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Indonesia: Boeing 737-500 of Sriwijaya Air loses contact minutes after taking off from Jakarta

OpIndia Staff
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Indonesia: Boeing 737-500 of Sriwijaya Air loses contact minutes after taking off from Jakarta

A Sriwijaya Air aircraft that took off from Jakarta in Indonesia has gone missing shortly after its take off. Flight tracking websites Flightradar24 reported that that Boeing 737-500 plane lost more than 10,000 altitude in less than minute before disappearing from radar.

The Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 disappeared from radar screens around 4 minutes after take-off. The flight was going from Jakarta to Pontianak in West Kalimantan. The Indonesian transport ministry has confirmed that the contact with the flight was lost at 2:20 local time.

Adita Irawati, the spokesperson for the Transport Ministry of Indonesia said that they are coordinating the matter with Basarnas (the search and rescue agency) and KNKT (the transport safety body). She said that more information will be released as and when become available.

Reportedly, 56 people were travelling in aircraft. The passengers included 46 adults, 7 children and 3 infants. The plane lost contact near the Tanjung Pasir Pulau Lancang, according to an official of the Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. It is feared that the plane crashed into the sea. According to local TV reports, fisherman in the area have found pieces of cable probably belonging to the aircraft.

Photographs have emerged on social media showing local authority in the area fishing out wires and other debris from the water, which could be part of the aircraft.

According to latest media reports, a patrolling boat of the air and sea transportation authority of the Republic of Indonesia has found the location of the crash of the plane in the Thousand Islands. The boat found parts of human bodies and aviation fuel at the site, almost confirming that the plane crashed there. The captain of the boat said the local fishermen told him that they heard a sound of an explosion at the site.

‘Burqa clad women attacked police party: Bail of one Tabassum denied and how it proves again that Delhi violence was coordinated

OpIndia Staff
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‘Burqa clad women attacked police party: Bail of one Tabassum denied and how it proves again that Delhi violence was coordinated

A Delhi court on Friday cancelled the bail application filed by one of the accused in connection with the murder of head constable Ratan Lal during anti-Hindu Delhi riots occurred in Delhi last year.

According to the reports, Additional Session Judge Vinod Yadav rejected the bail plea of accused Tabassum, a resident of Chand Bagh Area of Delhi, saying that her Call Detail Records (CDRs) revealed that she was in constant touch with several co­-accused persons to hatch riots. The judge further said that the charges against the applicant were serious in nature.

“Considering the facts and circumstances of the case in totality vis­-à­-vis gravity of the offence, I do not find it to be a fit case for grant of bail to the applicant. The bail application is accordingly dismissed,” the judge said.

The judgement by the Delhi court further proves that Delhi anti-Hindu riots were nothing but a pre-meditated conspiracy not just to destabilise India, but to target the Hindu population after Citizenship Amendment Act was passed by the parliament.

Rejecting the bail of the riot-accused, the judge noted that it is clearly evident that the protestors and organizers had motivated persons in the mob and certain unscrupulous elements had surrounded the scene of the crime and they appeared to be fully equipped with rioting material like stones, sticks, sharp ­edged weapons and another sort of raw weapons.

“Even burqa­ clad women are clearly seen attacking the police party with sticks and other material in their hands and they clearly appeared to be charged up. It has also come on record that some of the persons of the mob had taken possession of the rooftops of high­ rise buildings at or around 25 feet road, having firearms and other rioting material with them,” the judge made scathing remarks.

Anti-Hindu riots was a well hatched conspiracy, says Delhi court

Justice Yadav mentioned that all this prima facie indicates that everything was being done under a well­ hatched conspiracy, the common object whereof was to cause blockage of the main Wazirabad Road and if resisted by the police, then to go to any extent to liquidate them by use of force.

The Delhi police have opposed the bail plea alleging that Tabassum used to share the stage with other rioters to instigate the Muslim mob against the Government that finally led to violence on February 24, 2020, which resulted in the death of more than 50 people in North­ East District of Delhi, including head constable Ratan Lal.

The police also submitted that the mob also attacked the Delhi police officials during the protests that led to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shahdara, Amit Sharma, Anuj Kumar, ACP Gokalpuri and 51 other policemen suffering severe injuries. Two senior officers Amit Sharma, Anuj Kumar almost received death blow, while constable Ratan Lal was killed by the frenzied mob.

