The Bengaluru police have arrested a doctor working at BBMP health centre in Bengaluru for illegally administering vaccine outside designated Covid-19 vaccine centres.
According to the reports, a 25-year-old contract doctor Dr Pushpita, who was attached with the Manjunathanagar Primary Health Centre (PHC) by the BBMP, has been arrested for alleged black marketing Covid-19 vaccines.
The accused and her relative Prema, a resident of ITI Layout, were charging Rs.500 for a shot of Covishield. The doctor used to steal the vials from the PHC and vaccinate people at Prema’s house.
“The vaccines are sanctioned by the government to the PHC to give it to the people who have registered at the government portals. We suspect that the doctor forged records to steal the vials and store them at Prema’s house,” said a senior police officer.
In a similar incident, two doctors of a PHC in Chamarajpet have been arrested by the Bengaluru police for allegedly issuing fake Covid-19 negative certificates and illegally selling Remdesivir vials.
Reportedly, the police officials received information that two doctors were issuing fake Covid-19 certificates in the city. Upon the information, Constable Satish G approached a swab collector at the PHC in Chamarajpet, Kishore Guirumurthy to get a negative certificate. He paid him Rs.500 and gave him a copy of the Aadhaar card.
A few hours later, Kishore asked Satish to meet him at Bannappa Park. The police officials caught him while handing over the fake certificate. The investigation revealed that he was working in collusion with Shekhar B, the PHC medical officer.
In another operation, the police also arrested another doctor while he was selling them a Remdesivir vial for Rs 25,000. The accused, Shekhar confessed to the police that he was sourcing the injections from his colleague Prajwala who worked at the PHC.
The police recovered 11 vials from the accused who later confessed that they had sold three vials before for a price of Rs 25,000 each. The police have also arrested Mohan Y, a staffer at the PHC.
On Thursday, an inquiry committee set up by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to look into the allegations made by Charles Spencer, brother of former British Princess Diana, ruled that BBC journalist Martin Bashir had used deceit to secure an interview with the former Princess in 1995.
The inquiry committee, led by Judge Dyson, found that BBC journalist Bashir had lied to Charles Spencer to secure an interview with Diana. The BBC journalist had shown Charles Spencer fake bank statements claiming that Diana was under surveillance by the security services and that two of her staffers are being paid to provide information about her.
“Mr Bashir deceived and induced him to arrange a meeting with Princess Diana,” the report said. Mr Bashir acted inappropriately, and in serious breach of the 1993 edition of the Producers’ Guidelines on straight dealing, the inquiry report said.
In the sensational interview, the former Princess had disclosed intimate details of her failed marriage to Prince Charles. Charles Spencer said the BBC reporter linked these events to Diana’s death.
Following the indictment by Judge Dyson, the BBC has made a “full and unconditional apology” to the British Royal family. Meanwhile, several social media users have accused BBC journalist Bashir of “peddling a series of ‘preposterous lies’ to secure his interview” and alleged that the media corporation has tried to sweep it under the carpet. They trended #DefundTheBBC on social media, asking the British government to defund it.
Charles Spencer recorded falsehoods peddled by BBC journalist to obtain interview
Interestingly, the deceit and lies allegedly propagated by Martin Bashir to get access to Princess Diana scoop were all recorded by her brother. Charles Spencer, brother of Princess Diana, had maintained all the notes of the meeting held on September 19, 1995, when he introduced the BBC journalist to his sister at her Knightsbridge flat, reports Daily Mail.
The records of Charles Spencer showed that Bashir allegedly claimed that Diana’s private letters were being opened and lied to her, saying that she was under surveillance. He had also deceived Diana, saying her phones were tapped. The notes recorded by Spencer were submitted before Lord Dyson for his inquiry into the case. It includes falsehoods about the royals and senior courtiers that he is said to have used to help land the interview.
Here are the list of lies peddled by Martin Bashir to Princess Diana.
1: MI6 was orchestrating things around Diana
To convince Diana, Bashir had lied to the Princess that three MI6 agents had told him that Prince Charles’s private secretary Richard Aylard was ‘orchestrating’ things surrounding Diana. This involved Ken Wharfe, Diana’s former bodyguard, described as ‘scum’.
