Home Blog Page 2470

18-year-old ISIS terrorist Md Irfan was radicalised by Zakir Naik videos, was planning to carry out three deadly attacks in Singapore: Details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
18-year-old ISIS terrorist Md Irfan was radicalised by Zakir Naik videos, was planning to carry out three deadly attacks in Singapore: Details

Security officials in Singapore informed on Wednesday that an 18-year-old ISIS terrorist named Muhammad Irfan Danyal bin Mohamad Nor was arrested in December for allegedly planning to carry out three targeted attacks in the island country.

According to media reports, the 18-year-old teenager was apprehended by Singapore Internal Security Department (ISD) a few days before he planned to take the ‘bai’ah’ (pledge of allegiance) to then-ISIS leader Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Quraishi. He has been detained under the Internal Security Act, which allows for detention without trial for up to two years.

Youth radicalised after watching Zakir Naik’s video: Singapore authorities

As per authorities, the teenager, who studied in Singapore, was a supporter of ISIS. He began getting radicalised in 2020 after viewing videos of Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and Islamic State group propaganda online. Besides watching many videos of the radical preacher Naik, Irfan also watched videos of other foreign extremist preachers such as Ahmed Deedat.

By late 2021, the teenager became completely radicalised and highly influenced by ISIS. He began photographing himself in a ski mask, index finger raised to illustrate the concept of ‘tawhid,’ in the style of ISIS terrorists he had seen online.

ISIS terrorist wanted to establish an Islamic caliphate in Singapore, was planning three terror attacks

Irfan wanted to live in an Islamic caliphate governed by Syariah (Islamic law) and establish an Islamic caliphate in Singapore. He also wanted to recruit Muslims to join the caliphate, so he started using social media to gather supporters to carry out terrorist attacks in Singapore.

Authorities confirmed that Muhammad Irfan Danyal Mohamad Nor planned to stab and kill ‘kaafirs’ (non-believers) and carry out a large-scale attack at Amoy Quee Camp by recruiting a suicide car bomber. He wanted to build a C4 explosive device to bomb the Keramat Habib Noh grave site at Haji Muhammad Salleh Mosque in Tanjong Pagar.

The teenager also intended to designate Coney Island as an ISIS wilayat (province) in the hope that it would be recognised by ISIS as an official affiliate.

On August 9, 2022, on Singapore’s National Day, he put up his designed flag on Coney Island, patterned on the flag of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham- the Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist organisation in Syria. He claimed this represented the beginning of his own caliphate, which he titled the “Islamic State of Singhafura,” and posted photographs of the flag on social media to encourage others to join, according to ISD.

The self-designed flag out up by Irfan on Coney Island (Source: The Straits Times)

“Irfan believed that it was his religious obligation to spread ISIS’ radical ideology. He planned to upload his video to various social media platforms to galvanise support for ISIS, and to recruit an ISIS army of between 100 and 500 fighters to assist him in conducting attacks in Singapore,” said ISD, adding that this led the 18-year-old to plan the three attacks in Singapore.

Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam said during a media conference at Masjid Khalid in Joo Chiat Road on Wednesday: “At the point of arrest, he was determined to commit violence. He is, in our assessment, likely to have carried out a knife attack at some point… We assessed him to be an imminent security threat. That is why he was arrested.”

Notably, this is the third such arrest in Singapore in the last two years. In 2020, authorities nabbed a 16-year-old who planned to attack two mosques in Singapore after being influenced by the New Zealand mosque massacre. The following year, officials detained a 20-year-old Singaporean Muslim under the same law, charging him with plotting a lethal stabbing rampage against Jews at a synagogue.

Kharagpur Data Science Hackathon reaches the finale: 3500 sharpest minds, 700 teams and much more. Read about the event

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Kharagpur Data Science Hackathon reaches the finale: 3500 sharpest minds, 700 teams and much more. Read about the event

With 3500+ of the sharpest minds, 700+ of the best teams, 2 competitive online rounds and a challenging presentation round, the country’s biggest hackathon – the Kharagpur Data Science Hackathon 2022 – finally reached its grand conclusion with an explosive Finale! Kharagpur Data Analytics Group, IIT Kharagpur successfully conducted the 3rd edition of its flagship event – the Kharagpur Data Science Hackathon (KDSH), sponsored by Axtria, Ingenious Insights; media partnered with The Global Hues & OpIndia and in collaboration with Kshitij, Asia’s largest Techno-Management fest.

