Forty tiger cub bodies have been found in a freezer at a Thai Buddhist temple accused of wildlife trafficking and animal abuse.
Police and wildlife officials started an operation on Monday to remove all the living tigers at the Tiger Temple.
Pictures from journalists at the scene posted to social media showed the 40 cubs lined up on the floor.
The site in Kanchanaburi is a popular tourist attraction but has been closed to the public since the raid.
"They must be of some value for the temple to keep them," Adisorn Nuchdamrong, from Thailand's Department of National Parks told Reuters news agency, referring to the tiger cubs. "But for what is beyond me."
Body parts from other animals were also found in a freezer, Tom Taylor, from Wildlife Friends Foundation, who was at the temple for the raid told the BBC.
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionThe temple has long been accused of mistreatment, though the monks deny the allegations
A reporter from Khaosod said he had seen animal intestines in containers, a dead boar and other animal parts.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionThe cubs were found during a week-long raid of the controversial temple to remove all living tigers
Mr Taylor said 40 living tigers had been confiscated so far by authorities out of the 137 at the temple.
The 1,000-person operation is due to continue all week.
Since 2001, authorities have been locked in a battle with the monks at the temple to confiscate the tigers after allegations of wildlife trafficking and abuse surfaced.
Mor Mahal, the fantasy drama set in pre-industrial times, takes us back in time to the kingdom of Jahanabad and introduces us to the lives and intrigues of the royal palace.
The first episode had all the makings of a classic tale with elements of grand splendour as well as political machinations within the harem to gain favour, control and sometimes just the upper hand.
Mor Mahal's first episode came to a dramatic end as Farrukh Zad downed this vial of poison
First, a recap
For those who came in late, the theatrical end of the first episode with Farrukh Zad (Meesha Shafi), the Nawab’s first wife, consuming poison turned out to be a ploy to keep him from his new wife. While the Nawab (Umair Jaswal) offers his ministrations to her, his newest betrothed Meherbano (Sonia Nazir) risks her life in trying to leave the palace grounds instead of serving as a pawn in this marriage of state.
In Meherbano's attempt to escape, we are introduced to the nether regions of the palace with its own hidden pathways, dark secrets and mysteries. The tehkhana and the cemetery where she runs into Badshah Begum’s favoured practitioner of the black arts Akhtari Begum (Sania Saeed), all hint at the hidden, criminal underpinnings of the kingdom. One where loyalty is rewarded and any sign of dissent is met with that imperious refrain, “Off with their heads”.
This access to the dungeons also proves to be her undoing. Meherbano is unwittingly privy to Nawab Asif Jahan’s discussions with his Commander-in-Chief Dilawar Khan as the echoes of their speech reach down the sinuous corridors of the underground dungeon. The heir apparent to the throne seems to be the most pressing matter, with his Commander advising the Nawab to cast favour upon his pregnant second wife Suraiya Begum (Fiza Ali).
Nawab Asif Jahan isn't above conniving to sustain the upper hand
The conferring of such an honour sends the harem into a tizzy, with Farrukh Zad gunning for her son Prince Taimur to take the throne and Badshah Begum hoping to halt her son’s intentions by coercing her younger son Prince Shujaat to come out of his stupor of aiyashi to take on thehukummat. The prince, however, has other pursuits on his mind.
In Jahanabad, nothing is as it seems...
At this sixth installment, new characters and deceptions are introduced, which darkens the outlines of their backstories.
Prince Shujaat, played fairly languidly by Shah Fahad, is a charming rake interested in all the indulgences a royal palace can offer. Even Badshah Begum isn’t immune to his charms. Though she chides him, she gently concedes, ‘Dil bhar jaye toh aa jana, hum thumare muntisir raheinge. (When you've had your fill, come my way. I will wait for you.)
Prince Shujaat emerges as a threat to Nawab Asif Jahan's claim to the throne
Even the earlier introduced characters don’t seem to be who we thought they were. Nawab Asif Jahan may love his first wife, but doesn’t trust her with his life or the kingdom. And he isn't quite the honourable king who gave his pregnant mistress a place of honour. The appearance of thejowari merchant sheds light on how Suraiya actually became his Begum. With this revelation, Suriya’s insecurities assume a deeper shade of helplessness.
