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Godse comments: Sadhvi Pragya faces BJP’s wrath, axed from Defence panel, parliamentary meets

OpIndia Staff
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Godse comments: Sadhvi Pragya faces BJP’s wrath, axed from Defence panel, parliamentary meets

The BJP has acted on the controversial statements issued by Sadhvi Pragya over Nathuram Godse. BJP working president JP Nadda has stated that the party has decided to bar the Bhopal MP from attending the party’s parliamentary meetings.

Sadhvi Pragya Thakur has also been dropped from the consultative committee of defence.


Sadhvi Pragya had hailed MK Gandhi’s murderer Nathuram Godse as a ‘patriot’ recently in a statement inside the parliament.

BJP working president JP Nadda has stated that the BJP does not support her statement and condemns it.

The Bhopal MP has also been in the news earlier for similar comments. During the 2019 general elections, she had given similar statements. PM Modi had stated that even though she had apologised for her statements, he can never totally forgive her.

Read: She apologised, but I can never forgive her: PM Modi condemns Sadhvi Pragya for her Godse comment

Sadhvi Pragya was recently added to the consultative committee of defence. Her nomination had created an uproar among opposition parties.

PM Modi and BJP President Amit Shah have maintained that the BJP’s intentions behind giving an MP ticket to Sadhvi Pragya against Congress’ Digvijay Singh was a  symbolic answer to the false ‘Hindu Terror’ narrative that the Congress had propagated with the help of Digvijay and others, by accusing Sadhvi Pragya and Lt Col Shrikant Purohit in the Malegaon blasts.

Uttarakhand: Hindu minister to head Char Dham management board if chief minister of the state is a Muslim

OpIndia Staff
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Uttarakhand: Hindu minister to head Char Dham management board if chief minister of the state is a Muslim

In a significant decision, the Uttarakhand government cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to manage the Char Dham or four holy Hindu temples in the state and 51 other temples on the lines of the Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir and Tirupati Balaji shrine in Andhra Pradesh.

According to the reports, the state government has decided to enact the Chardham Shrine Management Board Act 2019 to oversee the management of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.

The proposed law will provide for a Hindu cabinet minister to be the chairperson of the shrine board in case a Muslim becomes chief minister, said Uttarakhand urban development minister and spokesperson for the state government Madan Kaushik.

Minister Kaushik added that the new shrine board will work similarly as Vaishno Devi Temple in Katra district of Jammu and Kashmir and the Balaji shrine in Tirupati. He said the move is aimed at improving facilities at all major temples in the state, which would give a boost to religious tourism.

Reportedly, the efforts of the BJP government to introduce such a law is an attempt is to introduce an overarching law to oversee the functioning of Hindu places of worship in the state.

Till now, the temples have been governed by individual committees with government representatives. With the passing of a new law, all major temples in the state including Kedarnath and Badrinath will be regulated by the government which are being currently overseen by the Kedarnath-Badrinath temple committee.

Kaushik added that once such a board is formed, the Chief Minister of the state will be the chairperson. Three MPs, six MLAs, several secretaries and priests of the char dhams will also be included as members in the board, he added. Kaushik said that the chief executive officer of the board would be an Indian Administrative Service officer who will look after the rights of the priests they have been granted previously.

“In case there is a Muslim CM then a senior Hindu cabinet minister would be the chairperson of the board,” he said.

“In the initial phase, the board will manage Char Dham and 51 temples. A bill regarding this will be tabled in the State Assembly in the upcoming session. Once the Act is formed, the board will work on the lines of Vaishno Devi and Tirupati Balaji Shrine Management Boards,” Minister Kaushik said.

The cabinet also decided to form rules and regulations for the modernisation of madarsas in the state.

“The rules and regulations would help in modernising the madarsas. It would help in their computerisation as the government works under PM Narendra Modi’s principle of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’. Apart from this, the state cabinet also decided to form rules and regulations for the Arabic-Farsi Madrassa Board in the state,” said Kaushik.

