BANGKOK: A fire in Pattaya, the Thai seaside resort city southeast of Bangkok known for its racy nightlife, has badly damaged a large nightclub catering to Indian tourists, officials said Monday.

There were no injuries or deaths in the Sunday night blaze, said Suptawee Ongnonyang, chief of Pattaya’s land disaster prevention agency.

The Nashaa Club was closed, as are most entertainment establishments due a a government-ordered coronavirus lockdown.

The fire, which began in the Nashaa Club, spread to several adjoining structures on the city’s famous Walking Street that were also damaged, Suptawee told The Associated Press.

Pattaya is filled with bars, discos and restaurants that, before the pandemic, were patronized by millions of tourists each year.

The city is notorious for its sex industry.

The pandemic devastated the city’s economy after Thailand closed its borders in April 2020 to most foreign visitors.

The Nashaa Club was shuttered, then reopened in February this year but closed again in April as Thailand suffered badly from a third wave of the coronavirus.

Suptawee said the fire spread quickly due partly to the soundproofing material used in the club, and that a strong wind Sunday night spread the blaze to three other nearby establishments.

He said that it took about two hours to control the fire, which was extinguished around midnight.

The cause is being investigated, he said.

An announcement on the club’s Facebook page said the fire resulted in “big damage.”

Its management vowed to reopen business “very soon” and requested people “not to comment or support any rumors or wrong information on social media regarding the unfortunate incident as Investigative agencies are working on that.”

NEW DELHI: India will get this month the third set of Swiss bank account details of its nationals under an automatic exchange of information pact with Switzerland and this will include for the first time the data about real estate properties owned by Indians there, officials said on Sunday.

The move assumes significance on the part of Switzerland as well as the European Alpine nation is trying hard to reposition itself as a key global financial centre while warding off the long-persisting perception about the Swiss banking system being an alleged safe haven for black money.

While it would be the third time that India will get details about bank accounts and other financial assets held by Indians in Switzerland, it will be the first time that the information being shared with India would include information about the real estate assets.

While the Swiss government has agreed to share details of real estate assets, the information about contributions to non-profit organisations and other such foundations, as also details on investments in digital currencies still remain out of bounds from the automatic exchange of information framework, officials said.

Experts and those engaged in the business of attracting investments to Switzerland said the move would help clear misconceptions about all fund inflows into Swiss assets being illicit and would go a long way in establishing Switzerland as a preferred investment destination, including for real estate properties.

Himanshu, Founder and CEO of Switzerland For You SA, the parent firm of IDDI Investments, which is engaged in the business of attracting investments from India and other countries to Switzerland including in startups and real estate, said transparency has its own virtues and the proposal of the Switzerland government to share information about property ownership of foreign clients with other countries including India is welcome.

“We find no valid reason for Swiss authorities to hide such information.

After all, the ownership of property is not something which can be kept under wraps,” said the India-origin entrepreneur who goes by his first name only and is settled in Geneva for many years.

“Sharing of such information with other countries under AEOI will bring in more transparency and act as deterrence for those intending to buy Swiss properties from ill-gotten wealth.

The move will go a long way in making Switzerland an attractive investment destination,” he added.

India had received the first set of details from Switzerland under AEOI (Automatic Exchange of Information) in September 2019.

It was among 75 countries to get such information that year.

In September 2020, India received the second set of Swiss bank account details of its nationals and entities, along with 85 other recipient countries with whom Switzerland’s Federal Tax Administration (FTA) exchanged information on financial accounts within the framework of global standards on AEOI last year.

From this year, Switzerland’s Federal Council, the country’s top governing body, has decided to implement a key recommendation of the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes, under which Swiss authorities will also share details about investments made by foreigners in the Swiss real estate sector.

However, some other recommendations of the Global Forum, including about sharing of information on digital currency accounts and contributions made to foundations and non-profit organisations are yet to be accepted and therefore those details would not be shared by Switzerland with India or any other countries for now.

