The London hearing on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition from Britain to the United States was suspended Thursday because one of the lawyers may have been exposed to the coronavirus.
District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ordered the proceedings adjourned until Monday while a lawyer representing the US government is tested for the virus.
Assange’s attorney, Edward Fitzgerald, said it had to be assumed that the lawyer had the virus and COVID will be in the courtroom.
Court staff themselves would be at risk, and you yourself may well be at risk,” he told the judge.
“Finally, our client Mr Assange, who is vulnerable you are aware, would be at risk in court. The judge asked for submissions from both legal teams about what to do if the lawyer is confirmed to have COVID-19.
Assange is fighting American prosecutors’ attempt to get the British government to send him to the U.S. to stand trial on spying charges.
US prosecutors have indicted the 49-year-old Australian on 18 espionage and computer misuse charges over WikiLeaks’ publication of secret U.S. military documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.
Assange’s lawyers say the prosecution is a politically motivated abuse of power that will stifle press freedom and put journalists around the world at risk.
The hearing started Monday at London’s Old Bailey criminal court and is scheduled to last about a month.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the government’s skill agenda is to create a workforce that matches the global demands and several efforts have been undertaken to enable a strong skill development ecosystem.
He also observed that the whole nation has come together under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ mission and it is the need of the hour for every Indian to be self-reliant in these changing times, an official statement said.
In his address read out at a digital conclave, the Prime Minister stated that it is “the government’s skill agenda to create a workforce that matches the global demands and with this vision, several efforts have been undertaken to enable a strong skill development ecosystem.”
“There are many sectors witnessing the growing demand for skilled youth. This is an opportunity for our young workforce to convert the present challenges into opportunities and become the strong pillars of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’,” he added.
Stating that it is integral to lay emphasis on skilling, reskilling and upskilling, the Prime Minister said the role of trainers and experts is the most essential in this endeavour.
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship organised the digital conclave for the second edition of ‘Kaushalacharya Samadar 2020’.
Trainers across different sectors were felicitated for their contribution in building the country’s skilling ecosystem and preparing a future-ready workforce.
The Prime Minister further said “it is my belief that the trainers who are awarded today will inspire many others and will continue to contribute immensely in the lives of our youth and the country’s development.”
Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Mahendra Nath Pandey said, “As the times are transforming, the role of trainers and assessors is becoming more crucial as they pave the roadmap for our young generation in meeting the industry demands of near future.”
A total of 92 trainers from diverse backgrounds and different categories such as entrepreneurship training, National Apprenticeship Promotional Scheme, Jan Shikshan Sansthan, Short Term Training under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, among others, were felicitated at the digital conclave.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Tuesday arrested Rhea Chakraborty after questioning her for three days in connection with drugs-related allegations in her boyfriend and actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case.
“Rhea has been arrested and due process of informing the family has been completed,” said deputy director of NCB, KPS Malhotra.
She was taken to a public hospital here for medical check-up and COVID-19 tests soon after her arrest.
Rajput, 34, was found dead at his Bandra apartment here on June 14.
Before entering the vehicle along with NCB officials, Rhea waved at the assembled media persons at the anti-drug agency’s office in south Mumbai.
Clad in black, Rhea reached the NCB office at Ballard Estate around 10.30 am on Tuesday and was also seen carrying a bag with her, while entering the office.
The 28-year-old girlfriend of Sushant Singh Rajput had in recent TV interviews denied that she consumed drugs.
Rhea was recently interrogated by the CBI probe team, camping at the DRDO guest house in Mumbai’s western suburb Santacruz and also questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case.
NCB recently arrested her brother Showik Chakraborty and Sushant’s manager Samuel Miranda on drug supply charges.
Sushant Singh Rajput’s father had filed an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty in Patna, accusing her of driving his son to suicide and misappropriating his money.
Rhea has denied the allegations on several occasions.
Flamboyant Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh, who retired last year, is eyeing a stint in the Big Bash League and Cricket Australia is trying to help him find a team, a media report has said.
No Indian player has ever featured in the BBL as the country’s cricket board (BCCI) doesn’t allow active players to take part in overseas league.
The 38-year-old Yuvraj had retired from international and domestic cricket last year, clearing the decks to ply his trade in foreign leagues across the globe.
According to a report in ‘Sydney Morning Herald’, Yuvraj’s manager Jason Warne of W Sports & Media has confirmed that Cricket Australia was trying to find a franchise that would be interested in the former Indian all-rounder.
“We’re working with CA to try to find him a home,” Warne said on Monday.
Yuvraj, the 2011 World Cup player of the tournament, last played for India in 2017.
The left-handed batsman has scored 8701 runs in 304 ODIs, besides taking 111 wickets for India. He has also played 40 Tests and 58 T20Is for the country.
However, as per the report, “interest in Yuvraj from BBL clubs had been modest to date.”
Australian Cricketers’ Association president Shane Watson, who plays for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, feels inclusion of Indian players to BBL would be “incredible”.
