Home Blog Page 2716

China inches closer to launching its own space station as the final module completes docking with Tiangong

OpIndia Staff
-
0
China inches closer to launching its own space station as the final module completes docking with Tiangong

On Monday, China launched the third and final module of its space station. It will be the second permanently operating outpost in low-Earth orbit, following NASA’s International Space Station.

The unmanned Mengtian, or “Dreaming of the Heavens,” module was launched at 3:37 PM (0737 GMT) from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the southern island province of Hainan by China’s most powerful rocket, the Long March 5B. Deng Hongqin, director of the launch command centre, stated that the module was in orbit after 14 minutes.

The 23-ton, 59-foot-long Mengtian module connected with the Tiangong space station 13 hours after launch. The module includes a variety of scientific equipment, including exceptionally precise atomic clocks and equipment designed to replicate the coldest conditions yet reached by humans.

Image: AFP

China has successfully launched the core module, three manned spacecraft, the Wentian lab module, and six cargo spacecraft to develop Tiangong during the last two years. According to the space agency, the three-member crew of the Shenzhou-14 mission, who are now living in the space station, will be joined by three additional astronauts to finish the construction of Tiangong by the end of this year.

China barred from the International Space Station since 2011

Since 2011, when Washington prohibited NASA from interacting with Beijing, China has been barred from the International Space Station (ISS). The completion of the Chinese space station is the latest step in Beijing’s larger goal to challenge, and eventually surpass, the United States in space exploration, as well as to develop a wide base of information for China’s enormous and rapidly rising scientific establishment.

Tianhe, the station’s main module, was launched into orbit last year. China followed in July by launching the first of two scientific modules, the Wentian, which docked with the core. With the Mengtian module docked, the full space station resembles a “T” configuration. Tiangong, which translates as “heavenly palace,” will be operational for around a decade and will host a range of near-zero gravity experiments.

International interest in experiments to be conducted on the Chinese station will rise if the ISS retires in the upcoming years. The ISS has held more than 3,000 scientific experiments since November 2000. China has granted approval to at least nine proposals from researchers in countries ranging from India to Switzerland for the first round of testing carried out in partnership with the United Nations Space Agency.

Comedian James Corden called out for plagiarism for copying a Ricky Gervais joke word by word

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Comedian James Corden called out for plagiarism for copying a Ricky Gervais joke word by word

British comedian James Corden, currently working as a presenter on US television, has been called out for copying a joke from fellow British comedian Ricky Gervais word by word during his Late Late Night Show. Corden was talking about Twitter and Elon Musk’s recent takeover of Twitter when he repeated the famous ‘guitar lessons’ gag on Twitter by Gervais.

In the joke, Gervais talks about people getting offended at tweets not directed towards them as people going to a town square and seeing a poster for guitar lessons and getting angry because they don’t want guitar lessons. Corden repeated the same lines when he was talking about Elon Musk’s comparisons of Twitter to a town square where people can come and talk.

Gervais, who has regularly made jokes at the expense of James Corden during his Golden Globes appearances and in his show Afterlife, was quick to notice the similarities and sarcastically tweeted, “The bit about the town square advert for guitar lessons is brilliant”. However, the legendary comedian later deleted his tweet. Ricky Gervais made that joke during his 2018 Netflix special Humanity which was one of the most viewed specials on the OTT platform.

When one fan asked Gervais if he was asked for permission to use that joke, he replied that it wasn’t the case and presumably one of the writers ‘came up with it’ for him as no comedian will copy the joke of a famous comedian word by word like that.

However, James Corden’s body language while telling the joke was remarkably similar to Ricky Gervais, suggesting he had seen the joke being performed.

Ricky was not the only one to spot the similarities to his own joke as several social media accounts called out James Corden for his plagiarism.

James Corden was stuck in another controversy lately when he was forced to apologise for his behaviour at the New York restaurant Balthazar, which resulted in restaurateur Keith McNally briefly banning him. Corden apologised for his behaviour in an episode of the Late Late Show which airs on the CBS network.

When former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi held a hanky to her nose while visiting the Machchhu dam disaster site in 1979

OpIndia Staff
-
0
When former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi held a hanky to her nose while visiting the Machchhu dam disaster site in 1979

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a three-day visit to election-bound Gujarat, paid a visit to the Morbi district in the state on Tuesday, November 1, in the aftermath of the tragic bridge collapse over the Machchhu river.

