New Map On Nepal's 100 Rupee Note To Have Indian Areas, Including Kalapani

Nepal on Friday announced the printing of a new Rs 100 currency note with a map that shows the controversial territories of Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, already termed as "artificial enlargement" and "untenable" by India.

"The meeting of the council of ministers chaired by Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal 'Prachanda' took a decision to print the new map of Nepal, which includes the Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani in the Rs 100 denomination bank notes," government spokesperson Rekha Sharma told media persons while briefing about the cabinet decision.

"The cabinet approved to re-design the banknote of Rs 100 and replace the old map printed in the background of the bank note during the cabinet meetings held on April 25 and May 2," Mr Sharma, who is also the Minister for Information and Communication, added.

On June 18, 2020, Nepal completed the process to update the country's political map by incorporating three strategically important areas Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura areas by amending its Constitution, something that India reacted sharply, calling it a "unilateral act" and terming as "untenable" the "artificial enlargement" of the territorial claims by Nepal.

India maintains Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura belongs to it.

Nepal shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states - Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

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Canada Arrests Suspects In Khalistani Terrorist Nijjar's Killing: Report

Canadian police on Friday arrested members of an alleged hit squad linked to the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last year, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation said on Friday.

Sources said investigators had identified the suspects in Canada some months ago and had been keeping them under tight surveillance, the CBC said.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police were not immediately available for comment.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in September that Canadian authorities were pursuing allegations linking Indian government agents to the fatal shooting of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen. New Delhi rejected Trudeau's claim as "absurd."

Canada had been pressing India to cooperate in its investigation. The US later revealed it had foiled an assassination attempt against a Sikh separatist on its soil.

The presence of Khalistani terrorists in Canada has long frustrated New Delhi. Nijjar was labelled a "terrorist" by India.

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BJP Trying To Create A "Monolithic Idea Of India", Says Shashi Tharoor

 Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday slammed the BJP for trying to create a 'monolithic idea of India', rather than protecting (the idea of) India as written in the Constitution.

Speaking during a public meeting at Verna in South Goa in support of Congress' Lok Sabha candidate Captain Viriato Fernandes (Retd), Mr Tharoor said, "All the precious values that we built in 65 years are under threat now."

"I spent my early childhood in Bombay, where my classmates were from every religion. But our parents never mentioned religion to us. We are all Indians living in a multi-religious and multi-lingual country," he said.

"Today, we are seeing a party that is devoted not to the idea of equality, but to the slogan of 'Hindi, Hindutva, Hindusthan'. The BJP is creating a monolithic idea of India," Mr Tharoor said.

"They want 'one nation, one election', 'one party, one leader', 'one religion, one god'... They want everything to be 'one' and one ruler to control it all. But that is not the idea of India as written in the Constitution by Babasaheb Ambedkar," the Congress MP said.

Expressing his happiness over campaigning in support Viriato Fernandes, an ex-naval officer, Mr Tharoor said, "People from every religion are there in the defence service to protect us."

"Now we need to protect our democracy, which is under threat," he added.

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Over 10,500 London Black Cabbies Take Uber To Court

A UK law firm said on Thursday that it has filed a multi-million-pound group action in the city's High Court on behalf of 10,887 licensed London black cab drivers in their claim against Uber for alleged losses sustained as a result of "unlawful activities" in the city's taxi market.

Mishcon De Reya said its claim filed in the Commercial Court relates to actions taken by the US-headquartered ride-hailing company dating back to 2012 under the private hire vehicle licence granted by Transport for London (TfL).

It is claimed their operating system did not comply with the requirements of the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1988. Uber has denied the allegations and described the claim as "unfounded".

"Uber has consistently failed to comply with the law that applies to private hire vehicles in London and so we are pleased to be issuing today's claim on behalf of almost 11,000 London cab drivers," said Richard Leedham, Partner and Head of Commercial Disputes at Mishcon de Reya.

According to the claim, drivers of London's iconic black cabs will allege that Uber's operating system did not comply with the requirements of the Act, that Uber knew this at all material times, and that in order to obtain its licence Uber "deliberately misled" TfL as to how that operating system worked.

The claimants further alleged that Uber's intention was to "gain market share unlawfully" and, by necessity, take business from existing black cab drivers.

"These old claims are completely unfounded. Uber operates lawfully in London, is fully licensed by TfL, and is proud to serve millions of passengers and drivers across the capital," an Uber statement said.

The value of the claim is estimated at around 250 million pounds, with each of the black cabbies potentially eligible for compensation, according to RGL Management - the litigation claims management company representing the black cab drivers.

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TikTok, Universal Announce Licensing Agreement, Ending Months-Long Dispute

TikTok and Universal announced a new licensing agreement Thursday, ending a months-long dispute that saw popular music expunged from the social media platform.

The companies released a joint statement that said the new deal included "improved remuneration" for artists and songwriters under the Universal Music Group (UMG) umbrella, and will also assuage concerns over the growth of AI-generated content on TikTok.

Universal chairman Sir Lucian Grainge said "this new chapter in our relationship" would "drive innovation in fan engagement while advancing social music monetization."

The deal "focuses on the value of music, the primacy of human artistry and the welfare of the creative community," he said.

TikTok's CEO Shou Chew similarly said "we are committed to working together to drive value, discovery and promotion for all of UMG's amazing artists and songwriters, and deepen their ability to grow, connect and engage with the TikTok community."

