In a Facebook post, actor Sruthi Hariharan accused popular pan-south India actor Arjun Sarja of sexually assaulting her during the shoot of the bilingual film Vismaya.

A week after actor Sangeetha Bhatt became the first prominent face from the Kannada film industry to speak up on #MeToo, popular actor Sruthi Hariharan has accused popular pan-south India actor Arjun Sarja of sexually assaulting her during the shoot of the bilingual film Vismaya.

In a long Facebook post where she detailed the alleged harassment she faced, Sruthi said she was excited about working with Arjun Sarja as she grew up watching his films. She accused the actor of running his hands up and down her back and pulling her towards his body without her consent during the rehearsal of a romantic scene.

“The first few days seemed normal, I played his wife in the film and that day we were to do a romantic scene where we had to hug each other after a brief dialogue. During the rehearsal, we delivered our lines and Mr. Arjun hugs me. With no forewarning or permission, he runs his hands intimately up and down my back. He pulls me closer with my body taut against his and asks the director if we could use this idea of foreplay in the scene. I was aghast,” she wrote describing the incident.

She continued, “I am all for depicting realism in cinema, but this felt absolutely wrong. His intent seemed anything but professional. I hated that he did it and angry that I didn’t know what to say then.”

She also stated no other actor she has worked with suggested such improvisation.

However, this was not the only incident. She further alleged, “During the course of production, every smutty innuendo he made, created an unpalatable work environment for me. His salacious invitations to meet him after work appalled me.”

Without mentioning other names, she said that she had been sexually harassed many times like many other women. She said she is coming out now to stop him from crossing the line with other actors again.

On Thursday, actor Sanjjanaa Galrani accused director Ravi Shrivatsa of allegedly coercing her to act in scenes that she was not comfortable with in her debut film Ganda Hendathi in 2006.

TNM

The number of deaths in cyclone Titli-hit Odisha increased to 52, and the state government more than doubled the compensation amount to the kin of the deceased, an official said on Wednesday.

Authorities conducted a review meeting to assess the extent of damage due to the cyclone that battered the state on October 11.

The coastal state is estimated to have suffered damages worth Rs 2,200 crore, Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi.

“As per the primary damage assessment report, the overall damage including infrastructure and agriculture has been estimated at Rs 2,200 crore,” Padhi said.

A final damage assessment report will be prepared within two days, he added.

“39 deaths are reported from Gajapati district alone. 12 deaths are reported from Ganjam district and one from Kandhamal district,” said Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Bishnupada Sethi after the review meeting.

The state government enhanced the compensation amount from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 10 lakh for each family of the deceased.

Earlier, the state government had confirmed 26 deaths due to cyclone and subsequent floods.

Damage to roads has been estimated at Rs 500 crore, electricity infrastructure at Rs 133 crore, houses at Rs 150 crore and crops at Rs 233 crore.

The state government on Tuesday released Rs 102 crore for the people of Gajapati, Ganjam and Rayagada – the worst affected districts.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who visited Gajapati and Ganjam districts, announced that Baraghara village will be shifted from the hilltop to the foothills.

76 families of the village will be provided with pucca houses under the Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana.

The Chief Minister distributed “patta” to beneficiaries and said that the government would take care of the children who lost their parents in the calamity.

The United States and eight other countries requested a UN fact-finding mission that accused Myanmar’s military of atrocities against Rohingya Muslims to brief the UN Security Council on its findings.

The move comes as global pressure mounts on Myanmar to act on accountability after a military crackdown in the western state of Rakhine last year drove some 700,000 of the largely stateless minority over the border into Bangladesh.
The nine countries said a briefing by the mission’s chairperson would allow the council to “receive further information on this situation and its implications for international peace and security”.
The request is likely to run into opposition from China, which has friendly ties with Myanmar’s military and has sought to shield it from UN Security Council action.

In a letter to the council, Myanmar’s Ambassador Hau Do Suan said his government “strongly objects” to the request to hear from the fact-finding mission.

In a report released last month, the UN fact-finding mission said that Myanmar’s top generals – including Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing – must be investigated and prosecuted for genocide in Rakhine.

