Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake meets Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Photo Courtesy: Randhir Jaiswal X page
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is currently on his maiden trip to India following his win in the polls earlier this year, reiterated his country’s stated position of not permitting its territory to be used in any manner inimical to the security of India as well as towards regional stability.
Dissanayake arrived in India on Sunday and met PM Modi in New Delhi earlier on Monday.
As per the joint statement issued by India and Sri Lanka, President Disanayaka appreciated India’s continued support for the implementation of projects despite the ongoing debt restructuring.
He further acknowledged India’s decision to extend grant assistance for projects that were originally undertaken through Lines of Credit, thereby reducing the debt burden of Sri Lanka.
President Disanayaka thanked Modi for India’s support in stabilising the Sri Lankan economy through unparalleled and multi-pronged assistance, including emergency financing and forex support worth USD 4 billion.
He acknowledged India’s crucial assistance in Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring process, including as co-chair of the Official Creditors’ Committee (OCC), as being instrumental in finalising the debt restructuring discussions in a timely manner.
He further thanked India for extending financial assistance of USD 20.66 million to settle payments due from Sri Lanka for projects completed under existing Lines of Credit thereby significantly reducing the debt burden at a critical time.
Underscoring the close and special ties with Sri Lanka, PM Modi reiterated India’s consistent support to the country in times of need and in its quest for economic recovery and stability, and prosperity for its people.
The leaders instructed officials to finalise discussions on the bilateral MoU on Debt Restructuring.
Modi welcomed Sri Lanka’s support to India’s candidature for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2028-2029.
S Jaishankar, Deputy Prime Minister Mihail Popsoi jointly inaugurate Moldova’s Embassy in New Delhi. Photo Courtesy: S Jaishankar X page
India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday jointly inaugurated the Embassy of Moldova in New Delhi with visiting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihail Popsoi.
Jaishankar expressed hope that the Embassy will open new possibilities for bilateral ties between the two nations.
“Delighted to jointly inaugurate the Embassy of Republic of Moldova in New Delhi alongside DPM & FM @MihaiPopsoi,” he posted on X.
Delighted to jointly inaugurate the Embassy of Republic of Moldova in New Delhi alongside DPM & FM @MihaiPopsoi.
An important step forward in 🇮🇳🇲🇩 ties that will open new possibilities for our partnership. pic.twitter.com/yrE4Tn1yR5
“An important step forward in ties that will open new possibilities for our partnership,” he said.
The Moldovan Minister is visiting India from December 15 to December 16.
Jaishankar and Popsoi held bilateral talks on 15 December 2024 in New Delhi and reviewed the entire spectrum of India-Moldova relations, including political, trade, cultural, and people-to-people ties.
“They also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest,” read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
The two Ministers signed a Declaration of Intent on a Migration and Mobility Partnership between the Government of India and the Government of Moldova.
During the visit, Moldova also signed the Framework Agreement to join the International Solar Alliance.
Additionally, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service, Ministry of External Affairs of India, and the Diplomatic Institute, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova, to enhance cooperation in diplomats’ training.
Jamie Foxx injured when glass was thrown at him during birthday dinner at restaurant. Photo Courtesy: Jamie Foxx Instagram page
Hollywood actor and singer Jamie Foxx was injured and required medical attention after a glass was thrown at him and it hit his mouth while he was celebrating his birthday at a restaurant in Beverly Hills, California.
“Someone from another table threw a glass that hit him in the mouth,” a spokesperson for the actor said in a statement to The Los Angeles Times. “He had to get stitches and is recovering. The police were called and the matter is now in law enforcement’s hands.”
Beverly Hills Police said its officers responded to the reported possible assault with a deadly weapon at Mr. Chow restaurant.
“Upon investigation, officers determined that the reported assault with a deadly weapon was unfounded. Instead, the incident involved a physical altercation between parties,” police said in the statement.
The police statement, however, did not mention Foxx’s name.
It is still not clear what triggered the incident.
Police said no arrest has been made so far.
“The BHPD conducted a preliminary investigation and completed a report documenting the battery. No arrests were made,” police said.