Hectic lobbying is underway globally to convince Switzerland to start sharing information about digital currency accounts and contributions made to non-profit entities as well.

In each of the last two years, Switzerland has shared details about nearly three million financial accounts with various jurisdictions, while the count is expected to be higher this year.

For the last two years, India has been among prominent countries with which Switzerland has shared details about financial accounts of clients of Swiss banks and various other financial institutions, while it is also expected to figure high this year with regard to details about real estate properties.

Resident and non-resident Indians, as well as Indian companies, would account for a sizeable number in the overall list of those figuring in this year’s exchange of information by Switzerland, officials privy to the development said.

Besides, Swiss authorities have already shared information about more than 100 Indian citizens and entities so far this year on receipt of requests for administrative assistance in cases involving probes into financial wrongdoings including tax evasion, the officials added.

This count has been similar in the past few years.

These cases mostly relate to older accounts that might have been closed before 2018, for which Switzerland has shared details with India under an earlier framework of mutual administrative assistance as Indian authorities had provided prima facie evidence of tax-related wrongdoing by those account holders.

AEOI is applicable only to accounts that are active or were closed during 2018.

Some of these cases relate to entities set up by Indians in various overseas jurisdictions like Panama, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands, while the individuals include mostly businessmen and a few politicians and erstwhile royals as well as their family members.

The officials, however, refused to share details about the exact number of accounts or the quantum of assets held in the accounts held by Indians, for which the information has been shared with India, citing strict confidentiality clauses governing the exchange framework.

The information shared by Swiss authorities includes identification, account and financial information, such as name, address, country of residence and tax identification number, as well as information concerning the reporting financial institution, account balance and capital income.

The exchanged information allows tax authorities to verify whether taxpayers have correctly declared their financial accounts in their tax returns.

The 86 countries covered under the AEOI in 2020 included 11 new jurisdictions — Anguilla, Aruba, Bahamas, Bahrain, Grenada, Israel, Kuwait, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Panama and the United Arab Emirates — in addition to a list of 75 countries, with whom information was shared in 2019.

Switzerland’s first such exchange took place at the end of September 2018 and involved 36 countries, but India did not figure in the list at that time.

Nearly 10,000 entities, including financial institutions such as banks, trusts and insurers, as also condominium and apartment owners’ associations are expected to have shared details about their overseas clients with the Federal Tax Authority of Switzerland for further sharing with foreign jurisdictions.

Switzerland has committed itself to adopt the global standard for the international automatic exchange of information in tax matters.

The legal basis for the implementation of AEOI in Switzerland came into force on January 1, 2017.

However, AEOI only applies to accounts that are officially in the name of Indians and they might include those used for business and other genuine purposes.

The Global Forum of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reviews AEOI implementation.

According to experts, the AEOI data received by India has been quite useful for establishing a strong prosecution case against those who have any unaccounted wealth, as it provides entire details of deposits and transfers as well as of all earnings, including through investments in securities and other assets.

On condition of anonymity, several officials said the details relate mostly to businessmen, including non-resident Indians now settled in several South-East Asian countries as well as in the US, the UK and even some African and South American countries.

A Swiss delegation was in India in August 2019 before the first set of details could get shared and the two sides also discussed possible steps to expedite the execution of tax information-sharing requests made by India in specific cases.

It is feared many Indians might have closed their accounts after a global crackdown on black money led to Switzerland buckling under international pressure to open its banking sector for scrutiny to clear the long-held perception of Swiss banks being safe haven for undisclosed funds.

Switzerland agreed to AEOI with India after a long process, including a review of the necessary legal framework in India on data protection and confidentiality.

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Monday said he was not unhappy with the BJP’s decision to select Bhupendra Patel as the state’s next chief minister, soon after the CM-designate met him at his residence here in the morning.

Amid speculation that he was unhappy with Bhupendra Patel being chosen as the next CM, Nitin Patel, while addressing a gathering in his home turf Mehsana on Sunday, said he has seen many ups and downs, and asserted that nobody can “throw him out” as he lives in people’s heart.

