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Kerala govt decides to send official team to Gujarat to study system aiding good governance, sparks controversy as Congress and Muslim League oppose

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Kerala govt decides to send official team to Gujarat to study system aiding good governance, sparks controversy as Congress and Muslim League oppose

On Wednesday, the CPI(M)-led LDF government of Kerala decided to send a two-member high-level official team to Gujarat to study a system aiding good governance introduced by the BJP-ruled state. Kerala Chief Secretary V P Joy and his staff officer Umesh NSK are slated to visit the state from April 27 to April 29 to study the CM’s Dashboard in Gujarat, a system that allows the CM’s office to monitor all e-Governance applications from a single platform.

K Surendran, BJP state president lauded the Kerala government’s decision to send the Chief Secretary to study the dashboard system in Gujarat and said that CM Vijayan had realized that the Gujarat model is the right model. “At last the Kerala govt has decided to study the Gujarat Model of development. Our state has to learn a lot from Gujarat, especially in the administrative, industrial, and energy sectors. Kerala could only survive by putting an end to Corruption, Extravaganza, and Nepotism”, he tweeted.

He also added that CM Vijayan should abandon the ‘failed Kerala model’ and implement the successful Gujarat model in the southern state. BJP national vice president A P Abdullakutty also welcomed the Kerala government’s decision to send a team to study a system aiding good governance in Gujarat and said that the state should also send a team to Uttar Pradesh to study how to run state-run transport buses.

However, the decision of the CPI(M)-led LDF government of Kerala has sparked controversy with Congress and the Muslim League criticizing the government. Congress chief K Sudhakaran attacked the state government over the issue and sought to know whether the CPI(M)-led government was planning to emulate Kerala the model followed in Gujarat.

He termed Gujarat as ‘a breeding ground of extreme Hindutva ideologies soaked in the blood of the minorities’ and alleged that the Kerala officials’ visit to Gujarat should be seen as part of the expansion of relations between the BJP and the CPI(M) at the level of governance. Meanwhile, the Indian Union Muslim League leader MLA P K Kunhalikutty stated that there was nothing that Kerala needed to learn from Gujarat.

The CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran meanwhile noted that the decision taken by the state was significant and mentioned that politics should not become a hindrance in studying new things.

Using the Dashboard system, the Gujarat CM can access data from all e-Governance applications in the state, and monitor them comparing them with defined key performance indicators. Using this data, the CM’s office can identify problem areas and and contact the administration at the lowest levels to make corrections. The system collects over 3000 indicators from 20 government sectors from various e-Governance applications on a daily basis, and brings together all govt officials from all the departments on a single platform.

This controversy over Kerala govt studying Gujarat model comes just days after the recent controversy on Kerala allegedly studying ‘Delhi model’ on education. The Aam Aadmi Party had claimed officials from the education department in Kerala had visited Delhi to study the education system in the state. But Kerala govt had refused the claim, saying that they had not sent any official to study anything in Delhi.

UK: Tory MP ‘caught watching porn’ inside House of Commons, female MPs complain sexism in parliament

OpIndia Staff
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UK: Tory MP ‘caught watching porn’ inside House of Commons, female MPs complain sexism in parliament

A Male Conservative Member of Parliament in the UK parliament has been accused of watching pornography on his phone inside the House of Commons. A female minister and other Tory women MPs have complained to Conservative chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris who is investigating reports regarding the same.

The news broke when on Wednesday, Chris Heaton-Harris’s office issued a statement of him investigating that a Tory frontbencher watched a porn clip on his phone in the Commons chamber. A statement said, “The chief whip is looking into this matter. This behaviour is wholly unacceptable and action will be taken.” According to three different sources, around twelve women Tory MPs at the meeting with Heaton-Harris alleged instances of sexism and harassment by their colleagues.

