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‘Excited as eloping teenagers’: Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin gets married on his 93rd birthday

OpIndia Staff
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‘Excited as eloping teenagers’: Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin gets married on his 93rd birthday

On Saturday, January 21, Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon during the 1969 Apollo-11 mission, announced his marriage to longtime girlfriend Anca Faur. 

In the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, Buzz Aldrin was one of three American astronauts to set foot on the Moon. On Saturday, he shared pictures of himself and his wife, Anca Faur, 63, on Twitter and announced that they had been married in a small ceremony in Los Angeles, California.

The 93-year-old former US astronaut took to Twitter to announce his fourth marriage and wrote, “On my 93rd birthday & the day I will also be honored by Living Legends of Aviation I am pleased to announce that my longtime love Dr. Anca Faur & I have tied the knot. We were joined in holy matrimony in a small private ceremony in Los Angeles & are as excited as eloping teenagers.”

Previously, Aldrin has had three marriages all of those were called off. Aldrin is the only surviving member of the three-member crew of the Apollo 11 mission. The first astronaut to set foot on the moon’s surface was Neil Armstrong. After waiting 19 minutes, Aldrin followed him. In 1971, the former astronaut left NASA. In order to advance the growth of crewed space exploration, he established the non-profit ShareSpace Foundation in 1998.

Dr. Anca Faur who has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering is the executive vice president of Buzz Aldrin’s company, Buzz Aldrin Ventures LLC since 2019.

BJP urges Delhi LG to suspend DCW chief Swati Maliwal for fair probe into molestation case

OpIndia Staff
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BJP urges Delhi LG to suspend DCW chief Swati Maliwal for fair probe into molestation case

On January 21, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wrote to Lt Governor of Delhi VK Saxena and urged him to suspend Delhi Commission of Women (DCW) chief and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Swati Maliwal. In the letter to the LG, BJP cited a fair probe into the alleged molestation case as the reason. Notably, on January 19, Maliwal had claimed that a man allegedly molested her and dragged her for 10-15 metres outside the AIIMS in Delhi while her hand was stuck in the car’s window.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said in his letter to the LG to suspend her to ensure she cannot misuse her position to influence the case. He added that the reports suggest the accused in the case is an AAP worker and was seen with AAP MLA during campaigning.

While condemning such incidents, Kapoor added that Delhi Police’s swift action was satisfactory in the matter as the accused was arrested within an hour of reporting the incident. He said, “But social media reports on this, as well as media reports, indicate that the eve teaser involved Harish Chandra Suryavanshi is an active worker of Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party from Sangam Vihar.”

Kapoor added, “This development revealing eve teaser’s connection with Aam Aadmi Party has exposed Swati Maliwal, and she will try her best to influence the police inquiry in the matter by using her constitutional office.”

Maliwal claimed she was molested and dragged

Maliwal claimed she was on inspection on the night of the incident. A man, who was later identified as 47-year-old Harish Chander Suryavanshi, stopped his car near her outside AIIMS while she was on an inspection at night. Suryavanshi, who was allegedly in an inebriated condition, allegedly molested her and dragged her for a few meters while her hand was stuck in the car’s window.

The allegations sparked outrage from AAP supporters, and Delhi police were targeted for not providing ample security for women at night. An FIR was registered against the accused and remanded by the court. Later he was released on bail.

BJP ‘exposed’ the alleged incident

On January 20, BJP allegedly exposed the incident and called it a “drama”. The party said that the person accused was an AAP member and it was part of a conspiracy.

Delhi BJP working president Virendra Sachdev said in a statement that Suryavanshi is a prominent AAP member from Sangam Vihar. He also shared an old photograph of the accused with AAP MLA Prakash Jarwal.

Shah Rukh Khan calls Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma at 2 AM after protests take place over Pathaan screening

OpIndia Staff
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Shah Rukh Khan calls Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma at 2 AM after protests take place over Pathaan screening

On January 22, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a tweet that Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan had called him at 2 AM on January 22 and sought action over the protests happening against his recently released film Pathaan. In his tweet, Sarma said, “Bollywood actor Shri Shah Rukh Khan called me, and we talked today morning at 2 AM. He expressed concern about an incident in Guwahati during the screening of his film. I assured him that it is the duty of the state govt to maintain law and order. We will enquire and ensure no such untoward incidents.”

