In a shocking incident, four men brutally attacked a youth inside a bus for speaking to a Muslim girl in Karnataka. The incident was reported from Kundapur taluk in Udupi district on Thursday morning.
According to the reports, a 19-year-old youth identified as Shashank, a first-year student at ITI of Bidkalkatte, was assaulted by a gang of four men.
Shashank was travelling by bus with his friends Prajwal and Ganesh, and a Muslim girl who is a B.Sc student. When the bus reached Halady, a gang of four attackers confronted Shashank for speaking with a girl from the Muslim community and assaulted him. They also allegedly warned the victim and his friends and asked them to stay away from the girl.
The police said that three out of the four attackers got down from the bus on the way while only one travelled to Kundapur. Shashank is seriously injured, and he is currently being treated at Kundapur Government Hospital in the city. He has also lodged a complaint against the four at the Shankaranarayana Police Station.
As the news of moral policing and subsequent attacks on the youth spread, activists from pro-Hindu organisations gathered at Shastri Circle of the city to protest against the attacks. DySP Srikanth K, CPI Gopikrishna and PSI Sadashiva Gavaroji visited the spot.
The police have now registered a complaint against the attackers under IPC sections 323, 341, 504, 506 and 295 (A). The police have identified 31-year-old Taufeeq as the main accused, and a search is on to nab all the four attackers. The police also informed that the accused had threatened Shashank against speaking to his friend a few days ago.
This is not an isolated incident, as such incidents of moral policing are regularly reported from Karnataka where Hindu boys are assaulted or threatened for talking with Muslim girls.
On Tuesday (February 1), the White House directed audio streaming platform Spotify to take ‘more’ steps in censoring podcast host Joe Rogan for allegedly spreading Covid-19 related misinformation. The development came a day after Spotify announced that it will add a content warning to Covid-19 related discussions and podcasts on its platform.
While speaking about the matter, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had stated, “Our hope is that all major tech platforms — and all major news sources for that matter — be responsible and be vigilant to ensure the American people have access to accurate information on something as significant as COVID-19.”
She further added, “That certainly includes Spotify. So this disclaimer, it’s a positive step, but we want every platform to continue doing more to call out misinformation while also uplifting accurate information”
WH Press Sec. Jen Psaki on Spotify’s new disclaimer to flag misinformation following Joe Rogan backlash:
“This disclaimer is a positive step, but we want every platform to continue doing more to call out mis- and disinformation, while also uplifting accurate information.” pic.twitter.com/j8HcC4uTYC
She also claimed that an unvaccinated Covid-19 infected individual is 16 times more likely to be hospitalised and 68 times more likely to die than someone who has taken the jab. “That’s pretty significant. We think that should be the basis of how people should be communicating about it,” Psaki concluded.
Spotify is an online streaming behemoth with more than 300 mn monthly listeners, including more than 170 mn who pay for subscriptions to the service.
Joe Rogan and the controversy surrounding Spotify
TV personality Joe Rogan has been in the midst of controversy for claiming that young Americans were not at risk of contracting the Wuhan Coronavirus and therefore did not need to take the vaccine. He has also been at the receiving end of criticism for interviewing an infectious disease expert Dr Robert Malone, who in the podcast episode streamed on December 31 had opposed COVID-19 vaccines for children.
Since the podcast raised aspersions about Covid-19 vaccines for children, a large number of people had slammed Rogan for sowing disinformation about vaccination among the public. It must be mentioned that Joe Rogan was roped in by Spotify in 2020 at a whopping $100 million for the exclusive rights of his popular, ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast.
The programme is among the top podcasts on Spotify and is reportedly downloaded by over 200 million times a month. As per The Independent, the TV personality had not uploaded any new episodes since the controversy.
Canadian-American musician Neil Young had threatened the audio streaming platform to choose between him and Rogan. Spotify responded by pulling down the former’s music from the platform. Several media outlets, PhD candidates and medical professionals had written to the audio platform to take action against Joe Rogan.