In the case of schools which do not have their own buildings, the cabinet has approved a proposal to construct structures using bamboo.

Indian diaspora abroad sent USD 78.6 billion in remittances home, highest in the world: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Indian diaspora abroad sent USD 78.6 billion in remittances home, highest in the world: Reports

India continues to remain as the world’s highest recipient of remittance from abroad, with its diaspora sending back $78.6 billion in 2018. The 17.5 million-strong Indian diaspora, the largest in the world, makes 11.4% of the global remittance figure of $689 billion, reports Times of India.

According to the World Migration Report 2020, which was released on Wednesday by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), India has received $78.61 billion remittances in 2018, an increase of 14 per cent compared to 2015 in which India had received $68.91 billion. Remittances during 2010 were $53.48 billion, rising to $78.61 in 2018, an increase of nearly 47%.

China, which is next to India as per the data, received $67.41 billion, which is 9.8% of the global remittance figure. Mexico stands in third place with $35.7 billion, an increase in nearly 36 per cent in the last four years.

Reportedly, High-income countries have always been the largest source of remittances for developing and emerging economies. The US has consistently been the top remittance-sending country, with a total outflow of $68 billion, followed by UAE with $44.4 billion and Saudi Arabia with $36.1 billion, the report states.

According to the Times of India, Indian diaspora which is at 17.5 million was the largest in the world during 2019. Indian diaspora is highest in the UAE (3.4 million), followed by the US (2.7 million) and Saudi Arabia (2.4 million). Mexico’s diaspora of 11.8 million was the second largest, followed by China at 10.7 million.

3 ancient artefacts to be returned to India during Australian PM Morrison’s visit

OpIndia Staff
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3 ancient artefacts to be returned to India during Australian PM Morrison’s visit

The Australian government has decided to return three Indian artefacts of cultural significance during the official visit of Prime Minister Scott Morrison to India in January next year.

According to the reports, three culturally significant artefacts, a pair of ‘Dwarapala’ (door guardians) from Tamil Nadu and one ‘Nagaraja (serpent king)’ from either Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh, purchased from idol smuggler Subhash Kapoor will be returned to India by the Australian government during Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s visit to India in January 2020.

“The return of these artefacts is the right thing to do. This is another demonstration of the deep relationship between Australia and India,” said Scott Morrison.

The serpent king (Nagaraja) idol dates back to the 6th or 8th Century and is believed to be from Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh. The ‘Dwarapalas’ from Tamil Nadu are said to be from the 15th century.

A joint media statement from PM Morrison,  the Minister for Foreign Affairs Marine Payne and Paul Fletcher, MP and Minister for Communications Cyber Safety and the Arts, read, “The artefacts which were held by the National Gallery of Australia (Gallery), were purchased in good faith, but extensive research undertaken by the gallery has led to its decision to voluntarily return these artefacts to India.”

Reportedly, both India and Australia are a party to the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transport of Ownership of Cultural Property.

Foreign Minister Payne added, “The strong ties Australian and Indian institutions have made in recent years have helped develop important professional relationships and share culture. The return of these artefacts also underscores the world’s debt to India’s magnificent culture, history and legacy.”

Read: The troubled past of New York’s ‘Asia Art Week’, sale of Indian Heritage and the threat to national security

An investigation into the National Gallery’s Asian Collection by former Australian judge Susan Crennan in 2015 had found 30 such ‘problematic’ artefacts, including the three idols being returned in January. As per media reports, all of them were sold by Subhash Kapoor. Kapoor is facing charges for trafficking antiquities worth over 140 million USD.

In September this year, efforts were made to bring back a 600-year-old Nataraja idol worth Rs 30 crore which was stolen 37 years ago from a temple at Kallidaikurichi in Tirunelveli district, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The two and a half feet 16th-century idol which was kept in the gallery in Adelaide, Australia for 17 years was traced a year ago.