The deal wraps up closely watched negotiations that saw a breakdown earlier this year, with the companies -- two of the most powerful players in the music and tech industries -- publicly criticizing each other as they jockeyed for leverage.

Universal -- whose roster of artists includes Taylor Swift, Drake and Billie Eilish -- ordered music from all artists connected to its vast publishing catalog to come down off the app, leaving many concerned over losing the marketing potential TikTok can offer.

Millions of videos involving Universal artists became muted on the platform.

But while the stripped music will now return to TikTok, it comes at a moment of uncertainty for the wildly popular video-sharing app, one week after a new US law demands the company divest from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or be shut out of the American market.

The app has 170 million users in the United States alone.

Neither Universal nor TikTok disclosed any financial terms of the deal.

Several weeks ago, the powerful and popular Swift returned some of her music to the app ahead of the release of her most recent album.

It was unclear exactly how she did it, but Swift does own her own master recordings as well as her songwriting rights, though those two are administered by Universal's publishing arm.

In their joint statement the companies said they were "working expeditiously to return music by artists represented by Universal Music Group and songwriters represented by Universal Music Publishing Group to TikTok in due course."

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Saudi Woman Jailed For 11 Years Over Social Media Posts, Says Amnesty

Amnesty International called on Saudi Arabia to free a 29-year-old fitness instructor it says has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for her choice of clothing and social media posts urging an end to the kingdom's male guardianship system.

Manahel Al-Otaibi was sentenced in January and details of her case emerged in Saudi Arabia's formal reply to a request from the United Nations human rights office, London-based Amnesty said in a statement on Tuesday.

Amnesty and the London-based Al-Qst, a Saudi group that focuses on human rights in the kingdom, said Al-Otaibi was charged for posting the social media hashtag "Abolish male guardianship" and videos of her wearing what were deemed to be "indecent clothes" and shopping without an abaya, a long robe.

Saudi Arabia's international media office did not respond to Reuters' questions about the information given by Amnesty.

Saudi Arabia, in its formal reply to the U.N. rights office, denied that Al-Otaibi was sentenced for social media posts. It said she was "convicted of terrorist offences that have no bearing on her exercise of freedom of opinion and expression or her social media posts".

The Saudi response, seen by Reuters, did not provide further details.

Saudi Arabia's counter-terrorism law, under which Al-Otaibi was convicted, has been criticised by the United Nations as an overly broad tool to stifle dissent.

The U.N. human rights office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment or to confirm the details of this case.

Amnesty said Al-Otaibi's sister, Fawzia, faced similar charges but fled Saudi Arabia after being summoned for questioning in 2022.

"With this sentence the Saudi authorities have exposed the hollowness of their much-touted women's rights reforms in recent years and demonstrated their chilling commitment to silencing peaceful dissent," Bissan Fakih, Amnesty's campaigner on Saudi Arabia, said in the statement.

The de facto Saudi ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, came to power in 2017 promising sweeping social and economic reforms, and he eased some curbs in male guardianship laws.

Saudi women have since been able to drive cars, get a passport and travel on their own, register births and deaths, and divorce. The laws, however, still make it more difficult for women to obtain a divorce than a man.

The kingdom still faces scrutiny over its human rights record including a 2022 personal status law that codified many aspects of male guardianship, including male custody over children and permission for a woman to marry. Some provisions could facilitate domestic abuse, according to Amnesty.

Saudi Arabia eased dress codes for foreign women in 2019, but rights activists say that Saudi women continue to face restrictions.

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US Sanctions Russia, China Suppliers Over Ukraine War

US officials on Wednesday announced fresh sanctions aimed at crippling Russia's military and industrial capabilities, punishing companies in China and elsewhere that help Moscow acquire weapons for its war in Ukraine.

In a sweeping package announced by the US Treasury Department, Washington targeted nearly 300 entities in Russia, China and other countries accused of supporting President Vladimir Putin's invasion.

"Treasury has consistently warned that companies will face significant consequences for providing material support for Russia's war," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.

"Today's actions will further disrupt and degrade Russia's war efforts by going after its military industrial base and the evasion networks that help supply it."

The latest wave of sanctions came a week after US President Joe Biden signed a much-delayed bill to provide new funding for Ukraine as Kyiv's military struggles to hold back Russian advances.

"Even as we're throwing sand in the gears of Russia's war machine, President (Joe) Biden's recently-passed National Security Supplemental is providing badly-needed military, economic, and humanitarian support to bolster Ukraine's courageous resistance," Yellen said.

"Combined, our support for Ukraine and our relentless targeting of Russia's military capacity is giving Ukraine a critical leg-up on the battlefield."

As part of the measures, the State Department blacklisted additional individuals and companies involved in Moscow's energy, mining and metals sectors.

The sanctions also targeted individuals connected to the death of Russian opposition leader Aleksey Navalny who died in a Siberian prison in February, the statement said.

The almost 300 targets hit included dozens of actors accused of enabling Russia to acquire desperately needed technology and equipment from abroad, the Treasury said.

Some of those targeted were based in countries such as China that have faced increasing pressure from Washington over support for Russia during its 15-month invasion of Ukraine.

"The United States, along with many international partners, is particularly concerned about entities based in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and other third countries that provide critical inputs to Russia's military-industrial base," the Treasury statement said.

"This support enables Russia to continue its war against Ukraine and poses a significant threat to international security."

Other than China, targeted non-Russian entities were located in Azerbaijan, Belgium, Slovakia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

These companies "enable Russia to acquire desperately-needed technology and equipment from abroad," the statement said.

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