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Double whammy for SpiceJet: After unscheduled landing of plane in Karachi, cracked windshield of another plane leads to emergency landing in Mumbai

OpIndia Staff
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Double whammy for SpiceJet: After unscheduled landing of plane in Karachi, cracked windshield of another plane leads to emergency landing in Mumbai

Tuesday, July 5, was not a good day for Spicejet. After a flight bound for Dubai landed safely at Jinnah International Airport in Pakistan’s Karachi owing to an indicator malfunction, another flight made an emergency landing in Mumbai after its windshield cracked mid-flight.

In the middle of the flight, the outer windowpane of the windshield cracked. Even though pressurization was normal, and wasn’t affected by the incident, the plane had to make an emergency landing.

Earlier in the day, a SpiceJet SG-11 aircraft from Delhi to Dubai was diverted to Pakistan due to a technical malfunction. The aircraft made a safe landing at Pakistan’s Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. According to a statement by the company, nobody was injured and everyone was safe, including passengers and the staff.

In another recent incident, a SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Jabalpur (SG-2962) was forced to return to the Delhi airport on Saturday morning when the cabin crew spotted smoke inside the plane while flying at 5,000 feet.

SpiceJet has recently come under fire for a slew of mishaps that have raised concerns about passenger safety. The frequency of SpiceJet’s “safety issues” has also been a source of worry. On June 25, a SpiceJet flight from Patna to Guwahati was forced to cancel due to a technical fault. One of the aircraft’s rear doors had an automatic warning light lit.

On June 19, a Spicejet flight carrying over 185 people from Patna to Delhi caught fire shortly after takeoff and had to make an emergency landing. As per the airline, a bird struck the fan blades. On the same day, a Bombardier Q400 Dash 8 aircraft traveling from Delhi to Jabalpur was forced to make an emergency landing in Delhi due to a lack of cabin pressure as the plane reached high altitude.

According to a report by the regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), SpiceJet ranked second in terms of flight cancellations in the month of May. According to a recent LocalCircles report, SpiceJet also topped the list of airlines whose services are the least satisfying, followed by Indigo.

Pakistan: Cow for slaughter hoisted to rooftop ahead of Eid-al-Adha, onlookers call the animal cruelty ‘enjoyment’

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: Cow for slaughter hoisted to rooftop ahead of Eid-al-Adha, onlookers call the animal cruelty ‘enjoyment’

Despite the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1890) being in place, animal abuse is still rampant in Pakistan. In a video that has gone viral on social media, a cow can be seen being lifted from the rooftop of a highrise building by a crane.

According to Reuters, the cow which is seen lowered 40 feet to the ground using a crane belongs to one Syed Ejaz Ahmad. Ahmed, as per the media outlet, rears cows in his rooftop bran and every year, ahead of Eid-al-Adha, he uses cranes to lower the helpless bovine and sells them for Qurbani.

In the video shared by Reuters, the cow is seen cruelly restrained to the crane’s hoist rope as it is being lowered from a building’s rooftop in Karachi, Pakistan. Syed Ejaz Ahmad is heard saying how he makes the animals climb the staircase when they are young. He then rears the cows in his shed on the rooftop. When they grow up, they are lifted through a crane and taken from slaughter ahead of the festive occasion.

According to the media outlet, Ahmad has been carrying out this practice for the last 18 years.

Animal cruelty in the name of ‘enjoyment’: The tradition of crane-lifting cows continues in Pakistan

At the location, one can see a lot of children and adults gathered. A resident named Mohammad Hanzala told the media that this is an annual affair in the area. “It is fun to watch the animals being lowered, it’s a different kind of enjoyment. Last year I came to watch with my friends but this time I have come alone, said Mohammad Hanzala, as he excitedly watched the helpless bovine being hauled off a building by a crane.

According to Mohammad Hanzala, only two cows were lowered this year as opposed to five or six in previous years.

When the animal is brought down in such a manner, it not only feels terrified because of the height, but people surrounding it and making noise also tend to stress the animal out. Regardless, for years, ahead of the Islamic festival Eid al-Adha, the Pakistanis have been engaging in this egregious act of animal abuse in the name of ‘traditions’ and ‘rituals’.