Three years ago, Australia had returned three artefacts, including an idol of goddess Pratyangira, stolen from a Shiva temple in Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu. In 2014, then Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott had returned two statues of Nataraja and Ardhanariswarar stolen from temples in the state.

The Tamil Nadu govt’s idol wing led by AG Ponn Manickavel has been working tirelessly to bring back the stolen idols from various countries. The Tamil Nadu government are also in talks with the National Gallery of Australia to get back 7 stolen ancient idols.

The state government has also claimed a 1,300-year-old standing Sambandar bronze idol, another rare bronze, a 1000-year-old dancing Sambandar, stolen from the Naganathaswamy temple at Manambadi village in the Tiruvidaimaruthur taluk of Nagapattinam district which was sold for Rs 4.59 crores.

The state has claimed many idols, a 1000-year-old of Arumugan from Manambadi, an 1100-year-old Nandi idol, Bhadrakali idol of the Kailasanathar temple at Kollumangudi, in Mayiladudurai taluk, and two stone Dwarapalakar idols from Udayar Sivan temple in Atthanallur, Tirunelveli. These idols were smuggled out of the country by various antique dealers at various points in time.

Last year, the authorities in London had returned a 12th century Buddha idol taken from Nalanda.

It is notable here that hundreds of priceless ancient idols and artefacts have been smuggled out from India over the decades. Many renowned art galleries and auction houses have been known to receive such items through middlemen and antique smugglers.

Economic growth may have slowed down but there is no recession, there never will be: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

OpIndia Staff
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Economic growth may have slowed down but there is no recession, there never will be: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman yesterday slammed the opposition while defending the state of economy and said that there won’t be recession ever.

Sitharaman was speaking in the Rajya Sabha during the Short Duration Discussion on the economic situation in India. Adding that the steps being taken by the government are in the interest of the country, she compared the economic data and statistics during the UPA government with the NDA government. “Economy also has very big foundation with sentiments. This house should have confidence and this house shall have the confidence when I give all the data before you,” she said.

Juxtaposing Indian economy numbers during the UPA with the NDA, Sitharaman said that the real GDP growth was 6.4% at the end of UPA 2 in 2014 and it averaged at 7.5% between 2014-2019. She added that the headline inflation had gone from 10.3% in 2013-14 to 4.5% in 2018-19. The core inflation as well as food inflation has come down from 9.4% and 11.2% from UPA 2 to 5.11% and 3.5% respectively in NDA 1.

Read: All you need to know about what the Modi govt is doing to solve the NPA mess

Quoting numbers of FDI inflow, she said that the gross inflow in 2014 was USD 189.5 billion which went up to USD 283.9 billion in 2019. The finance minister also added that the foreign exchange reserves have gone up from USD 304.2 billion at end of 2009-14 to USD 412.9 billion at end of 2014-2019.

Adding that the slowdown in growth is owing to the effect of twin balance sheet crisis. Twin balance sheet problem is the stress on balance sheets of banks, for having non-performing assets in their balance sheets which have low chance of revival and on corporates, for having taken loans and their inability to pay the same. Sitharaman assured that if banks have made provisions for NPAs, the assets will be confiscated, auctioned and the money will be paid back to the concerned banks.

Union Finance Minister also proposed a four-point strategy to address the twin balance sheet problem.

  1. Recognition of problem
  2. Recapitalisation of the bank
  3. Resolution of problem
  4. Reforms

Blaming the UPA for the current crisis in bank, Sitharaman said that in 2009-2014, there were 2.9% NPAs which is why it was low and took time for them to show up and was pegged at 8.4% in 2014-2019. However, the same has come down from Rs 10 lakh crore to  Rs 8 lakh crore. On recapitalisation of the banks, she said that Rs 2,50,000 crore were distributed to the public sector banks which helped them lend. Adding that the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code passed by the government has helped resolving the asset crisis, she said over 2,162 processes were admitted during October 2019.

