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Nipah threat: Karnataka heightens vigilance on arrivals from Kerala, issues guidelines for monitoring

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Karnataka has been already battling a surge in Covid cases among people arriving from Kerala. With a continued high influx of people from Kerala, the Nipah virus outbreak has just added to the state’s worries. 

The Karnataka government on Sunday informed that individuals coming from Kerala will be kept under strict surveillance. A senior official stated that monitoring has been intensified especially in the districts bordering Kerala. 

ANI quoted Karnataka health commissioner KV Trilok Chandra as saying, “We have already issued a detailed advisory on precautions to be taken (against Nipah virus). Advanced surveillance measures are already in place in all border districts. People coming from Kerala will be under surveillance.”

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai during a media interaction in Bengaluru on Friday had informed, “Regarding Nipah virus, I have given directions to the health secretary and experts. I will get a report on its behaviour in Kerala and its impact on us by this evening, following which necessary action will be taken.”

The state had issued a directive for administrations of districts bordering Kerala to strengthen surveillance and preparedness on September 07, immediately after the first case of the Nipah virus was reported.

Doctors too in the state have started informing their patients on Nipah, its symptoms and differences between clinical symptoms of Nipah and Covid-19 through emails. Dr Mahesh Kumar, Consultant, Internal Medicine, Narayana Health City said, “With Nipah cases in Kerala, it is important to be aware of the condition and take the necessary preventive measures, especially when Covid virus is still prevailing as the symptoms are similar. It is important to understand the differences or similarities in the two conditions and the way they manifest.”

“Nipah can be transmitted through contaminated foods and also from human-to-human contact. Greater vigil and stricter adherence to safety norms are needed to contain Nipah,” informed Dr Sheela Chakravarthy, Director of Internal Medicine at Fortis Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road.

The government currently is monitoring arrivals from Kerala for any symptoms like fever, altered mental status, severe weakness, headache, respiratory distress, cough, vomiting, muscle pain, convulsion and diarrhoea which are all the common signs of Nipah virus infection. 

Tamil Nadu on alert too

Tamil Nadu too has upped its ante to battle any possible threat from its neighbour. Dr Natarajan of state-run Rajaji Hospital in Madurai informed that the hospital has set up a dedicated ward to treat Nipah virus patients. 

Both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have not reported any cases of the Nipah virus but are preparing to handle any complications. 

Kerala, however, has also reported 20,240 fresh coronavirus cases on Sunday. 

The case fatality rate of Nipah is estimated at 40-75 per cent making it imperative for the affected states to enhance vigilance to contain the spread of the virus.

Shiv Sena vows to fight UP state elections to ‘teach BJP a lesson’, shows interest in Goa too

After facing an embarrassing defeat in ‘not far from home’ Belgaum civic polls, the Shiv Sena has vowed to fight the upcoming Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections to “teach BJP a lesson.”

As per reports, Shiv Sena had recently announced that it will field candidates in all 403 seats in the upcoming state elections in Uttar Pradesh and is eyeing Goa elections too, both slated for 2022. 

However, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut announced that the party will contest only on 100 seats. He further said that Sena will contest the elections on more than 20 seats and may form an alliance in Goa. 

The decision to contest elections in Uttar Pradesh was reportedly taken after the party’s regional executive body meeting in Lucknow.

As per reports, Shiv Sena’s state unit held a meeting at Lucknow and announced placing candidates in all assembly seats.

Shiv Sena regional unit’s announcement, image via India Today

“Shiv Sena will be the voice of people and filed candidates in all assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh to counter BJP. Coordinators have been appointed to strengthen the organisation in every assembly constituency,” read a statement by the newly secular party. The statement read that soon the regional leaders will meet party chief Uddhav Thackeray to submit a detailed report.

“The delegation of state leaders will soon hand over the report of the election preparation and the organisation,” it said further. The party is yet to clarify why the state unit’s announcement of contesting in all seats was later changed to just 100 seats by the party leadership.