As per reports, the mortal remains of 135 people who drowned have been recovered while 2 are still missing. Since the time the tragedy struck, the Navy, Air Force, and Indian Army personnel have been working in rescue operations. A total of 180 were successfully rescued by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Gujarat government also acted swiftly and appointed a 5-member committee to investigate the incident. 9 persons have been arrested so far.

After it was revealed that the private contractor, which was tasked with renovation work, opened the bridge for public use without fitness certification, the Gujarat police registered a criminal case against the contractor under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 114, 304 (culpable homicide) and 308 (attempt to culpable homicide).

Machchhu Dam disaster

It may be recalled that a similar catastrophe occurred on the Machchhu dam, which is located on the same Machchhu River in Morbi, Gujarat, in 1979. The Morbi dam failure was listed as the worst dam burst in the Guinness Book of Records (before the death toll of the 1975 Banquiao Dam failure in China was declassified in 2005).

On August 11, 1979, a dam on the Machchhu river collapsed killing at least 1,500 people and more than 13000 animals. Due to incessant rains, local rivers were flooded and the Machchhu Dam was overflowing. The dam broke at 3.15 pm and within 15 minutes the water of the dam had engulfed the entire city.

In 2017, addressing a rally in Gujarat, PM Modi had spoken about the time when the tragedy struck Morbi. Modi recalled how the then Prime Minister and Congress leader Indira Gandhi had visited the disaster-stricken areas holding a hanky to her nose.

Referring to a photo published by Chitralekha, a Gujarati magazine, Modi had launched an attack on the feudal mindset of the Congress party.

The photo published by Chitralekha after 1979 Machhu dam disaster (Image source: India Today)

He said, “When Indiraben came to Morbi, I remember there was a photo of her in the Chitralekha magazine with a hanky over her nose due to the foul smells.”

Indira Gandhi held a hanky to her nose while visiting Macchu dam disaster in 1979 (source: India Today)

Modi, who himself was in the town to help with relief efforts when the tragedy struck Morbi had hailed RSS and Jan Sangh for standing shoulder to shoulder with the victims. “During the tragedy in 1979, I reached here on August 13 and stayed here for a month. The RSS and Sangh were on the streets, helping remove corpses and extend humanitarian assistance,” he said.

Notably, on the 36th anniversary of the 1979 Machchhu dam tragedy, Morbi-based RSS leader Dr. Jayanti Bhadesia spoke to Doordarshan and lauded the then-RSS Swayamsevak and present Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s contribution to flood rescue operations.

Meanwhile, coming back to the recent tragedy, on Sunday, October 30, 2022, over 140 people lost their lives after the cable bridge across the Machchhu river snapped and those who were on the bridge fell into the water.

As can be seen, just seconds before the cables snapped, some of the tourists were seen jumping on the suspension bridge, trying to oscillate it. Earlier videos of the same bridge have also shown people jumping and swaying on the bridge. This has led to a lot of speculation on social media.

OpIndia reached out to experts in engineering to understand what could have gone wrong. The experts are of the opinion that it is quite unlikely the bridge collapsed due to over capacity and it is likely that the material used was of low quality which could have led to the tragedy.

Many people on social media speculated that there is a chance the bridge collapsed due to overcapacity. However, the experts say this does not seem very likely as bridges are built to withstand a lot of weight. Hence, there is a higher chance that this was because of material or joint failure.

Job scam: Madras HC refuses to discharge DMK minister V Senthil Balaji from ED case, orders fresh inquiry

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Job scam: Madras HC refuses to discharge DMK minister V Senthil Balaji from ED case, orders fresh inquiry

On Monday, the Madras High Court refused to release DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji from a case filed against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the clauses of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Justice V Sivagnanam retained the ED proceedings while rejecting Senthil Balaji’s petition to be released from the case, which arose out of a job racket fraud in 2021. The judge also turned down a petition to quash the FIR filed by another accused in the case. However, the court directed a fresh examination into the allegations leveled against the minister and the co-accused in two more complaints.

“The investigation should be conducted ab initio comprehensively covering all aspects including as to whether offenses under the Prevention of Corruption Act are made out against the accused and collected from evidence,” Justice Sivagnanam said in his order.

He also stated that the special court for cases against MPs/MLAs will be free to exercise power under Section 216 of the CrPC (adding/altering charges) if the State/Investigating Officer is reluctant. “On completion of the investigation, if the IO makes out a case for cognizance of offense against the accused persons, then he shall provide the relevant materials and documents to the ED to enable it to proceed with the money laundering offense”, the judge further added in his order.

