Latest news with #Sial
News18
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Amit Sial On Playing SIT Chief In The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Series: ‘It Is Enriching'
Last Updated: Amit Sial plays the role of D.R. Kaarthikeyan, SIT chief in The Hunt – The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case. It has been over three decades since a blast in Sriperumbudur claimed the life of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. In the follow-up events, the hunt for the killer took over frenzied columns in the newspapers as the Special Investigation Team started examining the evidence gathered from the site. At that time, the investigators got their first lead about the plot hatched by LTTE militants, supporting further in the probe. Based on Anirudhya Mitra's book 90 Days, award-winning filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor has dug deep into the political archive, delivering The Hunt – The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case. The seven-episode thriller series traces the investigation that unfolded after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. It will also focus on how the SIT team races against time to uncover the conspiracy and track down the lead mastermind. Amit Sial On Portraying SIT Chief Actor Amit Sial, who is seen in the lead role of CBI officer DR Kaarthikeyan (SIT Chief), recently opened up about his experience of portraying the character. Speaking to the Mathrubhumi English, Sial disclosed how he prepared for the character and said, 'I didn't have too much time on hand from the time I was offered the series to the time it was going on the floors to search for the investigation a lot but I did my research and looked up Dr Kaarthikeyan's life a lot I write and watched a lot of about him through interviews online what I gather doubt that that is the man who has been given this humongous task." Describing his experience as very unusual and exhilarating, Sial said the character brought him a lot of responsibilities and also restricted him at the same time, saying, 'I can't do my thing; I'm playing somebody else." Amit Sial also spoke about his own perspective on the assassination case as he took on the role of SIT chief. 'I was relatively aware of the case as it happened when I was 16 years old. In the following years, I kept reading about it here and there. There were a lot of talks about the care and the one behind the crime. To be able to extract the truth from the kind of darkness, the investigation was very labour-intensive." Besides Sial, other actors in key roles are Sahil Vaid, Vidyut Garg and Shafeeq Mustafa. The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case is currently streaming on SonyLIV. First Published:
The Star
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Fahmi Reza barred from leaving country, ‘thanks' cops for unforgettable birthday gift
IPOH: Controversial graphic artist and activist Fahmi Reza claims that he has been barred from travelling abroad. In a post shared on his Facebook page on Saturday (June 7), the 47-year-old said Immigration officers at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport had stopped him earlier in the day before his 9.35am flight to Singapore. Fahmi said he had made plans to fly to Singapore to watch a concert. "Today, I was barred from going overseas by the government. Two of my favourite punk bands Slant from South Korea and Sial from Singapore are playing in Singapore. "It has been quite some time since I wanted to watch both bands play live. I bought a flight ticket, planned for a two-day, one-night trip in Singapore and was prepared to stay at a friend's place there," he added. The latest travel ban for Fahmi came after he was denied entry into Sabah on May 29. Fahmi, whose birthday is today, believed that the travel ban imposed on him was due to his artwork that criticised the appointment of Tun Musa Aman as Sabah's Yang di-Pertua Negeri (TYT). He had in late 2024 got into trouble with the authorities for insulting the then incoming 11th TYT, depicting Musa in a caricature deemed offensive by the Keningau Native Court. Fahmi also said that he was made to wait in the Immigration office and also to print out his travelling documents on his own. "After about half an hour, the immigration officer asked for my passport and MyKad to be photocopied. "He also asked for my boarding pass and flight tickets, which I showed from my mobile phone but he insisted on checking the printed version," he said. "Even though the office has a printer and photocopier, I was told to find another place to print (the travel documents). "At that time, there was only 10 minutes left before boarding time and 30 minutes before the gates closed," he said. "I rushed out of the Immigration office to look for a printer and fortunately, an airport staff was able to help and brought me to the Sama-Sama Express Hotel on a buggy to print the travel documents," he added. Fahmi said as he went back to the Immigration office to submit the documents, he was informed that Bukit Aman (police) had barred him from travelling abroad. "I asked for a reason and was told to ask the police. I was then escorted out of the departure hall. What did I do wrong? Only the police and the government can answer,' he added
