Jamia student Safoora Zargar was granted bail by the Delhi High Court on Tuesday in the Delhi Riots case on humanitarian grounds. The bail was awarded after the Central government said that it had no objection to her release. She is in her 23rd week of pregnancy. Safoora Zargar was arrested on the 10th of April.
BREAKING: Delhi High Court Judge Rajiv Shakdher grants Safoora Zargar bail in connection with Delhi Riots case. @HuffPostIndia
A regular bail was granted to Safoora Zargar after furnishing a bond of Rs. 10,000 on the condition that she will not leave the territory of Delhi without th permission of the Court and will not hamper the investigation. She has also been instructed to be in touch with the Investigating Officer through phone calls once every 15 days.
The Delhi Police had opposed her bail in the Delhi High Court asserting that there had been 39 deliveries in Tihar jail over th past 10 years and Safoora Zargar was not entitled to any special treatment. However, the Court thought otherwise while asserting that it should not be taken as a precedent.
Zargar had appealed to the Delhi High Court for bail after it was rejected by a local court. She was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for her alleged role in the conspiracy that led to the Delhi Riots in February. Th Delhi Police had claimed that she was part of the conspiracy to “destroy, destabilize and disintegrate the Government of India in order to compel to withdraw the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the alleged National Register of Citizens”.
As the coronavirus crisis sweeps across the country, the central government of India had earmarked Rs 2,000 crore from PM Cares Fund to provide 50,000 ventilators to states and union territories to fight the scourge of raging Covid-19 outbreak in the country. As of now, 2,923 ventilators have been manufactured and 1,340 delivered. The government will soon augment the capacities of the states and the union territories by providing them with 14,000 ventilators.
All the ventilators sourced by the central government are ‘Made in India’. “Out of the 50,000 ventilators, 30,000 ventilators are being manufactured by M/s Bharat Electronics Limited. The remaining 20,000 ventilators are being manufactured by AgVa Healthcare (10000), AMTZ Basic (5650), AMTZ High End (4000) and Allied Medical (350),” the press release by the Press Information Bureau said.
#PMCaresFund Trust has allocated Rs. 2000 crore for supply of 50,000 #MadeInIndia ventilators to government run #COVID hospitals in all States/UTs.
Further, a sum of Rs. 1000 crore has been allocated for the welfare of migrant labourers.
The press release further said that 2,923 ventilators have been manufactured so far, out of which 1,340 have already been handed over to the states and union territories. The recipients of the ventilators include Maharashtra (275), Delhi (275), Gujarat (175), Bihar (100), Karnataka (90), Rajasthan (75). The statement says that by the end of June 2020, additional 14,000 will be delivered to the states and the union territories.
Besides, an amount of Rs 1,000 crore has been released to the states for the welfare of the migrant labourers. “The distribution of the fund is based on the formula of 50% weightage for the population as per 2011 census, 40% weightage for number of positive COVID-19 cases and 10 % for equal distribution among all the States/UTs. This assistance is to be used for arranging accommodation, food, medical treatment and transportation of the migrants,” the press release said.
The prominent beneficiaries of the grant from the central government are Maharashtra (181 cr), Uttar Pradesh (103 cr), Tamil Nadu (83 cr), Gujarat (66 cr), Delhi (55 cr), West Bengal (53 cr), Bihar (51 cr), Madhya Pradesh (50 cr), Rajasthan (50 cr) and Karnataka (34 cr).
India’s ventilators count set to double
Earlier, the central government had announced that the government will procure 50,000 ventilators with the money that have been donated to the PM Cares fund. More importantly, the ventilators will be manufactured under the ‘Make in India’ programme. A total of Rs. 2000 crore was allocated for the same.
The number of ventilators to be purchased with the money from the PM CARES Fund assumes even greater significance when the number of ventilators that were available hitherto. According to estimates published by the Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP) and the Princeton University, India had a total of 47,481 ventilators as of the 20th of April, 2020.