Reportedly, members of Bajrang Dal entered Narengi, Guwahati and tore the posters. They raised slogans against the film as well. There have been multiple incidents of protests against the film across the country.

Following the incident, when CM Sarma was asked if he had a word with SRK about the security measures, he said, “Who is Shah Rukh Khan? I do not know anything about him or the film Pathaan.” When he was informed about the incident by the reporters, he said, “Khan has not called me. However, many from Bollywood do so regarding the problem. If he calls, I will look into the matter. Action will be taken if law and order have been violated and a case has been filed.”

Backlash against Pathaan

Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone starrer spy-action film by Yash Raj Films, Pathaan, is scheduled for release on January 25. The movie has already made headings multiple times for several wrong reasons. First, the song Besharam Rang allegedly hurt religious sentiments as Deepika was seen wearing a saffron bikini while romanticising with SRK in the song.

Later, the second song, ‘Jhoome Jo Pathaan’, stirred controversy as the song was reused version of music director Vishal-Shekhar old song. Furthermore, netizens have alleged that many scenes of the film were copied or inspired by Hollywood films.

Mahamed Sharif of Karnataka arrested for impersonating a UAE official and cheating Leela Hotel for over Rs 23 lakhs

OpIndia Staff
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Mahamed Sharif of Karnataka arrested for impersonating a UAE official and cheating Leela Hotel for over Rs 23 lakhs

On January 19, Delhi Police arrested 41-year-old Mahamed Sharif from Karnataka’s Dakshin Kannada for impersonating a United Arab Emirates government official and duping Leela Palace Hotel in Delhi of Rs over Rs 23 lakhs. As per the police, Sharif presented a fake business card and stayed in the hotel for around three months in 2022 before fleeing without paying a huge bill. Also, he stole the hotel’s property, adding to the loss. Reportedly, Leela Hotel faced a loss of around Rs 23,46,413.

A complaint was filed by the General Manager of the hotel Anupam Das Gupta at Sarojini Nagar police station. Based on his complaint, an FIR was registered by the police on January 14. News agency ANI quoted police saying, “A case under sections 419/420/380 IPC was registered at PS Sarojini Nagar on the complaint of Anupam Das Gupta who alleged that he is the General Manager of The Leela Hotel Palace, Sarojini Nagar, Delhi and the accused person namely Mahamed Sharif stayed at The Leela Palace, New Delhi from August 1, 2022, and he ran off from the hotel on November 20, 2022, with hotel valuables and without settling his outstanding bills.”

Police constituted a team to investigate the matter. During the investigation, they found that the impersonator was from Dakshin Kannada. He was arrested by the police on January 19 and presented in court. The accused identified himself as an important functionary of the office of His Highness Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The police added, “He also gave a resident card of the United Arab Emirates on his arrival on August 1 2022. After staying for about 3.5 months, the accused fled from the hotel with hotel valuables and submitted a post-dated cheque worth INR 20 Lakhs. Still, due to insufficient funds, the cheque bounced, which signified his malafide intentions and a clear intent to deceive the hotel authorities.”

The curious case of not-so-shareef Sharif

Hotel authorities revealed that Mahamad Sharif checked into Room 427 of the five-star hotel on August 1, 2022, and left quietly on November 20, 2022, without informing anyone. The man also allegedly stole silverware, a mother-of-pearls tray and other items from the hotel room, raking up a bill of over Rs 23 lakhs.

In the complaint, Gupta said, “This seems to be completely pre-planned since we were under the impression that by November 22 2022, the hotel would get dues cleared through the cheque he had submitted. This signifies that Mr Sharif had malafide intentions and a clear intent to deceive hotel authorities….”

Sharif told the hotel administration that he worked with the Sheikh and was in India on official business. He provided a business card, a UAE resident card, and other documents to support his claim. He often spoke with the hotel staff about his life in the UAE in a bid to sell his story.

Interestingly, Sharif initially paid a sum of Rs 11.5 lakh to the hotel, but afterwards, he left without paying.

Kejriwal govt organises transit camp for pilgrims attending Urs at Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer Sharif, details

ANI
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Kejriwal govt organises transit camp for pilgrims attending Urs at Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer Sharif, details

Delhi Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Imran Hussain on Saturday inaugurated the Urs Transit Camp, which would continue at the Burari Ground till February 5. 

