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Here are 12 instances when the leftist media fanned fear against vaccines just before the second Covid wave

Jinit Jain
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Here are 12 instances when the leftist media fanned fear against vaccines just before the second Covid wave

India is currently grappling with the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak. While the overall trends suggest that the peak is behind us and India is on its path to recovery, the central and the state governments are nevertheless continuing to augment their capacities in terms of increasing beds, oxygen supply and key antiviral drugs, in a bid to prepare for the subsequent bouts of the coronavirus outbreak.

One of the key measures taken by the governments now is aggressively carrying out vaccination drives. The central government has put curbs on the exports of the COVID-19 vaccines and allowed states to procure vaccines directly from the makers.

Although India has been the fastest country in the world to jab 17 crore people and its vaccination rate is fairly impressive, it was initially marred with low turnouts, as people suspicious of the ill effects refrained from getting jabbed. Observers claim that the initial vaccine hesitancy among Indians, along with the general complacency, may have played a huge factor in the spread of the ferocious second wave of the coronavirus outbreak.

India started its ambitious vaccination drive in a phased manner starting 16 January 2021. However, the vaccine hesitancy among people was then aggravated by several politicians and media outlets, particularly left-leaning portals, who started casting aspersions on the efficacy and safety of India’s COVID-19 vaccines.

Earlier this year, several left-leaning media websites attempted to throw a spanner in the works by building a narrative against India’s vaccination drive. The run up to the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak was replete with incidents when the left-leaning portals left no stone unturned to sabotage India’s vaccination programme. From questioning the legitimacy of the trial data released by the vaccine companies to raising unfounded fears about the approvals granted for the use of vaccines, the leftist portals published umpteen articles and employed every trick in their playbook to derail India’s inoculation campaign.

Here are 12 such instances that exhibit how the left-leaning online portals had indulged in promoting vaccine hesitancy in the months leading to the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak in India:-

1. The Print casts aspersions on the approval process for Covishield and Covaxin

In January 2021, when the Drugs Controller General of India approved the emergency use of indigenously made COVID-19 vaccines—Covishield and Covaxin, the Print published an article raising questions on the regulatory system of India that approved the vaccines. It stated that regulatory pitfalls of the Indian system helped Covishield and Covaxin get rapid approval, insinuating that the vaccines were not safe enough to be passed by the regulatory body.

Source: The Print

2. Article in The Print calls covaxin’s approval a ‘political jumla’

In another article published on the Print, the author of the article likened the DCGI’s approval of Bharat Biotech’s vaccine Covaxin to a ‘political jumla’. Not only did the article raised doubts over the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, it also said that Covaxin was approved for the express purpose of reinforcing PM Modi’s push for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’—a clarion call PM Modi had given in the wake of disruption caused by the lockdowns during the coronavirus crisis in 2020.

Source: The Print

3. The print propagates apprehensions about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines

At the time when India was gearing up to launch world’s largest vaccination drive, the Print published another article that served to perpetuate vaccine hesitancy. Titled as “Lack of data, doubts over trials and vaccine quality—India’s dangerous recovery cocktail”, the article painted a grim picture about India’s vaccination drive. It promoted skepticism around the clinical trials, efficacy and quality of the vaccines approved by the Indian Drugs Controller.

Source: The Print

4. Even doctors hesitant to take Covaxin: The Print

In another article published on The Print, the headlines insinuated that even doctors were having doubts over the efficacy of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. It said that hesitancy continues over Covaxin but doctors are still taking the shots because ‘vaccination is the only way out’. It is interesting to note that in the body of the article, The Print mentions that many doctors dismissed the suspicions around Covaxin’s efficacy, but it was not mentioned in the headlines.

Source: The Print

5. The Print questions approval granted to Covaxin by the regulatory committee

In the article titled ‘This is how Bharat Biotech changed expert panel’s mind on Covaxin in a day and got approval’, The Print attempted to allude that the Bharat Biotech’s vaccine was given a hasty approval. It asserted that a day before Covaxin was granted approval for the emergency use of the vaccine, the regulatory committee was not convinced about approving the vaccine.