The Hackathon aims to bring together some of the brightest minds in the country to compete on challenging real-world problems and transform their innovative ideas into practical solutions.

This year, powered by our sponsor – Axtria, Ingenious Insights, the hackathon reached even newer heights as it saw an overwhelming response by teams competing from some of the best institutions in the country, such as IIT Bombay, IIM Ahmedabad etc.

The first round of KDSH was an online quiz on Unstop and saw over 3500+ participants. Selected students proceeded to the next round – where they were presented with a Problem Statement prepared by experts from Axtria. The problem statement was immensely challenging and perplexed even the best of the teams. The teams with the most accurate solutions were selected for the Final round, held at IIT Kharagpur.

For the Final Round, Kshitij also organised a Tech Summit where Mr Puneet Singh Bhatia, Senior Director, R&D at Axtria, graced the event as an esteemed panellist. The Summit featured some of the most prominent industry leaders across different companies and sectors. Speaking at the event, he shared his vast knowledge and invaluable insights on various topics like Industry 4.0, Advanced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and its rapidly growing influence on IoT Integration, Automation, Supply Chain and Commercial Operations across different industries – small and big.

The Final Round of KDSH was a Presentation round where the selected teams had to present their solutions to a panel of judges. The round saw a neck-to-neck competition among the best teams for the ultimate prize. After a gruelling round of presentations, three teams – Lunatic Bytes, StatisticalBros and Data Hackers- were crowned winners of the Kharagpur Data Science Hackathon 2022.

Speaking about the Hackathon, Mr Joginder Tuteja, Head – Campus Recruitment at Axtria, shared his valuable thoughts: “Axtria has always been supportive of talent and opportunities for people to excel in the field of data analytics and machine learning. IIT Kharagpur has been shaping young minds and moulding them for the future. Courses like data analytics and machine learning are what Axtria has been focusing on and has built its business on, as they are the needs of the future. We are delighted to encourage and interact with such brilliant minds.”

Kharagpur Data Analytics Group and Axtria heartily congratulate the winners of the Kharagpur Data Science Hackathon for their incredible efforts and hard work that went behind the Hackathon. We also thank all the participants for their time and effort and wish them the best. We thank Kshitij, 2023, for providing us with a platform to conduct this event. Finally, we express our immense gratitude to Axtria for their constant guidance and support throughout KDSH, without whom the Hackathon wouldn’t have been successful. We promise to come back with an even bigger bang next time!

Pakistan: Former interior minister Sheikh Rashid arrested for saying that former President Asif Ali Zardari conspired to assassinate Imran Khan

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Pakistan: Former interior minister Sheikh Rashid arrested for saying that former President Asif Ali Zardari conspired to assassinate Imran Khan

In the early hours of Thursday, Pakistan’s former Interior Minister in the Imran Khan-led government and Awami Muslim League leader Sheikh Rashid was arrested by Islamabad Police. Rashid was arrested for alleging that the former President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari had hatched a conspiracy to assassinate former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Sheikh Rashid, an ally of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and a close aide of Imran Khan was arrested on the complaint filed by Raja Inayat-ur-Rehman, a vice president of Rawalpindi Division of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) on January 27.

Rehman said in the FIR filed at the Aabpara Police Station that the AML chief attempted to disparage a former president and put the PPP co-chairman and his family in “permanent danger”.

The FIR was registered under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups, etc) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

FIR filed by PPP leader Raja Inayat-ur-Rehman (Image via Geo News)

Meanwhile, the PTI chief Imran Khan has condemned the arrest of his ally and slammed the alleged “vindictive and biased caretaker government.”

“Never in our history have we had such a biased, vindictive caretaker government appointed by a totally discredited ECP. Question is: can Pak afford a street movement which we are being pushed towards at a time when we have been bankrupted by the imported government?” he tweeted.

Notably, the police reportedly told journalists that they had found a bottle of liquor and a weapon in Rashid’s possession. The former interior minister was allegedly “intoxicated” when he was apprehended, according to the police.

He was initially detained by the Muree Police, who then turned him over to the Islamabad Police, who then transferred him to the Aabpara Police Station.

