Home Blog Page 4599

Teenage boy raped and killed, four youths shot dead – Pakistan grapples with PUBG and TikTok

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Teenage boy raped and killed, four youths shot dead – Pakistan grapples with PUBG and TikTok

Two incidents of rape and murder have come to the fore in Pakistan, and both have been associated with two popular apps, PUBG and TikTok, both banned in India amidst concerns about data security. While TikTok is a Chinese app, PUBG is developed by a South Korean company, but the mobile version of it was developed by Chinese firm Tencent Games for both Android and iOS.

In the first case, a 15-year-old teenage boy was brutally raped and murdered for blocking an associate of the accused on the online gaming app PUBG. According to a local report, Lahore’s Raiwind City Police arrested four accused on charges of rape and murder of a 15-year-old teenage boy in Raiwind, Lahore, Pakistan.

According to a report by a local news channel Geo News, the suspects purportedly raped and murdered the teenager because he blocked a friend of the main suspect on the online PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) game.

The local police said that the accused kidnapped the boy on the 13th of January. They took the victim to Nankana Sahib, where they first raped and then murdered him. The victim’s body was later found in Sheikhupura. 

The Lahore police sent the DNA samples of the accused to a forensic lab for further investigation.

Last year on the 2nd of September, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India decided to block 118 mobile apps citing concerns that these are ‘prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order’. PUBG was also one of the apps banned by Indian govt.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had also decided to impose a temporary ban on PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) in Pakistan. However, the decision had come owing to the fact that at least two people in Pakistan had committed suicide and their deaths have been linked to this online game.

Four avid TikTok users murdered in Karachi, Pakistan

Meanwhile, in another case, 4 social media users, including one female, particularly active on the Chinese short video app TikTok, were shot dead by unknown assailants near Anklesaria Hospital in Karachi’s Garden area early on Tuesday (February 2) morning.

According to a report by Dawn, two deceased identified as Muskaan and Amir were friends. City Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sarfaraz Nawaz Shaikh said that on the fateful night, Muskan and Amir met. Amir, who arranged for a car, invited two of his friends Rehan and Sajjad.

All four roamed around the city and Amir and Muskaan also made TikTok videos during that time, said the official, furthering that during the wee hours of the morning, while they were around Anklesaria Hospital in Karachi’s Garden area, some unknown assailants attacked them. The girl was sitting inside the car while the boys were standing outside when they were shot.

The girl succumbed to the injury inside the car. The three boys were rushed to the hospital where they too succumbed to their wounds.

Empty shells from 9mm pistols were found near the car, as per the report. The family of the deceased arrived at the police station and a first information report (FIR) would be registered.

The Pakistani local newspaper quoted a source as saying that the killing “appeared to be the outcome of some personal issues”. However, the police are trying to investigate the exact motive of the murder and the identity of the killers, he added. The SSP confirmed that there were no witnesses to the incident. 

It is pertinent to note here, that Rehan and Sajjad had previously uploaded a TikTok video in which they were seen doing aerial firing in Karachi’s Ittihad Town area. After the video went viral, police had taken cognisance and registered an FIR against the two youths.

TikTok, a video sharing app owned by a Chinese company called ByteDance, which is banned in India, apart from posing threats to national security and being extensively used to objectify women and glorify attacks on them, promoting rape, animal cruelty, domestic violence etc., the Chinese app has been linked to several deaths, as users had been using the app to post videos of suicide and even murders.

Several murders and suicides in the recent past have been associated with the Chinese social media app. The glorification of pervasive issues and the app’s toxicity has compelled the government to issue a blanket ban on the Chinese app.

Abrahamic religions good, Pagan cultures bad: How liberal media is cheering Biden and Christian godmen taking over America

Abhishek Banerjee
-
0
Abrahamic religions good, Pagan cultures bad: How liberal media is cheering Biden and Christian godmen taking over America

The other day, US President Joe Biden led his nation at the National Prayer Breakfast. He quoted extensively from the Bible and told Americans that faith can bring the country together at a dark time. Here is the report from the Washington Post describing this incident (from Feb 5)

Article by Washington Post

Ah! The President of the United States, his hand raised in benediction, stepping out of a church, with somber stone crosses dominating the foreground. This image isn’t even from the prayer breakfast, it is from when Biden stepped out from a church service soon after winning the presidency.

The Washington Post thought it important enough to sift through past photos and pick one suitable for the sanctity of the occasion. After all, the blessed leader is restoring the “lofty tone” of the national prayer breakfast.

Wait! Whatever happened to secularism? Seems Jesus ‘saved’ it.