“It would be incredible for them to be able to play in these tournaments. That is the ideal situation. There are so many world-class T20 players in India that aren’t playing for India that could be potentially available to play in the Big Bash and other tournaments around the world,” Watson said.
“If that’s able to happen, that would make a massive difference.
Wildfires have burned a record 2 million acres in California this year, and the danger for more destruction is so high the US Forest Service announced on Monday that it was closing all eight national forests in the southern half of the state.
After a typically dry summer, California is parched heading into fall and what normally is the most dangerous time for wildfires. Two of the three largest fires in state history are burning in the San Francisco Bay Area.
More than 14,000 firefighters are battling those fires and dozens of others more around California.
A three-day heat wave brought triple-digit temperatures to much of the state during Labour Day weekend. But right behind it was a weather system with dry winds that could fan fires. The state’s largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, was preparing to cut power to 158,000 customers in 21 counties in the northern half of the state to reduce the possibility its lines and other equipment could spark new fires.
Randy Moore, regional forester for the Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region that covers California, announced the national forest closures and said the decision would be re-evaluated daily. Campgrounds at all national forests in the state also were closed.
The wildfire situation throughout California is dangerous and must be taken seriously.” Moore said. Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior, new fire starts are likely, weather conditions are worsening, and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire.”
Lynne Tolmachoff, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said it’s unnerving” to have reached a record for acreage burned when September and October usually are the worst for fires because vegetation has dried out and high winds are more common.
The previous high was 1.96 million acres burned in 2018. Cal Fire began tracking the numbers in 1987.
While the two mammoth Bay Area fires were largely contained after burning for three weeks, firefighters struggled to corral several other major blazes ahead of the expected winds. Evacuation orders were expanded to more mountain communities on Monday as the largest blaze, the Creek Fire, churned through the Sierra National Forest in Central California.
It was one of many recent major fires that has displayed terrifyingly swift movement. The fire moved 15 miles (24 kilometres) in a single day and burned 56 square miles (145.04 square kilometres).
Debra Rios wasn’t home when the order came to evacuate her hometown of Auberry, just northeast of Fresno. Sheriff’s deputies went to her ranch property to pick up her 92-year-old mother, Shirley MacLean. They reunited at an evacuation centre.
I hope like heck the fire doesn’t reach my little ranch, Rios said. It’s not looking good right now. It’s an awfully big fire. Mountain roads saw a steady stream of cars and trucks leaving the community of about 2,300 on Monday afternoon.
Firefighters working in steep terrain saved the tiny town of Shaver Lake from flames that roared down hillsides toward a marina. About 30 houses were destroyed in the remote hamlet of Big Creek, resident Toby Wait said.
The Creek Fire had charred more than 114 square miles (295 square kilometers) of timber after breaking out Friday. The nearly 1,000 firefighters on the scene had yet to get any containment. The cause had not been determined.
On Saturday, National Guard rescuers in two military helicopters airlifted 214 people to safety after flames trapped them in a wooded camping area near Mammoth Pool Reservoir. Two people were seriously injured and were among 12 hospitalised.
On Monday night, a military helicopter landed near Lake Edison to rescue people trapped by the Creek Fire, the Fresno Fire Department said on Twitter.
Chief Warrant Officer Joseph Rosamond, the pilot of a Chinook helicopter, said visibility was poor and winds increasingly strong during the three flights he made into the fire zone. His crew relied on night-vision goggles to search for a landing spot near a boat launch where flames came within 50 feet of the aircraft.
The injured, along with women and children, took priority on the first airlift, which filled both helicopters to capacity, he said.
Record-breaking temperatures were driving the highest power use of the year, and transmission losses because of wildfires have cut into supplies. Throughout the holiday weekend, the California Independent System Operator that manages the state’s power grid warned of outages if residents didn’t reduce their electricity usage. But none had occurred by late Monday afternoon.
In Southern California, crews scrambled to douse several fires that roared to life in searing temperatures, including one that closed mountain roads in Angeles National Forest and forced the evacuation of the historic Mount Wilson Observatory.
Cal Fire said a blaze in San Bernardino County called the El Dorado Fire started Saturday morning and was caused by a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to reveal their baby’s gender.
In eastern San Diego County, a fire destroyed at least 10 structures after burning 16 square miles (41.44 square kilometres) and prompting evacuations near the remote community of Alpine in the Cleveland National Forest.
California has seen 900 wildfires since August 15, many of them started by an intense series of thousands of lightning strikes in mid-August. There have been eight fire deaths and more than 3,300 structures destroyed.
Marking the sixth anniversary of the ‘Jan Dhan’ scheme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the initiative has been a “game-changer” and served as the foundation for many poverty alleviation initiatives.
After he led the BJP to power in 2014, this was one of his government’s first major projects under which bank accounts of crores of people, mostly poor, were opened.
“Today, six years ago, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana was launched with an ambitious aim of banking the unbanked. This initiative has been a game-changer, serving as the foundation for many poverty alleviation initiatives, benefitting crores of people,” the prime minister tweeted.
