In an interview with The Times, the Ryanair CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Michael O’ Leary has said that Muslim men should be profiled at airports as terrorists will generally be from a “Muslim persuasion.” His comments came a day after a female Radical Islamist, Safiyya Amira Shaikh, conspired to bomb St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
Muslim men should be profiled at airports as terrorists will “generally be of a Muslim persuasion”, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary says in an interview, sparking accusations of racism https://t.co/9llLqvEPFppic.twitter.com/34gVQMJ2OT
Acknowledging that he might be accused of racism, Michael O’Leary said, “You can’t say stuff, because it’s racism, but it will generally be males of a Muslim persuasion. Thirty years ago it was the Irish.”
O’Leary added, “They are going to be single males travelling on their own… If you are travelling with a family of kids, on you go; the chances you are going to blow them all up is zero. If that is where the threat is coming from, deal with the threat.” He added that 30 years before, the bombers used to be of Irish descent.
In the interview, O’Leary said that airport security is “utterly useless”, and added that this was done by politicians to give the impression that they were doing something to protect the public.
He also mocked transgender people in the interview, saying “I’m male today and I’ll be female tomorrow”.
As expected, the comment has attracted widespread criticism and the Ryanair CEO has been accused of “racism” and “Islamophobia” for his comments.
Labour MP Khalid Mahmood said, “If he can tell me what colour Muslims are, then I’d be very happy to learn from him – you can’t judge a book by its cover. In Germany this week a white person killed eight people. Should we profile white people to see if they’re being fascists? He’s being very blinkered and is actually encouraging racism.”
The Muslim Council of Britain said the Leary’s statements reflect “racism” and “brazen discrimination.” The said that this is the very definition of Islamophobia.
Michael O’ Leary is known for his controversial comments. Earlier, he had described environmentalists as “lying wankers”. He had said, “the best thing you can do with environmentalists is shoot them.”
An FIR has been filed in Kalaburagi Police Station against AIMIM leader Waris Pathan for his inciting remark during a public meet in Kalaburagi, Karanataka, on a complaint filed by a lawyer. Speaking an anti-CAA rally, he was heard delivering an inflaming speech saying, “We are 15 crores but be aware if we can still dominate over 100 crore Hindus imagine what we can do to you.”
Waris Pathan is booked under sections 117 (abetting commission of an offence by the public), 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) of the Indian Penal Code.
The grossly hinduphobic speech of Waris Pathan was delivered in an Anti-CAA rally, where he was also heard praising the Shaheen Bagh protesters and said that they will work together to snatch azaadi, “We need to work together, we need to snatch our Azadi. Time has now come to achieve Azadi, if we cannot achieve it, we should snatch it. They were mocking us for hiding behind women (during anti-CAA protests). Do not forget, these are lionesses who has come out yet and you are already afraid of these women. Be aware and know what happens if we all (Muslims) unite together,” Pathan had said.
Notably, AIMIM Chief Assaduddin Owaisi was also present during the rally. The Muslim dominated political party AIMIM members are often heard inciting riots and indulge in fear-mongering, that has been a regular practice after the enactment of Citizenship Amendment Act.
Earlier, AIMIM Chief Assaduddin Owaisi, on Shaheen Bagh protests had said, “They (the government) might as well shoot them and turn Shaheen Bagh into Jallianwala Bagh. This might happen. One of the BJP ministers has asked to shoot the bullets at the protesters. The government should answer as to who is radicalising,”
The carbon dating tests have confirmed that the largest known ancient burial site found in Uttar Pradesh’s Sinauli, where 126 burials were excavated, are at least 3,800 years old, reports Times of India.
According to the reports, the ASI had conducted excavations in Sinauli, 68 km from Delhi in UP’s Baghpat district, which had paved for the discovery of horse-drawn chariots, burials, four-legged wooden coffins, pottery, a copper antenna sword, war shields.
On further examination, the ASI has revealed that the elaborate burials, which included underground chambers, decorated legged coffins and rice in pots buried with the bodies, belong to an indigenous warrior tribe which inhabited the region.
ASI joint director S K Manjul, who led the excavations at Sanauli, said that the carbon dating has now confirmed that the burials date back to 1900 BC.
“Between 2005 and 2006, 116 burials were found while 10 more were discovered in the last two years, making it India’s largest known necropolis,” he added.
