Latest Trending News

Scarlett Johansson was left shocked as she made a surprise appearance on the latest episode of Saturday Night Live (SNL) with her husband, Colin Jost, making numerous jokes about the Hollywood star's age, their child and their sex life. During the "Weekend Update" of SNL's Christmas edition, anchors, Mr Jost and Michael Che were doing their annual "joke exchange" where they both write jokes for each other. The prompts are designed to land either of them in hot water and this year, Mr Jost received the short end of the stick.

“I want to dedicate this next joke to my boo, Scarlett Johansson,” said Mr Jost, reading the joke from the teleprompter as the Avengers star looked on nervously from the backstage.

“Oh my gosh, she's so genuinely worried,” said Mr Jost, briefly breaking his on-screen character.

“Y'all know Scarlett just celebrated her 40th birthday, which means I'm about to get up out of there,” he added, with the camera quickly panning away to Ms Johansson, who was both simultaneously laughing and gobsmacked.

“Shiz! Nah, nah. I'm just playin',” he added.

“We just had a kid together, and y'all ain't see no pictures of him yet, because he's Black as hell!” said Mr Jost as a photoshopped image of himself and Ms Johansson was displayed on the screen.

Just when Mr Jost thought the segment had ended, another joke popped up which he reluctantly began to read.

“Costco has removed their roast beef sandwich from its menu, but I ain't tripping. I be eating roast beef every night since my wife had the kid,” said Jost causing an eruption of laughter from the entire cast and crew.

Ms Johansson looked shocked, mouthing, “Oh my gosh".

Colin Jost and Michael Che just did their annual SNL joke-swap where they write each other's jokes

this joke about Scarlett Johansson...and then the camera cutting to her for her shocked reaction...omg pic.twitter.com/q7CKknJB1q

— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) December 22, 2024

2024 Christmas Joke Swap with Colin and Che! pic.twitter.com/0uExTX8MHL

— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) December 22, 2024

Internet reacts

The jokes left the audience as well as social media users in split who said Mr Che had landed his colleague in trouble with the brutal jokes.

"Scarlett is either a fantastic actress or was truly genuinely shocked," said one user, while another added: "Haven't laughed like this watching Saturday Night Live in a while. Che definitely got Colin this year. Lol."

A third commented: "The Weekend Update joke swap has become the best part of the show and tonight did not disappoint."

Notably, this is not the first instance when Mr Jost has been forced to make such jokes about her wife. In July, earlier this year, during another joke swap segment, Mr Che made his colleague say:

“ChatGPT has released a new voice assistant feature inspired by Scarlett Johansson's AI character in Her,” a nervous Mr Jost told viewers. “Which I've never bothered to watch, because without that body what's the point of listening?”

While the jokes are made at the expense of both anchors, the segment is often the most-watched part of SNL.

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/rcsyk2E

Could Elon Musk, who holds major sway in the incoming Trump administration, one day become president? On Sunday, Donald Trump answered with a resounding no, pointing to US rules about being born in the country.

"He's not gonna be president, that I can tell you," Trump told a Republican conference in Phoenix, Arizona. 

"You know why he can't be? He wasn't born in this country," Trump said of the Tesla and SpaceX boss, who was born in South Africa.

The US Constitution requires that a president be a natural-born US citizen.

Trump was responding to criticism, particularly from the Democratic camp, portraying the tech billionaire and world's richest person as "President Musk" for the outsized role he is playing in the incoming administration.

As per ceding the presidency to Musk, Trump also assured the crowd: "No, no that's not happening."

The influence of Musk, who will serve as Trump's "efficiency czar," has become a focus point for Democratic attacks, with questions raised over how an unelected citizen can wield so much power.

And there is even growing anger among Republicans after Musk trashed a government funding proposal this week in a blizzard of posts -- many of them wildly inaccurate -- to his more than 200 million followers on his social media platform X.

Alongside Trump, Musk ultimately helped pressure Republicans to renege on a funding bill they had painstakingly agreed upon with Democrats, pushing the United States to the brink of budgetary paralysis that would have resulted in a government shutdown just days before Christmas.

Congress ultimately reached an agreement overnight Friday to Saturday, avoiding massive halts to government services.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/O1M5dxl

The German government pledged Sunday to fully investigate whether there were security lapses before the Christmas market car-ramming attack that killed five people and injured over 200.

