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USA: At least 33 dead, nearly 100 injured in violent attacks and mass shooting incidences since 4th July Independence Day celebrations

OpIndia Staff
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USA: At least 33 dead, nearly 100 injured in violent attacks and mass shooting incidences since 4th July Independence Day celebrations

Continuing the tragic yet familiar pattern for American cities, at least 33 people lost their lives and around a hundred others suffered serious injuries across the United States of America in incidences of mass shooting and other violent attacks. Incidentally, according to US authorities, this high casualty number has been recorded within the extended weekend of 4th July. Notably, the US marks its independence on the 4th of July as on this day in 1776, it gained independence from Britain. 

However, the 4th of July has historically been one of the deadliest days in the US with violence and mass shootings marring the Independence Day celebrations across the country. Just like this year, a string of mass shooting incidences were recorded in previous years as well. More than a dozen people were killed and 60 others were wounded in mass shooting incidences around the holiday, last year. Similarly, seven people died in a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade near Chicago in 2022. 

11 killed, 55 wounded in Chicago in violent attacks and mass shooting this year

During the extended July fourth weekend, at least 11 people were killed and 55 others were wounded in incidences of mass shooting in the Chicago area alone, as of Friday morning (5th July), as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. This includes a mass shooting that took place on Thursday (4th July) in which two women and an 8-year-old boy lost their lives.

Mayor Brandon Johnson said that the recent violence “has left our city in a state of grief”. 

In another incident, eight people were injured in an attack that took place in Chicago’s Little Italy neighbourhood, shortly after Friday midnight. 

It was followed by a shooting incident in the city’s Austin neighbourhood. Six people were injured in that incident. 

The 31st Street Beach had been the epicentre of recent stabbings and shootings in this area. Ironically, because of the rampant violent attacks, the officials had precautionarily closed the popular Lake Michigan beach in Chicago which was one of the attack-prone sites in this area yet high casualty figures were reported during the 4th July weekend. 

2 killed and 3 injured in deadly weapon attack in California

Police stated that in Huntington Beach, California, two people were killed and three others were injured in an Independence Day attack less than two hours after a fireworks show ended. According to reports, the authorities were responding to an assault with a deadly weapon Thursday night and it ended up arresting a suspect in this incident.

A 15-year-old attacker fatally shot a young man in Ohio

According to Police Chief Jay Holland, a 15-year-old male fatally shot a 23-year-old man on Thursday night at a Fourth of July party. The incident took place at a residence located in the northeastern Ohio community of Niles. The Police later took the minor suspect into custody. 

Additionally, the Police stated that a 10-year-old girl, identified as Gracie Griffin, was fatally shot in a Cleveland neighbourhood. The Police were probing the motive behind the murder as well as looking into reasons that sparked the shooting or if the minor girl was targeted.

Philadelphia drive-by shooting kills one, injures 6 others

On Thursday night (4th July), a drive-by shooting in Philadelphia left one dead and six injured. The injured included four minors who were immediately rushed to the hospital. Their injuries were reported to be non-life-threatening. The motive behind the shooting was yet not known. 

Three shooting incidences in Boston

During the city’s 4th of July celebrations, the Boston area was rocked with three incidences of shooting in which one person lost his life. One of the shootings took place at around 1:30 a.m. on Friday (5th July) in a park near Boston’s South End neighbourhood. 

Around the same time, another incident near the city’s Jamaica Plain neighbourhood left three injured. 

The third shooting incident was reported at a gas station in which a victim suffered life-threatening injuries.

A 17-year-old boy suffered a stomach wound in another shooting. The incident took place on Thursday night in a condominium parking lot in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. 

Early on Friday, a woman was fatally shot in her car in Connecticut. She was pronounced dead at a hospital. The victim’s relatives stated that they believed she had just left a Fourth of July party.

North Carolina

Police said that a shooting incident at an unofficial fireworks display left one person dead after a large crowd had gathered in the parking lot of the city. The incident unfolded in High Point, North Carolina.  

Mass shooting incident in New York

According to New York’s Albany Police, six victims in age ranges from 16 to 19 suffered non-life-threatening injuries in a mass shooting incident that took place at a large gathering at a home around 12:15 a.m. on Friday. 

On Friday morning, a fight broke out at a party which ended in a mass shooting incident in Pontiac, about 50 kilometers northwest of Detroit. Around five teens, all male, were injured however, their injuries were said to be non-life-threatening.

Early on Friday, Police said that four people were wounded in a shooting outside a Tampa adult nightclub after an altercation between the club’s security guard and two men. Police said both suspects were arrested and charged with several crimes.

