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China records startling 13,000 covid deaths in a week between January 13 to January 19

OpIndia Staff
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China records startling 13,000 covid deaths in a week between January 13 to January 19

After a top health official stated that the vast majority of the Chinese populace has already been infected by the virus, China reported about 13,000 hospital fatalities linked to covid between January 13 and January 19 across the country.

Since Beijing abruptly removed its strict anti-virus regulations last month, there has been significant skepticism over official data related to the covid deaths. A week earlier, China claimed that approximately 60,000 people had died in hospitals from Covid during the preceding month.

According to a statement released on Saturday by China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over the course of the year, 11,977 people died from other diseases that were also caused by infections, including 681 hospitalised patients who passed away from respiratory failure brought about by coronavirus infection.

The statistics only count hospital deaths and do not reflect people who passed away at home due to the infection.

Over the Lunar New Year break, according to British-based health data firm, Airfinity, the number of Covid deaths per day in China could peak at over 36,000.

The company also calculated that since China abandoned the zero-Covid policy in December, more than 600,000 individuals have passed away from the disease.

Last year, Global Times, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mouthpiece, had insisted “everything is good” despite alarming news from the international media about the rise in Covid cases in China.

Fears of new outbreaks have increased as tens of millions of people have recently travelled across the nation for eagerly anticipated family reunions to commemorate the biggest festival in China, the Chinese New Year as per the lunar calendar.

Although tens of millions of people will return to their villages to celebrate the Lunar New Year, a top health official said that China won’t see a second wave of covid infections in the next two to three months because about 80% of the population has already contracted the virus.

“Although a large number of people travelling during the Spring Festival may promote the spread of the epidemic to a certain extent, the current wave of the epidemic has already infected about 80 percent of the people in the country”, the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s top epidemiologist, Wu Zunyou, stated in a post on the Chinese social media website Weibo on Saturday. He added, “In the short term, for example, in the next two to three months, the possibility of a second wave of the epidemic across the country is very small.”

Kiren Rijiju shares video of retired HC judge saying Supreme Court “hijacked” constitution by appointing judges itself, calls them “sane views”

OpIndia Staff
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Kiren Rijiju shares video of retired HC judge saying Supreme Court “hijacked” constitution by appointing judges itself, calls them “sane views”

On Sunday, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju supported the views of a retired High Court judge Justice RS Sodhi, who said that the Supreme Court “hijacked” the Constitution by choosing to appoint judges itself. The appointment of judges to the highest court has been a topic of contention between the government and the judiciary during the past few years.

In a recent interview with the LawStreet Bharat YouTube channel, retired High Court Justice discussed the Supreme Court’s Collegium system. “The Supreme Court has, for the first time, hijacked the Constitution. It said we will appoint the judges and that the government will have no role in this”, the retired judge said.

The Union Law Minister posted a clip from the interview from his Twitter account and said, “Voice of a Judge…
Real beauty of Indian Democracy is- it’s success. People rule themselves through their representatives.
Elected representatives represent the interests of the People & make laws. Our Judiciary is independent and our Constitution is Supreme.”

“Actually the majority of the people have similar sane views. It’s only those people who disregard the provisions of the Constitution and the mandate of the people think that they are above the Constitution of India,” the Minister added in a subsequent tweet.

During the interview, Retired Justice Sodhi also remarked that the supreme court lacks the authority to create laws and that the Parliament has the authority to enact laws.

“Whether you can amend the Constitution? Only Parliament will amend Constitution. But here I feel the Supreme Court for the first time ‘hijacked’ the Constitution. After ‘hijacking’ they (SC) said that we will appoint (judges) ourselves and the government will have no role in it,” Justice Sodhi said in Hindi.

The Supreme Court and other high courts’ judicial appointments have become a major source of friction between the Executive and the Judiciary. While Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar questioned the Supreme Court for overturning the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act (NJAC) and an associated constitutional amendment, Rijiju characterised the collegium system for appointing judges as something alien to the Indian Constitution. Law Minister Rijiju had also written a letter to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud proposing the representation of the central government on the body that chooses judges.