The revelation of Asif Jahan’s other spies in the harem was definitely a surprising twist. The King has his own vices, whether justified by a need to control information and power, or maybe just his pleasure. He is as apt at playing the field as he is the game of chess. His shrewd scheming, winning a woman as gambling debt, a cemetery strewn with corpses of dead shehzadis who dared to escape hint at a temperament similar to King Shahryar of One Thousand and One Nights, and not only because every episode ends with a cliffhanger.
A masterful tale
The strength of Mor Mahal lies in writer Sarmad Sehbai's weaving of a masterful tale. Each episode unfolds like complex origami, with each fold forming the foundation of things to come. The echoes in the tehkhana, the appearance of the jowari, the lies and deception now brought out in the half-light and the continued importance of the urrusi dupatta interweave the different strands of the story strengthening the narrative.
For once, we have a drama that is rooted in our history. Framing techniques from ancient texts and Egyptian romances and plot devices like mistaken identity allow the story to feel authentic to those times.
Mor Mahal takes inspiration from our rich history
The conversational styles of the harem members and the royal family's taunts are stylized ways of showcasing contempt. The symbolic use of poison, food testers, the dead cat, the empty cradle are all ingenious ways to convey the characters' real intent and make for great visual storytelling.
So then why isn’t the audience hooked?
Complaints about wooden acting, overacting, anachronistic props, lack of lighting get more mileage than the storytelling. It's true that writer Sarmad Sehbai haslittle regard for how his work gets accepted (or not) by audiences but some of the problem does lies in Mor Mahal's lack of accessibility – the language is archaic, there is no central romance and the audience is unable to relate to the characters.
I feel the acting isn't wooden, it's unaffected. Audiences aren't just used to such performances. For me, a king that exudes gravitas without reducing it to Shehenshah-esque mannerisms is refreshing. Though with dialogues threatening ‘deewar mein chunwa diye jaaoge’ (I'll have you walled in alive), maybe Nawab Asif Jahan's character will take a grave turn.
Mor Mahal falters in its pacing. For audiences used to more contemporary narratives, the distance of time and place is hard to overcome, something director Sarmad Khoosat needs to take into account. This slow pacing distracts viewers and gives them ample time to Google ‘wrought iron in ancient times’ and then complain about the candle stands.
For all the grumblings about dark interiors, when was the last time you saw a tehkhana with strobe lighting? The lighting in that scene as well as the menacing crocodiles was a perfect reminder of a crueler time when people were thrown to the dungeons with regularity. The threat of such a fate was enough for Meherbano to reveal her true identity.
As for them missing central romance, the entrance of Prince Taimur (Umer Naru) hopefully will fill in that gap and give the viewers a couple to root for.
Where Mor Mahal does falter is in its pacing. For audiences used to more contemporary narratives, the distance of time and place is proving to be hard to overcome, something director Sarmad Khoosat needs to take into account. This slow pacing distracts viewers and gives them ample time to Google ‘wrought iron in ancient times’ and then complain about the candle stands.
The audience already has to travel the distance of time to enter the royal realm and believe in their lives. That we are all emotionally distanced and can’t relate to any of the characters too is keeping audiences at bay. So far, the only human character seems to be Shola Jaan (Ali Saleem) whose desire for the urrusi dupatta and playfulness with it made you actually connect with him.
But then again, audiences are just proving that they like to cry foul at the hash they are served but will only continue to watch it. Horse to water and all that.
Aakhir mein, jaan ki aman paon toh kuch arz karon:
Speed up the pacing with sharper edits that bring the threads of 45 episodes closer to 25 will give the whole drama an aspect of a thriller - one that marries fiction, tradition and fantasy into one riveting package.
You even have crocodiles. Now make them bite.
Sadaf Siddique is a freelance writer, avid reader, film and drama enthusiast and sometime drama queen, not necessarily in that order.
