Afternoon brief: TN producer arrested in drug trafficking case; Cong fields state chief against ex-CM in Tripura, more

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested Jaffer Sadiq, a former Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) functionary and Tamil movie producer, in connection with the Rs.2,000 crore drug trafficking racket the agency busted last month, officials said. NCB deputy director general (operations) Gyaneshwar Singh confirmed Sadiq’s arrest. “He is the kingpin of the India-Australia-New Zealand drug trafficking network, which we were probing. We will share details in the afternoon,” Singh said on Saturday. Dig deeper

More News: Tamil film producer ‘mastermind’ of ₹2,000 crore drug trafficking racket, says NCB

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Friday announced its first list of 39 candidates across eight states and one Union Territory for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Naming the candidates, the party fielded Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Ashish Kumar Saha from the West constituency. Shah will contest against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate and former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb. The state has two Lok Sabha constituencies – West and East. Dig deeper

More News: Rahul Gandhi, Bhupesh Baghel named in 1st Congress list for Lok Sabha polls

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Global Matters

Footage of the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar has been made public for the first time, as it aired in a television news programme on Friday. The video, taken from a surveillance camera providing a view of the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib on the evening of June 18 last year, shows a white sedan blocking the path of the Dodge Ram pickup truck driven by Nijjar. As that happen, two persons, believed to be Nijjar’s killers, can be seen running towards the vehicle, before they escaped in a waiting Toyota Camry. The video was aired by the Government-funded outlet CBC News. Dig deeper

Entertainment Focus

Alia Bhatt has called ''friends" Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone her “huge sources of inspiration”. Speaking at the Forbes 3050 event, she also said that she admires them "deeply''. Talking about films, she said that the stories should be at the forefront and not the ethnicity of the person. Alia said, "Actresses from the Indian film industry have done that, and have been huge sources of inspiration to me. Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika (Padukone), these are actors who are also friends of mine, but I also admire deeply. So I have to give them a lot of credit because they paved the way in a sense. You know, made it a normal thing." Dig deeper

Lifestyle and Health

In today's fast-paced world, prolonged computer usage has become a common source of stress, leading to eye strain hence, it is crucial to incorporate simple and effective do-it-yourself (DIY) techniques at home to alleviate this stress. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Ajay Sharma, Chief Medical Director of Eye-Q Super Speciality Hospitals, asserted that in the hustle of stressful days, incorporating eye relaxation techniques can remarkably alleviate strain and suggested, “Start with flexing, a simple exercise involving upward and downward eye movements, followed by side-to-side motions, each repeated ten times. Blinking, often neglected during prolonged screen use, refreshes the eyes; consciously blink every five seconds for a two-minute duration.” Dig deeper

Sports Goings

India batters Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan, wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel and England batter Jonny Bairstow were involved in a heated chat on Day 3 of the fifth Test match at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. This was the first instance of India and England cricketers getting involved in a serious sledging episode in the entire series, which has been played in very good spirits. It transpired in the morning session of Saturday when Bairstow, in his 100th Test, was trying to forge a partnership with Joe Root to bail England out of trouble. Dig deeper

That is all we have at this hour in our Afternoon briefing. Catch you again in the evening.