Senthil Balaji served as transport minister in the AIADMK government led by the late J Jayalalithaa from 2011 to 2015. There were complaints filed against him alleging that he had received substantial bribe money from multiple people in exchange for appointing them as drivers and conductors in transportation corporations. 

Three FIRs were filed by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Chennai City Police against him in connection with these allegations, which resulted in charge sheets being filed against him, and those charge sheets were pending before a special court for the trial of criminal cases involving MPs and MLAs.

Since the charge sheets revealed the commission of a scheduled offense under the PML Act rather than the IPC, the ED registered the current case against Senthil Balaji and others in July 2021 and launched an investigation into the matter.

Morbi, Gujarat: PM Modi reaches bridge mishap site, meets survivors of the tragedy

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Morbi, Gujarat: PM Modi reaches bridge mishap site, meets survivors of the tragedy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to the Morbi bridge collapse site on Tuesday to assess the situation. PM Modi was joined by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. Several teams from the NDRF and Indian Army have been deployed in the area where the search operation is being conducted in the Machchhu River.

PM Modi also spoke to people involved in rescue and relief efforts at the site of the unfortunate incident in Morbi.

Following a walkover around the site, Prime Minister Modi visited the civil hospital in Morbi to meet the survivors of the tragedy. The Prime Minister is closely monitoring the situation from the day of the incident.

The PM also visited the Superintendent of Police’s Office in Morbi and took stock of the situation with senior police and administrative officials of the zone.

He also met family members of the victims who lost their lives in the bridge collapse incident that happened on October 30.

On Sunday, October 30, 2022, over 130 people were killed when the cable bridge spanning the Machchhu River collapsed and everyone on the bridge plunged into the water. Laughter changed to screams of despair as dozens of people enjoying on the bridge drowned in an instant. The rescue efforts are still ongoing in and around the river.

According to the reports, the 150-year-old bridge located 300 km from Vadodara could take the weight of only about 125 people but there were around 400 people on the bridge when the incident happened. A total of 180 were successfully rescued by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams.

The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for each of those killed in the accident and Rs 50,000 for those injured. The Prime Minister also has announced monetary assistance of Rs. 2 lakh for each of the victims’ families.

The bridge was closed for operational use about 7 months ago. A private company by the name of Oreva Group (Ajanta Manufacturing Private Limited) was given the contract in March of this year to renovate and maintain the said bridge. The suspension bridge, which is also known as the Jhoolta Pul, was reopened on the occasion of Gujarati New Year Day on October 26 this year after the completion of the renovation task of the bridge.

Chief editors cannot be prosecuted unless there’s direct allegation: SC quashes defamation case against India Today’s Aroon Purie, case against journalist to go on

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Chief editors cannot be prosecuted unless there’s direct allegation: SC quashes defamation case against India Today’s Aroon Purie, case against journalist to go on

On Monday, October 31, the Supreme Court two-judge bench of Chief Justice UU Lalit and Justice Bela M Trivedi stated that the editor-in-chief cannot be prosecuted for defamation in the absence of ‘specific allegations.’

The observation was made while the apex court was hearing a plea filed by India Today founder and editor-in-chief Aroon Purie challenging the criminal defamation case filed against him over a report that appeared in the magazine in 2007. 

While quashing the criminal defamation case filed against Purie, the court ruled that if there are no specific and adequate allegations, the presumption under Section 7 of the Press and Registration of Books Act of 1867 cannot be applied against such Chief Editor or Editor-in-Chief.

The Court, however, did not quash the case against journalist Saurabh Shukla, who wrote the concerned story.

The issue related to a news piece titled ‘Mission Misconduct’ that was published in India Today that claimed that three Indian Officials posted at the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom had to be recalled in quick succession following serious allegations of sexual misconduct, corruption in visa issuance, and sale of Indian passports to illegal immigrants.

The article also stated that complaints were made against an Indian Foreign Service officer stationed in the United Kingdom for requesting sexual favours from a local employee. According to the article, the officer, who is now back in India, is facing disciplinary punishment and, when approached, denied the claims.

India Today had named one of these officials as OP Bhola, then India’s deputy consul general in Edinburgh. Bhola is a complainant in the case.