The journalist had shown a few bank statements allegedly showing her closest aides were selling her secrets. Reportedly, Diana’s paranoia about her staff and friends of betraying her, was effectively misused by Bashir in the meeting.
Here is an image of the dossier prepared by Charles Spencer during the meeting between Martin Bashir and Princess Diana held on September 19, 1995.
Image Source: Dailymail
2: Charles’ secretary ‘paid by Jonathan Dimbleby’
Bashir informed Diana that Charles’s secretary Richard Aylard is being paid by the broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby. A decision to reinvent the Prince was planned by two aides of Charles two years earlier to attack both Diana and the Spencer family, Bashir had claimed as per the dossier.
4: Spencers’ reputation ‘would be destroyed’
In the meeting, Bashir fear-mongered by saying reputation of Spencers’ will be destroyed. In another remark recorded by Charles Spencer, Bashir claimed Prince Charles wanted Spencer’s then wife, Victoria, dead. Meanwhile, Diana would be forced to move to America, possibly with her brother.
5: Will Carling affair claim
Bashir had also related to the stories during 1995 of the close friendship between Diana and the married England rugby captain Will Carling. Spencer noted Bashir’s assertion that the newspaper stories had been ‘fed’ by Carling’s wife Julia.
9: Diana’s car ‘bugged’
The note also says Martin Bashir had claimed that Diana’s cars and phone lines were bugged.
Image Source: Dailymail
17: Camilla ‘depressed’, Charles has affair with nanny
Bashir had also said to Diana that Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince Charles’s girlfriend at the time, was depressed.
Later in the interview, Diana had made her feelings clear on Camilla, famously saying, “There are three of us in this marriage”. It is speculated that Bashir mentioned Camilla in his meeting to prompt Diana to speak out.
The note further contains names a person- ‘Tiggy’, a reference to Tiggy Legge-Bourke, William and Harry’s nanny. It mentions that Prince Charles was accused of having an affair with her.
Image Source: Dailymail
17b: Philip’s ‘v unpleasant correspondence’
Charles Spencer’s records also show that Bashir claimed that Diana had received ‘v unpleasant correspondence’ from Philip and suggested he was annoyed at her ‘hero status’.
It also references Edwina Mountbatten, the wife of Earl Mountbatten of Burma, who was known to have had affairs.
Image Source: Dailymail
19: Fergie’s business deals in the US
This note refers to her numerous trips of Sarah Ferguson to the US to forge a business career. Sarah Ferguson is the wife of Prince Andrew, who divorced in 1996.
The note adds that Andrew still ‘looked after her’ following their divorce by supporting her financially.
Image Source: Dailymail
20: ‘Queen eats for comfort’
The note also suggested the Queen was unwell, stating “Queen ill: heart” and adds she “eats for comfort”.
The BBC interview with Diana
The much-hyped BBC documentary series Panorama with Princess Diana was finally telecast on 20 November 1995. The 54-minute programme saw Diana, Princess of Wales, interviewed by Martin Bashir about her relationship with her husband, Charles. The programme was watched by nearly 23 million viewers in the UK.
During the “Panorama” interview, telecast in 1995 and watched by more than 20 million viewers in Britain, Diana had admitted about an affair and also revealed personal details about her marriage to the heir to the throne, Prince Charles.
Later in 1996, Diana and Charles formally divorced. She died at the age of 36 in a high-speed car crash while being chased by the media in Paris, a year after the BBC interview.
Tarun Tejpal, the founder and former editor-in-chief of ‘Tehelka’ has been acquitted today after the sessions court in Goa quashed all the charges filed against him in the rape case. Soon after the verdict was pronounced in favour of the journalist, an official statement was released, wherein he thanked Congress leaders like Salman Khurshid and Kapil Sibal amongst others for helping him in the legal battle.
Now, a copy of Tarun Tajpal’s statement has been doing the rounds on social media with people speculating that the document was readied by Tarun Tajpal’s legal team on May 19th itself, two days prior to the pronouncement of the verdict was.