This is not a one off incident. Ever since Joe Biden ascended to the presidency, the supposedly liberal media has aggressively cheered every show of Christian faith by members of the new administration. We are talking about the same New York Times and Washington Post which which scream Hindu fascism every time someone in India puts on a Hanuman T-shirt.

Just look at this headline from the New York Times, with the accompanying image of the president with his head bowed in prayer.

Article by The New York Times

“Most religiously observant commander in chief” they say with glee! And read the headline again. Liberalism does not require secularism. In fact, liberalism and Christianity have become one! Praise be to the Lord.

Now you see the point. The liberals were never opposed to faith. They were only opposed to the Hindu faith.

Here is more from the New York Times appreciating the President for rooting the country in a “Christian moral vision.”

“Mr. Biden quoted Augustine, “a saint in my church,” he said, who wrote that “a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love.”

Augustine, the fourth-century North African bishop, recognized that no political community was going to be the city of God on earth, explained Eric Gregory, professor of religion at Princeton University.“

The President did not disappoint his congregation; the liberal media I mean. In his inaugural address, he made sure to quote some fourth century Christian bishop named Augustine. The faithful liberal media reached out to Princeton university professors to further explain the teachings of this venerable fourth century godman. Really important work.

The Washington Post went further and made a list of 50 things that are better already with Biden coming into office. Point number 45 on the list reads thus:

“We have a churchgoing president “who has spent a lifetime steeped in Christian rituals and practices.”“

Indeed, what would a modern secular state do without a churchgoing president who is steeped in Christian rituals and practices?

In fact, the New York Times makes a point of saying that Biden will run the country according to the teachings of the current Pope.

“While conservative Catholics have doubled down on abortion policy and religious freedom for the past four years, Mr. Biden’s policy priorities reflect those of Pope Francis, who has sought to turn the church’s attention from sexual politics to issues like environmental protection, poverty and migration.”

The Pope is arguably the world’s most famous godman, an unelected authority sitting somewhere in Italy. He has his own sovereign state, the Vatican, which has been accused of everything from shady financial dealings to large scale cover up of child sexual abuse. Only the other day, the Pope repeated his patriarchal stance that women will not be allowed to become priests in the Catholic Church.

No liberal, no woke feminist has a problem with this. They are busy fixing Hindu wedding rituals. Let Biden run the world’s most powerful country on the orders of the Pope. Who cares about that?

The American liberal adulation for Christianity in public life does not stop with Biden. It extends to other prominent leaders in his party.

“Yet the current influence of liberal Christianity in the Democratic Party goes beyond Mr. Biden. Senator Raphael Warnock, the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, won election with a campaign rooted in Black liberation theology. The Sunday after his election, Mr. Warnock preached about John the Baptist, the “truth-telling troublemaker,” he said, who was beheaded by King Herod for his prophetic witness.“

They are talking about newly elected Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock. This election, held in January, became a source of great jubilation for liberals everywhere, second only to the presidential election. Because Warnock’s election gave Biden’s Democratic Party control of the Senate, the “upper” house of US Congress.

The New York Times happily notes that Warnock won with a campaign “rooted in Black liberation theology.” Indeed, Warnock is not just a politician, he is also a priest at a major church in Atlanta, Georgia. And will this godman continue as a preacher at his church even after he joins the Senate? You bet! And they love him for it.

How much do they love the godman Raphael Warnock? Enough to ignore even this.

“Charges against two Baltimore ministers, accused of interfering with an investigation of child abuse at a church-run camp in Carroll County, have been dismissed, a county prosecutor said.

A Carroll County judge granted a prosecutor’s request Oct. 30 to drop charges against the Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church in West Baltimore, and the Rev. Mark A. Wainwright, the church’s youth minister. Warnock and Wainwright were arrested in August after a state trooper said the ministers prevented her from interviewing counselors as she investigated an allegation of child abuse at the church’s Camp Farthest Out in Eldersburg.”

In 2002, Warnock had been arrested in Maryland for trying to block an investigation into child abuse at a church run camp. But luckily for the powerful and politically connected godman, the prosecutors decided it was only a “miscommunication.” They promptly requested the court to drop charges against this highly honorable individual.

Since then, Warnock has been a free man, apparently running his campaigns rooted in theology. Now, he will serve as US Senator, priest of his church and moral guide to his nation. The New York Times is there to amplify his message for the whole world. Let there be no ‘miscommunication.

Imagine what the New York Times would have said if a charge of covering up child abuse against a saffron clad politician had been dismissed as “miscommunication” in a BJP ruled state.

