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Maharashtra: Hindu saints attacked, assaulted by locals in Sangli over rumours of child trafficking

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Maharashtra: Hindu saints attacked, assaulted by locals in Sangli over rumours of child trafficking

A mob assaulted four Hindu saints, on suspicion of being child lifters in Maharashtra’s Sangli district. The incident’s video has since gone viral on social media. Sangli police have said that the Sadhus have not lodged a formal complaint yet.

The incident happened in Lavana village in Jat tehsil while four sadhus from Uttar Pradesh were driving from Bijapur in Karnataka to the temple town of Pandharpur.

On Monday, they stopped outside a temple in the Lavana village. According to a police official, when they resumed their journey on Tuesday, they asked a youngster for directions. This caused some locals to think that they were members of criminal groups which abduct children.

“There was an altercation, which suddenly escalated, and the sadhus were beaten up with sticks by locals,” the police official explained.

The police official said that when a police unit arrived on the scene, they found that the sadhus were actually the members of an ‘akhada’ in Uttar Pradesh.

Maharashtra BJP MLA Ram Kadam condemned the incident and said the state government will not condone such “misbehavior” with the sadhus. He said in a video address that the accused will face harsh punishment.

“In the sadhus killing case in Palghar, then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s government meted out injustice to them. But the present Maharashtra government will not allow any injustice against any sadhu,” he said making reference to the 2020 incident in which Hindu saints were beaten to death.

A mob in Maharashtra’s Palghar district had lynched two Sadhus of Juna Akhara and their 30-year-old driver on April 16, 2020. They were on their way to Surat, Gujarat when they were lynched by a hysterical crowd of more than 100 individuals.

The cops were present at the incident, but they did nothing to stop the mob or save the sadhus.

Saudi Arabia: Yemeni man arrested after he performed Mecca pilgrimage requesting Allah to accept Queen Elizabeth in heaven

OpIndia Staff
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Saudi Arabia: Yemeni man arrested after he performed Mecca pilgrimage requesting Allah to accept Queen Elizabeth in heaven

On Tuesday, the Saudi Arabian Police arrested a Yemeni national for performing an Umrah pilgrimage on behalf of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The man had travelled from Yemen to the Muslim holy city of Mecca to honour the Queen who died on September 8 this year.

According to the reports, the Yemeni man performed the Umrah pilgrimage and held a banner that read, “Umrah for the soul of Queen Elizabeth II, we ask God to accept her in heaven and among the righteous”. He also published a video of the banner which went viral over social media. Many internet users on September 13 took cognizance of the incident and demanded immediate arrest of the man.

The Police during the arrest stated that the Yemeni national had violated the rules and regulations for umrah. While performing umrah on behalf of deceased Islamists is permissible, it does not apply to non-Muslims such as the Queen. Queen Elizabeth II who breathed her last on Thursday, September 8 acted as the supreme administrator of the Church of England, the mother church of the international Anglican communion.

According to the statement released by the authorities, the man was also arrested for carrying the banner inside the Grand Mosque of Mecca. “He was arrested, legal steps were taken against him, and he was referred to the public prosecution”, the authorities were quoted. The video that was extensively shared on social media was also published by several state television broadcast segments, but with the banner blurred. The mosque’s white and gray marble complex could be seen behind the Yemeni man.

Reports mention that Umrah is the lesser pilgrimage to Mecca, which can be performed at any time of the year. However, the Yemeni man violated the rules of umrah by performing it on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II who was a non-Muslim. The Saudi Arabian Police arrested the individual and referred him to the public prosecution.

To note, after the death of the Queen on September 8, various statements emerged, reinvigorating a long-debated claim that the monarch had ancestral links to Prophet Muhammad, the founding leader of Islam. After tracing her family tree back 43 generations, a historian claimed that the Queen is a descendant of Islam’s founder.