Political parties prepare to “defeat” BJP in UP

Multiple political parties have begun their show of strength in Uttar Pradesh with the sole purpose of defeating the Bhartiya Janta Party in the UP 2022 elections. 

AIMIM’s Assadudin Owaisi was seen sprinting to Ayodhya to consolidate Muslim votes while Bahujan Samaj Party’s chief Mayawati was seen appeasing Hindu upper-caste or Brahmins promising enhanced ‘security’. 

Meanwhile, Congress has launched “Congress Pratigya Yatra: Hum Vachan Nibhayenge” to draw people’s attention to alleged issues of corruption, inflation, crime, violence against women, unemployment and poor health services in the state.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Singh Yadav has stated that his party will form an alliance only with smaller parties like Mahan Dal and NCP. Multiple talks are being held between the political parties for a plausible coalition.

The incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party rules the current assembly with 312 out of total 403 seats.

Fact Check: Old image from Czech magazine goes viral claiming to be the creation of Afghan graffiti artist Shamsia Hassani

For the last few days, an image, which seems very relevant to the current situation in Afghanistan, is going around on social media, with the claim that it has been created by Afghan artist Shamsia Hassani. The image shows a large number of burqa-clad women standing and facing in one direction, but one lone woman, with the face covering of her burqa removed, is seen reading a book standing in the opposite direction. However, the image is being wrongly attributed to the Afghan artist, and the image is old.

People are tweeting this image saying that it has been created by well-known Afghan graffiti artist Shamsia Hassani, who is the associate professor of Drawing and Anatomy Drawing at the Kabul University.

Afghan journalist Habib Khan posted the image today on Twitter with the caption “A incredible piece of art from Afghan artist, Shamsia Hassani.”

A large number of Twitter users, including people with verified handles, posted the image making the same claim in various languages.

The image caught the attention of so many people because it seems to convey the feelings of Afghan women who are protesting against the Taliban which has announced the brutal Sharia law in the country. The new rulers of Afghanistan have imposed various restrictions on women, including a mandatory veil while going out. And as several prominent social media users made the claim, it went viral soon.

However, the image was not created by Shamsia Hassani, and it is not related to the current situation in Afghanistan. The image was actually created by ad agency Young & Rubicam as an entry for the CLIO awards for the Reporter Magazine (Magazín Reportér) from the Czech Republic in the year 2018. The image that has gone viral also contain some modification, in an attempt to hide its origin. In the original image, the woman was actually shown holding a copy of the Reporter magazine, which was replaced with a book with a blank red cover in the image shared with the wrong claim. However, the rest of the image was kept unchanged, including the face of the woman.

The original image submitted for CLIO awards in 2018

Young & Rubicam had created three images as part of the campaign titled ‘Changing Your Perspective’, and this image was titled ‘Questioning Radicalism’. The other two entries were ‘Questioning Neo-Nazism’ and ‘Questioning War’, which had the same theme in different situations.

All three images were photographs, with some digital retouching.

On the other hand, Shamsia Hassani is a graffiti artist, and she has actually created artworks related to the Taliban invasion of Afghanistan and women. She is Afghanistan’s first female graffiti and street artist, and is known for a bold representation of women’s rights in her art. On August 10, less than a week before the fall of Kabul, she had published a graffiti titles ‘nightmare’ showing a woman holding a musical instrument surrounded by men with weapons.

On August 15, the day the Taliban captured Kabul, she created an image showing a woman holding a flower pot in front of an armed man.

Three days later, she posted ‘Death to darkness’, showing that now the flower pot has been knocked to the ground, and the woman is crying on her knees in front of the Talib. In both the images, the woman was dressed in radiant blue, while everything else, including the armed man, were black, showing the extreme contrast of hope with fear and despair.

She has created several graffiti since the arrival of the Taliban in Kabul, and on September 1, she made one depicting the painful migration of Afghans from their motherland to save their lives.

While Shamsia Hassani continues to post bold images, her current location is unknown. Her manager has said that she is in a safe location.

