The Coronavirus vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford has shown promising results. Although further trials will be required to access the viability of the vaccine, experts concur that the first trials of the vaccine demonstrate positive developments. British Prime Minister hailed the results and called it an “important step in the right direction”.
The early trials showed that the vaccine led the cells to making antibodies and T-cells that can fight the Coronavirus.
This is very positive news. A huge well done to our brilliant, world-leading scientists & researchers at @UniofOxford. There are no guarantees, we’re not there yet & further trials will be necessary – but this is an important step in the right direction.https://t.co/PRUTu8rlPF
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) July 20, 2020
The Coronavirus vaccine, called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, happens to be made from a genetically engineered virus that causes common colds in chimpanzees. The scientists developed it by transferring the genetic information for the spike protein of the Coronavirus, which it uses to invade the host’s cells, to the vaccine.
UK based esteemed medical journal The Lancet has called the Coronavirus vaccine “safe, well-tolerated and immunogenic”. The results published on Monday says that the vaccine “showed an acceptable safety profile and homologous boosting increased antibody responses.” The vaccine has no dangerous side-effects but 7 out of 10 people on trial developed a fever or headache. Researchers have said that this could be managed with paracetamol.
Prof Sarah Gilbert, form the University of Oxford, UK, said, “There is still much work to be done before we can confirm if our vaccine will help manage the Covid-19 pandemic, but these early results hold promise.” This phase of the trial involved 1077 people. The next stage of the trial in the UK would involve more than 10,000 people.
The Jammu Kashmir National Conference has hit out at Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel for linking the release of Omar Abdullah to the current political quagmire in Rajasthan involving Sachin Pilot. The rebel senior leader of the Congress party is the brother-in-law of Omar Abdullah and son-in-law of Farooq Abdullah.
In an interview to The Hindu, Bhupesh baghel had stated, “As far as Sachin Pilot is concerned, not that I have been tracking the Rajasthan events so closely, but it does make one curious why Omar Abdullah was released. He and Mehbooba Muftiji were booked under the same Sections of the law, while she is still languishing, he is out. Is it because Mr. Abdullah is brother-in-law of Sachin Pilot?”
The JKNC registered strong objections to the remarks made by Bhupesh Baghel. The party said in a statement that it “unequivocally rejects such malicious, false and politically motivated statements that are used for convenient political posturing.” The party said that Omar Abdullah’s release from preventive detention was made possible through judicial intervention. It also called the statement ‘libellous’ and threatened legal action against Bhupesh Baghel.
NC rejects Baghel’s false accusations on Omar Abdullah’s release
Omar Abdullah, too, hit out at Bhupesh Baghel for his comments during the interview. He said, “I am fed up of the downright malicious and false allegation that what Sachin Pilot is doing is somehow linked to my or my father’s release from detention earlier this year. Enough is enough.” He said he will be taking legal action as well.
I am fed up of the downright malicious and false allegation that what Sachin Pilot is doing is somehow linked to my or my father’s release from detention earlier this year. Enough is enough. Mr @bhupeshbaghel will be hearing from my lawyers. Cc @RahulGandhi@INCIndia@rssurjewalahttps://t.co/Gojb7vN1V3
Sachin Pilot is married to Sara Pilot, who happens to be the sister of Omar Abdullah and daughter of Farooq Abdullah. It is widely known that her family was opposed to the marriage because Sachin Pilot is a Hindu man. For a long time, the relationship between and her and the Abdullahs had soured over the marriage but it got better with time.
Recently, Sachin Pilot rebelled against Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot which raised speculations that the state government could be toppled. Subsequently, he was sacked from his position as the Deputy Chief Minister in the state. Currently, a legal battle is underway where Sachin Pilot and the rebel MLAs are challenging their disqualification in the Court.
After resorting to immense name-calling, abusing women and continuous ranting on social media, ‘mythologist’ and author, Devdutt Pattanaik has touched a new despicable low by now insulting Hindu gods and deities.
In his latest tweet, Pattanaik is not only seen seconding Nepal PM’s obnoxious claim of “Shri Ram being a Nepali” but has also insulted Hindu deities like Lord Hanuman and Lord Bhairav, a fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva, worshipped by the Hindus.
In the midst of the raging controversy triggered by Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, claiming that India has engaged in ‘cultural encroachment’, Devdutt Pattanaik in his tweet dated July 19, wrote: “Hindutva is furious with new Ramayana developments”. He furthered that according to the new developments, Nepal is where Lord Shri Ram hails from, Sri Lanka is the home to Ravana while India is the land of monkeys. Saying so, the author, took a dig at the Hindu monkey god- Lord Hanuman, by attaching a picture of the most celebrated and worshipped Hindu deity in his Tweet.