In the year 2020, before the Islamic festival, a video had gone viral wherein a cow being lifted through a crane lost its balance and fell to its own death as people around stood and watched. The video was reportedly from Karachi, Pakistan. However, it could not be independently verified. 

This act of cruelty is being carried out in Pakistan for years. Each year, before Eid-al-Adha, similar videos have surfaced on various social media platforms, wherein where cows are being lifted with cranes from the top of houses to be taken for slaughter.

According to reports, those who cannot afford goats for sacrifice for Eid rear animals like cows on the second and third floors of their houses in Karachi. On the day of Qurbani, these cows are brought down through a crane. Each cow is reportedly sold for Rs 5 lakh. Apparently, they get them as calves and rear them for a long time by feeding and taking care of them to be sold ahead of Eid for Qurbani.

TMC condemns comments on Goddess Kaali by its own MP Mahua Moitra, distances itself from her remarks

OpIndia Staff
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TMC condemns comments on Goddess Kaali by its own MP Mahua Moitra, distances itself from her remarks

All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) has condemned the remarks made by party Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra on Goddess Kaali during the India Today Conclave East 2022. Distancing itself from Mahua’s controversial comments, the party said that the comments were made by Mahua Moitra in her personal capacity and were not endorsed by TMC.

Taking to Twitter to clarify their stand on Mahua Moitra’s comments, the party’s official handle wrote, “The comments made by @MahuaMoitra at the #IndiaTodayConclaveEast2022 and her views expressed on Goddess Kali have been made in her personal capacity and are NOT ENDORSED BY THE PARTY in ANY MANNER OR FORM. All India Trinamool Congress strongly condemns such comments.”

Controversial comments by Mahua Moitra on Maa Kaali

Earlier in the day, responding to a question at the media event, Mahua Moitra said, “You have the freedom to imagine your goddess. To me, Kaali is a meat-eating, alcohol-accepting goddess. There are some places where whiskey is offered to gods and in some other places it would be blasphemy.”

Mahua Moitra was speaking in support of the Canadian Canada-based filmmaker Leena Manimekali who has come under fire for using a poster with a cigarette-smoking image of Maa Kaali to promote her upcoming film.

After widespread criticism on social media, Mahua Moitra decided to blame “Sanghis” for lying and said that backed any film or poster or mentioned the word smoking.

Mahua also asked people to visit Maa Kali in Tarapith to see what food & drink is offered as bhog at that temple. However, now with her party condemning her remarks, it will be interesting to see if she asks her party colleagues for the same.

Kerala Governor intervenes after State Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian says Indian Constitution helps to loot and plunder the people

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala Governor intervenes after State Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian says Indian Constitution helps to loot and plunder the people

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has requested information on a contentious speech delivered by State Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian at a gathering in the Pathanamthitta district of the state. According to sources, the Minister criticised the country’s Constitution, stating that it supported robbery and the exploitation of common people.

Cherian, a CPI(M) politician, who also holds the portfolios of State Fisheries and Culture in CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s Cabinet, made contentious remarks against the Indian Constitution while speaking at an event in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta municipality.

“Exploitation has existed right from the beginning of mankind. Now, the situation shows the rich conquering the world. It is quite natural that the government machinery would be favouring this process. We all would say that we have a beautifully written Constitution. But I would say the Constitution of the country has been written in such a manner to loot the maximum number of people,” said Cherian while addressing an event at Mallappally in Pathanamthitta district.

Cherian further said, “What the British people had prepared, Indians have penned down. After implementing it for the past 75 years, I would say it is a beautiful Constitution for plundering the people of the country. Though there are traces of a few good things such as democracy and secularism in the Constitution, but its aim is to exploit the common man.”

Cherian went on to say that India is a country where worker agitation is not tolerated. The reason for this is the Constitution, which recognises worker exploitation, he added, referring to the rise of business personalities in the country and how the Constitution protects them.

The contentious remarks made by Cherian sparked angry responses from a number of people, including the state Assembly Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan. Satheesan said, “Saji Cherian, Kerala Minister, has made the most insulting statements about #IndianConstitution. Obnoxious words. He should resign or CM should demand minister’s resignation.”