Malay Mail
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Fahmi Reza says stopped at KLIA2, denied exit from Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — Graphic artist and political activist Fahmi Reza said he was stopped from boarding a flight to Singapore today after being informed he was blacklisted from travelling overseas — the second such travel restriction imposed on him in just over two weeks. In a statement posted on his social media, Fahmi recounted arriving at KLIA2 at around 7.30am to catch a 9.35am flight for a short two-day trip to attend a concert featuring South Korean band Slant and Singaporean act Sial. But at the international departure counter, immigration officers told him he had been flagged and needed to wait at their office. 'I was asked to wait while they checked with TCO (Travel Control Office/Order). Then they took my passport and IC for photocopying. They also wanted printed copies of my boarding pass and e-ticket, even though I had them on my phone,' he wrote, adding that with only 10 minutes left before boarding, an airport staff member helped him get the documents printed at Sama-Sama Express Hotel. When he returned to immigration with the documents, Fahmi said an officer told him, 'Bukit Aman has not given clearance for you to leave the country.' He said no explanation was provided and he was escorted out of the departure area. Fahmi is well known for his satirical illustrations that often critique political leaders and institutions. He believes the ban is linked to his artwork criticising the recent appointment of former Sabah chief minister Tun Musa Aman as the state's new Yang di-Pertua Negeri. Just weeks earlier, on May 29, the Sabah immigration department had denied Fahmi entry into the state under Section 65(1)(a) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. He said he was flown back to Kuala Lumpur the same day without further explanation. That incident followed his earlier arrest by Sabah police in February this year over another satirical post. Authorities had opened investigations under the Sedition Act for allegedly insulting the royal institution. 'Last week I was blacklisted from entering Sabah. This week, I'm blacklisted from leaving the country,' he wrote. 'My only 'offence' was creating critical artwork.'
Kuwait Times
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Foreign students wary as Trump presses dehumanizing campaign
US administration expands crackdown on elite universities CAMBRIDGE: Donald Trump's expanding crackdown on elite universities is prompting some international students to abandon applications to campuses in the United States and spreading stress and anxiety among those already enrolled. The president has upended the country's reputation among foreign students, who number around one million, as he presses a campaign against US universities he sees as obstructing his 'Make America Great Again' populist agenda. He has blocked Harvard hosting international scholars in a maneuver being challenged legally, targeted non-citizen campus activists for deportation, and most recently suspended student visa processing across the board. Harvard applied mathematics and economic student Abdullah Shahid Sial, 20, said the Trump administration's campaign against US universities that the president accused of being hotbeds of liberal bias and anti-Semitism had been 'dehumanizing.' 'It's really unfortunate that this is the case for 18, 19, and 20-year-olds who came here without any family, and in most cases, haven't been to the US before,' said Sial, who is from Pakistan and hopes to be able to return to Harvard next academic year. Sial said he advised acquaintances to have backup plans if US colleges became inaccessible, and that a friend applied to Harvard's law school, as well as Columbia's, and two less reputable British institutions - ultimately opting to go to the UK. 'He definitely liked Harvard way more (but) he doesn't want this amount of uncertainty surrounding his education,' Sial said. Karl Molden, a Harvard government and classics student from Austria, said Trump's move to block the university hosting and enrolling foreign students meant he was unsure if he would be able to return after summer vacation. 'Target group' While that decision - affecting some 27 percent of the overall Harvard population - was paused by a judge pending a hearing Thursday, the move still threw student plans into chaos. 'I kind of figured I would be in the target group of Trump. I'm personally right in the middle of it, so an option for me would be to study abroad... I have applied to study at Oxford because of all the action' taken by Trump, said Molden, 21. 