The burial pits had legged coffins along with systematically arranged vases, bowls and pots. One of the coffins was decorated with eight anthropomorphic figures.
A recent report submitted by the Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleosciences in Lucknow to the ASI had said that there are two C-14 (carbon dating) dates – 3815 and 3500, with a margin of error of 130 years for the Sanauli site. The report added that the carbon dating marks this site as the earliest history of a warrior tribe in the Indian subcontinent.
The burials bear similarity to Vedic rituals, said officials. “What is startling is the impressions of cloth found on bodies that suggest purification of bodies similar to what we practice in Hindu religion,” said Manjul.
The joint director added that three chariots found at the site have a fixed axle linked by a long pole to the small yoke and were run by a pair of animals. The size and shape of the chariots indicate they were pulled by horses. The axle, chassis and wheels show similarities to contemporary chariots, he added.
Historian B R Mani, who oversaw excavations in Sanauli in 2005, said that the site should be looked at as an interaction of a period of practices of Ganga Yamuna Doab and Indus Valley cultures.
The site at Sinauli is famous for its Bronze Age “chariots”, the first ones to be recovered in an archaeological excavation in South Asia. The excavations in Sinauli were conducted by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in 2005-06 and in mid-2018, which is still continuing.
Further, the anthropomorphic figures on coffin indicate some kind of religious beliefs. Some anthropomorphic figure made of Gold, copper associated with Vedic gods has also been found, which traces back to the roots of early historic cultures. Materials found here contemporary to the late-mature phase of Harappans.
On Friday, a video of a 9-year-old schoolboy Quaden Bayles, who suffers from Achondroplasia – a form of dwarfism, became viral in which the kid was seen crying in distress over being bullied at his school. Bullied at school for his dwarfism, Quaden Bayles sobs uncontrollably in the back of his mother’s car saying to the camera, “Give me a knife, I want to kill myself.”
A woman named Yarraka Bayles, claiming to be Quaden’s mother posted the clip of her son, Quaden, crying after he was targeted at school for his dwarfism.
“This is what bullying does,” she says in the video, in which her son also says he wants to end his life.
“I want to kill myself.”
A video of 9-year-old #QuadenBayles in Australia with dwarfism pleading for his death was recorded by his mom to raise awareness about the impact of bullying. pic.twitter.com/Cgrz2Ybfws
As soon as the video went viral, support poured in for Bayles from a number of celebrities and social media users who not only condemned the bullying but also raised funds in support of him worth $300,000. The clip, viewed over 14 million times, had triggered an outpouring of support across the world.
However, several social media users questioned the authenticity of the video and raised suspicion over Bayles’s story. They claimed that Quaden was actually 18 years old and that he was scamming the internet for money.
Post claiming Quaden was an 18 year oldPost claiming Quaden was an 18 year old
The proponents of this claim, however, offered little in terms of proof to prove that Bayles was indeed 18-year-old. In fact, the biggest piece of supporting evidence came as a photograph of the 9-year-old boy standing next to the number 18. The photographs supposedly showing the 9-year-old boy in more adult poses were also spread online.
Is Quaden Bayles really an 18-year-old?
A video dated 2015, however, rejects all the conspiracy theories of Bayles being an 18-year-old scam artist. According to the video, Bayles was in the media spotlight due to a previous bullying incident.
In the video, his mom Yarraka, who has been involved in a Dwarfism Awareness not-for-profit organization since 2014, speaks to the media, where she states that her son was just four-year-old.
In 2015, Quaden had also appeared on the Australian docuseries, Living Black. The show centred on indigenous Australian people as Quaden is Aboriginal. In the series, Quaden is said to be a 4-year-old boy. The episode was released in 2015, which would confirm Quaden’s age to be 9-years by now.
With these videos surfacing, it is extremely unlikely that the claims of Quaden being an 18-year-old scamming the internet hold any water.
The new Bollywood film Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, India’s first gay rom-com, is making no bones about its subject matter. After getting a positive response at the box office the movie has now managed to get international recognition. US President Donald Trump took to Twitter Saturday to laud the new Bollywood movie.
Peter Tatchell, a human right activist’s tweet caught US President Donald Trump’s attention, who lauded the film. Replying to his tweet, Trump wrote, “Great!
