Pankaj Tripathi who has given life to iconic characters on screen will be honoured at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne with the Diversity in Cinema award. This award is for artistes who have left an indelible mark in the industry through their different roles, across all formats, portraying incredible versatility with their varied performances. Trpathi keeps his characters and performances real and modest, and it is this quality that makes him a performer extraordinaire. He has made his presence reverberated in films as well as web series. He has also been nominated for the Best Performance (Male) in the film category for “Ludo” and for the Best Performance (Male) in Web series for “Mirzapur Season 2.” His short film “Laali” has also made it to the festival this year.
Indian American vying for Salisbury council seat
Nalini Joseph is hoping to win a spot on the city council in Salisbury, Massachusetts, this November, and put her decades of experience in the courts to good use. Nalini wants to bring her experience and her ability to reach agreements regardless of political and ideological viewpoints to the city level as a council member, a Salisbury Post report notes. If elected to council in November, Nalini, 53, will be the first Indian American to serve, the report said. She was born and grew up in India after her father moved there to begin a ministry. After high school, Nalini moved to the US to attend Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She found her way to Salisbury in 2011. In the last 14 years, Nalini has served as district administrator of the Guardian ad Litem Program, which advocates for abused and neglected children through the state’s district courts, for Iredell and Alexander counties, the publication continued.
No-mask rule: Singapore jails UK national
A UK man living in Singapore was sentenced to six weeks in prison after he repeatedly refused to wear a face mask in public. Benjamin Glynn, 40, was found guilty on four charges of breaching coronavirus protocols. He refused to wear a mask on a train in May and at a court appearance in July. Glynn, who represented himself in court, was accused of causing a public nuisance and using threatening words towards public servants. He was earlier subjected to a psychiatric assessment ordered by the judge as a result of his conduct and remarks in court, according to local media outlet CNA. The judge told Glynn he was “completely misguided” in his belief he was exempt from Singapore’s laws on wearing masks. It is mandatory in Singapore to wear a mask outside home for everyone aged six and above
After molest of YouTuber, another video shocks Pak
After a video of a woman YouTuber being assaulted by hordes of men on August 14 in Lahore recently went viral, another clip has surfaced apparently from the same day of another woman being assaulted in Pakistan. In the video, which was shared on social media, two women are seen travelling with a child in a rickshaw when a man jumps onto the footboard of the vehicle and apparently kisses her on the cheek. Startled, the women scream but no one intervenes. The News International reported that the rickshaw appears to be surrounded by men carrying the national flag, which indicates that the incident took place during Pakistan’s Independence Day celebrations. The video triggered anger on social media, with many people calling for the government to take strict action against sexual harassment.
Nepal’s largest communist party officially splits
Nepal’s main opposition CPN-UML, the largest communist party of the country, has officially split, with one of its factions led by dissident leader Madhav Kumar Nepal applying for registration of a new political party. Madhav Kumar Nepal submitted an application at the Election Commission for registering his party named CPN-UML (Socialist), bringing to end a long-standing feud between him and former PM K P Sharma Oli. Earlier, President Bidya Devi Bhandari issued an ordinance to amend the Political Parties Act 2071, aimed at easing the procedure for political parties to split. The amendment ordinance stipulates that 20% or more members of the party’s parliamentary and central committees of a party can split their mother party. Previously, the act required dissidents to have the support of 40% of members for split.
Ismail Sabri is Malaysian PM
Ending political uncertainties of the past few months amid a worsening Covid crisis, Malaysia’s king appointed Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the PM. Sabri will become the 9th PM of Malaysia, bringing back the Malay-based UMNO party in the driving seat. Sullied by graft charges and the 1MDB scandal, UMNO was routed in the 2018 general elections. Former deputy PM under predecessor Muhyiddin Yassin, Sabri, 61, has been an influential, but moderate leader in UMNO. According to observers, as far as India-Malaysia ties go, Sabri will be on an even keel, focusing on trade. India’s trade deficit with Malaysia has reduced by about $1 billion in 2020-21, as compared to 2019-20.
S Korea mulls legal status for animals
South Korea is keen on amending its civil code to grant animals legal status said Choung Jae-min, the justice ministry’s director-general of legal counsel. It is likely to be approved by the parliament in September session, making South Korea among the few countries that recognise animals as beings, with a right to protection, enhanced welfare and respect for life. South Korea’s animal protection law states that anyone who abuses or is cruel to animals may be sentenced to a maximum of three years in prison or fined 30 million won ($25,494), but the standards to decide penalties have been low as the animals are treated as objects under the current legal system, Choung said.
One Covid case sends all of NZ into lockdown
New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern has put the country under strict lokdown after the country’s first Covid-19 case in six months was reported in Auckland. Ardern’s “go hard, go early” strategy has helped curb Covid but her announcement left people struggling to stack up essentials, businesses shutting abruptly and schools and offices making last minute changes to go online. All New Zealand will be in the toughest, level-four lockdown for at least three days. Auckland and Coromandel, a coastal town where the infected person also spent time, will be in lockdown for seven days. “The best thing we can do to get out of this as quickly as we can is to go hard,” Ardern said. “Beating Delta means lifting our game.” The country has overall reported about 2,500 Covid cases and 26 deaths. But New Zealand has been slower than other developed nations to inoculate its population. Only 32% of people have had at least one shot and 18% are fully vaccinated.