ہلاک ہونے والے دہشت گرد وں سے اسلحہ اور ہینڈ گر نیڈ برآمد ہوئے ہیں، سی ٹی ڈی حکام فوٹو: فائل
لیہ: چوبارہ کے علاقے انگورہ گوٹ فارم میں کاؤنٹر ٹیررازم ڈیپارٹمنٹ کی کارروائی کے دوران فائرنگ کے تبادلے میں 6 دہہشت گرد ہلاک جب کہ 2 فرار ہوگئے۔
ایکسپریس نیوز کے مطابق کاؤنٹر ٹیررازم ڈیپارٹمنٹ ملتان نے خفیہ اطلاعات کی بنیاد پر لیہ کی تحصیل چوبارہ کے علاقے انگورہ گوٹ فارم میں کارروائی کی، سی ٹی ڈی اہلکاروں کو دیکھ کر وہاں موجود دہشت گردوں نے فائرنگ کردی جس پر سی ٹی ڈی اہلکاروں نے بھی جوابی کارروائی کی، فائرنگ کے تبادلے میں 6 دہشت گرد ہلاک جبکہ 2 فرار ہونے میں کامیاب ہوگئے۔
سی ٹی حکام کا کہنا ہے کہ کارروائی میں ہلاک ہونے والے دہشت گردوں کا تعلق کالعدم تنظیم سے ہے۔ ان کے قبضے سے خودکار اسلحہ اور دستی بم برآمد ہوئے ہیں، لاشوں کو ڈسٹرکٹ ہیڈ کوارٹر ہسپتال لیہ منتقل کردیا گیا ہے جب کہ فرار ہونے والوں کی گرفتاری کے لئے علاقے میں سرچ آپریشن جاری ہے
وزیراعظم کی بیماری سےفائدہ اٹھانے کی یہ بری شکل ہے،بلاول بھٹوزرداری کاٹوئٹ فوٹو: فائل
کراچی: پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا ہے کہ چوہدری نثار نے نواز شریف کی بیماری کا فائدہ اٹھانے ہوئے خود وزیر اعظم بننے کا منصوبہ بنایا جو ناکام ہوگیا۔
سماجی رابطے کی ویب سائیٹ ٹوئٹر پر اپنے پیغام میں بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ وفاقی وزیر داخلہ چوہدری نثار نے وزیر اعظم بننے کا منصوبہ بنایا تھا لیکن وہ کامیاب نہیں ہوسکا، وزیر اعظم بننے کے لیے ان کی مہم ناکام ہونے کے اب وہ جھنجھلا گئے ہیں، چوہدری نثار کی جانب سے وزیر اعظم نواز شریف کی بیماری سے فائدہ اٹھانے کی یہ بہت بری شکل ہے۔
واضح رہے کہ وزیر اعظم نواز شریف کا گزشتہ روز لندن کےایک اسپتال میں دل کا آپریشن ہوا ہے اور وہ اس وقت بھی اسپتال میں زیر علاج ہیں جب کہ ان کی جگہ وزیرخزانہ اسحاق ڈارحکومتی معاملات چلا رہے ہیں۔
BERLIN: German police have arrested three Pakistani suspects as 18 women have reported becoming victims of sexual assaults at a music festival, authorities said Tuesday.
The mostly young women said they were encircled and groped by groups of men on Saturday night in ways that recalled a spate of mob attacks at chaotic New Year’s festivities in Cologne.
Police said they were investigating whether the perpetrators also robbed the women in the latest attacks at a four-day open air music festival in the western city of Darmstadt.
Initially three women had filed charges, leading to the arrests of the three men, Pakistani asylum seekers aged 28 to 31, and another 15 women have come forward since.
Police said they were searching for another two or three men and said in a statement that "the women have reported that they appeared to be men from the South Asia region".
The Cologne attacks ─ committed in a crowd of mostly Arabic and North African men ─ appalled Germany and sharpened public concern about the arrival of over one million mostly asylum seekers last year, most from the Middle East.
