PM Modi, national leaders mourn Amar Singh’s death
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several political leaders across India condoled the death of Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh.
Singh, ex-Samajwadi Party leader, passed away in Singapore while undergoing treatment for his ailments. In 2011. Amar Singh underwent kidney transplantation, however he wasn’t keeping well in the recent past.
Amar Singh Ji was an energetic public figure. In the last few decades, he witnessed some of the major political developments from close quarters. He was known for his friendships across many spheres of life. Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his friends & family. Om Shanti.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 1, 2020
Singh is credit to have saved Congress-led UPA government from falling after the Left parties withdrew support from it in 2008 over the issue of nuclear deal while he was the the general secretary of the SP.
At the height of his political career, Amar Singh wielded huge political clout and was known for his contacts in the business and Bollywood. He was considered as ‘right hand man’ of Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.
श्री अमर सिंह जी के स्नेह-सान्निध्य से वंचित होने पर भावपूर्ण संवेदना एवं श्रद्धांजलि. pic.twitter.com/YwNmeLk1Bk
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) August 1, 2020
His political career declined after his name emerged in the alleged cash for votes scam and was later arrested.
Trump: Will ban TikTok in US
As reports of Microsoft being in talks to acquire Chinese video app TikTok, US President Donald Trump revealed that he is mulling over banning TikTok.
TRUMP: “We’re looking at TikTok, we may be banning TikTok.” pic.twitter.com/juVVaIyiGD
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) July 31, 2020
India has banned 106 Chinese apps, including TikTok, a move that was welcomed by Trump govt and other prominent lawmakers in America. Earlier US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed TikTok was collecting personal information from its American users.
Several reports also suggest that US government may order ByteDance (parent company of TikTok) to divest of its ownership of TikTok.
US media has reported that Satya Nadella headed Microsoft, is in advanced stages of finalising a multi-billion deal to acquire the US operations of TikTok and is likely to be sealed by August 3rd.
Iran detains leader of California-based ‘exile group’
Iran has detained a leader of a US-based group for allegedly planning a 2008 mosque attack which lead to the death of 14 people and wounding nearly 200 others.
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry claimed that the accused Jamshid Sharmahd of the Kingdom Assembly of Iran, planned several other attacks around Iran. This development comes at a time whentensions between Tehran and the US are at an all time high after the collapse of 2015 nuclear deal.
Sharmahd accused of planning the attack on Hosseynieh Seyed al-Shohada Mosque in Shiraz in 2008 and bombing Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s mausoleum in Tehran in 2010.
Iran govt however refused to divulge details on how Sharmahd was apprehended. Reports suggest Iranian intelligence officials have used family members as bait to arrest ‘enemies of the state’.