Following this, a complaint was lodged against several individuals, including Aroon Purie, the then-Editor-in-Chief of India Today Magazine and Saurabh Shukla, the author of the article. It was argued that the article was defamatory and that the accused should be prosecuted for violating Sections 34, 120 B, 405, 468, 470, 471, 499, 501, and 502 of the IPC.

Aroon Purie argued that under Section 7 of the Press and Registration of Books Act of 1867, only an editor or printer can be prosecuted. As a result, he could never be prosecuted as the editor-in-chief.

The Supreme Court determined that the presumption under Section 7 of the Act applied to a Chief Editor and that he, too, may be prosecuted if the evidence warranted it.

In light of the aforementioned principle, the court reviewed the assertions and charges stated in the complaint. However, it did not discover anything specific ascribed to Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie. As a result, it was concluded that he could not be held accountable for the activities done by the author of the Article.

Morbi tragedy: 40 graves dug in one night at local Islamic cemeteries, dozens of funeral pyres at Shamshan as families mourn

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Morbi tragedy: 40 graves dug in one night at local Islamic cemeteries, dozens of funeral pyres at Shamshan as families mourn

A day after the tragic incident of bridge collapse occurred at Morbi in Gujarat, the city dealt with a lot of disturbance as cries of people who lost their loved ones, and the sound of ambulance sirens echoed in the city. Around 135 people including several belonging to the Muslim community from the city were reported dead after the incident.

According to a report by Navbharat Times, the bodies of many people who lost their lives in the incident were taken to one of the largest graveyards in the city for cremation. Ghafoor Pastiwala who is the caretaker of one of the largest Islamic cemeteries in the city revealed that the workers at the cemetery had to dig around 40 graves in the graveyard and that around 20 Muslims, including 8 children were buried in 12 hours. Pastiwala stated that he had never dug so many graves at once and that there were so many dead bodies that their families had to queue up to bury them.

Pointing at a row of four graves in the cemetery, Pastiwala said that they belonged to the Sumara family, who lost seven members in the tragedy. “Seven people include 4 children and 3 women. Two women and two children have been buried at the Morbi graveyard, while the bodies of a woman and her two children have been sent for last rites to her husband’s home in Jamnagar”, he said.

He also said that the bodies of Aamir Rafiq Khalifa (25) and Taufiq Altaf Ajmeri (18) who were residents of Morbi were also buried in the graveyard. Reports mention that the duo had gone to enjoy the evening at the bridge but never returned. Aamir’s family expressed grief as they had lost Aamir who was the only son in the family. Taufiq’s cousin Maqbool who was also on the bridge when the incident happened expressed grief and said that he survived the incident but could not save Taufiq.

Besides this, two more families who stay in the same locality as that of Aamir and Taufiq are mourning over the demise of two cousins named ​​Vijay Ganpatbhai Rathod (19) and Jagdish Mansukhbhai Rathod (19). The last rites of the brothers were performed at the cremation ground located near Dholeshwar Mahadev temple in Morbi.

In another dreadful incident, Suresh Parmar had to witness the cremation process of his brother named Mahesh. “My cousin Mahesh had gone out to buy Chinese food. From there he went for a walk on the bridge and never returned”, said Suresh Parmar. Also, three young boys from the Muchadia family which resides in a small town of Gujarat were cremated on October 31. Notably, around 50 Hindu cremations were held on Monday, and 37 Muslim funerals were being carried out at the only Islamic cemetery in the district. However, 20 Muslims including 8 children were buried in 12 hours.

On Monday, hours after the suspension bridge over the Machchhu River in Morbi, Gujarat, collapsed claiming around 135 lives and injuring several other persons, CCTV footage emerged showing that a few people were continuously shaking the bridge, moments before the unfortunate tragedy. The bridge collapsed at around 6:30 pm when around 400 people were on the bridge.

The bridge was closed for operational use about 7 months ago. A private company by the name of Oreva Group (Ajanta Manufacturing Private Limited) was given the contract in March of this year to renovate and maintain the said bridge. The suspension bridge, which is also known as the jhoolta pool, was reopened on the occasion of Gujarati New Year Day on October 26 this year after the completion of the renovation task of the bridge.

However, the Morbi Municipality said that the private firm threw open the bridge to the public without obtaining a fitness certificate from the Municipality. The 150-year-old bridge located 300 km from Vadodara could take the weight of only about 125 people but there were around 400 people on the bridge when the incident happened, as per reports. The death toll in the Morbi bridge disaster has risen to around 135 while a total of 180 were successfully rescued by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams.