In her application, the accused Tabassum had admitted having participated in the protest, however, claimed that protesting against some legislation was her ‘legal and fundamental right’, which could not be snatched away from her as it was her ‘legitimate belief and perception that Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA) and National Register for Citizens (NRC) were against a particular religion’.

She further submitted that the investigating agency had not been able to establish the contents of her speech and whether they were inflammatory or instigating. The accused also claimed that participating in the protest against a particular law did not amount to the conspiracy of incitement of violence where head constable Rattan Lal had died.

Murder of Ratan Lal during the Delhi anti-Hindu riots

The charge sheet filed in connection will the killing of head constable Ratan Lal during the violence that swept northeast Delhi in February this year stated that the murder of Ratan Lal was a part of a deeper conspiracy to gin up communal riots across the national capital. 

The Special Investigation Team of Delhi Police has filed a 1,100-page charge-sheet in the murder of Ratan Lal and deadly attacks by rioters on IPS Amit Sharma and IPS Anuj Kumar. At least 17 accused have been named in the charge-sheet. There are about 4 to 5 key conspirators in this whole case, which includes Salim Khan, Salim Munna and Shadab. The police stated that the riots were engineered in Delhi through a conspiracy to malign the image of the country. 

Constable Ratan Lal was murdered on February 24 when he was shot at by rioters while patrolling along with his seniors. The police had alleged in the charge-sheet that a group of 45 people held a meeting at the basement of a house on February 22, where the conspiracy of the riot was conceived. On February 23, a after the conspiracy was hatched, rioters asked senior citizens and children to stay indoor as they ran riot on the streets, indulging in vandalism. 

A day later, on February 24, rioters and vandals again hit the streets, damaging public properties, setting vehicles on fire and causing bloodshed. Around 1 PM in Chand Bagh area, patrolling party in Chand Bagh was vastly outnumbered by a huge crowd of rioters. Senior police officials tried to placate the riotous mob but the crowd turned violent and attacked police. Head constable Ratan Lal was shot dead by the rioters. Amit Sharma, Anuj Kumar and several policemen received serious injuries, the charge-sheet said.

Senior Youth Congress leader calls on Twitter to suspend accounts of BJP leaders after Trump’s suspension

OpIndia Staff
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Senior Youth Congress leader calls on Twitter to suspend accounts of BJP leaders after Trump’s suspension

The suspension of the social media accounts of incumbent US President Donald Trump could have devastating consequences for the social media platforms as for the rest of the world, it is a natter of national sovereignty and not merely ideology. As such, Indians would not have been expected to cheer the actions of the tech oligarchy. However, Youth Congress leaders and sympathizers and ‘journalists’ are calling for more censorship.

Senior Youth Congress leader Srivatsa has called on Twitter India to ban on BJP’s IT-department head Amit Malviya and MP Tejasvi Surya because apparently, “they incite violence and enmity between groups.”

Senior Youth Congress leader Srivatsa wants censorship
Senior Youth Congress leader Srivatsa wants censorship

Amusingly enough, Srivatsa was inciting vandalism across the country and celebrating the Jio tower vandals in Punjab. But he was not the only one. ‘Eminent intellectual’ Ashok Swain, the academic version of motormouth Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, called for similar censorship in India.

Ashok Swain is at it again

One would have expected journalists, at least, to be wary of such power grabs but not all ‘journalists’ appear averse to censorship.

A ‘journalist’ cheers for censorship

Nearly all social media platforms have banned Donald Trump from their platforms. Twitter, Facebook and others have suspended his accounts on the platforms in the aftermath of the violence at Capitol Hill. People worldwide have criticized the move by the platforms saying that things have gone too far. Twitter specifically was called out for its double standards.

West Bengal: Acting president of AIMIM in West Bengal joins Trinamool Congress along with several other members of the party

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Acting president of AIMIM in West Bengal joins Trinamool Congress along with several other members of the party

The political scenario in West Bengal is in a state of flux, with several twists and turns taking place almost every day as the 2021 Assembly election in the state draws closer. After many Trinamool Congress stalwarts jumped ships to join BJP recently, reports have emerged that several members of the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) including it’s acting West Bengal unit president Sk Abdul Kalam and convenor Sheikh Anwar Hussain Pasha joined TMC Saturday. The AIMIM leader and his followers joined the TMC in presence of senior party leader and state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.

