Home Blog Page 4316

Cyclone Tauktae now an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’, to hit Gujarat coast later today

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Cyclone Tauktae now an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’, to hit Gujarat coast later today

The Indian Meteorological Department has announced that Cyclone Tauktae has intensified into a ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’. It is said to make landfall on the Gujarat coast by Monday evening with winds up to 185 kmph.

Currently, the cyclone is said to be about 120 west-southwest of Mumbai resulting in strong gushes of wind and rainfall. The coastal areas of Maharashtra have been put on high alert.

The cyclone has also begun to wreak havoc in parts of Kerala with high tides creating chaos and leaving hundreds displaced.

As per officials, Cyclone Tauktae could result in flash floods and landslides in the coastal areas of Goa, Kerala and Karnataka. 

Damage Done

Cyclone Tauktae leaves two dead and one injured after a tree falls on a hut in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon. 

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant too announced the death of two and damage to several houses due to the gusty winds triggered by the cyclone.

The cyclone claimed two more lives in Kerala as the storm intensified. More than 2000 people have been shifted to 71 camps as precautionary measures. 

Cyclone Preparedness 

Owing to the worrisome situation, more than 100 teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

The Indian Air Force has also deployed two C-130J for transportation of more than 160 personnel and more than 16.5 tonnes of NDRF relief load from Kolkata to Ahmedabad.

The timely weather alerts by the Indian Coast Guard resulted in all of 4526 fishing boats in Maharashtra and 2258 in Gujarat returning safely to harbour from the sea.

Another 1200 people were safely evacuated from the coastal areas of Malia in Junagadh Gujarat.

Covid-19 vaccination drives across several locations in Maharashtra and Gujarat have been called off for two days.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting that included Home Minister Amit Shah to review the preparedness of States, central Ministries and agencies concerned and asked them to ensure all were safely evacuated.

Supply vessel stranded amidst Cyclone Tauktae in the Arabian Sea, 9-member crew await Navy’s rescue chopper

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Supply vessel stranded amidst Cyclone Tauktae in the Arabian Sea, 9-member crew await Navy’s rescue chopper

On May 15, Vessel Coromondel Supporter IX, which is a Tug/Supply Vessel, lost control due to bad weather conditions caused by Cyclone Tauktae. M/s Atlantic Shipping owns the vessel, and it has been operational since 1981 and sails under the flag of India. It has a crew of nine members who are currently waiting for rescue. The vessel’s contract with Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL) had ended last year in December, and they were waiting at outer anchorage since May 5 for instructions from the owner.

A Twitter user LikhithRaaai posted a series of tweets explaining their situation. He said that the vessel lost control due to cyclonic weather and is currently grounded between rocks at six nautical miles from Kaup coast (Karnataka) with nine crew members on board. They are stuck at sea at ‘Mulki Rocks’, off the coast at Udipi district, Karnataka. Coastguards are unable to provide support due to bad weather.

He further said that the crew was without any food supply, and their mobile batteries were draining out quickly. He also shared a video sent by one of the crew members who requested the Indian government for rescue. He said, “Please help us, sir. We are waiting for the chopper.”

He also showed how all crew members were holding their position to save themselves from the mighty ocean. The audio in the video was not clear due to the strong wind noises.

In another video shared by Drop The Anchor, the ship was visibly tilted and stuck between the rocks.

In an update provided by the Twitter user, he was informed by the concerned authorities that the rescue operation would be commenced from the Goa base, but he could not get a clear picture of when the rescue operation would start.

Jaideep Shenoy, journalist with Times of India, said in a tweet that he was informed by District Administration Dakshina Kannada that an appeal had been made to the Indian Navy to press their helicopter from Goa, and rescue was planned in fair weather. Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra, Dakshina Kannada said that the crew members were safe.

While talking to The Hindu Karnataka Coast Guard Commander, DIG S.B. Venkatesh said that the efforts are being made to rescue the crew, but the process is being affected by bad weather. The rescue operation will be started by the Navy as soon as the weather settles down.

