Siasat Wala Blog

BEIRUT:  Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, who sparked a political crisis on Saturday by declaring his surprise resignation in Riyadh, has travelled to the UAE, Saudi-owned media said on Tuesday. His resignation has thrust Lebanon back onto the front line of the Middle East’s most biting rivalry, pitting a bloc led by Saudi Arabia and including the UAE against Iran and its allies. On Monday Saudi Arabia accused Lebanon of declaring war against it because of aggression by Iran’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah, dramatically escalating the crisis and threatening to destabilise tiny Lebanon. Saudi Arabia says Lebanon declares war, deepening crisis The ratings agency Moody’s has said that any return in Lebanon to the political paralysis that existed before Hariri joined a national unity government last year would harm its credit rating. The sudden nature of Hariri’s resignation has also fuelled speculation in Lebanon that he was coerced into quitting and has been held against his wil...

Waxworks of celebrities, sports persons and politicians such as Tom Cruise, Barack Obama and Christiano Ronaldo are admired by people all over the world. The craft requires taking careful and accurate measurements to create these wax statues, which are then polished and perfected to make for an exact replica. Madame Tussaud’s is one of the most famous museums in the world that displays wax statues, however, not all wax museums in the world craft flawless statues. Compiled from Cosmopolitan India , here is a list of the creepiest celebrity wax statues. Barack Obama PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN David and Victoria Beckham PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Jennifer Aniston PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Beyonce’s wax statue sparks outrage Jennifer Lopez PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Justin Bieber PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Justin Timberlake PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Aamir Khan PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Katrina Kaif PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN London’s Tussauds gets to work on Trump wax figure Selena Gomez PHOTO: C...

As much as we love her, we cannot deny that Scarlett Johansson has a 15-year-old trail of famous broken hearts behind her – a list which includes Ryan Reynolds, Jared Leto, Sean Penn, Jude Law, and the likes. “Scarlett likes to be in control,” Page Six quoted a fellow actor of the Hollywood beauty as having said. “Then, when she gets it, she gets bored.” Case in point: even before her second divorce from French journalist Romain Dauriac in September, the actress had gotten with Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost. Since then, the duo has been spotted here and there, with Scarlett playing the dutiful girlfriend to the 35-year-old comedian. PHOTO: FILE Many say it’s not surprising that Scarlett was drawn to Colin, a Harvard grad. “Colin’s smart, successful, and unpretentious,” they feel, and his dating history includes only one other celebrity. Scarlett, however, has been espousing various versions of a quote gave: “I don’t think it’s natural to b...

LONDON:  Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton avoided paying taxes on his private jet using an elaborate scheme now under investigation by British tax authorities, new leaked documents revealed on Monday. The driver received a £3.3 million VAT refund in 2013 after his luxury plane was imported into the Isle of Man — a low-tax British Crown Dependency, according to the BBC and Guardian newspaper. The revelations are the latest to emerge from the so-called Paradise Papers, released by the US-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). They allege accountancy firm EY and Appleby — the Bermuda-based law firm at the centre of the leaks — assisted Hamilton and dozens of other clients in setting up seemingly artificial leasing businesses to get multi-million-pound VAT rebates. The complex arrangements, which involved the individuals forming entities that rented their own jets, may contravene Europe-wide rules forbidding refunds for personal use, the media outlet...

BEIRUT:  Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, who sparked a political crisis on Saturday by declaring his surprise resignation in Riyadh, has travelled to the UAE, Saudi-owned media said on Tuesday. His resignation has thrust Lebanon back onto the front line of the Middle East’s most biting rivalry, pitting a bloc led by Saudi Arabia and including the UAE against Iran and its allies. On Monday Saudi Arabia accused Lebanon of declaring war against it because of aggression by Iran’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah, dramatically escalating the crisis and threatening to destabilise tiny Lebanon. Saudi Arabia says Lebanon declares war, deepening crisis The ratings agency Moody’s has said that any return in Lebanon to the political paralysis that existed before Hariri joined a national unity government last year would harm its credit rating. The sudden nature of Hariri’s resignation has also fuelled speculation in Lebanon that he was coerced into quitting and has been held against his wil...