Or take Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who narrowly missed beating Joe Biden to become the party nominee for the general election. The Roman Catholic Church in Vermont needed $10 million to settle some sex abuse cases. The Senator’s wife, who was also the president of a local college, used college funds to buy property from the Church at highly inflated prices.

The Church got the money it needed to settle the sex abuse cases. The college went bankrupt and closed down. Before leaving, Sanders’ wife granted herself a $200,000 severance. Neither Sanders nor his wife faced any criminal charges. How could they?

That’s Bernie Sanders, darling of the liberal left. Closed down a college to help a church settle sex abuse cases and made a commission of $200,000 in the process.

Abrahamic religions good. Pagan cultures bad. The so called Western liberal secularism was never about preventing some toxic mix of religion, politics, money, sexual abuse and power. It was about stigmatizing, demonizing and ultimately wiping out those who worship “false gods.”

It’s an ancient prejudice. To this day, it underlies everything.

Puducherry police arrest a man who had offered to kill PM Modi if paid Rs 5 crore

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Puducherry police arrest a man who had offered to kill PM Modi if paid Rs 5 crore

The Puducherry police have arrested a 43-year-old man for posting a Facebook message offering to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi if he is paid Rs five crore.

According to the reports, the accused, a resident of neighbouring Aryankuppam village, was arrested on Thursday after he posted a message saying he was “ready to kill” the Prime Minister and wanted to know whether someone is ready to give him Rs 5 crore for the same.

The police began to trace the individual after a car driver informed them about such a Facebook post. The police arrested the 43-year-old Sathyanandam, a real estate businessman and produced before a local court which remanded him to judicial custody.

A case has been registered against Sathyanandam under Indian Penal Code sections 505 (1) and 505 (2) for making statement conducing to public mischief and statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill- will between classes.

Meet serial fake news peddler Caralisa Monteiro: Fake news, propaganda, a soft spot for AAP and way too much victimhood

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Meet serial fake news peddler Caralisa Monteiro: Fake news, propaganda, a soft spot for AAP and way too much victimhood

On Saturday, a tweet allegedly posted by singer Caralisa Monteiro went viral on social media. The tweet read, “Every time a Hindu is killed, I get orgasmic pleasure. Modi might dream Congress Mukht Bharat, but we will get Hindu Mukt India soon. Amen.”

The purported tweet, calling for a genocide against the Hindu community, sparked an online outrage with many calling for a ban on her account. The singer put out a statement saying, “Tell your dad Whatsapp University band kar lo. And a case has been filed against this fake tweet.”

Screengrab of her clarification

After a screenshot of this tweet went viral, Caralisa has been busy playing the victim on Twitter, essentially, blaming “Bhakts” for all and sundry, which is the usual modus operandi for fake news peddlers like her.

Caralisa Monteiro, however, is no holy cow. Caralisa, who ironically rose to fame for her song ‘Nashey si Chad gayi Hoye’, has recently been under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Known for her social media “activism”, the singer with 36K Twitter followers is often seen peddling political propaganda and disseminating fake news online.

Screengrab of her Twitter profile

Political affiliation of Caralisa Monteiro

The singer, based out of Mumbai, has been a vocal supporter of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). In the run-up to the State Legislative polls in Goa in 2017, Caralisa Monteiro had composed a song for the election campaign of the party. In a tweet posted by the official handle of AAP, the party has explicitly stated its association with the singer.

Screengrab of the 2017 tweet by AAP

“I believe we need to elect educated people who are locals, approachable and feel the pulse of Goa. I believe we need to be involved in the process of electing our leaders. We need to question them for the promises they have made and that is the true essence of democracy. AAP allows such a structure and hence Goa needs AAP,” she was seen campaigning for the party in a video posted by Aam Aadmi Party’s Twitter handle on December 20, 2016.

‘Indian Map of a vagina’ : The activism of Caralisa Monteiro

The vocal AAP supporter was recently seen distorting the Indian map, in a bid to support the anti-farm law agitation. She along with the likes of Khalistan supporter Kaur B deliberately denigrated the Indian map, despite being well-aware that propagating a distorted map of India with the wrong topographic information, national territories or international boundaries is an offence.

Screengrab of her tweet

However, this is not the first time that the singer had done such a thing. In a despicable tweet on April 20, 2018, she had affixed the Indian map on a women’s vagina and claimed, “We are bleeding as a nation.” Stretching her social media activism to an unprecedented level, she further stated, “This culture bleeds in its rape culture as if anyone cares.”

Screengrab of the tweet by Caralisa Monteiro

AAP activist and singer actively peddle fake news

Singer Caralisa Monteiro has been called out several times, on the micro-blogging site, for spreading misinformation. She has been critical of the Modi government, as part of her affiliation with the AAP. While constructive criticism is healthy for democracy, her tweets are often laden with lies and fake news.