Two shooting incidents were reported in the St. Louis area during 4th of July gatherings in which two men died and five others suffered injuries.  

State Police said that Charles Speer (42) of Kermit, died early Friday after being shot multiple times following a physical altercation at the home of another man in West Virginia. 

Earlier on Thursday, a police officer who was there to serve a warrant in Cleveland and an armed person making threats in Yellowstone National Park were among those killed in other shootings.

According to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, a road rage incident led to the fatal shooting of a 36-year-old man in Taneytown, Maryland.

Other violent attacks

In New York’s Queens section, an 8-year-old boy was fatally stabbed in an apartment. The Police described the case as a domestic dispute. 

Police said that officers later fatally shot a 20-year-old man who held a knife to his 43-year-old father’s throat and refused commands to drop the weapon. 

Incidentally, gun violence, violent attacks, and especially the menace of mass shooting have been a tragic yet familiar pattern for American cities which has continued in the first few weekends of summer in the US. 

Gujarat: Bajrang Dal members detained in Ahmedabad for protesting against Rahul Gandhi’s anti-Hindu remarks in parliament

ANI
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Gujarat: Bajrang Dal members detained in Ahmedabad for protesting against Rahul Gandhi’s anti-Hindu remarks in parliament

Members of the Bajrang Dal staged a protest against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Ahmbedabad on Saturday, over his alleged “anti-Hindu” remarks in the Parliament.

During the demonstration, the Bajrang Dal members raised slogans against Rahul Gandhi over his comments on the Hindu community. Following this, several protesters were detained by the Gujarat Police.

The cadres were chanting slogans of Jai Shri Ram and also tried to burn the effigy of Rahul Gandhi. However, the police stopped them and detained the workers.

Joint Commissioner of Police, Neeraj Badgujar, said Bajrang Dal members have been detained and required force have been deployed in the region to maintain peace.

“The required police force has been deployed. There is peace now. The Bajrang Dal workers had come out in protest, but they are being detained by the police,” Badgujar told ANI.

Last week, Rahul Gandhi, in his speech in the Lok Sabha accused the BJP and RSS of “spreading violence and hatred”. Targetting the BJP government, he alleged there has been “a systematic attack” on the idea of India.

He also connected the Hindu symbol ‘Abhayamudra’ which gestures fearlessness, reassurance and safety, with the symbol of the Congress party.

Rahul’s remarks drew protests from the Treasury benches. BJP members took strong objection to Rahul Gandhi’s remark and accused Rahul of insulting Hindu religion by connecting it with violence.

The BJP leaders accused the Congress MP “of speaking lies, misleading the House and terming the entire Hindu community violent”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at Rahul Gandhi over his remarks and said calling “the entire Hindu community violent is a very serious matter”.

In response, Rahul Gandhi hit back stating BJP is “not the entire Hindu society.”

“Narendra Modi is not entire Hindu society. BJP is not the entire Hindu society, RSS is not the entire society, this is not BJP’s contract,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi arrived in Ahmemabad today to meet his party cadre, as well as the families of victims of the Rajkot Gaming Zone tragedy.

28 people were killed in the TRP Game Zone fire incident, which happened on June 25.

Last week, Congress alleged that several members associated with BJP, Bajrang Dal, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad vandalised Congress office in Ahmedabad by throwing stones at it.

Congress spokesperson Hemang Raval, told ANI that the office was vandalised in protest against Rahul Gandhi’s comments in Parliament after which the police filed a complaint in the matter.

 (This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

DRDO unveils light battle tank Zorawar, developed in record two years with L&T to counter China in high-altitude areas

ANI
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DRDO unveils light battle tank Zorawar, developed in record two years with L&T to counter China in high-altitude areas

In a major boost to Indian forces deployed opposite China in Ladakh, premier defence research agency Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and private sector firm Larsen and Toubro (L&T) are at advanced stage of trials of the indigenous Light Tank Zorawar.

DRDO chief Dr Samir V Kamat today reviewed the progress made in the project at the Larsen and Toubro plant at Hajira in Gujarat.

Developed in a record time of two years for high altitude areas of Ladakh, the tank is testimony to Indian progress in indigenous manufacturing.

The DRDO and L&T have integrated USVs in loitering munitions in the tank learning lessons from the Russia and Ukraine conflict.

The light tank Zorawar with 25 tonnes in weight and it is the first time, a fresh tank has been designed and made ready for trials in such a short time.

59 of these tanks will be provided to the Army initially and it will be a front runner for the major programme of 295 more of these armoured vehicles.