Avijit’s dog refuses to leave him: Images from the last rites of late BJP Worker Avijit Sarkar surface on Twitter

Images from the last rites of BJP worker Avijit Sarkar, who was brutally murdered by the TMC goons during post-poll violence, were shared on the social media platform Twitter on Sunday. A dog was also seen in the pictures, the pet dog of Avijit which he had referred to in his video before his death.

According to Bengal BJP worker Pratyush Singh, the dog refuses to leave the site of the last rites of Avijit Sarkar.

On May 2, BJP worker Avijit Sarkar took to Facebook to narrate the violence that he was subjected to by the TMC goons. The video got uploaded just hours before he was lynched to death by the miscreants. “I don’t know how to come live (on Facebook). They hurled bombs right in front of my eyes and vandalized my house and the party office. My only mistake is that I am a BJP worker,” he said in the video.

Then he also pointed towards his dog and lamented, “I had brought her from Sealdah. She had given birth to some puppies. They slaughtered the puppies mercilessly.” The BJP worker had broken down into tears and said that the attack took place in Ward no. 30 in the Beleghata neighbourhood in Kolkata under the supervision of TMC leaders Paresh Paul and Swapan Samandar. Sarkar recounted that his puppies were also hacked to death by the accused.

Later, Avijit Sarkar was dragged outside of his home, brutally assaulted, and strangled with a cable TV wire. His dead body was discovered at some distance from his house.

Unholy Nexus: Read how the Vatican snubbed the West, ignored the persecution of Christians to forge a deal with China

On Wednesday (September 8), a new Bishop was ordained in the Wuhan diocese in the Hubei province of China, following the approval of the Communist Party of China (CCP) and the Vatican. The development came 14 years after the death of the last Bishop in May 2007, amidst the renewed deal between China and the Catholic Church.

The new Bishop, Father Francis Cui Qingqi, was elected in September 2020 to head the diocese by the local church in Wuhan. He was then appointed by Pope Francis as the new Bishop in June this year. On Wednesday, Francis Cui was consecrated into the diocese at the St Joseph Cathedral in Wuhan. The development was confirmed by Matteo Bruni, who heads the Vatican press office. Bruni remarked, “It is the sixth Chinese bishop to be named and ordained within the normative framework of the provisional accord on the appointment of bishops in China.”

The post had been lying vacant in the Wuhan diocese since May 2007, following the death of the then Bishop Bernardine Dong Guangqing in May 2007. Francis Cui was born in the Shanxi province in 1964 and ordained as a priest in 1991. He was later appointed as the administrator and parish priest of the Wuhan diocese in December 2012. The new Bishop also held the post of the Deputy Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China from 2016 onwards. The Sino-Vatican deal has so far paved the path for the consecration of four Bishops since October 2018.

The Sino-Vatican deal and support extended by Pope Francis

Pope Francis has been unapologetic about his communication and ‘secret deal’ with the Chinese government. Earlier this month, he spoke to Spanish radio COPE and emphasised the need for a bilateral dialogue. “China is not easy, but I am convinced that we should not give up dialogue…You can be deceived in dialogue, you can make mistakes, all that … but it is the way. Closed-mindedness is never the way,” Pope Francis had stated.

“What has been achieved so far in China was at least dialogue … some concrete things like the appointment of new bishops, slowly … but these are also steps that can be questionable,” the head of the Catholic church said. He had applauded the steps undertaken by the Vatican by drawing parallels with the ‘dialogue’ initiated by diplomat Cardinal Agostino Casaroli with Eastern European counties during the Cold War.

The efforts of Casaroli, during the administration of 3 different Popes, paved the way for freedom of Churches in the Soviet Bloc. It is said that the Sino-Vatican deal of 2018 initially fell apart but was renewed last year. Reportedly, its provisions empower the Vatican Pope to appoint and veto Bishops nominated by the CPC.

Criticism by Western government, Vatican’s demand for apology and its dark past

The former US President Donald Trump had earlier criticised the Vatican’s decision to forge a deal with the Chinese government. He had opined that such a decision undermined the ‘moral authority’ of the Pope. The Head of the Catholic Church was also criticised by conservative Christian groups. However, the Vatican remained firm in their resolute, giving way to a diplomatic crisis with the West.