On slowing down of GDP, Sitharaman said, “I would like to bring to your notice that between 2014-19 GDP accelerated to 7.4% in 2014-15, 8% in 2015-16, 8.2% in 2016-17, 7.2% in 2017-18 and 6.8 in 2018-19.” She further blamed the regressive tax measures like the minimum alternate tax and dividend distribution tax taken during the UPA tenure for the current situation.

Sitharaman also said that 32 step are being taken to revive growth and economy and are being reviewed on a weekly basis and are showing growth. She even assured the house that PM Modi himself is taking personal interest and giving attention to help revive the growth and take it on an upward trajectory.

Tamil Nadu: Church pastor and Nigerian national held for sexually assaulting minor girl, victim’s grandma also booked

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: Church pastor and Nigerian national held for sexually assaulting minor girl, victim’s grandma also booked

A 20-year-old Church pastor and a Nigerian national have been arrested in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu on charges of sexually assaulting a minor girl. As per reports, the 16-year-old girl, from a Dalit community, had approached the Tiruvannamalai all-women police station for help.

The police have stated that the pastor and the Nigerian had allegedly assaulted the girl in the pretext of marrying her. The minor, the daughter of a daily wage labourer, was living with her grandmother in a village in Tiruvannamalai.

The pastor, named G Chelladurai, was reportedly working as a pastor in a church that was run by the victim’s grandma. Chelladurai had allegedly promised to marry the girl when she was in class 9. The victim has alleged that Chelladuari had assaulted her several times between February 2017 to May 2018. He had since shifted to Krishnagiri. On the girl’s complain and with the help of childline officials, a POCSO case has now been slapped on Chelladurai and he has been arrested from Krishnagiri where he was working.

The victim has also alleged that the Nigerian national, a visually impaired person named Nikki Philip, was introduced as a prospective groom for her by a marriage broker named Paul to the victim’s grandma Mary Amutha.

Read: Investigation reveals nuns in Catholic institutions in India facing ‘decades of abuse’ by priests who enjoy protection

Nikki had allegedly claimed that he has a lot of money and will take the victim with her. The victim’s grandmother Mary Amutha had allegedly agreed for the proposal and had taken the victim to stay with Nikki at his residence at Chromepet on September 25 this year. On October 12, Nikki had ‘married’ the 16-year-old girl at a Church in Perumbakkam. Nikki had spent five days with the girl.

As per a report in the New Indian Express, hearing the news of the minor girl’s wedding, the victim’s aunt Sathiya had allegedly informed the girl’s father about the incident. Sathiya and the girl’s father had reportedly rescued the girl and had taken Nikki to the police station. But the girl’s father was reluctant to lodge a formal complaint as he was scared it might hamper the girl’s reputation.

The girl was subsequently rescued by childline officials, and, with their help, the case was pursued and a complaint was filed. on November 23, a complaint was lodged at the Tiruvannamalai women’s police station and the investigation was started.

Read: The long saga of the Vatican protecting priests with history of sexual abuse

P Thamizharasi, the inspector at the women’s police station has reportedly stated that an FIR has been lodged and the pastor G Chelladurai has been arrested over charges of raping the minor under the POCSO Act and various sections of the IPC. He is currently remanded under judicial custody at the central prison in Vellore.

Nikki Philip was also arrested by the police on Tuesday. He has also been booked under section 376(rape) and other charges under the POCSO Act. The police is also checking his travel documents. Philip has claimed that he had come to India in 2011.

The victim’s grandma and the marriage broker Paul are also booked under POCSO Act and IPC sections under the Prohibitions of Child Marriage Act. They are both absconding, informed the police.

Since the minor victim is a Dalit, the police have stated that Chelladurai and the Nigerian will also be slapped with charges under the SC/ST Act.