The Indian Air Force can supply two tanks at a time in the C-17 class transport aircraft as the tank is light and can be run at high speeds in mountain valleys.

The trials are expected to be completed in the next 12-18 months and be ready for induction.

Even though the first ammunition is coming from Belgium, the DRDO is ready to develop the ammunition indigenously.

 (This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Commuters frazzled as Pakistan’s petrol pumps run dry

ANI
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Commuters frazzled as Pakistan’s petrol pumps run dry

Petroleum dealers in Pakistan announced the postponement of their strike on Friday evening, however, many consumers were still frazzled as they found several pumps closed or were out of fuel in Karachi, a Pakistan-based daily, Dawn reported.

The petroleum dealers were protesting against the government’s decision to impose a 0.5 per cent advance turnover tax which, they say, would result in an additional tax burden of Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 1 million per pump, a demand they vehemently rejected and refused to accept under any circumstances.

A petroleum dealer reported that around 50 per cent of fuel pumps in Karachi were closed ahead of Friday prayers due to a divided response to the strike call. However, by evening, most pumps resumed operations before the announcement by Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) Chairman Abdul Sami Khan to postpone the strike and instruct dealers to reopen pumps from 7 pm, Dawn reported.

Fuel pumps remained open at Sharea Faisal, I I Chundrigar Road, Malir, Korangi, Landhi, North Karachi, Gulshan-i-Iqbal and other areas of the city, he said.

PPDA chairman announced the postponement of the strike, citing the difficulties faced by tourists in the north, including Hazara division, Malakand and Swat, who were running low on fuel.

Khan claimed that over 13,000 fuel pumps across the country remained closed since 6 am, declaring the strike a success. He said the association decided to postpone the strike due to the difficulties faced by tourists in northern areas, as well as the challenges encountered by motorcyclists and ambulance services in other cities. But he made it clear that this decision does not mean the association is withdrawing from its demand, Dawn reported.

He alleged that the deputy commissioner and assistant commissioners in the Hazara and Malakand divisions had coerced PPDA dealers to open their outlets. “Although the strike has been deferred, it has not ended. We will not remain silent. If our demands are not met, we will persist in our efforts,” he warned.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Pakistan to decide on banning social media for a week during Muharram so that Shias and Sunnis don’t read abuses thrown at each other

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan to decide on banning social media for a week during Muharram so that Shias and Sunnis don’t read abuses thrown at each other

The Shehbaz Sharif government in Pakistan could impose a complete ban on six social media platforms namely X (Twitter), YouTube, TikTok, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook for around a week during Muharram. According to Pakistani media reports, the provincial government in Pakistan’s Punjab had asked the Central government to ban social media citing hatred and avoiding sectarian violence between Shias and Sunnis. Notably, the Punjab government is led by Maryam Nawaz, the niece of Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif. Earlier, Islamabad had blocked X (formerly Twitter) for over four months. 

As per reports, Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior has currently deferred a decision on this matter. It has neither accepted nor rejected the Punjab government’s request to ban social media platforms during Muharram. In a statement released on Friday (5th July), the Ministry stated that no decision had been taken so far regarding the internet shutdown. However, it added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would make the final decision in this regard. 

While the statement didn’t name any provincial government, it claimed that other provinces had also made similar requests as recommended by the Punjab government. 

Speaking with Pakistani outlet Dawn, an official had earlier said that instead of blocking access to social media platforms, foolproof security arrangements would be made. However, the official had hinted that cellular services would be suspended in some cities for a few hours on the 9th and 10th of Muharram.

According to a government notification issued late Thursday night (4th July), the cabinet committee on law and order of the Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had recommended a ban on social media platforms from 6 to 11 Muharram to “control hate material, and misinformation to avoid sectarian violence” in the state.

Citing sources, Pakistani media reported that the Punjab government had initially planned social media suspension for two days, but it was based on “intelligence reports” that it went for more stringent measures.

Apart from provincial governments in Pakistan, Pakistan’s army chief Gen Asim Munir had once declared, “Social media is a vicious media” and emphasised the need to combat “digital terrorism.” Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who also serves as the foreign minister, had recently demanded a complete ban on social media.

During Muharram, Shia Muslims take out huge processions to mark the martyrdom of the grandson of the prophet of Islam. They observe his martyrdom as a symbol of resistance to tyranny. For this, they take out rallies during the first ten days of Muharram. This culminates into huge processions on the 9th and 10th of the month. However, the dominant Muslim sect in Pakistan, Sunnis has a historic theological rivalry with the Shias. 