Political pressure has built on the question of potential missed warnings about Saudi suspect Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a 50-year-old psychiatrist who had made online deaths threats and previously had trouble with the law.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and the heads of Germany's domestic and foreign intelligence services are due to answer questions at parliamentary committee hearings on December 30, a senior lawmaker told AFP.

Faeser vowed Sunday that "no stone will be left unturned" in shedding light on what information had been available to security services ahead of last Friday's bloody attack in the eastern city of Magdeburg.

She stressed that the attacker did "not fit any previous pattern" because "he acted like an Islamist terrorist although ideologically he was clearly an enemy of Islam".

Abdulmohsen has in the past called himself a "Saudi atheist" who helped women flee Gulf countries and charged Germany was doing too little to help them.

In online posts, he also strongly criticised Germany for allowing in too many Muslim refugees and backed far-right conspiracy theories about the "Islamisation" of Europe.

In one post, he wrote: "Is there a path to justice in Germany without blowing up a German embassy or randomly slaughtering German citizens?... If anyone knows it, please let me know."

News magazine Der Spiegel, citing security sources, said the Saudi secret service had warned Germany's spy agency BND a year ago about a tweet in which Abdulmohsen threatened Germany would pay a "price" for how it treated Saudi refugees.

Die Welt daily reported, also citing security sources, that German state and federal police had carried out a "risk assessment" on Abdulmohsen last year but concluded that he posed "no specific danger".

"Blood and screams"

The city of Magdeburg has been in deep mourning over the mass carnage on Friday evening, when an SUV smashed through a crowd at its Christmas market, killing four women and a nine-year-old child and injuring 205 people.

Surgeons at overwhelmed hospitals have worked around the clock, and one health worker told local media of "blood on the floor everywhere, people screaming, lots of painkillers being administered".

Scholz on Saturday condemned the "terrible, insane" attack and made a call for national unity, at a time Germany is headed for early elections on February 23.

But as German media dug into Abdulmohsen's past, and investigators gave away little, criticism rained down from opposition parties.

Conservative CDU lawmaker Alexander Throm charged that "many citizens feel... that the Scholz government has completely failed in terms of internal security".

He demanded greater police powers to monitor and analyse data from social media platforms, telecommunications and surveillance cameras with facial recognition technology.

The far-right AfD called for a special session of parliament, and the head of the far-left BSW party, Sahra Wagenknecht, demanded that Faeser explain "why so many tips and warnings were ignored beforehand".

Mass-circulation daily Bild asked: "Why did our police and intelligence services do nothing, even though they had the Saudi on their radar?... And why were the tips from Saudi Arabia apparently ignored?"

It charged that "German authorities usually only find out about attack plans in time when foreign services warn them" and called for sweeping reforms after the election for a complete "turnaround in internal security".

Senior MP Dirk Wiese of Scholz's Social Democrats said the December 30 hearings will summon the heads of the BND, the domestic intelligence service BfV and the Office for Migration and Refugees.

"Ultra-right conspiracy ideologies"

Media meanwhile reported more details on Abdulmohsen, who had worked at a clinic that treats offenders with substance addiction problems, but had been on sick leave since late October.

Der Spiegel reported that in 2013 a court fined him for "disturbing the public peace by threatening to commit crimes" after he had darkly referenced the deadly attack on the Boston marathon.

The chairwoman of the group Central Council of Ex-Muslims, Mina Ahadi, said Abdulmohsen "is no stranger to us, because he has been terrorising us for years".

She labelled him "a psychopath who adheres to ultra-right conspiracy ideologies" and said he "doesn't just hate Muslims, but everyone who doesn't share his hatred."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/PFdVqMl

Jeff Bezos has categorically denied media reports that his upcoming wedding to fiancee Lauren Sanchez will cost a staggering $600 million. Taking to X, the billionaire founder of Amazon set the record straight, dismissing the rumours as "completely false". The report, picked up by several outlets across the world, alleged that the couple is set to exchange vows on December 28 and spend over half a billion dollars on the extravagant event.

Mr Bezos' reaction was sparked by a post from billionaire investor Bill Ackman, who expressed scepticism about the reported $600 million wedding. "This is not credible. Unless you are buying each of your guests a house, you can't spend this much money," he wrote on X. 

