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US President Trump offers to mediate between India and China in border standoff

OpIndia Staff
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US President Trump offers to mediate between India and China in border standoff

US President Donald Trump has stated that he is ready to mediate between India and China over their ongoing military standoff in the Ladakh region. Trump has tweeted saying that the USA has conveyed it to both India and China.

Trump stated that the USA has informed both India and China that it is “ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute”.

India-China military standoff

India and China are currently engaged in a military standoff in the Galwan Valley region of Ladakh, near the Line of Actual Control between India and China. It is notable here that vast areas of Ladakh region have been under Chinese control for decades.

In the Galwan flashpoint, it was initially reported that China had started moving heavy equipment and troops in the LAC, and had increased patrols in the area creating skirmishes between Indian and Chinese troops.

As a result, India too has mobilised troops and aircraft in the region. In 2017, India and China had engaged in a similar standoff in the Doklam region near the Bhutan border.

Trump and his mediation proposals

US President Donald Trump has, in the past, made similar proposals over the disputes between India and Pakistan too. The proposals were promptly dismissed by India. It is notable here that India’s stand regarding border conflicts with neighbouring nations has always been that the issues are to be resolved bilaterally, without the intervention of third parties.

Opposition parties choose politics over human life, states run by them have approved far less Shramik Special Trains compared to NDA run states

OpIndia Staff
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Opposition parties choose politics over human life, states run by them have approved far less Shramik Special Trains compared to NDA run states

While the opposition parties, particularly the Congress party, has been the most vocal on the migrant issue during the Lockdown, data shows that states run by Congress and other opposition parties are lagging behind other states in running Shramik Special Trains to bring migrants home.

In the last couple of days, it was already revealed how the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress run Maharashtra govt failed to arrange migrants to send back from the state, after requesting trains which were arranged by the Indian Railways. On 25th, the Central Railway had arranged 125 trains from Maharashtra to different states, but the Maharashtra govt submitted details of passengers for only 46 trains. Even in this 46, 5 were for West Bengal and Odisha, two states which have requested not to send trains due to Cyclone Amphan. Accordingly, Railways had arranged 41 trains, but only 39 could be run as the administration failed to bring the passengers to the stations.

Similarly, on 26th May, the Central Railway had arranged 145 trains to be run from Maharashtra as per requirement submitted by nodal officers, but only 75 trains could be run by 12 AM midnight due to lack of passengers. While 25 trains were scheduled to run before 12 PM, none of them could run as there was no passenger. By 3 PM, 13 trains had left Maharashtra against planned 50 trains scheduled till that time. Maharashtra failed to arrange passengers for trains arranged by the Railways after alleging that they were not getting adequate trains. They had said that they are only getting half the trains requested per day, but the facts given by the Railways show the complete opposite picture. While Railways is arranging trains as requested by the state govt, the Maharashtra govt has been unable to arrange migrants to send home.

It is not that only Maharashtra is lacking in cooperation in movement of migrants. Several other states have also failed to give approval to receive trains sent from other states. It may be noted that the Shramik Special Trains run to move migrants are run on the basis of mutual cooperation of origin and destination states. Both the states have to agree to run the trains, only after that the Railways arranges and operates the trains.

Railways has run 3,543 Shramik Special Trains till now, and has transported more than 44 lakhs stranded migrants to their home States. Just a couple of days back, Indian Railways took a major decision to operationalise 2,600 more Shramik Special Trains in next ten days across the country. This initiative is expected to benefit another 36 lakh stranded passengers across the country. The preparations for this exercise have been done on a war-footing, and Indian Railways is planning to operationalise trains from 700 districts.

But several states are not cooperating with Railways and other states in this operation. According to Railway ministry sources, West Bengal, a state which sends a large number of workers to other states, has given approval for only 60 trains. This can cater to a very small fraction of people wanting to go back to the state. Further, they have now stopped receiving trains in the name of cyclone Amphan. Similarly, Chhattisgarh has given approval for only 53 trains, Rajasthan for 46 trains, and Jharkhand for 177 trains. Just to put this in perspective, Uttar Pradesh has given approval to 1,548 trains and Bihar has given approval to 1,307 trains till date, this just shows how there is a huge difference in states in approving the trains. A source in Railways says that “only if the states like West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand stop being callous and show some compassion, better help can be extended to the stranded migrants”.