Soon after this, reacting to Trump’s reply, Tatchell wrote, “Donald Trump just retweeted me. Shock horror! I tweeted a @PinkNews article about a new gay Bollywood movie & he retweeted it. I loathe Trump & tweet against his anti-LGBT+ policies, climate destruction denial, misogyny & collusion with the far right.” He also said, “I hope this is the beginning of President Trump’s genuine embrace of LGBT+ rights & not just a PR stunt.”
Donald Trump just retweeted me. Shock horror! I tweeted a @PinkNews article about a new gay Bollywood movie & he retweeted it. I loathe Trump & tweet against his anti-LGBT+ policies, climate destruction denial, misogyny & collusion with the far right. SEE https://t.co/DURh4KNnmi
After Donald Trump’s tweet, several Indians replied tagging Ayushmann Khurana in the comment thread saying that he should be proud the US President was endorsing his film. Moreover, Trump supporters in America too jumped at the opportunity to call him a “LGBTQ hero.”
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, a directorial debut of Hitesh Kewalya, is a love story between two men in small-town India. In the movie, the homosexual couple tries to win the acceptance of their conservative family. The makers of the movie have tried to break the taboo against homosexuality by aiming to deal with that with humour through Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan.
The day of its release the movie was banned in Dubai and other cities of UAE over its homosexual content.
In many Islamic countries, homosexuality is severely punished. In India, though Section 377 was decriminalised in September 2018, however, same-sex relationships continue to largely remain a taboo.
India is all prepped up to welcome the US President and the first lady on their upcoming trip to the country. However, in a sudden twist of events, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia are unlikely to be present at the first lady Malina Trump’s visit to a Delhi government-run school, as they have been reportedly requested by US officials to opt-out, news reports quoted Delhi government sources as saying on Saturday.
Claiming that both the Delhi CM and the Deputy CM were to attend the programme since the school comes under the Delhi government, sources in the Delhi Government alleged that the names of Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia have been dropped from the VVIP event by the central government.
Sambit Patra,BJP on names of Delhi CM&Deputy CM dropped from school event where Melania Trump will visit: Petty politics should not be played on important occasions.Indian Govt doesn’t advise USA to whom to invite&whom to don’t. So,we don’t want to get into this ‘tu tu main main’ https://t.co/bHobmqGC70pic.twitter.com/1QJJLbZSVW
Reacting to the allegations of AAP, BJP has clarified that the directions have come from US authorities and Indian govt is not involved in this. Saying that petty politics should not be played on important occasions, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said that the Indian government does not advise USA whom to advise and whom to not on the programs of US president and his family. So, we don’t want to get into this ‘tu tu main main’, he added.
Along with that, media reports suggest that the Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani has also been requested to skip the roadshow in Ahmedabad scheduled to take place to welcome Donald and Melania Trump.
According to reports, the Secret Service, the security agency that provides security to the US president and his family, has not allowed the CM’s vehicle to join the roadshow. The Secret Service will take over the command of the roadshow once Trump joins it. The agency will decide which cars will join the convoy with US president.
Donald Trump will directly arrive at Ahmedabad from Washington DC on February 24, where he will be welcomed by PM Modi. From the airport, they will leave for a long roadshow, where several lakhs of people are expected to be present.
According to media reports earlier this week, Melania was expected to be welcomed by AAP convenor and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal at Delhi government schools to see how the Kejriwal government has implemented “happiness classes” in public education.
Melania Trump’s solo visit to these schools is expected to take place at a time when President Trump will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Melania Trump will be attending a “happiness class” in one of the Delhi government schools in which she will be shown how students are taught to co-exist with each other in a harmonious way.
Melania Trump is expected to spend around an hour at the state government school.
US President Donald Trump is scheduled to reach India with the first lady Melania Trump on February 24 where he will take part in the roadshow. He is then slated to address a huge gathering of more than 100,000 people which is expected to turn up for an event at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad on the lines of the ‘Howdy Modi’ function that was addressed by the US President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Houston in September last year.
Later in the day, he will arrive in New Delhi, where he is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Tuesday morning, Trump will first receive a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhawan as per protocol.
A limited trade deal may be signed during the visit by President Trump.
As per reports, a $1.86 billion missile defence system deal is being worked upon, apart from a 2.6 Billion USD 24 MH-60 Seahawk helicopters made by Lockheed Martin is also on the cards.