The Delhi government has organised the camp for the pilgrims going to attend the 811st Annual Urs of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer Sharif. The 811th Urs camp is being organised at Delhi’s Burari Ground after two years due to the Corona pandemic. 

F Y Ismaili, Chairman, Urs Committee, SDM, and the senior officers of various departments of the Government of Delhi were also present on this occasion. 

The Sufi Gallery-22 Chaukhat, displayed through electronic exhibition form in the Urs Camp, is the centre of attraction among pilgrims. 

On this occasion, Imran Hussain said, “Arvind Kejriwal government has been making adequate arrangements for the comfortable stay of pilgrims in the specially prepared transit camp to avoid cold. The government is prepared to provide all possible usual courtesy and amenities in the Camp.” 

“In the Camp, all agencies like the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Mother Dairy, Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), Tourism, Railways information facility, Health Department, Food & Supplies Department, Police, etc. are available at one place in order to serve the pilgrims going to Ajmer Sharif to offer their obeisance and to pray for the fulfilment of their wishes and peace, harmony and tranquillity for one and all. Delhi government feels proud in serving as a host to such pilgrims” he added. 

The Delhi Minister also informed that around 80,000 pilgrims from different states of the country would attend the Urs camp at Burari Ground wherein the amenities available include camps for stay, drinking water, electricity, public conveniences, medicines, ambulances, Medical Facility, local shopping facility, railway information centre, bus parking and transport facility have been made available. 

The pilgrims putting up in the camp would be able to get all daily needs items under one roof. Special arrangements have been made for the senior citizens to stay in Urs camp. Proper arrangement of hot water has also been made for senior citizens. Apart from this, special care is also being taken for the differently-abled people in this camp so that they do not face any inconvenience. 

Imran Hussain further stated that keeping in view the safety and security of the pilgrims, their government has also deployed Civil Defence Volunteers and installed CCTV cameras at the camp. 

“For the convenience of Urs pilgrims, a bus facility has also been arranged to visit three shrines Dargah of Delhi i.e Matka Pir, Nizamuddin Dargah and Mehrauli Dargah,” he said. 

A community kitchen has also been set up in the camp for the convenience of the Urs pilgrims, Hussain added. 

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

Fact Check: Did Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari dance on ‘Besharam Rang’ from Pathaan

OpIndia Staff
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Fact Check: Did Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari dance on ‘Besharam Rang’ from Pathaan

On January 21, a video went viral on social media claiming the person dancing in the video to the tune of ‘Besharam Rang’ from Pathaan was Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The person was dancing with actress and influencer Inaya Khan. Several netizens mocked and criticized Bilawal for the alleged video.

Twitter user ImPraveenUniyal said, “Pakistan is in safe hands of leaders like Billawal Bhutto…they want Kashmir…”

Akhbar Afgan editor Nilofar Ayoubi said, “Bilawal Bhutto got some serious moves!”

Twitter user Besuratansane said, “Bollydawood should make a movie on him and call it: Billu Baaylya.”

However, when OpIndia looked for the source of the video, it was available on Inaya’s Instagram profile. She had tagged the person dancing with, and it was not Bilawal but another Instagramer from Pakistan identified as Mehroz Baig.

The video was from Inaya’s sister’s wedding, which was shared on January 13. There were several other videos of the ceremony available on Inaya’s profile and Baig’s profile.

Furthermore, the videos from the ceremonies were also available on Inaya Khan’s YouTube channel.

And while netizens had a good laugh on the dance moves of ‘Bilawal Bhutto’, it turned out that the person dancing was not the Pakistani minister but a student and model named Mehroz Baig.

Did Vice India use the image of a “pure vegetarian” restaurant in the Islamic country UAE to shame Indians for casteism?

OpIndia Staff
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Did Vice India use the image of a “pure vegetarian” restaurant in the Islamic country UAE to shame Indians for casteism?

On Friday, January 20, Vice India shared a photo of a “pure vegetarian” restaurant and tried to shame Indians for casteism over it. In their caption of the photo, Vice wrote, “Do eateries need to promote being #pureveg and, by doing so, do they uphold #casteist ideas and practices?”

In an attempt to ‘monkey balance’, and ensure that they don’t get targeted for insulting Hindu faith, or even vegetarians, Vice added- “Or is the word “pure” most likely just a replacement for the word “only”? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments”.

