01-10-2021 The Asian Independent

4
01-10-2021 to 15-10-2021 ASIA
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
Punjab CM Channi meets PM
Modi, discusses farmers' issues
New Delhi. Punjab Chief
Minister Charanjit Singh
Channi on Friday met Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and
discussed farmers issues. The
meeting was held at the Prime
Minister's official residence at
7 Lok Kalyan Marg here.
It is learnt that Channi in his
first meeting with the Prime
Minister after becoming chief
minister of Punjab requested
that the Centre take back its
decision to postpone paddy
procurement by 10 days. The
Centre has postponed the procurement
of paddy by 10 days
due to rain in Punjab and
Haryana. Earlier the procurement
was supposed to start
from October 1 but now it will
start from October 11.
"The chief minister has
raised the issue of postponement
of paddy procurement
and requested to withdraw the
order and immediately start the
procurement," sources said.
The sources said that the
Punjab chief minister also discussed
issues concerning the
development of the state.
It is learnt that Channi discussed
the three new farm laws
against which farmers have
been protesting for almost a
year. "Punjab chief minister
Channi has requested the Prime
Minister to repeal the three new
farm laws or find a solution to
end the farmers' protest,"
sources said.
Last month, the Congress
high command made Channi
the chief minister of Punjab
replacing Amarinder Singh.
Channi reached the national
capital on Friday afternoon
around 3 p.m. and later went to
meet the Prime Minister.
There is speculation that
Channi will meet former
Commandant Swati Sharma
selected for British govt's
Chevening Scholarship
Jaipur. Rajasthan
Home Guards Services
Officer, Commandant
Swati Sharma has been
selected for Chevening
Scholarship to pursue
her Masters in Risk,
Disaster and Resilience
from one of the world's
leading Universities --
University College
London, London.
Chevening
Scholarship is the UK
government's international
award scheme
aimed at developing
global leaders. This
highly competitive
Scholarship is funded
by the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office
(FCO) and its recipients
are personally
selected by British
Embassies and High
Commissions throughout the
world.
Commenting on this
achievement, Swati said, "In
the current scenario of increasing
natural and manmade disasters,
a disaster resilient society
is the need of the hour. Society
needs more professionals who
have expertise in optimum utilisation
of human resources,
efficient planning along with
knowledge of latest technology.
"I am grateful to the State
Government and the Rajasthan
Home Guards department for
their support and feel fortunate
enough to earn this lifetime
opportunity and take the pride
to represent India
and Rajasthan on
this renowned
international platform."
The National
level Pistol
Shooter, Swati
Sharma is a proud
veteran of the
Indian Army. She
joined the RHS
Cadre in 2012, as
the first women
officer.
Being a meritorious
Officer,
Commandant Swati
Sharma has also
been awarded
Director General
appreciation certificate
by the Chief
Minister in 2019
and recently awarded
with DG's Disc
from Ministry of Home Affairs,
New Delhi. She has qualified
for the Civil Defence and
Disaster Management Course
at National Civil Defence
College, Nagpur and gleaned
Diplomas from Army College
of Materials Management and
Symbiosis.
Congress President Rahul
Gandhi and other senior party
leaders before returning to
Punjab. Channi is likely to discuss
the ongoing crisis in the
Punjab Congress unit with the
party central leadership after
the resignation of Navjot Singh
Sidhu from the post of state
unit chief. Before coming to the
national capital, Channi met
Sidhu on Thursday.
New York : The
producer of the
Sundance prize-winning
Swedish documentary,
'Sabaya',
has defended himself
against an investigative
story published
in 'The New York
Times' claiming that
many of the Yazidi
women portrayed in
the film had never
agreed to be a part of
it, according to a
report in Variety.com.
The muchacclaimed
film,
directed, shot and
edited by Hogir
HIrori, follows the
actions of a group
that, braving all kinds
of risks, sets out to
rescue Yazidi women
held by the ISIS as
sex slaves in the
Midde East's most
dangerous Al-Hawl
camp.
In a statement issued on
Thursday evening, the producer,
Antonio Russo Merenda,
said that director Hirori and he
had "received written, verbal
or filmed consent from everyone
who appears" in 'Sabaya',
and from the legal guardian of
Three persons carrying
arms, ammo held in
J&K's KULGAM
Srinagar. Three persons
were arrested in J&K's Kulgam
district on Friday and a quantity
of arms and ammunition
recovered from them, police
said. According to police, following
specific information
about the movement of antinational
elements, police, the
Rashtriya Rifles, and the CRPF
set up a 'Naka' (checkpost) at
Malpora Mir Bazar crossing in
Qazigund area of Kulgam.
"During checking, three persons
on a motorcycle and in a
car were signalled to stop. "On
the young girl who is featured
in the film.
Merenda also provided
statements from one of the
main female protagonists of
'Sabaya', as well as from a
Syrian Kurdish filmmaker
who worked with Hirori. He
also presented a letter from the
seeing the search party, they
tried to flee from the spot, but
they were chased and apprehended,"
a police officer said.
The three disclosed their
identity as Obaid A. Mushtaq,
Aadil Jamal Bhat, and Danish
Rasool Bhat of Awantipora,
Pulwama, and on being
searched, four grenades, four
detonators, an IED, an IED wire,
an Ak-47, an AK-47 magazine, a
pistol, and 30 pistol rounds were
recovered from their possession,
police said. The vehicles have
also been seized.
Documentary on Yazidi sex
slaves lands in consent row
Swedish Film
Institute, which had
financed the documentary.
'The New York
Times' article, according
to Variety.com,
claimed the women
portrayed in the film
received the consent
forms electronically
and in English -- a
language they did not
understand -- almost
two years after they'd
been filmed and after
the movie had been
screened. The director
had said to the 'Times'
that he "initially
recorded verbal consent
from the women"
and planned on having
them sign the written
releases during his
next trip, but he had
been delayed because
of the pandemic.
Merenda said in his
statement that 'Sabaya' is "a
Swedish production following
Swedish law," which says that
"written, verbal and filmed
consent are equally valid." He
also said the releases "were
provided in both Arabic (the
official language in both Syria
and Iraq) and English."