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US Pres Donald Trump signs COVID relief bill which promises millions of relief to Pakistan and other countries

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US Pres Donald Trump signs COVID relief bill which promises millions of relief to Pakistan and other countries

US President Donald Trump on Sunday signed the 2.3 trillion USD COVID relief bill, days after calling it a disgrace. His decision to sign the bill averts a government shutdown since the funding was set to expire on Monday night.

Prior to this, he had released a statement that he would send a redlined version of the bill accompanied by a formal request insisting that the Congress removes certain funding from the bill. However, Presidents do not have such veto power. He could either accept the bill in full or reject it.

Trump had recommended the payments be increased to USD 2,000 per person from current USD 600. The House will vote on the proposal on Monday.

In his statement on Sunday, Trump said, “I am signing this bill to restore unemployment benefits, stop evictions, provide rental assistance, add money for PPP, return our airline workers back to work, add substantially more money for vaccine distribution, and much more.”

Criticising the bill last week, President Trump had said, “It is called the Covid relief bill but has almost nothing to do with Covid. This Bill contains 85.5 million dollars for assistance to Cambodia, 134 million dollars to Burma, 1.3 billion dollars for Egypt and the Egyptian military which will go out and buy almost exclusively Russian military equipment.”

“25 million dollars for democracy and gender programmes in Pakistan,” Trump said and listed out other relief packages for other countries. He had also pointed out how the relief packages contain money allocated to various facilities like the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and others which are currently not operational. He questioned why the Kennedy Center in Washington DC was set to receive 40 million USD when it is not open, and over 1 billion USD has been allocated to museums and galleries in the capital.

Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhisek Banerjee calls Suvendu Adhikari an asymptomatic COVID-19 patient for joining BJP

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Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhisek Banerjee calls Suvendu Adhikari an asymptomatic COVID-19 patient for joining BJP

After TMC stalwart Suvendu Adhikari joined BJP in the presence of union home minister Amit Shah, his former party colleagues are continuously attacking him for changing loyalty. In the latest such incident, TMC MP and Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee has compared him with an asymptomatic COVID-19 patient.

Banerjee, who is also the chief of TMC’s youth wing, said that Suvendu Adhikari is like an asymptomatic COVID-19 patient who betrayed the party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and was sabotaging it from inside. “There were some people in the party who were like asymptomatic COVID-19 patients. We tracked their activities and identified them. We are happy to get rid of such viruses who had betrayed the party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and had been sabotaging the party since the past few months,” Abhishek Banerjee said while addressing a rally in his constituency Diamond Harbour.

He added that those who want to leave TMC for selfish reasons are free to do so.  “If you have the courage, float your own party like Mamata Banerjee did in 1998. She had not joined the BJP or the CPI (M),” he said.
Banerjee also reacted to Suvendu Adhikari calling him as “extortionist bhaipo (nephew)”, saying that his name didn’t came up any scam. He added that it was Suvendu Adhikari whose name had emerged in Narada sting operation. He said, “You have raised the slogan to remove extortionist ‘bhaipo’ (nephew). Whose name figured in Narada sting operation? I am not involved in either Narada sting or Saradha scam. You took a sudden political somersault to save yourself from central agencies like CBI and ED.”

Asserting that he is not involved in extortion, Abhisek Banerjee said, “If you can prove that I had ever been involved in extortion activities, I will accept any punishment in the court of the people. If you have guts, deploy CBI or ED after me.”

The Trinamool Congress leader also mocked Suvendu Adhikari for failing to shift his father and two brothers from TMC to BJP. “You have failed to bloom the lotus in your own house. How can you make the lotus bloom in the entire state?” he said.

Suvendu Adhikari’s father and Kanthi MP Sisir Kumar Adhikari, his brother and Tamluk MP Dibyendu Adhikari and another brother and Chairman of Kanthi Municipality Soumendu Adhikari are still leaders of TMC. The Adhikari family have played a major role in the growth of TMC in the East Midnapore district. Sisir Adhikari and his three sons have been controlling the Kanthi and Tamluk Lok Sabha seats, the assembly seats and urban bodies in the region for more than a decade now.