According to the claim that first appeared in the year 2018, the British monarch is a great descendant of Prophet Muhammad. A March 2018 report in the Moroccan daily Al-Ousboue reiterated assertions made by Harold B Brooks-Baker, publishing director of Burke’s Peerage Partnership, claiming the queen is the Prophet’s 43rd direct descendant through Muhammad’s daughter Fatimah. The Queen died on September 8, 2022.

Twitter shareholders approve Elon Musk’s $44 billion offer

OpIndia Staff
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Twitter shareholders approve Elon Musk’s $44 billion offer

On September 13 (local time), Twitter shareholders approved the $44 billion bid of billionaire Elon Musk to buy the social media platform. At present, Twitter’s trading price is under $42 compared to the approval of Musk’s offer at $54.20.

Notably, Musk has attempted to back out from the deal, alleging there were problems with the business of the company. However, Twitter is using all its might to go ahead with the deal. Both Musk and Twitter are currently in a court battle over the deal.

Twitter, in a statement, said that the shareholders had given their assent to the deal. Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal gave brief remarks at the virtual meeting for the voting following which the assent was given. Twitter said, “Based on a preliminary tabulation of the stockholder vote, approximately 98.6% of the votes cast at the Special Meeting approved the proposal to adopt the Merger Agreement.”

The company further added, “Twitter stands ready and willing to complete the merger with affiliates of Mr Musk immediately, and in any event, no later than on September 15, 2022, the second business day following the satisfaction of all conditions precedent, which is the timeline required by the merger agreement.”

The court battle between Musk and Twitter

Musk and Twitter are currently fighting a court battle following the announcement Musk made suggesting he was cancelling the $44 billion purchase of the company. The reason that he gave was he was misled by the social media giant about the number of bot accounts on the platform. However, Twitter rejected his claims.

Reports suggest that Twitter claimed that it had suffered substantial financial losses as a result of Musk’s announcement of withdrawing from the deal. Earlier in September, Musk had suggested that he might go ahead with the acquisition of Twitter and provided complete details on fake and bot accounts. A shareholder lawsuit was also filed in late July, suggesting the reason to pull the plug on the deal given by Musk was ‘lame.’

In a recent hearing that was held on September 7, a US Judge allowed Musk to amend his complaint against Twitter after his attorneys requested the same following a whistleblower’s complaint about the security standards of the social media giant. However, the judge did not allow to delay in the lawsuit over pulling the plug on the deal to acquire Twitter.

Kathaleen McCormick, the chancellor of the Delaware court, said in her order that Musk could add the revelations made by the ex-security chief Peiter Zatko that surfaced in the month of August. However, she denied Musk’s request to push back the litigation.

Notably, former Twitter security chief Peiter Zatko alleged in his revelations that Twitter was indulged in wrongdoings, including “and measurement of user engagement.” A Subpoena for Zatko was also filed by Musk’s lawyers, asking for “documents and communications” in connection to the allegations made by him against the company. Following Zatko’s allegations, a second deal termination letter was sent by Musk to Twitter.

In the second letter, Musk’s attorneys argued that if Zatko’s allegations were true, it “demonstrates that Twitter has breached” a set of provisions from its merger agreement with Musk. That included company’s compliance with all laws and assertion that it never filed misleading information to the security regulators.

Zatko, in his revelations, suggested that Twitter had violated a 2011 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) consent decree regarding user data privacy. He also alleged that the social media company violated “its general obligations under data privacy, unfair trade practice, and consumer protection laws and regulations.”

The decision over the deal between Musk and Twitter will be taken in a five-day trial that is scheduled for October 17 in the Delaware court.

Pro-AAP blog editor accuses AAP worker of calling his children ‘suicide bombers’ for wearing Islamic outfit

OpIndia Staff
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Pro-AAP blog editor accuses AAP worker of calling his children ‘suicide bombers’ for wearing Islamic outfit

Rifat Jawaid, a pro-Aam Aadmi Party blogger, accused an ‘AAP fan’ of labelling his children “suicide bombers” for wearing Islamic attire. Rifat Jawaid posted a photograph on Twitter of a person who commented on one of Jawaid’s posts, stating that his children were dressed like suicide bombers.