In August this year, Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin made it clear that the West has to apologise to Pope Francis over their criticism of his policy. Contrary to the wishes of the Western countries, the Vatican has continued to engage with their arch-rival China at a bilateral level. “We are always in dialogue…The Covid pandemic had made meetings more difficult. “However we hope to be able to resume the meetings as soon as possible,” he emphasised.

Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who is now facing charges for sexual abuse, had claimed in 2016 that there were similarities between the Pope and the Chinese Premier Xi Jinping. He claimed that the similarities would be a ‘special gift’ to the world.” I see a lot of things happening that would really open many doors because President Xi and his government are concerned about things that Pope Francis is concerned about,” he added. Critics of Pope Francis have stated that the Vatican has chosen to remain on the wrong side of history yet again.

In July 1933, the Vatican had forged a deal with the newly emerging Nazi government in Germany. The treaty was dubbed as ‘Reichskonkordat‘ or a ‘concordat between the Holy See and the German Reich’.Four years later, the Vatican under Pope Pius XI tried to distance itself from the Nazi regime for racism and discrimination against the Jews. However, the reputation of the Catholic Church took a major blow. Speculations are now rife about the Vatican treading the forbidden road yet again.

Anti-Christian policies of China and the price paid by the Vatican

In a bid to push the Sino-Vatican deal, Pope Francis has not only upset the Western governments but deliberately chose to ignore the ill-treatment of Christians under the Communist Party of China. In July last year, Daily Mail had reported how Chinese authorities had ordered Christians to renounce their faith and replace the crosses, images of Jesus in churches with portraits of Chairman Mao and President Xi Jinping or risk losing welfare benefits. Chinese officials had demolished religious symbols by force in churches in multiple provinces, including Anhui, Jiangsu, Hebei and Zhejiang.

It was also reported that the CPC forcefully removed more than two thousand crosses from churches across China as part of a government campaign to regulate “excessive religious sites”. It had pulled down crosses atop of churches across the country as part of its post-coronavirus crusade against Christianity. The campaign was reportedly aimed at eradicating the Christian landscape and its symbols from China.

A blogger priest, Father Shanren Shenfu had said that silence in the face of the destruction of crosses is part of the price to pay for the Vatican’s agreement with the CCP on the appointment of bishops in the country. “Now when a cross is removed, Christians must be calm and smile,” said Father Shenfu. He added, “Accepting the removal of the crosses as an everyday event, therefore, seems to be the only great contribution that the Chinese Catholic faithful and all the people of God can make to the continuation of the [Sino-Vatican] Agreement.” The priest said if anyone was angry about the destruction, he would be considered a criminal.

“Mukhiya to ek hi hota hai”: Says javelin thrower Sandeep Chaudhary to PM Modi during PM’s interaction with Para-athletes

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Para-athlete Sandeep Chaudhary spoke with PM Narendra Modi during the recent meeting between the Prime Minister and the Para-athletes after a historic campaign at the Tokyo Paralympics. After India’s recent success in both the Olympics and Paralympics, several athletes have acknowledged the emphasis given by the govt on the development of sports. Several of them have credited their success to various sports development programs by the govt, and today javelin thrower Sandeep Chaudhary also reiterated the same point and said that PM Modi gave them strong leadership.

Chaudhary said, ‘It is impossible that a household with a strong leader will not move towards prosperity, I relate this to you Sir, and that the leader of our Country is of that kind that it feels like somebody will always stand behind us no matter what and it encourage us to face anybody’. At this, when PM Modi pointed out that there were also 130 crores Indians who were rooting for the Para-athletes, he replied, ‘But only one is the Leader’.

He also praised PM Modi’s style of thinking and way of moving forward by including each and everyone in the vision for the country.

The para-athlete said that PM Modi can’t be praised enough, and said he learnt a lot about positive thinking from the PM. He said that PM taught him how one can move forward keeping aside the negative attitudes.