Wife of Sanjay Raut summoned by ED in connection with PMC Bank Scam worth over Rs. 4000 crores : Read details

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Wife of Sanjay Raut summoned by ED in connection with PMC Bank Scam worth over Rs. 4000 crores : Read details

Wife of motormouth Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, Varsha Raut, has been summoned by Enforcement Directorate on the 29th of December in connection with the PMC Bank scam.

As per reports, Varsha Raut has been summoned over a Rs. 50 lakh transaction with the wife of another accused, Pravin Raut. It is believed to be the same transaction where she allegedly took a loan to buy a property.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya said that Sanjay Raut should explain whether any financial transaction has occurred on his family’s part. Ram Kadam also said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance should not attach politics to investigative agencies. He said, “It’s the double standards of the Sena for when the state acts in Maharashtra it’s transparency and when Central agencies act it’s an act of revenge.”

What is the PMC Bank scam?

The Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank is one of the largest cooperative banks, which was put under scrutiny by the Reserve Bank for fraud and misreporting of bad loans. Later, the bank had admitted that one large account, HDIL was the main reason for the current crisis.

Following this, the Mumbai Police’s EOW had arrested HDIL directors Sarang Wadhawan and Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan in connection with a fraud of over Rs 4,355 crores. According to the reports, PMC Bank officials gave loans to HDIL between the year 2008 and August 2019 despite the Wadhwans defaulting on previous loans.

Former MD of PMC bank, Joy Thomas aka Junaid Khan was also arrested by a special investigation team (SIT) of the EOW of Mumbai Police on the 4th of October, 2019. He had been absconding until then. The EOW had filed an FIR on September 30 last year against HDIL and PMC Bank officials in the PMC bank fraud case.

Later, it was revealed that Joy Thomas, former MD of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank had converted to Islam, married his assistant at the bank as per Islamic rituals in 2012, changed his name to Junaid Khan and owned 10 properties in Pune with his second wife allegedly as part of the Rs 4,355 crore scam.

The Enforcement Directorate had registered a case of money laundering and initiated their own investigation into the scam. Senior NCP leader Praful Patel was also accused of having links with the Wadhwans.

How did Rahul Gandhi manage to bypass COVID regulations for his Milan vacation? Netizens raise suspicions

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How did Rahul Gandhi manage to bypass COVID regulations for his Milan vacation? Netizens raise suspicions

On Sunday, we were informed by the media that Rahul Gandhi is off to one of his foreign trips again. Ahead of New Years eve, the senior Congress leader left for Milan on a Qatar Airlines Flight. The Congress party has not confirmed the departure but they have not denied the media reports either as of now.

Under normal circumstances, Rahul Gandhi’s foreign trip at a time when his party is backing the ‘farmer protests’ while almost begging him to return as the party president would not raise eyebrows, it is what the country has come to expect of him.

But amidst the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, a certain aspect of his purported visit to Milan has come to light that demands a closer inspection. People on social media have pointed out that under the Covid norms that are in place Italy, it will be extremely difficult for Rahul Gandhi to enter the country.

India is currently in List E countries according to the official government website. According to the rules in force for the Christmas and New Year period, people in List E countries can travel to Italy only for work, health or study reasons, absolute urgency and return to one’s own domicile, home, or residence.

The rules state, “Return/entry into Italy from this group of countries is always allowed to Italian/EU/Schengen citizens and their family members, as well as to holders of long-term resident status and their family members.”

“The Ministerial Decree of December 3, 2020 also confirms the possibility of entry into Italy, from these countries, for people who have a proven and stable relationship (even if not cohabiting) with Italian/EU/Schengen citizens or with individuals who are legally resident in Italy (long-term residents), who need to reach their partner’s home/domicile/residence (in Italy),” it adds.

One wonders what specific reason did Rahul Gandhi provide for entering Italy. Health or study reasons seem unlikely. And it is also unlikely that Italy will consider New Year celebrations as an “absolute urgency”. Then the two options that remain are either work or personal familial reasons.

