MUMBAI - Bollywood star Salman Khan, jailed on Thursday for five years for poaching, was granted bail by an Indian court on Saturday in a case being followed by tens of millions of fans and a movie industry that banks heavily on his popularity. Bollywood actor Salman Khan (2nd L) arrives at a court in Jodhpur in the western state of Rajasthan, India, April 5, 2018. [Photo/Agencies] The actor will be freed from jail on Saturday after completing the necessary formalities, his lawyer Mahesh Bora told reporters. Khan's fans set off firecrackers outside his home in Mumbai and outside the court in Jodhpur in the northwestern state of Rajasthan after the actor was granted bail. Khan, 52, was found guilty of violating Indian wildlife laws by killing a blackbuck, an endangered species of antelope, in 1998. The case was brought by members of a community known as the Bishnoi, who revere antelopes. The community had pursued the case against Khan for almost two decades. The actor may not leave the country without the court's permission, said Mahipal Bishnoi, a lawyer for the Bishnoi community. Khan has had other run-ins with the law. In 2015, a Bombay High Court overturned Khan's conviction in a hit-and-run case in which he was accused of running over a group of people sleeping on a city sidewalk, killing one and injuring four. Last year, another court in Jodhpur acquitted Khan in a separate poaching case, ruling that there was no proof that Khan had killed an endangered gazelle. Khan has made a series of blockbuster hits in the last few years with the latest in December, Tiger Zinda Hai, grossing more than 3 billion rupees ($52 million) at the box office. His next film, Race 3, is an action thriller scheduled for release later in the year. Khan has also signed a deal with global e-commerce giant Amazon that gives its Prime video streaming service exclusive worldwide rights to his catalogue and upcoming titles. Reuters custom bar braceletcustom sports braceletscustom logo wristbandsde securite pour personne ageeembossed wristbandscolorfilled wristbandsembossed printed wristbandsdual layer wristbands
BEIJING - Ji Xiangqi, former vice governor of east China's Shandong province, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and dismissed from public office for multiple offenses including taking bribes, the top anti-graft body said Tuesday.Ji was found to have seriously violated political discipline and rules,transfered money and property related to the case, and resisted the investigation against him, according to a statement released by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).The CCDI investigation found that Ji violated organizational rules and failed to report his personal matters.He was also found to have taken bribes, purchased houses at below-market prices, invested in unlisted companies while breaking rules, embezzled public funds and property, and sought benefits for other people.As a senior official of the CPC, he has lost his faith and severely violated the Party discipline and law, said the statement.Ji's illegal gains will be confiscated and his case transferred to the judiciary, it added.The CCDI announced the investigation into Ji for severe disciplinary violations in January.