They urged the council to refer the case to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, or create an ad hoc international criminal tribunal, such as the one that was established on the former Yugoslavia.

Myanmar has rejected accusations that its military committed atrocities in the crackdown.

Britain, France, Peru, Sweden, Ivory Coast, the Netherlands, Poland and Kuwait joined the US in requesting the meeting be held this month. Nine votes are required at the 15-member council to approve an agenda item and vetoes do not apply.
‘One-sided’
In his letter, Myanmar’s ambassador repeated the country’s complaints that the UN report was “one-sided”, based on “narratives and not on hard evidence”.

“Putting accountability above all else without regard to other positive developments is a dangerous attempt that will face utter failure,” he warned in the letter.

Myanmar says the violence in Rakhine was triggered by Rohingya rebels who attacked border posts in August 2017.

But the fact-finding mission said there were reasonable grounds to believe the atrocities were committed with the intention of destroying the Rohingya, warranting the charges of “genocide”.

The report found the military’s tactics had been “consistently and grossly disproportionate to actual security threats”, adding estimates that some 10,000 people were killed in the crackdown were probably too conservative.

IANS

Pakistan’s deposed premier Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N recovered some ground in the by-elections by eating up the votes of prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI, winning four out of 11 parliamentary seats which went to the polls, according to the results on Monday.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lost its two seats vacated be Prime Minister Khan. His seat in Lahore was won by former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of the Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) and in Bannu by of Zahid Akram Durrani of the Muttahida Majlis Aml party.

The outcome of the by-election will not impact the federal or provincial government but help reinvigorate the opposition parties.

Polling for 11 National Assembly — the lower house of Parliament — and 24 provincial seats saw a tough competition between the ruling PTI led by Khan and the main opposition PML-N.

The PML-N and the PTI won four seats each of the National Assembly whereas Pakistan Muslims League-Quadi won two seats and Muttahida Majlis Amal one seat, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said.

The PTI won 11 seats of the provincial assemblies while the PML-N won seven. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), led by former president Asif Ali Zardari, and Awami National Party won two each and independent candidates grab two seats.

The PML-N won six out of 11 contested seats in Punjab while its arch-rival PTI won five. The PML-N also won a provincial assembly seat in Khyber-Pakhtukhwa, which is the stronghold of the PTI.

The PML-N won several seats vacated by the PTI candidates during July 25 general elections including at least two seats of the National Assembly.

According to the ECP, 9.28 million voters were eligible to vote. For the first time, overseas Pakistanis also participated in the elections though a special online portal designed by the ECP.

Thousands of army soldiers, police and paramilitary Rangers and Frontier Corps were deployed to provide security at 7,489 polling stations. The ECP had designated as many as 1,727 polling stations as highly sensitive where extra troops were deployed and security cameras installed.

Most of the seats which went to the polls were vacated by those candidates who had won on more than one seat during the July 25 general elections. Prime Minister Khan had won five seats and vacated four which were also up for grabs.

PTI

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to shift the focus of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) from motorways to agriculture, job creation and foreign investment, a media report said on Tuesday.

The decision was taken on Monday in a meeting presided over by Khan.

“Earlier, the CPEC was only aimed at construction of motorways and highways, but now the Prime Minister decided that it will be used to support the agriculture sector, create more jobs and attract other foreign nations like Saudi Arabia to invest in the country,” Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told Dawn news.

He said Khan’s proposed visit to China in the first week of November was also discussed during the meeting.

“Arrangements are being made for the visit and its date is yet to be finalised,” Chaudhry said.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister said strengthening the strategic cooperative partnership with China was the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy and early implementation of the CPEC projects would help realise the true potential of Pakistan-China economic relations not only for the two countries but for the entire region.

Khan said that CPEC was a great opportunity to learn from the Chinese experience, especially in the social, agricultural and other sectors.

He said that agricultural output of the country, considered as the backbone of economy, could be enhanced manifold by learning from Chinese expertise and employing latest technologies and efficient methods.