After his medical examination was conducted at the Policlinic Hospital, Sheikh Rashid was moved to Secretariat Police Station. Rashid has claimed that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah is behind his arrest.

The arrest comes after PTI chief Imran Khan had in a statement claimed that Asif Ali Zardari has hatched a ‘Plan C’ to assassinate him and for this purpose, Zardari has given the money of the Sindh government to a terrorist organisation. 

Interestingly, On January 25, Pakistan’s former information minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhary was arrested for threatening members of the country’s Election Commission and their families.

Chaudhary had claimed that the Shehbaz Sharif-led government was planning to get PTI chief and former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan arrested.

Punjab: IT raids conducted at premises of ‘Yeshu Yeshu’ pastor Bajinder Singh and pastor Harpreet Deol, documents, computers, registers seized

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Punjab: IT raids conducted at premises of ‘Yeshu Yeshu’ pastor Bajinder Singh and pastor Harpreet Deol, documents, computers, registers seized

The Income Tax (IT) department on Tuesday conducted raids at the residences of two Punjab-based pastors named Bajinder Singh from Jalandhar, who shot to fame after his “Yeshu Yeshu” song went viral, and Harpreet Deol from Kapurthala, on Tuesday. Deol oversees the Open Door Church in Khojewala village, while Bajinder Singh runs the ‘Church of Glory’ and ‘Wisdom’ in Jalandhar’s Tajpur village.

According to the reports, around 50 Income Tax officers from separate teams executed simultaneous searches in Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Amritsar, New Chandigarh, Mohali, Kurali, and other locations belonging to the Pastors and seized documents related to their properties, bank accounts, and other important projects. 

The Income Tax officers revealed that the pastors have been operating churches under the guise of healing ministries, which are self-styled congregations that accept a significant amount of funding from foreign nations. These are either registered as autonomous religious entities or as societies led by a pastor.

The officers also have seized documents, computers, and registers which contain details about the online bookings recorded for attending the Christian congregations. Pastor Bajinder Singh comes from the Haryana Jat family. The Tajpur church claims to have lakhs of members and has roughly 15 branches, including eight in Punjab and seven outside Punjab – in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Dubai, Bihar, Mumbai, and Kolkata.

Pastor Harpreet Deol on the other hand was born into a Jatt Sikh household. There are various branches of the Open Door Church too. These ministries have been established on large campuses. Both are Pentecostal pastors who have been involved in ‘miraculous healing’, involving a large number of followers, primarily from the Dalit community and the poorer sections of society. They both have leveraged social media extensively to disseminate their prayers and expand their reach both within India and overseas.

Earlier, it was reported that Pastor Bajinder Singh was lodged in jail in a murder case and during his time in prison, he came in contact with a pastor and got inclined towards Christianity. He also was arrested in the year 2018 for allegedly raping a woman from Zirakpur in Punjab.

Further, a case was registered against Pastor Bajinder Singh for looting a family for Rs 80,000 claiming that he would miraculously heal their daughter Nandini who was suffering from cancer for several years then.

Pastor Bajinder Singh came into focus in the year 2021 when he used a minor boy for instigating people to convert their religion to Christianity. In August last year, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) wrote a letter to Mandip Singh Brar, Deputy Commissioner of Chandigarh, seeking action against Singh for using a minor boy for forceful religious conversion activity. The action by the Commission was initiated after a video featuring a child had gone viral on social media.

The NCPCR, in its letter, noted that such videos promoted superstition and used children for such purposes, thus violating the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015. Taking the matter seriously, NCPCR directed the Deputy Commissioner to inquire into the matter.

In November last year, he made it to headlines after former CM of Punjab Charanjit Singh Channi and actor Sonu Sood were scheduled to attend his meeting in Moga. Vishwa Hindu Parishad had called for a protest against him, after which former CM Channi had decided to stay away from the event.

Also, one of his events was scheduled to be held in Mumbai on May 12, 2022. The controversial pastor had asked the people to attend the meeting if they had any financial trouble, bad health or any other problem. He said that all their problems would go away on accepting Christianity. And the same was promoted by Bollywood actors like Jonny Lever, Rakhi Sawant, Sonia Singh who said that Pastor Bajinder Singh was a ‘beloved prophet of God’ and that his arrival was a blessing for Mumbai.