Astrologer predicts collapse of newly elected Maharashtra govt within 6 months even as reports of infighting emerge

OpIndia Staff
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Astrologer predicts collapse of newly elected Maharashtra govt within 6 months even as reports of infighting emerge

A Mumbai-based astrologer has predicted that the Uddhav Thackeray-led government may not last beyond April, thereby collapsing in six months of formation. As reported by Mid-Day, astrologer Sushil Chaturvedi has predicted infighting in the coalition government to escalate between 7th February to 28th April which will eventually snowball and bring down the government.

As per Chaturvedi, the timing of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s swearing in ceremony, at 6:40 PM on Thursday, 28th November, in inauspicious as it falls between Rahu and Ketu. The planetary position is not favouring Thackeray at that time, he says. He says since the planets fall between Rahu and Ketu, it is a ‘very bad time’ and indicates destruction in coalition government.

Predicting infighting within the coalition, Chaturvedi said that the parties will lose most of the seats they have won for having done what they have to form the government. Meanwhile, a video clip of a 1980 Kamal Haasan movie Varumaiyan Niram Sivappu has gone viral on social media which ‘predicts’ the current political crisis in Maharashtra quite accurately.


In the clip, in what seems like an interview scene, the interviewer is asking Haasan who is the chief minister of Maharashtra. Haasan questions back, ‘today, yesterday or the day before? Because they change every day you see.”

Read: Trouble for Shiv Sena? NCP demands Maharashtra Chief Minister’s post for 2.5 years, Deputy CM for Ajit Pawar: Report

The politics in Maharashtra has been embroiled in drama after the BJP emerged as single-largest party but had a fallout with its pre-poll alliance partner Shiv Sena after they did not agree to their demands and conditions. The Shiv Sena then joined hands with NCP and Congress and last Friday had announced Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as CM candidate for the alliance. However, in a surprise move, on 23rd November, Saturday, Devendra Fadnavis took oath as CM with support of NCP’s Ajit Pawar, who too took oath as deputy chief minister on the same day.

The Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress filed a joint petition in the Supreme Court challenging the government formation. On Tuesday, within few hours of the apex court ordering a floor test, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar resigned from their posts. Following that, Uddhav Thackeray was again declared the chief ministerial candidate for the ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ coalition. Thackeray will swear in as the chief minister later today in Mumbai.

Sonia Gandhi makes Uddhav Thackeray grovel: Amidst speculations of her skipping swearing in, Aditya reaches 10 Janpath

OpIndia Staff
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Sonia Gandhi makes Uddhav Thackeray grovel: Amidst speculations of her skipping swearing in, Aditya reaches 10 Janpath

Aditya Thackeray, son of Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray, is apparently on his way to meet interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi in order to invite her for the swearing-in ceremony of his father as Chief Minister, family journalist of the Nehru-Gandhi Parivar has reported.


According to Pallavi Ghosh, there has been no confirmation from Sonia Gandhi yet. Aditya Thackeray’s visit has now also been confirmed by ANI. According to reports, the event will not be attended by Rahul Gandhi.


Now that the Shiv Sena has irreparably broken its ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress party and the Nationalist Congress Party appears to be squeezing the Shiv Sena out of its every remaining bit of dignity. Earlier, we had reported that the NCP was demanding the Chief Minister’s chair for two and a half years and the Deputy Chief Minister’s chair for Ajit Pawar. Meanwhile, Sanjay Raut is still dreaming of a situation where Shiv Sena’s ‘Suryayaan’ lands in Delhi even as it’s not even a guarantee that Shiv Sena will occupy the Chief Minister’s office for five years.

UP: Christian Missionaries with Hindu names organised ‘Dharmasabha’ to convert sick people to Christianity, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Christian Missionaries with Hindu names organised ‘Dharmasabha’ to convert sick people to Christianity, arrested

The religious conversion of unsuspecting people in Uttar Pradesh is steadily increasing as cases of proselytisation have started springing up. Recently, 3 Christian evangelists promoting religious conversion on the pretext of healing diseases were arrested from the Ranipur village of the Mau district.