Source: The Print

The article mentions that the approval was granted by the committee only after Bharat Biotech presented the updated data, justification and requested for consideration of their proposal in the wake of the incidence of new mutated coronavirus infection. However, the headline was conveniently twisted to give an impression that the approval of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin was suspicious.

6. The Wire publishes article saying approval of two vaccines tarnished Indian Science

Leftist propaganda site The Wire too published articles that played a part in promoting vaccine hesitancy. Casting doubts over which the vaccines were approved, and by extension questioning the efficacy of the vaccines, The Wire published an article whose headline read: “India has gained two vaccines but its regulators have tarnished Indian Science”.

Source: The Wire

The article was a subtle attempt to question the efficacy of vaccines by doubting the methodology used by the regulatory body to grant the approval. The article argued that none of the two—Covishield and Covaxin—have presented the requisite data needed for approval and yet they were permitted for emergency usage by the Drugs Controller General of India.

7. Article published in The Wire fuels skepticism about the Covaxin’s trial data

After outraging over lack of clinical data, when the information was finally provided by the vaccine manufacturers, The Wire proceeded to sow distrust about the data. In an article it said that Covaxin trial’s info sheet did not mention two rare but known risks. This was yet another attempt by the Wire to discredit the indigenously made vaccine and perpetuate vaccine hesitancy among people.

Source: The Wire

8. The Wire likens India with China to undermine the indigenously vaccines

In questioning the efficacy of the vaccines approved by India, The Wire went a step further from other left portals and compared India’s transparent vaccine approvals with the opaque Chinese system. The article titled ‘Does India Want To Go China’s Way – Where Many Vaccines Exist, but Trust Doesn’t?’ continued fear-mongering about the safety and the efficacy of India’s vaccines, raising questions over their approvals and drawing a parallel with the Chinese system, where doubts over the vaccines and their approvals run abound.

Source: The Wire

9. Leftist rag The Wire calls into question the data of India’s COVID vaccines

The Wire’s scare-mongering over the efficacy of the vaccines ran for weeks after their approval, until the second wave of the pandemic hit India and the Wire trained its guns to attack the government over vaccine production. The vaccines were approved in the first week of January 2021. But even in mid-February, The Wire was persisting with its propaganda against the ‘Made-In India’ vaccines. In an article published on February 19, the Wire stated that efficacy data was still lacking for India’s COVID vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Source: The Wire

10. The Wire casts doubts over India’s vaccination drive

The Wire also raised doubts over India’s vaccination drive. In an article titled ‘Despite mounting disputes, Government presses ahead with vaccine roll out’, the Wire essentially contended that there were no consensus on the vaccination drive and yet the government persisted with it. In essence, the Wire insinuated that the vaccination drive should have been delayed till the time all the disputes are ironed out. Ironically, the same portal is now questioning the Indian government on why it did not expedite the vaccination programme.

Source: The Wire

11. Scroll whips up fear about India’s decision to approve covid-19 vaccines

Another left leaning portal Scroll.in contributed immensely in promoting and spreading vaccine hesitancy. Days after India approved the emergency use of two indigenously made coronavirus vaccine, the Scroll published an article to undermine India’s vaccination drive, stating that India is playing with fire, in a rush to declare ‘Atmanirbhar vaccine’.

Source: The Scroll

The article painted a dystopian picture, alleging that the “opaque approval process” of the vaccine and India’s rush to get its population vaccinated against COVID-19 could result in unintended consequences. What such articles do is that they stoke feelings of vaccine hesitancy by creating fear in the minds of readers, who then propagate falsehoods about the vaccines to others and amplify the skepticism. It fuels apprehensions among people that the vaccines may have been approved through a murky process and would possibly cause harmful effects.

12. Scroll discredits Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, raises question over its usage despite the availability of cheaper option

In another instance, an article published a day before India began its vaccination drive argued that India should not have bought an “untested vaccine” when a cheaper option with better safety data is available. This was in reference to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, which the article claimed was not adequately tested and was more expensive than its counterpart Covishield, which is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.

