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AAP spokesperson Yogesh Jadwani blames Hindu religious organisations for the party defeat in Gujarat, says they spread rumour that Kejriwal is Muslim

OpIndia Staff
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AAP spokesperson Yogesh Jadwani blames Hindu religious organisations for the party defeat in Gujarat, says they spread rumour that Kejriwal is Muslim

Voters of Gujarat have given a record number of seats to the BJP in the recently held Gujarat Assembly elections. While BJP soared to new heights, Congress was reduced to just 17 seats while Aam Aadmi Party could not even touch double digits. Upset over his defeat, the Aam Aadmi Party’s chief spokesperson attacked Hindu religious institutions and blamed them for the party’s humiliating loss.

AAP chief spokesperson Yogesh Jadwani tweeted, “The reason why the main faces of the AAP lost the election in Surat are BAPS, Haridham Sokhada, Vadtal Gaddi along with Swaminarayan and other religious institutions.”

AAP spokesperson’s tweet(which was later deleted.

In the same tweet, he further wrote, “On the day before the polling, all the organizations spread lies and misled that Arvind Kejriwal was a Muslim and they would not vote for AAP.”

In his tweet, Yogesh Jadwani accused Hindu institutions, especially Swaminarayan institutions, for AAP’s loss but did not put forward any evidence to back the allegation.

The Bharatiya Janata Party criticised AAP for trying to blame religious institutions for their own failures. Zubin Ashara, media co-in-charge of the Gujarat state unit of the BJP, replied, “As soon as the elections are over, the Aam Aadmi Party started showing its anti-Hindu face. BAPS, Haridham, Swaminarayan, all these institutions are revered by us. Insulting them and defaming them like this is condemnable.”

Italia had called the Swaminarayan sect ‘Bullshit’

However, this is not the first time that an AAP leader has insulted Hinduism or the Swaminarayan sect. Not long ago, a video of AAP’s Gujarat state president Gopal Italia calling the Swaminarayan sect ‘Bullshit’ went viral.

In the viral video, AAP state president Gopal Italia was seen repeatedly insulting the Swaminarayan sect and its followers. He said, “These people say not to eat garlic onions. If someone sits next to us and asks us not to eat garlic onions, we know which temple or community they belong to. All this is big bullshit.” He further said, “Those who believe in this sect are wrong and I condemn them.”

Even though the people of Gujarat have given them a crushing defeat by rejecting them, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leaders do not seem to be learning any lessons.

‘The time has come for a change’: Kerala HC calls upon central govt to seriously consider uniform marriage code in India

OpIndia Staff
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‘The time has come for a change’: Kerala HC calls upon central govt to seriously consider uniform marriage code in India

On Friday, December 9, the Kerala High Court asked the central government to seriously consider establishing a “Uniform Marriage Code” across India to promote the “common welfare and the good of spouses in matrimonial disputes”.

Notably, the uniform marriage code is a part of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) which is a proposal to formulate and implement personal laws which apply to all citizens equally regardless of their religion, sex, gender, and sexual orientation. Currently, the personal laws of various communities are governed by their religious scriptures.

The Kerala HC bench, which included Justices A Muhamed Mustaque and Shoba Annamma Eapen, made the observation that the current legislation differentiates parties in marital relationships based on their religion.

“Today, the Family Court has become another battleground, adding to the agonies of parties seeking a divorce,” said the judges, adding that the time has come to change the law.

“The time has come for a change in the law applicable to the parties on a common uniform platform. The law differentiates parties based on religion in regard to welfare qua matrimonial relationship,” the bench observed, adding that in a secular country, legal paternalism should be founded on the common benefit of citizens rather than religion.

“The state’s concern must be to promote the welfare and good of its citizens, and religion has no place in identifying the common good,” it said while hearing the petition by a Christian couple who were seeking divorce under section 10A of the Divorce Act.

“The Union Government should seriously consider having a uniform marriage code in India to promote the common welfare and good of spouses in matrimonial disputes,” the Kerala HC said.

The decision was reached in response to a petition filed by a Christian couple who married according to religious customs in January this year. They quickly realised their marriage was a mistake, did not consummate it, and filed a joint petition for divorce in a Family Court by May under Section 10A of the Divorce Act.