According to reports, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked minister Saji Cheriyan to tender an explanation for his controversial remarks. After Raj Bhavan got involved and demanded an explanation, the CM directed the minister to do so.

Twitter approaches Karnataka High Court against GoI ‘take down’ orders

OpIndia Staff
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Twitter approaches Karnataka High Court against GoI ‘take down’ orders

On June 5, social media giant Twitter approached Karnataka High Court against the Government of India’s orders to take down some content and handles from its platform over violation of the law. As per News Agency Reuters, Twitter has claimed abuse of power by the GoI officials in its plea to the court.

Notably, in the past year, the Indian authorities have asked the microblogging site to remove, block or withhold content and accounts that support an independent Sikh state, spread misinformation about farm protests and tweets spreading misleading information about Covid-19 management in the country.

Recently, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) sent a final warning to Twitter to comply with the take-down orders by July 4 else it might lose its immunity as an intermediary. On July 4, Twitter said it complied with the GoI orders. As per reports, GoI had asked Twitter to act on content related to Khalistan and terrorism in Kashmir. In June, the authorities sent a list of around 60 accounts that needed to be taken down because they had violated Indian law.

Some of the accounts that were withheld or some content of the accounts were withheld by GoI orders include alleged journalist Rana Ayyub, pro-Khalistani author Aman Bali, pro-Khalistani activist Ravi Singh who is also the founder of Khalsa Aid and more.

As per Reuters, Twitter has claimed in its plea that some of the removal orders did not fulfil the procedural requirements per the IT Act. It claimed that some of the orders were related to the content posted by the official handles of political parties, and blocking such content would amount to a violation of freedom of speech.

The GoI has not reacted to the reports of Twitter’s plea in court.

Pakistan: Suicide bomber rams bike into a military convoy in North Waziristan, 10 soldiers left injured

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: Suicide bomber rams bike into a military convoy in North Waziristan, 10 soldiers left injured

On Tuesday, a suicide bomber rammed his bike into a military convoy in North Waziristan injuring at least ten Pakistani soldiers. The incident happened late on Monday night when the military convoy was near the Khadi Market in Mirali and was on its way to Miran Shah in North Waziristan.

According to the reports, the attack was confirmed by Shahid Ali Khan who is the Deputy Commissioner of North Waziristan. The suicide bomber arrived near the convoy and blew himself up in the Khadi Market area. Around 10 Pakistani soldiers have suffered injuries, 3 of them are serious and have been shifted to the military hospital.

While the security forces have cordoned off the area and have launched an investigation into the case, the police officials reported that no group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Reports mention that due to the ongoing political instability in the country of Pakistan, such incidents are increasing, especially in the North Waziristan area.

The attack occurred when the government is holding talks with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, active in the region, which had declared a ceasefire for an indefinite period.

Earlier in May this year, three small children and three Pakistani soldiers were killed in a suicide blast in Pakistan’s restive North Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan. Also, on April 23 three soldiers were killed in the Dewagar area of North Waziristan.

New York ‘influencer’ says spending parents’ money is her job, spends 50,000 USD in a day on Gucci, Prada, Dior

OpIndia Staff
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New York ‘influencer’ says spending parents’ money is her job, spends 50,000 USD in a day on Gucci, Prada, Dior

A unique story of extravagant spending by wealthy children has been reported in New York, where a woman describing herself as a “stay-at-home daughter” stated that spending her parents’ money is like a ‘full-time job’ for her. Roma Abdesselam describes herself as a professional ‘stay-at-home-daughter,’ and she has spent more than 50,000 USD (approx. Rs 39.4 lakh) on shopping in a single day.

Abdesselam has been flaunting her lifestyle on the internet, and her extraordinary daily expenditure has gone viral. She is a TikTok influencer who recently astounded her followers by posting a video on her Instagram page detailing how much she spends.

“Every day I wake up in the morning, have breakfast, go to a workout class and go shopping with my girlfriends at Bergdorf’s – and that’s my life being unemployed,” she told New York Post.

She frequently shares posts about accumulating huge bills and spending money on expensive fashion labels such as Chanel, Gucci, Prada, and Dior, among others. She spends her parents’ money on pilate lessons, extravagant feasts, facials, and vacations, in addition to expensive apparel and fashionable stuff.