Rahul Gandhi is the leader of a political party in India, therefore, a secretive trip for work-related reasons to a foreign country would naturally raise suspicions. And if it is for work related purposes that he was allowed entry, then Indians deserve more details about the nature of the work.

The other possibility is that Rahul Gandhi has family in Italy who he visits. A lot of people on social media appear to find this reason to be far more plausible. Rahul Gandhi’s maternal family is of Italian origins. Hence, that would be one possibility. Only other family he could have in Italy would be through marriage. And that is not a possibility, as far as we know.

But all of this is a matter of speculation and only the Congress party and the politician himself can provide more clarity to the situation.

BJP leaders have regularly cornered Rahul Gandhi on his foreign trips. In 2017, Amit Shah had stirred the hornet’s nest by asking Rahul Gandhi why he had not taken his SPG cover on his foreign trips and asked him what he was trying to hide. Rajnath Singh, then Home Ministerm, revealed that in the previous two years, Gandhi had been on 6 foreign tours spread over a total of 72 days where he did not take along his SPG cover.

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale gives new slogan for new coronavirus strain

OpIndia Staff
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Union Minister Ramdas Athawale gives new slogan for new coronavirus strain

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Sunday gave a new slogan to combat the new strain of coronavirus, “No corona, corona no”.

Earlier this year, when the pandemic had broken out, Athawale had given a slogan, ‘Go corona, corona go’, which had gone viral on social media.

In March this year, he was spotted chanting ‘Go corona’ slogan with candles, wishing for the virus to go back to China, where it originally originated.

He had also said how after his slogan, the virus subsided in 8 months and with the vaccine on its way, the pandemic is likely to end soon. Union Minister Athawale himself had eventually tested positive for coronavirus and has since recovered.

Flights of UK origin suspended after mutated virus

A new strain of Covid-19 was reported in the UK, after which the civil aviation ministry has suspended flights originating from the United Kingdom from December 22. The new mutated virus is believed to having higher transmissibility.

Despite Capt Amarinder’s appeal, ‘protesting farmers’ destroy 150 telecom towers overnight

OpIndia Staff
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Despite Capt Amarinder’s appeal, ‘protesting farmers’ destroy 150 telecom towers overnight

In spite of Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s appeal, the ‘protesting farmers’ have destroyed 150 more telecom towers overnight. This takes the total number of telecom towers damaged to 1,388.

The ‘protestors’ have been targetting Reliance Jio towers because of the claims that Reliance as well as Adani group, are out to exploit the farmers with help of new farm laws. However, it is not true. The corporates do not stand to gain anything as they do not procure foodgrains from farmers.

News agency PTI citing sources said that site managers were slapped and abused for trying to stop the protestors from destroying the infrastructure. Power lines are snapped and attempts to axe towers were undertaken by the ‘protesting farmers’.

The attacks have impacted telecom services and operators who are struggling to maintain services in absence of action by law enforcement agencies, the report said.

On Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder had appealed to the ‘protesting farmers’ to not inconvenience the general public by disrupting power and destroying infrastructure. He had also urged the ‘protestors’ who are supported and given logistical support by the Congress leaders, to not shut down connectivity and manhandle the telecom workers.

However, it seems the ‘protesting farmers’ did not pay any heed to the chief minister’s appeal.

Trump will suffer from a ‘mysterious’ disease, assassination attempt on Putin: Here are Bulgarian Blind Baba Vanga’s predictions for 2021

OpIndia Staff
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Trump will suffer from a ‘mysterious’ disease, assassination attempt on Putin: Here are Bulgarian Blind Baba Vanga’s predictions for 2021

Bulgarian blind Baba Vanga, who predicted 9/11 attacks, had also made some predictions for the upcoming year 2021. According to Blind Baba, the world will face cataclysms, disasters in 2021 and a strong dragon will seize humanity.

For the uninitiated, Baba Vanga’s real name was Vangelia Gushterova. She was nicknamed as the ‘Nostradamus of the Balkans’ for making bizarre claims. Baba Vanga, who lost her vision at the age of 12 during a massive storm, had claimed that she was given a very rare gift from God to see into the future.