A statute approved by Parliament, which represents the will of the people, was “undone” by the Supreme Court, according to Rajya Sabha Chairman Dhankhar, and he further said that the world is not aware of any such incident.

Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri asks Oil Marketing Companies to cut retail prices of petrol and diesel

ANI
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Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri asks Oil Marketing Companies to cut retail prices of petrol and diesel

Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday asked Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to cut the retail prices of petrol and diesel if the crude oil prices in the international market come down and also if OMCs under recovery come down.

Puri was talking to the media during a function to flag wave a CNG-driven boat race on the river Ganga here. This function was organized as a run-up to India Energy week which will take place next month in Bengaluru.

“Oil marketing companies should cut down prices once international prices are stabilised and they have managed to recover under-recovery,” he said.

In layman’s parlance, under-recovery refers to selling fuel below the cost prices. Oil Marketing Companies incurred a loss of Rs 21,200 crore on account of selling petrol and diesel below the cost price.

Though Oil Marketing Companies are free to revise product prices based on economics, in practical terms political considerations are also important in the revision of prices.

Hardeep Singh Puri also claimed that prices of petrol and diesel have been under check, despite volatile prices of the Indian crude basket.

Puri said, “One reason for keeping prices of petrol and diesel under check is the reduction in taxes. The central government revised the taxes twice between November 2021 and May 2022. Prices of petrol and diesel have not been revised since May 22, 2022, when the Finance Ministry cut Central Excise duty followed by a reduction in sales tax by many States.”

“However, during this period, on one hand, prices of brent crude have come down to USD 88 a barrel now from a high of USD 139 in March, on the other hand, India is increasing imports from Russia. Both of these have a combined impact on the overall fuel import bill, but losses are still there which seems to be the reason why oil marketing companies are not able to cut the prices,”

A senior Oil Marketing company said, “We are earning a gross profit on petrol and it is in single digit. However, during the last 15 days, due to cracks, petrol profitability has been affected. However, diesel sale is still on gross loss and it is in double-digit.”

The gross amount of loss or profit for the third quarter will be known, once the oil market companies will declare their result in the coming days. 

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

Uttarakhand: Private Muslim fund operator Abdul Razzaq disappears with crores of rupees deposited by thousands of Muslims

OpIndia Staff
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Uttarakhand: Private Muslim fund operator Abdul Razzaq disappears with crores of rupees deposited by thousands of Muslims

In Uttarakhand’s Jwalapur,  thousands of Muslims have been duped by a private “bank” that promised to keep their money safe. A Muslim Fund operator in Jwalapur has reportedly run away along with crores of rupees that were deposited by thousands of Muslims in the ‘Muslim Fund’. 

Upon receiving information about this, several people reached Jawalapur police station to lodge a complaint against the Muslim Fund operator who has been identified as Abdul Razzaq. Subsequently, police initiated a search to nab the absconding accused. 

According to the police, the accused was running an interest-free transaction office in Jwalapur in the name of the Muslim Imdadi Fund for the last 10 years. Thousands of people, including those in Jwalapur and the surrounding areas, have opened accounts with him and daily contribute a portion of their income to the fund. The amount was withdrawn as and when needed.

As per an ETV Bharat report, accused Abdul Razzaq had opened an office near Jwalapur by the name Kabir Mutual Benefit Nidhi Limited. Around 22,000 Muslim residents of Jwalapur and nearby villages had deposited their hard-earned money with the Muslim Imdadi Fund. The amount deposited by people in the ‘fund’ ranges from 10 to 50,000 rupees.

According to reports, the office was closed for the past few days. Even the fund’s employees, who used to visit neighborhoods in the area did not show up for a while. The rumor that the Muslim fund operator fled had spread by Sunday morning, prompting depositors to inform the police. 

It is pertinent to note that according to Sharia, earning Riba or interest charged on loans and deposits is Haram (prohibited). Such private funds offer Muslims a facility where interest is neither charged nor extended. 

Notably, a similar case was reported in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor in April last year, wherein Bijnor Police arrested a person identified as Mohammed Faizi. He had absconded after duping customers of the Muslim faith of crores of rupees in the name of a ‘Sharia-compliant Muslim Fund’ named Al-Faizan Muslim Trust. 

