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Burning cargo ship carrying thousands of Porsches, Audis and Bentleys goes adrift in Atlantic ocean

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Burning cargo ship carrying thousands of Porsches, Audis and Bentleys goes adrift in Atlantic ocean

A ship carrying cars from Germany to the United States has caught fire in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, forcing the crew members to abandon the vessel and leave it burning and adrift.

Felicity Ace, a 650-foot-long ship carrying thousands of vehicles, including 1,100 Porsches, was on fire and drifted off the coast of the Azores on Thursday.

According to the reports, a fire broke out on Wednesday morning in Felicity Ace. The ship had departed from Emden, Germany, on February 10 and was scheduled to arrive in Davisville, Rhode Islands, on Wednesday.

The Panama-flagged ship put out a distress signal on Wednesday morning. The signal reached the Portuguese Navy patrol boat as well as four merchant ships in the area. The ship was about 200 miles from Terceira Island in the Azores, the Portuguese island territory when Portuguese forces spotted the ship. They immediately rushed to the spot to rescue the crew.

The Portuguese Navy rescued the crew members in a “highly skilled and physically demanding” operation, including a helicopter that flew the crew members to the nearby Portuguese island of Faial. None of the crew members was hurt.

However, the Porsches, Volkswagens, and other luxury brand-new cars that were set to be delivered to North America have been left on board.

As per the automotive website – The Drive, the Volkswagen Group has estimated nearly 4,000 vehicles were on board, including 189 Bentleys. The Felicity Ace is regularly used as a charter vessel for VW Group. Last month, it had carried at least 21 Lamborghinis from Europe to America.

The Felicity Ace, built-in 2005, measures 656 feet long and 104 feet wide, with a carrying capacity of 17,738 tons.

China upset after India blocks Chinese apps and raids Huawei, says India damaging business interests of Chinese companies

OpIndia Staff
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China upset after India blocks Chinese apps and raids Huawei, says India damaging business interests of Chinese companies

On Thursday, China called for a “fair, transparent and non-discriminatory” trade pattern with India as it expressed serious concerns over India’s decision to ban 54 more Chinese apps over security concerns. China Commerce Ministry stated that India has severely damaged the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies in Indian markets.

According to the reports, India on February 15 had banned 54 more Chinese apps spurred by security concerns bringing the total tally of apps banned in the country since June 2020 to around 321. The Spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce Gao Feng urged India to improve its business environment and treat China on equal bars with the other foreign investors.

“Foreign investors have created a large number of employment opportunities in India and made positive contributions to India’s economic development. Hope that India will improve its business environment and treat all foreign investors, including Chinese companies, in a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory manner”, he was quoted in a tweet by the Spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India, Wang Xiaojian.

Feng specifically mentioned that India-China’s economic and trade cooperation still had strong resilience and great potential. “China and India are inseparable neighbours and important economic and trade partners to each other. In 2021, bilateral trade volume between China and India reached $125.7 billion, with a year-on-year increase of 43%”, he added hoping for the Indian side to take concrete measures to maintain sound development momentum of bilateral economic and trade cooperation for benefit of the two countries and the two peoples.

In the past week, Indian authorities had also raided the premises of Chinese telecom company Huawei. Earlier Chinese phone manufacturer Xiaomi had faced similar probes for tax evasions. In January this year, Xiaomi was served a notice for Rs 653 crores for tax evasions.

Recently banned 54 Chinese applications by India include game Free Fire Illuminate, Tencent Xriver, Nice Video baidu, Viva Video Editor and more. The Indian authorities opined that the apps collect critical permissions and data from the users and provide them to servers located in hostile countries, posing a security threat to India. Earlier in the year 2020, India had banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, UC Browser and more saying they were prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India.

The ban on Chinese apps came after Chinese aggression in the LAC. India had retaliated with calculated strategic moves after China’s constant and relentless attempts to undermine India’s territorial boundaries. After the initial ban, India had banned 47 more Chinese apps that were variants of the 59 apps blocked earlier. Later, it also banned around 118 Chinese apps, this time including the popular game PUB-G, saying that it posed threat to India’s security.

It is important to note that China’s exports to India have today reached $97.52 billion against India’s $28.14 billion to China and the bilateral trade volume between the two countries have reached $125.7 billion. Though the actions by India coincide with the Chinese aggression at Ladakh borders, it has put a ban on only those apps which do not shield user data from the Chinese government appropriately by Chinese servers.

Tamil Nadu: Romanian national found campaigning for DMK ahead of local body polls, immigration department issues notice

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: Romanian national found campaigning for DMK ahead of local body polls, immigration department issues notice

A Romanian national identified as Negoita Stefan Marius has landed in trouble after he was caught campaigning for Tamil Nadu’s DMK in the upcoming urban civic elections.