A Railway Ministry official said, “leaders like Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee are responsible for the poor state of affairs of stranded migrants. All they had to do was to cooperate with Indian Railways in bringing the migrants back home. It is sad to see that they chose politics over human life.”

Earlier also union railway minister Piyush Goyal had informed that several states such as West Bengal, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, were not giving enough permissions for Shramik Special Trains’ to enter their states. And the same trend continues even now, while the opposition parties continue to attack the Modi government over the migrant issue. If the states don’t give the required approval, the plan to tun 2600 additional trains will also not succeed.

Kent RO apologises, takes down ad after it received backlash for insensitive advertisement portraying domestic helps as infection carriers

OpIndia Staff
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Kent RO apologises, takes down ad after it received backlash for insensitive advertisement portraying domestic helps as infection carriers

Kent RO Systems Ltd, on Wednesday, issued an apology for its controversial advertising campaign that insinuated that maids or domestic helps can be carriers of infectious diseases while promoting its bread and atta maker.

The healthcare product company has reportedly taken down the ad from the company’s social media handles including Instagram after it received severe backlash on Twitter, with multiple users even reporting it to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). They called out the company for being insensitive towards the domestic helps and promoting a classist mindset.

Mahesh Gupta, chairman of Kent RO Systems Ltd also took to Twitter to apologies for publishing the Ad which he said was “wrongly communicated”. He confirmed that the Ad has been withdrawn. “Please accept our sincere apologies for having published the Ad of Kent Atta & Bread Maker. It was unintentional but wrongly communicated and it has been withdrawn. We support and respect all sections of the society”, read the post.

Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) said it has received complaints but since the post is not available, complaints have not been processed.

The Kent Ad which did not go down well with Netizens

The ad, which promoted Kent’s new bread and atta maker, asked consumers, “Are you allowing your maid to knead the atta dough by hand? Her hands might be infected. Don’t compromise on health and purity and buy the Kent Bread and Atta maker.”

The Ad which did not go down well with Netizens

The insensitive ad campaign had recieved massive backlash on social media.

Ancient Roman mosaic of a villa unearthed at a Vineyard in Northern Italy

OpIndia Staff
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Ancient Roman mosaic of a villa unearthed at a Vineyard in Northern Italy

A entirely intact Roman mosaic floor of an ancient villa has been discovered under a vineyard in northern Italy, reports BBC.

The surveyors in the commune of Negrar di Valpolicella, which is in the north of Verona, have unearthed mosaic floor recently and also published images of the well-preserved tiles buried beneath the earth.

The images, which have become viral on social media, show how the mosaics are intact for centuries. The foundations of the villa can also be seen.

According to officials, few scholars had found evidence of a Roman villa at the site more than a century ago. The surveyors are now excavating the site to unearth remaining architecture of the ancient building.

The commune of Negrar di Valpolicella, in its website, has reportedly said that diggers finally made the discovery “after decades of failed attempts”.

The surveyors will now act as a liaise with the owners of the vineyard, where the structure has been unearthed and the municipality to identify the most appropriate ways to unearth the archaeological treasure.

The local authorities have also pledged to give “all necessary help” to continue with the excavation as technicians, excavators need “significant resources” to unearth the villa.

India Today report claims ‘exclusive’ details of Lockdown 5.0, MHA calls it speculations, denies quoted ‘sources’

OpIndia Staff
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India Today report claims ‘exclusive’ details of Lockdown 5.0, MHA calls it speculations, denies quoted ‘sources’

An ‘exclusive’ news report published in India Today had claimed that the PM is likely to announce the details of Lockdown 5.0 in his upcoming Mann Ki Baat session on May 31.