Drone with 5 kg heroin shot down along India-Pakistan border in Punjab, 2 arrested

ANI
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Drone with 5 kg heroin shot down along India-Pakistan border in Punjab, 2 arrested

Security forces on Sunday shot down a six-wing drone in Punjab’s Amritsar near the India-Pakistan International border and seized 5 kilograms of heroin, officials said.

Two people were also arrested in this connection while they tried to flee, they said. According to Punjab Police, at around 4 am, a joint patrolling party of the Border Security Force (BSF) and Amritsar Police heard the humming sound of a drone and shot it down at the Lopoke area in Kakkar village, and seized 5 kg of heroin.

“In a major breakthrough, Amritsar Police, in a joint operation with BSF, have recovered a 6-wing drone after firing and bringing it down and seized 5 Kg Heroine from village Kakkar, which is 2 Km from the International border with Pakistan,” the Punjab DGP said in a tweet.

The DGP said that the drone parts were manufactured in US and China.

“2 persons were arrested with a total of 12 rounds fired from AK-47. The drone found is assembled, with parts manufactured in USA and China,” he added.

Earlier on January 19, two persons were arrested after a drone was caught at the Indo-Pak border in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar. BSF seized around 6.150 Kg of Heroin, while 3 other persons managed to abscond.

According to the police, till now all the smugglers caught in smuggling are from Punjab.

In a similar incident from Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar, 2 were held for smuggling heroin to India from Pakistan through a drone. the incident took place on January 15.

Drones from the Pakistan side smuggle drugs and ammunition in India.

In another incident, the Border Security Force (BSF) seized four Chinese-made pistols among a consignment of weapons dropped by a Pakistani drone in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district on Wednesday.

The consignment which included 4 Chinese-made pistols, eight magazines and 47 live rounds was recovered from Uncha Takala village in Gurdaspur on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.

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

Mass shooting during a Lunar New Year celebration in Los Angeles leaves 10 dead, shooter still on the loose

OpIndia Staff
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Mass shooting during a Lunar New Year celebration in Los Angeles leaves 10 dead, shooter still on the loose

After a large-scale Lunar New Year event that drew thousands of people, a mass shooting took place late at night on Saturday in a community east of Los Angeles, killing nine people, according to police. The incident was reported at a store on Garvey Ave. in Monterey Park around 10:22 PM, according to Sgt. Bob Boese of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Boese reported later that the shooter was identified as a male.

Dozens of police officers responded to reports of the shooting, but the officials offered no details for several hours.

A distressing video of the incident was shared on social media.

The distance between downtown Los Angeles and the city of Monterey Park, which has a population of roughly 60,000, is about 10 miles (16 kilometres).

According to Seung Won Choi, owner of the Clam House seafood BBQ restaurant across the street from the scene of the shooting, three persons barged into his place of business and ordered him to lock the door.

Additionally, the locals informed Choi that there was a gunman with a machine gun, who was carrying a number of bullets with him. Choi asserted that he thinks a dance club was the scene of the shooting.

The two-day festival, one of the biggest Lunar New Year celebrations in Southern California, began on Saturday.

The United States is facing an epidemic of gun violence for the past many years, resulting in multiple deaths of both, ordinary citizens and men in uniform. Reports state, that the shootings claimed over 130 lives and ended up wounding over 300 people within the first week of 2023.

3,000-page chargesheet prepared against Aftab Poonawala in the Shraddha Walkar murder case, includes 100 testimonies

OpIndia Staff
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3,000-page chargesheet prepared against Aftab Poonawala in the Shraddha Walkar murder case, includes 100 testimonies

According to news reports, The Delhi police have produced a 3,000-page draft chargesheet against Aftab Poonawala, accused of killing his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar and chopping her body into 35 pieces. The chargesheet contains over 100 witness accounts, as well as forensic and electronic evidence. The police have also included the accused’s confessions, the results of narcotics examinations, and the findings of forensic tests. It is presently being examined by legal professionals.