Her claims about the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the death of Princess Diana and the Chernobyl disaster have all become true. She was believed to have got 85 per cent of her predictions right.

Strangely, Baba Vanga, a blind psychic, who died in 1996 at the age of 85, has rightly predicted the September 11 terror attack and Brexit. Now her predictions for the year 2021 have been revealed.

“The world will suffer from a lot of cataclysms and great disasters. The consciousness of people will change. Difficult times will come. People will be divided by their faith. We are witnessing devastating events that will change the fate and destiny of humanity,” she had claimed.

The Nostradamus of the Balkans had also predicted that 2021 will be when a cure for cancer is found. “At the beginning of the 21st century, humanity will get rid of cancer. The day will come when cancer will get tied with iron chains,” Baba Vanga had claimed.

Trump will get ‘mysterious’ disease, assassination attempt on Putin

The Bulgarian mystic has also prophesied that US President Trump will apparently suffer from a “mysterious disease”. She had claimed that the 45th President of the United State will get infected with a “mysterious disease” that will leave him deaf, and cause brain trauma.

Baba Vanga had also claimed that Europe’s economy will fall, an assassination attempt will be carried out against Russian President Vladimir Putin by someone within his own country and Islamic terrorists will stage an attack in Europe.

She had predicted doom for Trump and Putin in 2019 and 2020. However, both of them have survived although Trump contracted coronavirus in October this year and an attempt to assassinate Putin was stopped in 2012.

Baba Vanga had also said, “The extremists will use an arsenal of chemical weapons against Europeans.” The deceased prediction maker had also added, “The petrol production will stop, and the Earth will rest” and “trains will “fly” by using sunlight.

‘Dragon will rise’, Baba Vanga predicts rise of China?

One of the most bizarre predictions by Baba Vanga for the year 2021 is that a dragon will take over the planet. “A strong dragon will seize humanity. The three giants will unite. Some people will have red money. I see the numbers 100, 5, and many zeros.”

Some people belive that the “dragon” Baba Vanga referred to is China. The three giants may be Russia, India and China. They interpret that the money could be the Yuan or Ruble notes, which are red in colour.

She had also predicted an end to world hunger by 2028, Mars colonies acquiring nuclear weapons by 2256 and that Earth will become uninhabitable by 2341. Her prophesies run until the year 5079 when she said the world will come to an end.

However, only time will tell whether Baba Vanga has predicted right or not. It is also interesting to see how many of these prophesies of Baba Vanga will turn out to be true.

Ahead of New Years eve, Rahul Gandhi takes off to Milan: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Ahead of New Years eve, Rahul Gandhi takes off to Milan: Reports

Media reports suggest that Rahul Gandhi has left for Milan, Italy early this morning on a Qatar Airlines flight.

His vacation to Milan comes a day before Congress’ foundation day where there were the party had decided to take up the nationalism pitch.

Congress had also been exchanging barbs with the BJP over the farm laws. Punjab Congress leaders have been providing logistical support to the protesting Punjab farmers who have taken the national capital as hostage.

Recently, senior Congress leaders had questioned the frequent vacations by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra instead of leading the party.

In November, after the Bihar election debacle, these leaders again wrote to Sonia Gandhi demanding organisational elections for the party president’s post be held at the earliest. The letter also pointed towards a lack of faith in the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, suggesting in a censorious tone that at the peak of Bihar campaigning and even on result day, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were holidaying in Shimla instead of being with the party and leading the way.

In November this year, he had planned a 2-day luxurious vacation in Jaiselmer, which he ‘cancelled’ due to ‘personal reasons’.

2000 years old Roman-era food stall buried in volcanic ash unearthed in Pompeii in Italy

OpIndia Staff
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2000 years old Roman-era food stall buried in volcanic ash unearthed in Pompeii in Italy

The Italian archaeologists have unearthed a 2,000 years old fast-food stall from the ashes in Pompeii, Italy. The researchers have dug out an ancient restaurant from the vast archaeological site in the city of Southern Italy, that could now give new clues about the snacking habits of the ancient Romans.