It’s rather diabolic that the ‘mythologist’ who had penned down his interpretation of the Hanuman Chalisa in his book “My Hanuman Chalisa”, now insinuates that India’s only contribution to the epic Ramayana was Lord Hanuman and the “vanar sena”.
However, the abusive troll’s Hinduphobia is just not confined to this. Prior to this, on July 17, he mocked Hindutva by calling it “silly”. He also poked fun at Hindu Dharma by saying that the Hindu deity, Lord Bhairav, has scary laughter. After this, he mocked the diety by saying that Lord Bhairav’s laughter, in fact, opens the pathway to “vigyan” (science). “Hindutva = Don’t laugh at me even though I am silly. Hindu Dharma = Laughter is scary as shows you a horrific truth if you are willing to explore…. Bhairava’s atta-hasa leads to vigyan”, wrote the author by attaching a picture of the Hindu deity in his Tweet.
This sort of obnoxious behaviour from Devdutt Pattanaik does not come as a surprise. Casteist slurs, abusive jibes, sexist rants and an untriggered display of childlike anger are some examples of what his social media posts are all about. Be it making incendiary comments while taking a dig at the Modi government over the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act, or directing crass and creepy tweets at the mothers of those who mock or disagree with him, or taking a vile dig at director Sanjay Leela Bhansali for his movie Rani Padmavati, which he said “glorified someone who would choose death over rape, or the idea that it embodies”, Devdutt Pattanaik is known for his meltdowns on Twitter.
But what is baffling is that the author who has more than 30 books on Indian mythology credited to his name, has stooped so low that, in his hate for Hindus and Hinduism, he has now resorted to mocking Hindu gods and deities.
Tagore International School has come under intense criticism after a post on Facebook made by a LGBT organisation in June 2018 went viral on social media. The Facebook post demonstrated that the group called ‘Nazariya’ which claims to be a ‘Queer Feminist Resource Group’ was brainwashing adolescent children into the toxic ideology of gender identity politics.
In the said Facebook post, they spoke appreciatively of a student who “referred to the example of Hadiya as how violence affects marginal people when they exercise their choices beyond the normative framework.” Hadiya appears to be the high-profile case of Love Jihad where it was reported that the husband was in touch with ISIS operatives before the marriage.
It is not clear how Hadiya is relevant to the ‘Queer’ ideology. An NIA probe was also ordered into the matter. It was also reported that the radical Islamist organisation PFI spent RS. 1 crore in court cases regarding her marriage. The glorification of such a controversial figure by Nazariya during their interaction with children does raise many eyebrows.
Post by Nazariya
The post states further, “She spoke about how patriarchy impacts people’s lives at different points whenever one refuses to conform with the societal norms of gender and sexuality. Other students added to the discussion by talking about how anybody who does not conform to ideas and norms of patriarchy faces punishment from society at large.”
Furthermore, the image shared by Nazariya along with the post shows an extremely disturbing sight. On the top left corner, a man can be seen breastfeeding a baby after developing enlarged breasts. It was quite obvious that the man had received some sort of hormone therapy to enable him to perform the feminine act.
Image Credit: Nazariya/Facebook
news reports regarding the matter reveal that the man in picture, is one Evan Hempel. He was born a woman. In 2003, he decided to undergo hormone therapy to physically become a transgender man but he did not lose the desire to nurse a baby of his own. Thus, sometime in 2011, Hempel decided with his female partner to stop taking testosterone injections and try artificial insemination with donor sperm.
Thus, after a few failed attempts, Hempel was successful in conceiving a baby and a boy was born to him in the spring of 2016.
Image Credit: People.com
Thus, it is understandable why people are disturbed with the indoctrination of children into such an ideology. Recently, it also came to light that LGBT activists were attempting to indoctrinate children in the toxic ideology of gender identity politics at a school in Mumbai. The indoctrination of children in such matters has shocked people on social media.
Netizens are not comfortable with the idea of children being brainwashed in these matters at an age where they are very impressionable. Some have also appealed that the Union Minister look into the whole matter and prevent such events from occurring in the future.
Kindly take Cognizance of the down below & initiate stringent Action against Tagore International School management for PROMOTING UNETHICAL stuffs & DISTORTING Kids-Teenagers Psychology..@EBSB_MHRD@utopianas@ManojTiwariMPhttps://t.co/MvfHne6ie3
Others have demanded that such indoctrination should be made illegal under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO Act). They have also said that the school and the administration ought to be punished.
