Entertainment
New Delhi urges UN body not to restrict imports of animals by Ambani zoo
NEW DELHI: India has urged a UN wildlife trade body not to curb its imports of endangered species, saying it has tightened oversight amid growing allegations of irregular animal shipments to a large private zoo run by Asia’s richest family.
Vantara, a 3,500-acre zoo in Gujarat state run by the philanthropic arm of a conglomerate led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani and his family, has faced allegations of improper imports of certain animals, triggering higher scrutiny from authorities in Germany and the European Union, Reuters has reported.
Indian investigators tasked by the country’s Supreme Court to examine the allegations by non-profit and wildlife groups cleared the sanctuary of any wrongdoing in September, and Vantara has said it complies with all regulations.
However, after visiting the facility in September, the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) issued a report last week asking India to review its procedures.
The report cited discrepancies between exporter and importer trade data and flagged insufficient checks on the origin of some animals.
In a submission to Cites dated November 10, India said any restrictive or punitive measure at this stage would lack legal foundation and risk unsettling the Cites framework, calling the measure “premature and disproportionate”.
The wildlife body’s request “would constitute a de facto suspension or moratorium on lawful” imports, the government said.
The Indian submission, posted on the Cites website ahead of its convention meeting this month, is first being reported by Reuters. It signals new wrangling over Vantara’s imports.
‘Exceptionally high standards’
Cites is a global treaty that regulates trade in endangered plants and animals, or products derived from them, with the aim of ensuring their survival.
While Cites acknowledged last week that Vantara operates facilities of “exceptionally high standards,” it recommended that India halt new import permits for endangered species until safeguards are tightened.
The body warned that without stricter checks, animals sourced from the wild could be misrepresented as captive-bred.
India countered that it “has strengthened inspection and reporting mechanisms for all recognised zoos and rescue facilities” including Vantara. The government also instructed the Central Zoo Authority to ensure enhanced due diligence for all future acquisitions.
Cites and Vantara did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the Indian government’s submission on Wednesday.
Vantara — home to 2,000 species
Vantara says it is home to some 2,000 species. That includes imported exotic species from South Africa, Venezuela, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, including snakes, tortoises, tigers, cheetahs, giraffes and chimpanzees.
The shipments were recorded with a declared value of $9 million, which Vantara has said reflected freight and insurance charges, not any payments for wildlife.
The Cites report last week noted that “a number of animals come from established commercial breeding facilities, which would normally sell the animals they breed”.
India has mounted a defence, saying in response that the SC panel’s findings showed imports were carried out in compliance with regulations.
King Charles, who was diagnosed with undisclosed form of cancer in 2024, has reportedly been making good progress in his health.
In a message shared on December 2025, to mark World Cancer Day, the monarch had shared the “good news” that his treatment will be “reduced” in 2026 which he described as a “personal blessing.
However, there are whispers that this has been a deliberate move to conceal any negative update about the King’s health, as the true story is different than what it seems, according to royal experts.
Royal correspondent Robert Jobson stressed that journalists were “pushed” by the Palace to “put a positive spin on the King’s health bulletins” when the reality is rather “sobering”.
He said during the The Royalist podcast that Palace aides had been focussed on only releasing positive news.
“I think it was overhyped in December. I think that the Palace were over-emphasizing the ‘good news’.”
The press spokespeople were saying, “Oh, this is good news.” They were trying to say to the journalists at the time, “Don’t interpret it any other way. This is good news.”
Meanwhile, royal editor Tom Sykes pointed out that since he shared the story about Charles having “live with cancer”, he was removed from the international media pool by the King’s powerful press office.
“Indeed, I was removed from the international media pool by the King’s communications secretary after I noted the King’s cancer was incurable, a fact the Palace has since acknowledged. My expulsion was used as an example to intimidate other journalists into toeing the Palace line,” Tom said.
He pointed out from then on, the press has been supressing the health updates as per the “privacy rules” of the King’s “powerful” press office.
Laufey is about to release the music video for her new single, Madwoman, and it stars many familiar faces, including KATSEYE member Megan Skiendiel.
The 26-year-old jazz pop star has been teasing the project on social media and revealed all her co-stars one by one in Instagram posts.
The From The Start hitmaker will be starring in the video alongside Olympics champion Alysa Liu, The Summer I Turned Pretty star Lola Tung, as well as Skeindiel in the video, according to her latest post.
The music video is set to be released on April 10, alongside the deluxe version of Laufey’s latest album, A Matter of Time: The Final Hour.
The announcement sparked an exciting reaction among fans who flocked to the comments and wrote, “OMGGG?????? HELLO WE WON,” and “ALL QUEENS.”
A third chimed in, “Friday will simply not come FAST enough,” while some joked that she is “collecting wasians like pokemon cards.”
Tom Holland declared Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey “an absolute masterpiece.”
In a recent interview with GQ, Tom Holland praised Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey, describing it as “unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”
Holland explained that Nolan’s reliance on practical, in-camera effects rather than CGI left him stunned by the sheer scale of the production.
“There were certain sequences in the movie where I’m watching it and I’m just sort of thinking like, ‘How on earth has he done that? That has to be CG,’” Holland said.
“And then after the movie asking him, ‘That was definitely CG, right?’ And he’s like, ‘No, no, no, that’s all in camera effects. Very planned, very prepared.’”
Based on Homer’s legendary poem, The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Holland as Telemachus, and Zendaya as Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war who guides Odysseus through his trials. The ensemble also includes Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron.
Holland explained that Nolan’s approach reminded him why audiences still crave the big-screen experience.
He added, “I am a real advocate for theatrical and the cinema and the communal experience of sitting in a dark room and being entertained. I think that is something for the next 10 years of my life that I will be very focused on.”
With a reported $250 million budget and a July 17, 2026 release date, Nolan’s film is shaping up as one of the year’s most ambitious projects.
More than just a film, it is being positioned as a cultural event: one designed to remind audiences of the enduring power of myth and the magic of theaters.
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