Extremist Sunni outfits in Pakistan brand Shias as heretics and carry out bombings on Shia processions. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has witnessed numerous such attacks in the past.

Meanwhile, earlier in February, the Shehbaz Sharif government had shut down X after the Election Commission of Pakistan raised allegations of tampering with general election results. However, it was seen as a move that was directed against Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf which had a strong presence on the micro-blogging site.  

‘I.N.D.I. Alliance defeated Ram Janmabhoomi movement in Ayodhya’: Rahul Gandhi uses Lok Sabha results to mock struggle for construction of Ram Mandir

OpIndia Staff
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‘I.N.D.I. Alliance defeated Ram Janmabhoomi movement in Ayodhya’: Rahul Gandhi uses Lok Sabha results to mock struggle for construction of Ram Mandir

On Saturday (6th July), Rahul Gandhi announced that the Congress and other parties in the I.N.D.I. Alliance has defeated the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, which culminated in the construction of the majestic Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

He made the contentious remarks during his address to Congress workers in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat.

During his speech, the Gandhi scion said, “The movement which was initiated by Lal Krishna Advani and had its epicentre in Ayodhya has been defeated by the I.N.D.I. Alliance in Ayodhya.”

Rahul Gandhi was referring to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement of LK Advani, which helped realise the dream of re-construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

It must be mentioned that the BJP lost the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency to Samajwadi Party candidate in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

This is not the first time that the Congress party or its leaders have talked about defeating the Ram Janmabhoomi movement or opposing the construction of Ram Mandir.

It may be recalled that ex-Congress leader Kapil Sibal fought the Ram Janmabhoomi case for the Sunni Waqf Board opposing the building of a magnificent Ram temple in Ayodhya. He had also employed cunning tactics to delay the decision in the Ram Janmabhoomi case till the 2019 elections. 

Congress and its denial of existence of Lord Ram

Eminent Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had earlier claimed that no ‘good Hindu’ would want a Ram Mandir at the site of the disputed structure. Tharoor urged that one should only have the Ram Mandir in one’s heart. 

Interestingly, the Congress-led UPA government filed an affidavit in 2007, decrying the existence of Lord Ram. 

The affidavit read, “Valmiki Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas admittedly form an important part of ancient Indian literature, but these cannot be said to be historical records to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the characters and occurrences of events depicted therein.”

The affidavit was filed to register the UPA government’s opposition to the demand to scrap the Sethusamudram project as it would damage the Ram Setu.

Who is Masoud Pezeshkian, the President-elect of Iran who has promised to relax compulsory Hijab law in the Islamic country

Rukma Rathore
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Who is Masoud Pezeshkian, the President-elect of Iran who has promised to relax compulsory Hijab law in the Islamic country

On Saturday, 6th of July, Iran elected Masoud Pezeshkian, a former health minister as the president of the Islamic Republic in a stunning turn of events. Masoud Pezeshkian, the progressive leader, defeated hardliner Saeed Jalili in the Iranian presidential election which took place on the 5th of July.

The election was marked by the lowest turnout in Iran’s history where only 40% of eligible voters participated in last week’s election.

During the campaign, Pezeshkian pledged to ease the implementation of Iran’s mandatory headscarf law and also talked about engaging with Western countries. According to observers, international powers are expected to welcome him with the hope that he would seek diplomatic solutions to the tense stalemate between Iran and western countries over Iran’s rapidly developing nuclear program.

Masoud Pezeshkian being greeted by supporters as he arrives Friday to vote at a polling station near Tehran. (Source: Vahid Salemi/AP)

Masoud Pezeshkian was able to win over a population that had been severely demoralised by years of security crackdowns that suppressed any public opposition to Islamist orthodoxy. In addition to easing tensions over currently-stalled negotiations with major powers to resuscitate a 2015 nuclear accord, the 69-year-old heart surgeon has promised to advance a pragmatic foreign policy and enhance chances for social liberalisation and political pluralism.

Notably, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei oversees all the decisions on important state matters in Iran, which has a dual system of clerical and republican administration. As a result, the president is unable to implement any significant policy changes regarding Iran’s nuclear program or backing for militia groups around the Middle East. However, the president has the power to shape the nation’s policies and is going to have a key role in choosing 65-year-old Khamenei’s successor.

Masoud Pezeshkian is an ardent follower of Iran’s theocratic government and has no desire to take on the country’s formidable security hawks and clerical overlords. He has pledged not to criticise Ayatollah Khamenei’s policies in TV debates and interviews and declared, “If I I try but fail to fulfill my campaign promises, I would say goodbye to political work and not continue. There is no point in wasting our life and not being able to serve our dear people,” in a video message to voters.

