Jio Cinema frisks Comedian John Oliver’s ‘Last week tonight’ episode over critical remarks of Modi
New Delhi: OTT platform JioCinema, owned by Viacom 18, has reportedly not aired the latest episode of 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,' titled "Indian Elections, Trump & Red Lobster." In this episode, British comedian John Oliver criticizes Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his administration on various issues, including the state of the press in India. JioCinema, a joint venture between Reliance Industries and Paramount Global, is HBO's official streaming partner.
This development comes just before the announcement of the Lok Sabha election results on Tuesday, June 4. Clips from the episode have already gone viral on social media.
The host anticipating censorship in India asked the Indian audiences to visit oppositesnakes.com and howtoeatmangoes.com in case the episode is taken down from YouTube. “I don’t know if this episode is definitely not going to end up airing in India, depending on what they do with the laws around YouTube. If you have friends and family living in India who would like to see it, just encourage them to visit these sites,” Oliver said in a clip from the show circulated on social media.
The episode was posted on YouTube on June 2 but is not yet available in India. It will be made public on June 6, as HBO has changed its policy to upload full episodes a few days after airing to boost subscriptions. Previously, episodes were uploaded the day after airing.
Despite Viacom 18's deal with Warner Bros. allowing 'Last Week Tonight' to be streamed on JioCinema in India, the latest episode has not been uploaded. The last episode available on the platform, titled "Corn," aired on May 19.
This is not the first time JioCinema has restricted streaming of the show. An episode from 2020 featuring Oliver's remarks on PM Modi, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Gujarat riots, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is also unavailable. Previously, Disney+ Hotstar, the former streaming partner, faced criticism from Oliver for not streaming this particular episode.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