Though the document released bore today’s date, i.e May 21st, a closer look reveals that the date on the document has been changed manually. In fact, it appears, that initially, the statement was dated May 19th which was later, changed by hand, to May 21st. Since, after overwriting, the date appeared illegible, it was re-written manually below the typed date.
Copy of Tarun Tejpal’s statement
Social media users shared the statement with the date changed and speculated that Tarun Tejpal had kept his statement, thanking for his acquittal, ready on May 19th itself.
Another possibility was that someone mistyped the date on the statement and then changed it by hand. However, this is unlikely as the additional district court was to pronounce the verdict on May 19 but it had postponed the verdict in the 2013 sexual harassment case against journalist Tarun Tejpal to May 21st.
So going by the sequence of events, it does appear legitimate that Tarun Tejpal’s legal team, convinced about his acquittal, prepared the statement on May 19th itself, before the verdict was even pronounced. But since the court postponed the hearing to May 21st, the same statement was released today by changing the date manually.
Far-left journalist Tarun Tejpal acquitted of rape charges
According to reports, the sessions court in Goa quashed all the charges filed against Tarun Tejpal in the rape case. Earlier, Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi had reserved the verdict in the seven-year-old case. Interestingly, the trial was held on-camera at Tejpal’s instance.
The journalist was accused of forcing himself on a colleague against her wishes inside an elevator of the Grand Hyatt, Bambolim, Goa, on November 7, 2013, during an official event. He had stepped down as editor for six months after being accused of sexual assault.
The Goa Police had subsequently registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Tejpal for various offences, including rape. He was arrested in November 2013 and later released on bail in July 2014.
He was charged under IPC Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354 (sexual harassment), 354A(1)(I)(II)(demand for sexual favours), 354B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 376 (2)(f) (person in a position of authority over women, committing rape) and 376(2)(k) (rape by a person in a position of control).
Former Union Minister Salman Khurshid has declared Rahul Gandhi the future King of Democracy. In the past, the same person had declared Sonia Gandhi the mother of our nation. Aided by such copious groveling, Salman Khurshid continues to prosper within the party.
The statement again reveals the undemocratic ethos of the Congress party that encourages worship of the ‘One True Family’ instead of leadership based on merit and ability. Between an able administrator and a charlatan Gandhi, the Congress party will always choose the latter.
Source: Twitter
Nevertheless, there are important things which Khurshid has gotten wrong here. And that must be pointed out.
Rahul The Reluctant
While senior leaders are ever willing to hand over the reins of the Congress party to Rahul Gandhi, the former party president himself is quite unwilling to serve in that position. Instead, he is much more comfortable swimming in the ocean and performing push-ups at public events.
Despite being urged to take up that position, Rahul Gandhi has fled from that role just like voters have fled from the Congress party, leaving the party in the lurch. Thus, while Salman Khurshid appears overeager to crown Rahul King, there is a great possibility that should the occasion ever arise, he may find that Gandhi is off to one of his vacations on the day of the event.
The Crown is not given, it is earned
One of the most important aspects of Kingship is that it is never given, it is earned. And Salman Khurshid will be hard pressed to answer precisely what has Rahul Gandhi achieved so far in his career as a politician in order to justify the title.
Under his leadership, the Congress party has floundered and fumbled from one defeat to another and the only success to his credit is that the party has managed to do so without any loss of enthusiasm.
A King who needs sycophants like Khurshid to secure his position is no King at all.
Kings lead from the front
A King must lead his army from the front. Faced against great odds, a King must instill faith in his followers and offer them hope even when none exists. Rahul Gandhi, on the other hand, was among the first to flee the battlefield following the party’s defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
He quit from the post of president and since then, despite numerous pleas from sycophants, he has strongly refused to return to his role. Now we are in a situation where Sonia Gandhi’s tenure as the interim president of the party has lasted for a longer time than her son’s tenure as permanent president.
Furthermore, instead of leading the fight from the front, Rahul Gandhi has meekly sought help from the Joe Biden administration to aid him in his efforts to defeat the BJP. That is not very regal behaviour.