Have joined to keep the “poisonous air” in West Bengal at bay: AIMIM state unit chief

While joining Mamata Banerjee led-TMC at its headquarters in Kolkata, Kalam opined that he has switched sides to keep the “poisonous air” in West Bengal at bay. “We have seen that West Bengal used to be an oasis of peace. But of late, the air has become poisonous and this has to be set right. That is why I decided to join the Trinamool Congress,” he told reporters.

Attacking AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM’s West Bengal convenor Sheikh Anwar Hussain Pasha said that this is not the right time to seek a political entry into West Bengal, claiming that the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party was only acting as a polarizer of votes to help the BJP.

Asaduddin Owaisi eyeing at West Bengal in the upcoming Assembly election

After winning five seats in Bihar and playing spoiler in some seats, speculations were rife that AIMIM will play a major role in the upcoming Assembly election in West Bengal. In fact, the war of words between WB CM Mamata Banerjee and AIMIM chief has already reached a pinnacle. When Mamata Banerjee alleged that the BJP is giving money to a party from Hyderabad to divide votes in the ensuing Assembly elections, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had hit back at her saying the Muslim voters were not her “jagir (property)”. Rubbishing the allegation by the Trinamool Congress leader, Owaisi commented that nobody can buy him with money.

Moreover, the Hyderabad MP had also tweeted that Mamata Banerjee does not like those Muslims who think and speak for themselves.

Will Asaduddin Owaisi dent Mamata Banerjee’s Muslim vote bank?

Now, this sudden development of AIMIM stalwarts jumping ships might turn out to be a big hurdle for Asaduddin Owaisi-led party which is planning to make a debut in poll-bound West Bengal and swing the Muslim votes, which accounts for nearly 30 per cent in West Bengal, in his favour. For years Mamata Banerjee has been thriving in West Bengal by appeasing her Muslim vote bank. Now if Asaduddin Owaisi ventures into West Bengal and consolidates Muslims electorally, it may prove to be a major disaster for the incumbent Trinamool Congress in the state of West Bengal.

Chinese soldier taken into custody after crossing over into the Indian side of LAC: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Chinese soldier taken into custody after crossing over into the Indian side of LAC: Details

The Indian Army has taken a Chinese solider into custody for transgressing into the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). He was apprehended in the early hours of the 8th of January 2020.

The Indian Army, in a statement, has said that the PLA soldier is being dealt as per established procedure and laid down norms. The soldier was captured around Rezang La and both sides are said to be in touch over the matter.

China and India have been locked in a conflict since last year. Things reached a peak with the clash in Galwan Valley where both sides suffered casualties and since then, the battle has largely been waged over words and propaganda from the Chinese side.

In September, India foiled Chinese infiltration bids and occupied new heights along the LAC. Meanwhile, Chinese media outlets have been threatening India often with dire consequences for opposing China’s expansionist tendencies, however, they do not have any significant achievements to boot.

Maharashtra: Amidst raging Aurangabad renaming row, unknown miscreants tear apart a banner with Sambhaji Maharaj’s name

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Amidst raging Aurangabad renaming row, unknown miscreants tear apart a banner with Sambhaji Maharaj’s name

As the row over the renaming of Aurangabad to Sambhaji Nagar continues to rage on, a wanton incident of vandalism has been reported from Satara. A banner bearing the name of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj at Powai Naka in Satara has been brought down and torn apart by unknown miscreants.

A grade separator has been set up in Satara to reduce the congestion in traffic. The work of the separator was going on for the last three years. Rs 66 crores were spent on completing the project.

On Friday, the grade separator was inaugurated by MP Udayan Raje Bhosale. All the gates of the grade separators were named after different Chhatrapati Maratha kings. A sign carrying the name of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was put up on one of the entrances of the grade separator road.

Hours after the subway’s inauguration, its banner bearing Sambhaji Maharaj’s name vandalised

However, on Saturday morning, hours after the subway was inaugurated, commuters found the banner with the name of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj lying on the road, sundered apart. It is presumed that some unidentified vandals tore down a sign put up on the subway named after Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje Bhosale on Friday night.