He missed the bus once again after 2016, when he was seen as the first choice for the top post before he was offered the post of deputy CM.

Nitin Patel was seen as a top contender for the post before the party gave the opportunity to Bhupendra Patel.

When reporters asked him on Monday if he was upset with the party’s decision to select Bhupendra Patel as the next CM, Patel said, “Not at all. All this is your (media’s) speculation…..You (media) keep (saying this) because this is your profession.”

The BJP leader said he has been associated with the party from the Jana Sangh days since he was 18 years old, and asserted that he will continue to remain with the party.

“Whether I get any position or not is not a big deal for me. What matters is people’s love and respect. We are all brothers and sisters. Whoever has been selected as the next CM is one of our own, and we will continue to work together,” Nitin Patel said, adding that he continues to remain a BJP worker, as the position is not important for him.

Bhupendra Patel called on the deputy chief minister at his residence on Monday morning.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Nitin Patel said the CM-designate and he are friends and they share family relations.

He said he has known Bhupendra Patel since long and had even inaugurated his MLA office in Ghatlodia (Ahmedabad) after he won from that Assembly constituency.

“The party has given me big positions. I am ready to do whatever is required from me for the party, my community, party workers, or anybody in Gujarat,” said Nitin Patel.

On Sunday, hours after the ruling BJP selected Bhupendra Patel as the new chief minister of Gujarat, Nitin Patel, while addressing a gathering during a function in Mehsana town, said in a lighter vein that he was not the only one who had missed the bus as there were “many others” like him.

Asked whether his statement made on Sunday meant he was unhappy over not being made the chief minister, the DyCM on Monday said politicians are required to first find a place in the hearts of people.

This statement by the consortium comes weeks after PNB has moved the NCLAT alleging gross irregularities in the conduct of the Resolution Professional.

Jet Airways is all set to resume domestic operations in Q1 2022, according to the Jalan Kalrock Consortium, the successful resolution applicant of the airline.

“The process of reviving the grounded carrier is on track with the existing Air Operator Certificate (AOC) already under process for revalidation. The Consortium is working closely with the relevant authorities and airport coordinators on slot allocation, required airport infrastructure, and night parking. Senior Members of the Jalan Kalrock Consortium along with Jet 2.0 Operations Team led by the newly appointed Capt. Sudhir Gaur, Accountable Manager, and acting CEO visited key airports last month and held productive meetings with them,” the consortium said in a statement. 

Murari Lal Jalan, Lead Member of the Jalan Kalrock Consortium and the proposed Non-Executive Chairman of Jet Airways said “We received the NCLT approval in June 2021, and since then we have been working closely with all concerned authorities to get the airline back in the skies. Jet Airways 2.0 aims at restarting domestic operations by Q1-2022, and short haul international operations by Q3/Q4 2022.”

He added, “Our plan is to have 50+ aircraft in 3 years and 100+ in 5 years which also fits perfectly well with the short-term and long-term business plan of the Consortium. The aircraft are being selected based on competitive long term leasing solutions. It is the first time in the history of Aviation that an airline grounded for more than 2 years is being revived and we are looking forward to being a part of this historic journey.”

This statement by the consortium comes weeks after Punjab National Bank (PNB) has moved the NCLAT (National Company Law Appellate Tribunal) alleging gross irregularities in the conduct of the Resolution Professional (RP). Agreeing to hear PNB’s plea, the NCLAT has issued notice to the successful resolution applicant, Jet Airways’ Administrator and the lenders. The case is scheduled for September 21.

Additionally, Jet Airways employees moved the appellate tribunal and sought quashing of NCLT’s approval for Kalrock-Jalan resolution plan over unpaid salary and almost relief for them in the approved resolution plan. NCLAT on October 8 will hear an appeal filed by employees against the revival plan. According to experts, these  legal hurdles are expected to delay the revival of Jet Airways.

The Consortium said that the revival plan for Jet Airways is being implemented as approved by NCLT and all the creditors will be settled as per the plan in the coming months.