Reacting to Mr Ackman's tweet, the Amazon founder wrote, "Furthermore, this whole thing is completely false — none of this is happening. The adage "don't believe everything you read” is even more true today than it ever has been. Now lies can get around the world before the truth can get its pants on. So be careful out there folks and don't be gullible. Will be interesting to see if all the outlets that "covered" and re-reported on this issue a correction when it comes and goes and doesn't happen."

See the tweet here:

Furthermore, this whole thing is completely false — none of this is happening. The old adage “don't believe everything you read” is even more true today than it ever has been. Now lies can get ALL the way around the world before the truth can get its pants on. So be careful out… https://t.co/wz2SWp6wBZ

— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) December 22, 2024

His fiancee, Lauren Sanchez, also weighed in on the matter, sharing Mr Bezos' post on her Instagram stories and adding a clear rebuttal: "Not true".

Initial reports from the Daily Mail and the New York Post alleged that Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez were planning an extravagant winter wonderland-themed wedding in Aspen, Colorado. According to the reports, the couple had booked Matsuhisa, an upscale sushi restaurant, as the exclusive venue for their celebration. The reports claimed that the luxury restaurant would be reserved from December 26 to 27, hosting around 180 guests including big names like Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Queen Rania of Jordan. 

Notably, Ms Sanchez started dating the Amazon boss in 2018. The couple went public with their relationship on July 14, 2019, after Mr Bezos' divorce from his first wife MacKenzie Scott was finalised. 

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/3tfesJc

A lightning rebel offensive early this month caught Syria's ruling clan off guard.

President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia on December 8, leaving behind many of his collaborators, some of whom sought refuge in neighbouring countries.

According to two sources, the ousted president, who fled to Moscow via the Russian military airfield in Hmeimim on Syria's coast, was accompanied by only a handful of confidants.

Among them were his closet ally, the secretary-general of presidential affairs Mansour Azzam, as well as his economic adviser Yassar Ibrahim, who oversees the financial empire of Assad and his wife, Asma.

"He left with his secretary and his treasurer," an insider who requested anonymity said, mockingly.

Bashar's brother, Maher al-Assad, commander of the elite Fourth Division tasked with defending Damascus, did not know about his sibling's plans.

Leaving his men stranded, Maher took a separate route, fleeing by helicopter to Iraq before travelling to Russia, according to a Syrian military source.

An Iraqi security source told AFP that Maher arrived in Iraq by plane on December 7 and stayed there for five days.

Maher's wife, Manal al-Jadaan and his son briefly entered Lebanon before departing through Beirut airport, said Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, without disclosing their final destination.

Another Assad government heavyweight, Ali Mamlouk, the former chief of Syria's security apparatus, fled to Russia via Iraq, said a Syrian military source.

His son passed through Lebanon before leaving for another destination, according to a Lebanese security source.

'Wanted'

The Iraqi Interior Ministry denied on Monday the presence of either Maher al-Assad or Mamlouk in Iraq.

Both are wanted men.

Maher - and Bashar al-Assad - are wanted by France for alleged complicity in war crimes over chemical attacks in Syria in August 2013.

The French courts have already sentenced Mamlouk and Jamil Hassan, former head of Syria's Air Force Intelligence, in absentia to life imprisonment for complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes.

On Friday, the Lebanese authorities received an Interpol alert relaying a US request to arrest Hassan and hand him over to the US authorities, should he enter the country.

The United States accuses Hassan of "war crimes", including overseeing barrel bomb attacks on Syrian people that killed thousands of civilians.

A Lebanese judicial source told AFP that they had no confirmation of Hassan's presence in Lebanon, but assured that he would be detained if found.

Last-minute escapes

Other prominent figures also made hasty escapes.

Bouthaina Shaaban, former translator for Hafez al-Assad - Bashar's father who founded the brutal system of government his son inherited - fled to Lebanon on the night of December 7-8.

Shaaban, Bashar al-Assad's long-time political adviser, then travelled to Abu Dhabi, according to a friend in Beirut.

Kifah Mujahid, head of the Baath Brigades - the military wing of Syria's former ruling party - escaped to Lebanon by boat, a party source told AFP.

Other officials took refuge in their hometowns in Alawite regions, some of them told AFP. Assad hailed from Syria's Alawite minority.

Not all escape attempts were successful.