The meeting between 40-50 Tory known as the ‘2022 group’, was attended by chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris, Tory party chair Oliver Dowden and House of Commons leader Mark Spencer in Westminster on Monday. The meeting included a few male MPs as well, who raised concerns that the ‘toxic atmosphere within the party could put women off standing for Parliament’. Apparently, Theresa May, the former Prime Minister looked on ‘with a face like thunder’ while hearing some of the testimonies.

The team which was listening to the grave concerns of women MPs from the Conservative Party was reportedly not expecting such hideous behaviour from its members. One MP who attended the meeting said “We were genuinely shocked and horrified. We must realise that there are serious issues they need to address.”

Commenting on the incident Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith said, “That’s unacceptable in any workplace really. If somebody has done that then quite rightly I would expect there to be some consequences for that.”

The misogynistic comment on Labour MP Angela Rayner

The controversy over escalated misogyny among the Conservative Party comes days after Labour deputy leader, Angela Rayner complained that a Tory MP accused her of ‘crossing and uncrossing her legs’ to distract Boris Johnson at prime minister’s questions. The MP apparently compared the act with the character played by Sharon Stone in the film ‘Basic Instinct’.

The news sparked outrage across the political spectrum while British PM Boris Johnson was grilled over the rising sexism in his party. Rayner said, “I feel like I’m being judged for what I wear, rather than what I’m saying to you.” Earlier the reports of 56 MPs, including three Cabinet ministers, facing allegations of sexual misconduct were submitted to Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance scheme.

Watch: Tamil Nadu Man sets his e-bike on fire after it breaks down

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Tamil Nadu Man sets his e-bike on fire after it breaks down

A man from Ambur, Tamil Nadu, got so frustrated by the customer service of Ola Electric that he set his electric bike on fire after it stopped midway. The man has been identified as Prithiviraj Gopinathan, a physiotherapist at Ambur.

Gopinathan took to Twitter to share the video of him burning the Ola Electric bike. He tagged the official Twitter accounts of Ola Electric, CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, Ather Energy, Hero Electric, and as well as American billionaire Elon Musk.

According to his Twitter timeline, Gopinathan has been facing problems with his Ola Electric bike for some time now. His bike would show that it was charged and could run for over 180 KMs, but the battery would die only after 50-60 KM, repeatedly causing him inconvenience. On the day of the incident, he had gone to Gudiyatham RTO because OLA had paid the registration fees there instead of his hometown Ambur.

While coming back from the RTO, his bike broke down in the middle of the road though it had shown enough battery power to cover the distance back home. He had called Ola for support as the battery of the bike died in the middle of the road without any prior warning. However, the company said it could send help only after 3-4 hours.

Irked by the reply, Gopinathan called his assistant and asked him to buy two-litre petrol. He parked the bike on the side of the road, poured fuel on it and set it on fire. He uploaded the video on his Twitter profile.

While going through his Twitter timeline, it was found that Gopinathan had been facing problems with the bike for over three months, but the company was not able to solve the issue.

Speaking to Times Of India, he said that after he shared the video on Twitter, the agency called him and urged him not to give interviews in the media. They also promised him to replace the bike. However, he said, “I bluntly told them my relationship with their company was over as soon as I burnt the bike. But he said a team has already left for his clinic in Ambur with a brand new e-bike and promised to deliver the bike tonight.”

Fire incidents in e-bikes

There have been a lot of complaints of electric bikes catching fire in the last few months. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari took cognizance of the matter and promised that the government would look into it.

OpIndia reached out to Gopinathan and Ola Electric for comments but could not connect.

Karachi University suicide bomber Shari Baloch was the mother of 2, had a master’s degree

OpIndia Staff
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Karachi University suicide bomber Shari Baloch was the mother of 2, had a master’s degree

After 4 people were killed in a blast near the Confuscious Institute in Karachi University in Pakistan on Tuesday (April 26), it has come to light that the suicide bombing attack was executed by a 30-year-old woman named Shari Baloch.