The Family Court denied the petition, ruling that a one-year separation after marriage is required to continue a petition under Section 10A of the Act.

Challenging this order, both parties approached the High Court. On realising that the bar was created by a statute, the couple moved a writ petition to declare that provision unconstitutional.

BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena tables Uniform Civil Code Bill in Rajya Sabha as a private member’s bill

Notably, only yesterday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena introduced the ‘Uniform Civil Code in India Bill, 2020’ in the Upper House of the Parliament. BJP Rajya Sabha MP presented the highly discussed Bill during private members’ business, while Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar was ex-officio chairman, with an aim to carry forward the BJP’s promise to implement the Uniform Civil Code in the country.

The code comes under Article 44 of the Constitution which lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India.

‘Different personal laws hamper national unity’: Centre files its first affidavit on Uniform Civil Code in SC

In October this year, the Central Government submitted its first affidavit to the Supreme Court regarding the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and put forth many arguments in its support. In its affidavit, the government contended that varied laws inhibit national unity and the UCC divests personal law.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had urged the Centre to clarify its position on the possibility of introducing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) throughout the country. It also requested a detailed answer from the Centre on several petitions concerning the Uniform Civil Code.

What is the Uniform Civil Code

The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) calls for the formulation of one law for India, which would be applicable to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption. The code comes under Article 44 of the Constitution, which lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India.

The UCC attempts to safeguard vulnerable groups, including women and religious minorities while simultaneously boosting nationalistic fervour via unity. When passed, the code will attempt to streamline laws that are now divided based on religious views, such as the Shariat law and others. The code will make the complicated laws concerning marriage ceremonies, inheritance, succession, and adoptions the same for everyone. The same civil law will then apply to all people, regardless of faith.

Twitter Files 3.0 Part I: Internal communications reveal meetings with the FBI, employees making rules on the go and disrupting Trump’s Presidential bid

OpIndia Staff
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Twitter Files 3.0 Part I: Internal communications reveal meetings with the FBI, employees making rules on the go and disrupting Trump’s Presidential bid

On Friday (December 9, US local time), the third tranche of confidential conversations between top Twitter executives was released on the micro-blogging platform. Dubbed the first part of ‘Twitter Files 3.0’, the internal communication revealed how employees flouted Twitter policies, created rules on the go, and were hand-in-glove with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The story, covered in detail by independent journalist Matt Taibbi, focuses on the period before the 2020 US Presidential elections and the US Capitol riots of January 6, 2021.

Journalist Matt Taibbi pointed out that the ‘intellectual framework’ to de-platform former US President Donald Trump was laid in the months preceding the January 6 incident in Washington.

“Before J6, Twitter was a unique mix of automated, rules-based enforcement, and more subjective moderation by senior executives,” he emphasised. While referring to the ‘Twitter Files 2.0‘, he said that tactics to manipulate tweet visibility were adopted to censor the likes of Donald Trump.

Donald Trump was banned from Twitter in the aftermath of the US Capitol riots. The decision was controversial and left even some Twitter employees wondering whether it was the first time that a sitting Head of State was suspended.

“As soon as they finished banning Trump, Twitter execs started processing new power. They prepared to ban future presidents and White Houses – perhaps even Joe Biden. The “new administration,” says one exec, “will not be suspended by Twitter unless absolutely necessary.” Matt Taibbi revealed how top Twitter executives dwelled on their new-found power.

The Twitter moderation team justified the ouster of a sitting US President under the “context surrounding actions by Trump and supporters over the course of the election and frankly last 4+ years.”

FBI intervention and US Presidential elections

The first part of the ‘Twitter Files 3.0’ revealed that the senior executives of Twitter Inc. were in constant touch with federal agencies ahead of the 2020 US Presidential elections.

Matt Taibbi informed that they began enforcing rules arbitrarily and using pretexts to justify their actions. Following the US Capitol riots, the meetings between top Twitter employees and federal agencies intensified.

“After J6, internal Slacks show Twitter executives getting a kick out of intensified relationships with federal agencies,” he said. The independent journalist pointed out how Yoel Roth, who justified censoring the ‘Hunter Biden story’, lamented that he could not conceal his meetings with the FBI.