According to the reports, Stefan Marius had entered India on a Business Visa. He was seen carrying DMK banners and campaigning for the DMK in Coimbatore ahead of the local body polls. The video had gone viral on social media platforms.

In another video, Marius was seen riding a bike in Coimbatore without a mask or a helmet. He was seen adorning symbols of the ruling party and distributing pamphlets to voters near Singanallur and Ondipudur areas in Coimbatore city.

Gokul Kruba Shanker, the business partner of Marius, said that the Romanian national decided to campaign for DMK after being impressed with the Tamil Nadu government’s scheme to provide free bus passes for women.

“Mr. Negoita recently took a ride on a TNSTC town bus from his hotel to my textile unit. He noticed that women were not asked for a ticket. I later told him that the free ride for women was among one of the welfare measures for the people in Tamil Nadu. He was fascinated by the idea and wanted to be a part of the campaigning for the party that introduced it for people,” said Shanker, who owns a textile unit in Coimbatore, is a DMK functionary.

Shankar said that Marius, who is into manufacturing sweaters, had entered into a partnership with him recently.

Political campaigning lands Romanian national in trouble

As news of Stefan Marius’s political activity became the talk of the town, the Bureau of Immigration in Chennai issued a notice to the Romanian businessman directing him to appear before it on Friday.

The notice said that Marius had been involved in political activities which are not as per his intended purpose of visa and it amounts to visa violation. The Bureau of Immigration warned that failing to appear before it along with original documents and an explanation would render him liable for prosecution under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, 1946.

Meanwhile, the Romanian embassy in Coimbatore has also issued a notice to Marius after he got involved in the election campaign for the DMK. The Romanian embassy has asked Marius to appear in person at the Chennai office of the immigration department.

Karnataka Minority Welfare Department issues order prohibiting hijab, saffron scarfs at govt-run minority institutions

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka Minority Welfare Department issues order prohibiting hijab, saffron scarfs at govt-run minority institutions

As reported by news agency ANI, the Karnataka Minority Welfare Department issued an order on Thursday prohibiting students at government-run minority institutions from wearing hijab, scarfs, or saffron shawls.

The Karnataka High Court has in its interim order restrained all students, regardless of their religion or faith, from wearing saffron shawls, scarfs, hijab, religious flags, or the like within the classroom, states the circular issued by Major Manivannan P, secretary in the department of minority welfare, Hajj, and Wakf Department.

The directive issued by the Karnataka Minority Welfare Department says, “The aforementioned High Court judgment applies to minority welfare department residential schools, colleges, and Maulana Azad Model English Medium institutions. Wearing saffron shawls, scarves, hijab, or any other religious flags is prohibited at schools and colleges, as well as Maulana Azad Model English Medium schools, which are part of the minority welfare department.”

The Karnataka High Court issued an order on the 10th of this month prohibiting all students from going to educational institutions in any religious garbs. The order reads, “Pending consideration of all these petitions, we restrain all the students regardless of their religion or faith from wearing saffron shawls (Bhagwa), scarfs, hijab, religious flags, or the like within the classroom, until further orders.”

The order states that it is to be followed by such institutions where there is uniform dress code rules.

This directive comes a day after state Higher Education Minister CN Ashwathnarayan stated the High Court’s interim judgment didn’t apply to degree college students.

As the judicial proceedings continue, there have been multiple incidents of people defying the court’s ruling and insisting on wearing hijab/burqa to schools and colleges.

The hijab question, which arose at a pre-university school in Karnataka, has spread to several districts and even other states. The controversy erupted when some Muslim girl students of PU college in Udupi insisted on wearing hijab in classrooms. The college administration denied them entry to the classes, citing that they were not allowed to wear anything other than the institutions prescribed uniform in the classrooms.

Karnataka: Congress MLAs camp at Vidhan Soudha overnight to protest against ‘saffron flag remark’ of BJP Minister

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Congress MLAs camp at Vidhan Soudha overnight to protest against ‘saffron flag remark’ of BJP Minister

On Thursday (February 17), MLAs of the Congress party camped in the Karnataka State Legislative Assembly (also called Vidhan Soudha) overnight to protest against the ‘saffron flag’ remark of BJP leader KS Eshwarappa.

The Congress leaders held a sleepover inside the Assembly while demanding the resignation of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister. Former Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah even vowed to continue protests until Eshwarappa is sacked.