'It's just really hard.' Harvard academics say they have already started to feel the impact of Trump's vendetta against the school, in feedback from colleagues based outside the United States. 'I've already heard this from professors in other countries who say 'we encourage our best students to go to the United States',' Harvard professor Ryan Enos told AFP at a noisy rally against Trump's policies Tuesday, adding 'we wonder if we can tell them that anymore.' The halt to visa processing revealed this week is reportedly to allow for more stringent screening of applicants' social media - and protest activity. 'International students already represent the most tracked and vetted category of non-immigrants in the United States. It is a poor use of taxpayer dollars,' said the NAFSA Association of International Educators non-profit. Trump meanwhile continued his assault on Harvard, saying university leaders have 'got to behave themselves. 'Harvard is treating our country with great disrespect, and all they're doing is getting in deeper and deeper,' he said Wednesday in the White House. One Spanish student of politics and statistics, who declined to be named for fear of retaliation, told AFP she would not be deterred from pursuing her planned year abroad at Columbia University. 'It's scary, because we think to ourselves that all our activity on social networks could be monitored, for example if we like pro-Palestinian posts or anti-Trump posts. All of that could see us denied a visa,' she said. Students due to return to Harvard after the summer break are in limbo pending a ruling on Harvard's exclusion from the foreign student system. 'I'm completely in the dark,' said 20-year-old Alfred Williamson, a Welsh-Danish physics and government student in his second year at Harvard. 'As for my other options, and like all other international students, I'm just clinging on to the hope that Harvard will win this battle against the White House.' Sial, the Harvard student from Pakistan, said foreign students like him were 'made to fight this battle which no one signed up for.' 'It's really unfortunate that it's come down to that.'— AFP
The Star
31-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Vietnamese textile, footwear exporters eye target markets
Vietnamese textile, footwear exporters eye target markets. - Photo: VNA/VNS HANOI: In response to shifting global trade dynamics and tariff challenges, Vietnam's textile and footwear sectors are actively diversifying their export markets, with a strong focus on destinations that have signed free trade agreements (FTAs) with the country. Truong Van Cam, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas), said many companies are currently prioritising the fulfilment of export orders. However, the industry is also in urgent need of detailed market information to accelerate exports to promising destinations such as Russia, Brazil, Chile, and the Middle East. Phan Thi Thanh Xuan, Vice Chairwoman and General Secretary of the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (Lefaso), noted that changes in trade policy from the Unied States and the European Union are having a significant impact on Vietnamese exporters. To mitigate these effects, businesses are expanding into new markets in South America and the Middle East, where consumer demand is both large and diverse. This year, the footwear industry continues to target exports to Africa, Asia, Japan, Europe and the United States, while also taking initial steps to engage with major e-commerce platforms like Alibaba and Amazon to open new sales channels. Vietnamese textile, footwear exporters eye target markets. - Photo: VNA/VNS To support these efforts, the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade is helping firms participate in trade promotion activities to broaden their reach, especially in emerging and high-potential markets such as Latin America, Halal markets, India, Russia and the Middle East. A representative of the trade agency noted that most Vietnamese firms are small and lack the resources or experience to join large-scale promotion efforts or to adapt quickly to tariff shifts. Businesses are therefore urged to diversify exports and focus on target markets, optimising FTAs to reduce costs and boost competitiveness in countries like Canada, Australia, Japan, the EU, China, and Asean. The agency will continue supporting firms at major trade fairs such as Anuga in Germany, Sial in France, Canton Fair in China, World Food Moscow, and Trade Expo Indonesia, with logistical and financial backing. Do Ngoc Hung, Vietnam's Trade Counsellor in the United States, stressed the need for firms to improve competitiveness, diversify supply chains, and reduce dependence on single-source inputs. He also encouraged full use of new-generation FTAs and urged faster domestic consumption and new FTA negotiations, highlighting Canada as a promising market. Meanwhile, Vista Vice Chairman Cam suggested trade offices regularly update businesses on market trends, US consumer shifts, and trade talks to help exporters adjust strategies. - Vietnam News/ANN