Thus, the ventilators purchased using the funds under PM CARES, the total number of ventilators in India will reach almost 1 lakh. This means, more than double the existing capacity will be added. India would more than double the number of ventilators available to the medical fraternity to combat the Wuhan Coronavirus in a matter of months. This is entirely unprecedented.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has reportedly said that cutting down the trees for coastal road project is ‘inevitable.’ In its defence, the civic body has argued that the project will decrease pollution, flooding and enhance greenery. The BMC was responding to 176 suggestions and objections raised by concerned citizens against the cutting of 140 trees for a 9-km-long coastal road project between Princess Street Flyover and Worli. About 600 trees will be affected by this project of which 140 will be cut and remaining will be transplanted.
The project was initially proposed to connect the suburbs of Mumbai and unclog the roads of the city. Around 90 hectares of land is to be reclaimed during the Phase -I of the coastal road between Princess Street Flyover and Worli. While 20 hectares is allotted for the project, the remaining 70 hectare is reserved for green cover, in which BMC plans to undertake the plantation.
BMC said that the cutting of a ‘few’ trees was necessary for the appropriate alignment and construction of the Coastal Road. The Shiv Sena-controlled body assured of reforestation in the ratio of 1:3 according to government guidelines and the creation of green areas around the project. BMC said that common people will be benefitted in several ways such as a reduction in pollution, enhancement of green cover, and saving time. The civic body has estimated that about 600 trees will be affected by the project which aims to link the Marine Drive with the southern end of Bandra-Worli Sea Link. While 140 trees will be chopped, around 460 trees are to be transplanted.
Skeptics question the BMC
According to citizen environmentalist, Zoru Bhathena said that it is incomprehensible as to why 600 trees are affected for a road built on reclaimed land. “We could understand five-10 trees being cut or transplanted, but 600 is a huge number. Also, BMC claims Coastal Road will result in the reduction of flooding conditions, however, it looks like BMC follows their made-up theories on physics, geography, history and environmental studies. This is just a classic example of all that is wrong with BMC,” the activist alleged.
Marine conservationist Pradip Patade claimed that the flooding will not reduce because of the coastal road construction. He said that he saw pictures wherein the turbulent water is hitting the construction area. This is a general logic because the more you fill in the sea, the more will come out,” he emphasised. However chief engineer of the project Vijay Nighot reiterated that the BMC has not reached the stage where it can consider deforestation or reforestation. He said that a green signal has not yet been received from the BMC’s tree authority. “Also, when we say flooding will reduce, it is because we are going to build a sea-wall, and due to this comparatively flooding will reduce. We have not claimed that there will not be any flooding,” he clarified.
U- turn of Shiv Sena
The ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, which often advocates for eco-conservation by cancelling the metro project at Aarey on ‘concerns’ that trees are being cut, earlier took a U-turn by deciding to axe more than 300 trees for the construction of a metro line the elevated Metro-2A corridor between Dahisar and DN Nagar. Shiv Sena, especially under the leadership of Aaditya Thackeray, had been extremely vocal on the issues of environmental conversation, as the young Sena prince had opposed the BJP government’s decision of felling of trees at Aarey Milk colony to construct a Metro shed.
On the 15th of June, India and China were involved in a blood-soaked standoff that claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers and according to US intelligence reports, at least 35 Chinese soldiers were killed. Post the stand-off, China had unleashed its propaganda war on India, claiming that India was the aggressor in the situation and that China wanted peaceful coexistence. Now, a US intelligence report has summarily exposed the nefarious designs of China and revealed that the attack against Indian troops was ordered by a senior Chinese Commander to ‘teach India a lesson’.
The intelligence report says, “Gen. Zhao Zongqi, head of the Western Theater Command and among the few combat veterans still serving in the People’s Liberation Army, approved the operation” in Galwan Valley. The report categorically states that the attack against India was ordered to project an image of strength by China and to not appear ‘weak’ in either in front of the USA and its allies, including India. Interestingly, the intelligence report has revealed the Zhao had overseen other attacks against Indian soldiers as well and had orchestrated the Galwan valley attack to ‘teach India a lesson’.