In a tweet, Karnataka Congress claimed, “It is a matter of pride in our country and of protecting it’s honour and the dignity of the national flag. How can the party that built India stand back and watch as others insult it? The dharna will continue until a sedition case is filed against KS Eshwarappa.” It also shared pictures of Congress leaders sleeping, chatting within the premises of the Legislative Assembly.

The background of the controversy

On February 9 this year, Karnataka Minister KS Eshwarappa had claimed that the Hindu saffron flag might one day replace the Indian tricolour at the Red Fort in the future. He made the remarks after a group of Hindu students unfurled a saffron flag on an empty pole at an institute in Shimoga.

The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister had said that the saffron flag may become the Indian national flag in 100 or 500 years’ time. He added that the Hindu flag was a part of the chariots of Hanumantha and Rama. Eshwarappa clarified that the tricolour was the national flag for now and anyone who disrespected it was a traitor.

His comments created an upheaval in the political spheres, with the Congress demanding his resignation over the ‘saffron flag remark.’ Eshwarappa was however backed by the Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on February 16, who pointed out that the Minister did not “legally commit any mistake.” 

“They are selectively quoting only a part of his statement and are misleading the people in the state and the assembly. Legally, Eshwarappa has not committed any mistake and no action can be taken against him,” Bommai had added.

He emphasised that the Minister said that it might happen and pointed out how Eshwarappa said that everyone should respect the Indian tricolour. As such, the Karnataka Chief Minister refused to take any action against Eshwarappa.

The Congress leaders entered the well of the Vidhan Soudha while holding the Indian tricolour and later staged a sleepover in the Legislative Assembly as a mark of protest.

Jharkhand: Hanuman Temple vandalised in Hazaribagh, one Shafi Ahmed arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: Hanuman Temple vandalised in Hazaribagh, one Shafi Ahmed arrested

The Jharkhand police have arrested a person named Shafi Ahmed for vandalising the idol of Lord Hanuman at a temple in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.

According to the reports, 20-year-old youth identified as Shafi Ahmed had allegedly vandalised an idol of Lord Hanuman at a temple on February 12 in Hazaribagh, after communal tensions had gripped the area following the recent murder of a teenager Rupesh Pandey. Pandey was murdered by a mob of Muslims on February 6, 2022. 

Superintendent of Police Manoj Ratan Chothe said that the accused had confessed before police that he committed the crime. The accused has been sent to judicial custody, he added.

Local police have informed that the statue vandalisation had further flared up communal tension in the area and section 144 has been imposed following the incident.

The police officer had said the incident of statue vandalisation had led to severe protests on GT Road on National Highway-2.

Rupesh Pandey murder case:

A tense situation was created in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh after a Muslim mob killed a 17-year-old boy Rupesh Pandey on February 6 in a clash during the immersion procession of the idol of goddess Saraswati.

The 17-year old son of Sikandar Pandey was part of the religious procession, which faced unexpected opposition from the mass of Muslims while passing from an area called Lakhna Dulmaha Imambada of the Nai Taand village in Hazaribagh. The mob engaged in the ruckus with the Hindu devotees. In this, Rupesh Pandey was badly beaten. He was declared dead when taken to the hospital.

A case was registered in the Barhi police station against 27 attackers. Besides, 100 other unknowns have been booked in this case. Mohammad Aslam, Mohammad Anis, Mohammad Kaif, Mohammad Gufran, Mohammad Chand, Mohammad Osama, Mohammad Ehtam, and Mohammad Nahid have been named as the main accused in the case.

Jharkhand govt registers case against Hindu activists for carrying out peaceful protest

After the mob lynching incident of Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, the Hemant Soren-led government had stoked another controversy by taking action against Hindu groups protesting against the murder and demanding justice.

The Jharkhand Police had registered an FIR against the protesters who had organised a candle march in Chatra condemning the murder. Thousands of people, including the members of Bharatiya Janata Party, BJYM, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Vishwas Hindu Parishad, had protested against the brutal killing of Pandey.

Several youths in Chatra had taken out a candle march on February 10 and demanded the government action against the culprits. The youths involved in the rally had said that the state government was giving protection to the accused of mob lynching and warned that if strict action was not taken against the culprits, the protests would be more aggressive.

In response, the Jharkhand government had booked a case against the peaceful protestors for demanding justice.

Khalistani organisation Sikhs For Justice’s letter announcing support to AAP goes viral, SFJ chief Pannu says it is fake

OpIndia Staff
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Khalistani organisation Sikhs For Justice’s letter announcing support to AAP goes viral, SFJ chief Pannu says it is fake

On February 17, when only two days are left for the assembly elections polling in Punjab, a letter claiming to be from Khalistani terrorist organization Sikhs For Justice is making rounds on social media platforms in which the organization has extended its support for Bhagwant Mann, Chief Ministerial face for the Aam Aadmi Party.