The Clown King
The world has seen great kings and cruel monarchs but it appears unlikely that it will ever be ready for a Clown King. A King, by default, is meant to inspire respect and loyalty on his own merit. The scion of the Nehru-Gandhi Parivar inspires neither.
Sycophants such as Khurshid are loyal to the Nehru-Parivar, not Rahul Gandhi himself. If the Parivar had a more able scion, then they would have flocked to him instead. But, as it so happens, they have a clown on one hand and on the other, they have Priyanka Gandhi who is yet to demonstrate higher intellect than her brother.
Kings who wake up in the morning at night or believe that they can pour potatoes from one end and extract gold from the other end of the machine are unlikely to be received well by the masses.
Democracies have no place for Kings
The Congress party might have cleared a position for a royal family within itself but Democracies have no place for kings. The party might suffer under the delusion that it can slap a King on the face of the electorate but they will find that citizens do not have time for such nonsense.
Democracy is the very antithesis of a Monarchy. One Narendra Modi can rise from being a tea seller in his childhood to leading the destiny of a population over a billion strong. Narendra Modi has earned that position through his own merit and ability, things that are alien to the Congress party.
Salman Khurshid may like to believe that Rahul Gandhi is the King of Democracy but the Indian electorate has made its choice clear. And unfortunately for him, the chosen one is not from the Nehru-Gandhi Parivar.
A startling new revelation has surfaced in the case of the mob lynching of one Asif Khan in Haryana’s Nuh district, who was allegedly abducted and assaulted to death by a group of people on 16 May 2021. A local from the village where Asif was killed has claimed that he was a member of the gang that killed Nikita Tomar. The 21-year-old woman was shot to death in broad daylight outside the Aggarwal college in Ballabgarh, Faridabad, in October 2020.
Nikita Tomar was killed by Tausif and Rehan after she had resisted their attempts to abduct her. Tausif had then pulled out a revolver and fired at her. The brutal murder was caught on camera. It was reported that Tausif has been harassing Nikita for over three years before finally murdering her.
In the light of the recent lynching of Asif Khan and the controversy that erupted following his death, several other aspects of his background have come to the fore. While media organisations tried to spin the personal enmity case between two gangs that led to Asif’s killing as a case of atrocities committed by Hindus on Muslims, the recent revelations by a local highlighted that Asif was a victim of old rivalry and not killed by a religiously-motivated mob.
Asif was reportedly caught 10 years ago for filming videos of girls changing clothes during a school function. The villagers had then decided to resolve the issue among themselves. However, the rivalry between the girls’ side and Asif had germinated since then, the local said.
Besides, two cases have been registered against Asif. One case dated 17.08.2018 was registered under Section 342, 379-B, S.D., 25-54-59 Armed Act at Sadar Sohna Police Station, while the other one dated 17.03.2020 was registered under Section 148, 149, 323, 348, 365, 506, 34.
One Satendra Awana tweeted that the murder that took place in Abhaypur village (Sohna) in 2010 also had Asif’s name. Asif was also accused of looting people on Kundli–Manesar–Palwal Expressway and a case on the same is still pending with the Uttar Pradesh police. He had also served jail time for one and a half in the case.
It is being alleged that the main reason behind Asif’s murder was his personal enmity with the man name Patwari, who is the main accused in the case. According to reports, two to three months ago, Asif and his associates had tried to kill Patwari but he somehow managed to escape. That incident is believed to be the main reason behind Asif’s murder.
However, soon after Asif’s murder, his family members gave it a communal spin, alleging that their son was killed by a mob of Hindu men, who had forced Asif to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’, a report published in Times of India said.
In response to the incident, the anti-social elements within the Muslim community looted the gym owned by Santlal Sarpanch Kheda Khalilpur and set it on fire. They jammed the Nuh bypass and when the police tried to remove the blockade, stones were pelted at them.
The local says police have taken no action against the rabble-rousers who took to the street and pelted stones at them. Neither have people who uploaded inflammatory posts on social media been arrested. Instead, the local says the administration has arrested innocent youth on the insistence of Asif’s family members.
