Day: September 28, 2023

Michael Gambon, the actor who played Albus Dumbledore in six Harry Potter movies, passes away

Manish Kumar

Veteran actor Michael Gambon passed away, he was 82.  A statement by Michael Gambon’s family, issued by his publicist, said the actor died following “a bout of pneumonia”.  The Dublin-born star worked in TV, film, theatre, and radio over his six-decade career. He had won four Baftas.  He played French detective Jules Maigret in the ITV series Maigret and was also known for his role as Philip Marlow in Dennis Potter’s The Singing Detective on the BBC.  The actor – known as “The Great Gambon” in acting circles – last…

Another embarrassment for PM Trudeau: apologizes after Nazi veteran honoured in parliament

Manish Kumar

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has apologized on behalf of Canada after a Ukrainian man who fought for a Nazi unit was unwittingly applauded in parliament.  “This is a mistake that deeply embarrassed parliament and Canada,” Mr Trudeau said on Wednesday.  In an earlier apology, Rota said he alone was responsible for inviting and recognizing Hunka, who is from the district that Rota represents.  Speaker Anthony Rota, who has assumed responsibility for inviting Yaroslav Hunka, 98, resigned on Tuesday.  The incident has drawn global condemnation.  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who…

Don’t send your beggars, pickpockets: Saudi Arabia’s stern message to Pakistan

Manish Kumar

Saudi Arabia told Pakistani officials that the majority of the pickpockets arrested from within Makkah’s grand mosque are Pakistani nationals.  Most of the Pakistanis travelling abroad, are purposely involved in begging, Pakistan English website reports.  Ambassadors of Iraq and Saudi Arabia complain that their prison facilities have been overrun due to Pakistani beggars that enter the country via unauthorized channels.  90% of Pakistanis involved in pickpocketing in Saudi  Even Nepal has more skilled people than Pakistan  Over 1 million Indians get American visas in 2023  In yet another embarrassment for…

Meta unveils AI assistant, Facebook-streaming glasses

Manish Kumar

Meta Platforms Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg rolled out new AI products for consumers, including bots that create photo-realistic images and smart glasses that answer questions, as well as an updated virtual-reality headset. Zuckerberg described the products as bringing together virtual and real worlds, and underscored that part of what Meta offered was low-cost or free AI that could integrate into the daily routine. Meta’s Quest is the bestseller in the nascent VR space and the company’s executives described it as the best value in the industry, a nod to the…

Manipur tribal leader meets Khalistanis in Canada, rings alarm bells in India

Manish Kumar

President of the Canada chapter of NAMTA (North American Manipur Tribal Association), Lien Gangte, met Khalistan supporters in Surrey, Canada,   The meeting has alarmed the Indian intelligence agencies.  During his visit to the Gurudwara last month, NAMTA president Lien Gangte spoke about ‘atrocities on minorities’ in India and what was happening to them.  Gangte also urged the Canadian government to condemn the so-called human rights violation in India and the government of India on this.  The Indian intelligence agencies have claimed that post the speech, Nijjar supporters had a…

Violent protests rock Imphal, mob vandalizes deputy commissioner’s office

Manish Kumar

Mob vandalizes DC office in Imphal, vehicles torched as violent protests escalate in state  The protests have once again snowballed in Manipur with a mob vandalizing the DC office in Imphal West and setting vehicles on fire.  This time the demonstration is being led by students over the killing of two youths in the Northeastern state.  The protesters blocked roads with burning tyres, boulders, and iron pipes to prevent the security forces from entering residential areas  Curfew was re-imposed in the two districts as the security forces combatted the violent…

Indian tax officers visit factory, Bengaluru office of China’s Lenovo

Manish Kumar

The  income tax department conducted a visit to a factory owned by Lenovo  During their visit, the tax officials thoroughly examined the laptops belonging to Lenovo employees.  As well as one of its offices situated in Bengaluru city  This visit was undertaken as part of an ongoing inquiry  Income tax officials on Wednesday visited a factory of Chinese PC maker Lenovo in the union territory of Puducherry and one of its offices in Bengaluru city as part of an inquiry, two sources told the news agency. The officials inspected laptops…

Father of India’s Green Revolution, Agriculture Scientist MS Swaminathan passes away

Manish Kumar

MS Swaminathan, the global leader of the green revolution passed away in Chennai at the age of 98.  Swaminathan, who was an agronomist, agricultural scientist, plant geneticist, administrator and humanitarian, had introduced and further developed the high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice.  Eminent agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan, hailed as the “Father of the Green Revolution” in the country.  Professor Swaminathan was acclaimed by TIME magazine as one of the twenty most influential Asians of the 20th century.  MS Swaminathan was the recipient of several prestigious awards including Padma Vibhushan, Padma…

S Jaishankar to meet US Secretary Antony Blinken; US says stand on Canada row already made clear

Manish Kumar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, amid the diplomatic rumpus between India and Canada.  Officials from both sides are tight-lipped about the agenda of the meeting.   The two leaders are expected to pose for pictures ahead of the meeting and are not expected to take any questions from the media  The US has been urging India to cooperate in the Canadian investigation into the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has…

Ramesh Bidhuri gets poll responsibility in Tonk district of Rajasthan; Opposition leaders slam BJP

Manish Kumar

The Bharatiya Janata Party has tasked its Lok Sabha MP Ramesh Bidhuri, with poll responsibility in Tonk district of Rajasthan, party sources said.  Bidhuri is among the grassroots BJP leaders from the national capital and enjoys considerable influence in his constituency.  With the Gurjar community present in large numbers in the district, the BJP believes Bidhuri can help it swing the votes as he is also from the same caste.  Opposition leaders have slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over this, as Bidhuri is in the eye of a storm…