Foxx also hinted at the incident through an Instagram post he made on Sunday. “The devil is a lie. Can’t win here… thank you to everybody that pray and check on me… when your light is shining bright… they try to bring you darkness … but they don’t know that you’re built for it… the lights have been shining bright.”
Foxx gained his career breakthrough as a featured player in the sketch comedy show In Living Color from 1991 to 1994.
Following this success, he was given his own sitcom, The Jamie Foxx Show, in which he starred, co-created and produced from 1996 to 2001.
Foxx received acclaim for his portrayal of American singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Ray Charles in the film Ray (2004), winning the Academy Award for Best Actor.
That same year, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the crime film Collateral, also featuring Tom Cruise.
He gained further prominence for his film roles in Ali (2001), Jarhead (2005), Dreamgirls (2006), Miami Vice (2006), Horrible Bosses (2011), Django Unchained (2012), Annie (2014), Baby Driver (2017), and Soul (2020).
Apart from his acting prowess, Foxx also is an award-winning singer, having won the Grammy Award once from nine nominations.
Isa Guha apologises for ‘primate’ remark against Jasprit Bumrah. Photo Courtesy: Isa Guha Instagram page
English commentator Isa Guha has apologised for referring to Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah as a ‘primate’ while speaking about his bowling skills during the second day’s play of the ongoing third Test match between India and Australia.
Bumrah was the only challenge that Australian batsmen faced on their way to scoring 445 runs in their first innings. The 31-year-old picked up six wickets while the rest of the Indian bowlers struggled to pose any significant threat to the Aussie batters.
Describing his performance, Guha, a former international cricketer from England, called him the ‘Most Valuable Primate’.
The comment, however, did not go down well with Bumrah’s fans with many of them criticising her on social media for the comment.
Meanwhile, Guha addressed the issue during the third day’s coverage of the match and apologised for any offence she caused by using the word.
Isa Guha said she only used the word to praise Jasprit Bumrah highly.
“I set myself really high standards when it comes to empathy and respect of others and if you listen to the full transcript, I only meant the highest praise for one of India’s greatest players and someone that I admire greatly as well,” she was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.
Isa Guha admitted she chose to use the wrong word.
“I’m trying to frame the enormity of his achievements and I’ve chosen the wrong word, and for that I am deeply sorry,” the commentator said.
“As someone who is also of South-Asian heritage I hope people would recognise that there was no other intention or malice there,” she said.
Commentator Ravi Shastri, who was present on the live broadcast with Isa Guha, praised her and called her a ‘brave woman’.
He said: “To apologise on live television takes some steel. You heard it from the horse’s mouth so as far as I am concerned, game’s over. People are entitled to make mistakes, we are all human.”
This holds significance since India and Australia have already witnessed a similar episode, involving players Harbhajan Singh and the late Andrew Symonds. Now infamous as the Monkeygate Scandal, it hit the headlines during the 2007-08 Border Gavaskar Trophy down under.
As per reports, Indian off-spinner Singh had allegedly called Symonds a ‘monkey’. Though the Indian cricketer repeatedly refuted the allegation, saying he said “Maa ki”, a common northern Indian slang, officials found Singh guilty of racially abusing the Aussie cricketer and handed him a suspension. Though the two cricketers reconciled after that, featuring for Mumbai Indians in the franchise-based Indian Premier League together, the incident left a dent, and Guha’s remark reminded many about it.
Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim announce retirement. Photo Courtesy: PCB website
All-rounder Imad Wasim and left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Amir have announced their retirements from international cricket just months before the country is gearing up to host the Champions Trophy.
Both players last featured for Pakistan in this year’s ICC T20 World Cup held in the USA and West Indies.
35-year-old Imad made his international debut in May 2015 at home against Zimbabwe and went on to represent Pakistan in 55 ODIs and 75 T20Is.
He took 117 wickets and scored 1,540 runs across the 130 games in his international career.
Amir, the 32-year-old from Gujjar Khan, featured in 36 Tests, 61 ODIs and 62 T20Is for Pakistan since making his international debut in June 2009, reported Pakistan Cricket Board.