Waxworks of celebrities, sports persons and politicians such as Tom Cruise, Barack Obama and Christiano Ronaldo are admired by people all over the world. The craft requires taking careful and accurate measurements to create these wax statues, which are then polished and perfected to make for an exact replica. Madame Tussaud’s is one of the most famous museums in the world that displays wax statues, however, not all wax museums in the world craft flawless statues. Compiled from Cosmopolitan India , here is a list of the creepiest celebrity wax statues. Barack Obama PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN David and Victoria Beckham PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Jennifer Aniston PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Beyonce’s wax statue sparks outrage Jennifer Lopez PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Justin Bieber PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Justin Timberlake PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Aamir Khan PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Katrina Kaif PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN London’s Tussauds gets to work on Trump wax figure Selena Gomez PHOTO: C...

Waxworks of celebrities, sports persons and politicians such as Tom Cruise, Barack Obama and Christiano Ronaldo are admired by people all over the world. The craft requires taking careful and accurate measurements to create these wax statues, which are then polished and perfected to make for an exact replica. Madame Tussaud’s is one of the most famous museums in the world that displays wax statues, however, not all wax museums in the world craft flawless statues. Compiled from Cosmopolitan India , here is a list of the creepiest celebrity wax statues. Barack Obama PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN David and Victoria Beckham PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Jennifer Aniston PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Beyonce’s wax statue sparks outrage Jennifer Lopez PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Justin Bieber PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Justin Timberlake PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Aamir Khan PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN Katrina Kaif PHOTO: COSMOPOLITAN London’s Tussauds gets to work on Trump wax figure Selena Gomez PHOTO: C...

As much as we love her, we cannot deny that Scarlett Johansson has a 15-year-old trail of famous broken hearts behind her – a list which includes Ryan Reynolds, Jared Leto, Sean Penn, Jude Law, and the likes. “Scarlett likes to be in control,” Page Six quoted a fellow actor of the Hollywood beauty as having said. “Then, when she gets it, she gets bored.” Case in point: even before her second divorce from French journalist Romain Dauriac in September, the actress had gotten with Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost. Since then, the duo has been spotted here and there, with Scarlett playing the dutiful girlfriend to the 35-year-old comedian. PHOTO: FILE Many say it’s not surprising that Scarlett was drawn to Colin, a Harvard grad. “Colin’s smart, successful, and unpretentious,” they feel, and his dating history includes only one other celebrity. Scarlett, however, has been espousing various versions of a quote gave: “I don’t think it’s natural to b...

LONDON:  Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton avoided paying taxes on his private jet using an elaborate scheme now under investigation by British tax authorities, new leaked documents revealed on Monday. The driver received a £3.3 million VAT refund in 2013 after his luxury plane was imported into the Isle of Man — a low-tax British Crown Dependency, according to the BBC and Guardian newspaper. The revelations are the latest to emerge from the so-called Paradise Papers, released by the US-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). They allege accountancy firm EY and Appleby — the Bermuda-based law firm at the centre of the leaks — assisted Hamilton and dozens of other clients in setting up seemingly artificial leasing businesses to get multi-million-pound VAT rebates. The complex arrangements, which involved the individuals forming entities that rented their own jets, may contravene Europe-wide rules forbidding refunds for personal use, the media outlet...

As much as we love her, we cannot deny that Scarlett Johansson has a 15-year-old trail of famous broken hearts behind her – a list which includes Ryan Reynolds, Jared Leto, Sean Penn, Jude Law, and the likes. “Scarlett likes to be in control,” Page Six quoted a fellow actor of the Hollywood beauty as having said. “Then, when she gets it, she gets bored.” Case in point: even before her second divorce from French journalist Romain Dauriac in September, the actress had gotten with Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost. Since then, the duo has been spotted here and there, with Scarlett playing the dutiful girlfriend to the 35-year-old comedian. PHOTO: FILE Many say it’s not surprising that Scarlett was drawn to Colin, a Harvard grad. “Colin’s smart, successful, and unpretentious,” they feel, and his dating history includes only one other celebrity. Scarlett, however, has been espousing various versions of a quote gave: “I don’t think it’s natural to b...

LONDON:  Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton avoided paying taxes on his private jet using an elaborate scheme now under investigation by British tax authorities, new leaked documents revealed on Monday. The driver received a £3.3 million VAT refund in 2013 after his luxury plane was imported into the Isle of Man — a low-tax British Crown Dependency, according to the BBC and Guardian newspaper. The revelations are the latest to emerge from the so-called Paradise Papers, released by the US-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). They allege accountancy firm EY and Appleby — the Bermuda-based law firm at the centre of the leaks — assisted Hamilton and dozens of other clients in setting up seemingly artificial leasing businesses to get multi-million-pound VAT rebates. The complex arrangements, which involved the individuals forming entities that rented their own jets, may contravene Europe-wide rules forbidding refunds for personal use, the media outlet...

