Bahrain royal shocked at being sued for refusing to meet 26 Bollywood stars

Agencies
November 20, 2018

London, Nov 20: A Bahraini royal told England's High Court on Monday he was "astonished" at being sued over an alleged deal for access to Bollywood stars.

Sheikh Hamad Isa Ali Al Khalifa is alleged to have struck a contract with Egyptian entrepreneur Ahmed Adel Abdallah Ahmed to pay for meetings with 26 top actors from the Indian film industry.

The deal was allegedly worth £35 million ($45 million, 39 million euros) and Ahmed is suing the royal for £16 million he claims he is owed in fees and costs.

Sheikh Hamad said he has a "lifelong passion" for Bollywood cinema and wanted to meet stars, including Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh and Aishwarya Rai.

In his witness statement, the royal said he paid Ahmed about £2.7 million for meetings with Bollywood idols, but only because he "wanted to please him", rather than due to any contractual obligations.

"When I learned of the claims that Mr Ahmed was making against me in these proceedings, I was astonished," he said.

"I was grateful to (Mr Ahmed) for helping me to meet four top Bollywood artists.

"I expressed my gratitude frequently by words and my gestures: in total, he received around £2.7 million from me in relation to these meetings.

"I considered this sum was comfortably in excess of the amount that he had incurred in costs and expenses, including in fees for the Bollywood artists.

"I do not think that this gives him licence to demand vast sums of money to which he is not entitled."

Ahmed claims that, during a phone conversation when Sheikh Hamad was in London in January 2016, the pair made an "oral agreement" that he would be paid more than £1 million for each meeting, plus a bonus of more than £350,000 after every third meeting.

Sheikh Hamad contends the alleged arrangement is "entirely fictitious".

The hearings continue at the High Court in London.

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News Network
October 29,2024

Bengaluru: Following allegations by a section of farmers from Vijayapura district that their lands were marked as Waqf properties, Karnataka Chief Minister Sidddaramaiah on Tuesday said none of them will be evicted, and notices issued to them will be withdrawn.

"No farmer will be evicted from their land. Yesterday Revenue Minister (Krishna Byre Gowda), M B Patil (Industries and Vijayapura district in-charge Minister) and Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan have jointly said that no farmer from Vijayapura will be evicted from their land," Siddaramaiah said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said in case notices have been issued to farmers, they will be withdrawn.

Responding to a question that similar notices have been issued to farmers in Yadgir and Dharwad districts too, the CM said: "I will ask the Revenue Minister to look into it, nowhere farmers will be evicted."

Seeking to clarify "confusion" over 1,200 acres in Honavada of Tikota taluk being marked as Waqf property, M B Patil had recently said it was due to an “error” in the gazette notification.

He also had said only 11 acres out of the 1,200 acres are Waqf properties, and a task force headed by the Deputy Commissioner will be formed to resolve the issues.

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News Network
October 25,2024

Udupi, Oct 25: A team of police from Udupi apprehended a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) at Kannur International Airport, Kerala, after he had been absconding overseas since 2019. 

Ashmath Ali (35) originally arrested on charges of recording a video of unnatural acts, had been out on bail granted by the second ACJ and JMFC court of Udupi on September 6, 2019.

Despite 18 arrest warrants issued in his name, Ali managed to evade authorities for years, frequently traveling abroad. 

Acting on a tip-off, sleuths from Kaup police station intercepted him as he landed at Kannur International Airport on October 21, marking the end of his prolonged evasion from Indian law enforcement. 

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News Network
October 29,2024

israel.jpg

At least 60 people, including children, have been killed in Israeli strikes on several areas in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, the Lebanese Health Ministry says.

The ministry said at least 58 people were also wounded in the attacks on 12 areas in the Bekaa Valley on Monday.

Of the 60 killed, at least 16 deaths were recorded in al-Alaq, west of Baalbek city, the ministry added.

The casualty figures were preliminary and are expected to rise as rescue efforts were still ongoing, according to to the ministry.

Baalbek governor Bachir Khodr denounced the attacks on the area as the "most violent" since the start of the Israeli aggression.

Israel has been targeting Lebanon since October 2023, when it launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

Hezbollah has been responding to the aggression with numerous retaliatory operations, including one with a hypersonic ballistic missile, targeting the occupied Palestinian territories.

Since late September, Israel has escalated its strikes against Hezbollah, killing its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and a number of its senior figures.

At least 2,710 people have been killed by Israeli fire, and 12,592 others wounded since the clashes began last year, the health ministry says.

The Lebanese resistance movement has vowed to keep up its operations against Israel as long as the Israeli regime continues its Gaza war, which has so far killed at least 43,020 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

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