Source: The Scroll

After creating fear psychosis against vaccines, leftist portals pivot to attack the government on the speed of vaccination drive

As the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak hit India, these very portals unabashedly made an about-face, holding forth the government on not accelerating the vaccine production enough to rapidly inoculate India’s vast population. In the months leading to the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak, these portals went into overdrive to undermine India’s vaccination drive. They raised doubts over the efficacy of the vaccines, fuelled misgivings about the vaccine trials, stoked fears about the unfounded side-effects of taking the vaccines.

When the resurgent wave of the coronavirus reared its ugly head in late March 2021, they pivoted from spreading suspicions about the vaccines to attacking the central government for not swiftly scaling up the vaccine production. The modus operandi is pretty straight forward—keep attacking the central government even if that means presiding over many contradictions and glaring hypocrisies. As long as their express purpose of portraying negativity against the Modi government is served, they don’t mind imperilling the lives of people through spreading vaccine hesitancy and then using their deaths to rail against the government.

Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ Air Defence System: What is it and how does it work

Shashank Bharadwaj
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Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ Air Defence System: What is it and how does it work

The clashes between Israel and pro-Palestine terrorist groups over territorial-control issues have now ignited a fresh wave of violence and low-scale war in the perennial battleground of the Middle East. The decision of Israel to evict illegal Palestinians from Sheikh Jarah in East Jerusalem have now given rise to fresh escalations of tensions between Israel and Palestine, resulting in large scale violence and attacks.

With the entry of the Islamic terror group Hamas, the clashes between the two sides have now taken an ugly turn. The terror group has resorted to unleashing a massive attack against Israel. The terror outfit Hamas has escalated its attack on Israeli civilians by launching hundreds of rockets.

More than 30 Israelis have been killed in the attack after Hamas launched indiscriminate rockets from the Gaza Strip. In response to the rocket attacks, the Israel Defence Forces have struck some 140 targets in the coastal enclave against Hamas. Israel has also stepped up its attacks on the Palestinian terror group Hamas inside Gaza Strip.

The Israel Defence Forces have carried also out airstrikes on targets in Gaza in response to continued attacks by Hamas against Israel. During the retaliatory strikes on Tuesday, several high-profile Hamas terrorists are said to have been killed. However, Hamas is no mood to stop their rocket attacks on Israel.

To counter the low-cost warfare initiated by Hamas, the Israel Defence Forces has now activated its state-of-art air defence system – ‘Iron Dome’ to protect its civilian population from the rocket attacks. Deploying its Iron Dome, the IDF has been successful in intercepting the continuous barrage of rockets targetting Tel Aviv and central Israel.

Here is an explainer on the Israeli air defence network ‘Iron Dome’ and how it intercepts the incoming threats.

What is Iron Dome?

Israel’s Iron Dome is an air defence system developed by the Israeli firms Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, with support from the United States.

It is an air defence system deployed by Israel to intercept and destroy short-range rockets, artillery shells and mortars fired from distances of up to 70 kilometres, to protect the Israeli population from rampant attacks by Palestinian terrorist groups. The Iron Dome is designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery that are fired by the Islamic terror group Hamas from Gaza and other surrounding areas.

How does the system work?

The all-weather Iron Dome relies on a system of radar and analysis to determine whether an incoming rocket is a threat and takes the appropriate response to fire an interceptor to destroy the incoming rocket. The interceptor missiles intercept those rockets that are launched to target the civilian population inside Israel.

It is a three-central component consisting of interceptor batteries that shoot rockets out of the sky, a radar that tracks the rocket as it is fired across the border into Israel, and then advanced software that predicts the rocket’s trajectory.

The information picked by the system is then used to guide Tamir interceptor missiles, which are fired vertically either from mobile units or a static launch site to detonate the incoming rocket in the air, producing explosions in the sky.

The infographic of the working of high-tech Iron Dome Air Defence System/ Image Source: Voice of America

How long has Israel been using it?

Iron Dome was first commissioned by the Israel Defence Forces in March 2011 and made its first successful intervention the subsequent month when it intercepted a Grad rocket fired from Gaza. Israel initiated its air-defence program after its war with Lebanon’s Hezbollah in 2006, when 4,000 rockets rained down on northern Israel, killing 44.

Every time Israel launches its Tamir missile to intercept rockets from Gaza, it incurs a cost of around $95,000 (Rs 70 lakhs). Due to the higher costs, Israel usually uses them only against rockets destined for residential areas, rather than those headed for open ground.