Soon, various media organisations started attributing Asif’s death to the Hindu mob. Newslaundry columnist Sharjeel Usmani and many others like him started vilifying ‘Jai Shri Ram’, alleging that the pious Hindu slogan was being used as a rallying cry by the Hindu mobs to attack and kill Muslims. Social media was rife with posts that called Asif a victim of ‘Hindu terrorism’, stating that a Muslim man was killed by a rabid Hindu mob for refusing to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
Even Punhana MLA Ilyas Khan and his son Javed posted cartoons on social media that were provocative in nature and that instigated communal sentiments and furthered falsehoods of the man being killed for not chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
Police rules out the communal angle in murder of Mewat youth Asif
Haryana Police has ruled out any communal angle in the murder of Haryana youth Asif, a bodybuilder by profession, on Sunday. As per reports, Asif and his two cousins were returning from his sister’s house when he was allegedly attacked by a group of men and was beaten to death. According to Police, two cases have been filed against Asif alias Saddu and five against Pradeep alias Patwari, the prime accused in the Asif murder case.
Punjab police have arrested the pathi of a gurdwara at Bir Talab village in Bathinda district on May 20 (Thursday), after he welcomed BJP’s decision to project a Dalit as the Chief Minister candidate of Punjab in the 2022 Assembly poll. In a special Ardas (prayer) he offered in the Gurudwara, Gurmel Singh Khalsa prayed for PM Modi’s long life and backed BJP’s reported decision to project a Dalit as CM candidate in the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections.
As per a report in Jagran, the Punjab police initiated action against him after a video of him went viral where he is heard offering prayers at the Gurudwara. A lawyer named Harpal Singh Khara reportedly lodged a complaint against Gurmel Singh Khalsa accusing him of hurting religious sentiments by batting for a Dalit face as the next CM.
Gurmel Singh Khalsa is the former sarpanch of Bir Talab and the husband of Rajpal Kaur, the present sarpanch of Bir Talab village in Bathinda.
In his ardas, Khalsa said being a member of the Dalit community, he wished the next Punjab chief minister should be a scheduled caste. He lauded BJP for its decision to project a Dalit as a CM candidate in the upcoming elections. He also offered prayers for the release of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh saying he was a victim of a political conspiracy.
Khalsa hurt religious sentiments by batting for a Dalit CM, the complainant said
The complainant said Khalsa’s conduct hurt the sentiment of Sikhs and strict should be initiated against him. He also demanded action against the Bir Talab gurdwara management committee for allowing Khalsa’s address at the shrine.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) BS Virk said a case was registered under sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian penal code. “A team will probe the role of other persons named in the complaint,” said the SSP.
BJP writes a complaint to National Commission for Scheduled Castes condemning Punjab police’s arbitrary action
Meanwhile, BJP state secretary Sukhpal Sra condemned the arbitrary action taken against Khalsa by the Punjab police and wrote a complaint to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes that Khalsa was targeted for supporting a Dalit attaining more political power in Punjab.
Tarun Tejpal, the founder and former editor-in-chief of ‘Tehelka’ has been acquitted of all charges in the sexual assault and rape case of a junior colleague by a district court in Goa.
According to the reports, the sessions court in Goa quashed all the charges filed against Tarun Tejpal in the rape case. Earlier, Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi had reserved the verdict in the seven-year-old case. Interestingly, the trial was held in-camera at Tejpal’s instance.
The far-left journalist was accused of forcing himself on a colleague against her wishes inside an elevator of the Grand Hyatt, Bambolim, Goa, on November 7, 2013, during an official event. He had stepped down as editor for six months after being accused of sexual assault.
The Goa Police had subsequently registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Tejpal for various offences, including rape. He was arrested in November 2013 and later released on bail in July 2014.
He was charged under IPC Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354 (sexual harassment), 354A(1)(I)(II)(demand for sexual favours), 354B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 376 (2)(f) (person in a position of authority over women, committing rape) and 376(2)(k) (rape by a person in a position of control).
The trial against Tejpal started in 2017. Meanwhile, Tejpal had filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking dismissal of the case against him, claiming that the charges were fabricated. Both High Court and Supreme Court had also dismissed the plea in 2019.