Vinod Dua’s daughter, who wanted all ‘bhakts’ dead, receives help from a ‘bhakt’ MP while her mother needed critical COVID medicines

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Vinod Dua’s daughter, who wanted all ‘bhakts’ dead, receives help from a ‘bhakt’ MP while her mother needed critical COVID medicines

MeToo accused journalist Vinod Dua is currently hospitalised over COVID. His wife Chinna Dua, too, has been hospitalised in Gurugram’s Medanta for COVID treatment. On Sunday, Chinna Dua needed Tocilizumab, a critical medicine used as treatment for COVID patients. Her daughter, actress and ‘comedian’ Mallika Dua reached out on the Internet to seek help for the medicines.

Mallika Dua’s tweet and subsequent responses

Dua had tweeted to various celebrities and politicians for help, like actor Sonu Sood and Congress leader Deepender Hooda. Dua had not reached out to any BJP leader including the Chief Minister of Haryana, Manoharlal Khattar.

However, BJP MP and Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Puri offered his number and informed her that the medicine has been arranged.

To put things in perspective, Vinod Dua’s daughter, Mallika Dua, who was seeking help, has at least once wished death upon all ‘Bhakts’, a term often used to describe all Modi supporters and by extension, BJP leaders.

In a clip that has now gone viral on social media, Dua was asked about Twitter accounts she wishes would get suspended. “All ‘bhakts’ ya. All these IT cell f*cks. They should just die,” she had elaborated.

Earlier, Dua had gone off on a deranged rant against people who were showing solidarity with Pulwama martyrs. Displaying utter insensitivity towards the martyrs who laid down their lives in the dastardly attack and their grieving families, Dua went on a rant about how “people die every day”. She had said, “I want to ask them, people die every day of hunger, starvation, unemployment and many other causes, do we keep mourning over all of them, do we keep mourning all year. This is bullsh%$.”

BJP supporters, however, lodged their protest about minister chipping in to help the elites in India, when commoners are equally suffering, especially when the elites have not asked for their help.

Twitter user Ankit Jain said how the help to Dua was not being frowned upon, as everyone should get medical help. But it was more about the privilege being offered to the elites even when the minister was not tagged.

As Twitter user Ankur Singh pointed out that Mallika’s father journalist Vinod Dua himself had said that the obituaries pouring for former PM and BJP leader Atal Bihar Vajpayee on his demise was ‘hypocrisy’ as no one speaks ill of the dead.

Meanwhile, Mallika Dua has thanked Puri for the help and Puri has deleted his tweet offering medicine to Dua.

UAE warns Hamas, asks to keep ‘calm’ or lose funding for infrastructure projects in Gaza

OpIndia Staff
-
0
UAE warns Hamas, asks to keep ‘calm’ or lose funding for infrastructure projects in Gaza

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has threatened to stop its infrastructure and investments in the territory of Gaza if the terrorist outfit Hamas fails to reach a ceasefire agreement with Israel. The development comes amidst the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel.

As per reports, the UAE has been in touch with Hamas about various projects, operating in the Gaza strip, for the betterment of the lives of people in the Gaza strip. A senior official from the Arab nation said, “We are still ready and willing to promote civil projects in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority and under UN management (in Gaza), but our necessary condition is calm.”

The official further stated that the residents of the Gaza strip will be doomed to a life of suffering if Hamas failed to maintain ‘calm.’ “Its (Hamas) leaders must understand that their policies are first and foremost hurting the people of Gaza,” he added. It must be mentioned that last year, the United States under the Donald Trump administration has helped to broker a peace deal between UAE and Israel in the form of ‘Abraham Accords.’

The move was criticised by the political leaders in Palestine, following which UAE cut down on its funds for the Palestinian refugees. One of the key projects funded by the UAE in the Gaza strip is said to be energy-related, given that the territory suffers from severe power outages. Reportedly, residents of Gaza only receive electricity about 16 hours a day on average. Following the escalation between Hamas and the State of Israel, the power availability for the Gaza residents has gone down to 5 hours a day. Earlier, a defense official from the Jewish State had informed that Gaza might run out of fuel.

The ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict

The hostilities between the Jewish nation and its nemesis Hamas are at an all-time high, especially after the intense aerial exchanges that started on the evening of May 11 and continued well past midnight. On May 11, Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas unleashed massive airstrikes against Israel, firing hundreds of rockets inside the country.

The country’s air defence system known as the 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. The death toll in the Gaza strip has risen to 181 by May 16. At the same time, 20 high-profile terrorists associated with Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad have been neutralised.

While debunking the anti-Israeli propaganda, Israel Defence Forces remarked, “The fact that there aren’t more casualties in Israel does not mean that Hamas isn’t trying to kill Israeli civilians. It simply means that the IDF is preventing them from doing so at an incredible level. The Iron Dome Aerial Defense System and easily accessible bomb shelters all over Israel have saved thousands of lives.” It concluded, “IDF troops will continue to work 24/7 to defend Israeli civilians at the highest level possible and minimize Gazan casualties wherever possible.”

Absconding businessman Navneet Kalra arrested in oxygen concentrators black marketing case

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Absconding businessman Navneet Kalra arrested in oxygen concentrators black marketing case

Khan Market businessman Navneet Kalra who was absconding after 524 oxygen concentrators were recovered from three restaurants owned by him was arrested last night by the Delhi police. 

As per reports, Kalra was arrested from his brother-in-laws’ home in Gurugram.

The concentrators, a crucial medical equipment used for COVID-19 patients, were allegedly brought by Kalra from Matrix Cellular that had imported more than 7,000 machines from local vendors and Chinese companies and sold them at “exorbitant rates” to Covid patients and their families.

The police had informed that the accused imported the equipment at a cost of Rs 16,000 to Rs 22,000 and sold it for Rs 70,000 each.

Kalra was on a run since the day of the raid. On May 5, The Delhi police registered a case against Kalra under Section 420 (cheating), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. 

An FIR was also registered under the Essential Commodities Act and Epidemic Diseases Act, for black marketing of oxygen cylinders prescribes maximum punishment for seven years.

The Delhi High Court on Friday had declined interim protection from arrest. A day prior to that, a sessions court had dismissed Kalra’s anticipatory bail plea, saying the allegations leveled against him are serious and custodial interrogation is required to “unearth the entire conspiracy”.

The raid

The Delhi police had issued a lookout notice for absconding Delhi restaurateur Navneet Kalra.

During a police raid, 32 oxygen concentrators with 9 and 5 litres capacity were found at the Nege & Ju bar, owned by Kalra. After police arrested three persons from the bar, they led the police to Khullar Farm in Mandi Village, where 387 more units were seized.

Subsequently, Delhi Police raided other businesses owned by Kalra and recovered more oxygen concentrators. They seized 9 concentrators from the Town Hall restaurant and bar at Lodhi Colony, and 96 units were found at the popular Khan Chacha eatery in Khan Market. Thus, a total of 524 units have been seized from restaurants owned by Kalra so far.

The first raid was conducted after the police received a tipoff from a WhatsApp message where Navneet Kalra had sent his account details to his acquaintances in lieu of a concentrator.

Israel-Palestine conflict: India condemns violence in Israel, Gaza, calls for immediate de-escalation

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Israel-Palestine conflict: India condemns violence in Israel, Gaza, calls for immediate de-escalation

During an open debate on the Middle East situation, Ambassador T S Tirumurti, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), condemned indiscriminate firing of rockets from Gaza targeting the civilian population of Israel. India also condemned the retaliatory strikes into Gaza which have caused suffering and resulted into deaths, including that of women and children.

India also mourned the loss of Kerala nurse who was killed in Israel in bombardment from Gaza. “We deeply mourn her demise along with all other civilians who have lost their lives in current cycle of violence, provocation, incitement, and destruction,” India said. Kerala nurse Soumya Santosh was on call with her husband when the rocket hit her and killed her.

“We urge both sides to show extreme restraint, desist from actions that exacerbate tensions and refrain from attempts to unilaterally change the existing status quo, including in East Jerusalem and its neighbourhood,” Tirumurti said.