The ‘stay-at-home-daughter’ acknowledged that her parents had ceased sending her money on several occasions for her jaw-dropping spending. However, she maintained that the cash restrictions would not last long and she resumed her buying sprees.

Abdesselam stated that she despises doing anything inconvenient, including shampooing her hair. She discards an outfit after only wearing it once or twice. She dislikes having clutter, therefore she donates them.

Abdesselam stated that she has started to supplement her income by posting commercials and sponsored brand offers for beauty and fashion firms on TikTok.

‘Aapda mein avasar’: Congress uses Assam floods to promote Rahul Gandhi, distribute relief material with his pictures stuck on it

OpIndia Staff
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‘Aapda mein avasar’: Congress uses Assam floods to promote Rahul Gandhi, distribute relief material with his pictures stuck on it

Amid the massive floods in the state of Assam which have still affected more than 18 lakh people across 23 districts, the Indian National Congress used the disaster to promote and advertise the Congress party and its leader. On Monday, the Congress Youth members distributed the flood relief packets with a picture of Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi printed on them to the flood-affected persons in Assam.

The Indian National Congress sent its relief team to Kanchanpur of the Cachar district in Assam which is the most affected area due to the floods. The workers led by Indian Youth Congress President Srinivas BV distributed the food and grain packets to affected persons and also branded the party in Assam. The food packets had photographs of Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and Assam Congress MLA Shibamoni Bora printed on them.

The food packets, rations, and essentials were also distributed to the flood-affected persons in the Longai area of Karimganj, Assam. “The SOSIYC relief team continues to visit Assam’s flood-affected areas to help those in need”, tweeted IYC president Srinivas BV on Monday. In the series of tweets, he also added that the Congress youth workers were sailing in the flood-affected areas and were providing essentials to the affected persons.

This is after, Rahul Gandhi last week asked its workers to extend assistance to flood-affected persons in Assam and work for their rehabilitation. “I urge Congress workers and leaders to continue extending assistance to rescue and rehabilitation operations,” the former Congress Chief had said. However, the cost of branding and advertisement was figured out to be more than the cost of essentials provided to the affected as all the essentials had labels of Rahul Gandhi and other leaders fixed on them. Also, the boats in which the Congress workers sailed had party flags hoisted on them.

It is important to note that IYC president Srinivas BV who flaunted the relief work on Twitter which had the images of Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders, had earlier mocked BJP in Uttar Pradesh for using the pictures of CM Yogi Adityanath and PM Modi on free Salt, Dal, Oil packets that were distributed to poor people. “What Next? Can we expect Modi Ji’s picture on the wood used in the crematorium”, he roughly had tweeted in Hindi.

In 2021, the BJP amid the COVID spread in Uttar Pradesh distributed free oil, grains, and other essentials to the poor people. The packets had photographs of CM Yogi Adityanath and PM Modi who had extended help to poor people under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. The Congress then had termed the distribution of food packets as ridiculing the poor and had said that the BJP govt was ‘rubbing the salt on the wounds of poor people. “They are trying to play with the self-respect of the poor”, Congress’s Ashok Singh had said. Srinivas BV had expected to see the images of PM Modi on the wood used in the process of cremation and had indicated that the number of deaths amid the COVID spread had increased due to the BJP-led government.

The natural disaster that occurred in Assam affected about 22 lakh people from across the state out of which 18 lakhs still stand affected. Many areas of Cachar district’s badly impacted Silchar town still remain submerged. The Assam Chief Minister meanwhile presented a cheque for Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the ten people who lost their lives in the Silchar disaster during his recent visit.

Prashant Bhushan shares a morphed picture of President candidate Draupadi Murmu to label her as ‘RSS rubber stamp’

OpIndia Staff
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Prashant Bhushan shares a morphed picture of President candidate Draupadi Murmu to label her as ‘RSS rubber stamp’

On Tuesday (July 5), advocate and activist Prashant Bhushan courted controversy after he shared morphed pictures of NDA’s Presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu.

In a tweet, Bhushan claimed that Murmu had recently visited the RSS headquarters in Nagpur and that suggested how she would be a ‘rubber stamp’.