Jawaid wrote, “You need more proof? This AAP scum from @ArvindKejriwal‘s party calls my 8-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son ‘suicide bombers’ because they wore Islamic dress for madrasah classes. Kitna zahar hai Musalmanon ke khilaf Kejriwal ke workers mein? They don’t even spare children.”

The profile of the Twitter user earlier mentioned, “AAP Fan of Journalist and Author Vinay Aggrawal.” The profile now stands locked and currently has no reference to AAP.

The profile on Twitter

It is worth mentioning that Rifat Jawaid has been a staunch advocate of madarsas operating in the country, the so-called education system that has come under the spotlight for its role in promoting Islamic radicalism and sowing the seeds of supremacist beliefs in impressionable children.

“Before you demonise Muslims by using Madrasa children, do educate yourself that Madrasas serve as permanent abode/hostels for some of the most underprivileged children of our society. There are orphans there too. Fear karma before you let your Islamophobia get the better of you,” Jawaid had tweeted in 2020 after questions were raised over madarsas acting as the fount of Islamic extremism in India.

It is one thing to preach online and totally another thing to practice in real life. Jawaid, however, has been among those who practice what they preach, at least as far as his support for madarsas is concerned. He has often shared pictures of his children, whom he had claimed to have studied in madarsas.

In one of the pictures shared online, Jawaid is seen holding a toddler along with three other children. “On our way to a parent-teacher meeting at the madrasah!”, he had tweeted.

Jawaid recently engaged in a verbal spat with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Naresh Balyan. AAP MLA Naresh Balyan questioned Rifat Jawaid, the operator of the pro-AAP site ‘Janta Ka Reporter,’ about his involvement in the recent stabbing of Salman Rushdie. Balyan made the comment in reaction to Rifat Jawaid’s assertion that the AAP’s reign in Delhi is worse for Muslims than the Bharatiya Janata Party’s.

Back in April this year, Islamists and terror apologists poured on Aam Aadmi Party MLA Naresh Balyan’s timeline after he called out Rifat Jawaid ‘Talibani’ for labelling the Indian Army a “coward.”

In February this year, the pro-AAP blog Janta Ka Reporter referred to the students protesting against the burqa in Karnataka and chanting Jai Shri Ram as ‘terrorists.’ It is notable that the Janta Ka Reporter website has been accused of using soft porn to drive traffic.

Mass shooting in Bihar: 1 killed, 11 injured after bike-borne assailants opened fire at multiple locations in Begusarai

OpIndia Staff
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Mass shooting in Bihar: 1 killed, 11 injured after bike-borne assailants opened fire at multiple locations in Begusarai

A gruesome incident of mass shooting is reported from Bihar’s Begusarai after two bike-borne assailants opened indiscriminate firing at pedestrians along NH 31 and NH 28, leaving at least one killed and eleven others injured. 

As per reports, the attackers fired bullets while speeding along on their bike from NH 31 near Barauni thermal power station to Bachhwara on NH 28.

Begusarai superintendent of police Yogendra Kumar revealed mass shootings took place at four different places in the town. 

“Barricades have been put across the district. Two persons have been spotted on the bike in the CCTV footage from the Bachhwara area. Police are trying to identify them,” he said.

According to the initial reports, two people were shot at Malhipur in the district, three at Barauni Thermal Chowk, two in Barauni, two in Teghra, and two others in Bachhwara. A few of the injured were identified as Amarjeet Kumar, Gautam Kumar, Nitish Kumar, Vishal Kumar, and Deepak Kumar.

The victims were rushed to Begusarai Sadar hospital on Tuesday evening.

Pakistanis attack Congress MP Shashi Tharoor over a ‘Mughal’ meme on Pakistan’s abysmal fielding in Asia Cup final

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistanis attack Congress MP Shashi Tharoor over a ‘Mughal’ meme on Pakistan’s abysmal fielding in Asia Cup final

On Tuesday, September 13, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor shared a meme mocking the Pakistan cricket team for their substandard fielding after the recently concluded Asia Cup in which the Sri Lankan Cricket team defeated Pakistan by 23 runs in the final.

