Elton John’s ex-wife demands £3m over memoir

Sir Elton John’s ex-wife , who was married to the sunfer from 1984 until 1988, is suing the 73-year-old singer for writing about their relationship in his 2019 memoir ‘Me’.

Renate Blauel is seeking an estimated £3m in damages amid claims Elton John broke the terms of their divorce deal.

The 67-year-old The sound engineer previously filed for an injunction against her ex-husband back in June. New documents filed on 16 July claim that comments made by the ‘Rocket Man’ singer in his 2019 autobiography ‘Me’ about his relationship with Renate, which reportedly broke the terms of an agreement they made when they split up.

The disclosures triggered long-standing mental health problems, she claimed.

In response, Sir Elton’s defence acknowledged the existence of the divorce agreement, which both parties signed, but denied any breaches or causing “psychological harm”.

Sir Elton, according to papers filed at the High Court in London, agreed to remove certain passages from his autobiography before it was published last year, and in the final draft, Ms Blauel only appears on eight pages.

Sir Elton describes her in positive terms throughout the book, calling her “dignified”, “decent” and “someone I couldn’t fault in any way”.

Amitabh Bachchan breaks silence on reports about him testing negative for COVID-19

Amitabh Bachchan has repeatedly denied testing negative for coronavirus, as reported by Times of India.

The veteran actor has refuted such reports even after rumours of a plausible recovery surfaced all over social media.

A source close to the veteran actor had confirmed that he had not tested negative for COVID-19, and later on, Amitabh confirmed the same.

He was reportedly admitted to a local Mumbai hospital on July 12, after he tested positive for COVID-19 along with his son Abhishek.

A few days later, Aishwarya Rai and her daughter Aaradhya also tested positive for the deadly virus.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates rubbishes theory he created coronavirus

Microsoft founder Bill Gates slammed conspiracy theories on social media that accuse him of inventing the coronavirus that has killed more than 600,000 across the globe.

“It’s a bad combination of pandemic and social media and people looking for a very simple explanation,” he said during a CNN Town Hall interview.

Doctored photos and fabricated news articles crafted by conspiracy theorists — shared thousands of times on social media platforms and messaging apps, in various languages — targeting Gates have gained traction online since the start of the pandemic.

A video accusing Gates of wanting “to eliminate 15% of the population” through vaccination and electronic microchips has racked up millions of views on YouTube.

“Our foundation has given more money to buy vaccines to save lives than any group,” Gates said, referring to his eponymous foundation.

He has pledged $250 million in efforts to fight the pandemic, and his foundation has spent billions of dollars improving health care in developing countries over the past 20 years.

“So you just turn that around. You say, okay, we’re making money and we’re trying to kill people with vaccines or by inventing something,” Gates continued.

“And at least it’s true, we’re associated with vaccines, but you actually have sort of flipped the connection,” he said, adding he hopes the conspiracies don’t generate “vaccine hesitancy.”

Since the start of the crisis, AFP Fact Check has debunked dozens of anti-Gates rumors circulating on platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram in languages including English, French, Spanish, Polish and Czech.

A number of accusations, including posts claiming that the FBI arrested Gates for biological terrorism or that he supports a Western plot to poison Africans, share a common thread.

They accuse the tycoon of exploiting the crisis, whether it is to “control people” or make money from selling vaccines.

“I’m a big believer in getting the truth out,” Gates told CNN.

It is not the first time Gates has found himself targeted by conspiracy theorists. When Zika virus broke out in 2015 in Brazil, he was one of several powerful Western figures blamed for the disease.

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COVID-19: Zulfikar Bukhari leaves for UAE to address issues of Pakistani expats

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD) Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari on Wednesday left for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to address and resolve the issue of Pakistani expats stranded in foreign country due to coronavirus.

According to the statement issued by the OP&HRD ministry, the SAPM, in his two-day visit, would also meet the UAE Labour Minister for the redressal of the issues being faced by the Pakistani workers in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“This is the first interaction of UAE labour ministry with a representative of any country with such a large diaspora to address workforce issues and post-COVID reintegration plan,” read the official news release.

Apart from holding meetings with the consulate staff involved in the process of facilitating the overseas Pakistanis during the pandemic, the SAPM would also have press interaction during his visit and would meet with PTI overseas office bearers to encourage them for assisting the Pakistanis in the Gulf state.

The premier’s aide is also scheduled to hold an interaction with the Dubai-based Pakistani donors who had carried out philanthropic activities and made huge contributions.

The SAPM would pay gratitude to them on behalf of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the entire nation for looking after their countrymen in the hour of need.

“This is the first visit after reopening of airspace to address overseas Pakistanis’ issues since the onset of coronavirus pandemic,” the ministry noted.

Pakistan is a big labour supplier to the UAE, with more than a million Pakistanis living and working in the country, according to Pakistani diplomats.

Shahzad Akbar appointed PM’s Adviser on Accountability and Interior

ISLAMABAD: Barrister Mirza Shahzad Akbar has been appointed as Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior with the status of a federal minister with immediate effect, a notification from the Cabinet Division issued Wednesday read.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communications Shahbaz Gill shared the notification, which stated that Akbar “shall cease to hold the office of the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior” consequent to upon his appointment as the adviser.