Meanwhile, Rogan had tendered an apology and vowed to maintain a ‘balance’ in views in his future shows. He emphasised, “I’m not trying to promote misinformation. I’m not trying to be controversial,” he said. “I’ve never tried to do anything with this podcast other than just talk to people and have interesting conversations.”
Interestingly, Spotify announced that it has a critical role to provide a balance between allowing the creators to express their opinions and ensuring the safety of the users on the platform. On Wednesday (February 2), Spotify CEO Daniel Ek had also responded to the controversy by siding with Joe Rogan.
He said, “We don’t change our policies based on one creator, nor do we change it based on any media cycle or call from anyone else. I do believe they’re right for our platform. And while Joe has a massive audience — he is actually the No. 1 podcast in more than 90 markets — he also has to abide by those policies.”
A day after bullets were fired at the car of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi after a poll event in Kithaur, Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, the police have detained the second suspect. The first suspect was nabbed yesterday itself, while the second one had managed to flee, who was caught today. Though the inquiry is ongoing, Superintendent of Police Hapur, Deepak Bhuker, stated that the assaulters attacked Asaduddin Owaisi because they were offended by Owaisi’s “anti-Hindu” statements.
2 persons have been arrested for firing on AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi’s convoy while he was returning to Delhi after campaigning in Uttar Pradesh. The investigation is underway. They carried out the act upon being hurt by Owaisi’s anti-Hindu statements: Deepak Bhuker, SP Hapur https://t.co/8NrfYC1Xw2pic.twitter.com/W5dcUNxzud
Prashant Kumar, ADG (Law and Order) informed that the arms used in the crime have been recovered, and the accused will be produced before the court. According to the police officer, an illegal 9 mm pistol was recovered which was used in the crime. Five teams have been formed for the investigation.
After the attack, Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi has been provided with Z category security cover by the government. This he will get a security detail of 22 personnel, including four to six NSG commandos and the rest from the police or CAPF personnel. Earlier today, Owaisi had said that he has never sought security cover and he never would, because it is the responsibility of the govt to protect his life.
Owaisi and his brother’s statements have hurt our faith, said one of the accused detained
The police officials confirmed that the two accused were present at Owaisi’s meeting in Meerut. The police added that both of the accused have been pursuing Owaisi for some days and have attended his meetings. The incident was not a spur-of-the-moment occurrence but meticulously planned.
One of the accused, Sachin, stated that he was enraged by Owaisi and his brother’s remarks. Both accused believe Owaisi and his brother are hurting their beliefs.
Meanwhile, the AIMIM chief has said that he will be addressing the Parliament about a security breach and attack on his convoy on Friday, February 4. Asaduddin Owaisi will reportedly meet Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla to discuss the issue.
AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi attacked in Uttar Pradesh
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had alleged that four rounds of bullets were fired on his car after a poll event in Kithaur, Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. The incident reportedly took place on Thursday afternoon when Owaisi was returning to Delhi in his car after a poll event in UP.
Images posted by Owaisi showed two holes on the two doors of his car apparently created by the bullets fired at the car. He also said that the tyres of his vehicle were also punctured in the attack. Reportedly, a total of four bullets were fired aiming at the bottom of the car. Nobody was injured in the incident.
Supriya Sule, Lok Sabha Member of Parliament from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) made false statements regarding vaccine manufacturing and ridiculed the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) on the fourth day of Parliament’s Budget Session on Thursday. A video of her speaking in the session was shared on Twitter by another NCP MP Priyanka Chaturvedi.
Supriya Sule mocked DRDO, adding that despite being the leading scientific institution, they are now manufacturing masks and sanitisers. Sule went on to say that the vaccines are made by the Serum Institute of India, not by the government. She clarified that this is not what is meant by the phrase “Make in India.”
She was, however, factually wrong in all of her comments, as numerous individuals on social media pointed out. Prominent scientist Anand Ranganathan took to Twitter and wrote “Ms Sule is factually wrong on ALL counts. 1. She mocks DRDO. Fact: DRDO invented novel UV & mist sanitisers 2. She says govt hasn’t made the vaccine. Fact: ICMR has made Covaxin along with BB 3. She says SII has made vaccines. Fact: Oxford, not SII has made Covishield.”