This is so deeply disturbing….this entire thread…. They have to place such acts under POCSO. Why are minors being dragged into these discussions? These activists and school administration shd be punished. https://t.co/JC1dXWtt9w
In a separate article, we have explained in detail how gender identity politics is a threat to children and cause irreparable harm. It is an extremely toxic ideology the mainstreaming of which has terrible consequences for any society as evidenced by recent developments in the West. The ideology is receiving push back from concerned individuals in the West but at the same time, fringe elements appear to be working overtime to import the ideology into India.
‘Journalist’ Barkha Dutt has been the subject of social media backlash yet again after a 2004 video, wherein she tried to contextualise the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits, surfaced online. In the video, Barkha Dutt can be seen talking about how the Kashmiri Pandits were ‘wealthy’ in the valley, with good jobs, and stating that it created a rift and resentment among the Muslims who she insinuated were ‘deprived’.
“Today hapless victims, they were once privileged elites of the valley. They may have been a minority but at that time, they had monopolised government jobs, plum postings, and other such social benefits…In fact, the sharp economic disparity between the Pandits and the poor Muslim majority was one of the earliest reasons for popular discontent in the state,” Barkha was heard as saying.
A Kashmiri Hindu woman, who had witnessed the ethnic cleansing of pandits from close quarters, recounts the harrowing tale of genocide after her grandson showed her the snippet of the journalist’s video. Reacting strongly to Barkha’s insidious comments, the Hindu woman said, “If we had the monopoly, then why did we leave our homes? If Barkha had faced what we went through, then, she would have fled too (in order to save her life)… They (radical Islamists) would say that they wanted to create a Pakistan in Kashmir. They wanted to capture our women.”
The Instagram post stating a Kashmiri Pandit woman’s retaliation to Barkha’s statement
Kashmiri Pandit woman recounts her plight
“We have gone through all this… We earned everything that we had through hard work and perseverance… Only we know the circumstances that forced us to flee our homes. When we reached Jammu, we took shelter in a nearby temple. We did not have anything to eat or drink. My relatives also faced a similar ordeal. Many of them were bitten by snakes and scorpions,” the elderly woman reminiscened.
She then recounted a spine-chilling story about the ethnic cleansing, perpetrated by radical Islamists. The woman continued, “I have two sons. At that time, one studied in 12th std while the other studied in 8th std. Their names were written on a local Masjids, as the ones who had to be killed.”
Demands apology from Barkha Dutt
When a relative told us about it, I and my husband remained anxious about our children’s safety all night. We took a bus, the next morning, and fled our home to Jammu. What is Barkha talking about? She writes fake news and she gets paid for it. I am angry at her comments. She should think before speaking her mind. Barkha should apologise to all of us”, the woman concluded.
Following the Instagram video, Kashmiri Pandits and many of their supporters have started a social media campaign, demanding an apology from Barkha Dutt for trying to ‘justify’ their genocide. Many Twitter users also shared the hashtag #ApologiseBarkha and demanded an apology from the veteran journalist.
The recent interview of Kangana Ranaut with Arnab Goswami on Republic TV seems to have further intensified discussions around Bollywood’s lobbying groups and powerful families. Mahesh Bhatt and his family were among those who were accused by Ranaut in her interview. She had alleged that Mahesh Bhatt gets offended if any artist declines his offer. Ranaut had even alleged that Mahesh Bhatt once threw his footwear at her when she rejected the film and questioned its content.
In the Republic interview, Kangana said when she was offered a film named ‘Dhokha’, which was about a suicide bomber, she felt uncomfortable as the film glorified the bomber. Though Kangana was only 18 years old at that time, she knew it is not right to become a suicide bomber to avenge torture. She said Mahesh Bhatt yelled and charged at her. She also added that Bhatt was so angry that had Pooja Bhatt not stopped him, he would have hit her.
During the interview, Ranaut said that if Mahesh Bhatt was “counselling” Sushant that might have further caused distress to his mental health. She added, “What gives these people the license to say things like ‘Your end is near’ for artists? If they knew Sushant wasn’t feeling well, why didn’t they call his father and tell that your son is not well?” She urged police to question the Bhatts in connection to the suicide of Shushant Singh Rajput. She added, “What was Mahesh Bhatt doing between Rhea and him? Everyone wants to know. Why is Mumbai Police not calling Mahesh Bhatt for questioning?”
It is notable here that Bhatt’s co-called closeness with Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and his videos holding Rhea in a tight embrace have been doing rounds on social media, giving rise to speculations about Bhatt’s role in the relationship between Rhea and the deceased actor.