A video of the incident has now surfaced on social media, wherein a hijab-clad Shari can be seen patiently waiting for the van, carrying Chinese nationals, and then pressing the trigger for the blast.

While such attacks are not uncommon in Pakistan, the Karachi varsity blast drew the attention of the public for two main reasons: The victims were Chinese nationals and the attacker was a woman.

Shari Baloch, also known by her alias Baramsh, had a strong academic and family background. According to journalist Gaurav Sawant, Shari was associated with the Majeed Brigade of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). The special wing of BLA was designed to attack Chinese nationals living in Pakistan.

The BLA rebel had a Master’s degree in Zoology from the University of Balochistan and a Mphil degree from the Allama Iqbal Open University. Shari, a resident of Niazar Abad in Balochistan’s Turbat, was the mother of two children and a primary school teacher.

Shari’s husband, Habitan Bashir Baloch, is a doctor (dentist) by profession. In a tweet, he had expressed pride in the actions of his deceased wife.

“Shari Jan, your selfless act has left me speechless but I am also beaming with pride today. Mahroch and Meer Hassan will grow into very proud humans thinking what a great woman their mother was. You will continue to remain an important part of our lives,” he wrote.

Reportedly, Shari Baloch joined the Majeed Brigade of the Balochistan Liberation Army about 2 years. She was aware of the forcible occupation of Balochistan by the State of Pakistan and the genocide perpetrated against the Balochis.

This perhaps explains why she refused to opt out of BLA, despite being offered the option to quit by the rebels. “Baloch Liberation Army’s Majeed Brigade targeted Chinese officials in an attack on Tuesday in Karachi. Three Chinese officials Huang Guiping, Ding Mufang, and Chen Sai were killed in the attack, whereas, Wang Yuqing and their security guards were injured,” the rebel group said in a statement.

BLA informed that Shari Baloch confirmed her decision to undertake a ‘self-sacrificing attack’ about 6 months and stood by it. As per the spokesperson of the rebel group, the suicide bombing attack was executed to send a clear message to China that its presence in the province of Balochistan would not be tolerated.

Screengrab of the tweet by Shari Baloch

It has come to light that Shari Baloch had posted a ‘goodbye message’ prior to carrying out the suicide bombing attack. In another tweet, she had quoted Mahatma Gandhi and said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Screengrab of the tweet by Shari Baloch

Shari Baloch’s uncle is a human rights campaigner and an author. Her father served as a member of the district council for a span of 3 years and the director of a Pakistani government agency. Her brother-in-law works as a lecturer.

According to The Express Tribune report, the deceased was a member of the Baloch Students Organisation (BSO-Azad) during her student life. Her 5th cousin was killed in 2018 during a Pakistani military operation.

‘Merely attending jihadi meetings does not prima facie qualify as a terrorist act under UAPA’: Karnataka HC

OpIndia Staff
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‘Merely attending jihadi meetings does not prima facie qualify as a terrorist act under UAPA’: Karnataka HC

The Karnataka High Court granted bail to an accused named Saleem Khan who was booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), stating that merely attending jihadi meetings and purchasing training material does not prima facie qualify as a terrorist act. Saleem Khan is an alleged member of an organization called Al-Hind, which is allegedly reported to be involved in terrorist activities.

A bench of Justice B Veerappa and Justice S. Rachaiah said while granting bail to Saleem Khan, “Merely attending meetings and becoming Member of Al-Hind Group, which is not a banned organization as contemplated under the Schedule of UA(P) Act and attending jihadi meetings, purchasing training materials, and organizing shelters for co-members is not an offence as contemplated under the provisions of section 2(k) or section 2(m) of UA(P) Act.”

On 10th January 2020, an FIR was registered against 17 accused in the Suddaguntepalya Police Station of Karnataka under the sections 153A, 121A, 120B, 122, 123, 124A, and 125 of the Indian Penal Code and the sections 13, 18, and 20 of the UAPA. Saleem Khan is one of the accused in this case. A special NIA court rejected the bail plea by Saleem Khan and another accused Mohammad Zaid on 29th December 2020. The accused had then approached the high court.