Tejpal had thanked Congress leaders
In an official statement released, Tejpal had thanked the people who helped him in the legal battle. He sad, “In these 8 years a host of outstanding lawyers came to our aid, and we owe them all a deep debt, prime among them Pramod Dubey, Aamir Khan, Ankur Chawla, Amit Desai, Kapil Sibal, Salman Khurshid, Aman Lekhi, Sandeep Kapoor, Raian Karanjewala, and Shrikant Shivade”. He also thanked lawyer Ravi Sharma.
On Thursday (May 20), the Haryana government directed the police and the district magistrates to ensure the protection of the telecom infrastructure in the State. The development comes after miscreants, falsely believing that it might cause Coronavirus infection, destroyed several 5g mobile towers.
In an order issued by Haryana Chief Secretary Vijai Vardhan, he said, “As you might be aware, misinformation attributing the fatalities and health problems being faced by people due to COVIOD-19 virus, is being attributed to the testing of 5G Towers. This has led to some incidents in the State resulting in mobile towers/network being damaged by some misguided elements.”
The order cited the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other organisations to clarify that Coronavirus cannot travel via radio waves and mobile networks. It added, “The Department of Telecommunication (DoT), Gol in its press statement dated 10.5.2021 has clarified that linking the 5G network technology with COVID-19 pandemic has no scientific basis. Besides, the testing of the 5G network has not yet started in India.” The Haryana Chief Secretary reiterated that the claims are baseless and ‘devoid of merit.’
Softcopy of the order (Image Courtesy: The Times of India)
Keeping the circumstances in mind and the damage caused to several mobile towers, Vijai Vardhan directed all SPs, SSPs, and district magistrates to ‘safeguard’ telecom towers and infrastructure in the district. The law enforcement officials have been asked to take stringent actions against miscreants involved in rumour-mongering.
According to Taipa (Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association) senior manager Rahul Dhall, four towers were damaged in the past 10 days in Rohtak and Jind. He added that around 15-20 towers operating in the rural areas are under the threat of being vandalised. This has resulted in massive inconvenience for telecom service providers in ensuring the maintenance and operation of existing towers. Besides, the installation of new towers is now being met with increasing resistance from people due to a large-scale misleading campaign.
Taipa Director-general, TR DUA lamented that incidents of vandalism can impact telecom connectivity if they are not brought under control immediately. Telecom connectivity is crucial amidst the Coronavirus pandemic to be able to facilitate virtual meetings, e-health, e-education and e-commerce. Even the government’s vaccination programme might be affected if such incidents go unabated.
Jio towers vandalised, looted by farmer protestors in Punjab
In the wake of farmer protests, thousands of Jio towers were vandalised and looted. Earlier, videos of ‘protesting farmers‘ stealing a generator from a tower and ‘donating’ it to a Gurudwara had also gone viral on social media. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had to step in, who then directed police to act against Jio tower vandals in Punjab. The directions came hours after the Youth Congress leader instigated more acts of vandalism. Reliance Industries Limited, through its subsidiary Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, was forced to file a petition in the Punjab & Haryana High Court to stop damage to its property.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi managed to elicit a strong reaction from CNN anchor Bianna Golodryga while discussing the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in an interview on the channel on Thursday.
The anchor, who is Jewish, called the Pakistan Minister anti-Semitic when Shah Mahmood opined during the interview that Israel has “deep pockets” and controls the media. He said that Israel is losing “the media war” in its battle against Hamas, “despite their connections.”
Golodryga shot back, saying “What are their connections?”
The Pakistan Foreign Minister chuckled as he furthered that Israel has deep pockets. This was enough to irk the Jewish reporter who asked him to specify. Qureshi explained that he meant Israel “controls media”. “They are influential people”, opined the Pakistani minister.
Here, the CNN reporter snapped back saying that his remark was an anti-Semitic remark.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi @SMQureshiPTI: Israel is losing the media war despite their connections. They have “deep pockets” and they control media.
“Well, you see, the point is, they have a lot of influence, and they get a lot of coverage,” Qureshi said.
