cyberattack against federal agencies and firms. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo said “we can say clearly... it was the Russians”. According to the notification, the consulates are being closed because of caps imposed by Russian authorities in 2017 on the number of American diplomats allowed to work in the country. The state department said Pompeo and the US ambassador to Russia decided to close the consulates to ensure the safety of the US diplomatic mission.
New Zealand secures two new Covid vaccines
The New Zealand government will purchase Covid-19 vaccines from pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Novavax, meaning every New Zealander will be able to be vaccinated, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. The new agreements secure access to 7.6 million doses from AstraZeneca - enough for 3.8 million people, and 10.72 million doses from Novavax - enough for 5.36 million people. Both vaccines require two doses to be administered, according to a government statement. The four pre-purchase agreements secured to date are 750,000 courses from Pfizer/BioNTech; 5 million courses from Janssen; 3.8 million courses from the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca; and 5.36 million courses from Novavax, said the statement. There are multiple types of vaccine technology that have been used to develop Covid-19 vaccines. "Our strategy has been to purchase different types of technology, to ensure if some are found in development or in trials not to be a successful option, we will have alternatives available," Ardern said.
Mask-less Melania under fire
The White House has defended first lady Melania Trump over her alleged violation of the mask policy of the Children’s National Hospital in Washington DC during her annual visit there. A statement by the White House said Melania Trump was reading stories to a “small group of socially-distanced patients and their families in the hospital’s atrium.” The clarification was issued after the first lady was widely criticised for taking off her mask during her holiday storytime for patients at hospital, an event she has been holding for the last three years. The hospital’s policy instructs that “everyone must wear a mask at all times while in any Children's National facility to prevent the spread of Covid-19.” Both the president and the first lady have been criticised in the past for their lenient approach towards mask-wearing during the pandemic that has seen more 300,000 deaths in the US with over 16 million confirmed cases. The first family - including Melania, President Trump and their son Barron - have been infected with Covid in the past.
Swiss parliament approves bill on same-sex unions
Switzerland’s parliament approved a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry, finally bringing the Alpine nation into line with much of Europe on gay rights. But the Swiss themselves will have the final say on the matter as the ultra-conservative Federal Democratic Union party has announced that it will ask for the legislation to be put to a referendum. Switzerland is one of few European nations where same--sex marriage is not legal. The nation allows same-sex couples to enter into “registered partnerships”, but this doesn’t give the same rights as marriage, including for obtaining citizenship and adoption of kids. The bill, which was approved after debates since 2013, allows gays and lesbians to marry and for lesbians to access sperm donations.
Trump denies hand in case against Hunter Biden
US President Donald Trump said that he had “nothing to do” with any potential prosecution of President-Elect Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. In a tweet, Trump said he was not involved in any criminal probe into the family. His tweet came just one day after Jeffrey Rosen, the incoming Acting Attorney General, declined to say in an interview whether or not he would appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden and his foreign business dealings. Trump, who leaves office on Jan. 20, has privately been mulling whether to pressure the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel for Hunter Biden, according to a person familiar with the matter. On December 9, Hunter Biden disclosed his tax affairs were under investigation by the US Attorney for the District of Delaware. Hunter Biden has long been the subject of Republican attacks.
Israeli President gets Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin received his first shot of Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine last week as a mass vaccination programme officially started in the country. "I got the corona vaccine. Dear Israelis, go and get vaccinated too," Rivlin wrote on Twitter. According to the President's office, the vaccine was administered at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem neighborhood. Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first Israeli to be vaccinated against the coronavirus disease. A day after his inoculation, Netanyahu said that he was feeling fine. "Yesterday I received the first anti-coronavirus vaccine in Israel. I feel great. I call on all citizens of Israel to go and be vaccinated. If we vaccinate everyone, or at least most of us, we will defeat the pandemic," the prime minister wrote on Twitter.
Church decorates Christmas tree with masks, sanitisers
A Catholic church in Indonesia has decorated a Christmas tree with protective masks and hand sanitisers as a way to spread awareness of Covid-19 in the festive season, as the country's daily death toll hit a record high recently. "The tree was made with the intention of making people more aware of the importance of maintaining health protocols," Markus Marcelinus Hardo Iswanto of the parish of The Catholic Church of Christ the King in Indonesia's second-largest city Surabaya said. Starting with a bamboo skeleton, the church's followers and the local Muslim community decorated the tree with hundreds of colourful masks and hand sanitisers, and took a week to complete the three-metre tree, he said. The government has urged the public to avoid celebrating Christmas and New Year in public places due to rising Covid cases.