From this initial assessment by the US, two things emerge clearly – firstly, China’s claims that the deadly skirmish was a spontaneous result of the escalation of tensions at the LAC, just like prior skirmishes was incorrect. Secondly, it also proves that China was trying to “punish” India for becoming an ally of the USA as the USA’s attempts to impose punitive costs against China post the Coronavirus pandemic have escalated.
China’s plant to attack India backfired: US intelligence report
The intelligence report by the USA clearly states that China’s plan to attack India in order to “punish” it for allying with the USA clearly backfired and failed to pressure India. The report states that the attack by China against India “does the very opposite of what it wanted”, and “This is not a victory for China’s military.” It observes that the attack by China has inspired widespread outrage in India and actually, pushed India closer to the USA in its economic policies.
How China initiated the attack against India
The US intelligence report says that on 15th of June, “a senior Indian officer and two non-commissioned officers travelled unarmed to a meeting place where they expected to be met by a comparable delegation of Chinese troops to discuss the withdrawal, according to the source familiar with the U.S. assessment of the incident. Instead, dozens of Chinese troops were waiting with spiked bats and clubs and began an attack. Other Indian troops came in to support, leading to a melee that caused more casualties from the improvised weapons, rocks and falls from the steep terrain”.
Essentially, the assessment proves that contrary to the claims by China, it was China that started the unprovoked, planned attack against Indian soldiers while the Indian soldiers had gone unarmed, per convention, to negotiate disengagement.
A silent funeral of Chinese soldiers held, officer who orchestrated attack against India was also involved in Doklam
The USA Today report says, “The U.S. believes Zhao, the Chinese general who commanded the forces involved, held a memorial service for the PLA soldiers who died in the incident – an occasion that would normally attract some form of state-sponsored publicity. Instead, Chinese censors have since cracked down on social media posts about the incident, including ones that mention “defeat” and “humiliation” when describing the dead or injured Chinese troops”.
Essentially, the USA intelligence report says that China had several casualties and Zhao held a memorial service for the Chinese soldiers killed in the stand-off, however, the state media completely blacked out the event since China wanted to project a position of “strength” and claim that it had no casualties in the stand off.
The US intelligence report also says that the Chinese General who orchestrated the Galwan attack on India was also involved in the Doklam stand-off.
Just a week after Chinese troops violently attack and killed Indian soldiers near the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, Japan has begun to assert its power against China by initiating the legal process of complete integration of Senkaku islands over which it has a dispute with China.
According to the reports, the Japanese authorities have approved a measure changing the status of disputed Senkaku islands, which is also claimed by China.
The Ishigaki city council in Japan’s Okinawa division has passed a bill to change the name of an administrative area covering the disputed uninhabited island chain to Tonoshiro Senkaku from Tonoshiro, starting from October 1.
The new bill will assert Japan’s claim over the chain of Islands in the East-China sea, which is situated island 1,931 km southwest of Tokyo. The Senkakus island chain, which China refers as Diaoyus, has been administered by Japan since 1972. However, the legal status of these islands is disputed currently.
Image Source: WSJ
China opposes the bill, stakes claim on islands
Meanwhile, China on Monday has warned Japan against any change in the status quo and called the islands as its “inherent territories”.
“The approval of this case did not take into consideration the influence of other countries, but was considered to improve the efficiency of administrative procedures,” the council said.
China also urged Japan to “abide by the spirit of the four-principle consensus, avoid creating new incidents on the Diaoyu Islands issue, and take practical actions to maintain the stability of the East China Sea situation”.
However, the Japanese city council said that the bill was necessary to improve the efficiency of administrative procedures.