Source: Twitter

In the letter, Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, founder and designated terrorist who signed the letter, urged people to vote for AAP in the assembly elections so that they can once again “hope to fulfil their target (to form Khalistan).” He also claimed SFJ had supported AAP in previous assembly elections.

The letter, published in Punjabi, reads, “We, the members of Sikhs for Justice, announce full support for Bhagwant Singh Mann of the Aam Aadmi Party for the Punjab Assembly elections. These elections are crucial for Punjab and our group because if Aam Aadmi Party forms government in Punjab, the hope of achieving our target [to form Khalistan] will rise again.”

It added, “Our group has supported Aam Aadmi Party in the 2017 assembly elections, and we are supporting the party in these elections as well. We are urging every one of you that in these elections, give your support to Aam Aadmi Party so that once again we become strong and attain a strong position.”

AAP supporters thanked SFJ

Several posts emerged on social media platforms where AAP supporters thanked SFJ for the support.

Source: Facebook

Pannu releases video, says letter is fake

After the alleged SFJ letter went viral on social media, SFJ’s Gurpatwant Singh Pannu has released a video claiming that the letter is fake and the SFJ has not announced support for any politicial party. In the video, Pannu is seen saying, “The letter being circulated in the name of SFJ is fake. It is circulated by Bhagwant Mann and AAP. SFJ does not believe in the Indian Constitution or any political party. SFJ’s only goal is separating Punjab from India and for that, we will do referendum voting soon. Stay away from liar AAP. I am warning Mann and Kejriwal, anyone who comes from Delhi, be it Indira, Modi or Kejriwal, they will be opposed. I urge everyone to raise the Khalistan flag from every booth on election day.”

Kumar Vishwas claimed Delhi CM Kejriwal once expressed desire to become Khalistan’s first PM

In a statement on February 16, former-AAP leader Kumar Vishwas had alleged that AAP chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had once told him that he would either become CM of Punjab or first PM of free Khalistan. Vishwas had said on multiple occasions that AAP was supporting fringe separatist elements and Khalistan supporters in Punjab.

Other AAP members, including Gul Panag and former AAP member Yogendra Yadav, had hinted AAP was taking support from Khalistani groups and fringe elements in Punjab. In previous assembly elections, a prominent member of the banned Khalistani organization had campaigned for AAP in Punjab. After Vishwas’s statement AAP threatened media houses against publishing his remarks. In a reply, Vishwas said, “These are the Chintus (pawns) of that person (Kejriwal) speaking, who have entered the party after we made the governments out of our own blood and sweat. They’ve come to lick the ‘cream’ now. Tell those chintus to send their Aaka (mastermind) to speak.”

Plastic surgery addicted social media influencer Mary Magdalene reveals her latest ‘Barbie look’

OpIndia Staff
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Plastic surgery addicted social media influencer Mary Magdalene reveals her latest ‘Barbie look’

Instagram influencer and plastic surgery addict Mary Magdalene has unveiled her latest Barbie look.

Posting an image that reveals her ravishing new looks, the 25-year-old social media star said that her “new face” looked like a “forest fairy elf”.

Following the successful operation, the model posted a photo of herself with her face swollen and bandaged on Instagram.

Over the years, Mary has undergone several surgeries, spending more than $A140,000 on extremely risky treatments to look more charming. Apparently, the influencer from Toronto, Canada, had her first cosmetic procedure at the age of 21. Her surgeries have included a brow lift, fat transfers, multiple nose and boob jobs, veneers, liposuction, butt injections and three Brazilian butt lifts.

Just recently, she had got implanted a 5,000 cc breast expander to enlarge her breasts.

She recently posted a picture of herself recovering from her latest procedure.

Image Source: Sun

‘My top lip is still not f***ing moving at all from the surgery!” Mary had said in a short clip posted over the weekend. Despite that, a happy Mary had put out a post on Instagram saying, “it looks perfect”.

“It’s a very fake-looking Barbie nose which is exactly what I asked for, and so many surgeons said it was not possible for me to have this type of nose because of my three prior nose jobs,” she posted according to The Sun.

In the last few years, Mary has been operated on for a brow lift, fat transfers, multiple noses, in addition to boob jobs, veneers, liposuction and three Brazilian bum lifts.

Before and After: Mary Magdalene/ Image Source: Dailymail

According to Mary, she is not yet done with her surgeries. She disclosed she would undergo more surgery to enhance her looks. She reportedly flew to Russia for the latest surgeries as she could not get the extreme operations done in the United States.