The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for each of those killed in the accident and Rs 50,000 for those injured. The Prime Minister also has announced monetary assistance of Rs. 2 lakh for each of the victims’ families.

DMK’s Saidai Sadiq booked over his derogatory remarks against BJP leader Khushbu Sundar

OpIndia Staff
-
0
DMK’s Saidai Sadiq booked over his derogatory remarks against BJP leader Khushbu Sundar

On Tuesday, November 1, the Chennai police booked Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) spokesperson Saidai Sadiq. The leader was booked for the lewd remarks he had made about women actors-turned-BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu.

The police have invoked IPC Sections 153 (provocation with the intention to cause riot), 294(b) (obscene words in a public place), 505(1)(b) and 509 (insulting modesty of women) and section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Women Harassment Act against the DMK leader.

It may be recalled how DMK leader Saidai Sadiq’s unparliamentary remarks against women-BJP leaders sparked a major controversy in Tamil Nadu. On Saturday, October 29, Tamil Nadu Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Annamalai wrote to National Commission of Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma seeking her immediate intervention against the derogatory remarks made by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam DMK spokesperson Saidai Sadiq about women actors-turned-BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu.

The entire controversy erupted after a video clip surfaced on social media platforms, wherein DMK spokesperson identified as Saidai Sadiq mocked Khushbu Sundar and three other BJP leaders like actor Namitha, Gayathri Raghuram and Gautami by calling them “items” (a derogatory way of referring to women). The DMK leader was speaking at a public meeting held by the party leaders to thank Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin for getting reelected as DMK leader for the second time.

In his speech, Saidai Sadiq made a sexual innuendo about Khushbu while talking about the time when she was a member of the DMK. He could be heard saying the saffron party depended only on these “actresses” to make inroads into Tamil Nadu.

Following the outrage, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) women’s wing secretary and MP Kanimozhi took to Twitter on October 27 to apologise for the unparliamentary remarks made by her party’s spokesperson Saidai Sadiq about women actors-turned-BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu.

Full text of Sukesh Chandrashekhar’s letter to Delhi LG: Paid crores to Satyendra Jain as ‘protection money’, to AAP to buy party position

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Full text of Sukesh Chandrashekhar’s letter to Delhi LG: Paid crores to Satyendra Jain as ‘protection money’, to AAP to buy party position

Earlier in the day, OpIndia reported how conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, who was arrested by Delhi Police in the Rs 200 crore extortion case, wrote to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, confessing to having paid Rs 10 crore as “protection money” to incarcerated Aam Aadmi Party minister Satyendra Jain. He also revealed in his letter that a total of Rs 50 crore was paid to the AAP in exchange for a key party position in south India.

OpIndia has now obtained the details of the hand-written letter Chandrashekhar sent to Saxena through his lawyer. The following is the text of Chandrashekhar’s letter.

“This is to bring to your notice that I have been lodged In Delhi Jail since 2017 for cases under PC Act and a few economical offenses. I have been associated with AIADMK, the Sasikala faction politically involved in Tamil Nadu, and have been in the business of Construction, media, mining and Corporate Lobbying. I have known, Mr. Satynder Jain of AAP Since 2015, and have contributed more than 50 Crores to AAP in the promise of giving me an important post in the party’s South zone, and also helping me to be nominated to Rajaya sabha following the expansion.

The letter written by Sukeah Chandrashekhar to Delhi LG
The letter written by Sukeah Chandrashekhar to Delhi LG

After my arrest in 2017 for the ‘two leaves’ symbol corruption case, I was lodged in the Tihar jail and was visited by Mr Satyendra Jain who holds the portfolio of Jail minister for multiple times, asking me If I had disclosed anything related to my Contribution to AAP to the Investigating agency which arrested me.

Thereafter, in 2019 again, I was visited by Satyendra Jain and his secretary and close friend Mr Sushil in jail and asked to pay Rs. 2 Crores every month to him as protection money to live safely in the jail, and to get even basic facilities. Also, he asked me to pay Rs. 1.50 Crore to DG prison Sandeep Goel, who he said was a loyal associate of his. He forced me to pay and the total amount of 10 Crores in a span of 2 to 3 months was extorted from me through constant pressure. All the amounts were collected in Kolkata through his associate Chaturvedi. Hence a total amount of Rs 10 crores was paid to Mr Satyender Jain and Rs 12.50 Crore to DG prison Sandeep Goel.