China’s aggressive push in East China sea
Following the decision of Japan to make administrative changes in uninhabited islands, China has dispatched a “fleet” of ships to the area surrounding the islands. to the area.
Reportedly, since mid-April this year, Japan has spotted at least 67 Chinese government ships near these waters. Japanese authorities claimed that there has been increasing in the presence of Chinese in the region surrounding the islands in the last few months.
Senkaku Islands
The Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China or Diaoyutai Islands or the Pinnacle Islands in Taiwan are a group of eight uninhabited islands and rocks that lies in the East China Sea. They have a total area of about 7 sq kms and lie northeast of Taiwan.
The dispute is over the claim of Senkaku islands, which are currently controlled by the Japanese since 1895. However, in between 1945 to 1972, the islands were administered by the United States. In 1971, the US handed over the authority to Japan in 1971.
Since then, China and Taiwan push their claim on the islands and demands the return similar to the returning of Imperial Japan’s conquests in 1945.
Senkaku Islands are known to have abundance of natural resources, rich fishing grounds and are thought to contain oil deposits. It is also strategically important as it is close to international trade routes.
The Press Council of India (PCI) has taken a suo motu cognizance of the termination notice served to more than twenty journalists associated with the Mumbai edition of ‘The Hindu’ in case they fail to resign. In a statement [pdf] issued by PCI, Justice CK Prasad, Chairman Press Council of India, expressed concerns over the issue.
Mumbai editing team down to single digits
Mumbai edition of ‘The Hindu’ was launched in November 2015. As per reports, majority of the team members have been asked to resign, failing which they will be terminated. The journalists who will remain with the Mumbai edition has come down to single digits. A letter is making rounds on social media where a group of twenty journalists, who are allegedly on the verge of losing their job, has sent an email to N Ram, LV Navaneeth, CEO and Suresh Nambath, Editor seeking clarity over the media reports and social media posts speculating about the loss of jobs at the Mumbai edition of ‘The Hindu’ as they have not been formally informed about it by the head office.
The letter states, “All of the undersigned wanted to work at The Hindu, as it has been considered the ideal workplace for Indian journalists, in fact where journalists are well respected and editorial freedoms are a given. The principles on which The Hindu has operated in the past is what should apply to us as a team now. For a news organisation that prides itself on reporting labour laws and violations of the same in a robust manner we appeal to you to clarify the situation to us in writing.” The letter contained names of sixteen out of twenty journalists and the names of four journalists were withheld over privacy concerns.
Management asked to submit reply
PCI said that the Editor, Hindu and Regional General Manager Hindu, Mumbai, have been asked to submit a reply in this concern. “It has come to the notice that the management of the newspaper is not taking recourse to the terms and conditions by which they are governed and the terms and conditions of their appointment excluded the application of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 for redressal of their grievances rendering them remediless,” states the press release.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump temporarily suspended work permits till December 31 this year, with a view to free up to 5,25,000 jobs for Americans amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. He had signed an executive offer that extended the ban on the issuance of green cards to new immigrants, besides suspension of work visas such an H-1B and H-4 (spouses of H-1B visa holders).
Besides, issuance of work visas such as inter-company transfer (L1 visas) and ones used by doctors and researchers (J1 visas) have also been suspended. Exceptions have been made for doctors, however, who have been working on the Coronavirus pandemic. Reportedly, the executive order will not affect everyone. The Optional Practical Training (OPT) for international students will remain unaffected with the temporary suspension.
The official statement read, ” I determined that, without intervention, the United States faces a potentially protracted economic recovery with persistently high unemployment if labor supply outpaces labor demand. Consequently, I suspended, for a period of 60 days, the entry of aliens as immigrants, subject to certain exceptions. “
Donald Trump directs reforms in immigration system
US President Donald Trump has also issued broader directions for reforms in the existing H-1B visa which is based upon a lottery system rather than a merit-based system. According to a senior administration official, the President has directed to close loopholes that allow outsourcing of jobs. The official informed that the existence of a merit-based immigration system will lead to a hike in both pay and skillset. Besides, it will lead to a decline in competition for entry-level jobs for Americans. Reportedly, reforms in the existing immigration system will witness preference to those with high wages and talent.