Matt Taibbi unearthed how the mindset of top Twitter executives evolved between late 2020 and early 2021. He informed that a channel titled ‘us2020_xfn_enforcement’ was created to discuss the censorship of high-profile accounts (also called Very Important Tweeters) in the context of US elections.

“There was at least some tension between Safety Operations – a larger department whose staffers used a more rules-based process for addressing issues like porn, scams, and threats – and a smaller, more powerful cadre of senior policy execs like Roth and Gadde,” the independent journalist added.

The first part of ‘Twitter Files 3.0’ exposed how the likes of Vijaya Gadde (former Head of Legal, Policy, and Trust at Twitter) and Yoel Roth (former Global Head of Trust & Safety) were making decisions based on whims and fancies.

“The latter group were a high-speed Supreme Court of moderation, issuing content rulings on the fly, often in minutes and based on guesses, gut calls, even Google searches, even in cases involving the President,” journalist Matt Taibbi noted.

He also added that the duo was “clearly liaising with federal enforcement and intelligence agencies about moderation of election-related content”.

The transcripts of internal communications also revealed how confusion persisted among the top executives about their abrupt decision to censor content on Twitter. They were also seen looking out for excuses to justify their decision-making process before the public.

The third tranche of ‘Twitter Files’ also showed how Yoel Roth, the former Global Head of Trust & Safety, made excuses to skip meetings with the FBI and the DHS. It also revealed how the Federal Bureau of Investigation routinely sent tweets, posted by Republican candidates, to the moderation team for expunction.

The FBI alleged that a tweet by John Basham, a Republican and former Councilor, made false allegations about 20-25% of mail ballots being rejected due to errors.

“Twitter cited Politifact to say the first story was “proven to be false”, then noted the second was already deemed “no vio on numerous occasions,” Matt Taibbi noted. It thus showed how Twitter executives readily agreed to FBI diktats and how the federal agency intervened in political affairs.

Matt Taibbi, who covered ‘Twitter Files 1.0’ and ‘Twitter Files 3.0’ noted that no diktat to expunge politically inconvenient tweets was made by the Trump administration.

“Examining the entire election enforcement Slack, we didn’t see one reference to moderation requests from the Trump campaign, the Trump White House, or Republicans generally. We looked. They may exist: we were told they do. However, they were absent here,” he emphasised.

Hunter Biden story and its censorship by Twitter

The ‘Twitter Files 3.0’ also exposed how Yoel Roth not only met FBI officials weekly but also the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

Roth reported to the FBI, “We blocked the NYP story, then unblocked it (but said the opposite)… comms is angry, reporters think we’re idiots… in short, FML” (fuck my life).”

It is notable here that in the last weeks of the 2020 US presidential elections, the New York Post published an explosive story about Hunter Biden’s problematic emails with a Ukrainian gas company executive from Burisma.

In its report, the news outlet alleged that they had accessed material from a damaged Macbook that was brought to a service centre for repair. The customer who brought the laptop never collected or paid for the services.

The shop owner said he repeatedly tried to contact the client. Though he could not identify the owner as Hunter Biden, he said the laptop had Beau Biden Foundation’s sticker.

The report has several documents and mentions a video that proves that Joe Biden met a high-profile businessman from Ukraine when he was Vice President of the United States. 

Reports suggested that Biden may have helped his son Hunter in his business in Ukraine using his influence as the VP of the United States. The Biden Camp categorically denied all the allegations.

It was heavily censored by both Twitter and Facebook and was branded as a piece of fake news. Initially, the left and liberal cabal dismissed the report as a hoax, but it was eventually confirmed that the laptop’s contents did really belong to Hunter Biden.

Following the restriction of the NYP report, Twitter justified the action by claiming that its policies forbid the sharing of compromised information. After the elections were over and Joe Biden was declared president, it later became clear that the NY Post story was true.

A study conducted by Media Research Center alleged that “full awareness of the Hunter Biden scandal would have led 9.4% of Biden voters to abandon the Democratic candidate, flipping all six of the swing states he won to Trump, giving the President 311 electoral votes.”

Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk is releasing information about internal communications at Twitter in the lead up to the US Presidential elections of 2020. Last month, the new Twitter owner vowed to restore public trust in the platform by increasing transparency about the manner in which the Twitter moderation team functioned.