Ihab Makhlouf, Bashar al-Assad's cousin and a prominent businessman, was killed on December 7 while trying to flee Damascus.

His twin brother, Iyad, was injured in the same incident, said a military official from the former government.

Their elder sibling, Rami Makhlouf, once considered Syria's richest man and a symbol of the regime's corruption, managed to survive. Rami, who fell out of favour with the Assad regime years ago, is believed to be in the United Arab Emirates.

Several other figures close to Assad's government crossed into Lebanon, according to a security source and a source in the business world. These included Ghassan Belal, head of Maher's office, and businessmen Mohammed Hamsho, Khalid Qaddur, Samer Debs and Samir Hassan.

A former Lebanese minister with close ties to Syria said that several senior Syrian military officers were granted safe passage by the Russians to the Hmeimim airbase.

They were rewarded for instructing their troops not to resist the rebel offensive in order to avoid further bloodshed, he said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/MO1cez4

The suspect in the deadly car-ramming attack on a Christmas market may have been disgruntled with Germany's treatment of asylum-seekers from his home country Saudi Arabia, a prosecutor said Saturday.

Asked about the attacker's possible motive, prosecutor Horst Walter Nopens said the investigation was ongoing but that "it looks as if the background to the crime... could have been disgruntlement with the way Saudi Arabian refugees are treated in Germany".

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/CsOd9vb

"Culture in many ways is the essence of soft power," Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said as India and France signed what he called "a project of great national importance" - a museum, the world's largest, which will be located on Raisina Hill - just in front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The museum, named 'Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum' will tell the story of India - a timeline spanning more than 5,000 years.

It will be located on Raisina Hill - the seat of the Central government. The museum will be housed in the North Block and South Block buildings, which are currently the address of the foreign ministry, home ministry, defence ministry, finance ministry, and several other ministerial offices.

The museum - a project of national heritage, prestige, and importance - will cover an area of 1.17 lakh square metres with 950 rooms spread over a basement and three storeys. In his speech after India and France signed the agreement, Mr Jaishankar said "What is being seen today is a very important expression of international cooperation, one that is built on exchanges of best practices, on sharing of experiences."

"We are gathered here today for a project of great national importance...When the South Block and North Block become the kind of museum that is envisaged, I think we will veritably be seeing an inspiration for the remaking of Bharat."

The Raisina Hill, which houses the two identical blocks facing each other and the Rashtrapati Bhavan next so them were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker between 1911-1931.

France, which wanted to be a part of this mega project, has a similar history with respect to its renowned museum - The Louvre - and hence has global expertise in adaptive reuse of historic buildings of archeological significance.

The Louvre (and its old wings) too were a part of a grand palatial building in France's capital Paris and the French finance ministry used to be housed in a wing of the palatial structure which we now see as the world-famous museum and landmark.

The mapping work and blueprints have nearly been completed in the North Block and it is currently being carried out throughout the South Block, Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said.

Here is an illustration video shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his YouTube page highlighting the salient features of the world's largest museum to-be - the Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum:

As per a government release, the Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum aims to redefine the museum experience, offering a platform that celebrates India's heritage while embracing contemporary narratives. An official announcement is yet to be made about the completion of the project and subsequently its grand opening.
 

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/APBOpgx

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday shook up his cabinet, changing one-third of his team as political turmoil threatens his leadership and tensions erupt with incoming US president Donald Trump.

The reshuffle came at the end of a chaotic week in Ottawa spurred by the surprise resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland following disagreement with her boss over Trump's threats to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports.

Her exit, after nearly a decade at Trudeau's side, marked the first open dissent against the prime minister from within his cabinet and has emboldened critics.

Since then, Trudeau has hunkered down with advisors as he reportedly contemplates his own political future amid calls for him to step down ahead of elections scheduled for October 2025 but expected much sooner.

In Friday's reset, eight new ministers were appointed to replace those in the 35-member cabinet who have signaled they will not seek reelection, and to relieve others of their double or triple duties in government.

Four current ministers were also given new responsibilities.

Freeland, who also quit her role as finance minister, has said she would seek reelection next year.

Behind in the polls

Trudeau's childhood friend and ally Dominic LeBlanc was already sworn in as the new finance minister hours after Freeland quit.

He also took over the reins from her on negotiating with the incoming Trump administration.