In fact, the cost of rebuilding infrastructure damaged by rockets is much cheaper than using the Iron Dome. However, with civilian lives in question, Israel has been continuously using the Iron Dome system to protect its population from rocket attacks. Reportedly, the US has partly-funded the system, pledging $429m (£303m) towards the programme.

Iron Dome – an effective air-defence system

The Iron Dome air defence system is considered one of the world’s most advanced, with a reported success rate of more than 90%.

According to experts, the commissioning of the Iron Dome has changed life for many Israelis during recent conflicts, as it now allows IDF to intercept rockets fired from Gaza with more certainty. Hence a sense of normality has returned in southern parts of the country, the region that receives a maximum number of rocket strikes. A decade later after its commissioning, the Iron Dome has thwarted thousands of rocket attacks launched by the Palestinian terrorists from Gaza.

However, some rockets fired from Gaza have made it through and resulted in deaths in Israel due to the sustained rocket launches by Hamas.

In addition to their land-based deployment, Israel Defence Forces are looking forward to deploying the Iron Dome batteries on its naval systems. The IDF has deployed the air-defence systems on its Sa’ar 6-class corvettes to protect off-shore gas platforms in conjunction with Israel’s Barak 8 missile system.

In addition, the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries are working on a multi-tiered missile defence system and long-range air defence systems with the integration of  Arrow 2, Arrow 3, Iron Beam, Barak 8 and David’s Sling anti-missile systems.

While the Iron Dome protects civilian populations against short-range rockets fired by Hamas, usually Qassams and Katyushas, The Arrow system works to take out long-range missiles targeted against Israel. It is being developed especially to counter the Scud missiles from Syria and the Shihab missiles from Iran.

David’s Sling, currently under development, is designed to intercept medium range ballistic weapons and highly accurate missiles.

‘No commode’ claims Pappu Yadav who is in jail for flouting COVID norms, complaints of mosquitoes biting him all night

OpIndia Staff
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‘No commode’ claims Pappu Yadav who is in jail for flouting COVID norms, complaints of mosquitoes biting him all night

Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik) chief Pappu Yadav, who is currently lodged in Virpur jail for flouting COVID norms, took to Twitter on Wednesday to claim that he will expose all the ‘mafia’ around Chinese coronavirus.

In a tweet, Yadav claimed that he is on a hunger strike in Virpur jail. “No water, no washroom. There has been an operation on my leg, I cannot sit down. There is no commode either,” he tweeted at around 10 AM today. He added that his only crime was that he tried to help COVID positive patients, save them while ‘exposing’ medicine mafia, hospital mafia and ambulance mafia. He added that he will continue to fight.

As per reports, he also said he was bitten by mosquitoes through the night.

Pappu Yadav alias Rajesh Ranjan has been member of Rashtriya Janata Dal where he was expelled in 2015 for ‘anti party activities after which he launched Jan Adhikar Party. He has also been member of Samajwadi Party and Lok Janshakti Party. He has been elected as Member of Parliament several times from various parties.

Meanwhile, fearing that Pappu Yadav might become more popular and become a hero-like figure, RJD leaders are condemning this as ‘drama’. It is because of this fear that neither Tejashwi Yadav nor his father Lalu Prasad Yadav have condemned Pappu Yadav’s arrest. As per DSP Town Suresh Prasad, Pappu Yadav was arrested for violating lockdown and roaming about in a car without permit.

Israeli forces kill Islamic Jihad and Hamas leaders in targeted strikes amid increased tension between Israel and Palestine

OpIndia Staff
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Israeli forces kill Islamic Jihad and Hamas leaders in targeted strikes amid increased tension between Israel and Palestine

On May 12, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced that they have neutralized two top Hamas leaders in a targeted strike on Tuesday. The targets are identified as Hassan Kaogi, head of the Hamas military intelligence security department and Wail Issa, his deputy. In a tweet, IDF said, “Our fighter jets, with the ISA, neutralized key figures of Hamas’ intelligence: Hassan Kaogi, head of the Hamas military intelligence security department & his deputy Wail Issa, head of the military intelligence counterespionage department.” The IDF added, “Looks like our intel was better.”