Petitioner’s lawyer advocate S. Balakrishnan submitted that both the accused are members of the Al-hind group which is not a banned terrorist organization according to the UAPA. He added that the accused persons are not members of ISIS, their stand is indicated by the fact that the prosecution has failed to produce any iota of material to prove their stand in any organization. S. Balakrishnan argued that to attract the provisions of section 18 of the UAPA, there must be some material abetting, advising, inciting, and directing anyone to do a terrorist act. In the present case, the prosecution has failed to prove anything on record against the accused persons.

Responding to this argument, special public prosecutor P Prasanna Kumar submitted that the charge sheet depicts that the accused Saleem Khan and Mohammad Zaid had attended several conspiracy meetings with the prime accused Mehboob Pasha in this case and they are directly involved in the offences made out against them in the charge sheet.

The court granted bail to Saleem Khan

The bench ruled that “Section 18A deals with imparting training in terrorism and section 20 deals with punishment for being a member of terrorist gang or organization. In the present case, the prosecution has not produced any material, as could be seen on examination of the charge sheet, against accused Saleem Khan about his involvement in a terrorist act or being a member of a terrorist gang or organization or training terrorism.”

The court further said, “Admittedly, Al-Hind Group is not a terrorist organization as contemplated under section 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Protection) Act, thereby the prosecution has failed to prove the prima facie case for rejection of bail against accused Saleem Khan. Therefore, the trial Court is not justified in rejecting the bail application filed by the accused.”

The court added that in the absence of any prima facie case, a constitutional court cannot be prevented from granting bail to the accused. The court directed that the accused Saleem Khan be released on bail subject to executing a bond of Rupees 2 lakhs.

The bail plea of the other accused was rejected

On the other hand, regarding the other accused Mohammad Zaid, the court noted, “He is associated with the accused Mehboob Pasha for contacting unknown ISIS handlers through the dark web. ISIS is a banned organization as contemplated under the schedule of the UAPA. Accused Mohammad Zaidi was part of the terror group and was involved in furthering the activities of ISIS in India and assisted the prime accused Mehboob Pasha in communicating with the ISIS handler through the dark web and thus committed the punishable offence. Therefore he is not entitled to the discretionary relief of bail.”

Russian energy giant Gazprom halts supplies to Bulgaria and Poland, reports say EU trying to increase gas purchase in Roubles to help them

OpIndia Staff
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Russian energy giant Gazprom halts supplies to Bulgaria and Poland, reports say EU trying to increase gas purchase in Roubles to help them

Russian energy giant Gazprom has reportedly halted gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria after they failed to make their payments in Rubles. After a wide array of Western sanctions against Ukraine, Russia’s demand for gas payments in Roubles had come as a retaliation.

Gazprom has issued a statement declaring suspension of gas supplies to Bulgarian company Bulgargaz and Polish company PGNiG (PGN.WA). However, both Poland and Bulgaria have called the action a breach of contract by Gazprom, the world’s biggest natural gas company.

As per reports, Gazprom in its statement has said, “Gazprom Export has notified Bulgargaz and PGNiG of the suspension of gas supplies from April 27 until the payments are made according to the procedure outlined in the Decree.” As reported by Russian news agency TASS, the companies were supposed to make their payments for gas supplied in April in Rubles as notified by Russian President Putin’s orders on March 31, 2022.

The company that provides Europe 40% of its total gas needs, has warned that the Yamal-Europe pipeline that passes through both of these countries and further supplies gas to Germany, Hungary and Serbia, would be shut down if gas was siphoned off illegally. “In case of unauthorized offtake of Russian gas from the volumes intended for transit into third countries, the transited supplies will be reduced by the volume that was off taken,” the company statement said.