The report, titled “Exclusive: PM Modi may announce Lockdown 5.0 on Mann Ki Baat, ease restrictions in most of India” was published on May 27.

The report further claimed that as Lockdown 4.0 is ending on May 31, the government is likely to announce Lockdown 5.0 and PM Modi is likely to announce it in his Mann Ki Baat programme.

The report cited ‘home ministry sources’ saying that the Lockdown 5.0 will mainly focus on 11 cities with 70 per cent of the total coronavirus cases in India. It added that the cities, namely Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Thane, Indore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Surat and Kolkata will be highlighted in the new Lockdown orders.

Home Ministry calls it fake

The official Twitter handle of the Ministry of Home Affairs has tweeted that the ‘inside details’ quoted from the home ministry are fake and they are pure speculations by the reporter. It added that attributing imaginary statements to the MHA is incorrect and irresponsible.

It is notable here that the central government had significantly relaxed restrictions during the Lockdown 4.0. Flights and trains have also been restarted in a phased manner. However, details regarding the Lockdown 5.0 or whether there will b many extension to the lockdown are not clear yet.

Radical Islamists attack journalist Rubika Liyaquat for wishing Eid wearing yellow dress, trolls her by calling her “Godi media”

OpIndia Staff
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Radical Islamists attack journalist Rubika Liyaquat for wishing Eid wearing yellow dress, trolls her by calling her “Godi media”

ABP News Journalist Rubika Liyaquat, known for her tenacious attitude, has become the victim of radical Islamists yet again. The radicals found a ridiculous way to attack her for wishing Eid on Twitter. Rubika Liyaquat took to Twitter on May 27 to wish Eid to her followers. While doing so she used one of her pictures in a yellow dress adding #yellowtwitter, a hashtag which has recently been trending on the microblogging site where people are posting their pictures in yellow outfit.

Rubika donning a yellow dress irked the Islamic fundamentalists, who descended on her timeline to abuse the journalist.

Immediately associating the colour yellow with BJP or the Modi government, one of the fundamentalists wrote that the journalist should kill herself as soon as possible. Insinuating her to be a BJP stooge, the twitter user said that since Modi is alive now, he would put up her picture in the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. Once Modi dies she would miss out on the opportunity.

Others too, alluded her to be a BJP stooge for donning a saffron dress on Eid. They said that this will make your master happy. The trolls insinuated that her photo represented that she was nothing but a BJP stooge. People trolled her by calling her ‘Godi media’.

Rubika was hounded even further as another person went on to call her BJP’s ‘dalal’.

Rubika Liyaquat trolled and abused by radical Islamists earlier too

This is not the first time the journalist has been trolled and abused by radical Islamists. Earlier too, the radicals had attacked her for wearing makeup soon after she posted a photo of herself opening her fast inside the news studio. Rubika was hounded even further when these elements dug out her old photo where she is seen posing with her Rakhi brother Nishant Chaturvedi, who is an editor at Aaj Tak. The trolls insinuated that her photo was against Islam.

Rajasthan: Sadhu accused of rape commits suicide, declares himself innocent and a victim of blackmail in video message

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: Sadhu accused of rape commits suicide, declares himself innocent and a victim of blackmail in video message

A 50-year-old hermit, Sant Premdas of Guniya Mahadev temple Ashram under Diwer police station area of ​​Rajsamand, Rajasthan, committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree on Sunday. Before taking away his life, he recorded a five-minute video message to the administration regarding the allegations of rape levelled against him.

A few days ago, a woman had approached Rajsamand SP Bhuvan Bhushan Yadav and accused Sant Premadas of raping her. A case was registered against the Sadhu and the investigation was underway. According to woman, she and her husband had gone to the Sant’s ashram on April 20 and May 20 to seek treatment for stomach ailments. The woman said that the hermit gave her something to drink which made her drowsy and he subsequently raped her.

The police went to the ashram to investigate the matter, but they did not find the Sant there. A caretaker called Chhaganlal Suthar was directed by the police to inform them in case the Sant returns. However, when Suthar reached the ashram on Monday, he saw the hermit’s body hanging from a tree in the ashram premises. The police were immediately called and the body of the Sant was shifted to a morgue in the Devgarh Hospital. The Sant’s family, which stays in Gwalior, has been informed about his death.