In a tweet, PTI said, “Deal for procurement of 126 Rafale jets under UPA fell through as HAL did not have required capability to produce them: Nirmala Sitharaman @DefenceMinIndia.” However, a parody account of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) claimed, “Those who are saying HAL is not capable of producing Rafale jets should know what we at Hal have produced.”

The tweet gave an opportunity to the likes of Caralisa Monteiro to take potshots at the Union government. Without realising that the account is not the official handle of HAL, she tweeted, “Nirmala Sitharaman, what do you have to say about this? Or has HAL India become anti-national?”

Screengrab of the tweet by Caralisa Monteiro

Nevertheless, the habit of spreading misinformation, without any fear of consequences, did not go away. In August last year, she uploaded a picture of PM Narendra Modi and claimed, “The talent to read two books, a newspaper and the laptop simulatenously while posing for the perfect photograph. And that poise during a pandemic. Impressed.”

However, a Times Fact Check found that the picture was 7 years old. Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat and was clicked on the lawns of his house in Gandhinagar. The picture had nothing to do with the Coronavirus pandemic but for Monteiro, facts aren’t required as long as the propaganda does the job.

Ahead of Donald Trump’s visit to India in February last year, she was seen peddling fake news again about the Gujarat government erecting a wall to hide the slums. “12 years CM of Gujarat. 6 years PM of India. Still needs a wall to hide the Gujarat Model?”, the singer alleged. However, officials had contested the claim saying that the wall was planned prior to Trump’s announcement of his visit to India.

Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra informed that the decision was taken to prevent road encroachment and was taken two months prior to the controversy. He emphasised, “It is not correct to link building of the wall to the VIP (Donal Trump) visit. After my visit to the area, we had decided in consultation with slum dwellers build a wall to prevent encroachment and secondly to save trees which were getting damaged.”

Recently, Caralisa Monteiro targeted Opindia by deliberately attributing a morphed screenshot to our news portal. The screenshot alleged, “The real face of Great Thunberg. Her real name is Ghazala Bhat. She is daughter of Kashmiri Businessmen Hilal Bhat who married to Swedish mother Anna Bjorkund converted to Islam became Aafia. Her parents got killed into car accident. She became orphan later adopted by Svante Thunberg.”

While attributing the fake news, marred with grammatical and punctuation errors, to Opindia, she tweeted, “Op India always finds a new low to steep to.” Even after being called out for falsely targetting our news portal, the serial fake news peddler did not delete her tweet.

Screengrab of the morphed Opindia article

Interestingly, Caralisa is playing victim over an alleged fake tweet attributed to her, when she has shamelessly refused to delete this tweet where she attributed a fake picture to OpIndia. This fake news by Caralisa has now been shared by several Khalistanis and Pakistanis.

Actively creating unrest in India and playing victim card

One of the key attributes of the left-liberal ecosystem in India is their innate ability to use social media platforms to gather unruly mobs on the street. When the mob engages in violence and vandalism, the cabal provides intellectual coverfire and plays the perpetual victim card. On December 18, Caralisa Monteiro was seen urging her followers to hit the streets at Kranti Maidan against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Tweet by Caralisa Monteiro

Several such calls for mass gathering were given by Twitter influencers. When the crowd turned violent, the same group refused to take any responsibility for their actions and instead resorted to defend the mob when police cracked down on them. After the anti-CAA protests in Delhi culminated into the infamous Anti-Hindu riots, the likes of AAP activist were seen shedding crocodile tears about the casualties.

Tweet by Caralisa Monteiro

In a tweet on February 26 last year, she wrote, “27 Indians have been killed. By Indians. We don’t need a Pakistan to destroy us.” She was partly right when she said that India does not need Pakistanis to destroy it. However, she forgot to mention that it is people such as her who fan religious violence by portraying one community as the perpetual victim and the other as the aggressor.

For India to stand strong on her feet, it must identify the ones threatening its existence from inside. But for the AAP activist and singer Caralisa Monteiro, her propaganda goes unabated on social media each day.

Romania: Orthodox Church under fire after child dies during baptism ceremony, manslaughter investigation against priest

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Romania: Orthodox Church under fire after child dies during baptism ceremony, manslaughter investigation against priest

Authorities in Romania are probing a Christian priest in connection with the death of a baby during the baptism ceremony of the child. The baby had died of a heart attack after the bishop had plunged the child’s head underwater three times during a baptism.