Times of India has been accused of using image of a happy and very much alive couple, Amit and Shilpi Agarwal, for a story about a man who strangles his estranged wife and kills his mother in law before shooting himself. For a story titled “Man kills estranged wife in Bengaluru, mom-in-law in Kolkata, shoots self”, which appeared on the front page of the national daily, Times of India used image of a couple who run a food related Facebook page ‘Food And Flavors by Shilpi’. The image appeared on the front page of Kolkata edition.
Times of India story
Food vloggers Shilpi and and Amit Agarwal who live in California, took to Facebook earlier this morning when they were shocked to see their happy pictures as that of a couple who had died after the husband went on a killing spree before shooting himself.
In a video uploaded on Facebook, the vlogger said that TOI had used their photo for a story that was not related to them. He explained that they are Shilpi and Amit Agarwal, but not the same Shilpi and Amit Agarwal who are dead. Amit Agarwal explained that TOI must have taken their picture off their Facebook page and used it for the story where the other Amit Agarwal killed his estranged wife and mother in law before shooting himself.
The happy couple, which is very much alive, then waved at their audience that they are very much alive and thanked everyone who had reached out to them expressing their concern about their wellbeing. After the video was uploaded, Times of India has updated its web story and used a representational image and added the disclaimer that they had used a wrong image earlier.
On Monday, the District Magistrate of Agra fact-checked the outlandish claims made by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Twitter about the supposed deaths of 28 Coronavirus positive people in the past 48 hours. The tweet stated that a total of 1,136 Coronavirus cases and 79 deaths have been reported in Agra in the past 109 days.
..अगर यूपी सरकार सच दबाकर कोरोना मामले में इसी तरह लगातार लापरवाही करती रही तो बहुत घातक होने वाला है। 2/2
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) June 22, 2020
Citing a Navbharat Times report, Gandhi claimed that in a span of 48 hours, as many as 28 coronavirus patients had died in Agra. She also accused the UP government of suppressing the facts. However, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra herself was quite removed from facts. 28 people did not die within span of just 48 hours. In reality, 28 people, over period of time and few weeks, died within 48 hours of their being admitted in the hospital.
The District Magistrate took to Twitter to explain the facts to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in simpler language.
Date/No. Of Sample/No. Of Sample of Positive Contact 21-6-20 238 59 20-6-20 272 38 19-6-20 307 65 18-6-20 295 81 17-6-20 308 64@PrabhuNs_@UPGovt
— District Magistrate Agra (@OfficeOfDMAgra) June 22, 2020
The DM even gave the figure of testing being carried out in Agra.
Agra DM asks Priyanka Gandhi to withdraw tweet
In a statement to Priyanka Gandhi, the District Magistrate of Agra has asked the Congress leader to ensure that she condemns the said tweet which aims to stir fear and confusion among the masses. Reiterating that the information contained in her tweet was false and baseless, the email emphasised, “Ensure that the tweet is dismissed/condemned within 24 hours so that accurate information is disseminated to common citizens and stakeholders, besides guaranteeing that the frontline workers are not demoralised. “
Email by DM Agra to Priyanka Vadra
However, after being schooled on facts, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra again took to Twitter to claim that Agra’s death rate is higher than that of Mumbai and Delhi and demanded an answer from the government within 48 hours on the same.
.. में धकेलने के जिम्मेदार कौन हैं?
मुख्यमंत्रीजी 48 घंटे के भीतर जनता को इसका स्पष्टीकरण दें और कोविड मरीजों की स्थिति और संख्या में की जा रही हेराफेरी पर जवाबदेही बनाएँ। 2/2
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) June 23, 2020
Congress lies amidst Coronavirus pandemic
This is not the first time that the Congress party or its leaders tried to spread fear and panic among citizens, using manipulated data and misleading news stories. In one such attempt, the Congress party posted a chart to claim that India has the highest number of Coronavirus cases in the world. But in doing so, the party exposed itself as even the wrong chart did not show what they were trying to prove.