Acting CEO of Jet Airways, Capt. Gaur said “In its new avatar, Jet Airways will now be headquartered in Delhi NCR with its senior management working from the Corporate Office at Gurugram. However, Jet Airways will continue to have strong and significant presence in Mumbai where it will work from its ‘Global One’ office in Kurla.”

He added, “We will start with domestic operations on an all narrow-body aircraft fleet leased from major global aircraft lessors who have approached us, and with whom we continue to engage. Jet Airways has already hired 150+ full time employees on its payroll and we are looking to onboard another 1,000+ employees FY 2021-22 across categories. The hiring will be in a phased manner and will be strictly on merit, to meet the operational requirements of the airline. The team at Jet Airways is committed to ensure that Jet Airways will restart its operations with its first flight from New Delhi to Mumbai by Q1 2022.”

Jet Airways ceased operations in April 2019 due to lack of funds and insolvency proceedings against it began in June. After many rounds of bidding, the consortium of Kalrock Capital and Murari Lal Jalan’s was selected as the successful bidder for the airline by its lenders in October 2020.

DUBAI: The U.S. has removed its most advanced missile defence system and Patriot batteries from Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, even as the kingdom faced continued air attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show.

While tens of thousands of American forces remain across the Arabian Peninsula as a counterweight to Iran, Gulf Arab nations worry about the U.S.’s future plans as its military perceives a growing threat in Asia that requires those missile defences. Tensions remain high as negotiations appear stalled in Vienna over Iran’s collapsed nuclear deal with world powers, raising the danger of future confrontations in the region.

“Perceptions matter whether or not they’re rooted in a cold, cold reality. And the perception is very clear that the U.S. is not as committed to the Gulf as it used to be in the views of many people in decision-making authority in the region,” said Kristian Ulrichsen, a research fellow at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.

“From the Saudi point of view, they now see Obama, Trump and Biden — three successive presidents — taking decisions that signify to some extent an abandonment.”

Prince Sultan Air Base, some 115 kilometers (70 miles) southeast of Riyadh, has hosted several thousand U.S. troops since a 2019 missile-and-drone attack on the heart of the kingdom’s oil production. That attack, though claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, appears instead to have been carried out by Iran, according to experts and physical debris left behind. Tehran has denied launching the attack, though a drill in January saw Iranian paramilitary forces use similar drones.

Just southwest of the air base’s runway, a 1-square-kilometer (third-of-a-square-mile) area set off by an earthen berm saw American forces station Patriot missile batteries, as well as one advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense unit, according to satellite images from Planet Labs Inc. A THAAD can destroy ballistic missiles at a higher altitude than Patriots.

A satellite image seen by the AP in late August showed some of the batteries removed from the area, though activity and vehicles still could be seen there. A high-resolution Planet Lab satellite picture taken Friday showed the batteries’ pads at the site empty, with no visible activity.

A redeployment of the missiles had been rumored for months, in part due to a desire to face what American officials see as the looming “great powers conflict” with China and Russia. However, the withdrawal came just as a Houthi drone attack on Saudi Arabia wounded eight people and damaged a commercial jetliner at the kingdom’s airport in Abha. The kingdom has been locked in a stalemate war with the Houthis since March 2015.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby acknowledged “the redeployment of certain air defence assets” after receiving questions from the AP. He said the U.S. maintained a “broad and deep” commitment to its Mideast allies.

“The Defense Department continues to maintain tens of thousands of forces and a robust force posture in the Middle East representing some of our most advanced air power and maritime capabilities, in support of U.S. national interests and our regional partnerships,” Kirby said.

In a statement to the AP, the Saudi Defense Ministry described the kingdom’s relationship with the U.S. as “strong, longstanding and historic” even while acknowledging the withdrawal of the American missile defence systems. It said the Saudi military “is capable of defending its lands, seas and airspace, and protecting its people.”

“The redeployment of some defence capabilities of the friendly United States of America from the region is carried out through common understanding and realignment of defence strategies as an attribute of operational deployment and disposition,” the statement said.