On Tuesday, the police arrested the 3 Christian priests after VHP filed a complaint alleging that the 3 Christian padres are fueling superstition to undergo religious conversions. The police reached the spot and arrested the evangelists. Those arrested by the Mau police were identified as Kapil Dev Ram, Ajay Kumar and Omprakash. The three Christian preachers were reportedly engaged in proselytizing activities in Darora village of the area.

Read: The Rice Bag Project: ‘Mission India’ and how it uses rice bags and caste role-play games to convert Hindus to Christianity

Apart from religious books, other paraphernalia used in religious conversion were also recovered from them. The three proselytisers had organised a ‘Dharmasabha’, promoting the religious conversion among the uninitiated folks as a panacea for the treatment of serious diseases. Poor people were present in this meeting with their sick relatives.

The missionaries involved in the religious conversion used to meet at the house of Kapil Dev Ram in the Darora village. A prayer meeting was also held every Sunday in his house which was used as a church. The priests had organised a program for religious conversion on Tuesday.

Read: Tripura: 15-year-old student dies after he is brutally tortured by hostel warden for opposing forceful conversion to Christianity

About 20 people were planned to be baptised into Christianity. The process of religious conversion began in the afternoon. VHP activist Ashutosh Pandey got wind of the blatant religious conversion and reported the event to the VHP District Vice President Ashwani Mishra and District President Bhanuprakash Pandey. Before long, a raft of VHP activists along with the village head reached the venue and confronted the Christian padres. Meanwhile, police also reached the spot and arrested the three proselytisers. A religious book, mustard oil and water kept in a vessel were recovered from them.

The people who came to attend the ceremony informed the police that they had brought their ailing family members to get rid of their diseases. According to them, the Christian padres had affirmed that after their religious conversion and consumption of the holy water, they would be relieved of their diseases.

Jyotiraditya Scindia is supreme, will be first to join if he forms new party: Congress MLA amidst increasing infighting

OpIndia Staff
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Jyotiraditya Scindia is supreme, will be first to join if he forms new party: Congress MLA amidst increasing infighting

Jyotiraditya Scindia may be having some serious second thoughts concerning his future in the Congress party. Recently, a change in his Twitter bio had fueled speculations of political tension brewing in Madhya Pradesh Congress. Amidst all of this, Congress MLA from Pohari has added further fuel to the fire by asserting that he will be first to join Scindia’s new party should he decide to form one.

Congress MLA Suresh Rathkheda said in a video, “First of all, I don’t think Srimant Maharaj Saheb (Scindia, who hails from an erstwhile royal family) is leaving the party (Congress). But, let me tell you, he is a force in Madhya Pradesh and has the power to launch his own party. The day he does it, I will be the first one to join him. Wherever he goes, I’ll follow him. The party is supreme, but for me Maharaj Saheb is supreme.”

Read: Change in Twitter bio of Jyotiraditya Scindia fuels speculations, JM Scindia issues a clarification

“He is a respectable person and I am his servant. And I will always rest my head at his feet and serve him. His love and support have made me what I am today. I will also tell my children to be his servants and support him always,” Rathkheda added. The Congress MLA’s statement clearly shows that Scindia enjoys significant support within the Congress ranks and should he decide to revolt, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh will collapse.

After speculations were fueled, Scindia had later clarified that he had changed his Twitter bio a month back and not in recent past. A cached copy of his bio had shown that he was only partially correct as his bio was changed anytime between the 3rd of November and the 7th.

Read: Jyotiraditya Scindia clarifies that he had changed bio a month back not last night, Google cache shows he’s partially right

Jyotiraditya Scindia has recently taken positions that were against the stand of his party on issues such as Article 370 where he had supported the Prime Minister’s decision to abrogate it. In September, Scindia had openly spoken out against Kamal Nath and said that the Chief Minister should stop outside interference within the government. The internal feud was also evident during the run-up to the state elections last year.

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