Priyanka ji, Ms Sule is factually wrong on ALL counts. 1. She mocks DRDO. Fact: DRDO invented novel UV & mist sanitisers 2. She says govt hasn’t made vaccine. Fact: ICMR has made Covaxin alongwith BB 3. She says SII has made vaccine. Fact: Oxford not SII has made Covishield. WDTT https://t.co/VVUn9ZlKAU
Another Twitter user named Sagar (@sssaaagar) pointed out the achievements of DRDO in a tweet. He wrote, “DRDO made mask, Sanitisers, OOG of Tejas repurposed to O2 plant, 2-DG for fighting Covid, while they made indigenous AIP, HSTDV, Launched slew of missiles etc. MH state government had 1 job, Convert Haffkines lab into BSL3 for Covaxin prodn. 9 months after approval is still zero.”
DRDO made mask, Sanitisers, OOG of Tejas repurposed to O2 plant, 2-DG for fighting Covid, while they made indigenous AIP, HSTDV, Launched slew of missiles etc. MH state government had 1 job, Convert Haffkines lab into BSL3 for Covaxin prodn. 9 months after approval still zero https://t.co/Ed1Mm0sGDS
It should be remembered that the DRDO has been a benchmark organization for many years. Today, the DRDO is a network of more than 50 laboratories dedicated to the development of defence technologies, life sciences, training, information systems, and agriculture. DRDO has played a major role during the Covid-19 pandemic. DRDO has worked diligently whenever it was necessary, from building a 500-bed specialized Covid facility in Delhi to creating the effective medicine 2-DG for the treatment of coronavirus infection. The DRDO’s Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) in New Delhi collaborated with Hyderabad-based pharma giant Dr Reddy’s Laboratories to produce 2-deoxy-D-glucose or 2-DG.
On Thursday, February 3, TMC MP Mahua Moitra was seen creating a ruckus in the parliament by accusing the ruling BJP government of ‘altering history’. In her speech on the Motion of Thanks to the President, the Trinamool Congress leader said that the BJP government wants to ‘alter the history’, they fear the future and mistrust the present.
She termed the ruling government as ‘hateful forces’ and said that the mention of freedom fighters in the President’s address is nothing but a ‘lip service’. Moitra also spoke blatant lies and spread false information regarding the languages of Jammu and Kashmir.
Moitra claims Central govt ‘replaced’ Urdu with Hindi in Jammu and Kashmir’s official language
She alleged that the government had made attempts to remove Tipu Sultan from the history books whose springing tiger was insignia of Netaji’s Indian National Army (INA). Connecting the Urdu link to her page, she claimed that the government had removed Urdu and imposed Hindi as the first and official language of Jammu and Kashmir. “INA’s motto was three Urdu words – Etihaad, Etmad and Kurbani (Unity, Trust and sacrifice). This is the same Urdu language that this government is so delighted to replace with Hindi as the first and official language of Jammu and Kashmir,” she noted.
The false claims by Moitra went viral over the internet with netizens terming it as a ‘plethora of lies’ she has peddled against the government. Political commentator Sunanda Vashisht sharply criticised the TMC MP, especially for her ‘Urdu replaced with Hindi in Jammu and Kashmir official language’ comment.
Vashisht, who has her roots from Jammu and Kashmir slammed Moitra saying that Urdu was never their language and that it was imposed upon the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “Our languages are primarily Kashmiri, Dogri and many other languages and dialects. Urdu is not our language. Ask yourself why Urdu was imposed on us?”, she said.
And @MahuaMoitra, I invite you to read a few books and speak to few people from my state of J&K. Our languages are primarily Kashmiri, Dogri and many other languages and dialects. Urdu is not our language. Ask yourself why Urdu was imposed on us?
Further in the series of tweets, she added that the Hindi language has not replaced anything, rather the Kashmiri language was given recognition officially after 7 decades. “Urdu is not the mother tongue of anybody in J&K”, she reiterated.