Sandeep Chaudhary competed in the Men’s javelin throw F64 category in the Tokyo Paralympics held recently. He ranked fourth in the competition missing out on the bronze medal. Sumit Antil, a fellow Indian Paralympian won the gold medal in the F64 category.

It was India’s best-ever performance at the Paralympics which consisted of 19 medals – five gold, eight silver, and six bronze. Previously, India had won 12 medals in all the previous Paralympics combined.

Yogi Adityanath government clears 84% of the dues to sugarcane farmers in Uttar Pradesh

For the farmers of Uttar Pradesh, there is good news as the Uttar Pradesh government headed by Yogi Adityanath has cleared 84 per cent dues of around 45 lakh sugarcane farmers.

“This is the highest and fastest ever payment made in a session in the history of the last 50 years in Uttar Pradesh”, additional chief secretary of cane development department Sanjay R. Bhoosreddy has informed.

According to the cane development department of Uttar Pradesh, in the last four years around Rs 1,42,650 crore has been released for the payment, meaning farmers have received Rs 3,200 per quintal.

The BJP ruled Uttar Pradesh in the past few years has shown upward trends in terms of sugar production.  During the cane crushing season from October 2020 till July 2021, there were 120 functional sugar mills. These sugar mills had procured 1,028 lakh tons of sugarcane worth Rs 33,025 crore. And against the target dues worth Rs 27,465 crore have been cleared.  Out of 120 mills, as many as 53 mills have cleared entire dues.

The additional chief secretary informed that the chief minister Yogi Adityanath has given instruction to clear the remaining payment of Rs 5,560 crore early and on a priority basis.

The payment of the recent amount may not be a big issue as sugar mills have sufficient stocks of sugar. This record payment is not a mean achievement since there is a steady decline in the institutional procurement of sugar.

But this was made possible as the Yogi government has initiated several reforms to boost sugarcane farmers and the sugar industry like molasses policy to pave the way for the tagging of sale of ethanol and molasses.

The policy approved by the Yogi cabinet in October 2020 is aimed to enable the state to keep a tab on the sale of ethanol so that its proceeds also reach farmers.

Besides, the government has also tagged bagasse and press mud for the cane price payment. In 2017 the Yogi government had formed an Escrow Account jointly operated by mill owners and the cane department.

‘Before 2017, those who say Abba jaan used to usurp the rations meant for the poor’: Yogi Adityanath

Yogi Adityanath in an address at Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh took a jibe at opposition parties for engaging in appeasement politics in the state. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh said that during previous governments, the ration used to be usurped by those who say ‘Abba jaan’.

Yogi Adityanath said that earlier, Indian politics was mired in the cesspit of casteism and dynasty politics but Narendra Modi has altered the direction of politics to focus on the poor and development. He said, “When appeasement politics was prevalent, development was absent. There were riots, there was corruption, there was anarchy, there was terrorism, there were atrocities, there was injustice but today, there is Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and with that, there is Sabka Vishwas.”

He then proceeded to ask the gathering whether they received rations before 2017. When the crowd answered no, he said, “…because then, those who say ‘abba jaan’ used to usurp the rations. Then Kushinagar’s ration used to go to Nepal, Bangladesh but today, if someone tries to usurp the ration of the poor, he will not be able to do so but will surely land in jail.”

On Sunday, Yogi Adityanath also slammed the Samajwadi Party for harbouring a Talibani mindset. Yogi Adityanath said, “People of the state should not tolerate the pro-Taliban casteist-dynastic mentality that shoots at Ram Bhakts.” “Remember, wherever a scorpion is, it will bite,” he added.

Christians burn effigy of Anshul Saxena in Jalandhar for his complaint against pastor, demands strict police action

It seems activist Anshul Saxena has really riled up Christian Evangelists by filing complaints against illegal activists by pastors. Apart from threatening with legal action for getting NCPCR to seek action against a Pastor named Prophet Bajinder Singh for using a minor boy in conversion activities, they also organised demonstrations against him and burnt his effigy in Jalandhar.

