75-year-old man booked for duping people with fake honorary doctorates
Hyderabad (PTI): A case was registered against a 75-year-old man from Andhra Pradesh for allegedly duping seven persons by giving fake honorary doctorates, police said.
The accused, who runs a cultural organisation in Guntur district, presented "certificates of honorary doctorates" to the seven people at an event held in the city on Sunday, and these were not conferred by any university.
According to police, the accused, who had earlier felicitated people with awards through his organisation, had approached people by promising to present them with honorary doctorates, police said.
The complainant, a scholar, stated that he received a message from the accused through an instant messaging app inviting him to apply for the honorary doctorate. The accused collected Rs 20,000 from the complainant as a "membership fee" towards the honorary doctorate, police said.
The complainant and six others were presented with certificates of honorary doctorates by the accused through his organisation.
Based on the complaint, a cheating case was registered against the man, a police official at Saifabad Police Station said.
The man claimed ignorance that honorary doctorates are to be conferred only by universities, police said, adding that further investigation is on.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