His tweet read, “BJP’s presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu visits Mohan Bhagwat at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur! Is there any doubt that she will just be a rubber stamp and not be able to function independently?”

Screengrab of the Twitter post by Prashant Bhushan

In a bid to lend credence to his outlandish claims, Prashant Bhushan posted a picture of Draupadi Murmu with RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat. The duo were seen paying respect to an image of Bharat Mata.

The Truth behind the image of Draupadi Murmu

However, the picture posted by the Supreme Court advocate is the outcome of digital manipulation. Two different images were clubbed and mirrored to create the morphed picture, which was tweeted by Prashant Bhushan.

One of the pictures was taken from a tweet, which was uploaded by the official handle of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on March 11, 2022. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was seen alongside general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale at an event in Gujarat.

The duo was seen offering flowers and seeking blessing from Bharat Mata. The image also had a group of people in the background.

Similarly, the picture of Presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu was taken during a meeting with Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren. The image appeared during a reverse Google search on an article by The Quint.

Screengrab of The Quint report

As evident from the morphed image of Prashant Bhushan, both the real pictures were rotated by 180 degrees to create a mirror effect. The image of Draupadi Murmu was superimposed on that of Dattatreya Hosabale’s picture with Mohan Bhagwat.

Prashant Bhushan and misinformation campaigns

Prashant Bhushan is a serial fake news peddler. After the obvious photoshop was called out by many on social media, he has now deleted his tweet. Until last year, the Supreme Court advocate was busy peddling misinformation about Covid-19 and creating vaccine hesitancy in India.

In February this year, Prashant Bhushan had advocated that financial resources allocated towards Covid-19 vaccines in Union Budget 2021 ought to be relocated to migrant workers and farmers. In his defence, he had claimed that Covid-19 was “naturally dying down” in the country. 

Two months later, India witnessed the deadly second wave of Wuhan Coronavirus. Bhushan had also claimed younger population has a higher chance of dying through vaccination as compared to suffering severe complications or even death due to coronavirus.

His anti-vaccine bile came after Twitter had removed Prashant Bhushan’s anti-mask tweets for spreading misinformation.

FIR filed against Ajmer Dargah Khadim Salman Chishti, had offered his own house as bounty to kill Nupur Sharma

OpIndia Staff
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FIR filed against Ajmer Dargah Khadim Salman Chishti, had offered his own house as bounty to kill Nupur Sharma

The Ajmer police have registered a case of abetment to murder against Ajmer Dargah Khadim Salman Chishti, reports News 18 India. The case was filed after a video of Chishti went viral on social media platforms in which he threatened to kill the former spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nupur Sharma.

Earlier in the day, Chishti released a video wherein he claimed that he would hand over his house to anyone who brings Sharma’s head. A case has been filed by Ajmer Police in the matter. Chishti is a history-sheeter with over 13 cases filed against him, including murder and attempt to murder.

The video released by Chishti is similar to the one that was created before killing Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur. It is being said that the video is around 4-5 days old. In the video, he said, “I swear by my elders, I swear by my mother, I will shoot her openly. I swear by my children, whoever brings Nupur Sharma’s head, I will give this house to him.”

Further, he described himself as a ‘true soldier of Khwaja’ and tried to incite Muslims. As per reports, Khadim Gauhar Chishti of Ajmer Dargah had given a provocative speech during a silent procession taken outside the Dargah on June 17, in which slogans of “Gustakh-e-Rasool ki ek hi saza, sar tan se juda’ were raised.

After the video had gone viral, the Additional Superintendent of Police Vikas Sangwan said, “The investigation has been initiated in the case after registered FIR under relevant Sections of the Indian Penal Code.”

The video is especially concerning as it has been released at a time when Islamists across the country and those in the Gulf have waged a war against ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her comments on Prophet Muhammad derived from authentic Islamic Hadiths.

At least two individuals—Kanhaiya Lal and Umesh Kolhe—have had their throats slit for merely extending support to Nupur Sharma on social media in protest against the death threats and unwarranted hounding she had been receiving for standing up against insults meted out on her faith and its Gods.

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