Several cabinet recruits, as they headed into the swearing-in ceremony Friday, declared their confidence in Trudeau.

But part of his caucus has urged him to resign, worried that voter fatigue with his leadership will hamstring the Liberals in the next election.

Trudeau swept to power in 2015 and led the Liberals to two more ballot box victories in 2019 and 2021. 

But he now trails by 20 points his main rival, Conservative Pierre Poilievre, in public opinion polls. And his Liberals lost four by-elections this year.

Compounding those woes, Trudeau faces the possibility that Trump in January will slap 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, accusing both of allowing the United States to be flooded with illicit drugs, namely fentanyl, and undocumented migrants.

More than 75 percent of Canadian exports go to the United States and nearly two million Canadian jobs depend on trade.

In her resignation letter, Freeland warned this could lead to a "tariff war" with the United States and urged Ottawa to keep its "fiscal powder dry" while rebuking Trudeau's spendthrift policies.

Trudeau last month traveled to Florida to meet with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in a bid to head off a trade war.

Trump called the talks over dinner "very productive."

But since then the president-elect has also landed humiliating blows against Trudeau on social media, repeatedly calling him "governor" of Canada and declaring that the United States' northern neighbor becoming the 51st US state is a "great idea."

Political analysts and officials have said the taunts appeared aimed at putting Trudeau on the back foot in bilateral negotiations.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/aOmQDuv

A momentous reunion electrified the final night of Paul McCartney's London "Got Back" tour at the O2 Arena. In a surprise appearance, Ringo Starr, the Beatles' iconic drummer, joined his former bandmate on stage, sending waves of nostalgia through the packed venue.

The 84-year-old Starr expressed his delight at being part of the special evening, sharing his appreciation with the enthusiastic crowd.

The two Beatles then launched into a medley of timeless hits, including electrifying renditions of "Helter Skelter" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Starr's presence and energetic drumming brought an authentic Beatles vibe to the performance, much to the audience's delight.

Before exiting the stage, Starr reiterated his gratitude and affection for the fans. This wasn't the first time Starr and McCartney have shared the stage since the Beatles disbanded, having previously reunited during McCartney's "Freshen Up" tour in 2018-19.

The evening was further enriched by another special guest: Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who joined McCartney for a performance of "Get Back." Adding to the historical significance of the night, McCartney played his original Hofner bass, an instrument he hadn't used in 50 years. This bass, instrumental in recording early Beatles hits like "Love Me Do," "She Loves You," and "Twist and Shout," was thought lost during 1969 recording sessions but was later discovered to have been stolen in 1972. Following an investigation, the bass was finally returned to McCartney in February.

The 82-year-old McCartney had opened the show with "A Hard Day's Night," setting the stage for a performance spanning almost 40 hits from the Beatles' legendary catalog.
 

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/hsnP69O

The world's largest hornet, an invasive breed dubbed the "murder hornet," has been eradicated from the US, five years after being spotted for the first time in Washington state. According to CBS News, the Washington and US Departments of Agriculture on Wednesday announced that the northern giant hornets - the insects' official name - have not been detected in the US for three years. The 2-inch-long hornet is known to have a stinger longer than that of a typical wasp. Its powerful sting can kill a human. It can also spit venom, but the insect is largely dangerous to bees and other insects, not humans. 

"By tackling this threat head-on, we protected not only pollinators and crops, but also the industries, communities, and ecosystems that depend on them," Dr Mark Davidson, deputy administrator at USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said in a news statement, per the outlet. 

State, federal and international government agencies worked together to eradicate "murder hornets" in the US, officials said. The enormous success included residents agreeing to place traps on their properties and reporting sightings, as well as researchers capturing a live hornet, attaching a tiny radio tracking tag to it with dental floss, and following it through a forest to a nest in an alder tree. 

After finding the nest, a team then plugged the nest with foam, wrapped the tree in plastic and vacuumed out the hornets. They also reportedly injected carbon dioxide into the tree to kill any remaining hornets. In total, four nests were discovered and destroyed.

"We are proud of this landmark victory in the fight against invasive species," said Mr Davidson. 

According to reports, "murder hornets" were first identified on US soil in December 2019, about four months after they were found in Canada's British Columbia province. The first nest was destroyed in 2020. In 2022, scientists set around 1,000 hornet traps around the state. In 2023, they found one nest, which they swiftly destroyed, containing 1,500 hornets "in various stages of development".