PFI ‘journalist’ Siddique Kappan, facing charges under UAPA and PMLA, gets bail after 2 years in prison

OpIndia Staff
-
0
PFI ‘journalist’ Siddique Kappan, facing charges under UAPA and PMLA, gets bail after 2 years in prison

On Wednesday, the Lucknow Sessions Court approved bail orders releasing Kerala-based ‘journalist’ Siddique Kappan from the Lucknow prison. Kappan, who was detained in October 2020 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), was released from Lucknow jail cell on Thursday morning after serving more than two years behind bars.

“I have come out of jail after 28 months. I want to thank the media for supporting me. False allegations were put against me. I am happy to be out now,” the journalist was quoted as saying. Meanwhile Kappan’s lawyer Ishan Baghel confirmed on Wednesday that the sessions court had signed release orders of Siddique Kappan.

District and sessions judge Sanjay Shanker Pandey asked the Lucknow jail superintendent to free Kappan if he was not needed in any other case in the release order. On December 23, 2022, the Allahabad high court’s Lucknow bench awarded Kappan bail in the PMLA case.

A single bench of Justice DK Singh granted bail to the reporter, noting that the ED’s investigation failed to assign any specific role to Kappan in the case involving an illegal transaction of money to the tune of Rs.36 crore, allegedly collected by the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) to incite fear in the country.

The Supreme Court granted bail to Kappan in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act case on September 9, 2022. He stayed in prison, however, due to a pending PMLA lawsuit.

Siddique Kappan was arrested by the UP Police on October 5, 2020 when he was proceeding to cover the Hathras case where a 19-year-old Dalit woman had died after a strangulation attempt. He was arrested along with three other persons, under stringent sections of UAPA and sedition charges for attempting to create a caste-conflict in the state amidst the ongoing Hathras case controversy.

Apart from Kappan, Siddiqui of Nagla in Muzaffarnagar, Masood Ahmed of Jarwal in Bahraich district, and Alam of Kotwali area in Rampur district were arrested. All the arrested four had connections with the radical Islamic organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) and were planning to cause caste-based unrest in the state, the police had stated.

The government in the Supreme Court had stated that Siddique Kappan was an office-bearer of the now-banned Islamist organisation Popular Front of India(PFI) and was on his way to Hathras pretending to be a newspaper journalist from a Kerala-based outlet called ‘Tejas’ that was closed in 2018.

#BoysWillBeBoys: Pakistanis resort to memes, self-deprecating dark humour as country’s economic crisis worsens

OpIndia Staff
-
0
#BoysWillBeBoys: Pakistanis resort to memes, self-deprecating dark humour as country’s economic crisis worsens

Amidst the economic crisis in Pakistan, the citizens of the debt-ridden country have resorted to memes and self-deprecating dark humour. The hashtag ‘BoysWillBeBoys’ is gaining traction on social media in Pakistan and the posts are pointing towards the economic crisis with a humorous touch.

On January 29, a Twitter user Farrukh Shahzad published a meme in which he pointed out how girls feel sad even after getting an A+ in exams but Pakistan’s top leaders are seen laughing and enjoying life even after bringing the country to its knees.

Following the recent suicide attack in a mosque in Pakistan on February 1, where several police personnel lost their lives, a Pakistani Twitter user Disgruntledboy1 wrote, “The bastards of GHQ have crippled our once glorious country. I swear it, had they kept true to their oaths, the entire country would have saluted them. People would spit on their graves for their treason,” and used the hashtag depicting the leaders of his country will never change.

Another Twitter user shamed the leaders of his country by showing how a lawmaker in Mexico removed his clothes in the parliament to give a wake-up call to his colleagues over the economic crisis in the country. Osmana Khanzada wrote, “Someone please show this to Shobaz Sharif”, referring to the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif.

Some used it to show how fuel has become so expensive in Pakistan.

Though the hashtag was making rounds for days, it got picked by the meme-makers on social media especially after the topic made it’s way to the Federal Public Service Commission’s (FPSC) Central Superior Service (CSS) Exam. It is similar to UPSC Exam in India. The exam paper was meant for the recruitment to posts in BS-17 under Pakistan’s Federal Government. There were 10 topics given to the aspirants and they had to choose one topic to write a 2500-3000 word essay on it. While nine of the topics were in line with general problems faced by the public, the tenth topic, in particular, attracted the attention of the netizens which was “Boys Will Be Boys”.