IIT Guwahati faculty found dead in his residential quarters, body found hanging from the ceiling fan

ANI
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IIT Guwahati faculty found dead in his residential quarters, body found hanging from the ceiling fan

A faculty member of IIT Guwahati was found dead inside the Indian Institute of Technology’s residential quarter in Assam’s North Guwahati area, police said on Saturday.

The deceased was a faculty in the Mathematics Department and was identified as 47-year-old Dr Sameer Kamal. Superintendent of Police of Kamrup district Hitesh Ch. Roy told ANI that the body was recovered from inside a room Friday evening.

“We suspect that he allegedly committed suicide two-three days back. The body has been sent to the hospital for post-mortem,” Roy said.

According to local police, Friday evening police received information from IIT Guwahati that a foul smell was coming out from locked Faculty Quarter D 022.

“Later the door was opened in the presence of Magistrate, Officer-in-Charge of North Guwahati police station, In-charge Amingaon outpost,” Roy added. Kamal was found hanging from the ceiling fan inside the quarter, the SP said.

IIT Guwahati has also issued a statement: “The institute is trying to establish contact with the family of the deceased. IIT Guwahati expresses its deepest condolences to the family at this time of profound grief. We will cooperate with the police investigation and will also commission an internal investigation on this matter.” 

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

Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani says Congress failed to use a ‘solidly anti-BJP’ face like him in Gujarat, who could energise ‘Dalits’: What he said

OpIndia Staff
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Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani says Congress failed to use a ‘solidly anti-BJP’ face like him in Gujarat, who could energise ‘Dalits’: What he said

The Congress recorded its worst-ever performance in the Gujarat Assembly election, winning only 17 seats as opposed to the 77 it had won in 2017. In response to the party’s dismal showing, newly elected Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani expressed disappointment that the Congress “didn’t utilise him much.”

After narrowly defeating the BJP’s Manibhai Vaghela in Vadgam, Mevani told The Indian Express, “The party “did not use me enough” during the elections.

“I strongly feel I could have been used in a much better way; not after I filed my nomination, but much earlier. I fail to understand that when they (the Congress) have a face like mine, who can catch people’s imagination, who has credibility, who is solidly anti-BJP and has a good following, why could he not address public meetings across the state?… Jan sabha karvana chahiye tha (Public meetings should have been held), to energise the people, the Dalits,” he added.

Despite being listed as a star campaigner for the Congress, Mevani only addressed public meetings in some north Gujarat seats in the same region, and one in Ahmedabad’s Vejalpur constituency. The majority of these were organised after he filed his nomination.

It is worth noting that Hardik Patel, the current BJP leader who was key in bringing Mevani into the Congress, had previously lambasted the Congress party for neglecting to consult him and delaying decision-making on party matters in the state of Gujarat before leaving the party and joining the BJP.

Interestingly, the Congress party had planned to transport its MLAs to Rajasthan to avoid what it called ‘Operation Lotus,’ an alleged attempt by the BJP to poach its MLAs. However, as the results of the Gujarat Assembly elections were declared, the grand old party decimated to its lowest-ever tally of seats in Gujarat this year.

In Gujarat, the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party bagged 156 seats, while the Congress party managed to secure only 17 seats, plummeting below 10% of the total seats.

Gujarat Congress wanted to shift its MLAs to Rajasthan to prevent poaching 

This year’s figures are far lower than what the Congress party attained in 2017, which, while the Congress lost to the BJP, provided the party and its adherents with an excuse to elevate Rahul Gandhi to a pedestal.

In 2017, the party claimed that Rahul Gandhi’s efforts paved the way for the party, which increased its tally of 61 seats from the previous assembly elections to 77. The party welcomed Rahul Gandhi as a mature leader and promptly handed over the responsibility of the national president to him.

This year, however, one wonders what the great old party’s members will have to say, as Rahul Gandhi addressed only two rallies, one in Surat and the other in Rajkot. Rahul visited Gujarat in the first week of September, only two days before embarking on his cross-country march from Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu. Not just that, the question is why did his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which was in the neighbourhood, skip Gujarat.