The incident of vandalism has created a stir in the region, with the supporters of Udayan Raje hitting the streets demanding action against the culprits. Besides, advocate Dattatreya Bunkar, Sangram Barge, corporators and activists of Satara Vikas Aghadi expressed their anger over the incident and urged the police to find and arrest the miscreants responsible for vandalising the banner.

The city police, on the other hand, has appealed people to maintain calm and pursue the matter legally instead of taking the law into their hands. The police have also launched a probe in the matter.

The raging controversy surrounding the renaming of Aurangabad to ‘Sambhaji Nagar’

A controversy was kicked up after the Shiv Sena, one of the parties of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance of the Maharashtra government, dredged up the decades-old demand of renaming the city of Aurangabad to Sambhaji Nagar. However, Shiv Sena’s alliance partner, Congress, opposed the demand, stating that it did not come under the ambit of the Common Minimum Programme(CMP) agreed upon by the Maha Vikas Aghadi partners.

The Shiv Sena, however, upped the ante, stating that the demand for the renaming of Aurangabad does not need to be in the CMP as it a popular demand and enjoys public support. It also published a scathing article in its mouthpiece Saamana wherein it remarked that Muslims in India do not regard Aurangzeb as their uncle and they would have no problems in renaming Aurangabad just like they had no issues with the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also jumped into the controversy, referring to Aurangabad as Sambhaji Nagar. The CM’s official Twitter account repeatedly referred to Aurangabad as ‘Sambhaji Nagar’. This invited a stiff retort from Congress, which pointed out the Maharashtra CM that he cannot change the official name in such an arbitrary manner. It also informed the Shiv Sena that they did not it does not have a majority to push through decisions.

Responding to the Congress’s objection to him referring to Aurangabad as Sambhaji Nagar to honour the Maratha ruler, Thackeray told reporters: “Aurangzeb was not a secular person. While our agenda has the word secular in it, a person like Aurangzeb does not fit into it.”

NSE India gaffe: Shares pictures of ‘sexy diva’ and ‘hot girl’ Mouni Roy from official handle, deletes after being caught

OpIndia Staff
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NSE India gaffe: Shares pictures of ‘sexy diva’ and ‘hot girl’ Mouni Roy from official handle, deletes after being caught

National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), the country’s leading stock exchange, was recently caught sharing pictures of model turned actor Mouni Roy from its official Twitter account, which social media users generally rely on for news related to economy, markets, sectors, companies, bonds, equities, Government securities, investment strategy, changes in rules and regulations, etc.

NSE shared four pictures of the actor with the caption “Soaring Saturday Temperature high…@Roymouni looks breathtaking”, and several hashtags like #mouniroy, #beautifuldiva, #sexydiva, #hotgirl, #mouniroyhot, etc. It did not forget to add the fire emoticons to its caption.

NSE India’s now deleted Tweet

In the pictures, Mouni Roy is seen posing for the cameras, in a black netted top paired with a bronze bottom.

Barely 15 minutes after posting the pictures, the financial house quietly deleted the post, however, the damage was done. Few social media users not only noticed NSE India’s online indulgences but also took screenshots and shared it on the micro-blogging site.

The social media users were left amused to see the financial house, which generally sticks to sharing finance and business-related posts, sharing such provocative pictures of the actor. Comments like: “NSE, what is this behaviour? The hashtags are…. Speechless” and “ई क्या है बे ?” (what the hell), were shared by Twitter users who took to the microblogging site to share screenshots of the post.

While some opined that who so ever handled NSE’s Twitter account mistakenly forgot to switch accounts.

Pope Francis caught in similar sitch

In a similar incident, Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, was last year caught ‘liking’ a raunchy picture of a bikini model named Natalia Garibotto. In the picture, Natalia was seen wearing suspenders and an outfit resembling a Catholic school girl. Though it is not clear though whether the ‘like’ from the Instagram account of the bishop of Rome was accidental or intentional, shortly after social media users created a fuss over the ‘like’ by Pope Francis, the photo was unliked by the head of the Catholic Church.