The topic was mocked and ridiculed extensively on social media. A Twitter user Wahab Khan wrote, “Boys will be boys. (Essay-2023) Just imagine the pathetic level of the Federal Public Service Commission and the CSS exam. This isn’t about the one question rather it represents the misogynistic, shitty and gutter mindset of the people who ever approved it.”

Twitter user Zainab said, “Are the “Boys will be boys” an indirect way of getting everyone to write an essay on how our army will never change no matter what the cost?”

However, some Twitter users pointed out that it could be a serious topic to explore the general perception of gender equality, misogyny and more in Pakistani society.

Assistant Commissioner of Sindh Hasain Raza said, “Beyond just memes, there is another facet to consider #boyswillbeboys.” He posted an outline of the topic to explain how it could have been done.

Twitter user Fauzia Rind pointed out that there was an op-ed in the Pakistani daily Dawn on the same topic in 2019 by Hajrah Mumtaz.

The economic crisis in Pakistan

The neighbouring country Pakistan is under a serious economic crisis. The country has been unable to repay loans on time and has sought help from several countries and on several international forums. Interestingly, amidst the crisis, the country has not stopped its propaganda to demean India and execute infiltration on the border.

In recent times, the government of Pakistan has announced several steps to save foreign exchange reserves. For example, restaurants, hotels, banquet halls and malls were asked to close down early to save electricity. More than 220 million people were left in the dark after the country strategically shut down electricity to save fuel. Blackouts have become common in the country.

The price of general food items like flour and vegetables has skyrocketed in the country. Since 2019, when Pakistan stopped trade with India, several commodities including tomatoes have become a luxury for the people of Pakistan. Though people are living on the last fumes, somehow the import of luxury cars into the country has not stopped.

Andhra Pradesh: Two YSRCP MLAs allege phone tapping by own party, point fingers at CM Jagan Reddy

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Andhra Pradesh: Two YSRCP MLAs allege phone tapping by own party, point fingers at CM Jagan Reddy

Phone tapping allegations by two MLAs from the ruling YSR Congress Party have shaken Andhra Pradesh politics.  The two MLAs Anam Ramanarayana Reddy of Venkatagiri (in Tirupati district) and Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy of Nellore Rural have accused their own government of tapping their phones and claimed that they are under surveillance. On Wednesday, Sridhar Reddy hinted at resigning = from the party.

Anam Ramnarayana Reddy had earlier alleged that two of his along with his personal assistant’s phones were being tapped. While interacting with the media on Wednesday at the YSRCP office, Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy said that it was only after he got a confirmation that his phones were being tapped that he decided to speak about it and quit the party. Sridhar Reddy added that he does not intend to continue with a party that has no trust in him.

The Nellore Rural MLA also claimed that his phone was being tapped only after his meeting with CM Jagan Mohan Reddy. He also claimed that this phone tapping was not possible without CM Jagan’s orders. He added that he got to know about his phones being tapped four months ago through an IPS officer, however, he did not believe him until 20 days ago when he found evidence about the same.

“About 20 days ago, I found evidence that my phone was being tapped,” Kotamreddy said.

Furthermore, Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy went on to say that he will raise the matter with Union Home Ministry and investigation agencies. 

“Five MPs, two Ministers, and more than 30 MLAs called me to reveal that their phones had also been tapped after I reported that my phone had been tapped. As a loyalist of the YSR family, I shouldn’t actually be doing this, but the leaders challenged me to prove the accusations,” Kotamreddy said.

It is pertinent to note that Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, the Venkatagiri MLA, made a similar accusation. The MLA said that he had been calling his family via WhatsApp because he had known for some days that the two mobile phones he was using, as well as the phones of his personal assistants, were being tapped. Despite claiming that he was not being invited to local body meetings in his constituency, Ramanarayana Reddy said that he would continue to serve till the end of his term in the Assembly. After Ramanarayana Reddy levelled serious allegations against his own party, the state government reduced his security cover. Ramanarayana Reddy, however, said that he will not lodge any complaint in this matter.

Earlier this month, Anam Ramanarayana Reddy was stripped of his post as the party in-charge of his Venkatgiri constituency. Reddy had said that if Jagan Mohan Reddy goes for an early election, the YSRCP would definitely lose the election. He also alleged that during the rule of the YSRCP, no development work has been carried out in his constituency. 