Shashi Tharoor shared a meme showing a man dressed in attire from the Mughal era trying to catch a cricket ball and dropping it. “Mughal era painting of a Pakistani fielder”, Tharoor tweeted adding that he had received the image on WhatsApp.

The Pakistani Cricket team lost to the Sri Lankan Cricket team in the Asia Cup by 23 runs. While the Pakistani team was lauded for their batting and bowling, they were chastised for their fielding after dropping a few catches in the final. Shadab Khan of Pakistan dropped two catches from the blade of Bhanuka Rajapaksa in the final, and the latter went on to play a critical 71-run innings to remain undefeated. Pakistan’s poor fielding performance spawned several jokes on social media.

While Tharoor’s tweet has attracted more than 4000 likes, many Pakistani netizens criticized the Congress MP for targeting Pakistan. One of the Twitter users wrote, “Pakistani fielder from the Mughal era? Do you mean North-West Indian fielder?”, while another said, “In a bad taste I would say! Let’s not mix these things.. let the things which happened on the field be on the field only”.

Another user named Zeeshan Ali meanwhile made fun of the Congress MP saying that though he has made an attempt to ridicule Pakistan, BJP would never accept him in the party.

User Asad Aziz Khan also mocked the Congress MP and said that Tharoor was actually talking about the Indian Cricket team but had unnecessarily slipped in Pakistanis. “Actually that pic he has shared for Indian fielders but he doesn’t have guts to say it out”, the tweet read.

Here are some similar reactions by other Pakistani Twitter users-

The Sri Lankan squad won the Asia Cup cricket event in 2022 with a resounding victory after defeating Pakistan in the finals. Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup for the sixth time, defeating Pakistan by a score of 23 runs. It was their first win since 2014. Sri Lanka appeared to be in trouble after having to bat first, losing five wickets for 58 runs, however Rajapaksa and Hasaranga joined forces for a good recovery, with Rajapaksa reaching his half-century and giving his team a fighting chance for the title.

The fielding turned out to be the ultimate difference maker in the final as Sri Lanka caught everything that came their way while Pakistan kept dropping Rajapaksa.

Gujarat: AAP workers attack BJP Yuva Morcha leader with knife in Ahmedabad. Here is what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: AAP workers attack BJP Yuva Morcha leader with knife in Ahmedabad. Here is what we know so far

On Tuesday (September 13) at noon, a BJP Yuva Morcha leader was stabbed with a knife by workers of the Arvind Kejriwal-led-Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The incident took place in the Gomtipur area in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat.

The victim was identified as Pavan Tomar. While speaking to Opindia, BJP Yuva Morcha (Karnavati Mahanagar) President Vijay Desai said, “Some AAP workers came to the office of Pavan in Gomtipur. Following a heated argument, one of them stabbed him with a knife.”

According to Vinay, the same AAP workers had earlier tried to rag Pavan in his neighbourhood. The victim is currently undergoing treatment at the Shardaben General Hospital in Saraspur in Ahmedabad.

“He is now being operated by the doctors. Pavan’s condition is serious. The severity of damage to internal organs can only be determined after the operation,” Vinay emphasised.

He informed that a complaint was lodged with the Gomtipur police station. In a tweet, Vijay Desai wrote, “The Aam Aadmi Party, which will lose in the upcoming assembly elections, is now doing this kind of hooliganism in Gujarat. It will not be tolerated at all.”

“I appeal to all the workers of to exercise restraint at this time and pray for a speedy recovery of Mr Pawan Tomar,” he added.

