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Actors Arshad Warsi, Milind Soman get attacked by Islamists and Pakistanis for urging people to boycott Chinese products amid Ladakh standoff

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Actors Arshad Warsi, Milind Soman get attacked by Islamists and Pakistanis for urging people to boycott Chinese products amid Ladakh standoff

Islamists and Pakistanis attacked Bollywood actor Arshad Warsi after he urged people to boycott Chinese products amid the Ladakh standoff. On Saturday, Warsi took to Twitter to say that he is consciously going to stop everything that is Chinese.

He said that while most products we use are either made in China or they have major components which are made there, it will take time to phase out the Chinese products. “But I know, one day I’ll be Chinese free,” he tweeted.

However, he was soon attacked by Islamists and Pakistanis for his appeal.

He was asked if he had the courage to ask PM Modi on the ‘atrocities’ on Kashmir or he will only speak filmy dialogues.

One Muhammad Aqib, whose Twitter profile states that he is from Pakistan, said that he is consciously thinking of banning India from anywhere. Aqib was upset Warsi was not saying anything on ‘suppression of Muslims in India by fascist Modi’.

Another Pakistani, Almas Arshad, suggested that India should leave all ‘Chinese things’ like Ladakh. Similarly, the ‘Made in India’ actor Milind Sonam, on Friday, shared video of Aamir Khan starrer ‘3 Idiots’ inspiration Sonam Wangchuk’s video where he urged people to boycott Chinese hardware and software over time.

The education reformer had called for boycott of Chinese products in the wake of the military standoff between India and China at the LAC (Line of Actual Control) in Ladakh. Soman, too, was mocked and attacked by ‘liberals’ and Islamists for calling to ban Chinese products.

Former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah mocked Soman for the call to boycott Chinese products. Sonam also got hate for his association with the RSS during his childhood which he had mentioned in his autobiography released earlier this year.

The Standoff at LAC

About 5000 Chinese army personnel, under the garb of a military exercise, diverted their movement towards the Indian side of the LAC (Line of Actual Control). The current stand-off began on May 5-6 and has been continuing all along the LAC up to Sikkim. Sources told ANI that the behaviour of Chinese troops had been reminiscent of the stone pelters in Kashmir who are funded by Pakistan. The Chinese troops came armed with sticks, clubs with barbed wires and stones in an area near the Pangong Tso lake during a face-off with Indian troops there, the source revealed.

Unelected people think they can impose their will on the government through courts: Harish Salve

OpIndia Staff
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Unelected people think they can impose their will on the government through courts: Harish Salve

Senior Supreme court Lawyer Harish Slave has said that a lot of people who are not elected representatives thinks that they can impose their will on the government in the centre through courts. He said that a judge can be criticized and even his judgement too but attributing motives to them is unethical.

While speaking at a webinar on the issue of ‘Insulting Judiciary from social media Diatribes’, he said, “To say judgement is to favour a political party or judge has acted in favour of political party is wrong. Supreme Court is not a dartboard. You can criticize a judgment saying the judge has taken a conservative line.” He also added that privacy is a serious issue and the Indians are not really serious about it despite it being a valuable property.

He also stated that some also push into the Supreme court for some relief. Salve said, “When they do not get relief from Supreme Court, they say judges are not doing this because of this reason… Some people are pushing the boundaries by saying the Supreme Court deserves ‘F’ grade for its handling of migrants. I have been reading these articles. They are wrong.”

He added, “A lot of people who are not elected feel that they can impose their will on the government through courts. One can criticize that court saying that (in migrants’ case) either the court should have intervened or not… but to say that the court is scared of the government is wrong. If I argue a case and I lose, I should think that I tried my best but I lost. But if I get a feeling that the judge did not give judgment in my favor because of … what newspapers might write, then I am worried.”

The senior advocate also said that one may not agree with the judgment of the court but saying that the court does not stand with the people is wrong.

India emerges as fifth-largest hydropower producer in the world overtaking Japan

OpIndia Staff
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India emerges as fifth-largest hydropower producer in the world overtaking Japan

In a significant development, India has emerged as the fifth-largest producer of hydropower electricity in the world surpassing Japan. As per the International Hydropower Association, India has a total installed base standing at 50 Gigawatt now after Canada, the US, Brazil, and China.