بیان دے دیں وزیراعلیٰ سندھ کسی قانون کا پابند نہیں، چیف جسٹس فوٹو: فائل
اسلام آباد: چیف جسٹس انورظہیرجمالی نے ایک مقدمے کی سماعت کے دوران ریمارکس دیئے ہیں کہ سندھ میں ایک آدمی کو نوازنے کے لیے 15 لوگوں کے حقوق پرڈاکہ ڈالا جاتا ہے۔
چیف جسٹس انورظہیرجمالی کی سربراہی میں سپریم کورٹ کے 3 رکنی بینچ نے سندھ میں افسران کی ڈیپوٹیشن کے کیس کی سماعت کی، سماعت کے دوران سپریم کورٹ ایک بارپھرسندھ حکومت پربرس پڑی۔ چیف جسٹس نے ریمارکس دیئے کہ سندھ میں گریڈ ایک کے ملازم کو گریڈ سولہ پر تعینات کر دیا گیا، جب پسند نا پسند پر تقرری ہو گی تو گڈ گورننس کہاں رہے گی، ایک شخص کو نوازنے کے لئے پندرہ کی حق تلفی کی جاتی ہے، انہیں سپریم کورٹ میں آئے سات سال ہو گئے لیکن سندھ حکومت کا یہی رویہ ہے، ہر سماعت پر عدالت کو ٹالنے کی کوشش کی جاتی ہے، تین تین سال تک عدالت کے فیصلے پرعمل نہیں کیا جاتا، بیان جاری کردیں کہ سندھ میں جمہوریت نہیں بادشاہت ہے اور وزیراعلیٰ سندھ کسی قانون کے پابند نہیں۔
سپریم کورٹ نے چیف سیکرٹری سندھ سے ایک ہفتے میں عدالتی فیصلے پرعمل نہ کرنے والوں کے نام طلب کرتے ہوئے سماعت ملتوی کردی۔
An open-ended rail strike is under way in France just nine days before the country hosts the Euro 2016 football tournament.
Only 60% of high-speed trains and between a third and a half of other services are expected to run, according to the state rail company (the SNCF).
Trade unions are protesting against work time changes but the strike comes amid general labour unrest.
The wider protests are over a bill to shake up the labour market.
The bill comes before the Senate this month, having passed through the lower house without a vote.
France's Socialist President, Francois Hollande, insists it will not be withdrawn despite months of unrest which erupted into street clashes between protesters and police at marches last Thursday.
Leading conservative opposition politician Nicolas Sarkozy has accused him of getting "everything wrong from the start" in his handling of the crisis.
"Pushing [the bill] through by force cuts out debate," the former president said in an interview with magazine Valeurs Actuelles, due to be published on Thursday.
"If you don't accept the debate of ideas in parliament, then it moves to the streets."
The 35-hour week remains in place, but as an average. Firms can negotiate with local trade unions on more or fewer hours from week to week, up to a maximum of 46 hours.
Firms are given greater freedom to reduce pay.
The law eases conditions for laying off workers, which is strongly regulated in France. It is hoped companies will take on more people if they know they can shed jobs in case of a downturn.
Employers to get more leeway to negotiate holidays and special leave, such as maternity or for getting married. These are currently also heavily regulated.
'You think of gullets and your pay'
Strike action led by the powerful CGT union began on Tuesday evening - the eighth railway strike in France in three months.
High-speed services to the UK and Germany (Eurostar and Alleo) are said to be normal but just 40% of Ellipsos services to Spain and a third of SVI services to Italy are expected to run.
Image copyrightAFPImage copyrightAFP
Commuters vented their anger with the SNCF on social media. For one, the journey to work was "worse than travelling to another continent".
Another wrote, "You think of your stomach and your pay... What about thinking of us now and again?" while someone remarked, "Oh lovely. Even the ticket machines are on strike."
However, a poll in the Journal du Dimanche newspaper suggests 46% of French people still support the unions' calls.
Jean, a pensioner from the southern city of Marseille, told AFP news agency he "wholeheartedly supported" the strikes despite delays to his train journey.
The dispute centres on proposed changes to weekly rest provisions for train drivers.
The CGT has also called for a strike on the Paris Metro and other public transport services in the capital on Thursday but the disruption is expected to be minimal.
"This week will see the strongest mobilisation in three months" of strikes, CGT leader Philippe Martinez said on Tuesday evening.
Air transport is also expected to be disrupted this month by industrial action not linked directly to the labour law reform.
A strike at oil refineries continued on Tuesday but fuel supplies to petrol stations have improved markedly, AFP reports.
The next national day of action by trade unionists is due on 14 June, when the labour reform goes to the Senate.
REUTERS
GETTY IMAGES