Humiliation porn by Democrats: The devastating consequences, and why the impeachment bid against Trump may backfire

K Bhattacharjee
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Humiliation porn by Democrats: The devastating consequences, and why the impeachment bid against Trump may backfire

The events that transpired at Washington DC were utterly unprecedented in recent memory. The visuals emerging from the storming of Capitol Hill were quite unbelievable and utterly surreal. Since then, Donald Trump has been ostracized from the corridors of power. And Democrats are now looking to remove him from office before he completes his term as a final act of humiliation and vengeance.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called for the removal of Donald Trump from office through the 25th Amendment and if the Vice President does not do that, then she said that the Democrats will move ahead with impeachment a second time. She already has the approval of Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

House Democrats, since then, have already drafted a new impeachment resolution with only one article of impeachment. The charge against Donald Trump is of “incitement of insurrection.” New impeachment motion against the incumbent US President will begin soon with just over 10 days of him remaining in office.

Nancy Pelosi has made even more such incendiary comments. She told House Democrats in a letter on Friday, “I spoke to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley to discuss available precautions for preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike.”

“The situation of this unhinged President could not be more dangerous, and we must do everything that we can to protect the American people from his unbalanced assault on our country and our democracy,” she continued. This is all theater, of course. The “unhinged president” is the first in years to keep the USA out of new military entanglements.

Unlike George Bush and Barack Obama, Donald Trump has not created any failed states in the Middle-East. He brought North Korea to the table and ensured numerous peace deals between historical enemies in ME. The nuclear codes are likely a lot safer with him than they were under most US presidents in recent times.

The move to impeach Donald Trump now is clearly not about the Capitol Hill violence. Anyone honest enough with himself recognizes this fact. They already tried to impeach him once when there was no clarity on what crime he had committed. The whole RussiaGate Conspiracy Theory was peddled at full blast in order to delegitimize his presidency.

And now, when all that failed, they want to remove him from office with 10 days to go. This is not about justice, this is about humiliation. This is the political equivalent of humiliation porn. But such vindictive politics could have dangerous repercussions. Because people are smart enough to recognize it for what it is. It is about sending a message.

It’s a message to all anti-establishment figures with sufficient resources who dream of running for the White House. “Stay in your lane or we will destroy you,” that is the message coming out from all of this. Donald Trump is not being punished for his conduct, he is being punished for daring to go against the current establishment figures.

One thing, however, that Democrats should be wary of is that 45 per cent of Republicans and one in five voters support the storming of Capitol Hill. How are they going to react when their preferred candidate is humiliated in such a manner? They are unlikely to take it kindly.

President-elect Joe Biden is aware of this and therefore, does not seem very excited about impeachment. He said that the quickest way to remove Donald Trump from office is his swearing in on January 20.

Impeachment at this juncture is the surest way to ensure that people in the United States lose faith in their Democracy. Donald Trump has been purged from all major social media platforms, his supporters and aides have been purged as well. There is great anger in the United States, impeachment might just be the final straw.

The conduct of the ‘Squad’, labelled the ‘Fraud Squad’ by Progressives such as Jimmy Dore, has been extremely shocking as well. It almost appears that they are begging for a civil war. They are likely to discover that impeaching a president that received over 70 million votes in 2020 and still commands great respect among his base for flimsy reasons is unacceptable to a great many.

The humiliation of Donald Trump will reflect on all of his successors as well and Joe Biden is clearly very conscious of that fact. The USA is a deeply divided country currently and impeachment will be akin to pouring gasoline on a raging fire. This is obviously something anyone still in control of their rational faculties can surmise.

But are Democrats stupid enough to try that? Well, they may not be stupid but they are certainly delusional enough.

Did Twitter ban Donald Trump from their platform after this letter from Michelle Obama? Here is what it said

OpIndia Staff
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Did Twitter ban Donald Trump from their platform after this letter from Michelle Obama? Here is what it said

A day after violence erupted in the streets of Washington DC, former first lady Michelle Obama had expressed outrage against the incident and pushed the blame on President Donald Trump. Taking to social media platform Twitter, former First Lady Michelle Obama had accused President Trump of inciting violence and went on to describe POTUS Trump as “infantile and unpatriotic”, while adding that the day was a fulfilment of the wishes of a President “who can’t handle the truth of his own failures.”