Issa was said to be the brother of Marwas Issa, deputy commander of the Hamas military wing. Hassan and Issa were said to be responsible for rocket attacks on Israel. IDF also eliminated three additional senior Hamas officials identified as Bassam Issa, the Gaza Brigade commander, Rafa Salama, the Khan Younis Brigade commander and Mohammed Yazouri, the chief of Hamas intelligence.

Apart from Hamas leaders, three Islamic Jihad terrorists were killed were also killed in IDF strikes, which included Samah Abed al-Mamlouk, a Jihadi Islamist terrorist and Hassan Abu al-Ata, deputy commander of Islamic Jihad’s Gaza Brigade. According to Gaza-based Palestinian media, several others were injured in the attack. “An attack was carried out on a hiding place in which senior members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s rocket apparatus were staying,” the Israeli military said.

“Those who were eliminated were responsible for rocket fire by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, including in the most recent round of escalation,” they added.

What is happening in Israel?

The long-standing territorial-control issues between Israel and the pro-Palestinian forces have once again escalated, resulting in large-scale violence and attacks. Reports suggest that the fresh violence in the region took place after the eviction of illegal Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in east Jerusalem.

Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have escalated very high in Jerusalem for the last several days, with thousands of Palestinians clashing violently with Israeli forces at the Temple Mount. The holy site is deeply revered by both Muslims and Jews. Reportedly, over 800 Palestinians and more than 30 police officers were wounded in the clashes.

Bombay HC orders Maharashtra govt to approve transfer of vaccine plant to Bharat Biotech after forest dept blocked the deal

OpIndia Staff
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Bombay HC orders Maharashtra govt to approve transfer of vaccine plant to Bharat Biotech after forest dept blocked the deal

On Tuesday, the Bombay High Court permitted Biovet Private Limited, an associate company of Bharat Biotech, to take possession of a fully operational and ready-to-use vaccine manufacturing plant in Pune to produce Covaxin, the indigenous vaccine against Covid-19. Biovet has purchased the plant from its previous owner, but the forest department was not allowing the transfer citing irregularities.

The unit on the 12-hectare plot was being used by Intervet India Pvt Ltd (a subsidiary of Merck & Co.) to manufacture vaccines for Foot and Mouth Disease. The land was granted for the manufacturing unit in 1973.

Subsequently, Biovet had purchased the unit along with the plot of land from Intervet to manufacture vaccines, however, when Biovet approached the government for approval of the transfer of the plant, the deputy conservator of forests (Pune division) intervened saying it was a reserved forest and the initial 1973 grant itself was problematic. 

Biovet then had to approach the High Court to challenge the refusal of the govt to approve the transfer of the plant, and in an interim application, sought direction to the government to grant it licences and permissions to initiate manufacturing of Covaxin and vaccine for Foot and Mouth Disease.

A division bench comprising Justices KK Tated and N R Borkar on May 6 heard the application filed by Karnataka’s Biovet Private Limited seeking direction to the Maharashtra government to hand over possession of the manufacturing unit. 

Considering the COVID-19 situation, the HC declared, “The respondent (state government) is directed to grant appropriate licences/permissions/NOCs to the applicant (Biovet) in a time-bound manner to enable manufacture of the Food and Mouth Disease vaccine, Covaxin and other life-saving vaccines.”

“Considering the present position of Covid-19 and as the Applicants are ready and willing to start manufacturing activities without prejudice to the rights and contentions of both the parties in writ petition proceeding and considering the undertaking given by the Applicants by their affidavit-cum-undertaking dated April 30, 2021, and as the Learned Advocate General has no objection to allow the present interim application, we are satisfied that the Applicants have made out a case for allowing this Interim Application,” the court added.

RD Soni, who appeared for Biovet, had argued that the unit and machinery was lying idle due to a delay in handing over possession of the land.

Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni told the court that the Maharashtra government had no objection if the company used the unit for manufacturing life-saving vaccines, including Covaxin. However, he warned that the company should not claim any right, title and interest in future.

Soni assured the court that the company would not claim any equity in respect to the land in question, in case that was the cause of hesitancy in approving the transfer. 