According to reports, the six-week-old child’s lungs were filled up with water which led to a cardiac arrest. The incident occurred on Monday in Suceava, northeast Romania. The baby was rushed to the hospital but died a few hours later following the incident.

A spokesperson of the hospital confirmed the death due to baptism saying, “A one-month-and-a-half baby was found in cardiac arrest in the church after the baptism service. The baby was respited by the SMURD unit that arrives on the spot.”

“He was hospitalised in serious condition in the hospital’s intensive care unit, was intubated and mechanically ventilated,” the spokesperson added.

Reacting to the child’s death, the father of the child said, “The boy was crying but the priest submerged him three times in water and he inhaled water. [I] removed him, wiped him, from the doctors I found out he inhaled 110ml of water… If you see a child with a gaping mouth and crying you wouldn’t immerse him completely in water, would you?”

Following the death of the child, the prosecutors have launched a manslaughter probe. The Orthodox Church is facing pressure to change its baptism rituals after the shocking death of the six-week old infant.

In the Romanian Orthodox church, babies are submerged in water three times during baptism. The priests are expected to hold their nose to stop them from breathing in water.

Online petition launched asking a change in Baptism rituals

The death of the child has now angered many citizens in the country, who have now launched an online petition calling for church bosses to scrap the ritual. More than 60,000 signatures have been collected so far.

The petition read, “The death of a newborn baby because of this practice is a huge tragedy. This risk must be ruled out for the joy of baptism to triumph.”

Meanwhile, Vasile Banescu, a spokesman for the church, has suggested that water be poured or sprinkled over the child’s head in the future rather than full immersion. However, Archbishop Teodosie, leader of the Church’s conservative wing, has asserted the baptism ritual will not change.

More than 80 per cent of people in Romania are Orthodox and the church’s baptisms are big events comparable to weddings.

Here are 8 times the media peddled ‘protestors let ambulance pass’ trope to whitewash the violence unleashed

K Bhattacharjee
-
0
Here are 8 times the media peddled ‘protestors let ambulance pass’ trope to whitewash the violence unleashed

The mainstream media is always on the lookout to generate sympathy for protesters against the government in every instance, regardless of the cause of the protests. The media is aware that the ordinary person is not fond of nonsensical protests because in the end, it’s the ordinary citizen who has to suffer the harassment such protests usually entail. Therefore, the mainstream media is always on the look out for positive stories.

One particular brand of ‘positive stories’ that is used time and again is the ‘protesters let ambulance through’ schtick. The objective here is to suggest that the protesters are extremely kind to have let the ambulance pass even though the protesters are the very reason the ambulance is finding it difficult to pass through.

The objective here is to emphasize the ‘humanity’ of the protesters and it is usually employed to whitewash protests that have been rife with violence. The visuals are meant to suggest that the protesters are not unruly, which they generally are. And somehow, during every protest, the media inevitably manages to find that one ambulance that somehow manages to pass through the protests.

Thus, on the 6th of February, the day of Chakka Jam by ‘farmer protesters’, NDTV shared a video of how they let an ambulance pass. It was meant to convey the large-heartedness of the protesters, ignoring the fact that the ambulance lost a lot of crucial time navigating through the obstacles the protesters had created.

‘Protesters let ambulance through’

NDTV managed to find such an ambulance during the anarchy and chaos on Republic Day as well. Again, it needs to be emphasized here that the ambulance was losing precious time while navigating through the obstacles created by the protesters but somehow, it is transformed into an instance of generosity by protesters.

Ambulance story from Republic Day

NDTV managed to find one on the 8th of December Bharat Bandh as well.

Bharat Bandh Ambulance Story

NDTV had a protester-ambulance story even on the 28th of November.

And it goes on..

And there is more from the 3rd of December.

But the farmer protests are not the first time that we are witnessing the use of ambulance propaganda. It happened during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NRC as well.

Ambulance propaganda during the anti-CAA protests

And it’s not that only NDTV is involved in such propaganda, other media outlets are involved as well.

Ambulance propaganda at Chennai anti-CAA protests

The ambulance made its way through Jamia students as well, the university which was at the heart of the violence and chaos that was observed during the anti-CAA protests.

Jamia students allow an ambulance to pass through

Another thing to note is that according to the news reports on such ambulances, the protesters are always reported to have won hearts. Thus, considering all of this, it is pretty obvious that such stunts are heavily publicized in order to invent a positive image for the protesters and whitewash the violence they have unleashed.

However, given the overuse of the tactic, people have certainly caught on to the trick.

Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien misleads parliament about Railway budget and projects in West Bengal, here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien misleads parliament about Railway budget and projects in West Bengal, here is the truth

During his speech while participating in the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address in the Parliament, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien criticised the union budget, calling it ‘100% visionless’. He said, “India’s first paperless budget is also a 100% visionless budget. Theme of the fake budget is Sell India!”.

O’Brien said that govt has sold Railways, Airports, Ports, PSU, and also made several remarks criticising the functioning of Indian Railways. He also accused Railways of shelving 31 projects in West Bengal, and criticised the move to implement some projects under the SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) model, where state governments also become stakeholders. He said that the railways have failed federalism, as under the SPV system, states have to fund 50% of the project cost, while earlier all projects were 100% funded by the central ministry.

The MP also said now there is no Railway budget, referring to the decision of the Modi govt to merge the Railway budget with general budget.

Responding to his comments, the Railway Ministry has come up with a strong rebuttal, defending the decisions taken up by the ministry. In a statement issued by the ministry, it has said that now Railway estimates are presented along with General Budget, and it does not mean there has been any cut in resources for the railways. The ministry says that the budget merger has helped bring Railways to the centre stage of Govt policy and ensured optimum sectoral allocations. “This has helped in multi modal transport planning as evident from the support of Rs 1.07 lakh cr which is 53% jump from previous year,” said the statement.

Refuting the claims of ignoring West Bengal, the ministry has informed that budget allocation for infrastructure and safety projects in West Bengal in the year 2021-22 is Rs. 6636 crore, which is ever highest. This is 26% higher than last year and 51% higher than the average allocation during 2009-14, when TMC was part of UPA govt and it had occupied the Railway ministry for majority of the term.

Talking about the projects West Bengal, the ministry has said that 53 projects are going on in the state, in which token allotments have been done in 34 projects. Most of these projects, some of them almost 45 years old dating back to 1974-75, are affected by delays in land acquisition by state government and other local issues. The ministry said that now fund allocation are made based on progress and priority of projects, therefore if a project is stalled due to issues such as land acquisition, ministry will not allocate further funds for it.

The ministry has also given the reason for implementing SPV model for some projects. While majority of projects are still completely funded by the ministry, some projects are taken under the SPV route for various reasons. This model has been developed to mainly augment more resources in Rail sector. The railway ministry said that SPVs with states lead to greater participation of states in financing & decision-making process for Railway projects.

Moreover, state govts often want projects based on public demand, but which are not remunerative for the railways. SPVs have allowed such projects to be taken up with the participation of the respective state governments. Under this system, the state govts have the freedom to choose projects and make them bankable by private support, free land offers or Viability Gap Funding (VGF).

To implement unremunerative projects, Railway ministry is considering offers of free land and 50% share of cost of project. This brings in discipline and responsibility amongst stakeholders and projects don’t languish for want of funds, the ministry statement said.

The Railway ministry has also denied the allegation made by the TMC leader that it has not released the Pink Book yet, saying that the Pink Book which was published on 3rd Feb and is available in the public domain. This document gives allotments for individual projects being undertaken by each zonal Railway/production unit.

It is notable the Railway Ministry has been asking the West Bengal government to complete the land acquisition, remove encroachments and other bottlenecks stalling almost three dozen railway projects, the but the Mamata Banerjee has not moved to act on that. On Thursday, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said, “I appeal to Mamata didi to expedite the process and give us land”.

He had said, “Projects there remain incomplete or are delayed because the state governments – first it was the Left front government and now the TMC– have been unable to provide land to us. Projects which are 45 year old are pending in the state.” He said that earlier Railway ministers used to announce projects without checking the availability of fund, land etc. That is the reason why so many railway projects are lying incomplete in the country. That system has ended now, and projects are started only after the ministry have land needed for them.

NDTV anchor and veteran fake news peddler Ravish Kumar hails foreign interference in India’s internal affairs: Here’s what he wrote

OpIndia Staff
-
0
NDTV anchor and veteran fake news peddler Ravish Kumar hails foreign interference in India’s internal affairs: Here’s what he wrote

NDTV ‘journalist’ Ravish Kumar is the latest entrant in the list of ‘intellectuals’ whose hate for PM Modi, and India, have compelled him to support the international celebrities like Rihanna, who are now attempting to meddle in India’s internal affairs.

International singer Rihanna, who has no bearing what so ever with India, decided to stick her nose into what is strictly an internal matter of the country. Her Tweet in favour of the so-called farmers who have been laying siege on Delhi for the last 3 months, stormed a massive uproar after it was revealed that her supports were part of a coordinated campaign. Many prominent Indian celebrities from different walks of life came out to condemn Rihanna and other global celebrities who spoke in favour of the ongoing protest in India, protests which escalated to an insurrection on the 26th of January, spearheaded by violent Khalistanis.