Uganda to take 2,000 Afghan refugees
Uganda said it had agreed to a request from the United States to take in temporarily 2,000 refugees from Afghanistan fleeing after the Taliban takeover. The east African nation has long experience receiving people escaping conflict and currently hosts about 1.4 million refugees, most from South Sudan. "The request was made by the US government to President Yoweri Museveni and he has given them an OK to bring 2,000 (Afghan) refugees to Uganda," Esther Anyakun Davinia, Uganda's junior minister for relief, disaster preparedness and refugees, said. "They are going to be here temporarily for three months before the US government resettles them elsewhere." It was unclear when they would start arriving. Albania and Kosovo have also accepted a US request to temporarily take in Afghan refugees.
Uganda suspends operations of 54 NGOs
The Ugandan government had halted the activities of 54 non-governmental organisations, a major escalation of its efforts to tighten control over civil society. One of the groups affected is the country's most prominent rights organisation, Chapter Four. The National Bureau for NGOs, part of the ministry of internal affairs, said in a statement the shutdown was ordered "with immediate effect". It said the decision was made because the groups had failed to comply with legislation covering their activities, including operating with expired permits, failing to file accounts or failing to register with the authorities. Some of the organisations ordered to close had taken part in an election monitoring operation on polling day in January which was raided by security forces and several of their leaders arrested.
11,000 Cameroonians flee to Chad
About 20 people have been killed in clashes between fishermen and herders in the Far North region of Cameroon, the deadliest communal violence in the country in contemporary times. Governor Bakari said they have used traditional rulers and other local authorities to talk to the communities and relative calm had returned to the areas. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, in Chad and the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations said those who arrived are settled in different villages in Chari Baguimi province. UNHCR said its officials visited one of the areas hosting refugees from Cameroon together with other partners to meet with the new arrivals and assess their needs ahead of a response. “The main needs are food, non-food items and shelters,” the UN body said.
SA records 23,000 teen pregnancies in a year
South Africa’s Gauteng Health Department has recorded more than 23,000 teenage pregnancies between April 2020 and March 2021. According to Nomathemba Mokgethi of the health department 934 of the girls were between 10 and 14 years, raising more questions about teenage pregnancies. It was further revealed that 2,976 girls between the ages of 10 and 19 decided to terminate their pregnancies. "These numbers are sad and incredibly troubling considering that these are young girls still have bright futures ahead of them. Teenage pregnancy remains a serious social and health problem in South Africa. It poses a health risk to both mother and child, and it also has social consequences such as continuing the cycle of poverty and early school dropout," said the DA in a statement. The statement further revealed that 934 babies were delivered by girls between the ages of 10 and 14, while over 19,000 were delivered by those between the ages of 15 and 19.
Central African Republic President's rival flees
A former presidential candidate and opponent of Central African Republic President slipped out of the country despite a travel ban slapped on him by the authorities. Abdoul Karim Meckassoua was removed recently as a member of the national assembly after being accused of belonging to a rebel group keen on ousting President Faustin Archange Touadera. Meckassoua is thought to have fled the capital Bangui, crossing the Oubangi river into the Democratic Republic of Congo and later into Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo's capital. He was accused of being a member of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), a rebel group Central African authorities say is supported by former President Francois Bozize. Meckassoua was a candidate in the 2016 election which was won by Touadera. He has also served as the head of the country's national assembly and a minister. The constitutional court ordered Meckassoua's impeachment as a member of parliament after accusations of treason.
US appoints career diplomat as envoy to China
President Joe Biden plans to nominate veteran US diplomat Nicholas Burns to serve as US ambassador to China, the White House said, signalling the administration may be looking for the envoy to play a more central role in the increasingly fractious ties between the two global rivals.
The choice of Burns, a retired foreign service officer who served as under secretary of state between 2005 and 2008, marks a shift for the role of the Beijing ambassador, the ranks of which over the past decade have been filled by former politicians, not seasoned diplomats. If confirmed by the Senate, Burns would head to China as the two countries’ ties are at their lowest point in decades, and fill a post left vacant since October.
Bezos’ Blue Origin sues US govt
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin sued the US government over Nasa’s decision to award a $2.9 billion lunar lander contract to Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Blue Origin said its lawsuit filed in the US court of federal claims is “an attempt to remedy the flaws in the acquisition process found in Nasa’s Human Landing System”. It added it believes “the issues identified in this procurement and its outcomes must be addressed to restore fairness, create competition, and ensure a safe return to the Moon for America”. Nasa must file a response to the challenge by October 12. Last month, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) sided with the Nasa over its decision to pick a single lunar lander provider, rejecting Blue Origin’s protest that Nasa was required to make multiple awards.
In a first, rain falls at Greenland ice summit
Rain fell at the highest point on the Greenland ice sheet last week for the first time on record, another worrying sign of warming for the ice sheet already melting at an increasing rate, scientists said. “That’s not a healthy sign for an ice sheet,” said Indrani Das, a glaciologist. “Water on ice is bad. It makes the ice sheet more prone to surface melt,” Not only is water warmer than snow, it’s also darker - so it absorbs more sunlight than reflecting it away. That water is streaming into the ocean, causing sea levels to rise. The rain fell for several hours at the ice sheet on August 14.