The Pakistan minister was almost one minute into his observations about the conflict in the region before Golodryga cut him short and asked him to condemn antisemitism: “I mean, can we not separate the fact that there are calls for peace … for both sides, for Palestinians and for Israelis, without anti-Semitic talk and rhetoric?”
‘I am personally offended as a journalist’, CNN anchor snubs Pakistan Foreign Minister
Qureshi diverged saying: “I will not justify any rocket attacks, and I cannot justify, and I cannot condone the aerial bombardment that is taking place.”
Few minutes into the interview, when Qureshi suggested how a ceasefire is the only option for Palestinians and Israelis, the Jewish interviewer asks whether the solutions suggested by the Pak minister includes anti-Semitism.
When the minister insisted that he is not justifying anti-Semitic talks, Golodryga retorted at Qureshi by saying that he began the conversation with an anti-Semitic statement. “I am sorry, I am personally offended as a journalist, you started by suggesting that Israel has close and powerful friends in the media. That is an anti-Semitic trope,” said the interviewer.
When Qureshi insists that this is the common perception and Israelis should negate it, the visibly piqued Golodryga says that the onus of changing the common perception should lie on powerful and influential people like Qureshi.
Qureshi concedes here by saying that he is not shying away from agreeing that this perception is wrong. He then quickly detours by repeating: “this insanity should come to an end”, batting for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine.
Israel, Palestine declare a ceasefire
Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire across the Gaza Strip border as of Friday, bringing to an end 11 days of bombardment. Both Israel and Hamas have claimed victory in the conflict. However, the Islamic terror organisation, Hamas, has warned that it still had its “hands-on the trigger” and demanded Israel to end the violence in Jerusalem and address the damages in Gaza Strip.
António Guterres, the current Secretary-General of the United Nations welcomed the ceasefire between Gaza and Israel.
I welcome the ceasefire between Gaza & Israel, after days of deadly hostilities.
All sides must observe this ceasefire.
Israeli & Palestinian leaders have a responsibility beyond the restoration of calm to start a serious dialogue to address the root causes of the conflict. pic.twitter.com/VQHQMpadY8
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 21, 2021
The Israel-Palestine conflict
The fighting began in Gaza after weeks of rising Israeli-Palestinian tension in East Jerusalem that culminated in clashes at a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews. On May 11, Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas unleashed massive airstrikes against Israel, firing hundreds of rockets inside the country.
The country’s air defence system known as the Iron Dome intercepted the continuous barrage of rockets targeting Tel Aviv and central Israel Tuesday evening. Israel, in response, stepped up its attacks on the Palestinian terror group Hamas inside Gaza Strip. The Israel Defence Forces carried out airstrikes on targets in Gaza in response to continued attacks by Hamas against Israel.
At least 232 people, including more than 100 women and children, have been killed in Gaza.
In Israel 12 people, including two children, have been killed, its medical service says. Israel says some 4,000 rockets have been fired towards its territory by militants in Gaza.
On Friday (May 21), the State of Israel and terrorist outfit Hamas mutually agreed upon a ceasefire along the Gaza strip after 11 days of continuous fighting. As per reports, the ceasefire agreement was mediated by Egypt.
Amidst the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed that his Security Cabinet voted unanimously for a ‘mutual and unconditional’ truce. It, however, said that the time of implementation of the ceasefire was yet to be decided. The ceasefire was proposed by Egypt, which said that the Gaza truce would commence from 2 am on Friday (UK time).
While taking to Twitter, President Joe Biden wrote, “Prime Minister Netanyahu informed me that Israel has agreed to a mutual, unconditional ceasefire. The Egyptians have now informed us that Hamas and the other groups in Gaza have also agreed.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu informed me that Israel has agreed to a mutual, unconditional ceasefire. The Egyptians have now informed us that Hamas and the other groups in Gaza have also agreed.
He further added, “These hostilities have resulted in the tragic deaths of so many civilians, including children. I send my sincere condolences to all the families, Israeli and Palestinian, of those who lost loved ones and my hope for a full recovery for the wounded…I believe that Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live in safety and security and to enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity, and democracy. My administration will continue our quiet and relentless diplomacy toward that end.”