According to the reports, the Italian archaeologists who have been carrying out excavations at the ancient lost city of Pompeii on Saturday said that they had discovered a frescoed ‘thermopolium’ or fast-food counter in an exceptional state of preservation.

The ornate snack bar counter, decorated with polychrome patterns and frozen by volcanic ash, was partially taken off from the ground last year but archaeologists had continued their work on the site to reveal it in its full glory.

Pompeii was buried in a sea of boiling lava when the volcano on nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, killing between 2,000 and 15,000 people. The massive site that spreads over 44 hectares (110 acres) is what remains of one of the richest cities in the Roman empire.

The Thermopolium of Regio V, which is believed to have been present at a busy intersection of Silver Wedding Street and Alley of Balconies, was the Roman-era equivalent of a fast-food snack stall. The thermopolium was very popular in the Roman world. Pompeii alone had around 80 such stalls.

A fresco bearing an image of a Nereid nymph riding a seahorse and gladiators in combat has also been unearthed at the spot.

Remains of ancient food-stall in Pompeii/Image Source: Luigi Spina/AFP

The team has discovered duck bone fragments as well as the remains of pigs, goats, fish and snails in earthenware pots. Some of the ingredients had been cooked together like a Roman era paella. The excavators have found crushed fava beans, used to modify the taste of wine at a bottom of one jar.

Reportedly, the food stall appears to have been closed in a hurry and abandoned by its owners, believed to be after the first rumblings of the eruption were felt, said Massimo Osanna, director general at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.

A fresco depicting a nymph riding a horse had been discovered previously. Photograph: Luigi Spina/AP

Alongside human remains, amphorae, a water tower and a fountain were found. The remains of a man believed to have been aged around 50 has also been discovered near a child’s bed.

“It is possible that someone, perhaps the oldest man, stayed behind and perished during the first phase of the eruption,” Osanna said. The remains of another person were also found and could be an opportunist thief or someone fleeing the eruption who was “surprised by the burning vapours just as he had his hand on the lid of the pot that he had just opened”, he added.

The archaeologists, in the latest stage of their work, have excavated a number of still life scenes, including depictions of animals believed to have been on the menu, notably mallard ducks and a rooster, for serving up with wine or hot beverages.

Pompeii is Italy’s second most visited site after the Colisseum in Rome and last year attracted around four million tourists.

Andhra Pradesh: BJP’s Raja Singh accuses YSRCP MLA of aiding one Razaq in controlling Srisailam Temple, says cows from goshala slaughtered

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Andhra Pradesh: BJP’s Raja Singh accuses YSRCP MLA of aiding one Razaq in controlling Srisailam Temple, says cows from goshala slaughtered

BJP MLA from Goshamahal, T. Raja Singh, has alleged that the Srisailam Temple in Andhra Pradesh has fallen into the control of Muslims and all contracts and shops have been monopolized by them, Deccan Chronicle has reported. He has claimed that cows in the Goshala are being slaughtered for their meat.

Raja Singh has claimed that one Razaq is the contractor at the Srisailam Temple and his wife is employed as the supervisor there. According to him, Razaq is a close aide of Srisailam MLA Silpa Chakrapani Reddy (YSRCP) while Razaq’s brother is a TDP leader. Therefore, irrespective of who is in power, the Razaq brothers are controlling the Temple.

As per the report, Raja Singh said that there are several cases pending against Razaq, including one related to the transportation of mutton in flower baskets. The same flowers are used to perform puja at the Temple. He also alleged that cows were being killed with help from his supervisor wife, which is prohibited.

Silpa Chakrapani Reddy has denied the allegations and said he was ready for the debate with the BJP MLA after Sankranti. He called the allegations “baseless, malicious, mischievous,” meant only to provoke people. Reddy claims to be a staunch Hindu who has built temples with his own money.

A Temple official said that the Endowments Act states that people of other religion are not allowed to live in Temple towns. But Muslims living in Srisailam approached the Court and the matter is now pending before the Court. He also said that the goshala supervisor was transferred after allegations of cow slaughter surfaced. The goshala run by the Srisailam Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy temple is reported to have around 1,542 cows including ox.

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