Following the death of hardliner President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May, the reformist camp led by former President Mohammad Khatami emerged from years of political seclusion and supported Masoud Pezeshkian in the election. His opinions stand in contrast to those of Raisi, a protégé of Khamenei who enforced a rule restricting women’s clothing more stringently and adopted a firm posture in the now-stalled discussions with major powers to revive the nuclear agreement. Notably, former United States President Donald Trump abandoned Iran Nuclear Deal and reinstated sanctions against Iran in 2018.

Masoud Pezeshkian’s background

Masoud Pezeshkian was born on 29th September 1954, in Mahabad to Iranian-Azerbaijani parents. His father was ethnically Azeri and his mother was Kurdish. His love of the country’s cultural tapestry was formed by his mixed ethnic background. He went on to become an esteemed cardiac surgeon after serving in the armed forces during the Iran-Iraq War and was tasked with the deployment of medical teams to the front lines. He eventually took on a leadership role at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. In 1994, his life dramatically changed when he lost his wife Fatemeh Majidi and one of his daughters in an automobile accident.

Pezeshkian never remarried and raised his two sons and remaining daughter alone. His political career also began with the tragic incident, during which he worked for President Mohammad Khatami as Deputy Health Minister and then as Health Minister. He represented Tabriz, Osku, and Azarshahr electoral districts in the Parliament of Iran and also served as its First Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2020. He supported moderate and reformist objectives and analysts frequently referred to him as an “independent” rather than as being aligned to any voting bloc. He has also adopted that independent identity during the current campaign.

Supporters hold posters of Masoud Pezeshkian during a campaign event in Tehran. (Sources: Reuters)

Pezeshkian was Minister of Health and Medical Education between 2001 and 2005 in the Government of Mohammad Khatami. He became embroiled in the conflict between reformists and hardliners almost immediately after witnessing the autopsy of freelance photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, who was a dual-citizen of Iran and Canada.

Pezeshkian was elected governor of both Piranshahr and Naghadeh counties in West Azerbaijan province during the 1980s. He registered to run for president in 2011 but then withdrew his name. Authorities prevented him and other well-known contenders from running in 2021, ensuring an easy victory for Ebrahim Raisi. He has worked to strike a compromise between the constraints of Iran’s theocratic system and his reformist beliefs throughout his political career.

Masoud Pezeshkian’s supporters have attempted to pit him against Saeed Jalili’s “Taliban” policies in the campaign. His campaign’s catchphrase, “For Iran,” could potentially be an imitation of the well-known song “Baraye,” or “For” in English by Grammy Award-winning Iranian singer-songwriter Shervin Hajipour. Notably, Hajipour received a sentence of more than three years in prison over his anthem for the protests triggered by Mahsa Amini’s death.

Views on Iran’s controversial Hijab law

Masoud Pezeshkian, in 2022 openly criticised how the 22-year-old Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini‘s death was handled by Ebrahim Raisi’s administration and expressed, “It is unacceptable in the Islamic Republic to arrest a girl for her hijab and then hand over her dead body to her family.” She had been apprehended because she had reportedly broken the country’s severe dress code for women. He demanded clarification from authorities and asked them to “set up an investigation team” to look into the circumstances surrounding her death, in a post on X.

He stuck to his guns during his recent campaign, attacking the implementation of rules requiring women to cover their heads and necks in public since the Islamic revolution of 1979. “We are losing our backing in society because of our behaviour, high prices, our treatment of girls and because we censor the internet. People are discontent with us because of our behaviour,” he announced in a television debate, addressing the government’s shortcomings. He voiced, “We will respect the hijab law, but there should never be any intrusive or inhumane behaviour toward women,” after casting his vote in the first round.

Rambling, Mumbling, tripping on stages, and a series of gaffes: Joe Biden’s visibly poor mental health a cause of concern not just for Democrats but the entire world

Paurush Gupta
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Rambling, Mumbling, tripping on stages, and a series of gaffes: Joe Biden’s visibly poor mental health a cause of concern not just for Democrats but the entire world

Running for re-election, United States President Joe Biden’s recent appearances after the debate debacle against Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump have heightened concerns within the Democratic party leadership. A swelling percentage of the party’s committed voter base, donors, and leaders have been urging him to drop out of the race to avoid what seems to be an inevitable loss in the November 5 Presidential elections. Strikingly, while attempting to assure Democrats that he is still a strong candidate to defeat Donald Trump despite a ‘bad debate night’, his recent string of gaffes has further strengthened concerns about his ‘cognitive and mental health’. 

