Indian American actress and beauty pageant winner Emily Shah has joined the heartwarming family drama film, “Jungle Cry,” produced by Bollywood Hollywood Production, and set in Mumbai, Wales and London. The former Miss New Jersey joins Abhay Deol, Stewart Wright, Julian Lewis Jones and Rugby World Cup referee Nigel Owens, along with the World Rugby Union, Swansea University and the nearly 150-year-old rugby team ‘Scarlets.’ Shah, the daughter of Hollywood film executive Prashant Shah, recently graduated from California State University in entertainment media management with credentials as assisting the director for “Fast and Furious 7,” “Captain America,” “Run All Night” (with Liam Neeson) and Clint Eastwood on “Jersey Boys.” “Since my modelling days I have been a supporter to end polio with UNICEF, so it’s only natural to continue to give back with this film. The outpouring of support by the entire World Rugby Union community in Wales and London, for the film, has been incredible,” said Emily. Directed by Sagar Ballary, “Jungle Cry” is the true story of the Jungle Crows team of 12 young tribal Indian boys who played sports barefoot, and went on to win the coveted U14 Rugby World Cup in England.
PIO who faked med degree faces jail in UAE
A 38-year old Indo-Canadian woman has lost her appeal against a six-month jail term, months after being found guilty of using a fake degree to practice medicine in the UAE. The Court of First Instance in April convicted her of charges of practicing medicine with a licence she had wrongfully obtained and committing forgery, reports said. Public prosecution records showed that she managed to have the licence to work as a dermatologist issued for her after filling in her application form with false information. She used forged general medicine degree and diploma in specialisation when applying for the permit, the report said on the case which dates back to March 6, 2016.
Indian youth found hanging from tree in Toronto
An young Indian man was found hanging from a tree outside his home in Toronto. The man, hailing from Punjab, was pursuing a course in hotel management. The Canadian police informed the family members in Nabha. Soon after the news, the family of the young man - identified as Vishal Sharma (21) – are in shock. Though the police are clueless whether it was a case a murder or suicide, family suspect that it to be a murder as the body was hanging “too high.” The family are of the opinion that there was no reason Vishal could have committed suicide as he was very happy there. He even visited the family in Nabha in July to attend a marriage and went back in September. His father said, “We had a telephonic conversation with him on Saturday and even on Sunday, he talked to his cousins and everything was fine. We don’t know what happened.” As per to the latest information, the family had requested the body of Vishal for cremation.
Pak factory fined for ‘draining’ sacred temple pond
Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered a cement company to deposit Rs 10 crore into its dam fund for using underground water that lead to rapid drying up of the ‘sacred pond’ at the Katas Raj temple complex - considered sacred by Hindus. The apex court began proceeding after media reported about the extensive exploitation of underground water by the cement factories located near the historic Katas Raj temple in Chakwal district of Punjab was drying up the pond. A three-member bench already had banned the use of underground water by cement factories to save the pond. The court also ordered authorities to refill the pond even by using water tankers. The court ordered DG Khan Cement company to deposit Rs 10 crore into the Supreme Court Dam Fund, including Rs 8 crore as payment for water utilised and Rs 2 crore penalty for misleading the court.
Pakistan arrests 300 supporters of detained cleric
Police in Pakistan have arrested some 300 supporters of a detained radical Islamic cleric who disrupted daily life with nationwide rallies following the acquittal of a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy. Senior police officer Tahir Mahmood said that supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik party were picked up in sweeps across Punjab province following the arrest of its leader, Khadim Hussain Rizvi. Police also arrested scores of Rizvi's supporters as they took to streets to protest his overnight arrest. Rizvi's supporters held violent rallies against the Supreme Court's Oct. 31 acquittal of Aasia Bibi. He has called for more protests. Pakistan's hard-line Islamists have threatened to kill anyone who insults Islam or who speaks out against the blasphemy law.
IS supporter jailed for 38 years in Australia
A supporter of the Islamic State group who helped a teenager kill a police accountant outside the state police headquarters in Sydney has been sentenced by an Australian judge to 38 years in prison.