Amir took 271 international wickets and had scored 1,179 runs across the three formats.
Amir and Imad have been key members of the Pakistan men’s cricket team over the years and they also represented Pakistan U19 team as part of their development early in their respective careers.
Amir was part of the 2009 ICC T20 World Cup winning squad, while along with Imad, both were integral part of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy winning squad.
Imad Wasim said: “It has been a great journey representing my country and the fulfilment of a huge dream. I would like to thank the fans for supporting me and the team throughout these years.”
“I would also like to thank the PCB for all their support at each step and I wish great success to the national team and look forward to supporting Pakistan cricket from the other side of the ground,” he said.
Speaking on his retirement decision, Mohammad Amir said, “It has been a great honour to play for Pakistan across all three formats. I know this is a difficult decision, but I feel this is the right time for the next generation to take the baton and elevate Pakistan cricket to new heights.”
He said: “I would like to thank the PCB for always extending the much-needed support over the years and I look forward to watching the team excel. I would also like to thank Pakistan fans for always supporting me throughout my career.”
Zakir Hussain was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023. Photo courtesy: YouTube Screenshot
Indian tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, whose musical creations have captivated people for generations, was reported to have died at a hospital in the United States on Sunday, after suffering from heart-related ailments. However, soon after the news broke (late on Sunday night for India), and condolences were expressed by many, his close family members refuted the news of his death, and said that the iconic Indian classical percussion artiste was “very critical” but still alive.
A report by Moneycontrol.com, published just past midnight in Indian time on Sunday, quoted his sister Khursheed as telling the Indian news agency PTI that her brother was “very very critical” but was “very much breathing at the moment”. Zakir Hussain, 73, was undergoing treatment at a hospital in San Francisco.
Known for taking tabla to the global stage, he is a four-time Grammy winner. Earlier this year, he won three Grammys during the 66th edition of the musical award.
Zakir Hussain with his Grammy awards. Photo courtesy: Instagram/zakirhq9
In his career, he has worked with several major Indian and international artistes like English guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist L Shankar, and percussionist TH Vikku Vinayakram, among others. Hussain has also been an actor, being part of the Merchant-Ivory film Heat and Dust (1983).
The son of Allah Rakha, the legendary tabla player, Zakir was a child prodigy who began his professional career at the age of 12, accompanying India’s greatest classical musicians and dancers and touring internationally extensively by the age of 18.
In his illustrious career that spanned decades, Zakir Hussain was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023, by the Government of India.
In 1999, the tabla maestro was awarded the United States National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship, the highest award given to traditional artistes and musicians.
As a composer, he scored music for numerous feature films, major events and productions. He has composed three concertos, and his third, the first-ever concerto for tabla and orchestra, was premiered in India in September 2015 by the Symphony Orchestra of India; premiered in Europe and the United Kingdom in 2016; and in the USA in April 2017 by the National Symphony Orchestra at Kennedy Center.
In the United States, Zakir Hussain conducted many workshops and lectures each year. He was in residence at Princeton University and Stanford University, and, in 2015, was appointed Regents Lecturer at UCBerkeley.
Zakir Hussain was the 2022 Kyoto Prize Laureate in Arts and Philosophy. Photo courtesy: Instagram/zakirhq9
His yearly workshop in the San Francisco Bay Area, conducted for the past 30 years, became a widely anticipated event for performers and serious students of tabla.
He is the founder and president of Moment Records, an independent record label presenting rare live concert recordings of Indian classical music and world music.
Zakir Hussain was the resident artistic director at SF Jazz from 2013 until 2016, and was honored with SF Jazz’s Lifetime Achievement Award on January 18, 2017, in recognition of his “unparalleled contribution to the world of music”.
On Indian Independence Day, Zakir Hussain performed at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay in Singapore on August 15, 2024.
Condolences
Politicians and celebrities shared their thoughts on the reported sudden demise of the musician on X.
Businessman Anand Mahindra wrote on X: “The rhythm of India paused today…In tribute.”