‘Urdu was imposed on the people of Jammu and Kashmir, nobody in the state spoke Urdu’ says Kashmiri journalist
Journalist Aditya Raj Kaul stated that Hindi was not being imposed on J&K but in fact Urdu was. In his tweets, he suggested the TMC MP learn the history of Jammu and Kashmir and some basics about Kashmiri and Dogri before making embarrassing claims in the Parliament. “Illiteracy is common among a section of Indian politicians. But such blatant confidence in spreading lies is a new one”, he tweeted.
Mahua Moitra should know that Urdu is not the language of Jammu & Kashmir. Kashmiri and Dogri are our languages and majority of people in Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir speak Hindi. Hindi isn’t being imposed. Urdu was being imposed. No tears to save the Sharda Script? #Shame
Government in 2020 had declares Hindi, English, Urdu, Dogri and Kashmiri as the official languages in J&K, Moitra was lying in the Parliament
The Loksabha had introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill in 2020 to declare certain languages as official languages of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The bill declared Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi and English as the official languages to be used for the official purposes of the union territory. In reality, Urdu was never ‘replaced’ with Hindi, as Moitra claimed, but Hindi, English and the native languages of the UT that are Dogri and Kashmiri were added as official languages.
This is from Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, 2020 which was introduced in Lok Sabha on September 22, 2020. Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi and English are the official languages of Jammu & Kashmir. Where did Hindi replace Urdu as the first and official language of J&K? pic.twitter.com/bwKKfRjfS4
It is nowhere mentioned in the bill that Urdu is being removed and Hindi is being added instead as an official language of the union territory. The bill sought to keep both the languages along with English, Kashmiri and Dogri in Jammu and Kashmir. The bill further green signalled the continued usage of English for administrative and legislative purposes in the region.
In fact, the commonly spoken language Kashmiri was recognised for the first time in 2020.
According to the reports, Hindi is the second most spoken language in J&K after Kashmiri, also known as Koshur. Dogri is the other widely spoken language and is used mostly in the Jammu region.
Earlier the day, she was had mocked the BJP government by speaking the language of Pulwama terrorist. Ahead of her Lok Sabha speech, she took to Twitter to make the Hinduphobic ‘gaumutra’ jibe.
Tagging the wrong handle to address the BJP, Mahua Moitra tweeted, “Am speaking this evening in Lok Sabha on President’s Address. Just wanted to give early heads up to @BJP to get the heckler team ready and read up on imaginary points of order. Drink some gaumutra shots too.”
Am speaking this evening in Lok Sabha on President’s Address.
Just wanted to give early heads up to @BJP to get heckler team ready & read up on imaginary points of order. Drink some gaumutra shots too.
As reported, the ‘gaumutra’ jibe is used by Islamists and their apologists, including the Pulwama terrorist Ahmed Dhar who had said he killed the CRPF soldiers to kill those who ‘drink cow urine’, to spread hatred against Indians, especially Hindus.
On Wednesday, the Customs Preventive department seized 23 kg of smuggled gold at Karipur international airport in Kozhikode, Kerala.
According to a report in Hindustan Times, a team of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the customs department carried out a joint operation named ‘Desert Storm’ to seize the yellow metal on Thursday.
During the operation, launched after credible intelligence, passengers from seven different flights were searched. The joint team seized nearly 23 kgs of smuggled gold and arrested 23 smugglers, making it the largest single-day haul of yellow metal in recent times in the country.
The arrested smugglers arrived in Kozhikode from various Gulf countries. The joint team also arrested some people who came to receive gold from these passengers.
Kerala – the hotspot of gold smuggling
Kerala has become the main gateway for gold smugglers in the last two years. The customs officials have seized 232kg of yellow metal from the smugglers in recent times.
The customs officials have seized gold at various airports across Kerala. In August last year, customs officials arrested a person from Kannur international airport after finding that he was wearing double-layered jeans.
In addition, smugglers are using novel ways to smuggle gold into the country. Belt buckles, wigs, clothing layers, and various elaborate methods are used to smuggle gold.