Just as several Bollywood celebrities and Indian cricketers stood united against the paid ‘propaganda’, NDTV ‘journalist’ Ravish Kumar, who in his illustrious career has spoken nothing but lies, wrote a long post on his social media handle hailing the foreign interference in India’s internal affairs. And while doing so, he expressed his vexation on the Indian celebrities who stood behind India and the Indian government, ideally what every Indian should have been doing in this situation.

NDTV anchor and veteran fake news peddler Ravish Kumar hails foreign interference in India's internal affairs
Ravish Kumar’s Facebook post

He opined that these celebrities who have not spoken a word of condemnation against the government’s farm laws or in support of the farmers who have been protesting have now suddenly jumped in to express their concerns. Displaying his usual rancour towards India, he said that the farmer’s protest has spoilt the image of the Indian government across the world, that’s why Rihanna’s Tweet rattled their cage.

He furthered that the “Godi media” (a term widely used by pro-Congress media persons, left-wing trolls and opposition leaders against journalists and media houses who do not toe the Congress line) also became so desolate, that they looked on celebrities from Akshay Kumar to Lata Mangeshkar for help.

Ravish Kumar angered by Indian celebrities who condemned foreign interference

In another Facebook post, Ravish Kumar took to veiled dig at the Indian celebrities who called for unity in the light of comments made by these international figures and condemned them to meddle in India’s internal matters. He wrote in Hindi which roughly translated means, “democracy is not a vest that is worn inside”. He said that these Indian celebrities did not speak a word for so long, but as soon as international celebrities showed solidarity with the farmers they appeared and started ranting that it is India’s internal matter.

All in all, the NDTV ‘journalist’ seemed to be quite miffed with those who have stood by India and the Indian government and slammed the interlopers for poking their nose in India’s internal matters.

NDTV anchor and veteran fake news peddler Ravish Kumar hails foreign interference in India's internal affairs
Ravish Kumar’s Facebook post

Well, the far-leftist media and propagandist’s antagonism for the Modi government is not new. NDTV journalist and Magsaysay Award winner Ravish Kumar, who is also a part of this brigade, has relentlessly tried to portray the central government as a cruel oppressive regime, even if that takes him to continuously peddle fake news and propaganda.

Ravish Kumar whitewashes violence at Red Fort

Recently, Ravish Kumar attempted to tone down the magnitude of the unbridled violence carried out by the rioters, who threw away Tricolour offered to place a Sikh flag on top of the flag pole at Red Fort on Republic Day. Despite the violent insurrections by the so-called farmers against the state, the controversial news anchor Ravish Kumar appeared to be whitewashing the rioters’ crimes by carefully presenting their violent protests as a ‘peaceful movement’.

Not just that, the NDTV also tried to paint the violent mobs in tractor rally as humanitarian by claiming the rioters made way for the ambulance stuck in the commotion. 

NDTV ‘journalist’ and his hypocrisy

In December 2020, Modi government’s bold decision to pass the three farm laws had unnerved the propagandist Ravish Kumar who then, ran a prime time program on his channel, NDTV, in which he ranted against the farm laws trying to portray Modi government as anti-farmers. Interestingly, in 2015, Ravish Kumar had argued for the same farm reforms he has been opposing now.

Left trolls abuse award-wapasi veteran for making a donation for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Left trolls abuse award-wapasi veteran for making a donation for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya

Poet and writer Uday Prakash Singh, who was one of the members of the ‘Award Wapsi’ gang, surprised everyone by pulling off the most historic u-turn in modern political history, well, at least close to one, by offering donations for the construction of Ram Mandir at Ran Janmabhoomi, Ayodhya.

According to the reports, Uday Prakash Singh wrote on his Facebook post that he had made donations for the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. He also posted the receipt of donations that showed that the poet had donated Rs 5,400 for the temple construction.

Ram Mandir donation receipt of Poet, Writer Uday Prakash/ Image Source: DNA

It is pertinent to note that Uday Prakash Singh rose to popularity after he had returned his Sahitya academy award in 2015 to protest against the murder of Kannada writer MM Kalburgi. Uday Prakash, who hails from Sitapur village in Madhya Pradesh, taught at controversial Jawaharlal University and has also worked with Hindi daily Dinman as a sub-editor.

As Uday Prakash put out a Facebook post sharing news about his donations, many social media users expressed shock. Some of the social media users aligning to the left-wing ideology claimed that his account had been hacked and in no way Uday Prakash would donate to Ram Mandir’s construction. However, Uday Prakash himself clarified on Facebook, appealing to his fans and followers not to look everything in the prism of politics.