Continuing her letter against President Trump and his supporters, Michelle Obama also attacked the law enforcement officials saying that she cannot stop thinking about what the treatment and reaction from the police and government would have been if the rioters looked different.

“There’s one question I just can’t shake: What if these rioters had looked like the folks who go to Ebenezer Baptist Church every Sunday? What would have been different?” she wrote in her post.

She even claimed that the protesters would have been treated differently had they been Black. “This summer’s Black Lives Matter protests were an overwhelmingly peaceful movement… And yet, in city after city, day after day, we saw peaceful protesters met with brute force. In contrast, those who ‘desecrated the centre of American government’ this week; were led out of the building, not in handcuffs, but free to carry on with their days,” she said.

Did Michelle Obama put pressure on social-media giants to ban Trump?

However, she also arm-twisted social media techs to ban President Trump from their respective platforms, claiming that it was necessary in order to bring peace as ‘many believe Trump had been inciting and promoting violence’ through his posts.

“Now is the time for Silicon Valley companies to stop enabling this monstrous behaviour – and go even further than they have already by permanently banning this man from their platforms and putting in place policies to prevent their technology from being used by the nation’s leaders to fuel insurrection,” she said.

Interestingly, just a day after Michelle Obama’s diktat, the social media giants have barred US President Donald Trump from Twitter claiming that he had incited his supporters to storm the Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

Full text of Michelle Obama’s letter urging tech giants to ban Donald Trump

I woke up yesterday elated by the news of Reverend Raphael Warnock’s election victory. He’ll be Georgia’s first Black senator, and I was heartened by the idea that the Senior Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church—the home parish of Dr. King and a spiritual and organizational hub during the Civil Rights Movement—would be representing his state in the United States Senate.

In just a few hours, though, my heart had fallen harder and faster than I can remember. Like all of you, I watched as a gang—organized, violent, and mad they’d lost an election—laid siege to the United States Capitol. They set up gallows. They proudly waved the traitorous flag of the Confederacy through the halls. They desecrated the centre of American government. And once authorities finally gained control of the situation, these rioters and gang members were led out of the building, not in handcuffs, but free to carry on with their days. The day was a fulfilment of the wishes of an infantile and unpatriotic president who can’t handle the truth of his own failures. And the wreckage lays at the feet of a party and media apparatus that gleefully cheered him or, knowing full well the possibility of consequences like these.

It all left me with so many questions—questions about the future, questions about security, extremism, propaganda, and more. But there’s one question I just can’t shake: What if these rioters had looked like the folks who go to Ebenezer Baptist Church every Sunday? What would have been different?

I think we all know the answer. This summer’s Black Lives Matter protests were an overwhelmingly peaceful movement—our nation’s largest demonstrations ever, bringing together people of every race and class and encouraging millions to re-examine their own assumptions and behaviour. And yet, in city after Sty, day, after day, we .w peaceful protestors met with brute force. We saw cracked skulls and mass arrests, Is enforcement pepper-spraying its way through a peaceful demonstration for a presidential photo op. And for those who call others unpatriotic for simply taking a knee in silent protest, for those who wonder why we need to be reminded that Black Lives Matter at all, yesterday made it painfully clear that certain Americans are, in fact, allowed to denigrate the flag and symbols of our nation. They’ve just got to look the right way.

What do all those folks have to say now?

Seeing the gulf between the responses to yesterday’s riot and this summer’s peaceful protests and the larger movement for racial justice is so painful. It hurts. And I cannot think about moving on or turning the page until we reckon with the reality of what we saw yesterday. True progress will be possible only once we acknowledge that this disconnect exists and take steps to repair it. And that also means coming to grips with the reality that millions voted for a man so obviously willing to burn our democracy down for his own ego.

I hurt for our country. And I wish I had all the solutions to make things better. I wish I had the confidence that people who know better will act like it for more than a news cycle or two. All I know is that now is a time for true patriotism. Now is the time for those who voted for this president to see the reality of what they’ve supported—and publicly and forcefully rebuke him and the actions of that mob. Now is the time for Silicon Valley companies to stop enabling this monstrous behaviour—and go even further than they have already by permanently banning this man from their platforms and putting in place policies to prevent their technology from being used by the nation’s leaders to fuel insurrection.