US journalist who wore LGBT T-shirt dies mysteriously in Qatar: What he said before death, his criticism of Qatar regime and death threats

Dibakar Dutta
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US journalist who wore LGBT T-shirt dies mysteriously in Qatar: What he said before death, his criticism of Qatar regime and death threats

Days after being detained by security personnel for wearing a rainbow-coloured T-shirt during the match between the United States and Wales in Qatar, US journalist Grant Wahl passed away under mysterious circumstances on Saturday (December 10).

Prior to his death, the soccer journalist was covering the Quarter Final match between Argentina and the Netherlands at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. Reportedly, he collapsed during the extra time segment of the match and could not be revived.

Wahl had covered 8 world cups to date. “Just an incredible designed set-piece goal by the Netherlands,” he posted his last tweet at 2:35 am (IST) on Saturday.

Complaints about deteriorating health

In a substack newsletter dated Tuesday (December 6), Grant Wahl informed his subscribers about his deteriorating health. “My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you,” he had written.

“What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort,” the soccer journalist pointed out.

“I didn’t have Covid (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis. They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I’m already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno,” he emphasised.

My brother got death threats: Eric Wahl

In an Instagram post, Eric Wahl informed that his brother Grant Wahl had received threats to his life. “I am gay. I am the reason he wore the rainbow shirt (representative of the LGBTQ+ community) to the World Cup,” he was heard as saying.

While hinting at foul play, Eric pointed out, “My brother was healthy. He told me that he received death threats.” He further emphasised, “I do not believe that my brother just died. I believe he was killed. And I just beg for any help.”

After the video of his Instagram post went viral, the deceased journalist’s brother turned his public account (@eewahl) to private.

Grant Wahl criticised Qatar over the treatment of migrant labourers

In his last substack newsletter on Friday (December 9), Grant Wahl slammed the Qatari World Cup organisers for their lack of empathy towards migrant labourers.

“They just don’t care. Qatari World Cup organizers don’t even hide their apathy over migrant worker deaths, including the most recent one,” he wrote.

The soccer journalist had criticised Nasser Al-Khater, the CEO of the Qatari Supreme Committee, for downplaying the death of a Filipino migrant worker (which was initially brushed under the carpet).

While speaking to the BBC, Naseer had said, “We’re in the middle of a World Cup, and we have a successful World Cup. And this is something that you want to talk about right now?”

Detention of Grant Wahl for supporting LGBTQ+

On November 21 this year, Grant Wahl was detained by security personnel for wearing a rainbow-coloured T-shirt to the Ahmad bin Ali stadium during the match between the United States and Wales.

He wore the T-shirt to express solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. Grant Wahl was initially stopped by a security guard and asked to remove his shirt. His phone was confiscated while he tried tweeting about the incident.

The journalist was detained for about 25 minutes during which he was told that his rainbow-coloured T-shirt was ‘political’ in nature. During his detention, the security personnel also inquired whether he was from the United Kingdom.

“One of the security guards told me they were just trying to protect me from fans inside who could harm me for wearing the shirt … A Fifa representative later apologized to me as well,” wrote Wahl in his Substack newsletter.

He further added, “But the entire episode left me wondering: What’s it like for ordinary Qataris who might wear a rainbow shirt when the world isn’t watching here? What’s that like?”

Wahl’s sudden and untimely death has now brought the spotlight on the possibility of a foul play.

Three Congress leaders beat even Arvind Kejriwal in u-turns, come back to Congress hours after joining AAP

ANI
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Three Congress leaders beat even Arvind Kejriwal in u-turns, come back to Congress hours after joining AAP

The world is round for the former vice president of the Delhi Congress, Ali Mehdi as he announced his return to his home party just hours after joining the Aam Aadmi Party.

The announcement came through a video posted by Mehdi on Twitter in which he was seen “apologising” for his “mistake”. “I don’t need a post. I will be a worker for the Congress party. I will stay as a worker for Rahul Gandhi. I have done/ committed a huge mistake. I fold my hands and apologise for my mistake to Rahul Gandhi Priyanka Gandhi, all the people and Congress Party. I was a part of the Congress party and will always be. The Congress party is in my heart. My father has been a part of Congress for the last 40 years. I apologise for my mistake,” Mehdi said in a video on Twitter.

He also said that the same would be done by Councilor Sabila Begum’s husband and Congress leader Khushnood Khan.