He also reportedly said one should not object to such donations and added that everyone was contributing for Ram temple due to their faith.

Liberal social media users, Islamists attack Uday Prakash

Several left-wing social media, who were once hailing Uday Prakash for returning his award during the alleged killing of left-wing writer MM Kalburgi, flooded his timeline on Friday to attack him over his donations to Ram Mandir construction.

Here are some of the comments put out by several users targeting Uday Prakash:

One social media user Jagdeep Singh said, “It is sad to see many progressives turning senile. It is your personal issue and you are free to choose. This also shows how person change according to the situation. Your writing has to be seen separately from your personality.”

Abuses received by Uday Prakash

Another user Sheshnath Pandey lamented that nothing is going well currently and said that he would politely disagree with him.

Abuses received by Uday Prakash

Abbas Pathan also expressed his anger saying it was shameful of Uday Prakash to donate money for the temple construction. He said instead of a donation, the poet should have asked the Ram Mandir trust regarding the donations it has already received, and he also demanded them to show the map of the building that will cost Rs 5,000 crores.

Abuses received by Uday Prakash

Shadab Anand attacked Uday Prakash saying that a large section of Hindi literature has always been communal, however, they mistook them for being progressive.

Abuses received by Uday Prakash

Another ‘secular’ Muslim users said that Uday Prakash’s decision to donate was nothing less than an oppression of Muslims.

Abuses received by Uday Prakash

Donation drive

Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had begun its donation collection drive from the day of Makar Sankranti on January 15. During the nation-wide campaign, the photos of the proposed new model of Shri Ramjanmbhoomi Mandir will reach the households of crores of Ram Bhakts. The trust has invited voluntary donations against which Rs.10, Rs.100, and Rs.1000 coupons will be available.

Earlier, the Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra had appealed to Hindus all over the world to donate as per their capacity for the construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and several other Hindu organizations, along with their volunteers, have been helping in the donation collection drive. 

British Broadcasting regulator revokes license of Chinese state-owned TV channel: Read why

OpIndia Staff
-
0
British Broadcasting regulator revokes license of Chinese state-owned TV channel: Read why

The United Kingdom’s communication regulator Ofcom (The Office of Communications) reportedly cancelled the license of China’s state TV channel, China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Thursday after it found, upon investigation, that the channel was controlled by China’s ruling Communist Party.

Ofcom revoked the UK license for CGTN, an English language international Chinese channel, that had been available on free and pay-TV in the country.

Ofcom received complaints demanding probe into ownership of CGTN

Ofcom started an investigation against CGTN after it received a complaint from a human rights group named Safeguard Defenders demanding a probe into the channel’s ownership. Several other complaints against the channel reportedly alleging violation of rules on fairness and accuracy are being considered by Ofcom.

One of the complaints was filed by former British consulate employee in Hong Kong who alleged that he was detained and tortured by Chinese police for information on protestors. Another complaint was filed by a British investigator who alleged being forced to give a confession while imprisoned in China.

Ofcom found after investigation that the CGTN was controlled by the Communist Party of China

According to reports, Ofcom found after investigation that Star China Media Limited, the entity that holds CGTN’s license, did not have editorial responsibility for the channel’s output which is required as per licensing rules. Star China Media Limited was reportedly the distributor of the channel and none of the employees involved in day-to-day operations or decision-making was its employees. Ofcom reportedly rejected an application to transfer the license to CGTN Corporation because the control of the channel by the Communist Party of China was not permitted under the country’s broadcasting law.

According to Ofcom, the CGTN was provided the time to comply but it failed to do so. “Following careful consideration, taking account of all the facts and the broadcaster’s and audience’s rights to freedom of expression, we have decided it is appropriate to revoke the license for CGTN to broadcast in the UK”, Ofcom was quoted as saying.

China accused BBC of ‘fake news’ coverage of Covid-19

Following the action of Ofcom, China responded by accusing the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) of ‘fake news’ coverage of Covid-19 and demanded a public apology. The Chinese Foreign Ministry complained about coverage by BBC broadcast on January 29 alleging that the BBC linked the Covid-19 pandemic with politics and reiterated theories about Chinese cover-up of the coronavirus outbreak. China alleged that BBC used a video clip of an anti-terrorism exercise to say that the Chinese virus prevention department had used violence to enforce the law.

“China urges the BBC Beijing bureau to take China’s position seriously,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said adding that the BBC should “stop harbouring ideological bias, stop smearing China, uphold professional ethics, fair reporting on China”.

1...4,5984,5994,600...7,652Page 4,599 of 7,652