NEWSMAKERS OF THE WEEK
THE WORLD IS UNDERGOING A POLITICAL CHURN. THE SAUDI KINGDOM HAS FOR THE FIRST TIME ELECTED A WOMAN DEPUTY MINISTER. THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY WANTS TO SCRAP TERM LIMITS FOR THE PRESIDENT. THIS EVENT IS SOMETHING THE WORLD SHOULD WORRY ABOUT.
PARK GEUN-HYE
South Korean prosecutors are seeking a 30-year jail term for ex-president Park Geunhye in a corruption case which led to her impeachment, the Yonhap news agency reports. Park, 66, was dismissed in March 2017 and is standing trial on charges of bribery, abuse of power and coercion in a case that has rocked the country's business and political elite. She denies wrongdoing. Prosecutors are also seeking a $127.1m fine for Park.
NIRAV CHOKSI
Billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi has refused to join the CBI investigation in the $2 billion fraud in Punjab National Bank citing his business engagements. The agency has told him that it is mandatory for an accused to join the investigation whenever they are asked to, they said. The Enforcement Directorate has attached 41 properties, of Modi valued at over `1,200 crore. Meanwhile, the CBI has arrested PNB’s internal chief auditor M.K. Sharma.
ARUNA REDDY
The 22-year-old Reddy, created history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to win an individual medal at the Gymnastics World Cup as she clinched a bronze in the women’s vault event in Melbourne. This was her first international medal. Her best international performance before Saturday’s feat was the sixth place finish at the 2017 Asian Championships vault event. In all the other international events, she could not go beyond the qualification stage.
KING SALMAN
In a fresh move Saudi Arabia has replaced its top military commanders, including its chief of staff, to bring fresh blood into the kingdom’s upper ranks.The monarch replaced the heads of the ground forces and air defences as well as several deputy ministers, and in a rare move named a woman to the government. Analysts say the changes point to a strategy to create a self-contained defence industry.
XI JINPING
China’s ruling Communist Party has proposed scrapping term limits for the country’s president. The move appears to lay the groundwork for party leader Xi Jinping to rule as president beyond 2023. Xi, 64, cemented his status as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao in the 1970s at last year's twice-a-decade Communist Party congress, where his name and a political theory attributed to him were added to the party constitution as he was given a second 5-year term as general secretary.