Similarly, in Kozhikode, a passenger was arrested for smuggling gold in his face mask. As per the HT report, a woman passenger carrying a baby was found holding a water bottle made of gold. Hiding gold inside the rectum is one of the most common methods.
According to the data tabled in Parliament, Kozhikode airport remains second in the country in terms of the quantity of gold seized. Until November last year, the gold seized at the airport was 128.170 kg, next to Chennai airport, where 130.10 kg was seized. Kochi airport stands third in gold seizures at 62.281 kg of smuggled gold, while Kannur airport recorded a seizure of 28.939kg of gold.
Mark Zuckerberg lost as much as $31 billion on Thursday as Meta Platforms Inc’s stock plunged 26 per cent, erasing nearly $251 billion in market value.
According to the reports, the biggest ever single-day market value wipeout has pulled down founder and Chief Executive Officer Zuckerberg’s net worth to $85 billion. Zuckerberg owns roughly 12.8% of Meta Inc’s stock, which was formerly known as Facebook.
As per reports, the overall stock value of Meta crashed by over 200 billion USD, roughly equivalent of the size of New Zealand’s economy. In the fourth quarter, Meta has reported a turnover of 33.67 billion$ but has made $10.3 billion in net profit, which is about 8% less than last year.
Following the wipeout, Zuckerberg has now been pushed into the twelfth spot on Forbes’ list of real-time billionaires, below Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani. Gautam Adani is the wealthiest Indian, whose net worth is around $90 billion. He is currently tenth on the list, closely followed by Mukesh Ambani, the eleventh richest globally, currently with $89 billion.
Amidst the large scale devaluation of Meta’s market value, Amazon founder and fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos has added nearly $20 billion to his valuation after Amazon’s increased earnings. Bezos owns about 9.9% of the company and is currently the world’s third-richest man with $164 billion. Tesla Inc top boss Elon Musk tops the list with $232 billion.
On Thursday, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate. ED officers nabbed Bhupinder Singh Honey on Thursday evening in connection with a multi-crore illegal sand mining case.
ED arrests Punjab CM’s nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey in sand mining case
Honey was transferred to the ED office in Jalandhar following his medical at the Civil Hospital, and he will likely be produced in front of a special court in Mohali. The agency had summoned him for interrogation on Thursday.
The ED had confiscated more than Rs 10 crore in cash, gold worth more than Rs 21 lakh, and a Rolex watch worth Rs 12 lakh from the residential premises of Bhupinder Singh Honey and others in connection with the alleged illegal sand mining case in a raid conducted on January 18. After a two-day search on the properties of people accused in over a dozen areas in Mohali, Ludhiana, Rupnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Pathankot, the ED confirmed the seizures.
The illegal sand mining case
The ED is investigating a money laundering case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act based on an FIR registered by the Punjab police in 2018 against one Kudrat Deep Singh. Kudrat Deep Singh, who owns a quarry in Nawanshahr, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district, is said to be the main suspect.
According to sources, Kudrat Deep Singh established a company named Punjab Realtors in order to get sand mining contracts. One of the company’s directors is Bhupinder Singh Honey.
Black money was allegedly used to gain the sand mining contract, according to the ED. According to sources, the newly created business is quite modest and is unlikely to secure a transaction worth many crores.
It is a significant blow for the Congress-led Punjab government as it prepares for the Assembly elections. CM Channi, on the other hand, has rejected the claims against his cousin as a political vengeance ahead of the Punjab state assembly elections.
Two days after a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldier named Qi Fabao, who was involved in the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, was made the torchbearer of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics torch relay, the US State Department sided with India in its decision to condemn politicisation of the Olympics.
On being asked about the decision of the Chinese Communist regime to ‘politicise’ the sporting event, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price informed, “When it comes to broader issue of India-China border situation, we continue to support direct dialogue & a peaceful resolution of the border disputes.”
He further added, “We’ve previously voiced our concerns on Beijing’s pattern of ongoing attempts to intimidate its neighbours. We stand with friends, we stand with partners & allies, to advance our shared prosperity, security, & values in the Indo-Pacific.”