Milad Atai had pleaded guilty to assisting and encouraging the 15-year-old to shoot the accountant as he walked from the police building in 2015. Atai also pleaded guilty to helping the shooter's sister fly to Syria. The shooter was shot dead by police and the sister died in an airstrike in Syria. Justice Peter Johnson ordered 22-year-old Atai to serve a minimum 28 ½ years behind bars before becoming eligible for parole. Johnson says Atai had supported extreme jihad for several months before the shooting and appeared to still hold radical views
Deadly California wildfire finally contained
The massive wildfire that killed dozens of people and destroyed thousands of homes in Northern California has been fully contained, after burning for more than two weeks, authorities said. The fire department said the "Camp Fire" had been surrounded by firefighters after several days of rain in the Paradise area. The wildfire had started on November 8. The nation's deadliest wildfire in a century killed at least 85 people, and 249 are on a list of those unaccounted for. The number of missing dropped in recent days as officials confirmed that more people were alive. The fire began in the parched Sierra Nevada foothills and quickly spread across 620 square km, destroying most of Paradise in a day. Nearly 19,000 buildings in California, mostly homes, are gone. In Southern California, around 250,000 had fled their homes, three died, and 1,643 buildings, mostly homes, were destroyed. However, residents are returning to evacuated areas now, as crews repaired power, telephone and gas utilities.
South Korean named Interpol president
South Korea’s Kim Jong Yang was elected as Interpol’s president, edging out a longtime veteran of Russia’s security services who was strongly opposed by the US, Britain and other European nations.
Kim’s election was seen as a victory for the White House and its European partners, who had lobbied against Alexander Prokopchuk’s attempts to be named the next president of the policing organization. The US and others expressed concern that if Russia’s candidate had been elected, it would lead to further Kremlin abuses of Interpol’s red notice system to go after political opponents and fugitive dissidents. Russia accused its critics of running a “campaign to discredit” their candidate, calling Prokopchuk a respected professional. Kim’s win means he secured at least two-thirds of votes cast at Interpol’s general assembly in Dubai. He will serve until 2020, completing the four-year mandate of his predecessor, Meng Hongwei, who was detained in China as part of a wide anti-corruption sweep there.
Woman kills lover, cooks him in rice dish
A woman has been accused of killing her lover then cooking his remains as part of a traditional rice dish, according to reports. The Moroccan woman, who has not been identified, allegedly butchered her boyfriend before serving his remains to nearby workers as ‘machboos’ - a Gulf dish similar to biriyani. Local reports, quoting the man’s brother, said police found a human tooth inside the woman’s blender. The woman was arrested after DNA tests showed it was the man’s tooth. She was arrested on suspicion of killing her boyfriend, who she had been with for seven years. It has not been specified how she is alleged to have killed him. Reports claim the incident happened after he told her he’d planned to marry someone else.
Uganda boat accident death toll rises to 33 - police
The death toll from a boat accident on Lake Victoria over the weekend rose to 33, as survivors described moments of heavy drinking and raucous fun before the vessel, slammed by powerful waves, tilted and sank. The tragedy occurred hundreds of meters off shore as the boat, carrying an estimated 100 revellers, was en route from one beach to another in Mukono district near the capital Kampala. Police spokesman, Patrick Onyango said the number of bodies retrieved from the water stood at 33, while 27 people have been rescued alive. The death toll was expected to rise, he said. This is the second deadly accident to happen on Lake Victoria revently. In September, more than 200 people died when an overloaded ferry sank on the Tanzanian side of the lake.
Over 600 injured in massive Iran quake
At least 634 people were injured in the magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck Iran's Kermanshah province, authorities said. There has been no report of any fatal casualties, Xinhua news agency quoted Mahamoud Reza, president of Medical Science University of Kermanshah province, as saying. Iran's National Gas Company said that pipelines have been broken in Sar Pol Zahab and Gasr-e Shirin cities. The quake was also felt in the neighbouring provinces of Lorestan and Ilam and Kordestan, as well as in the border areas of Iraq. At least 161 aftershocks, ranging from 2.4 to 5.2 magnitude, have been registered in the region so far. In November 2017, 211 people died in a magnitude 7.3 earthquake that hit the Iran-Iraq border.
Goat delivers ‘human-pig’, sparks fears of a curse
A Philippines farmer left shocked after his goat gave birth to a “half-pig half-human” creature. There are now fears the creature was cursed and could bring bad luck to the family. Some have even said the creature could be a “mutant devil.” Josephine Repique, 40, said the pregnant goat went into labour earlier this month on November 2. Josephine said the small fur-less animal even had a naval - just like a tiny human.