IHA, the London based global hydropower trade body published the 2020 hydropower status report along with COVID-19 policy paper. As per the data, global hydropower installed capacity reached 1308 GW in 2019 after a total of 50 countries completed greenfield and upgrade projects, including pumped storage.

As per reports, a total of 15.6 GW capacity was installed in 2019, down from 21.8 GW in 2018 representing a surge of 1.2 percent which is below the 2.0 percent growth target to meet the requirements of the Paris Agreement Carbon Reduction. Brazil with 4.93 GW, China with 4.17 GW, and Laos with 1.89 GW saw the largest increases according to the report.

Read- Govt of India approves construction of India’s largest hydroelectric project in Arunachal Pradesh

IHA stated that hydropower’s flexibility services have been in high demand at the time of the Coronavirus crisis as the plant operators have been less affected due to the degree of automation in modern facilities.

IHA stated that the pandemic has underlined hydropower’s resilience and critical role in delivering clean, reliable, and affordable energy.

While hydropower developments have not been immune to fluctuations occurring in the economy which have put financing and refinancing of the company is at risk.

UP Power Minister Shrikant Sharma orders to close all drains opening in Yamuna river till February

OpIndia Staff
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UP Power Minister Shrikant Sharma orders to close all drains opening in Yamuna river till February

Power Minister of Uttar Pradesh and MLA from Mathura assembly Shrikant Sharma had a review session regarding problems being faced in his assembly constituency through video conference on Friday. Expressing concern over the situation of Yamuna, he directed the officials that till the month of February, all the drains opening in the Yamuna river will have to be closed.

As per reports, many closed drains are also overflowing or their pumping stations are not functioning properly. The Power minister expressed displeasure over complaints of leakage in the water supply line in Vrindavan and over-filling of dirty drains. He strictly asked the officials why the overflow complaint is being heard despite the new sewage connection that has already been provided. The minister directed the municipal corporation to ensure that all the drains falling in the Yamuna river should be completely closed by the month of February next year.

Sharma told the officials of the municipal corporation, “The progress of the work being done in this regard is also slow. To avoid this, the Municipal Commissioner should regularly monitor and review the works of Jal Nigam. There should no carelessness or lapse indulged in the process. There is no problem of water in any area during the summer. If there is any problem in the matters of drinking water supply, then the water supply from the municipal tankers should be ensured.”

‘We want court and Govt to end Babri Masjid Demolition Case,’ says Ram Mandir dispute petitioner Iqbal Ansari after losing the case

OpIndia Staff
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‘We want court and Govt to end Babri Masjid Demolition Case,’ says Ram Mandir dispute petitioner Iqbal Ansari after losing the case

The lead petitioner for the Muslim parties in the Ram Janmabhoomi case, Iqbal Ansari, has now demanded that the Court and the Government must take the Babri Masjid Demolition case to its final conclusion, at the earliest. He said that the matter should be closed ‘without any politics’. He is of the belief that the Special CBI Court must follow the precedent set by the Supreme Court and ‘deliver justice‘ in the Babri masjid case, without further adieu.

Iqbal Ansari reiterated that the Ram Janmabhoomi case had been put to rest and whatever was needed to be done had already been executed by the apex Court. He further added that the Special CBI Court, overseeing the demolition case, must look to deliver speedy closure. Ansari said that no dispute must exist regarding Ram Janmabhoomi and Babri Masjid cases and that communalism must end in the country. “Due to corona, it is time for social distancing but we don’t want distance between Hindus & Muslims,” he was quoted as saying.

A Special CBI Court under Justice SK Yadav is set to record the statements of the accused, namely, LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, in the Babri Masjid Demolition case on June 4. The statements of 32 accused will be recorded under Section 313 (Power to examine the accused) of the CrPC (The Code of Criminal Procedure). It is not clear at this point whether they will give their statements via a video link or in-person.