“Thanks to the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the future of several families has become secure. A high proportion of beneficiaries are from rural areas and are women. I also applaud all those who have worked tirelessly to make PM-JDY a success. #6Years Of JanDhan Yojana,” he added.
The graphics shared by him showed that more than 40 crore bank accounts have been opened so far with more than 63 per cent of the beneficiaries belonging to rural areas. Over 55 per cent of them are women.
The government has said that it has been able to directly transfer welfare benefits to the needy due to the scheme.
Comedian Kapil Sharma is back with The Kapil Sharma Show post the lockdown but the host says he misses recording the episodes of the show without the live audience.
The production on the show, a comedy chat show with celebrity guests, had come to a halt due to the coronavirus-led lockdown in March with the producers making do by airing old episodes.
The team, including Sharma, Bharti Singh, Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda and Sumona Chakravarti, resumed shooting amid strict safety guidelines from July 18 and the show went on air from August 1 on Sony Entertainment Television.
Sharma, who calls his show a “congregation of likeminded artists”, said the new format does not have a live audience due to the safety concerns.
They have replaced the live audience with the cutouts of people behind the show’s permanent guest, Archana Puran Singh.
“We are not shooting with live audience, that’s something we all miss. However, Archana ji makes up for it she and her laughter are equal to 100 people on set,” Sharma told PTI in an email interview.
Given the rising number of COVID-19 cases, there was some apprehension about resuming production but they decided to begin work cautiously, he said.
“With the kind of news coming in and the information available, one does feel apprehensive. I am no different. We are taking all preventive measures in our capacity while shooting. Personally, we are all very careful and conscious. Our show gives us an opportunity to make people smile during these grim times. So, it’s worth it.”
The 39-year-old comedian-actor said there are challenges while shooting especially with a limited number of crew as the responsibilities double up.
“It has been our conscious effort to bring laughter into people’s lives. We get so many messages and posts from people saying if they were stressed, watching the show helped them overcome certain situations…
Comedy has that effect on people. After a long and tiresome day, all one wants is to forget about whatever has happened, even though it’s for a little while. Maybe we help people relax, and to me, that’s the least that we can do,” Sharma said.
The first guest on the show post the lockdown was actor Sonu Sood, who has been hailed for his work in helping migrants reach their homes in these tough times.
“Sonu paaji is a very nice human being. He has done such commendable work and tirelessly worked towards uplifting people’s lives. This is the kind of positivity we all need to see and experience in such challenging times. He is an inspiration to many, and it was an honour to host him,” he said.
Worli Charity Commissioner’s Office Serial Part 1
Mumbai Correspondent / Editor-in-Chief Anil Mahajan
The Office of the Charity Commissioner is an important place for the common man. This office registers all the temples, trusts, societies, institutions, circles and many more in the state. Lawsuits against all these registered institutions are also conducted here. However, the picture is getting better in the office of the Charity Commissioner at Worli. On the contrary, we can see the plight of the citizens here. The team of Garja Maharashtra News Channel personally visited the office and inspected the picture.
The office of the Charity Commissioner at Worli is functioning smoothly. As per the rules, this office should have a total of 13 Assistant Charity Commissioners and 1 Deputy Commissioner Charity Officer. However, at present only 3 Assistant Charity Commissioner officers are working here. Insufficient manpower in the office, so it has become a habit to delay the work of the citizens. Not only that, instead of working on quality, there are ways of working in the office with interest in mind. Doubts like that? Creating. There have been several complaints from RTI activists. However, no action is taken on the complaints. All the mismanagement is on.
When the team of Garja Maharashtra Vahini reached the Worli Charity Office, it was seen that the work of many citizens was stalled. Citizens’ work is not done on time. Citizens have to stay here for a day, even if it is a simple task like registering an organization.
When the representative of Garja Maharashtra Vahini contacted the office superintendent Seema Gadgil about the mismanagement in the Charity Commissionerate, he refrained from speaking and said that the senior officers would not give a byte. Various types of scams run in the Charity Commissionerate will be carried out in various programs in the next part of Maharashtra. Relevant officials will also be informed about the incidents in the office.
Meanwhile, information on various issues related to property, including the office at Palghar, will be disseminated to the public. The formal complaint will be lodged with the Principal Secretary, Lawn Judicial Ministry, Mumbai. Also, there is a demand from the public for a relevant inquiry at the senior level
Actor-filmmaker Ben Affleck is set to direct a movie that will explore the making of Roman Polanski’s crime classic “Chinatown”.
The film, set up at Paramount, is based on author Sam Wasson’s book “The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood”, which was published in February this year, reported Variety.
The non-fiction book tells the behind-the-scenes story of the 1974 film, starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway.
“Chinatown” followed a private detective (Nicholson) who is hired by a woman (Dunaway) to expose her cheating husband, only the investigation throws the PI into a proverbial web of deceit.
Cinema aficionados still remember the movie for its twist ending, which had quite the impact on audiences at the time.
Affleck, 47, will also produce the movie along with Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels.
The actor will next star in psychological thriller “Deep Water” and Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel”.PTI
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