In a video posted on YouTube by Masih Pariwar Channel on 6 September, a large number of Christians were seeing protesting and sloganeering against Anshul Saxena in Jalandhar in Punjab. Several persons delivered speeches during the protests, where they accused Anshul of disrespecting their religion by posting ‘videos’ and ‘cartoons’ regarding pastors. They shouted ‘Anshul Saxena Murdabad’, and demanded strict legal action against him, alleging that he has made fun of the Christian brotherhood through his videos posted on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Amid the chants of ‘Anshul Saxena Murdabad’ and ‘Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah…’, the protestors burnt an effigy with photos of Anshul pasted on it. After the burnt effigy fell the ground, the frenzied men and women started to beat it with their footwear, shouting ‘hai hai hai’.

The report by Masih Pariwar channel also informed that a police complaint has already been filed against Anshul Saxena by the Christians. The report includes a photograph showing the protesters submitting a complaint against Anshul. The protesters have demanded action against the activist, and have threatened to intensify protests if their demands are not made.

Anshul has become the target of Christian Evangelists after NCPCR sought action against Prophet Bajinder Singh on his complaint. He had complained about an old video where Bajinder Singh was seen using a minor boy in his proselyting activities. However, recently, the mother of the boy released a video, accusing Anshul of defaming her minor child, and claimed that her mute daughter actually started speaking after ‘miracle healing’ by the pastor on stage in front of public. It was widely speculated that the pastor was behind the video, because Anshul was targeting him, not the child. He in fact had considered the boy as a victim.

Yesterday, Saxena released a statement saying he was being targeted by the powerful missionary ecosystem for flagging the issue. He wrote that he checked the video that the minor boy’s mother had released. According to him, the tape included at least six cuts, indicating that the mother was being pressured to say whatever she did.

Anshul Saxena added that he is now being targeted by the missionary, which may pursue a legal case against him.

26 illegal Burmese nationals arrested in Guwahati, number of refugees escaping violence in Myanmar reach around 11000 in Mizoram

Assam Guwahati police apprehended 26 illegal Myanmar Nationals after a raid was conducted at a hotel in the AK Azad Road in the Rehabari locality on Sunday.

According to a Guwahati Plus report, Paltan Bazar police in Guwahati arrested 26 illegal Burmese Nationals after carrying out raids in a hotel located in the AK Azad Road, Rehabari. The arrested persons included 16 male and 10 female Myanmar nationals.

Officer-in-Charge D Phukan said, “We were responding to an intelligence input”. He further added that they are investigating the matter to ascertain further linkages in the case. According to the police, the FIR done in this case suggests the arrested Myanmar Nationals also forged Indian documents so as to be recognized as Indians.

The 26 Myanmar nationals were found in Guwahati at a time when the number of refugees from Myanmar entering Mizoram is surging. A large number of civilians from the neighbouring country has crossed the border and taken shelter in India to escape brutal attacks by the Military in the Junta ruled country.

Just yesterday, militant groups in Myanmar had launched an attack on the Myanmar Army base camp at Lungler located just opposite of the Thingsai village in Mizoram. After that, more than a hundred Burmese civilians fled across the border to Mizoram. There has been a rise of insurgency in Myanmar with various militant forces and rebel groups mobilizing after the removal of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government by the military, and the country is in political chaos now.

According to reports, the number of people from Myanmar taking shelter in Mizoram after the coup has gone up to around 11,000, including about 20 legislators. Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana said that if the attacks and counter-attacks by the Myanmar military and the opposition forces continue, more people are likely to come into Mizoram for shelter.

Most of the refugees from Myanmar have been provided makeshift shelters by various local NGOs, while several others are living with their relatives in India. NGOs and local people are providing the refugees with food, medicines and other basic necessities on humanitarian grounds. However, the district administrations are unable to help them formally, as they are yet to be granted refugee status by the government.

A majority of people from Myanmar who have taken shelter in Mizoram belong to the Chin community, also known as the Zo community, who share the same ancestry, ethnicity and culture as the Mizos of Mizoram.