It was a tweet clearly meant to call vegetarians casteists and equate vegetarianism to casteism, and attack Hinduism, and that is quite routine online, but here is the kicker, the restaurant in question is in an Islamic country!

OpIndia did a reverse image search of the restaurant in question and discovered that it is actually located in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as Islamic a country as they come.

If you are in Abu Dhabi, you can order from this restaurant here on Zomato, and if you want to physically go and visit the place, you can go here.

It is highly unlikely that Vice will now attack UAE for promoting casteism, but it can always use restaurants from UAE to guilt trip Indians for promoting casteism.

West Bengal: Islamists associated with the Indian Secular Front clash with TMC in Bhangar and police in Kolkata

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Islamists associated with the Indian Secular Front clash with TMC in Bhangar and police in Kolkata

On Saturday (January 21), a clash broke out between the party workers of the Islamist party, the Indian Secular Front (ISF), and the Trinamool Congress workers in the Bhangar area in the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

The controversy happened when ISF MLA Nausad Siddiqui allegedly went to Bhangar to bring his supporters to Kolkata to celebrate the party’s foundation day. He claimed that ISF workers were attacked by TMC goons.

Trinamool Congress leader Arabul Islam, who was also in Bhangar, claimed that a TMC party office was destroyed and set on fire by ISF miscreants. During the clash, the two sides hurled stones, bricks and even crude bombs at each other.

Shops and commercial buildings were also vandalised. On receiving information, the cops reached the spot and pacified the situation.

Reportedly, firefighters were called in to douse the fire. Meanwhile, ISF MLA Siddiqui went back to Kolkata to hold protests against TMC’s alleged hooliganism in Bhangar.

ISF workers clash with cops in Kolkata

The Indian Secular Front (ISF) workers and supporters held demonstrations at Esplanade in Central Kolkata to protest against the alleged hooliganism of the Trinamool Congress. They blocked roads, leading to traffic disruption for half an hour.

Meanwhile, the Kolkata police (which runs on the order of the ruling TMC) clamped down on ISF workers. They resorted to lathi-charge and firing tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

The Kolkata police also arrested ISF MLA Naushad Siddiqui and escorted him to the Lalbazar police headquarters in a car. The ISF workers retaliated by attacking a police control room.

While speaking about the matter, Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal said, “Some of their supporters started attacking the police, following which we had to use mild force and tear gas shells. 17 persons, including Naushad Siddique, have been arrested and charged for attack on police personnel, damage to public property, brick batting and rioting.”

He also informed that 19 police personnel sustained injuries during the clash with the ISF in Kolkata.

China lifted its ‘zero covid’ policy in Tibet to eradicate Tibetans, bring them misery: Report

ANI
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China lifted its ‘zero covid’ policy in Tibet to eradicate Tibetans, bring them misery: Report

After the mass protest against China’s Zero Covid policy, Beijing took a U-turn and loosened up its strict restriction only to use them as a tool to kill and eradicate the Tibetans from Tibet, as per the Voice Against Autocracy.

According to the latest report, 100 people alone have died in Lhasa due to Covid since Beijing lifted its strict policy restrictions, Voice against Autocracy reported citing Radio Free Asia. Beijing main’s plan is to kill the Tibetans and bring misery to families.

Interestingly, China has opened its all boundaries, allowing its citizens to travel and its tourism department announced that on January 1, 2023, a new round of its Winter Tour campaign to Tibet attracts more than 10 million Chinese from China. This package includes free tickets to Lhasa’s Potala Palace and other major sites in Tibet and will run till March 13.

The Covid-related deaths are only surging in Lhasa, Tibet and China. This tactic of spreading the covid virus in Tibet is aimed at not improving the economic situation but further spreading this virus in Tibet and eventually eradicating the Tibetans in Tibet.

China’s President Xi Jinping’s covid policy that was implemented in territories under the PRC, there was a clear non-indifference in its application, especially in the occupied territories of Tibet, Voice Against Autocracy reported.

Videos circulating on social media shared by Tibetans showed how even in the big cities of Lhasa and Shigatse there was a lack of staff, food, medical consumables and infrastructure. The ground situation in Tibet which saw Tibetans pushed to take their lives was validated when the mayor of Lhasa publicly apologized for the administrative handling even though the blame must solely lie with president Xi Jinping who remained staunch even after witnessing the failures of his covid policy.