Also Read | US Employee Arrested For Stabbing Anderson Express President During Staff Meeting

On Wednesday, officials said that there is still a chance that the hornets could return, or that other types of dangerous invasive hornets may someday make it to the US soil. They also noted that a member of the public reported a possible sighting of one of the hornets in October 2024.

 "They got here once and they could do it again," said Sven Spichiger, a pest specialist at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, per the BBC. 

The "murder hornet" can kill an entire hive of honeybees in as little as 90 minutes, according to agriculture officials. They typically only attack people or pets when threatened. While attacks on humans are fairly rare, the insects are reported to kill from 50 to 75 people each year.

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/w3hQxIv

An Indian-origin professor In the UK has voiced concerns about the country's salary structure, particularly for contractual academic staff, warning that low wages are leading to a brain drain.  Anant Sudarshan, an Associate Professor at the University of Warwick's Department of Economics, took to X to highlight the issue, revealing that UK academic salaries have become so uncompetitive that he has lost potential hires to Indian universities.

"UK salaries are becoming an absolute joke, especially for contractual staff. I have failed to hire people eligible for the UK's special high-potential individual visa because a government* university in India is willing to pay them slightly more in absolute terms than here," he wrote on X.

Although the UK may appear attractive on paper due to purchasing power parity, Mr Sudarshan noted that the country is losing its appeal to top academic talent worldwide. "To be clear - there is no comparison in absolute terms on average and thus for most people (although PPP looks different). But on the margins, for the best people, the UK is now stunningly unattractive, especially in academia," he added.

See the tweet here:

UK salaries are becoming an absolute joke especially for contractual staff. I have failed to hire people eligible for the UKs special high potential individual visa because a *government* university in *India* is willing to pay them slightly more *in absolute terms* than here.

— Anant Sudarshan (@anantsudarshan) December 16, 2024

The professor also responded to criticism that his comparison was flawed, providing further clarification on his earlier statement. He explained that while India's UGC pay scales may be lower, some short-term project staff in India can earn more in absolute terms than their UK counterparts. He noted that some UK contract teachers earn around 30,000 pounds (approximately Rs 30 lakh) annually. However, when adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP), this amount is equivalent to about Rs 7.5 lakh per year, which is comparable to or even lower than what some Indian project staff earn.

The debate took a racist turn when some users criticised him for considering hiring international candidates over UK citizens. A few even suggested he "go back" to his home country.

When someone suggested that he "Hire citizens," he responded by emphasising that the issue isn't about citizenship, but rather about the low pay. He clarified that the low salaries affect everyone, regardless of citizenship, stating, "The point isn't whether someone is a citizen or not. The point is whoever is hired is paid too little – citizens don't get more."

Another user said, "Why anyone would live in the UK is beyond me. The US has much higher pay and better research. Australia has far better weather. Europe has a better quality of life. India has much better food and culture. On top of that the rudeness, racism and lack of safety."

 

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/1EpiyUQ

A UK court on Tuesday handed life sentences to the father and stepmother of a murdered 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl who died after being subjected to a prolonged "campaign of torture" and "despicable abuse".

Urfan Sharif, 43, and Beinash Batool, 30, will serve at least 40 and 33 years respectively for the killing of Sara Sharif, who had suffered years of horrific violence since the age of six.

London's Old Bailey court heard her body was found covered in bites and bruises with broken bones and burns inflicted by an electric iron and boiling water.

Passing sentence, judge John Cavanagh said Sara had been subjected to "acts of extreme cruelty" but that Sharif and Batool had not shown "a shred of remorse".

They had treated Sara as "worthless" and as "a skivvy", because she was a girl. And because she was not Batool's natural child, the stepmother had failed to protect her, he said.

"The stress, pain and trauma that this campaign of violence will have caused to Sara is hard to contemplate," he told them, his voice shaking at times.

"This poor child was battered with great force again and again."

Sara had been beaten with a metal pole and cricket bat and "trussed up" with a "grotesque combination of parcel tape, a rope and a plastic bag" over her head.

A hole was cut in the bag so she could breathe and she was left to soil herself in nappies as she was prevented from using the bathroom.

Sara was found dead in her bed in August 2023 at her empty family home. A post-mortem examination revealed she had 71 fresh injuries and at least 25 broken bones.