Hitting out at the AIMIM leader Waris Pathan for his incendiary remarks that 15 crore Muslims are more than a match for the country’s 100 crore Hindus, former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis sternly advised Pathan not to mistake Hindu community’s tolerance for weakness.
Speaking to the reporters, Devendra Fadnavis demanded an apology from Waris Pathan and asked the Uddhav Thackeray government to take strict action against him.
“We strongly denounce the remarks made by Waris Pathan and demand an apology. If he refuses to apologise, the state government must take action against him,” he said while adding that Pathan should realise that minorities in India were safe and enjoyed full freedom because 100 crore Hindus live in India.
Fadnavis also added that no one would dare to make such provocative statements in a Muslim-majority nation. “Hindu community is tolerant but its tolerance should not be mistaken for weakness,” Fadnavis said.
Earlier, Pathan found himself in the hot water for making inflammatory statements that had the potential of triggering communal strife. In a veiled threat to the Hindus, Pathan resorted to inciting Muslims by stating that time has come for the Muslims of the country to unite and ‘achieve freedom’. He added that even though Muslims are just 15 crores in the country, they can still dominate over 100 crore Hindus.
Speaking at an anti-CAA rally, Pathan had said, “We need to work together, we need to snatch our Azadi. Time has now come to achieve Azadi, if we cannot achieve it, we should snatch it. They were mocking us for hiding behind women (during anti-CAA protests). Do not forget, these are lionesses who has come out yet and you are already afraid of these women. Be aware and know what happens if we all (Muslims) unite together.”
Continuing his hate speech, Pathan warned the Hindus of the country, “We are 15 crores but be aware we can still dominate over 100 crore Hindus and imagine what we can do to you.” Now, an FIR has also been filed against Waris Pathan for his hate speech against Hindus
Islampur in West Bengal’s North Dinajpur district was gripped in tension on the day of Shivaratri after animal meat suspected to be beef was found in front of a Hindu temple. Police had to resort to lathi-charge to disperse the protesting crowd. The incident happened in Shanti colony in Panjipara area in Islampur.
According to reports, on Friday morning, when several people went to the temple to offer puja on the occasion of Shivaratri, they spotted meats of some animal lying in front of a local temple. Claiming that it was beef, the locals got agitated and started protesting. They also blocked the National Highway 31 that goes through the area, demanding the culprits to be arrested.
Soon the police arrived at the spot to clear the road, and they tried to request the crowd to lift the blockade. But it didn’t work, as the agitating crowd made it clear that they will not clear the road until the culprits are caught and punished. As the lines of vehicles stuck in the blockade grew, the police lathi charges on the protesters to remove them from the area. Police also used tear gas shells on the crowd. The protesters allege that police had fired on them too, but the police have denied that allegation.
The agitating crowd finally dispersed after the police action and the road was reopened. There is no report of any arrest made in connection with the meat thrown in front of the temple. The police have started patrolling the streets in the areas to prevent any communal tension.
The Indian Airforce Force (IAF) flight that was scheduled to evacuate 100 Indians stranded in Coronavirus hit Wuhan and provide relief supplies on February 21 was unable to leave due to delay in clearance by Chinese authorities.
Sources: It may be recalled that PM Modi wrote to Chinese President Xi Jinping conveying solidarity of people and government of India with people and Govt of China in meeting the challenge of coronavirus outbreak;and offered to provide whatever assistance possible to China.
Media reports that cite sources in New Delhi on Sunday alleged that the delay on the part of China was “deliberate.” The Chinese authorities had however maintained that there was no delay. But, the clearance for evacuation by a massive C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft was not provided. Coronavirus has affected 76,000 people and killed 2300 till now.
India had earlier evacuated over 300 citizens stranded in Wuhan including 9 Maldivian nationals. A source said, “The remaining Indians in Wuhan are continuing their long wait for the flight to evacuate them and the delay is causing them and their families in India tremendous mental anguish.” He also alleged that evacuation operations carried out by other countries were running “unhindered” while Indian relief flights were being delayed.
Another source asked whether the Chinese authorities were uninterested in India’s “token of support.” He also questioned the “roadblocks” being created in the way of the evacuation process.