The horrible murder of Shraddha Walker, 27, by her live-in lover Aftab Poonawala, which horrified the entire nation, occurred almost eight months ago. Shraddha was strangled to death at their rental property in Mehrauli, Delhi, on May 18, 2022. The dead body was subsequently chopped into 35 pieces, which were stored by Aftab in a 300-litre refrigerator. He then dispersed her body parts over time around the Mehrauli forest area.

The reports stated, that the meat cleaver and saw, which were reportedly used to dismember the body, were tossed in the garbage in South Delhi and in the bushes in a section of Gurugram.

The key piece of evidence that has been incorporated into the chargesheet is the DNA sample of the bones that were found in the jungle near Mehrauli. As per the reports, these bones belonged to Shraddha Walkar. Aftab Poonawala led the police to Shraddha’s bones in the urban forest, and a DNA test conducted last month established this.

The murder was discovered after her father approached the authorities in Maharashtra in October over his missing daughter. Due to his disapproval of her relationship with Aftab Poonawala, Shraddha’s father, Vikas Walkar, had not been in contact with her for some time.

After meeting on a dating service, the pair moved to Delhi in May of last year after living together in their hometown of Vasai for a few months. Reports have claimed, that Aftab assaulted Shraddha throughout the duration of their ill-fated relationship until she breathed her last.

Since November of last year, the 28-year-old accused has been in judicial custody. According to sources, Aftab previously claimed to have killed his partner Shraddha Walkar “in the heat of the moment” in front of a Delhi court.

Aftab Poonawala later made some startling revelations during his polygraph test. He allegedly said, that even if he were hanged for killing Shraddha, he would not regret it because he would be hailed as a hero when he entered paradise and would be given “Hoors” in “Jannat.” He also acknowledged having relationships with over 20 Hindu women while dating Shraddha.

Gems of BBC: Twitter user collates headlines of BBC news which range from ‘Sanatani way of peeing’ to ‘why men wear dirty underwear’

OpIndia Staff
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Gems of BBC: Twitter user collates headlines of BBC news which range from ‘Sanatani way of peeing’ to ‘why men wear dirty underwear’

British Broadcasting Company, or BBC, has come under notable criticism over the biased and anti-India documentary about Gujarat 2002 riots. In its documentary, the British-government-funded channel has blamed then-Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi for the riots and killings of Muslims during the violence.

Interestingly, the BBC’s documentary came when India was gearing up for the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for 2024. Furthermore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then CM of Gujarat, has already been given a clean chit by the Supreme Court of India in the matter. Still, the documentary is being used to target India, its democratically elected government, the Prime Minister and Hindus at large.

A Twitter user Darshan Pathak has collated a thread of BBC English, and BBC Hindi reports that show the standard of reporting it does. Varying from the ‘Sanatani way of peeing’ to ‘why men wear dirty underwear’.

In a 2020 report, BBC Hindi discussed which way of peeing men should adopt. In the report, it was discussed if men should stand or sit down while peeing.

In November 2022, BBC Hindi published a report on Indian cricketer Suryakumar Yadav with the headline “What does Suryakumar Yadav’s wife do before the match so that he can bat with full confidence?” The news portal later changed the clickbait title. Its archive version can be seen here.

In March 2017, BBC Hindi published a report discussing why men wear dirty underwear.

In September 2015, BBC Hindi questioned people if they followed the Sanatani way of peeing.

In August 2019, soon after the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, BBC came up with a fake report claiming the Indian Army beat up and tortured the locals in the valley. The report’s title was “‘Beaten and tortured’ by the Indian army”.

In August 2021, two years after accusing the Indian Army of torturing Kashmiris, BBC became a lapdog and rolled in the feet of the Taliban, suggesting it was taking over cities without any bloodshed. Interestingly, the feature image had a Taliban man with heavy artillery. 

In September 2021, irked by the growth of the Indian economy, BBC published a report suggesting the jump in India’s GDP is problematic.

In April 2021, BBC Hindi published a report praising China for its booming economy amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

In June 2020, BBC claimed lockdown saved millions of lives in Europe.

But when it came to India, the headline criticised PM Modi. It read, “India Covid-19: PM Modi’ did not consult’ before lockdown.”

In October 2022, BBC Hindi claimed Diwali cleaning increased the burden on Indian women.