And if we have any hope of improving this nation, now is the time for swift and serious consequences for the failure of leadership that led to yesterday, shame.

Thankfully, even in the darkness, there are glimmers of hope. It’s something I imagine Reverend Warnock has preached about before—and I’m still heartened beyond belief that he’s headed to Washington. I’m glad his fellow Georgian, Jon Ossoff is, too, and that together they’ll help give control of Congress back to the only party that’s shown that it can put our democracy above its own short-term political fortunes. I pray that every American, especially those who disagree with them, will give our new Congress, President-Elect Biden, and Vice-President-Elect Harris the chance to lead us in a better direction.

But make no mistake: The work of putting America back together, of truly repairing what is broken, isn’t the work of any individual politician or political party. It’s up to each of us to do our part. To reach out. To listen. And to hold tight to the truth and values that have always led this country forward. It will be an uncomfortable, sometimes painful process. But if we enter into it with an honest and unwavering love of our country, then maybe we can finally start to heal.

Twitter suspends US President Donald Trump

In a major blow to free speech, Twitter on Friday permanently banned the personal account of Donald Trump (@realdonaldtrump). The arbitrary action by Twitter to ban a sitting President and big-tech companies playing a direct role in country’s politics has now caused a massive shock to the citizens worldwide, invoking fear about big-tech’s intent to censure contrary viewpoints.

In a statement, Twitter said, “After a close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”

Following the permanent suspension, the POTUS issued a scathing response accusing Twitter of conspiring with his political enemies “to silence” him. Declaring war on big-techs, President Trump issued a statement over the shocking action of Twitter to ban free speech saying that micro-blogging site is colluding with Democrats and radical left elements to silence him and the 75 million people who voted for him.

The President of the United States, end his statement to his followers said, “STAY TUNED!”.

From importing everything, now India is ready to save humanity with two Made in India Covid-19 vaccines: PM Narendra Modi

OpIndia Staff
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From importing everything, now India is ready to save humanity with two Made in India Covid-19 vaccines: PM Narendra Modi

Speaking during the inauguration of the 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention, PM Narendra Modi proudly reflected the transition India has gone through over time from a country that till recently imported medical devices and equipment to one that is ready to “save humanity” with two Made-In-India vaccines to fight coronavirus.

“India used to import PPE kits, masks, ventilators, and testing kits from outside but today our nation is self-reliant. Today India is ready to save humanity with two ‘Made in India’ COVID-19 vaccines,” PM Modi said during the virtual inauguration, furthering that the entire world is not only waiting for the Indian COVID-19 vaccines but also looking at how it rolls out the largest vaccination programme in the world.

Lauding the contribution of the Indian diaspora to the global community during the coronavirus pandemic, Modi expressed gratitude to them for their contribution to the PM Cares Fund. “In the midst of these challenges, the way Indian-origin colleagues across the world have worked, have done their duty, it is a matter of pride for all of us. These are the sacraments of our soil”, PM Modi said.

Modi appreciated the fact that thousands from overseas Indian community participated in the Know India Quiz Competition. “These numbers suggest that the roots may be far away, but the new generation’s engagement is increasing that much”, said the Prime Minister.

Speaking about the various areas in which India had developed, Modi said that “India’s history is witness to the fact that whenever anybody doubted Indians and India’s unity and determination, they were proven wrong. Many believed during the colonial times that there could never be freedom but we fought united and attained independence. Today we are not only free but a country with a vibrant and strong democracy.”

PM Narendra Modi talking at 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention delved into the importance of technology in our lives, however, he lauded the fact that technology has not taken us away from our roots. He said: “Today we have been connected with internet from various corners of the world but our minds are always connected with Maa Bharti”.

Speaking about an ongoing campaign in India to empower the poor of the country, something that is being discussed globally now PM Modi also said: “Today, India is using technology to end corruption. Money worth lakhs and crores are directly being credited to the account of the beneficiary.”

Moreover, the PM lauded India’s efforts to tackle terrorism, which provided the world with new strength to fend off this challenge.

The last convention which was the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention was held from January 21 to January 23, 2019, in Varanasi with Uttar Pradesh being the partner states. Over 7,000 delegates participated in the 15th convention which also included a visit to Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj and participation in Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on 26 January 2019.

PM Modi’s full speech can be viewed here:

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