RPG Group chairman Harsh Goenka, paying tribute, wrote on his handle: “The world falls silent as the tabla loses its maestro. Ustad Zakir Hussain, a rhythmic genius who brought the soul of India to global stages, has left us. I was privileged to know him because of his connection with HMV and hear him perform at our home. His beats will echo eternally.”
The world falls silent as the tabla loses its maestro. Ustad Zakir Hussain, a rhythmic genius who brought the soul of India to global stages, has left us. I was privileged to know him because of his connection with HMV and hear him perform at our home. His beats will echo… pic.twitter.com/TJ5aaLbsqZ
Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said: “The बोल of Zakir Hussain Ji’s tabla spoke a universal language, transcending borders, cultures and generations.” “This clip defines how we will remember him, and celebrate his legacy. The sound & vibrations of his rhythm will echo in our hearts forever. सदैव गूंजेगा, वाह ताज!” he said.
Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman wrote: “Really sad to learn that legend of legends, Ustad Zakir Hussain is no more. A sad day for the world of music. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.”
Indian techie Atul Subhash’s wife, other family members arrested. Photo Courtesy: Videograb from X
Indian police have arrested Nikita Singhania, the estranged wife of techie Atul Subhash, her mother Nisha, and brother Anurag in connection with an abetment to suicide case, days after the 34-year-old man took his own life after accusing his wife and in-laws of harassment and extortion.
While Nikita was arrested in Gurugram, her mother and brother were detained from Prayagraj.
Her uncle Sushil, also an accused in the case, is on the run, media reports said.
Police said the three accused were arrested on Saturday and brought to Bengaluru late at night.
They were produced in court on Sunday morning and remanded in custody for 14 days.
Earlier, the Bengaluru police had asked them to appear within three days.
In a shocking incident, 34-year-old techie Atul Subhash died by suicide on Monday accusing his wife and her family members of harassment and extortion in an 81-minute video and a 24-page suicide note.
The FIR was filed under Sections 108 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and they are booked for abetting his suicide.
In a suicide video, he alleged that he and his family were slapped with charges of murder, dowry harassment and unnatural sex.
However, Nikita later withdrew the case.
Atul had refuted the dowry charges by Nikita and also claimed there was no link between the dowry demand and the death of Nikita’s father.
In the 24-page suicide note, Atul alleged his wife was getting Rs. 40,000 (USD 471) per month for maintenance despite having a job at Accenture and even asked for Rs. 2-4 lakh (USD 2,358- 4,716) more.
Open AI’s former employee Suchir Balaji found dead at US apartment. Photo Courtesy: Suchir Balaji X page
Suchir Balaji, the OpenAI whistleblower and former employee of Indian-origin, was recently found dead at his apartment in San Francisco. He was 26. The news of his death drew a reaction from Elon Musk.
Balaji previously made headlines after he accused OpenAI of violating US copyright law.
According to media reports, the Indian-origin techie died by committing suicide.
The city’s Chief Medical Examiner was quoted as saying in a statement by TechCrunch: “The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) has identified the decedent as Suchir Balaji, 26, of San Francisco. The manner of death has been determined to be suicide.”
Balaji was found dead in his Buchanan Street apartment on November 26, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department told TechCrunch.
Officers and medics were called to his residence in the city’s Lower Haight district to perform a wellness check on the former OpenAI researcher. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation, police told the tech website.
Suchir Balaji’s LinkedIn page shows he worked with OpenAI from November 2020 to August 2024.
OpenAI reacts to Balaji’s death
OpenAI, the tech firm which developed Chat GPT, said it was ‘devastated’ to know about the death of the techie.
“We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news today and our hearts go out to Suchir’s loved ones during this difficult time,” said an OpenAI spokesperson in an email to TechCrunch.
Elon Musk reacts to Balaji’s death
Billionaire Elon Musk reacted to the death of the techie and posted a cryptic message on X.
“Hmm,” sharing the news of the techie’s death Elon Musk wrote on his platform.
Elon Musk and Sam Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015.
Musk later left the company and founded a rival startup xAI.
Balaji-Open AI-copyright infringement
In his interview with The New York Times, Suchir Balaji earlier said he left OpenAI because he no longer wanted to contribute to technologies that he believed would bring society more harm than benefit.