Following the news from Russia, the price of gas increased by as far as 21% in Europe, about $1,370 per 1,000 cubic meters at a certain time. The European market continues to be concerned over the supply of natural gas after Russia’s military action in Ukraine and subsequent sanctions by EU and NATO nations.

President Vladimir Putin has been firm about the payment for energy in Roubles. The action on Bulgarian and Polish companies is a result of their failure to make the payments in Rubles on time. The decision has been lauded by Kremlin with Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament saying, “The same should be done with regard to other countries that are unfriendly to us.”

EU trying to find a way to keep gas flowing

Media reports have now suggested that the European Union is already trying to increase its gas purchases in Rubles to help Poland and Bulgaria. Russian media agency TASS has reported that the European Union would be temporarily increasing its gas purchases from Russia through countries which are ready to do their payments in Russia Rubbles to compensate for the demand of Poland and Bulgaria.

According to reports, at least ten European companies buying Russian natural gas have already opened accounts at Gazprombank to make their payments in Rubles. Bloomberg has reported that four European companies have already made their payments in Rubles, as required by the Russian Federation. The opening of bank accounts in the state-controlled Gazprombank by the companies stands as a tricky task in itself as the activity violates sanctions against Russia.

Russia supplies Natural gas to 23 European countries. With the halting of natural gas to Bulgarian and Polish companies, The EU now looks forward to helping the countries bu buying natural grass from other countries. However, doing so involves opening accounts in Russian banks and Euro-Ruble transfers which violates their self-imposed sanctions against Russia.

The Russian thrust on Europe however has not motivated Europe to take over the negotiating terms. Poland alongside Bulgaria has decided not to hold talks to renew its Gazprom deal for the next year. Poland’s contract with Gazprom is for 10.2 billion cubic meters of gas per year, covering about 50% of its demand. Bulgaria too relies on Russia for about 90% of its gas imports.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President who was in India to preside over the inauguration of the Raisina Dialogue, said that Russia’s ‘blackmail’ is unjustified and unacceptable and the EU would seek alternative supplies to fulfil its needs. Last month, the EU struck a deal with the US for importing Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) to meet the urgent energy demands.

Netizens slam Arvind Kejriwal for his casual approach during PM’s meeting on Covid-19, BJP calls him ‘mannerless’

OpIndia Staff
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Netizens slam Arvind Kejriwal for his casual approach during PM’s meeting on Covid-19, BJP calls him ‘mannerless’

On April 27, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with the chief ministers of the states to discuss the Covid-19 situation in the country. He also urged the CMs of the non-BJP states to consider reducing state tax on the fuel so that the price matches the BJP ruling states. During the meeting, the Chief Minister of Delhi was visibly inattentive, and his casual approach drew ire. Netizens posted parts of the meeting on social media platforms and criticized CM Kejriwal.

BJP called the Delhi CM ‘mannerless’ for his behaviour in the online meeting. “Mannerless CM of Delhi!” Delhi BJP tweeted. They posted a small clip from the meeting, where Arvind Kejriwal was seen resting his head on his hand, and then putting both his hands behind his head and leaning back in his chair.

The Delhi CM’s mannerisms during the meeting are deemed inappropriate for formal meetings, and highly unsuitable for a meeting with the Prime Minister. It is noteworthy that he yawned at least six times during the meeting.

Apart from BJP Delhi, Netizens also slammed Arvind Kejriwal for his behaviour. Twitter user Ankur Singh said, “Check how Kejriwal is sitting during an important meeting with Prime Minister.” In the video shared by him, CM Kejriwal was seen sitting casually with his arms above his head.

Twitter user Naweed shared a screenshot from the video and questioned if CM Kejriwal was attending the wedding of his father or a meeting with the PM.

Netizen Alok Bhatt said, “Just note the mannerisms of this down market politician Arvind Kejriwal – matlab class ismein kabhi nahi aayegi (That means he will never learn manners).”