Sant accuses the couple of blackmailing

The hermit in his video message, which has now gone viral, claimed that he was deeply anguished by the allegations of rape levelled against him and accused the woman and her husband, a member of women commission, and 3 other men of blackmailing him for an amount of Rs 15 lakhs. Claiming himself to be innocent, Sant Premdas said that he is taking the extreme step of giving up his life to save his honour and self-respect.

Superintendent of Police Bhuvan Bhushan Yadav assured that necessary action will be taken against the culprits after checking the veracity of the claims made in the video.

How Congress is insulting voters of Maharashtra

Abhishek Banerjee
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How Congress is insulting voters of Maharashtra

As with many other things, Rahul Gandhi needs a lesson in basic civics. In this case, it happens to be the principle of collective responsibility. In our parliamentary system, the Cabinet is collectively responsible for all decisions they make. Individual ministers may or may not agree with them personally. For example, when a Chief Minister resigns, it is equivalent to the resignation of the entire Cabinet.

So it is downright absurd for Rahul Gandhi to distance the Congress from the Maharashtra state government.

Rahul Gandhi washing off responsibility from Maharashtra mess

The Congress has ten Cabinet ministers in the state government and zero room for shirking responsibility.

I understand that Rahul did not have to work hard in school because he had all his privilege. But now that so many see him as a future Prime Minister, he needs to know this stuff.

But there is more.

First of all, let us dissect the mentality behind what Rahul did. Does anyone remember the “Bhilwara model”? After an outbreak of Coronavirus in this small Rajasthan town, local officials, sarpanches and people came together to act swiftly for a common cause. Their method of containment as well as their commitment was praised nationwide.

That’s when someone in Delhi felt that the credit was rightfully theirs.

Congress taking credit for Bhilwara containing coronavirus pandemic

How about we start calling this the “dynasty model”? When disaster strikes Maharashtra, the dynasty takes no responsibility. When something good happens in a district in Rajasthan, the dynasty takes the credit. In other words, all glory belongs to them. All our troubles are ours. That’s how feudalism works.

Let us now talk about the MVA government that rules Maharashtra. Let us examine this from the point of view of a voter who stood in line and pressed a button on the EVM.

For those who voted NCP+Congress, did they want a Shiv Sena led government? For those who voted BJP+Sena, did they want a Congress supported government? Did a single voter get the government they were looking for?

In a democracy, the voter ultimately takes responsibility for the government they have chosen. But who exactly voted for the MVA? So who takes responsibility for their actions?

The MVA formed a government by making the voter irrelevant in Maharashtra. So who takes responsibility for them?

Now Rahul Gandhi comes along and says even the partners who formed the MVA won’t take responsibility for it! So where do we go now?

The Congress in Maharashtra is neither prepared to play ruling party nor the opposition. In other words, Congress has abandoned the voters of Maharashtra. Where does this leave the 44 Congress MLAs elected by the people?

We don’t know where to ask questions, but we do know who is suffering. That would be the people of Maharashtra. And Rahul Gandhi’s insensitive remark adds insult to injury.

Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana claims lockdown restrictions in minority-dominated Mumbra were eased on account of Eid festivities

OpIndia Staff
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Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana claims lockdown restrictions in minority-dominated Mumbra were eased on account of Eid festivities

In an explosive revelation, an article published in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana has claimed that the minorities in Mumbra, a suburb in Mumbai, were pampered as the lockdown restrictions were relaxed during the Eid festivities.

The article titled- “Pampering of Mumbra residents to stop, strict lockdown to ensue from tomorrow; Chicken, Mutton shops to remain shuttered”(English translation of Marathi title) said that the lockdown restrictions in Mumbra were relaxed and minorities were appeased on account of Eid-al-Fitr. The article further added that as the Eid celebrations are over, the government will once again tighten the lockdown restrictions and all shops, including Chicken and Mutton shops, will be ordered to remain closed and only medical stores and milk shops will be allowed to operate.