TEXAS:  A former US serviceman who shot 26 worshipers to death during Sunday prayers in Texas was embroiled in a domestic dispute with his in-laws and had sent threatening text messages to his wife’s mother before the massacre, officials said Monday. The Pentagon separately disclosed that it had failed to furnish information about the gunman’s criminal record from his US Air Force service to a national database that should have prevented him from legally purchasing the firearms he bought. The killer, Devin Kelley, 26, was convicted by court-martial of assaulting his first wife and step-son while serving in an Air Force logistics readiness unit and spent a year in detention before his bad-conduct discharge in 2014, according to the Pentagon. The Air Force acknowledged on Monday that Kelley’s 2012 conviction on two counts of domestic violence were never entered into the National Criminal Information Center (NCIC) system, a US government data bank used by licensed gun dealers for c...

TEXAS:  A former US serviceman who shot 26 worshipers to death during Sunday prayers in Texas was embroiled in a domestic dispute with his in-laws and had sent threatening text messages to his wife’s mother before the massacre, officials said Monday. The Pentagon separately disclosed that it had failed to furnish information about the gunman’s criminal record from his US Air Force service to a national database that should have prevented him from legally purchasing the firearms he bought. The killer, Devin Kelley, 26, was convicted by court-martial of assaulting his first wife and step-son while serving in an Air Force logistics readiness unit and spent a year in detention before his bad-conduct discharge in 2014, according to the Pentagon. The Air Force acknowledged on Monday that Kelley’s 2012 conviction on two counts of domestic violence were never entered into the National Criminal Information Center (NCIC) system, a US government data bank used by licensed gun dealers for c...

TEXAS:  A former US serviceman who shot 26 worshipers to death during Sunday prayers in Texas was embroiled in a domestic dispute with his in-laws and had sent threatening text messages to his wife’s mother before the massacre, officials said Monday. The Pentagon separately disclosed that it had failed to furnish information about the gunman’s criminal record from his US Air Force service to a national database that should have prevented him from legally purchasing the firearms he bought. The killer, Devin Kelley, 26, was convicted by court-martial of assaulting his first wife and step-son while serving in an Air Force logistics readiness unit and spent a year in detention before his bad-conduct discharge in 2014, according to the Pentagon. The Air Force acknowledged on Monday that Kelley’s 2012 conviction on two counts of domestic violence were never entered into the National Criminal Information Center (NCIC) system, a US government data bank used by licensed gun dealers for c...

BANGKOK:  Face-scans or fingerprints will be needed to buy SIM cards in Thailand from next month as the kingdom tries to crack down on electronic fraud and encourage mobile banking. The new biometric system — which follows similar requirements in Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan — will begin on December 15, according to the telecoms regulator. “We’re entering the digital age, our money now is linked to mobile services. By doing this, trust in mobile banking or payment systems will be improved,” said Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). “Some people used fake ID to register their SIM cards, which created a problem,” he added, assuring users their privacy would be protected. The face and fingerprint scans will be matched to government data linked to Thai national ID cards. Thailand’s political activity ban stays for now – PM Tourists will also be required to have face-scans checked against their passport ...

BANGKOK:  Face-scans or fingerprints will be needed to buy SIM cards in Thailand from next month as the kingdom tries to crack down on electronic fraud and encourage mobile banking. The new biometric system — which follows similar requirements in Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan — will begin on December 15, according to the telecoms regulator. “We’re entering the digital age, our money now is linked to mobile services. By doing this, trust in mobile banking or payment systems will be improved,” said Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). “Some people used fake ID to register their SIM cards, which created a problem,” he added, assuring users their privacy would be protected. The face and fingerprint scans will be matched to government data linked to Thai national ID cards. Thailand’s political activity ban stays for now – PM Tourists will also be required to have face-scans checked against their passport ...

BANGKOK:  Face-scans or fingerprints will be needed to buy SIM cards in Thailand from next month as the kingdom tries to crack down on electronic fraud and encourage mobile banking. The new biometric system — which follows similar requirements in Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan — will begin on December 15, according to the telecoms regulator. “We’re entering the digital age, our money now is linked to mobile services. By doing this, trust in mobile banking or payment systems will be improved,” said Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). “Some people used fake ID to register their SIM cards, which created a problem,” he added, assuring users their privacy would be protected. The face and fingerprint scans will be matched to government data linked to Thai national ID cards. Thailand’s political activity ban stays for now – PM Tourists will also be required to have face-scans checked against their passport ...