Despite those assurances, Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal, the kingdom’s former intelligence chief whose public remarks often track with the thoughts of its Al Saud ruling family, has linked the Patriot missile deployments directly to America’s relationship to Riyadh.

“I think we need to be reassured about American commitment,” the prince told CNBC in an interview aired this week. “That looks like, for example, not withdrawing Patriot missiles from Saudi Arabia at a time when Saudi Arabia is the victim of missile attacks and drone attacks — not just from Yemen, but from Iran.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, on a tour of the Mideast in recent days, had been slated to go to Saudi Arabia but the trip was cancelled due to what American officials referred to as scheduling problems. Saudi Arabia declined to discuss why Austin’s trip didn’t happen after the withdrawal of the missile defences.

Saudi Arabia maintains its own Patriot missile batteries and typically fires two missiles at an incoming target. That’s become an expensive proposition amid the Houthi campaign, as each Patriot missile costs more than $3 million. The kingdom also claims to intercept nearly every missile and drone launched at the kingdom, an incredibly high success rate previously questioned by experts.

While Greece agreed in April to lend a Patriot missile battery to Saudi Arabia, the timing of the U.S. withdrawals comes amid wider uncertainty over the American posture in the region. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab countries have renewed diplomacy with Iran as a hedge.

“I think we saw in Biden’s statements on Afghanistan, the way he said things that he’s clearly going to put U.S. interests first and obviously that came as quite a disappointment to partners and allies around the world who may be hoped for something different after Trump,” said Ulrichsen, the research fellow. “He sounds quite similar to an ‘America First’ approach, just sort of a different tone.”

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Popular Kerala television serial and movie actor Ramesh Valiyasala was found hanging in his residence in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. He was 54.

The body has been shifted to the morgue of the medical college hospital. According to police, a probe has begun. He was living with his second wife and son in his residence at Valiyashala for the past few years.

The body was found hanging in his bedroom’s ceiling fan by his wife around 6.30 am.

Two days prior to the incident, Ramesh had returned from shooting from a location for his latest project. He had acted last telecasted in a serial called ‘Pournamithingal’ and has been active in the serial industry for the last 22 years.

Ramesh came to the television industry from a theatre background when he was doing his degree at Government Arts College. The popular serial director Dr. Jaanradhanan was his mentor.

PATNA:  A video purportedly showing RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav distributing money to women
and dropping name of his father Lalu Prasad Yadav while campaigning for panchayat election in Gopalganj has given the Bihar BJP and JD(U) ammo to target the Opposition party. The video could not be independently verified. 

While the Bihar ruling alliance had a field day on Friday, mocking the Yadav scion and urging the election commission to crack whip on him, none from RJD spoke on the issue. The viral video showed Tejashwi, seated in the front seat of his car, handing out `500 notes to a few women, while introducing himself as the son of Lalu. “Do you know me? I am the son of Laluji,” he purportedly told the women.

The video was posted on Twitter by JD(U) MLC  Neeraj Kumar, who accused the Yadav scion of duping innocent women. Tejashwi was in Gopalganj to address a public rally. Lashing out at Tejashwi, Neeraj Kumar said a man who could not carve out an identity for himself in politics was distributing money to stay relevant. 

“He survives on the legacy of his father, who was convicted in the fodder scam cases. He is a leader on compassionate ground in politics,” Neeraj posted on his official tweet handle. Through his sarcasm-laden posts, Neeraj Kumar suggested Tejashwi distribute land fraudulently amassed by his father as well. “Tejashwi Yadav has gone a step ahead of his father in cheating the gullible by giving cash instead of uplifting their lot,” Neeraj mocked.

BJP spokesperson Dr Nikhil Anand said Tejashwi was carrying forward the political legacy of RJD. 
“Despite the model code of conduct being in force, he is distributing cash. Ethics is wholly missing from his politics,” he alleged, adding RJD was distributing money to gain traction during the election.