Adani Enterprises not to go ahead with its FPO of shares worth 20,000 crore, to return money to investors

ANI
-
0

The Board of Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) has decided not to go-ahead with the fully subscribed Follow-on Public Offer (FPO).

The company said in a release that given the unprecedented situation and the current market volatility, it “aims to protect the interest of its investing community by returning the FPO proceeds and withdraws the completed transaction”.

Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Enterprises Ltd referred to the volatility in the stock over the last week and said the interest of the investors is paramount and to insulate them from any potential financial losses, the Board has decided not to go ahead with the FPO.

“The Board takes this opportunity to thank all the investors for your support and commitment to our FPO. The subscription for the FPO closed successfully yesterday. Despite the volatility in the stock over the last week, your faith and belief in the Company, its business and its management has been extremely reassuring and humbling. Thank you,” he said.

“However, today the market has been unprecedented, and our stock price has fluctuated over the course of the day. Given these extraordinary circumstances, the Company’s board felt that going ahead with the issue will not be morally correct. The interest of the investors is paramount and hence to insulate them from any potential financial losses, the Board has decided not to go ahead with the FPO,” he added.

Gautam Adani said company’s balance sheet is very healthy with strong cashflows and secure assets.

“We are working with our Book Running Lead Managers (BRLMs) to refund the proceeds received by us in escrow and to also release the amounts blocked in your bank accounts for subscription to this issue,” he said.

“Our balance sheet is very healthy with strong cashflows and secure assets, and we have an impeccable track record of servicing our debt. This decision will not have any impact on our existing operations and future plans. We will continue to focus on long term value creation and growth will be managed by internal accruals. Once the market stabilizes, we will review our capital market strategy. We are very confident that we will continue to get your support. Thank you for your trust in us,” he added.

Shares of Adani Enterprises nosedived sharply on Wednesday, a day after its follow-on public offer closed for the subscription.

The shares of Adani Group flagship company closed at Rs 2,179.75 with a sharp decline of 26.70 per cent. Its intraday low was Rs 1,941.2, over 30 per cent lower than Tuesday’s settlement price.

On Tuesday, the last day for subscription, the follow-on public offer (FPO) issued by Adani Enterprises was fully subscribed. A follow-on public offering (FPO) is the issuance of shares to investors by a company listed on a stock exchange after its initial public offerings.

Data showed the demand for the FPO was led by non-institutional investors, and they subscribed to the shares 3.26 times. The portion for institutional investors was also oversubscribed.

On Monday, an Abu Dhabi-based diversified conglomerate International Holding Company announced that it will invest about USD 400 million (AED 1.4 billion) into the Adani Enterprises’ follow-on public offer (FPO) through its subsidiary Green Transmission Investment Holding RSC Limited.

Adani Enterprises had filed a red herring prospectus with the markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for the Rs 20,000 crore follow-on public offer (FPO), the largest ever in India.

There were concerns that the FPO may not receive a strong response from investors amid a report by a US-based Hindenburg Research that surfaced on January 24, which claimed the Adani Group of having weak business fundamentals among others.

The US-based firm, in its report, raised concerns about shares of Adani group companies having a possibility of declining from their current levels, owing to high valuations. In response, Adani Group on Sunday said the recent report by Hindenburg Research was not an attack on any specific company but a “calculated attack” on India, its growth story, and ambitions. It added the report was “nothing but a lie”.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Amid the economic crisis in Pakistan, people in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan protest on the streets demanding food and power

ANI
-
0
Amid the economic crisis in Pakistan, people in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan protest on the streets demanding food and power

People in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, are protesting in the streets, demanding wheat flour, pulses, and power supply. They are protesting against the sharply rising inflation and unemployment, The Times of Israel reported.

This comes as Pakistan faces an economic crisis. Citizens hit by floods and the country’s food crisis have long remained silent witnesses to the failure of leadership at all levels. But the worst for the people of occupied Kashmir has been the flight of their so-called President Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry who flew out, amidst angry street protests, on a two-week visit to Turkey, the United Kingdom and Belgium. No one knows the urgency of such a flight but public anger has only sharpened at this abandonment, according to The Times of Israel.

This isn’t the first time that Pakistan’s leaders have chosen to escape rather than face the truth.

People have for the past several months, been protesting against the high-handedness of the army which controls the region like its colony. The army is responsible for large-scale land grabbing and usurping of mineral mines in the region.