Earlier on November 9, Councilor Sabila Begum’s husband and Congress leader Khushnood Khan met Congress Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi. “He was taken and photographed in AAP. He realized that an attempt was made to use him. He was, is and will remain in Congress,” said Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi.

The development came after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday ended the high-stakes Delhi Municipal Corporation elections by winning 134 of the total 250 wards of the city.

AAP won the battle for control over the MCD uprooting 15-year rule by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

AAP won 134 wards while BJP came second with 104 wards. Congress managed to get 9 wards while three wards were bagged by Independents.
“Thanks to the people of Delhi for this grand victory and many congratulations to all. Now all of us together have to make Delhi clean and beautiful,” tweeted AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Taking to Twitter, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, “Today, honesty and work defeated the world’s biggest party which was ruling MCD for 15 years. The people of Delhi have given us a big responsibility to make Delhi clean and beautiful under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal. Let us all work together to make Delhi the best city in the country.”

“Heartfelt gratitude to the people of Delhi for trusting the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi MCD. By defeating the world’s biggest and most negative party, the people of Delhi have made a staunch honest and working Arvind Kejriwal win. For us, this is not just a victory, it is a big responsibility,” added Sisodia.

Way earlier than the final results were declared, celebrations started at the Aam Aadmi Party office in the national capital after the trends showed that the party is set to take over the MCD from the BJP.

The party workers gathered in front of the office and rejoiced, danced and chanted slogans praising party chief Arvind Kejriwal.

In a fiercely fought battle, the BJP began the day by leading in the initial trends for nearly one and a half hours initially, however, the trends started shifting as the AAP gained the lead and maintained thereafter until the final results were declared.

The polls for 250 wards in the national capital were held on December 4 with about 50 per cent voter turnout and a total of 1,349 candidates in the fray. However, the low voter turnout did not prove to be an indicator of pro-incumbency.

This was the first civic election after the fresh delimitation exercise. There were 272 wards in Delhi and three corporations – NDMC, SDMC, and EDMC in Delhi from 2012-2022 that later reunified into an MCD that had formally come into existence on May 22.

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

China: After securing third term in power, Xi Jinping focuses on ‘complete control’ of the Army, efficiency to launch wars, demands ‘resolute loyalty’

ANI
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China: After securing third term in power, Xi Jinping focuses on ‘complete control’ of the Army, efficiency to launch wars, demands ‘resolute loyalty’

After securing power for the third term in the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping has “ensured complete control” of and loyalty from the army, The Hong Kong Post reported.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ensured that armed forces make preparations to focus their energy on efficiency to launch wars, bolster their ability to win and effectively fulfil the “missions and tasks” of the army in the “new era.” As per the news report, Chinese armed forces must “resolutely be loyal” to Xi Jinping and “support, safeguard and defend” the leadership to the core. The Chinese leader has called on the army to follow the “only fundamental standard of combat effectiveness, focus all energy on fighting, work hard on fighting, accelerate the improvement of winning capabilities, and resolutely defend national sovereignty, security, development interests, and complete the various tasks entrusted by the party and the people,” according to The Hong Kong Post.

Recently, Xi Jinping inspected the Joint Operation Command Center of the Central Military Commission, which hinted that the new Central Military Mission will work as per the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The new Central Military Mission will bolster military training and preparation.

According to the report, the 20th National Congress of the CCP made strategic arrangements for national defence and army building from the “overall situation of building a modern socialist country and calling for the great rejuvenation of China in an “all-round way,” according to The Hong Kong Post.

It underscored the need to succeed in achieving the goal of the “army’s centenary struggle as scheduled,” the report cited special articles published on occasion. The report said that CCP’s leadership is citing external threats to make the military realise how important its deference to the leadership is in the present situation.

The report said that the world is facing witnessing profound changes which accelerate the evolution of China’s security situation. Chinese military must implement the CCP’s idea of strengthening the army and focusing energy on fighting and improving winning capabilities and resolutely defending national sovereignty and security. Military personnel were instructed about being loyal to the Chinese leader and the party.

In addition, the cadres of the military units which directly fall under the Military Commission were told to “comprehensively strengthen the party building in the military.” Furthermore, the security personnel were asked to uphold the party’s leadership over the People’s army and safeguard Xi Jinping’s position as the core of the Party’s central committee.