Demand for the ruins of the Babri Masjid

After losing the Ram Janmabhoomi case in the apex court, the Muslim parties had earlier decided to lay claim to the remnants of the Babri Masjid along with its foundation, demolished and left behind by a group of karsevaks on December 6, 1992. The general secretary of the All-India Milli Council, Khaliq Ahmed Khan earlier said, “We will claim debris and foundation of the Babri Masjid as the structure belonged to Muslims. The Supreme Court has admitted that for more than 3 centuries Muslims offered prayers at the mosque.” The Hindu parties in contention had expressed no objection to the Muslim parties’ claim to the ruins of the demolished Babri mosque.

Unlock 1.0: MHA issues guidelines for phased reopening for all activities outside containment zones after the end of Lockdown 4.0

OpIndia Staff
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Unlock 1.0: MHA issues guidelines for phased reopening for all activities outside containment zones after the end of Lockdown 4.0

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday issued new guidelines for the phased reopening of the country after the fourth phase of lockdown ends on May 31. In addition, the decree also states that the lockdown in containment zones will continue to remain in force for another month till June 30.

The current phase of re-opening, called ‘Unlock 1’, will focus on restarting the economic activities in the country. Here are the detailed guidelines issued by the MHA with regards to the phased opening of the country.

Phase 1

According to the new guidelines, malls, hotels and religious places will open in an incremental manner from June 8. The government will be issuing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the above-listed activities in consultation with Central ministries/departments concerned and other stakeholders, for ensuring social distancing and to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Phase 2

The government plans to re-open schools, colleges, educational/training/coaching institutions etc, after assessing the current situation and in consultations with States and Union Territories (UT). The Home Ministry order has asked State governments/UT administrations to have consultations at the institution level with parents and other stakeholders. Based on the feedback and state governments’ consultations, a decision on the re-opening of these institutions will be taken in July. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will also prepare SOPs for these institutions.

Phased 3

Based on the assessment of the situation, dates for recommencement of activities such as international travel, metro rail, cinema theatres, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks, auditoriums, theatres, bars, assembly halls and similar places will be decided. The central government also plans to permit social/political/religious/entertainment/academic/cultural functions and other large congregations in this phase.

Unrestricted movement of goods and persons

The night curfew timings have also been revised from earlier 7 PM to 7 AM to 9 PM to 5 AM. Furthermore, the Home Ministry has removed all the restrictions of the interstate and intra-state movement of people. But the new guidelines concerning night curfew timing will have to be followed.

No separate permission/approval/e-permit will be required for such movements. However, if the states and UTs, based on their assessment and reasons of public health, proposes to control the movement of people, the procedures will have to be complied with, the MHA guidelines say.

National Directives for COVID-19

The containment zones will be demarcated by the state/ UT governments, after taking into consideration the guidelines issued by the Health Ministry. Within the containment zones, strict perimeter control shall be maintained and only essential activities will be allowed.

The National Directives for Covid-19 management will continue to be followed throughout the country, to ensure social distancing, says the latest order issued by the MHA.

States have been given the liberty to decide the activities they want to restart outside the containment zones. The new guidelines also say that the states and UTs, based on their assessment of the current situation, may forbid certain activities outside the containment zones, or impose restrictions as it deems necessary.

Prohibitions for the elderly

People who are most susceptible to the menace of coronavirus, i.e those above 65 years of age with underlying co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years, have been advised to stay indoors, except for meeting essential requirements and for health purposes.

Spy network using illegal VOIP exchange to gather information on Indian Army’s movement busted in Mumbai

OpIndia Staff
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Spy network using illegal VOIP exchange to gather information on Indian Army’s movement busted in Mumbai

While the forces of India and China are standing face to face in the Union Territory of Ladakh, the military intelligence and Mumbai Crime branch have exposed an illegal Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephone exchange in Mumbai. According to reports, this is the biggest spy network using VOIP telephony to be busted in India.

Security forces had suspected about this exchange after several security officials had received calls from suspected numbers in the last one month. Significantly, this year in the month of May, many officers associated with security forces had received calls from suspicious telephone numbers in which important information related to Ladakh and important defence establishment was sought from them.