During the recent investigation by ED, I disclosed about DG prison and also the racket run by DG and jail administration, and also filed a writ in the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi seeking CBI inquiry, where the Court issued notice and the matter is scheduled for hearing next month.

Also Last month during an investigation by CB1/ACB Div-5, I disclosed all the details of amounts paid to Mr Satyender Jain, the AAP and DG prison. But no action has been still initiated.

Now, Mr Satyender lain is also lodged in Jail-7, Tihar. He is been threatening me through DG Prison and jail administration, asking me to withdraw the complaint filed in High Court. I have been severally harassed and threatened.

Sir, I humbly request you to direct the investigation agency to file a case on my complaint which has been also given to CBI. I am ready to give all evidence supporting my complaint against Mr Satyender Jain. I am also ready to record my 164 Statement before Ld. Court and Judge. But the truth has to be out, as I am not able to keep it inside me anymore. I am being harassed. The MP and their so-called honest government have to be exposed and shown that even in jail they are involved in high-level corruption. I hereby undertake to tender full cooperation with complete honesty before any forum,” read the letter.

Notably, Chandrashekhar was transferred from Tihar jail to Mandoli jail in Delhi in August of this year, after requesting multiple transfers. He claimed he had received death threats from inside the Tihar jail.

This month, he petitioned the Supreme Court for his release from Mandoli jail. However, the Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal.

Sukesh Chandrashekhar is being investigated by the Delhi Police in connection with an alleged Rs 215 crore criminal conspiracy, embezzlement, and extortion case. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police had previously filed an FIR against Chandrasekhar for allegedly defrauding the spouses of erstwhile Ranbaxy promoters Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh of Rs 215 crore.

There are over 20 other cases of extortion registered against the conman who allegedly operated a racket from inside his jail cell.

Bappi Lahiri’s ‘Jimmy Jimmy’ turns into a protest anthem in China amid stringent Covid lockdown

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Bappi Lahiri’s ‘Jimmy Jimmy’ turns into a protest anthem in China amid stringent Covid lockdown

For those in China who wish to defy the government’s “zero Covid” policy, the superhit song “Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja” from the 1982 movie “Disco Dancer” by Hindi music composer Bappi Lahiri has emerged as an unexpected choice. Residents who are now subject to a strict Covid-19 lockdown are dancing to Jimmy, Jimmy by Bappi Lahiri, which has become the country’s anti-lockdown anthem.

On Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, a lot of people are posting videos that use the song. One of the viral videos depicts a lady singing the song in Mandarin, “Jie mi, Jie mi,” which translates to “Give me rice, give me rice.”

To counteract infrequent outbreaks of the Coronavirus disease, local governments are pursuing the zero-Covid policy, which includes lockdowns, vaccinations, and contact tracing.

The population has been incensed by the strict regulations as a result of restrictions on freedom of movement, food shortages, and a lack of access to essential medical services. Strangely, the act eluded the attention of Chinese censors, who are quick to erase anything regarded as being critical of President Xi Jinping and his administration.

In order to express the suffering of the people, the Hindi song “Jimmy Jimmy” has been skillfully transformed into a subdued protest song in China. Many people are praising those who are protesting the limits in a peaceful manner. In the social media videos, users can be seen dancing and lip-syncing to the well-known Hindi song while sporting the traditional Indian women’s clothing, “bindi,” and a handcrafted saree.

Indian movies have always been extremely well-liked in China, dating back to the heyday of cinema legend Raj Kapoor in the 1950s and 1960s and up until more recent times, when titles like “3 Idiots,” “Secret Superstar,” “Hindi Medium,” “Dangal,” and “Andhadhun” have made remarkably decent profits at the Chinese box office.

Employees recruited to build Apple’s newest iPhone staged a walkout from a site in Zhengzhou, central China, following the virus outbreak and complaints of unsafe working conditions. Employees began fleeing the Foxconn site after some of them grew ill in the middle of October but received no medical assistance, according to reports. Individuals were seen walking around the streets carrying luggage, probably in the lack of public transportation.

According to local media, a scarcity of food supplies within the Foxconn facility was what caused the mass evacuation. China recorded 2,675 cases on Sunday, up from 802 the day before.

1...2,7152,7162,717...7,576Page 2,716 of 7,576