Using hashtag #MannerlessCM, BJP leader Tajinder Bagga urged everyone to teach CM Kejriwal some manners.

BJP Spokesperson Naveen Kumar Jindal said, “See how Kejriwal was sitting during the meeting with the Prime Minister of India. God knows what kind of sacraments he got that he neither knows how to talk nor knows how to behave. Shameless person.”

RSS activist Hemir Desai said, “Previously also Arvind Kejriwal disrespected PM of INDIA and today also the way he is sitting in front of PM being CM shows arrogance.”

PM discussed the Covid-19 situation

During the meeting, PM discussed how India managed Covid-19 in previous waves. He said during the last wave, the states managed the situation perfectly, and if God forbids a similar situation to happen in the future, everyone needs to be prepared. He talked about how India has achieved unimaginable milestones in its vaccine drive. He also urged the states to keep an eye on the availability of medical oxygen and medicines to ensure the Covid-19 wave can be tackled with full preparation.

PM urged Non-BJP states to reduce tax on fuel

PM also discussed how BJP ruled states had reduced tax on fuel after PM had announced tax cut close to Diwali last year. He said some of the non-BJP states did not reduce the tax, and currently, there was a price difference of around Rs 10 between BJP ruled and non-BJP states. He urged states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Jharkhand to consider reducing fuel prices.

PM Modi said he was not criticizing but only discussing the situation with the Chief Ministers.

Kejriwal had broke protocol during similar meeting with PM last year

This is not the first time the Delhi CM was caught not taking the meeting with PM seriously. Last year, he had to apologise for breaking protocol during a similar video conference with PM Modi, which was not broadcast to the public. Kejriwal had gone live during the closed-door meeting between Prime Minister Modi and the Chief Ministers of states with high Covid cases in April last year.

During his speech during the meeting, which he had broadcast live on social media without informing the PM, Arvind Kejriwal had spread lies, and proposed measured for oxygen supply which were already implemented by the central govt. When PM Modi was informed about the live address, he had slammed the Kejriwal for breaking protocol during the video conference. The PM had told him, “You have broken a very important protocol, such private conversation are never televised. It is not proper, we should always observe decorum.”

Kejriwal had apologised for his behaviour after that.

Ajay Devgn hits out on Kannada star Kiccha Sudeep, says Hindi was and will always be our national language

OpIndia Staff
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Ajay Devgn hits out on Kannada star Kiccha Sudeep, says Hindi was and will always be our national language

Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn today slammed Kannada star Kiccha Sudeep over his controversial statement on Hindi and KGF 2. Devgn took to Twitter and said that if as per him Hindi is not our national language then why are his films dubbed in Hindi from the regional language and released.

He said that Hindi is our mother tongue and national language and will always remain so.

The tweet by Devgn came days after the Vikrant Rona actor stirred up controversy over KGF 2 film being referred to as ‘pan India film’. After the unprecedented success of the Kannada-language film which was dubbed in various other languages and released, the Kannada superstar in a viral video said the film was made in Kannada and Hindi is no longer a national language. He also attacked mainstream Bollywood and said that the Hindi film industry is struggling today to find success by dubbing Telugu and Tamil films but it is not happening. “Today we (Kannada film industry) are making films that are going everywhere,” he said.

Responding to Devgn’s tweet, Kiccha Sudeep took to Twitter that the Bollywood actor seems to have misunderstood what he was saying.

He said that the context in which he said the line of Hindi not being national language was different than how it seems to have reached him and added that he would talk more on it when they meet in person. He also added that he did not intend to provoke anyone or start any debate.

As per reports, in 2019, during the promotion of his film Pailwaan, when he was questioned about the dubbing of the film in Hindi, he had said how Hindi is the national language. “Everything started from here, hence it always holds more weightage. According to me, there is larger number of people who speak Hindi compared to other languages. Hence, we are giving more preference to the Hindi version,” he had said back then.