“The ongoing appeasement of Mumbra residents to prevent tensions amidst Ramzan is soon going to end after the Eid. A strict lockdown has been announced by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) in the region from May 27 to curb the rising incidence of corona in Mumbai. All the shops except medicines and milk will be shut down and vegetable, fish, chicken and meat markets will be completely closed,” the article read.

This is a stark admission by the Shiv Sena mouthpiece that the Maharashtra government, which is led by Shiv Sena, has been treating the minorities in an overly indulgent manner and risking the chances of coronavirus transmission in the region.

A circular issued by Thane Municipal Corporation read that despite the enforcement of strict lockdown, the region has seen a large number of people crowding at shops and vegetable markets. Cautioning about the substantial rise in the coronavirus cases in Mumbra, the circular said that no shops, except medical and milk shops, will be permitted to remain open.

The Mumbai suburb-Mumbra has also witnessed a steady increase in the number of coronavirus infections and contributed greatly to the total number of coronavirus caseloads in the financial capital. The area has so far reported 298 COVID-19 cases. It is pertinent to note that Nationalist Congress Party leader Jitendra Awhad is MLA from the Mumbra constituency. The Cabinet Minister for Housing was himself infected with the coronavirus and had gone into self-quarantine after his sample tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-April.

Mumbai emerges as a coronavirus hotspot

Mumbai has emerged as the biggest coronavirus hotspots in the country. About 54,000 coronavirus cases have been registered in Maharashtra, more than 60% of which is from Mumbai alone. with more than 1000 fatalities. Though the city saw a drop in the cases in the last two days, however, it continued to record more than 1,000 cases over the last two consecutive weeks.

Brother-in-law of Blasphemy victim Asia Bibi killed in Pakistan

OpIndia Staff
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Brother-in-law of Blasphemy victim Asia Bibi killed in Pakistan

Younus, the brother-in-law of a Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi, has been murdered in Sheikhupura city of Punjab province in Pakistan on Monday. Asia Bibi is a victim of Blasphemy laws in Pakistan and she was convicted for blasphemy by a Pakistani court.

According to the reports, Younus was killed in Sheikhupura city of Punjab province in Pakistan on Monday. He was murdered with his throat slit, whose body was found in his farm on Monday morning. He had gone to his farm on May 24 and did not return home at night.

It is being alleged that the murder of Younus is related to hate crimes against minorities in Pakistan. Reportedly, he was killed in a rivalry as he hailed from the minority Christian community.

Younas Masih, 50, the father of two was married to Najma Bibi, the younger sister of Asia Bibi. The victim’s brother George Masih filed an FIR with the police, where he has accused Najma Bibi of conspiring to kill her husband with the help of Irfan Dogar, a local Muslim. Punjab police operations DIG Sohail Akhtar Sukhera told the Dawn newspaper that Sheikhupura police have arrested Najma Bibi and Irfan Dogar. He said they had confessed to the crime and the victim’s body had been sent to a morgue for an autopsy. Quoting the accused who ‘confessed’ to committing the crime, he said they killed Younus on Eid day at around 3 pm and dumped his body in the drain in a bid to conceal their crime.

Asia Bibi

In 2010, Pakistani Christian woman Aasiya Noreen, famously known as Asia Bibi, was convicted of blasphemy by a Pakistani court and was sentenced to death by hanging. In October 2018, the Supreme Court of Pakistan acquitted her based on insufficient evidence after spending eight years in jail. Asia Bibi is now living in exile in Canada.

The blasphemy laws in Pakistan are very stringent and carries a potential death sentence for anyone who is accused of insulting Islam. According to critics, the law exists to harass and persecute minorities.

Salman Taseer, the influential governor of Punjab was assassinated in 2011 for appealing to pardon Asia Bibi, who had been sentenced to death for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad. Similarly, a month after Taseer was killed, Religious Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian who spoke out against such harsh laws, was shot dead in Islamabad.

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