Cavanagh described Sara as a "beautiful little girl full of personality" who had been "feisty" and loved to sing and dance.

The day she died, Sharif hit Sara twice in the stomach with the metal leg of a high-chair as she lay unconscious on her stepmother's lap.

'Sadists'

Sharif and Batool were found guilty last week after a 10-week trial.

Her uncle Faisal Malik, 29, was found guilty of causing or allowing her death. He was jailed for 16 years.

Sara's birth mother, Olga, said in a statement to the court that her daughter is "now an angel who looks down on us from heaven".

"To this day I can't understand how someone can be such a sadist to a child," she added.

Police called the case "one of the most difficult and distressing" that they had ever had to deal with.

The day after Sara died, the three adults fled their home in Woking, southwest of London, and flew to Pakistan with five other children.

Her father, a taxi-driver, phoned the police from Islamabad to report Sara's death, having left behind a handwritten note saying he had not meant to kill his daughter.

After a month on the run, the three returned to the UK and were arrested on the plane after landing. The five other children remain in Pakistan.

There has been anger in the UK that Sara's brutal treatment was missed by social services after her father withdrew her from school four months before she died.

Sharif and his first wife, Olga, were well-known to social services.

In 2019, a judge decided to award the care of Sara and an older brother to Sharif, despite his history of abuse.

Her teacher told the court how she later arrived in class wearing a hijab, which she used to try to cover marks on her body which she refused to explain.

'Terror'

Around March 2023, after seeing injuries on her face, Sara's school referred the case to child services, who probed the incident but did not take any action.

In April 2023, Sharif told the school that from then on Sara would be homeschooled.

Addressing Sharif, the judge said his treatment of his daughter was "nothing short of gruesome" and that it was "hard to imagine" the terror she must have felt.

"You fully intended to hurt her and to hurt her badly ... You intended that she would have a life filled with pain and misery," he said.

The case is the latest in a string of child cruelty cases that have triggered public revulsion alongside repeated pledges from authorities to prevent further tragedies.

Under the government's proposed Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, introduced in parliament Tuesday, parents will lose the automatic right to take their children out of school if authorities suspect the child is at risk.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/RV0oWMh

The "hijab and chastity law" in Iran proposes stricter penalties for girls and women who do not fully cover their hair, forearms, or lower legs, including fines, prison sentences of up to 15 years.

However, Iran's National Security Council has put the brakes on this antiquated and contentious law after it was supposed to come into effect last Friday.

This comes in after the law received worldwide and domestic backlash. President Masoud Pezeshkian said the legislation was "ambiguous and in need of reform", whereas Amnesty International, a human rights organisation said the Iranian authorities were "seeking to entrench the already suffocating system of repression."

Pezeshkian voiced his disapproval of the country's mistreatment of women regarding hijabs earlier this year during his presidential campaign.

"Just as they could not forcibly remove hijabs from women's heads in the past, they cannot now force it onto them. We have no right to impose our will on our women and daughters", he said.

His promise of personal freedom resonated with young girls and women who were already frustrated with restrictions imposed by the government.

The law was also criticised by Masoumeh Ebtekar, a former vice-president for women and family affairs, who called it, "an indictment of half the Iranian population".

The hijab discourse has always been in the picture but it was reinforced more so when a woman, Parastoo Ahmadi, was arrested after she posted a video of herself singing on YouTube without a hijab, in a sleeveless dress, with her hair down accompanied by four male musicians.

"I am Parastoo, a girl who wants to sing for the people I love. This is a right I could not ignore; singing for the land I love passionately", read the caption.

After the video went viral, she was arrested along with her band members but was released a day later after the arrest received widespread backlash.

The hijab controversy has been ongoing since 2022, triggered by the death of Mahsa "Zhina" Amini, who died in police custody after violating the dress code. In the wake of her death, women have challenged the government and defied hijab rules. Younger people in Iran appear fearless and defying such laws despite the restrictions and pressure from factions close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

According to the BBC, last week, more than 300 Iranian rights activists, writers and journalists publicly condemned the new hijab law, calling it "illegitimate and unenforceable" and urged Pezeshkian to honour his campaign promises.

Nevertheless, the decision to pause the implementation of the law shows that the government is apprehensive of the protests that might set off, similar to the ones seen two years ago.
 

from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/Ghg3De9