China has been facing a shortage of personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves ever since the country was hit by the outbreak of deadly novel coronavirus. As such, medical workers had become vulnerable to infection. India had, therefore, sent relief supplies to China by setting aside the export ban on protective medical clothing. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping to express solidarity with the people of China.
You must have heard the good news by now. A huge treasure trove of gold deposit has just been uncovered in Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh.
TOI news about gold sound in Sonbhadra
They say it could be worth an astounding Rs 12 lakh crore. Let us hope that the discovery generates much wealth for the nation as well as jobs and development in this backward district of Uttar Pradesh.
But this news of gold deposits reminds me of a story from 2013. A story of laughable superstition from UPA government that made India the butt of jokes and ridicule across the world.
Who doesn’t want to find gold? The UPA government went digging for it as well. But how and where? Observe how it is scientists at the Geological Survey of India who have announced the discovery of gold deposits in Sonabhadra.
But the UPA didn’t use scientists to figure out where to dig for gold. They had something better.
A godman, who saw something in a dream.
Forget Sonbhadra gold, here is what UPA did
In 2013, a godman by the name of Shobhan Sarkar said he saw in a dream that there was 1000 tonnes of gold buried in Daundia Khera village in Unnao in Uttar Pradesh. According to him, the gold belonged to a 19th century king by the name of Rao Rambaksh Singh.
What happened next? The rulers of India at the time did the only rational thing and promptly sent the Archeological Survey of India to dig for the buried gold. After all, the UPA rulers had come to power using the same principle of hereditary succession by divine right using which Rao Rambaksh Singh would presumably have come to the throne in the 19th century.
Such was the alacrity on part of Sonia ji’s government that even night vision cameras were installed at the site to protect the treasure. Just in case.
The digging continued for several days. Needless to say, there was nothing to find. The Archeological Survey ended their expedition after a while, having spent Rs 2.78 lakh of public money on it.
It is not the Rs 2.78 lakh figure which is significant. The significance lies in how a superstitious UPA government made a fool of India in front of the whole world.
For their part, liberals, who are convinced they are smarter than everyone else for no reason at all, insist that they are guided by belief in science and evidence. But they are not. They are merely very good at packaging their superstitions and using media narrative power to keep public attention away from their embarrassing mistakes.
Imagine if Modi sarkar today were to send a government team digging for gold after a godman’s dream. The scale of ridicule heaped on the government, the BJP as well as common Hindus would be overwhelming.
Why? Because liberals have used their media narrative power to create a stereotype of the Hindu right as superstitious and anti-intellectual. Of course, the accusation falls apart at the slightest inspection. The Hindu right has worked its way into power corridors by sheer hard work and determination. PM Modi started with selling tea.
Liberals on the other hand are convinced that the savior(s) of India can only come from one divinely chosen family. Who is superstitious?
And let’s not talk about Communism, which may be the single worst example of black magic that the world has ever seen. Fails every time, causes untold suffering everywhere. And yet, the belief in a “good Communism” some day never fades. The high priests and upholders of this superstition are hailed as intellectuals and heroes of humanity.
I’ll end with one more example. In December 2016, just before Uttar Pradesh elections, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated an array of development projects in Noida by video conferencing.
But why video conferencing? Why wouldn’t he go to Noida, especially using the expressway he was so proud of? Why would a politician turn down a chance to connect with people, that too just before a crunch election?
Well, that’s because Akhilesh Yadav believes in the “Noida jinx,” a superstition that any UP CM who visits Noida will lose his chair briefly afterwards! Over the years, Chief Ministers of UP have gone to comical lengths to avoid entering Noida. All because of this.
Well, Akhilesh Yadav didn’t go to Noida that December, but he did lose his chair shortly after anyway, when the SP was wiped out in Uttar Pradesh elections. Perhaps the Noida jinx is so powerful that it travels even through video conferencing?
Incidentally, nobody believes the Noida jinx any more. You know why? Because in December 2017, less than a year after coming to power, Yogi Adityanath traveled to Noida. Not once but twice. And he’s doing just fine.
Take that. The liberal ecosystem has spent decades nurturing the belief that saffron stands for superstition. And it took a saffron clad Yogi to boldly reject ridiculous superstition. Something that Akhilesh Yadav, who ruled by divine right, could never dare to do.
You know why? Because Yogi started with nothing. He knows that only hard work matters. Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi are still to figure that one out.