We’ve previously voiced our concerns on Beijing’s pattern of ongoing attempts to intimidate its neighbors. We stand with friends, we stand with partners & allies, to advance our shared prosperity, security, & values in the Indo-Pacific: US State Dept Spokesperson Ned Price (2/2) pic.twitter.com/Rxu4JlMuZi
Earlier, Republican US Senator Jim Risch had spoken out against China over the issue. He stated, “It’s shameful that Beijing chose a torchbearer for the Olympics2022 who’s part of the military command that attacked India in 2020 and is implementing genocide against the Uyghurs. The US will continue to support Uyghur freedoms and the sovereignty of India.”
Condemning the politicisation of the Olympics, on February 2, India had announced that no diplomats will attend the ceremony. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Thursday said that the Indian envoy will not attend the opening or closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics. He also said that India has taken the issue of the torture of an Arunachal Pradesh boy who was taken in custody by the Chinese side earlier in January.
Atleast 38 Chinese soldiers drowned during the Galwan clash: Report
On June 15, 2020, a clash between Indian and Chinese troops at Galwan Valley in Ladakh had erupted against freezing sub-zero temperatures in the night which escalated border tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbouring nations. While the Indian government acknowledged the casualties suffered and honoured its soldiers, China had been hiding its casualties in the clash since the very beginning.
A sensational report on the 2020 Galwan Valley escalation was recently published by an independent Australian portal, The Klaxon. According to the report, at least 38 Chinese soldiers drowned in the Galwan river between June 15 to 16 while attempting to cross the river in the dark.
It said, ”at least 38 PLA troops were washed away and drowned” on the night of June 15 when the clash happened at the Galwan River”. According to the report, evidence had also emerged that strongly suggested that the Chinese side had intentionally conflated facts and imagery of two separate but similar clashes, which occurred just over a week apart in Galwan.
Pakistan President Arif Alvi caused a massive controversy on Thursday after he was caught playing the web-based word game ‘Wordle’ amidst the deteriorating security situation in the country.
Pakistan President Alvi took to Twitter to share the results of the current online sensation with his followers. However, his tweet came at a time when the Pakistan Army was at the receiving end of the attacks carried out by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), who claimed to have neutralised 100 Pakistan security force personnel in Panjgur and Noshki in recent clashes.
The ill-timed tweet posted by Pakistan President evoked strong reactions from the public, who criticised Arif Alvi for his insensitivity.
Several social media users took to Twitter to condemn Pakistan President Arif Alvi. One user said that the President of Pakistan was playing the Wordle game at a time when Pakistan was burning.
When Rome was burning , Nero was playing flute
Similarly , When Baluchistan was burning , President of Pakistan was playing Wordle game pic.twitter.com/7PxPlpvqZb
Another user criticised Pakistan President for the lack of seriousness of the situation in the country. He attacked Arif Alvi for not tweeting on the ongoing Balochistan attacks against the Pakistan Army.
This is the seriousness of the President of Islamic Republic Of Pakistan he has a time to play & do tweets on Wordle but no tweet on Balochistan, no tweet on Students who are sitting in Islamabad for last two months & no tweet for students who are studying in China.
After facing massive outrage, Arif Alvi deleted his Wordle score tweets.
‘100 Pak soldiers killed’, says Baloch Liberation Army
On Thursday, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) said their fighters had neutralised more than 100 Pakistan Army personnel and destroyed large parts of their camps.
In a statement, the BLA claimed that major parts of both Panjgur and Nushki were still under their control.
“Baloch fidayeen have so far killed more than 100 enemy personnel. Large parts of camps are completely destroyed. Backup troops have arrived for the enemy forces, however, they have failed to weaken fidayee positions inside the camp,” the statement read.
BLA also said that the Pakistani military claiming to have repulsed the attack is a complete lie and added that the attack was still on.
The province of Balochistan is the largest, least populous and the poorest in Pakistan. Baloch groups have targeted security forces and civilians in regular raids across the province, demanding their rights and independence for ethnic Baloch areas of the province.