Tibetans through their social media platform had shared their inhumane situation in Tibet in light of the quarantine and others measures enforced due to president Xi’s Magnus opus policy (zero-covid).

And still, China did not accept the fact and even declined help from foreign nations including the sending of vaccines is totally ridiculous. This action and gesture by China, the CCP and its leader Xi Jinping clearly indicate to us that they do not care and revere the lives of the Chinese and other nationalities but give more impetus towards its reputation, reported Voice Against Autocracy.

China had witnessed a huge protest in the past few months. The protest started after the Urumqi incident. Even China saw the protest by the workers in the Apple factory in Zhengzhou city protesting against the unpaid wages and forced application of strict surveillance in light of the zero-covid policy.

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

Video of BBC propaganda against PM Modi blocked by Govt of India for casting aspersions on the credibility of Supreme Court

OpIndia Staff
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Video of BBC propaganda against PM Modi blocked by Govt of India for casting aspersions on the credibility of Supreme Court

Videos of the BBC documentary on PM Narendra Modi, which has been described as a propaganda piece by the government of India, has been blocked by the government in the country. Videos and tweets sharing links to the BBC documentary has been blocked under India’s sovereign laws and rules, said I&B ministry adviser Kanchan Gupta on Twitter.

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos of the first episode of BBC World’s hateful propaganda “India: The Modi Question”, Gupta said. He added that orders also have been issued to Twitter to block over 50 tweets containing links to YouTube videos.

The directions to block the videos and their links were issued on Friday by the Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, using the emergency powers under the IT Rules, 2021.

Kanchan Gupta added that the mendacious series produced by UK’s state-owned, state-funded public broadcaster BBC has been determined to be a “propaganda piece” that lacks objectivity and reflects BBC’s colonial mindset, citing a statement on the issue by MEA spokesperson.

He said that while the ate-series have not been made available in India by, which was broadcast on BBC Two, some YouTube channels uploaded it to promote anti-India agenda. YouTube has been instructed to block the video if it is uploaded again, while Twitter has been directed to block tweets linking videos on other platforms.

The media advisor to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee further said that Multiple Ministries, including MEA, MHA and MIB, examined the BBC’s malicious ‘documentary’ and found it casting aspersions on the authority and credibility of the Supreme Court of India, sowing divisions among various Indian communities, and making unsubstantiated allegations.

Accordingly, BBC’s vile propaganda was found to be undermining the sovereignty and integrity of India, and having the potential to adversely impact India’s friendly relations with foreign countries as also public order within the country, Kanchan Gupta added.

It is notable that talking about the documentary, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said on Thursday that it shows the colonial mindset of BBC. “We think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative,” he had added.

OpIndia has studied the video and has found that it is based on already discredited narratives against PM Narendra Modi on the 2002 Gujarat riots. The documentary cites claims which have already been termed as lies by courts in India including the Supreme Court of India.

The BBC documentary ignored multiple court orders to push its agenda. For example, it claimed that the cause of the fire on the Sabarmati Express in Godhra was disputed, while several persons have been convicted by the courts for the carnage. The documentary also uses the claims of Teesta Setalvad, Sanjeev Bhatt and others, who had claimed that Gujarat CM Narendra Modi had asked the police not to act against rioters, while the fact is that the Supreme Court of India has termed their claims as lies.

The documentary also uses the Tehelka sting of Babu Bajrangi and Haresh Bhatt, which was rubbished by the Supreme Court. Moreover, both Haresh Bhatt and Babu Bajrangi had later admitted to giving their answers in the sting video based on a script provided to them in advance by Tehelka journalist Ashish Khetan.

Therefore, by repeating the claims already terms false by the Supreme Court of India, the BBC documentary questioned the authority and credibility of the Supreme Court. For that reason, the government of India has ordered to block videos of the documentary and their links.

It is notable that the documentary “India: The Modi Question” was aired on BBC Two, a channel which is not available in India. The channel is available only in the UK, Ireland, and some European countries. It is not even available on the internet outside those countries, and therefore it can’t be streamed too in India. This means, those who uploaded the video to YouTube did it illegally, and it was a copyright violation.

As a result, even if it was not blocked by the Indian govt, YouTube could have removed them, had BBC chosen to enforce its copyright on videos of the documentary. YouTube takes copyright violations very seriously, and three such violations results in the permanent suspension of the account from the platform.

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