Military personnel have been directed to maintain a “high degree of consistency” with CCP’s central committee and be absolutely loyal and reliable to ensure that the military equipment always abides party’s command. 

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

Punjab: Police station attacked with suspected rocket in Tarn Taran, terror alert had been sounded off days ago with police stations being possible targets

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: Police station attacked with suspected rocket in Tarn Taran, terror alert had been sounded off days ago with police stations being possible targets

In the border area of Tarn Taran, a police station has been attacked by a suspected rocket launcher-like weapon on Saturday early morning. According to reports, it was around 1 am that a projectile hit the Sarhali Police Station on the Amritsar-Bathinda Highway in Tarn Taran District.

According to police, unknown attackers fired the rocket launcher-like device at the police station in Sarhali from National Highway 54 (ASR-Bathinda). Due to the attack, the inside walls, mirrors of the doors of Sanjh Kendra etc were shattered and broken.

After the attack, the SSP of Tarn Taran reached the spot of the attack and the rocket used in the attack was recovered from inside the police station. Along with the rocket, a pipe-like object was also reportedly recovered.

Earlier on May 9, Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters located in Mohali was attacked using a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG). The warhead was launched at the HQ just before 8 PM. Soon after the Punjab Police had arrested six people in connection with the blast that occurred on the third floor of Punjab Police’s intelligence office in Mohali on Monday. 

Punjab Director General of Police VK Bhawra had revealed the involvement of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the Mohali blast case. The Punjab DGP said that Khalistani terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and local gangsters were involved in the bomb blast carried out at the behest of the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI. ‘We have cracked the case. The main person, who was the key conspirator, is gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa from Tarn Taran. He shifted to Canada in 2017,” DGP VK Bhawra said.

A terror alert was sounded off only two days ago

Only two days ago, Punjab Police had been put on high alert after intelligence of a possible terror attack had emerged. According to reports, police stations in Punjab and other government buildings had been advised to be put on high alert and security had been beefed up. Essentially, the intelligence alert had put police stations and government buildings as possible targets of the terror attack.

According to PTC news, CP Ludhiana issued an alert to all higher officials and police officers to ensure the security of all police stations. Sources say that increased vigilance has been ordered in police stations located outside of the city or on highways because such police stations or buildings are easy to attack and flee.

Qatar 2022: Croatia stun favourites Brazil as they win their second successive penalty shootout in the tournament

OpIndia Staff
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Qatar 2022: Croatia stun favourites Brazil as they win their second successive penalty shootout in the tournament

2018 World Cup finalists Croatia continue their run towards their second successive final appearance as they defeated the favourites Brazil in a penalty shootout in Qatar. It was not the first penalty shootout for the Croatians in Qatar 2022, having defeated Japan in a similar way in the round of 16.

Dominated by Brazil for large parts of the game, Croatia kept them quiet throughout the 90 minutes through some resolute defending. After the regulation time couldn’t separate the two sides, the game went to extra time, and that is when the Brazilian superstar Neymar finally made his presence felt.

Once Neymar put Brazil ahead during the extra time, it was almost certain that the 5-times champions Brazil will progress to the semifinals but the Croatians had other ideas. In the 116th minute, Croatia equalised with their first shot on target as Bruno Petkovic swept the ball home leveling things at 1-1.

Once it finished 1-1 at the end of the extra time and it went to penalties, Croatia looked at their hero from the game against Japan, Dominik Livakovic, to deliver once again, and boy did he deliver.

During the penalty shootout, Croatia scored all their penalties as Vlasic, Majer, Modric, and Orsic all found the back of the net past Allison, but for Brazil, Rodrygo’s penalty was saved by Croatian superstar Dominik Livakovic and then Marquinhos hit the post with his penalty, handing Croatia a historic win.

Brazil was the overwhelming favourites to win the entire tournament, and they looked set to do it once they got the lead, but Croatia just refused to give up, and pulled off one of the greatest upsets of all time in the tournament.

This is the last major tournament for the greatest ever Croatian player Luka Modric, and it looks like he is not in the mood to sign off just yet. His commanding performance in the midfield was one of the main reasons why Croatia could keep up with Brazil and as he awaits the winner of Netherlands vs Argentina, both those teams know that it won’t be an easy ride in the semifinals against one of the greatest midfielders of all times.

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