Amid the migrant worker crisis, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had resorted to playing petty politics by claiming that Congress will arrange for buses for migrants but UP government is not giving permission. Later, when the state government gave permission, the ‘buses’ arranged for by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra included buses with included autorickshaws and buses with expired registration.
In March, she had posted pictures from Rajasthan and Pakistan of hailstorm destroying crops while claiming those are from Uttar Pradesh to defame Yogi government. However, after netizens pointed it out, she deleted her tweet.
The United States administration on Monday designated four more Chinese propaganda outlets as ‘foreign missions’, announcing that they are the mouthpieces for the Communist Party of China.
In a move that is likely to increase tensions between the two countries, the Donald Trump administration designated four media outlets – state broadcaster China Central Television, the ruling Communist Party’s mouthpiece newspaper People’s Daily, its tabloid subsidiary the Global Times, and the semiofficial state-run China News Service and reflected their real status as “propaganda outlets” under the control of the Chinese Communist Party.
“The Communist Party does not just exercise operational control over these propaganda entities, but it has full editorial control over their content,” said David Stilwell, the senior US diplomat for East Asia.
In a statement, US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said, “Over the past decade and particularly under General Secretary Xi Jinping’s tenure, the CCP has reorganized China’s state propaganda outlets disguised as news agencies and asserted even more direct control over them.”
“Pursuant to authorities under the Foreign Missions Act, the State Department is issuing today a new determination that designates the U.S. operations of China Central Television, China News Service, the People’s Daily, and the Global Times as foreign missions,” the statement said.
Image Source: Sidhant Sibal
These four media outlets join five other Chinese news organizations that have been declared as foreign missions by the US authorities in February.
Earlier in February, the Xinhua News Agency, the China Global Television Network, China Radio International, China Daily Distribution Corporation and Hai Tian Development USA, which is the distributor for the People’s Daily in the United States were designated as the foreign missions.
Chinese media outlets will now face restrictions in US
The outlets are now required to report their personnel rosters and real estate holdings to the US State Department and will also put under limits on the number of personnel they can employ in the United States.
The media wars between the US and China have been going on for months after the US authorities in March had said it was slashing the number of journalists allowed to work at US offices of major Chinese media outlets to 100 from 160 due to Beijing’s “long-standing intimidation and harassment of journalists”.
In response, China had expelled more than American correspondents with the New York Times, News Corp’s Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.
The relations between US-China relations are on the lowest in years now after President Donald Trump has taken a direct stand against China over a range of issues including the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, trade wars and China’s increasing encroachment into Hong Kong.
US President Donald Trump had earlier threatened to cut ties with China
US President Donald Trump had earlier said that he had lost interest in speaking to President Xi Jinping and went on to suggest that his country could even cut ties with China following the outbreak of deadly pandemic of the Wuhan Coronavirus.
Donald Trump, speaking to Fox News in May, had said he was very disappointed with China’s failure to contain the disease and that the pandemic had cast a shadow over the US-China trade deal.
Recently, the Trump administration had repeated similar claims.
US administration to withdraw billions of dollars worth American pension fund investments from China
Earlier in May, the Donald Trump administration had decided to pull out billion dollars worth of American pension fund investments in China. The US administration had asked for the withdrawal of billions of dollars of pension fund investments in China as a response to China’s failure to notify the world regarding the Chinese coronavirus.
Prior to that, the United States Senate had initiated legislation to block Chinese firms from getting listed on the American stock exchanges. There has been some controversy in the US regarding Chinese companies like Alibaba being listed at the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ.
Recently, Trump had signed a bill that would enable the USA to sanction Chinese officials involved in human rights violations against Uighur Muslims.