In March 2021, BBC Hindi greeted people on the Hindu festival Holi by singing praises in the name of Nabi and Allah.

In October 2022, BBC published an op-ed where the author sought “a Diwali free of noise and pollution”.

On January 2023, BBC gloated about how hundreds and thousands of people gathered to witness fireworks in London.

In April 2020, BBC mocked India’s efforts to fight Covid by wearing masks.

In July 2020, BBC talked about why people should wear masks while talking about western countries.

On October 25 2022, BBC Hindi questioned people who burst fireworks on Diwali.

On New Year, BBC published a report explaining how people burst fireworks to celebrate.

BBC has a long history of mocking, shaming, conspiring and propagating anti-India especially anti-Hindu sentiments. They must be called out and face the consequences as required. BBC has also indulged in spreading Hinduphobia and anti-India narrative, latest being the Leicester controversy.

Woman manhandled, pushed out from Rajasthan minister Mamta Bhupesh’s residence, video viral

OpIndia Staff
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Woman manhandled, pushed out from Rajasthan minister Mamta Bhupesh’s residence, video viral

On Saturday, a video clip sparked outrage on social media as a woman was seen being forced out of Mamta Bhupesh, Rajasthan’s Women and Child Development Minister’s residence by male security personnel. The woman was a complainant who visited the Minister’s Janata Darbar (public hearing), she was reportedly pushed out in presence of Minister Mamta Bhupesh. 

The woman complainant had come to the government bungalow of the minister along with her 8-year-old son and brother with some grievance, however, she was manhandled by the security guard for allegedly talking in a loud tone about something with Mamta Bhupesh. 

In the viral video, Mamta Bhupesh is heard saying, “I will see, what will happen to me.” A person is also heard saying in the video, that the “woman is talking nonsense” (Bakwas Kar rahi hai Faltu), and to “throw her out” (Baahar nikaal isko). 

It is notable that Mamta Bhupesh who is also an MLA from Sikrai in Dausa is said to be close to CM Ashok Gehlot. 

Ramlal Sharma, BJP leader and MLA from Chomu slammed the Congress minister had said that there is an atmosphere of anarchy in the state. “Anarchy in the state. Pushing and misbehavior with the complainant woman The staff of Women and Child Development Minister Mamta Bhupesh manhandled the complainant. The complainant woman was accompanied by an 8-year-old girl and younger brother,” a tweet by Sharma in Hindi read.

However, this is not the first time that complainants have been thrown out of a minister’s residence in Rajasthan. In July last year, Minister Parsadi Lal Meena ordered his staff to push out a female complainant from his residence.

Four girl students assault classmate over drug use in Lahore, Pakistan, watch viral video

OpIndia Staff
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Four girl students assault classmate over drug use in Lahore, Pakistan, watch viral video

Police in the capital city of Pakistan’s Punjab province have detained four female students for reportedly abusing another female student over drug use at a prestigious private school in this area, sparking an inquiry. On January 16, the grave incident occured at the American International School in Lahore’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA).

A Twitter handle called Rapid Pakistan, tweeted the viral video in which the young girls are seen assaulting their classmate. In the footage, the girls are pressing the other girl to the ground while holding her by the hair. The girls were heard telling her to “say sorry” and verbally assaulted her.

After receiving a complaint from the victims’ father, Imran Younis, the police have opened an investigation into the four girls. The victim allegedly caught on camera her classmates doing narcotics on campus, according to the police report. The victim suffered injuries to her face from being kicked and punched in the face by one of the perpetrators, a boxer.

The prevalence of drug use is rising in Lahore’s educational institutions.

Zulfiquar Shah, the chief minister’s advisor on the drug control programme, claims that drug use in Lahore has increased alarmingly in both private settings and educational institutions. He stated, that in the city of Lahore, more than 9,000 drug dealers and peddlers were apprehended by police last year. Furthermore, the suspects’ possessions included 4,590 kg of hashish, 60 kg of heroin, and 20 kilograms of ice.

The girls were given pre-arrest release by the local Lahore court, which was handling the case at the time. The attorney for the four accused stated that his clients will comply with the investigation and claimed that they have been “falsely implicated.”

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