Cryptic messages by Bhatt family on social media
A day after Kangana’s explosive revealations, the Bhatt family was seen sharing cryptic messeges on social media. In a tweet, Mahesh Bhatt said ”True words aren’t eloquent; eloquent words aren’t true. Wise men don’t need to prove their point; men who need to prove their point aren’t wise.”
”True words aren’t eloquent; eloquent words aren’t true. Wise men don’t need to prove their point; men who need to prove their point aren’t wise.” pic.twitter.com/5zuDygnvkV
Pooja Bhatt posted a tweet on 20th July in which she quoted Kamand Kojouri and said, “We reveal most about ourselves when we speak about others.” Soni Razdan, wife of Mahesh Bhatt and mother of Alia Bhatt, posted on Instagram profile in which she said, “A lie runs until it is overtaken by the truth.”
“We reveal most about ourselves when we speak about others.” Kamand Kojouri @KamandKojouri
Ranaut not only accused Bhatts but also called out Karan Johar and Yash Raj Films for indulging in nepotism. After her interview, an old clip of Johar got viral on social media where he was seen saying that Kangana should leave the industry.
Startling details have emerged regarding the functioning of PETA India since the latest controversy over Bakr-Eid. The supposed animal rights NGO also ran an anti-leather campaign geared towards the Hindu festival of Rakshabandhan, which angered people on social media as they could not fathom where was the consumption of leather involved during the festival.
Soon after, PETA India ran an organised campaign against a columnist in cohorts with Congress and Islamists after she dared to criticised them. Now, it has been brought to notice that PETA India has a foreigner as its chief functionary. In response to criticism by columnist Shefali Vaidya, it claimed that it was a different organisation than the PETA USA.
While technically it could still claim it is different than the PETA USA, details about the organisation reveals that it is not really the case. For all intent and purposes, PETA India is a branch of PETA International and they cannot really shy away from it. Expert on foreign funded NGOs, @by2kaafi, pointed out that the Chief Functionary of PETA India was Ingrid Newkirk and it has three foreign functionaries in its ranks.
Then, PETA India straight up lied and denied that Ingrid Newkirk was their chief functionary. They claimed that she is their founder but not the Chief Functionary. Furthermore, they accused the expert on FCRA NGOs of deliberately misrepresenting the organisation. However, as evidence, @by2kaafi pointed out to the submissions the organisation had made to the Home Ministry as per requirements under the FCRA regulations.
You are wrong about foreign key functionaries, Ingrid Newkirk, who grew up in Delhi, was our founder, she is not a Chief Functionary, and PETA India does not send money to PETA US and so on. What is your motive for misrepresenting PETA India?
According to the submissions made by PETA India to the Home Ministry for the financial year 2018-19, which are accessible to the public on the official government website dedicated to FCRA NGOs, the organisation itself recognised Ingrid Newkirk as their Chief Functionary. The submissions require the name and signature of the Chief Functionary and Ingrid Newkirk declared herself as the person holding the position in its FCRA submission.
Submissions made to Home Ministry by PETA India (Image Credit: @by2kaafi)
The submissions reveal that there are 3 foreign functionaries working currently at PETA India, however, their names are not revealed. OpIndia attempted to access the names through the information available on Darpan NGO, another government initiative, but it was revealed they had not made that bit of information public.
OpIndia also checked the official website of PETA India but the information was not made readily available to the public there as well and OpIndia could not find it on the website. But their submissions to the Home Ministry confirm that there are three foreign functionaries working at the organisation.
Image Credit: @by2kaafi
Furthermore, the FCRA submissions reveal that PETA India received Rs. 6,61,28,940.00 from PETA US during the financial year 2018-19. The total foreign contribution received during the same period was Rs. 6,67,28,942.00. Thus, quite clearly, almost the entire foreign contribution to the organisation came from PETA USA.
It also needs to be pointed out here that Ingrid Newkirk, the Chief Functionary of it, is not an Indian citizen. Her Wikipedia page says that she holds British and American citizenship. While it is true that she spent a small period of her life in New Delhi while growing up, she appears to be a foreigner herself. She is also the founder of PETA International.
According to her biography on her personal website, Ingrid Newkirk was living with her husband in the United States at the age of 21. It states further, “Ingrid has also served as a deputy sheriff, a Maryland state law enforcement officer with the highest success rate in convicting animal abusers, the director of cruelty investigations for the second-oldest humane society in the U.S., and the chief of animal disease control for the Commission on Public Health in Washington, D.C.”
Image Source: Wikipedia
Thus, quite clearly, the Chief Functionary of PETA India itself is not an Indian citizen. And the Chief Functionary of it is the founder of PETA, the international organisation. PETA India quite clearly lied when it claimed that Newkirk wasn’t their chief functionary. However, it is interesting that they did not deny the fact that three of their functionaries are foreign assets.