Tirumurti further said that immediate de-escalation was the need of the hour. He also said that India supports the just cause of Palestinians and a two-state solution. “Jerusalem has a special place in the hearts of millions of Indians, who visit the city every year. The Old City also houses the Al Zawiyya Al Hindiyya – The Indian Hospice, which is a historic place associated with a great Indian Sufi saint Baba Farid. India has restored this Indian Hospice,” he added.

“Leaders on all sides have a responsibility to curb inflammatory rhetoric and calm the rising tensions,” he said.

Pakistan based CNN contributor Adeel Raja says world needs another Hitler amidst Israel-Palestine conflict, has history of anti-Semitic tweets

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Pakistan based CNN contributor Adeel Raja says world needs another Hitler amidst Israel-Palestine conflict, has history of anti-Semitic tweets

Adeel Raja, freelance contributor at CNN, has said that the world needs a Hitler today amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. The Islamabad based news producer has since then deleted the tweet.

Adeel Raja
Source: Twitter

According to his Linked.in profile, Adeel Raja is associated with ARY News and is a freelance contributor at CNN.

Adeel Raja
Source: Twitter

Screenshots of his other tweets have gone viral since then. One screenshot shows him saying that he is supporting Germany in the final of the FIFA World Cup because Adolf Hitler was a German and he did “good with those Jews”. Adolf Hitler is committed a genocide of Jews in Germany.

Source: Twitter

In another tweet, he hailed Hitler.

Source: Twitter

He also compared the situation in Palestine to that of Kashmir in India.

Adeel Raja’s tweet

On 15th May 2021, he tweeted that what the Jews (Israelis) are doing in Palestine is similar to what “Indian Hindus are doing in Occupied Kashmir”. To put things into perspective, ‘Occupied Kashmir’ is an integral part of India as is the part of Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan and China.

There has been an outpouring of hate against Israel in Pakistan ever since the recent spate of violence broke out between Israel and Palestine. Only recently, Pakistani actress Veena Malik tweeted a Hitler quote to justify the genocide of Jews.

In a tweet, the reality show turned Twitter troll attributed a quote to Adolf Hitler and quoted ‘I would have killed all the Jews of the world… but I kept some to show the world why I killed them.”

Pakistanis on social media have also been urging their Prime Minister Imran Khan to nuke Israel due to the campaign against Hamas.

‘Will beat with shoes 100 times and count 1’: Samajwadi Party worker threatens BJP leader Tajinder Bagga for criticising Akhilesh Yadav

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Will beat with shoes 100 times and count 1’: Samajwadi Party worker threatens BJP leader Tajinder Bagga for criticising Akhilesh Yadav

Delhi BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga was threatened with physical violence by a Samajwadi Party support on Twitter for criticising Akhilesh Yadav. One Anshuman Singh, who identifies himself as a soldier of the Samajwadi Party, said that he will beat the BJP leader with shoes if he interferes in politics in Uttar Pradesh.

On Sunday, former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav had criticised the Modi govt alleging slow vaccination against Covid-19. Saying that protecting the citizens is the most important priority now, he had said, “we must begin a national vaccination drive now. It must be robust, comprehensive, and immediate”.

Responding to this tweet by Akhilesh Yadav, Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga reminded how the SP leader was spreading anti-vaccine propaganda just a few months ago. Referring to Akhilesh Yadav claiming that he will not take ‘BJP’s vaccine’, Bagga said that people like Yadav as responsible for deaths in India due to Covid-19. He said that when India was trying to vaccinate as many people as possible, Yadav had told people to boycott vaccination and said that it was BJP Vaccine.

This was spotted by the SP worker Anshuman Singh, who proceeded to threaten Bagga with violence for the tweet. Referring to the online fashion store that Bagga runs, he called him a ‘T-shirt seller outside Palika Bazar’, and said now such a ‘low-level’ person has the audacity to respond to Akhilesh Yadav. He told Bagga to ‘limit such shallow activists to his shop’, and threatened that else he will beat him with shoe 100 times and count it as 1. “This is Uttar Pradesh, not Delhi, understood?”, he concluded.