“The concerned authorities are directed to hand over peaceful possession of the ready-to-use BSL-3 vaccine manufacturing facility,” added HC.

Bharat Biotech ramps up production

To support the largest vaccination drive being carried out by India, Bharat Biotech has ramped up the manufacturing capacity of Covaxin to 700 million doses per annum.

The manufacturing scale-up is happening in a step-wise manner across multiple facilities with newer ones being added to the list.

Congress leader Ali Mehdi wishes the destruction of Israel hours after terror outfit Hamas launches massive air strikes against Jewish nation

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leader Ali Mehdi wishes the destruction of Israel hours after terror outfit Hamas launches massive air strikes against Jewish nation

As the Israel-Palestine conflict flares up yet again, Delhi Congress VP Ali Mehdi on Wednesday took to Twitter to express his hatred for the Jewish nation. Mehdi foreboded the destruction of Israel, saying that Allah will destroy it.

“Allah will destroy Israel InshaAllah #AllahuAkbar,” Mehdi tweeted.

Source: Twitter

Along with the tweet wishing destruction for Israel, Mehdi attached a picture of a sobbing Arab woman with Al Aqsa mosque in the background.

Tensions between Israel and Palestine escalates as Hamas launches aerial rockets at the Jewish nation

Mehdi’s hateful tweet against Israel comes at a time when the hostilities between the Jewish nation and its nemesis Hamas is at an all-time high, especially after the intense aerial exchanges that started on Tuesday evening and continued well past midnight.

On Tuesday, Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas unleashed massive airstrikes against Israel, firing hundreds of rockets inside the country. The country’s air defence system, popularly known as Iron Dome, intercepted the continuous barrage of rockets targeting Tel Aviv and central Israel Tuesday evening.

Israel, in response, stepped up its attacks on the Palestinian terror group Hamas inside Gaza Strip. The Israel Defence Forces carried out airstrikes on targets in Gaza in response to continued attacks by Hamas against Israel. During the retaliatory strikes on Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike struck a high-rise office and residential building controlled by Hamas.

At least 35 people were killed in Gaza and five in Israel in the most fierce aerial exchanges for years.

The violence is the culmination of weeks of tensions in Jerusalem, with clashes taking place between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in and around the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, a chronic flashpoint in the protracted Israel-Palestine conflict. The mosque is perched on a 35-acre site known by Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary. It is also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount.

Kerala nurse killed after terror group Hamas launches rocket attack in Israel

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala nurse killed after terror group Hamas launches rocket attack in Israel

In a tragic incident, an Indian nurse from Kerala has been killed in a Hamas rocket attack at Ashkelon in Israel.

According to the reports, a 31-year-old caregiver Soumya Santosh, hailing from Idukki, Kerala, was killed in a rocket attack by Palestinian terrorists from the Gaza coastal strip. Soumya Santosh worked as a caregiver to an old woman in the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon.

The Kerala nurse was on the phone with her husband when the rocket hit the apartment she was in. The wheel-chair bound lady who Soumya was taking care of was also killed during the attack. Reportedly, Soumya had lived in Israel for the last ten years in Ashkelon and is survived by a nine-year-old son and husband in Kerala.

“My brother heard a huge sound during the video call. Suddenly the phone got disconnected. Then we immediately contacted fellow Malayalees working there. Thus, we came to know about the incident,” said Saji, brother-in-law of the deceased nurse.

Soumya could not reach the bomb shelter in time

According to the local media network Channel 12, the nearest rocket shelter was a minute away from the spot, but they could not reach it in time. The apartment where the old lady was staying lacked a fortified room.

Ashkelon, a border town near the disputed Gaza Strip, has come under massive fire from Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. At least 32 people have so far been killed after terrorists from Gaza fired more than two hundred rockets towards Israel since Monday evening.

India’s Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan has expressed condemnation against the attacks and expressed grief over Soumya’s demise.

“Spoke with the family of Ms Soumya Santhosh to convey my deep condolences at her tragic demise during the rocket attacks from Gaza today. Assured all possible assistance. We have condemned these attacks and the violence in Jerusalem, and urged restraint by both sides,” he said in a tweet.

Israeli Ambassador to India Ron Malka also condoled the Indian woman’s death.