Prime Minister Khan stressed the need for focusing on early establishment of special economic zones in various parts of the country along the CPEC which would help the local industry grow through industrialisation and would also create huge employment opportunities for youths.

He said the CPEC under Belt and Road Initiative of President Xi Jinping also offered opportunities to other countries to invest in CPEC projects and reap benefits in various sectors.

Last year China had temporarily suspended funding of road projects related to the CPEC till what the Chinese authorities said “new guidelines” to be issued from Beijing, Dawn news reported.

It is expected that Khan will raise the issue during his meetings with the Chinese leadership.

IANS

Bangkok An Indian tourist was killed and another was seriously injured in a shootout in Bangkok, Thai police said on Monday.

The shootout between two groups of teenagers took place on Sunday night next to a parking lot of the Centara Watergate Pavilion shopping mall in the city’s Pratunam area, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to Metropolitan Police One commander Pol. Maj. Gen. Senit Samransamruatkit, the unidentified assailants were armed with AK-47 assault rifles.

The police said that the two groups had emerged from a nearby snooker club into an alley beside the parking lot and began a fight that quickly escalated into an armed battle.

Three more people — two Thai, one Lao — were also injured.

(IANS)

Public sector banks (PSBs) collected Rs 3,551 crore as charges from saving bank account holders for failure to maintain the required minimum balance.

Over Rs 11,500 crore collected in last four years by all banks
Banks continue to harvest a windfall at the cost of those who don’t have resources to maintain prescribed minimum balance in their accounts.

As high profile borrowers dumped almost Rs 10 lakh crore worth non performing assets (NPAs) in 2017-18, public sector banks (PSBs) collected Rs 3,551 crore as charges from saving bank account holders for failure to maintain the required minimum balance.

These charges are collected primarily to recover a part of the cost incurred on servicing the accounts.

An official in the Ministry of Finance said that in last four years (2014-15 to 2017-18), 21 PSBs and three private sector banks (ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and HDFC Bank ) collected over Rs 11,500 crore from customers who did not maintain a minimum balance in their savings accounts.

The largest lender in India, State Bank of India (SBI), alone collected almost Rs 2,500 crore in 2017-18. Among the private players, HDFC Bank charged customers nearly Rs 600 crore for not maintaining minimum balance.

Now, the banks want to end a negative perception which has been building since the practice of penalties was launched after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a circular on July 1, 2015 that empowered banks to fix services charges on various services rendered by them.

Since then, banks have been charging different penalties for the same default. SBI savings account holder who failed to maintain minimum balance is charged between Rs 5 and Rs 15 (plus GST) for various levels of shortfall. SBI customers are compulsorily required to maintain an average monthly balance of Rs 3,000 in metro cities while in semi urban cities the minimum level is Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,000 in rural areas.

The customers of private banks like HDFC Bank are required to maintain an average monthly balance of Rs 10,000 in urban cities, Rs 5,000 in semi-urban cities and Rs 2500 in rural areas.

The banks have now changed gears. With interest rates on saving deposits dipping and instruments like mutual funds out performing, the percentage growth in bank deposits has reduced. As a result, cash availability with banks has been declining. The heads of government banks had recently met in Delhi to set targets to raise the liquidity available with banks by attracting more people to make bank deposits.

PTI

Islamabad An 18-year-old girl was beheaded along with her 21-year-old boyfriend in Pakistan by her father and uncle in what the police are calling yet another incident of honour killing, the media reported on Monday.

The incident took place in a small village in Attock district when the man arrived at the girl’s house to meet her, police was quoted by Dawn News as saying. Soon after, the girl’s father and her uncle walked in and, after tying the victims with ropes, beheaded them with a sharp object.

The police have arrested both suspects and recovered the murder weapon as well, Sub-inspector of Saddar police station Asif Khan said.

Scores of people in Pakistan, an overwhelming majority of whom are women, are still being murdered by relatives for bringing “shame” on their family.

At least 280 such murders were recorded by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan from October 2016 to June 2017 – a figure believed to be understated and incomplete.

(IANS)

A month after Kerala was devastated by unprecedented rains and floods, 4,778 people are still in 120 relief camps, authorities said on Tuesday.