According to reports, he even alleged that OpenAI was violating copyright law.
I recently participated in a NYT story about fair use and generative AI, and why I’m skeptical “fair use” would be a plausible defense for a lot of generative AI products. I also wrote a blog post (https://t.co/xhiVyCk2Vk) about the nitty-gritty details of fair use and why I…
Speaking on the issue of fair use and generative AI, Balaji earlier wrote on X: “To give some context: I was at OpenAI for nearly 4 years and worked on ChatGPT for the last 1.5 of them. I initially didn’t know much about copyright, fair use, etc. but became curious after seeing all the lawsuits filed against GenAI companies.”
“When I tried to understand the issue better, I eventually came to the conclusion that fair use seems like a pretty implausible defense for a lot of generative AI products, for the basic reason that they can create substitutes that compete with the data they’re trained on,” he said.
“I’ve written up the more detailed reasons for why I believe this in my post. Obviously, I’m not a lawyer, but I still feel like it’s important for even non-lawyers to understand the law — both the letter of it, and also why it’s actually there in the first place,” the techie posted on X.
“That being said, I don’t want this to read as a critique of ChatGPT or OpenAI per se, because fair use and generative AI is a much broader issue than any one product or company. I highly encourage ML researchers to learn more about copyright — it’s a really important topic, and precedent that’s often cited like Google Books isn’t actually as supportive as it might see,” Balaji wrote on X.
Singapore Police said: “Members of [the] public should note that PayNow does not have a website that allows you to key in personal and credit card details.” Representative photo courtesy: Pixabay/JESHOOTS-com
The Singapore-wide payment system PayNow, which enables convenient money transfer for retail customers of banks and non-banking financial institutions, is the latest bait in the ever-increasing list of ways in which scammers target people’s wallets.
An advisory issued by the Singapore Police Force has given details of how scam SMSes are being sent to people, directing them to a PayNow phishing (fake) website.
A phishing website is one that mimics a genuine website, and the look and wording of the fake website very closely match that of the real website. As scam technologies get more and more advanced, many users are unable to distinguish between the fake and the real thing. Phishing websites take advantage of this to force the user to carry out a transaction, through which they steal user data.
The Singapore Police media release said: “In this scam [PayNow] campaign, victims would receive a text message stating – ‘Pay Now: Your certificate expires in 3 days. Renew it now at <URL link> to keep your services active’. Victims who click on the URL embedded in the message would be redirected to a fake PayNow phishing website.”
The police said: “The fake [PayNow] website would state that the victim’s PayNow certificate was expiring in a few days and [renewal would] require the victim to key in credit card details and other personal details (e.g. phone number, billing address, name, date of birth, email).”
Making potential targets aware of how PayNow works, Singapore Police said: “Members of [the] public should note that PayNow does not have a website that allows you to key in personal and credit card details. All details provided to PayNow should be through the banks’ official sites or applications. PayNow does not issue any digital certificates to members of [the] public. If in doubt, PayNow users can contact your respective banks through their official hotlines for assistance.”
Phishing website/Singapore Police ForcePhishing website/Singapore Police Force
Stating this, the Singapore Police advisory drew people’s attention to some standard precautionary measures:
● ADD – Add the ScamShield app and set security features (e.g. set up transaction limits for Internet banking transactions / credit/debit card transactions, enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Multifactor Authentication for banks and e-wallets, use the Money Lock feature of your bank to “lock up” a portion of your money so that it cannot be transferred out digitally by anyone, further protecting your savings from scams). Add and use only official banking apps downloaded from official app stores (Google Play Store or Apple App Store) to make transfers or payments.
● CHECK – Do not use clickable links or QR codes provided by unknown persons. Check for scam signs with official sources such as the ScamShield Helpline (1799). You can also check the legitimacy of suspicious messages, phone numbers and website links via the ScamShield app or visit the ScamShield website at www.scamshield.gov.sg.
● TELL – Tell the authorities, family, and friends about scams. Report the fraudulent advertisements or listings to the respective platforms. If you have any information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent police assistance, please dial ‘999’.