“On behalf of the state of Israel, I convey heartfelt condolences to the family of Ms Soumya Santosh, murdered by Hamas indiscriminate terror attack on innocent lives. Our hearts are crying with her 9 years old son that lost his mother in this cruel Terrorist attack,” the Israeli Ambassador said in his tweet.

The Israel-Palestine clashes:

The long-standing territorial-control issues between Israel and the pro-Palestinian forces have once again escalated, resulting in large scale violence and attacks. The court ruling of eviction of illegal Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in east Jerusalem has stoked tensions and sparked fresh violence in the region.

Prior to the latest exchange of fire, Israeli police were attacked by Palestinians inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Sunday. The Israel police had come under severe attack by Palestinians, who pelted stones and unleashed heavy attacks on them inside the Al-Aqsa compound. More than 21 officers were wounded after attacks by Palestinians during the attacks on Monday.

Following the Israeli retaliation, the terror outfit Hamas escalated its attack on Israeli civilians by launching hundreds of rockets against Israel. At least five Israelis have been killed after Hamas launched hundreds of rockets from the Gaza Strip. In response to the rocket attacks, the Israeli army has struck some 140 targets in the coastal enclave after Hamas openly joined Palestinian terrorists to intensify the clashes between the two sides.

Israel: Arab mobs set synagogues on fire, mayor says civil-war has erupted in the Jewish-Arab city of Lod

OpIndia Staff
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Israel: Arab mobs set synagogues on fire, mayor says civil-war has erupted in the Jewish-Arab city of Lod

The ongoing conflict between Palestinian supporters and Israel has shaped into a war-like situation with many cities of Israel facing constant rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. 

In a recent update, an intense riot has hit the central-Israel city of Lod, with three synagogues set on fire by the Israeli Arab Muslims. The rioters even attacked the local shops and parked cars setting them all ablaze. The Israeli government has now declared a state of emergency in the mixed Jewish-Arab city and has dispatched several Border Police companies to work to restore law and order. 

A Rabbi inspects the damage inside a torched religious school in the central Israeli city of Lod, near Tel Aviv, on May 11, 2021. (Image Source / AFP)

As per a news channel, some residents reported power cuts in their homes after which petrol bombs were hurled through the windows. A 56 year-old local man sustained serious injuries after being hit by a slab in his car. The police officials confirmed having escorted some residents from a community center to their homes as the Arabs lashed out on the streets of the city.

Not just the residential areas, but even the City Hall and local museums were under attack. The Mayor of the city has compared the growing unrest to the Nazis’ 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom (also called Night of Broken Glass when Nazis attacked Jewish population and properties).

“This is unthinkable. Synagogues are being burned. Hundreds of cars set alight. Hundreds of Arab thugs are roaming the streets… Civil war has erupted in Lod… The Orthodox-nationalist community here has guns. I’m imploring them to go back home but they understandably want to protect their homes. Petrol bombs are being thrown into (Jewish) homes. The situation is incendiary,” said Mayor Revivo in an interview to a local channel.

Emergency imposed in Lod

The Mayor had to appeal to the Prime Minister for urgent help after which an emergency was imposed after several decades to bring the situation under control. 

“Prime Minister Netanyahu directed that lawbreakers be dealt with severely and that units on the ground be reinforced in order to restore quiet and order to the city forthwith,” said a government official in a statement. 

The National Police Commissioner of the city too called the situation unprecedented. “We are seeing a situation in the mixed (Jewish-Arab) cities that we have never seen before, including the incidents of October 2000,” Kobi Shabtai the commissioner said.

Meanwhile, around 130 rockets have been fired by Hamas at central Israel, with “victory” being claimed by its leader Ismail Haniyeh who says this was “the battle for Jerusalem.”

Visuals from the city

Several media networks as well as the locals took to Twitter to share the gruesome visuals coming out from the city of Lod.

Kan News shared visuals of a restaurant in the old city that was set on fire.

Yedioth Ahronoth an Israeli national daily newspaper shared videos of parked cars set ablaze in the city of Lod.

A local shared visuals of Arab rioters marauding the streets of the city setting everything on fire.

Another resident saying “situation in Lod is out of control” shared spine chilling videos of an Arab rioter shooting at Israeli police with an automatic weapon.