According to the Disaster Management State Control Room, the rains and floods have claimed 491 lives since May 29 while 14 persons remain missing.

At the height of the deluge, there were 14.50 lakh people in over 3,000 relief camps.

While Kasargode district was virtually left untouched, the capital district suffered minor damage.

The worst hit districts included Alappuzha, Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Wayanad besides parts of Kannur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kottayam and Kollam.

A total of 1,738 persons are in 55 camps in Thrissur district and 1,702 in Alappuzha.

(IANS)

The United States will shut the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s diplomatic office in Washington DC over the Palestinian government’s refusal to enter into US-led negotiations with Israel.

“We have been notified by a US official of their decision to close the Palestinian mission to the US,” PLO secretary-general Saeb Erekat said in a statement on Monday.

“This is yet another affirmation of the Trump administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education.”

According to a draft text of a speech seen by the Wall Street Journal and Reuters, Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, will also reportedly threaten the International Criminal Court (ICC) with sanctions if it carries out investigations into the US and Israel.

“The United States will always stand with our friend and ally, Israel,” Bolton is expected to say in his speech to the Federalist Society, a conservative group, in Washington DC.

“The Trump administration will not keep the office open when the Palestinians refuse to start direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel.”

Dangerous consequences after US cuts funding for Palestinian refugees (2:54)
The speech is also expected to say that the Trump administration “will fight back” if the ICC formally proceeds with opening an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by US service members and intelligence professionals during the war in Afghanistan.

If such a probe proceeds, the Trump administration will consider banning judges and prosecutors from entering the US, put sanctions on any funds they have in the US financial system and prosecute them in US courts.

“We will not cooperate with the ICC. We will provide no assistance to the ICC. We will not join the ICC. We will let the ICC die on its own. After all, for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us,” the draft text said.

Deteriorating ties
The action against the PLO, which serves as the main entity representing the Palestinian people, is the latest in a series of measures by the Trump administration against the Palestinian leadership.

Over the past year, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, has repeatedly questioned Mahmoud Abbas’ commitment to peace and Trump’s so-called “ultimate deal”.

The Palestinian leadership, which sees East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, suspended contacts with the US, after Washington recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel late last year.

The Palestinians insist the status of the city is an issue to be negotiated between them and the Israelis.

Officials in the Gaza Strip, which has been administered by Hamas since 2007, have also previously blasted the US for its support to Israel, saying Washington has long lost its regional credibility.

The US gives Israel annual military aid of $3.1bn. Next year, that figure will increase to $3.8bn under a 10-year deal agreed by Barack Obama shortly before he stepped down as president.

While the details of Trump’s so-called “deal of the century” have not officially been released, leaks have suggested that the Palestinians would initially control the Gaza Strip and less than half of the occupied West Bank, while a Palestinian capital would be created from villages surrounding Jerusalem.

The Israelis would retain security control over the Jordan valley and have total control over Palestinian travel between the West Bank and Gaza, while a corridor will be created between Palestinian territory and Jerusalem’s holy sites.

It appears meanwhile that Palestinians would have to surrender the principle of the right of return of Palestinian refugees expelled during the creation of Israel, while the future of illegal Israeli settlements and the final border between Palestine and Israel would be decided at a later date.

Cut in funding
Monday’s announcement comes just weeks after the US said it would cut more than $200m in economic aid for the Palestinians.

Wishing away Palestinian refugees: End of US’ UNRWA aid explained
The US had planned to give the Palestinians $251m for good governance, health, education and funding for civil society in the current 2018 budget year that ends on September 30.

On Sunday, Haaretz reported that the US has also decided to cut more than $20m in foreign aid meant to support hospitals in East Jerusalem.

According to Haaretz, the hospitals treat Palestinian patients who require cancer and eye treatments.

The decision to cut funding comes amid a severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where more than 160 Palestinians protesting for their right to return to the areas from which they were forcibly expelled from in 1948 have been killed by Israeli gunfire since March 30 during weeks-long demonstrations near the fence with Israel.

(Aljazeera)