China and Pakistan business houses, in the name of China Pakistan Economic Corridor, have been looting the region’s local resources.

According to The Times of Israel, in the nearby Gilgit Baltistan, people have been up in arms against the local administration and federal government for open land grabbing by the army. In December, a small town, Manawar, witnessed a raging public protest at the detention of youngsters for protesting against the army. The army has been quick to clamp down on the protesters by charging them as terrorists.

The region is being converted into a religious hotbed by the army and political parties. Clashes over small matters have become common.

According to the Times of Israel, people believe such sectarian conflicts are being created to camouflage the failure of governance and fear of public revolt.

Voice of Vienna recently reported that the deteriorating condition of Gilgit-Baltistan is a matter of great concern as the region has lost its political and constitutional identity in the past seven decades.

Gilgit-Baltistan is currently in a serious financial crisis and seeking the release of funds from the federal government.

Gilgit-Baltistan Governor Syed Mehdi Shah highlighted the region’s financial crisis and asked for financial aid from the federal government, reported Dawn.

Sources told Dawn that the federal government had not released the annual financial development grant of the GB as the region depends on the financial grant of the federal government.

Meanwhile, the region is facing a serious shortage of wheat. However, due to an increase in the wheat price across the country and GB, the GB government had to purchase less wheat which resulted in the wheat shortage in the area as additional funds from the federal government are required to purchase the required quantity of wheat for the area people.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Shubman Gill’s unbeaten century powers India to a mammoth score of 234 against New Zealand in the 3rd T20I

ANI
-
0
Shubman Gill’s unbeaten century powers India to a mammoth score of 234 against New Zealand in the 3rd T20I

Shubman Gill’s ton and Hardik Pandya’s quick-fire 30 powered India to 234/4 against New Zealand in the third and final T20I of the three-match series here at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

Gill was the highest run scorer for India with 125 off 63 delivered while Rahul Tripathi slammed 44 and Pandya played quick knocks of 30. For New Zealand, Michael Bracewell, Blair Tickner and Ish Sodhi bagged one wicket each respectively.

Opting to bat first, India got off to a bad start as they lost their star opener Ishan Kishan in the second over of the game. Shubman Gill finished the second over with a boundary. Gill then hammered Lockie Ferguson for 11 runs, while slamming two fours.

The duo Rahul Tripathi and Gill played their game with aggression while slamming boundaries and taking singles at regular intervals. In the 5th over of the innings, Gill opened his hands and slammed Blair Tickner for 14 runs. Tripathi then joined hands with India opener and piled 14 runs off Ferguson’s over.

The young duo continued their carnage and took their team’s total beyond the 80-run mark in the 8th over of the game.

However, in the 9th enthralling over, India lost the wicket of Tripathi off Ferguson’s delivery. Tripathi went back to the pavilion after slamming a six in Ferguson’s over, scoring 44 runs in 22 balls.

Star batter Suryakumar Yadav then came out to bat and handled the charge with Gill to take India’s total beyond the 100-run mark in the 10th over. Gill slammed his maiden T20I fifty in 35 balls.

Suryakumar’s firework at the Narendra Modi Stadium came to an end as the star batter was dismissed by Tickner after scoring 24 off 13 balls. Michael Bracewell took a stunner to remove Suryakumar, who was looking dangerous at the crease.

India captain and right-handed batter Hardik Pandya then came out to bat at the crease. Gill continued his blistering form as he hammered Ben Lister for two back-to-back sixes, piling 14 runs from the over.

In the 17th over of the innings, Gill and Pandya hammered Tickner for 23 runs, with two sixes and two fours. With a stunning four off Ferguson, Gill brought up his hundred in 54 balls.

India crossed 200 runs in the 18th over. Gill then ended the 19th over of the inning with 17 runs off Lister. Pandya’s stint at the crease came to an end as he was dismissed by Daryl Mitchell. Pandya went back to the pavilion after scoring a quick-fire 30 off 17 deliveries.

India only managed to score 6 runs in the last over and posted a challenging total of 234/4 in 20 overs.

Brief score: India 234/4 (Shubman Gill 126*, Rahul Tripathi 44; Daryl Mitchell 1-6) vs New Zealand.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

1...2,4692,4702,471...7,603Page 2,470 of 7,603