President Reuven Rivlin had urged Arab Israeli leaders to speak out against the outbursts of violence and restore peace, however, no appeal seems to be working at the moment.

Violence in Israel

Tensions in Jerusalem escalated in recent weeks as Palestinians protested the restrictions imposed by Israel on access to access parts of the Old City during the holy month of Ramzan. 

The Palestinians are also vehemently opposing an order by the authorities which has asked several Palestinian families to vacate their homes and make way for Israeli settlers. Recent incidents of stone-pelting and attacks on police personnel near the Al-Aqsa Mosque had further aggravated the situation.

COVID-19 vaccination: 18 states, including Maharashtra, Delhi and West Bengal getting a direct supply of Covaxin, says Bharat Biotech

OpIndia Staff
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COVID-19 vaccination: 18 states, including Maharashtra, Delhi and West Bengal getting a direct supply of Covaxin, says Bharat Biotech

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech on Tuesday said that 18 Indian states have been directly supplied with its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin. The company also added that it will continue the steady supply of its vaccine in the country’s fight against the pandemic.

“COVAXIN has been directly supplied to 18 states since May 1st. Unflinching in our efforts, we will continue the steady supply of our #vaccine,” Bharat Biotech said in a tweet.

The company is supplying its vaccine to Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, and Telangana.

Joint Managing Director of Bharat Biotech Suchitra Ella had earlier said that the company had started direct supply of Covaxin with effect from May 1 to several states based on the allocation received by the central government.

Earlier last month, Bharat Biotech announced the pricing of its vaccine for state governments and private hospitals. It had kept Rs 600 per dose for state governments while Rs 1200 per dose for private hospitals. However, after facing flak from several quarters, it announced a cut in the price of Covaxin for states to Rs 400 per dose.

India had embarked upon the fourth phase of its ambitious vaccination drive by allowing its large 18-plus population to get inoculated from May 1.

Amid Covid crisis, corpses found floating in Ganga in UP and Bihar. Here’s what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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Amid Covid crisis, corpses found floating in Ganga in UP and Bihar. Here’s what we know so far

Close to 100 unidentified and decomposed bodies were found floating in the Ganga over a couple of days, sparking fear among the locals in several districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. While 71 bodies have been recovered from Bihar’s Buxar district, other 25 bodies were fished from Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur district with locals suspecting them to be the bodies of Covid victims.

After Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, in a horrifying video, at least half a dozen corpses were seen floating in the Runj river in the Panna district of Madhya Pradesh.

Buxar police suspect the bodies may have floated from the neighboring Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh. Authorities of both the districts are yet to confirm if the bodies are of Covid victims. 

Bihar administration’s response

Assuring that the recovered bodies have been disposed of as per government protocols, Buxar SP Neeraj Kumar in a statement to The Indian Express confirmed, “We have so far fished out 71 bodies from the Ganga. We conducted postmortem of all bodies and have also taken DNA and Covid samples.”

Meanwhile, the Buxar District Magistrate Aman Sameer also informed that the local administration is now keeping a close watch on Ganga ghats to ensure that more bodies are not allowed to be dumped in the river.

Uttar Pradesh government takes swift action

The Uttar Pradesh government has also sprung into action by passing an order directing people to stop the ritual of Jal Samadhi followed by some communities in which bodies are disposed of in the river. “This order is being followed strictly in the state,” informed ADG Kumar. 

MP district administration shares details

The Panna administration in Madhya Pradesh too rushed to the village after the videos of bodies floating in the river went viral in social media. Sharing additional details, Panna collector Sanjay Mishra informed that the bodies disposed of were of two patients, a 95-year-old man and a cancer patient. The bodies were let in the river by locals as part of a ritual. These bodies have been fished out and buried properly, assured the officer.

Union Ministry takes cognizance of the matter

Taking cognizance of the matter, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Shekawat on Tuesday Tweeted, “We have taken serious note of the issue of dumping dead bodies in River Ganga and instituted measures for the prohibition of the same. The Centre through the NMCG and district authorities will ensure all unidentified bodies are disposed as per the protocol.”

The administration of respective districts have put in place strict protocols to ensure no such incident is repeated. 

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