“Next week, I have my eyebrow transplant, jaw and lips booked, then my face will be complete,” Mary said in one of her posts.

Last year, in what could be an unfortunate incident, the world could have lost Mary after she almost died during a procedure on her vagina.

“The most unusual operation I had was very recently, on my vagina,” Mary explained, adding, “I custom designed it, so I have the fattest in the world. I almost died during [the] procedure. “I had to get two blood transfusions.”

‘Those stopping our children from wearing hijab will be cut to pieces’: Karntakata Congress leader Mukarram Khan issues threat

OpIndia Staff
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‘Those stopping our children from wearing hijab will be cut to pieces’: Karntakata Congress leader Mukarram Khan issues threat

Karnataka Congress leader Mukarram Khan has made a threatening statement on hijab that aligns with the ideology of Jihadi Islamists. A video appeared on 17th February 2022 in which Khan was heard saying, “Those stopping our children from wearing hijab will be cut to pieces.”

The Karnataka hijab row is still going on with students breaching the interim orders of the Karnataka high court prohibiting religious attires inside the educational campus. Students have continued to wear a hijab and burqa while going to college, however, the colleges are not allowing them to enter. The statement given by the Karnataka Congress leader has now added to the unrest in the state.

Mukarram Khan is a former Zilla Panchayat member from Sedam in the Kalaburagi district of Karnataka. In his controversial statement given in support of the pro-hijab protests going on in the state, he has said “What clothes are they wearing? They are wearing saffron clothes and asking our children to remove the hijab, restricting them from wearing a hijab. Those stopping our children from wearing hijab will be cut to pieces.”

Hindu organizations have protested against this statement by Khan. They agitated outside the Sedam police station in the Kalaburagi district. They demanded a case be registered and strict action against Mukarram Khan. VHP Organizational Secretary of the district Sivakumar has filed a complaint against Mukarram Khan. He has reportedly said “The person who has made a hatred instigating remark must not be spared. We can also talk as aggressively but we restrain taking care that our words should not cause any unrest in the society.”

The Karnataka hijab row has also caused various incidents of unrest and political reaction in other states including poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. CM Yogi Adityanath has said in an interview that in personal life, everyone can wear the clothes they want but the institutes that require a specific dress code as a part of discipline cannot be the places to assert the religious identity through the attires.

Andhra Pradesh: Loyola College in Vijaywada succumbs to pressure, allows Burqa-clad girls to attend classes despite having dress code for students

OpIndia Staff
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Andhra Pradesh: Loyola College in Vijaywada succumbs to pressure, allows Burqa-clad girls to attend classes despite having dress code for students

Two Burqa-clad students in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijaywada were reportedly allowed to enter the college despite college rules clearly insisting on uniforms. The incident happened in Vijaywada’s Andhra Loyola College where two Burqa-clad girls came to the college wearing burqa, wherein The principal objected that girls and faculty are not allowed inside classes in Muslim attire.

On Thursday morning, two girls – Pathan Sadikunnissa and Shaik Reshma who are B.Sc. Second-year students at Andhra Loyola College entered the premises wearing Burqa. One of the girls, Sadikunnissa, claimed that they were barred from entering the college by the Principal. She claimed, “We have been wearing hijabs from the beginning and our ID cards were also photographed with traditional hijab wear. Now the correspondent says that we can’t come to college wearing it.”

However, as reported by The News Minute, the ID card of the girls has the picture of the girls clad in Hijab (a scarf that covers the head up to the neck), and not the Burqa (The full-body veil). The girls had entered the college campus by wearing burqa, and not just the Hijab. Responding to their claims, Loyola College Principal, Father GAP Kishore said, “This morning, while I was on rounds in the college, I found three girls entering college late. Two among them were in Muslim attire. I asked them to go to the girls’ waiting room and change before going to the classroom. However, they refused and went away.”

Furthermore, when the parents of one girl came to the college to speak on their behalf, Father Kishore asserted that no Muslim dress was allowed in the college’s code of conduct. According to him, “We never saw anyone wearing a hijab or burqa inside the classroom. We have many Muslim students, and they change their traditional attire in the waiting room,” he spoke to TNM. The college dress code of Loyola college does not allow for any Muslim dress – be it Hijab or Burqa whatsoever.

However, after much negotiation, the two girls were allowed to attend the classes by the management of Loyola College. After the Karnataka Hijab Row erupted, this was the first incident from a college in Andhra Pradesh where students attended college in burqa. What could have served as a wake-up call for the college, turned out that the management failed to translate its own rules regarding the compulsion of uniforms.

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