I believe that Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live in safety and security and to enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity, and democracy.
My Administration will continue our quiet and relentless diplomacy toward that end. pic.twitter.com/mXe39TyVMz
Several countries such as Qatar, Egypt, United States, and the United Nations have proposed to mediate to bring an end to the ongoing escalation between the two sides. The US has vowed to replenish the Iron Dome interceptors of Israel that helped protect the Jewish State from the barrage of incoming rocket fires from the Gaza strip by Hamas. Both sides have been claiming the ‘ceasefire’ as a victory.
Reaction of Palestinians and Hamas terror outfit
Despite this, the fighting continued between Hamas and Israel in the runup to the proposed truce. Reportedly, sirens cautioned of incoming rocket fire from the Gaza strip to Israel. A 50-year-old man sustained minor injuries when a Hamas rocket dropped on an Israeli factory. In retaliation, Reuters reported that Israel conducted an air strike in Gaza. After the truce came into effect, Palestinians hit the streets in jubilation and yelled, “Allah hu Akbar.”
Some even whistled from their balconies. Several men even fired rifles, burnt firecrackers, jammed the roads, honked the horns of cars, and eaved flags from the window. Mosques claimed over loudspeakers that the truce signified the supposed victory of ‘resistance’ against Israel during the battle of ‘Sword of Jerusalem.’ A Palestinian welding an Ak-47 warned, “Our fingers are on the triggers, and we are ready to fight again, but now we will celebrate with our people.”
Meanwhile, Taher Al-Nono, who serves as the media advisor of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, said, “The Palestinian resistance will abide by this agreement as long as the Occupation (Israel) does the same. Hamas spokesperson Abu Ubaida however added, “With the help of God, we were able to humiliate the enemy, its fragile entity, and its savage army.” He warned of rocket attacks if Israel was to commit ceasefire violations in Gaza. The biggest challenge for Hamas now is to rebuild its influence in the Gaza strip, destroyed by airstrikes by Israel in retaliation to its attacks.
Israel’s stand on the current truce with Hamas
In a statement released by the Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz on Twitter, he said, “I would like to strengthen the security forces and the IDF, led by the Chief of Staff, who have achieved unprecedented military achievements in the last 11 days in their strength, accuracy and strategic significance in the fight against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip.”
Tweet by Israel Defence Minister
He added, “The defense establishment continues its readiness to protect Israeli citizens and the security forces and the IDF are deployed in the field, in all formations, in various sectors, in defense, and in the attack. The reality on the ground will determine the continuation of operations.” Gantz also spoke to US US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. He thanked the US administration for its support and said that the Israeli Defense Forces will continue to work with Pentagon and the US government in mutual pursuit of stability in the region.
The Israel-Palestine crisis
The hostilities between the Jewish nation and its nemesis Hamas are at an all-time high, especially after the intense aerial exchanges that started on the evening of May 11 and continued well past midnight. On May 11, Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas unleashed massive airstrikes against Israel, firing hundreds of rockets inside the country.
The country’s air defence system known as the Iron Dome, intercepted the continuous barrage of rockets targeting Tel Aviv and central Israel Tuesday evening. Israel, in response, stepped up its attacks on the Palestinian terror group Hamas inside Gaza Strip. The Israel Defence Forces carried out airstrikes on targets in Gaza in response to continued attacks by Hamas against Israel. The death toll in the Gaza strip has risen to 230 by May 21 while 12 casaulties were reported on the Israeli side. At the same time, 20 high-profile terrorists associated with Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad have been neutralised.
While debunking the anti-Israeli propaganda, Israel Defence Forces remarked, “The fact that there aren’t more casualties in Israel does not mean that Hamas isn’t trying to kill Israeli civilians. It simply means that the IDF is preventing them from doing so at an incredible level. The Iron Dome Aerial Defense System and easily accessible bomb shelters all over Israel have saved thousands of lives.” It concluded, “IDF troops will continue to work 24/7 to defend Israeli civilians at the highest level possible and minimize Gazan casualties wherever possible.”