Incidentally, in the past few days, 81-year-old US President Joe Biden has ‘erred’ on several occasions on trivial things like the current year or misidentifying himself as Kamala Harris and referring to himself as a ‘black woman’. However, despite repeated media inquiries, he categorically refused to undergo an ‘independent neurological exam’. 

In a recent media interaction, Biden asserted that he would only drop out from the Presidential race if the ‘Lord Almighty’ came down on the Earth and asked him to do so. During the interview with ABC, first after the 27th June debate against Trump, Biden cited his “poor health” as the reason for the ‘bad episode’. He, however, claimed that the poor performance during the debate was not because of his declining cognitive and mental health. Rather, he claimed he was sick and suffering from a cold during the debate night. Earlier, he stated that he was tired during the debate because of the long international travel and fell asleep on the stage. 

Responding to the ABC anchor’s repeated queries asking him whether he would undergo an independent cognitive or neurological examination, Biden claimed that he takes a cognitive test “every day” and his test is “running the world”.

(Video Courtesy – ABC News)

He replied, “Look, I have a cognitive test every single day. Every day, I have that test. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, but I’m running the world.” He even reiterated that he believes that he will be fit for the job for the next four years. 

He added, “Yes, I am (being honest about my capabilities), because George, the last thing I want to do is not be able to meet that.”

Later, he was asked whether he would step aside if people convinced him that he wouldn’t be able to defeat Trump. To which, he replied, “It depends on — on if the Lord Almighty comes down and tells me that, I might do that.” He then laughingly added that “the Lord Almighty is not coming down.”

Furthermore, in a recent interview with Philadelphia’s WURD radio station, US President Joe Biden referred to himself as “the first Black woman to serve with a Black president.” It is pertinent to note that he confused his own identity with Kamala Harris and mixed up his tenure as vice president under Barack Obama with Kamala Harris’ current role as his deputy. For those unversed, Biden was the Vice-President of the US under the country’s first black President Obama while Kamala Harris is the first woman of colour to hold the office of Vice President.

Addressing a campaign rally in Madison, Wisconsin on Friday, Biden erred and claimed that he would again defeat Donald Trump in 2020, rather than the current year 2024 when elections are due in the United States. He said, “Well, let me say this as clearly as I can- I’m staying in the race. I’ll beat Donald Trump. I will beat him again in 2020.” He, however, then corrected his mistake and said, “I am going to do that again in 2024.”

On several occasions, he has been caught on camera in a state of confusion—stunned, shell-shocked, mixing up people, places, or events, digressing from the center stage, failing to reach the podium, tripping on stage, airplanes, or shaking hands and talking with imaginary people, rumbling and mumbling incoherently in mid-sentences.On many occasions, military personnel, officials, or others have been caught on camera guiding him where to go. Likewise, once Former US President Barack Obama was seen on camera, gently guiding Biden off the stage by nudging him forward with his hand on Biden’s back. 

(Video Courtesy – Hindustan Times)

However, his visible poor health has not just become a cause of concern for the Democrats but also the Non-Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) alliance leaders as well the entire world. 

(Snippet from Bloomberg Article)

Degrading health of the World’s ‘most powerful leader’ and Commander-in-Chief of a Nuclear Superpower a grave global cause for concern

It is pertinent to note that after the fall of the USSR, the US enjoyed hegemony in the geopolitical world order for several decades which gave it a lopsided influence on multi-lateral institutions like the UN, and World Bank, and sway over global politics, making the US President the most powerful leader in the world. While the US dominance has diminished to a great extent with the emergence of other global players including China, India, Japan, and EU member nations, the US President is still regarded as one of the most powerful leaders in the world, if not the most powerful. 

The US President enjoys a substantial or veto-esque power on several global issues and crises, and his/her decision could halt/end ongoing wars, or start new ones. A minor fender bender by the US in the ongoing crises in Europe, the Middle East, or the Indo-Pacific involving nuclear-powered countries like Russia, and China could not only escalate the war horizontally and vertically, it could also take the world to the brink of a Third World War, which could potentially be a Nuclear war. For example – the Ukraine-Russia war or the China-Taiwan crisis could end up spiralling down the roads of the Cuban Missile Crisis which could this time lead to fatal consequences rather than a de-escalation which requires the utmost presence of ‘sound mind’ of all stakeholders involved, particularly the US President. 