A staff member at the Congress headquarters at 24, Akbar Road in Delhi committed suicide in the servant quarter. The body was discovered yesterday, Delhi Police has said.
A staff member at Congress office at 24, Akbar Road in Delhi, died by suicide in the servant quarter. The body was found yesterday: Delhi Police
It is reported that the door to the room was locked from the inside when the body was discovered. However, it is not known yet what prompted the individual to resort to the extreme act. The Delhi Police has reportedly taken the body in its custody and sent the corpse for further investigation into the matter.
As per reports, the individual committed suicide on Sunday. No suicide note has been recovered as of now. The Police has launched an investigation into the matter. It is further reported that the individual, who has been identified as one Prakash, hanged himself using an electric wire at around 10.30 a.m. on Sunday. It was the deceased’s brother who informed the Police about stench coming from the room.
In the Motipur area of Bahraich district, Uttar Pradesh, one Nasiruddin and his accomplices attacked a house of Dalit for rearing pigs. According to police, a member of the Dalit community, Budhai, reared at his residence. On Sunday, pigs reportedly escaped from the house and entered Nasiruddin’s house in the neighbourhood. Nasiruddin captured the animal and refused to let it go that led to an argument between Budhai and him.
Casteist slurs hurled by Nasiruddin and accomplices
News Agency PTI talked to station in-charge J.N. Shukla who said that Nasiruddin released the animal after arguing for some time. However, when Budhai reached back home, he came with a few of his friends from his community and attacked his house. They created ruckus in the house and passed sexual remarks on women. Budhai alleged that they used caste-slurs on him and other members of the family, including women and children.
Six arrested so far
On Budhai’s complaint, police have registered a case against eight people. Six of them were arrested and search for another two is still on. Shukla added that the situation is under control in the area. However, they have deployed a team of police officers to ensure the safety of the members of the Dalit community.
The All India Christian Association (AICF), headed by Savio Rodrigues, has declared support of a victim who has allegedly been sexually harassed by one Fr. Xavier Alphonse.
The accused is a former Principal and Director of the Alumni Association of Loyola College in Chennai. The victim, in this case, is reportedly a senior member of the faculty at the said college. As per the report, the Loyola College has been non-cooperative in the victim’s fight for justice, thus compelling her to approach the Madras High Court in 2016. Even though the court had issued notices to Xavier Alphonse, yet he did not file a response in the past four years.
Savio Rodrigues, who is the president of AICF, conceded that sexual abuse is an evil that exists within the Catholic Church. He emphasised that all such crimes must be dealt with severely and quickly. Rodrigues has accused the powerful institution of the Jesuit order of shielding Alphonse. He added, “Alphonse assumes that under the protection of a powerful institution of the Jesuit Order – Loyola College, Chennai, he is safe. This attitude is behind the reason there has been no reply to High Court notices for 4-years from the accused priest and from the Loyola College as well.” Rodrigues further emphasised that he believed in the power of Judiciary and will use legal expertise to ensure justice to the victim.
AICF Press Release- I (Photo credits: Twitter)AICF Press Release- I (Photo credits: Twitter)
Silence of Loyola College administration
The President of AICF stated that the organisation has decided to support the victim because she has been fighting for her dignity and self-respect. When her family reached out to the AICF, they decided to take up the case and fight for her justice. Rodrigues added that the management and alumni of Loyola College are powerful, they have maintained a stoic silence on the issue. Reportedly, AICF had earlier written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi concerning sexual abuse in various denominations of Christianity with a specific mention of Jesuit abuse in India.
Lack of transparency in Jesuit Order in India
The All India Christian Forum has acknowledged the efforts made by Jesuit Curia in Rome for conducting two separate investigations in the case. However, he expressed disappointment that the Society of Jesus in India failed to publish the report of his recent investigation. Savio Rodrigues has demanded a secular/external investigation to prevent corrupt clergy from ‘influencing fact-finding and reporting’. Highlighting a botched up investigation, he remarked that the victim was not interviewed during the initial investigation. Rodrigues further noted that the Jesuit order in India has failed to maintain transparency and openness.
Demand for an independent inquiry
The President of AICF has also called out the silence of the Loyola college administration and accused it of being primarily concerned about its reputation instead of addressing the grievance of the victim. “We are not lawyers, police, prosecutors, or judges. But, we realise it’s possible that corrupt clergy like Xavier Alphonse might be deemed innocent of the charges he faces,” the press release stated. The organisation has demanded an independent inquiry into the Loyola College sexual harassment case to avoid any ‘outside intervention.’
