Author: Erya Modi

During travels to India and Vietnam, the UN head insisted in front of the public on the necessity of protecting human rights advocates - Asiana Times

During his recent trips to India and Vietnam, the UN secretary Antonio Guterres reportedly pressed for the safety of environmental activists and human rights advocates in public forums. Throughout a press conference just at the COP15 Species diversity Convention in Montreal last week, Guterres stated: “One of the main points I clearly got as well as that I also attempted to convey extremely clearly would be that civil liberties must be included in the center of any and all environmental issues. He continued, “And one of the things that concern me more is the harassment of defenders of human rights…

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India declares that the practice of designating terrorists as either "good" or "bad" for political purposes must halt right away - Asiana Times

On December 14 and 15, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will serve as the moderator of two major events on counterterrorism and reformed multilateralism, which will be held by India, the 15-nation United Nations Security Council’s current president. According to a concept note began circulated by India within UN Security Council here, the practice of categorizing terrorists as “good” or “bad” based on “political expedience” must end right away. The concept note also stressed that classifying terrorist acts according to whether they are motivated by religion or ideology will weaken the globally interconnected commitment to combating terrorism. The Security Council…

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Hon Kong

The latest in a string of prosecutions against well-known activists that critics claim are intended to quell dissent in the city, a Hong Kong court on Saturday condemned a pro-democracy television entrepreneur to five years with nine months in jail for two fraud counts related to leasing violations. Jimmy Lai, who was detained as part of an assault on the town’s pro-democracy movement in response to significant protests in 2019, also was penalized 2 million Kong dollars ($257,000). His media venture, Next Digital, produced the now-defunct pro-democracy daily Apple Daily. The newspaper was forced to shut down after the imprisonment…

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High Court of Kerala

On appeal from a young Christian spouse who claimed that Article 10A of a Divorce Act, 1869’s one-year minimum separation requirement violated their basic rights, the High Court issued this ruling. The Divorce Act’s requirement that parties be separated for a year or longer before filing for divorce by mutual consent has been ruled illegal by the High Court of Kerala because it violates fundamental rights. In order to promote social welfare and the interests of partners in matrimonial disputes, a segment bench of the high court, made up of Judicial A Mohamed Mustaque as well as Justice Shoba Annamma…

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<strong>PM Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan is ready to contribute to the resuscitation of SAARC</strong> - Asiana Times

According to Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, the region’s enormous potential can be realised by reviving the South Asian Organization for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). On Thursday, he made some remarks in honour of the SAARC Constitution Day. Today’s SAARC Charter Day serves as a reminder of the region’s enormous unrealized potential for growth, connectivity, and cooperation among South Asian nations, according to Sharif. Pakistan is prepared to contribute to the revival of SAARC, Sharif continued, adding that the citizens of SAARC nations were “victims of these wasted chances.” SAARC’s members are Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,…

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<strong>Myanmar saves 154 Rohingya from a sinking boat</strong> - Asiana Times

A second Rohingya boat that was about to capsize off of the coastline of Myanmar was reportedly saved, with more than 150 people being saved. 154 people—106 men and 48 women—were saved by two vessels from an underwater operation sent by Myanmar’s government Natural gas And Oil Corporation, according to a statement from the military on Thursday. It was unclear whether the boat carrying Rohingya immigrants from Bangladesh was the same one which had been reported to be in difficulty earlier last week in the waters of Thailand. Vice Admiral Pokkrong Monthatphalin, a spokesman for the Thai navy, stated on…

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Aravinth Kumarasamy receiving Cultural Medallion

In order to strengthen the cultural ties between South East Asia and India, Aravinth Kumarasamy, who this week received Singapore’s renowned Cultural Medallion from President Halimah Yacob, says he wants to be their cultural ambassador. In addition to leading the 45-year-old Apsaras Artists Dance Company, a prominent school for the classical dance style Bharatanatyam, Kumaraswamy engages in cross-cultural projects involving Chinese and Malay dance styles to promote Singapore’s multicultural identity abroad. Aravinth Kumarasamy aspires to be the National Ambassador of Indian Performing Arts “I want to become the National Ambassador of Indian performance arts for South East Asia and India.”…

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Raphael Warnock’s triumph in Georgia has given US Democrats a clear majority in the Senate, assisting Joe Biden’s group. Raphael Warnock’s win in Georgia has given Democrats a huge majority in the United States Senate, which is a significant triumph for Joe Biden’s group. In a runoff vote on Tuesday night, Mr. Warnock triumphed against Herschel Walker, the Gop contender sponsored by Donald Trump. The current senator, Mr. Warnock, 53, who has served as a minister in Martin Luther King Jr.’s former church for many years, received 50.8% of the vote. Mr. Walker, a 60-year-old businessman and former American football…

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India is the home to a wide variety of religions, and we will keep urging it to maintain religious freedom for everyone: US - Asiana Times

A top US official has stated that the Biden government will encourage India to enforce its responsibilities to defend religious freedom for everyone, days after America assigned 12 countries, such as China and Pakistan, as “regions of the world of particular concern.” India is home to a large diversity of faiths. The current state of religious freedom in such countries has prompted US Minister of State Antony Blinken to identify 12 countries as “countries of great concern,” including China, Pakistan, and Myanmar. According to him, governments and non-state entities harass, threaten, imprison, and sometimes even kill people because of their…

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<strong>Arabia Pictures and Eros Media World have announced a partnership to make three movies</strong> - Asiana Times

Three full-length feature films will be produced by Arabia Pictures and Eros Media World PLC (“Eros Media,” “Eros,” or the “Company”), an international Indian entertainment and media company. One of the films will be a remake of a super-popular 2012 Bollywood film, and the other two are unnamed Hindi language projects. The three movies will all be developed and produced in Saudi Arabia. By the middle of 2024, the local remake movie will start production, and by the end of 2024, the other two will as well. CEO of Arabia Pictures Abdulelah Alahmary ads, “We’re really excited to cooperate with…

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