While Biden boasted that he is giving “cognitive tests every day” by “running the world”, on several occasions he had irked other leaders, especially Russian President Vladimir Putin by describing him as a “killer”, crazy Son of a bi**h and whatnot. Now, with his questionable ‘cognitive and mental health’ and his issues with misidentification and mixing up things, his verbal diatribe could endanger world peace by directly pitting the two largest nuclear-powered nations against each other. 

Along similar lines, the military-industrial complex, arms and pharma lobby which have a notorious stronghold in the US, could run amuck under the leadership of a frail US President who reportedly struggles to function in the office post 4 PM. Apart from these decade-strong lobbies, the new woke lobby gaining steam in the US could spread its fang throughout the world under the regime of a US President who is “genuinely confused about his state of being” rendering more kids prone to gender transform surgeries for so-called not identifying with their assigned gender at birth. 

In the absence or ‘with consent’ from a confused President in office, these lobbies could tighten their grip on power and start posing more challenges to the US and the world. In the absence of a mentally sound President in office, the lobbies or any other power, without any accountability, may exploit the power vacuum, leading to a nightmare for the world.    

Furthermore, the US is currently reeling under a historic $34 trillion debt. Under a confused and ailing US President, the uncontrolled implosion of the US dollar or its economy could trigger an economic disaster for the world which still is heavily reliant on dollar trade and the liquidity and economic policy of the US. An unwarranted “gaffe” by the US President can not only trigger a conflict or a war, it could also set in motion a domino effect for global economic slump.  

It is paramount that the US President, whose decisions impact the global political and economic order, be of sound mind and not add to the anxiety of an already chaotic and warring world.

Tamil Nadu: Pastor sexually abuses Class 9 girl at Church, police arrest him under POCSO

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: Pastor sexually abuses Class 9 girl at Church, police arrest him under POCSO

On Wednesday (3rd July), the police arrested a 54-year-old Christian pastor for sexually abusing a minor girl in the Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu.

As per reports, the accused was identified as S Devairakkam. The victim had been staying at the Church grounds at night ever since she lost her mother a few years ago. Her father works as a gardener at the Church.

The pastor sexually assaulted the girl when she was asleep at night. Distraught by the incident, the victim left the church and went to her old house.

Pastor remanded to judicial custody

When neighbours and relatives inquired about her condition, the girl told them that she was sexually assaulted by Devairakkam. Soon after, a complaint was lodged and forwarded to the Kancheepuram police.

On Wednesday, the police arrested the Church pastor and booked him under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Child Sexual offences (POCSO) Act .

Devairakkam was thereafter produced before a local court, which remanded him to judicial custody. The victim is said to be 14 years old and a student of Class 9 at a government school.

Pastor abused child more than once: Police

A police officer, investigating the case, informed that the pastor had assaulted the victim more than once.

“Inquiries revealed that the 54-year-old man had sexually attacked the child more than once…We have sent the victim for a medical checkup and the report is awaited,” the officer added.

Rahul Gandhi Hathras visit: Why is he not visiting the kin of hooch tragedy victims in Tamil Nadu and Sandeshkhali victims in West Bengal?

Amit Kelkar
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Rahul Gandhi Hathras visit: Why is he not visiting the kin of hooch tragedy victims in Tamil Nadu and Sandeshkhali victims in West Bengal?

On Friday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited Hathras in Uttar Pradesh and met with the families affected by the stampede tragedy. Among those he spoke with was the family of Premawati, a victim of the incident, who shared their grievances with the Congress MP from Rae Bareli.

The family demanded an investigation into the tragic event that resulted in the deaths of over 120 people. They also stated that they no longer believe in the self-styled Godman ‘Bhole Baba’ and have removed his photo.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi visited Aligarh, where he met with other families affected by the Hathras stampede.

On Tuesday, July 2, a stampede at a private religious event in Hathras claimed 121 lives, leaving many others injured. The stampede took place during a Satsang for Sant Bhole Baba. Most of the dead in the tragedy are women.

A religious congregation was organised at Phulrai village in the district in which a large number of devotees were present. There was a stampede at the end of the congregation when hundreds of devotees tried to leave the venue together leading to a stampede.

The venue was small and overcrowded. Because of the suffocation in small areas in hot and humid weather, the devotees rushed out as soon as the Satsang ended, leading to the stampede.

While Rahul wasted little time visiting the towns and expressing his sympathy for the victims and the kin of the deceased, he has yet not even acknowledged the Kallakurchi hooch tragedy in Tamil Nadu that claimed 65 lives thus far, mostly Dalits, let alone visiting the village and meeting with the relatives of the victims. 