Punjab: An audio clip of Aam Aadmi Party minister discussing ‘extortion’ plan goes viral, Congress demands resignation

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: An audio clip of Aam Aadmi Party minister discussing ‘extortion’ plan goes viral, Congress demands resignation

An audio clip, allegedly of Aam Aadmi Party’s minister from Punjab, Fauja Singh Sarari, and his close aide Tarsem Lal Kapoor is making rounds on social media platforms in which the duo can be heard discussing an extortion plan to extract money from transporters and officials. Sarai is the minister of Freedom Fighter Defense services, Welfare Food Processing, and Horticulture departments.

In the audio clip, the duo was discussing the process of catching transporters and officials while illegitimate goods were being loaded on the trucks. One of them said the information about the truck loading could be extracted as the transporters had to inform the government 15 days in advance if their trucks were going for delivery. The minister questioned if it was possible that the truck driver and helper could escape, to which the person on the other side said it was not possible as the agencies had to raid in the middle of the loading process.

In a statement, the minister has denied the allegations levelled against him. He said, “The audio clip is fake and is a conspiracy against me.” Sarai also demanded legal action against the person(s) behind “creating” the clip and circulating it on social media. Notably, one of the ministers of the Bhagwant Mann cabinet has already been sacked over corruption charges.

Following the audio clip that went viral on social media, Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira demanded the dismissal of Sarai from the cabinet. Khaira shared the clip from his Twitter handle and remarked, “This is an open and shut case.”

Khaira said he has hopes that Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann would sack and arrest Sarai in the same manner, he sacked former health minister Dr Vijay Singla. He added, “Sarari has not left anything to doubt, and his audio recording is already in the public domain.”

Khaira said if the government fails to take action against Sarari, people would believe that the dismissal of Dr Singla was just a drama. He said, “If the government does not act against Sarari, then public belief that the AAP government enacted a drama in Dr Singla’s case, as it wanted to project an image of zero tolerance against corruption ahead of Sangrur parliamentary by-elections, will be reaffirmed.”

Navbharat Times questions if Mohammad Shami was dropped from WC squad due to his religion, not because he concedes 9.54 RPO in T20Is

OpIndia Staff
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Navbharat Times questions if Mohammad Shami was dropped from WC squad due to his religion, not because he concedes 9.54 RPO in T20Is

Ever since Mohammad Shami got smashed around in the T20 World Cup in UAE in 2021, it has become a sin to criticise his performances as online trolls make it an attack on his religion. Indian selectors obviously recognized the fact that Shami is not a good T20 bowler and didn’t play him at all in 2022, so nobody envisaged him as a part of the T20 World Cup squad.

However, trying to trigger a communal argument, Navbharat Times has questioned if Shami hasn’t been included due to his religion. The fast bowlers India has selected for the World Cup include Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Harshal Patel.

Either the selected bowlers are India’s best performers over the years in T20s, like Bumrah and Bhuvi, or they have been the best death bowlers in IPL, like Harshal and Arshdeep. In fact, Arshdeep nearly defended 7 off the last over twice in Asia Cup when all hope was lost, showcasing his death-over abilities.

In the face of such stiff competition, Mohammad Shami missed out, as expected. Anyone who understands cricket knows that Shami doesn’t fit into the T20 side, he bleeds too many runs, as his career economy rate of nearly 10 RPO suggests. This is not test cricket where Shami can be absolutely unplayable, and this is not about religion. This is only about the players and where they play best.

For the benefit of Navbharat Times writers, Shami has played 17 T20 Internationals since his debut 8 years ago. During that period, he has conceded runs at 9.54 runs per over while taking a wicket at an average of 31.55. Maybe, just maybe, it is not about religion, it is more about the fact that Shami is below average in this format.

For the past year or so, there have been multiple attempts to divide Indian cricket fans along the axis of religion, and looks like Navbharat Times has joined the effort, but it won’t be so easy.

Kejriwal vs Gujarat Police: Kapil Mishra suggests AAP chief may plan an attack on himself to add to chaos ahead of state elections

OpIndia Staff
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Kejriwal vs Gujarat Police: Kapil Mishra suggests AAP chief may plan an attack on himself to add to chaos ahead of state elections

Gujarat Assembly elections are only a few months away. Amidst the election atmosphere heating up in the state, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chief Arvind Kejriwal has already abandoned his duties as Delhi CM to campaign in Gujarat on a massive scale.

