Saudi billionaire prince Waleed bin Talal's brother freed from detention

Agencies
November 4, 2018

Riyadh, Nov 4: Saudi authorities have released the brother of billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal after nearly a year in detention, family members have said, as the kingdom faces international pressure over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder.

The release of Prince Khalid bin Talal was confirmed by at least three relatives on Twitter on Saturday, with photos shared of him kissing and embracing his son who has been in a coma for years.

"Thank god for your safety," his niece Princess Reem bint Al-Waleed tweeted, posting additional pictures of the released prince with other relatives.

The government has not offered any public explanation for his arrest or the conditions of his release.

The Wall Street Journal reported that he was detained for 11 months for criticising the biggest crackdown on the kingdom's elite last November that saw dozens of princes, officials and tycoons detained at Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton hotel.

The government labelled it a corruption crackdown, but critics said it was an attempt by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- heir to the Saudi throne -- to sideline his potential rivals and consolidate power.

Prince Al-Waleed, dubbed the Warren Buffett of Saudi Arabia, was among those rounded up and was released in early January after an undisclosed financial agreement with the government.

It appeared similar to deals that authorities struck with most other detainees in exchange for their freedom.

Prince Khalid's release comes as the kingdom faces international outrage over the killing of Khashoggi inside its consulate in Istanbul on October 2. It is widely seen as the worst diplomatic crisis facing the kingdom since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said the order to murder Khashoggi came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government, without directly naming the crown prince.

The government now appears keen to shore up internal royal family support to defuse the crisis. Authorities could also potentially release other elites still in detention, including former Riyadh governor Prince Turki bin Abdullah and billionaire businessman Mohammed al-Amoudi, The Wall Street Journal reported.

"The killing of Jamal Khashoggi has left the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in its weakest diplomatic position since the horrific terror attacks of September 11," Ali Shihabi, head of the pro-Saudi Arabia Foundation think tank, wrote in a report published on Friday.

"In the aftermath of the understandable global outrage at the Khashoggi murder, something will clearly have to give." Shihabi called for the release of "women activists and other moderate critics of the government" who have been detained in Prince Mohammed's widely condemned crackdown on dissent in recent months.

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News Network
March 12,2020

Mar 12: Three women were arrested for allegedly administrating fake coronavirus vaccines to villagers in Maharashtra's Jalna district, police said on Thursday.

The police on Wednesday arrested Beed residents Radha Ramnath Saamse, Seema Krishna Andhale and Sangeeta Rajendra Avhad, who allegedly posed as doctors and healthcare workers, an official said.

The trio met villagers of Pipalgoan in Ambad tehsil, informed them about a vaccine that could protect them from coronavirus and administered it to gullible locals, he said.

Some villagers informed Dr Mahadev Munde, a medical officer at a rural health centre, about this, after which a complaint was lodged, the official said.

Fake vaccines and bottles, which were seized from the accused, have been sent to the state health department, he said, adding that a case of cheating has been registered against the trio.

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Agencies
February 14,2020

Lucknow, Feb 14: Uttar Pradesh doctor Kafeel Khan was on Friday booked under the National Security Act (NSA) over his alleged anti-CAA speech at Aligarh Muslim University on December 12, 2019.

The Uttar Pradesh slapped NSA on Kafeel Khan on Friday even as the doctor waited to be released from jail despite being granted bail on Monday in connection with his alleged inflammatory speech.

SP Crime Dr Arvind said that there were sufficient grounds to book the doctor under NSA.

The suspended pediatrician, Kafeel Khan, was arrested for allegedly delivering a controversial speech during Anti-CAA protests on December 12 at the Aligarh Muslim University or AMU. While he was granted bail on Monday, his family members claimed on Thursday that he was yet to be released.

Dr Kafeel Khan's brother Adeel Ahmed Khan had issued a statement saying that despite being granted bail Mathura jail authorities had not honoured the court's order.

Dr Kafeel Khan was arrested by the UP Special Task Force from Mumbai on January 29 for participating anti-CAA protest at AMU. A case was registered against him at the Civil Lines police station here for promoting enmity between different religions.

After his arrest in Mumbai, Dr Khan was brought to Aligarh, from where he was shifted to the district jail in neighbouring Mathura.

According to police, this was done as a precautionary measure in view of the anti-CAA protests on the AMU campus and at the Eidgah grounds in the old city. Police had said that the Dr Khan's presence in the Aligarh jail could have aggravated the law and order situation in the city.

The doctor was earlier arrested for his alleged role in the death of over 60 children in one week at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur in August 2017. Short supply of oxygen at the children's ward was blamed at that time for the deaths.

About two years later, a state government probe cleared Khan of all major charges, prompting him to seek an apology from the Yogi Adityanath government.

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News Network
January 29,2020

Aurangabad, Jan 29: Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of creating a conflict between Hindu and Muslim communities in the country, former JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar has said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) was adding fuel to the fire.

He was speaking at a rally held on Tuesday at Pathri in Parbhani district of Maharashtra against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). It was organised by NCP MLC Abdullah Durrani.

"Modi and Shah used to create conflicts between Hindus and Muslims during the Gujarat elections. Now they are adopting the same strategy in the country," Kumar alleged.

Citizens should keep the religious conflicts aside and question the present government about unemployment and the poor state of the economy, he said.

"Through the CAA, the government is adding fuel to the fire, which is already raging in the country," he alleged.

When anyone questions the government about the problems existing in the country, it in turn asks him about his citizenship, the former JNUSU leader alleged.

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