The death toll in the hooch tragedy in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi district has risen to 65 thus far, with more than 225 people affected by the consumption of spurious liquor. The tragedy occurred on June 18, Tuesday, when most of the victims consumed the tainted liquor in Karunapuram, Kallakurichi. 

By Wednesday, they were admitted to the Kallakurichi Government Medical College and Hospital, as well as hospitals in Salem, Villupuram, and the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research in Puducherry. Several victims passed away on Wednesday night. And since then, many have died, taking the death toll to 65. 

Gandhi, who has upped his social media game significantly and is quick to raise issues of social import and has projected himself, with the help of a pliant ecosystem, as the voice of the marginalised and the lower caste, is silent on the deaths of 65 people, most Dalits, in Tamil Nadu, a state governed by INDI alliance partner DMK. Gandhi didn’t express his commiserations for the kin of the dead or hold the administration responsible for the sale of spurious liquor in the state that caused the tragedy.

Various combinations of Tamil Nadu hooch tragedy and spurious liquor consumption in Tamil Nadu for posts made by Rahul Gandhi X have yielded a blank result.

Rahul Gandhi is yet to tweet on Tamil Nadu hooch tragedy

Known for his constant refrain ‘Daro mat’ as a means to malign the Modi government, Rahul Gandhi has not spoken yet on the Sandeshkhali horrors emanating from West Bengal, another state that is ruled by an opposition party, TMC, whose supreme Mamata Banerjee has had a vacillating relationship with the INDI alliance. 

Known for his constant refrain ‘Daro mat’ as a means to malign the Modi government, Rahul Gandhi has not spoken yet on the Sandeshkhali horrors emanating from West Bengal. The issue cropped up in February this year, months before the all-important Lok Sabha polls, when Congress had been desperately trying to woo Mamata Banerjee to join the INDI alliance for their collective goal of ousting PM Modi. 

Protests erupted in West Bengal on February 8th as hundreds of women residents of Sandeshkhali came out on the streets on Thursday with brooms, sticks and farming tools and blocked the roads. They are demanding the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan and his two aides Shiba Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar, whom they have accused of making their lives miserable.

Hindustan Times quoted Archana Naskar, a Sandeshkhali resident, saying that Sardar and Hazra usurped hundreds of acres of farmland over the last few years to run their fisheries. “They deprived people of homes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and did not give us the money under the MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme),” Naskar alleged.

“Besides, land grabbing, they also forced the villagers to provide free labour in the businesses run by them. The women of the area were unable to step out of their homes after sunset because of the fear of molestation by Shahjahan’s associates,” another woman protester said.

However, these protestations failed to stir the conscience of the ‘Jannayak’ as the Congress party leaders fawn over him of late, to take cognisance of the grave allegations levelled by women in Sandeshkhali and demand a fair probe into the matter from the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government in West Bengal. All the claims and promises of empowering women and ensuring their safety turned out to be empty rhetoric, serving no purpose other than gaining women’s support and acting as a public relations exercise.

Rahul Gandhi is yet to tweet on Sandeshkhali violence

Nevertheless, Gandhi’s unwillingness to raise his voice on the Tamil Nadu hooch tragedy and Sandeshkhali violence seems to be the coalition compulsion his party faces. It is the price that Congress has to pay to keep the INDI alliance from disintegrating, even if that means remaining silent on grave issues such as atrocities meted out on women in West Bengal or poor victims who died after consuming spurious liquor in Tamil Nadu.

Additionally, the lofty posturing of caring for the victims of tragedies that is conveniently confined only to the BJP-ruled states could be used as a stick to proverbially beat the BJP-led governments and show them in a poor light while deflecting attention from the governance inadequacies of the INDI alliance partners and providing a cover fire for their fiasco.

Even as Gandhi and his lapdog media are predisposed to exaggerating Congress’ 99 seats in Lok Sabha as a significant number to influence Indian politics, the Gandhi scion’s conduct reveals he is still helpless when it comes to raising issues of public importance when they take place in states ruled by INDI alliance partners. 

Gandhi’s deafening silence on water crisis in Karnataka, his disregard for atrocities suffered by Sandeshkhali victims, and his refusal so much as to even acknowledge the Tamil Nadu hooch tragedy shows all this display of solidarity for victims is just a sham aimed at shoring up his political fortunes and little to do with genuine sympathy and concern for the victims.

If Rahul Gandhi speaks up for the victims of political violence in West Bengal or visits the families affected by the Tamil Nadu hooch tragedy, it can be assumed with reasonable certitude that the INDI alliance will be nearing its final days. This symbiotic relationship between various members of the INDI bloc to not raise tough questions of each other seems to be the foundation on which the alliance rests.

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