Some officers even received calls from many suspicious numbers in which important information regarding the defence establishment from Ladakh was also sought. Those who sought information had given fake identity, so the role of ISI in this matter cannot be denied.

Security forces recovered 191 SIM cards, laptop modem, antennas, batteries and connectors used for illegal VoIP exchange. 71 of the 191 SIM cards were found active.

Investigations have revealed that such VOIP exchanges being run in Mumbai received calls from Pakistan which were converted to local numbers and routed to numbers in Kashmir and Ladakh. The calls were made with efforts to gather intelligence from the officers and jawans associated with the security forces.

In this exchange, international voice calls were converted into local calls through SIM boxes made in China. These SIM boxes used a dynamic IMEI system which makes tracking them very difficult. The system has been declared illegal by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. Till now the investigation has also revealed that the telecom department has lost crores of rupees through these exchanges.

“The exchanges which converted international voice calls originating from Pakistan into local GSM calls using the Chinese SIM Boxes (boxes fitted with GSM SIM cards of local cellular service providers) were busted in a police raid on Thursday. These SIM boxes also used dynamic IMEI system, which made them difficult to be tracked,” sources in security forces said. Apart from Pakistan, calls were received from other places like Dubai, Qatar etc also.

One accused has been arrested in connection with the illegal exchange and an investigation is underway to ascertain the identity of other individuals involved in the network and locations of other similar exchanges that may be present.

Three Indian Companies get licenses from NASA to manufacture ventilators developed by the space agency for coronavirus patients

OpIndia Staff
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Three Indian Companies get licenses from NASA to manufacture ventilators developed by the space agency for coronavirus patients

Three companies of Indian origin have been given license by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the purpose of manufacturing its indigenously developed ventilator for the coronavirus patients.

NASA stated on Friday that the three Indian companies are Alpha Design Technologies Pvt Ltd, Bharat Forge Ltd, and Medha Servo Drives Pvt Ltd.

Apart from these, 18 other companies, out of which eight are American and three companies of Brazil have been permitted to manufacture the device.

The NASA has developed a ventilator, especially for coronavirus patients, at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory in South California. The engineers of JPL designed a special ventilator named VITAL in a little over a month’s time and received ‘Emergency Use Authorization’ from the Food and Drug Administration on April 30.

The Space organization said, “The VITAL (Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally) equipment uses one-seventh the parts of a traditional ventilator, relying on parts already available in supply chains.”

The high-pressure ventilator offers a simple affordable option for treating critical patients in place of traditional ventilators for those with the most critical symptoms of COVID-19. NASA said, “Its flexible design means it also can be modified for use in field hospitals.”

John Alkalai, manager of the JPL Office of the strategic partnership said, “The VITAL team is very excited to see their technology licensed. Our hope is to have this technology reach across the world and provide an additional source of solutions to deal with the on-going COVID-19 crisis.”

NASA stated that the VITAL was developed after input from the doctors and device manufacturers. A prototype of the JPL device was successfully tested by the Human Stimulation lab in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine at Mount Sinai on April 23. The design uses compressed air and can be easily deployed by a greater range of hospitals. It was recently tested at the UCLA simulation center at Los Angeles.

NASA added, “A high-fidelity lung simulator tested almost 20 different ventilator settings, representing a number of scenarios that could be seen in critically ill patients in an intensive care unit.”

Dr. Tisha Wang, who is the clinical chief of the UCLA Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine said, “VITAL performed well in simulation testing with both precise and reproducible results.”

A media statement said, “In addition, the setup and operation of the ventilator were quick and user-friendly. The UCLA team commends JPL for actively contributing to the COVID-19 response and successfully addressing one of the key medical needs in the sickest group of patients.”

the Wuhan originated Corona virus has affected 5931293 people around the world. And has claimed lives of 3,65,051 people.

