Top 5 News Stories You Need To Know Right Now

The JeM chief has been designated as terrorist by the UN

JeM chief, Masood Azhar, has been labeled a global terrorist by the United Nation Security Council (UNSC). According to a statement released by the United Nations, “Mohammad Masood Azhar Alvi was listed on 1 May 2019 pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 4 of resolution 2368 (2017) as being associated with Al-Qaida for terrorist activities”. Masood Azhar is known for his alleged link to the Indian Parliament attack in 2001, Mumbai bombings in 2008 and the Pathankhot attack 2016. This comes after China, the country that had blocked this listing from happening in the past, and the initiators of the listing coming to a compromise. This compromise consisted of the removal of any mention of the Kashmiri uprising in the India-held valley, Pulwama incident and Pakistani institutions, especially those linking the struggle for Kashmiri freedom to terrorism.

One may question if he is not being linked to these incidents, why is his name being placed on the list? By omitting this information, true masterminds may still keep operating.

India has been trying to get his name placed on the list since 2008, but have been working especially hard to do so since 2016. Many suspect that Narenda Modi will use this in his current bid to stay in power. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is currently running for the general elections in India. His party has been struggling to guarantee a victory ever since the Pulwana incident.

Masood Azhar’s addition to this list will lead him to be subject to assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.

Army generals didn’t help PTI come to power: PM Imran

Imran Khan hits back at opposition claims that his government has been brought up with the help of the army. “No general Jilani brought the PTI up,” he said, while addressing a convention to mark 23nd anniversary of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the federal capital. To further his point, he highlighed his long struggle in politics and his opposition’s inability to raise standards of living. However, his own tenure has been marred with controversies including constant U-turns, increased foreign debt and heightened fears of what people are calling civilian martial rule. His recent cabinet reshuffling has shown the biggest flaw within his government. While critiquing previous governments for their inadequate work, he himself has put those very people in his government. Julian Assange Sentenced to 50 Weeks and Still Faces U.S. Charges

Julian Assange has been sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for skipping bail while taking refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy for the past 7 years. This is just the start of the complex and long legal battle Assange will have to face. The US still wants to charge him for his role in leaking classified information through his website Wikileaks. Sweden has still left open the idea of prosecution for a sexual misconduct. Wikileaks is best known for shedding light onto the military actions of foreign governments. The biggest known case is the 2010 leaks, which gave the people Guantanamo Bay detainee files, military drone strikes and the diplomatic cables.

This has been part of a recent wave of a crackdown on whistleblowers by the U.S government.

Chelsea Manning, who was also part of the initial WikiLeaks scandal, was arrested, sentenced to prison, released and has been prosecuted again. Military and government institutions have always been mysterious. With this move, you can expect a bigger crackdown on freedom of speech in the name of nation security. 780,000 evacuated in India ahead of major cyclone

Nearly 800,000 people have been evacuated in Eastern Coastal India, as cyclones are expected to hit the area. The Indian weather service said the extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani is expected to make landfall on Friday afternoon near the Hindu holy town of Puri.

A state relief department official told AFP that 780,000 people were moved to safer places overnight from at least 13 districts of Odisha state that will bear the brunt of the powerful cyclone.

Over 1000 schools and shelters are being utilized to accommodate the 780,000 people looking for shelter. This will be the fourth cyclone to hit the region within three decades, making them more equipped to handle the situation. Hopefully, the Indian government will be able to continue to be proactive about natural disasters and safety. Legal notice served to Ali Zafar

In a surprising twist of events, Ali Zafar has been served a legal notice by Meesha Shafi’s legal team for his “false, malicious and defamatory statements” against her. This notice comes after Ali Zafar appeared on multiple channels to defend himself against Meesha Shafi’s claims of sexual harassment. During his press tour, Ali Zafar made claims that Meesha Shafi has tried to use this incident to gain Canadian citizenship and international recognition, comparing her to Malala. Furthermore, he has claimed that Meesha’s team utilized trolls and social media to cyber bully him and harm his career.

Within the legal notice, it has been noted how insulting of a claim that is, insinuating that Malala lied to gain fame.

Furthermore, Meesha Shafi has already gained Canadian residency as of 2016. The legal notice goes on to point out that the case was thrown out because of the simulation that Meesha Shafi was not an employee of Ali Zafar, not because the sexual misconduct was not proven. Moreover, Meesha’s team point to all the hate that Meesha has received, while Ali Zafar has had a hit movie and gained more followers on social media. This new defamation lawsuit is a similar tactic used by Ali Zafar’s legal team to silence Meesha Shafi’s initial case. Stay tuned to see how Ali Zafar’s team deals with a taste of their own medicine.  

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