According to Tajinder Singh, Anshuman Singh also sent threats to him through Direct Message on Twitter. He used abusive languages to threat the BJP leader for criticising his party leader, again referring to Bagga’s business.

As Uttar Pradesh assembly elections are scheduled for next year, rivalry between BJP and SP are expected to increase in intensity in the coming months. While SP is determined to grab the power back from the Yogi Adityanath government, Mayawati has announced that BSP will not form an alliance with any party.

From ‘lagbhag mana’ to putting up poster by AAP leader as DP to attack PM Modi, things have come a long way for Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal

Nirwa Mehta
-
0
From ‘lagbhag mana’ to putting up poster by AAP leader as DP to attack PM Modi, things have come a long way for Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal

Times have changed and how.

Remember ahead of 2019 general elections when Arvind Kejriwal, with a very heavy heart, almost in tears said ‘unhone lagbhag mana kar diya hai‘ (they have almost said no) to the pre-poll alliance with Congress?

Well, seems like times have changed and how.

Today, senior Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi has ended up putting up a poster allegedly created by Aam Aadmi Party leader as his profile picture on Twitter.

Rahul Gandhi’s Twitter profile

The image Rahul Gandhi has as his profile picture is allegedly created and circulated by Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Gautam who is currently on the run.

The poster reads, ‘Modiji, humare bachhon ki vaccine videsh kyun bhej diye?‘ (Modiji, why did you send vaccines for our children abroad?). It must be noted that no vaccine in India has been approved for children under age 18.

After the posters were put up in Delhi, 4 FIRs were registered at the North West District of Delhi; North East, East, West and Outer districts registered three FIRs each, South, Rohini an Central districts registered two each, and one each was registered in North, South West, Dwarka, Shahdara, East and South East districts, respectively.

The FIRs were registered under sections of the Press and Registration of Books Act, Section 269 of the IPC (whoever unlawfully or negligently does any act which is, and which he knows or has reason to believe to be, likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life) and Section 34 of the IPC (common intention), The Hindu reported.

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi had put up the poster and urged PM Modi to arrest him. It is imperative to note here that Rahul Gandhi himself is out on bail in the National Herald corruption case as well as many other cases.

As per reports, Aam Aadmi Party leader hired daily wage earners and other poor people to put up posters across Delhi for money. Except, the people who were hired to put up posters were allegedly not paid the amount promised by AAP leaders.

It is interesting to note that Rahul Gandhi of the grand old party decided to go with a poster created by AAP leader to put as his profile picture considering Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal have not really been best of friends. But it should not come as a surprise either as Rahul Gandhi has time and again aped actions of other leaders like Justin Trudeau and even Kejriwal himself.

Looks like the frenemies have come a long way.

‘F*ck the Jews’, ‘F*ck their daughters, mothers’: Viral video from London shows pro-Palestine protesters advocating rape of Jewish women

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘F*ck the Jews’, ‘F*ck their daughters, mothers’: Viral video from London shows pro-Palestine protesters advocating rape of Jewish women

A video has gone viral on the internet that purportedly shows pro-Palestine demonstrators abusing Jews in the vilest of words. The video purportedly depicts scenes from Finchley Road, London. As per claims on social media, the video was recorded on Sunday afternoon. The hate speech comes admist the ongoing Israeli campaign against Hamas.

In the video, a pro-Palestine protester can be heard screaming, “F*ck the Jews, F*ck their daughters, f*ck their mothers, rape their daughters”. The video is being widely circulated on social media.

As per claims on social media, the protesters were driving through the Jewish community center in Finchley Road. The protester also implores people to show their support for Palestine.

On the 15th of May, a pro-Palestine mob had attacked Jews in Canada. While attacking, the pro-Palestine mob threw glasses and pelted stones at the Jewish people while chanting Allahu Akbar. One Jewish girl was also molested by the mob.

In a separate incident in New York City, a Jewish man wearing the Star of David was attacked by a Pro-Palestine mob on the 12th of May. The mob running after the bloodied man was shouting “F**K You,” “Run p**sy,” “f**king p**sy run” while throwing glasses and stones at him.

1...4,3154,3164,317...7,681Page 4,316 of 7,681