513 domestic flights carrying over 39,900 passengers operated on Friday, informs Hardeep Singh Puri

OpIndia Staff
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513 domestic flights carrying over 39,900 passengers operated on Friday, informs Hardeep Singh Puri

Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri informed on Saturday that a total of 513 domestic flights were operated on May 29 and a total of 39,969 passengers were transported via these flights. Moreover, a total of 79,941 people have been to airports on the same day. Between May 25 and May 28, a total of 1,827 flights were reportedly operated. This includes 428 flights on Monday, 445 flights on Tuesday, 460 flights on Wednesday, and 494 flights on Thursday.

Aviation industry sources had revealed that around 3,000 flights operate in India on a daily basis, prior to the nationwide lockdown that was imposed owing to the Coronavirus outbreak. As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), about 4.12 lac passengers commuted daily via flights during the said period.

States with a high number of active Coronavirus cases have been directed to operate limited flights. They include West Bengal, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Owing to the relief work carried out in the State following cyclone Amphan, it meant that West Bengal began operating flights only on May 28. As per reports, 16 asymptomatic Coronavirus patients had been identified on 7 different flights, since the operations began.

Domestic Operations to normalise, post Diwali, says Hardeep Singh Puri

In an interview with the Economic Times, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had informed that domestic flight operations would normalise by Diwali i.e. in the month of November. He said, “We will have all our 650 flights operated by Indian carriers.” Puri also stated that the recovery rate from the deadly Coronavirus was higher in India than that of other countries.

The Aviation Minister assured that the sector which had suffered losses amidst the lockdown would recover fast, owing to a huge captive market and the need for passengers to travel. He, however, conceded that the disinvestment plan regarding India’s national carrier, Air India, might be differed.

Interestingly, on Thursday, Karnataka urged the Union Government to reduce the number of incoming flights from the Coronavirus-affected States such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. International flights were restricted on March 14 whereas domestic flight operations remained suspended from March 25 to May 24.

Domestic Flights resume Operations in India

On May 20, the Narendra Modi Government had announced that domestic flight operations would resume operations, in a calibrated manner, from 25 May. The Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that all the standard operating protocols (SOPs) for passenger movement was also being separately issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The SOP stated that initially only one terminal should be used in airports, with more than one terminal. The larger terminal would be reduced to ensure proper sanitation, considering the limited availability of material resources.

Army hands over minor girl gang-rape accused Shahnawaz Sheikh to police, moved from Siliguri to Sahibganj

OpIndia Staff
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Army hands over minor girl gang-rape accused Shahnawaz Sheikh to police, moved from Siliguri to Sahibganj

In a major breakthrough, the police have arrested all the accused in connection with a gang-rape case of a Hindu minor that happened in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj district. The third accused, Shahnawaz Sheikh, who served in the Army in Siliguri was subsequently handed over to the police. Following this, the police took him from Siliguri to Sahibganj on transit remand.

On May 25, Idgar Sheikh, Shahnawaz Sheikh and Ekramul Sheikh viciously raped a Hindu minor girl who had gone to a garden to pick mangoes. The incident had sparked off communal tensions in the region as the victim and the perpetrators belonged to different religions. It was reported that Shahnawaz works with the Indian Army, and all the accused had fled the scene after the crime on a Bullet motorcycle bearing Army markings.

Ekramul was the first to be arrested in the gang-rape case. Following Ekramul, Idgar was also nabbed by the police on 27 May. After Idgar’s arrest, Sahibganj SP Anuranjan, in a conversation with OpIndia, confirmed that the third accused- Shahnawaz is associated with the Army. He had said that he is part of the Army Medical Corps team and efforts are underway to arrest him.

The media reports had earlier reported that Shahnawaz had come home during Eid holidays and returned to his duty following the incident. Tempers ran high as angry people pulled one of the accused’s father out of his house before thrashing him. Because of the soaring tensions, personnel of Rapid Action Force were deployed in the region to prevent any untoward incident.

The victim had stated in her statement that at around 4:00 pm on May 25, she went to the garden behind her house to fetch mangoes. She was caught by Ekramul who threatened her to slit her throat. She was then taken to a nearby bush where two more individuals were lurking. The victim claimed in her testimony that the two individuals held her when Ekramul Sheikh raped her. The boys then took turns to gang-rape her and after that hastily fled from the scene on a motorcycle. The victim then reported the incident to her parents.

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