Netflix planning a major overhaul in Indian content after losing subscriptions, may bring in more ‘commercial’ genres: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Netflix planning a major overhaul in Indian content after losing subscriptions, may bring in more ‘commercial’ genres: Report

Considering its slow growth in the Indian market, the OTT platform Netflix has decided to revamp the entire content of the India web series and movies scheduled to be released in the near future. A report in Bollywood Life states that the steaming giant may be looking at a massive content overhaul, bringing in a more commercial approach.

According to the exclusive report in Bollywood Life, Netflix India has been struggling to please the Indian market and is worried about its declining number of subscriptions from the country. The company has hardly seen profits since its inception in India. Netflix India has decided to study the taste of the Indian audiences and expand the market accordingly in the future. It has also decided to do away with its serious, dark content and try new ideas with a more commercial approach for the Indian viewers.

The report stated that while Netflix may no scrap the projects that are already under different stages of development, they may space out their release, bringing in newer content to give their platform a mix of different genres targeted at a wider audience reach.

The company plans to take drastic steps to fix the problem with the upcoming season of the web series named ‘Delhi Crime’. Delhi Crime was an award-winning series based on the real incidents of the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case that took place in the neighbourhood of Munirka, in South Delhi. While the first season of the web series was a massive hit, Netflix India is reportedly making some changes in the second season.

In a major step recently, the company partnered with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and launched the first set of short video series named ‘Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniya’ bringing out inspiring stories of seven Indian women as a part of the celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. Netflix in partnership with the Ministry also plans to organize training workshops and masterclasses to encourage filmmakers in India to create inspiring content on various topics under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

It is important to note that on January 20, Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings had expressed his ‘frustration’ during an investor call over the slow growth of the video streaming company in the Indian market. “In our experience in Brazil, it was brutal for the first couple of years. We thought we’d never break even. I know we’ve got this great business. The great news is that in every single other major market, we’ve got the flywheel spinning. The thing that frustrates us is why haven’t we been more successful in India”, he had said.

Also, in December last year, the OTT platform had slashed the subscription prices of Netflix in India with a view to expand the market. It had also started its special operation to learn more about the Indian consumers’ tastes and had decided to include similar content on the platform.

Update: An earlier version of the report stated that Netflix India may drop up to 90% of its upcoming content because of a massive loss in subscriptions. The report has been updated after the source Bollywood Life changed its story.

Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi convicted in corruption case, sentenced to five years imprisonment

OpIndia Staff
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Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi convicted in corruption case, sentenced to five years imprisonment

A Myanmar Junta court has sentenced former state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to 5 years of imprisonment in a corruption case on Wednesday 27th April 2022. She was accused of accepting 11.4 kilograms of gold and a total cash payment of $600,000 from former Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein.

A special court in the military-built capital Naypyidaw handed down its verdict and sentence on Wednesday. A spokesperson of the military government Zaw Min Tun told the news agency AFP, “Regarding taking gold and dollars from U Phyo Min Thein, the court sentenced her to five years imprisonment. She will be under house arrest. I do not know whether she asked for an appeal. They are working according to the legal way. As far as I know, she’s in good health.”

Aung San Suu Kyi is known as the face of Myanmar’s democratic hopes for more than 30 years. She was arrested by the military in February 2021 following the military coup. The Junta had brought allegations of election fraud against Suu Kyi. 76-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi is a Nobel peace prize winner. The military Junta had brought several charges against her.

Her party is also accused of writing letters to international organizations to pressurize them not to recognize the military government in Myanmar. She is sentenced in many cases and there are at least 10 more corruption cases pending against her, each with a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

Earlier in January 2022, she was sentenced to four years in prison for illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies and violating CORONA restrictions. It is notable that, the trial in an election fraud case against the ousted Myanmar leader began on 14th February 2022. In Myanmar, more than 1500 civilians have been killed for opposing the dictatorship.

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