Following the videos of an argument between Kejriwal and Gujarat Police over security where Kejriwal claimed Gujarat Police made him hostage on the pretext of security, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kapil Mishra suggested Kejriwal may plan an attack on himself to add to the chaos ahead of the state elections.

Speaking to OpIndia, Mishra said, “Aam Aadmi Party itself wrote to Gujarat Police that there was a threat on Arvind Kejriwal’s life in Gujarat and he should get security. They had written in April that whenever Kejriwal comes to Gujarat, he should get adequate security as he may get attacked. Now Kejriwal is saying he does not need security.”

He added, “It seems he is planning an attack on himself that he does every time before elections. He wants to repeat such plans. It is notable that the list of the people who have gotten security in Punjab has Kejriwal’s name on the top. Someone who has Z+ security from Punjab Government, someone who has sought security from the Central Government and whose party itself sought security for its leader, gets security, and then claims he does not want security. This was a scripted act that Kejriwal performed in Gujarat.”

Mishra added, “The saddest part of the whole fiasco was that the police officer for whom he used unparliamentary language was a common man from Gujarat. He should not have behaved in such a manner with him. Kejriwal should have at least respected a common Gujarati man.”

The ‘attacks’ that happened on Kejriwal over the years

Kejriwal has a history of making tall claims that he might get attacked because of his rising popularity. In July 2016, Kejriwal released a short clip and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was so scared of his rising popularity that ‘anything might happen’. Kejriwal, at that time, asserted that he might get killed. However, following his tall claims, AAP faced defeat in Goa and Punjab. Kejriwal then calmed down and resorted to regular attacks on BJP and PM Modi.

Down the line, there have been some incidents where AAP leaders, including Kejriwal, were “attacked” with ink, slaps, and more. On May 4, 2019, a man slapped Kejriwal during a road show in the Moti Nagar area of Delhi. The incident happened when Kejriwal was standing in a vehicle and waving at the crowd. A man suddenly climbed the vehicle and slapped him.

In November 2018, a man smeared Red Chilli Powder on Kejriwal’s face. The man was identified as Anil Sharma. He came close to Kejriwal to hand over a letter and smeared his face with chilli powder.

In April 2016, Kejriwal was attacked with a shoe. The man was identified as Ved Prakash of Aam Aadmi Sena. He later alleged that the AAP government was selling fake CNG stickers during the odd-even scheme.

In January 2016, Aam Aadmi Party member Arjun Arora got fed up with his leader and threw ink at him during a meeting.

On April 8, 2014, Kejriwal was slapped by an auto-rickshaw driver in Sultanpuri, Delhi. Four days before the incident, another auto driver had tried to slap him but failed.

During Lok Sabha 2014 election campaign, people had thrown eggs and ink at Kejriwal and other AAP leaders when they went to Uttar Pradesh for campaigning.

In another incident during election campaigning in the same period, someone climbed his open jeep and hit him on his neck. The attacker was allegedly an Anna Hazare Supporter.

Back in 2013, a man named Nachiketa Veghrekar had thrown ink at Kejriwal during a press conference. Nachiketa was also allegedly Anna Hazare Supporter.

Attacks on other AAP leaders

In December 2020, Deputy CM of Delhi and AAP leader Manish Sisodia claimed that BJP workers attacked his house. The party had claimed that the incident happened in the presence of the Police.

In August 2022, Gujarat AAP leader Manoj Sorathiya was allegedly attacked by some people. The party blamed BJP for the attack.

In March 2022, AAP claimed that BJP workers attacked AAP leader Satyendra Jain’s convoy. Satyendra Jain is in prison now over money laundering charges.

Every time there is either an election on the line or any AAP leader is under investigation, someone from the party gets attacked, and AAP starts blaming the ruling party, BJP. It will be interesting to see if Gujarat falls for this drama like Delhi.

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