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Umar Khalid gets bail in a case but remains in jail under UAPA charges

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Umar Khalid gets bail in a case but remains in jail under UAPA charges

Activist and former student leader Umar Khalid was granted bail by a Delhi court today in a case linked to the riots in parts of the capital last year. But he will remain in jail due to charges under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in another case related to the Delhi violence.

Umar Khalid, 33, “cannot be permitted to remain behind bars on the basis of such a sketchy material against him”, the court said.

The court asked him to install the Aarogya Setu on his phone before leaving prison, at a time Covid cases are spiraling.

The former JNU student was arrested in October in connection with the violence in northeast Delhi’s Khajuri Khas area over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests.

Over 50 people were killed and 200 injured in the clashes that broke out on February 24 last year. The Delhi Police were accused of inaction or complicity in some instances of violence.

The Delhi Police Crime Branch, in its charge sheet, alleged that Mr Khalid was part of a group that organised a meeting in Shaheen Bagh on January 8, weeks before the riots, to plot the violence. The police alleged that he had “remote-controlled” the riots and had planned the violence during then US President Donald Trump’s visit to Delhi.

Mr Khalid was also accused of taking part in anti-CAA protests in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Maharashtra, and making inflammatory speeches that provoked the violence. The organisers of the protests in various states took care of his expenses like travel and local stay, the police document claimed.

Umar Khalid “can’t be incarcerated in jail for infinity merely because others who were part of the mob have to be identified and arrested in the matter”, the court said.

“I do not find any rationale in the act of the police in involving (Khalid) in this solitary case for the offence of conspiracy,” added the judge.

According to the court, the prosecution had never said Mr Khalid was physically present at the scene of the clashes and he had nowhere been captured on any CCTV footage or viral video. “Neither any independent witness nor any police witness has identified the applicant to be present at the scene of crime,” said the court, adding that charge-sheeting him on the basis of “such insignificant material” was unwarranted.

‘What PM Cares is doing?’ asks Rahul Gandhi

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‘What PM Cares is doing?’ asks Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked the government over the handling of the Covid-19 situation and alleged that it is only indulging in a “Sham” of a ‘vaccine festival’. He also alleged that there is no testing, no beds in hospitals, neither ventilators or oxygen and vaccine is also not available.

Gandhi also took a jibe asking what PM-CARES is doing, as huge donations were given to the fund for handling Covid-19 situation.

“There are no tests or beds in hospitals. There are no ventilators or oxygen. The vaccine is also not there. But there is a sham of a festival. PM-CARES?” he asked.

His attack came after the government celebrated the ‘Tika Utsav’ (vaccine festival) from April 11 to 14.

India saw its highest single-day rise of 2,00,739 Covid-19 infections and 1,038 fatalities pushing the country’s tally of cases to 1,40,74,564 and the total toll death to 1,73,123 according to official data.

CBSE cancels 10th exam, postpones 12th exam

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CBSE cancels 10th exam, postpones 12th exam

Class 10 board exams have been cancelled and Class 12 exams have been deferred because of a nationwide Covid surge that had led to demands by parents, students, politicians and various states for a government rethink. The big announcement affecting over 35 lakh students followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting this afternoon with the Education Minister and top officers.

The CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) exams for Class 12, which were to be held from May 4 to June 14, have been postponed, said Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in tweets. A decision will be taken on fresh dates on June 1, he said, adding that students will have at least 15 days’ notice before the exams.

On the Class 10 exams that were cancelled, the minister said the results would be prepared “on the basis of an objective criterion to be developed by the Board” and students not satisfied with their marks would be given the chance to take the exams whenever they can be held.

For schools under the ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) board, a decision is yet to be announced.

Around 21.5 lakh students were to take the Class 10 exams and some 14 lakh students are registered for Class 12, according to the CBSE.

PM Modi reportedly said in the meeting that while academics are important, “the health and well-being of students has to be the top priority for the government”.

Covid cases have been spiraling across the country in the deadly second wave of infections. This morning, India recorded 1,84,372 new coronavirus infections in the highest single-day rise so far, with 1,027 deaths.

“Glad the government has finally cancelled the 10th standard exams however a final decision MUST be taken for the 12th grade too. Keeping students under undue pressure until June makes no sense. It’s unfair. I urge the government to decide now,” tweeted Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, using the hashtag #cancelboardexam2021. Ms. Vadra was among those who had objected strongly to students being “forced to sit for exams”  at crowded centres amid rising infections.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Amarinder Singh had also urged the centre to cancel the exams and to prevent millions of students being exposed to infection.

2,00,739 fresh Coronavirus cases in India in biggest ever one day spike

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2,00,739 fresh Coronavirus cases in India in biggest ever one day spike

The number of new coronavirus cases in India hit a record daily high with over 2 lakh infections being reported in a day, while the active cases surpassed the 14- lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

With the new cases, the total tally of COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 1,40,74,564.

A total of 2,00,739 new COVID-19 cases have been registered in a span of 24 hours, while death count increased to  1,73,123 with 1,038 daily new fatalities, the highest since October 3, 2020, the data updated at 8 am showed. Registering a steady increase for the 36th day in a row, the active cases have increased to 14,71,877 comprising 10.46 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has dropped to 88.31 per cent.

The active caseload was at its lowest at  1, 35,926 on February 12 and it was at its highest at 10,17,754 on September 18, 2020. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,24,29,564, while the case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.23 per cent, the data stated.  

Meanwhile, at Delhi’s biggest crematorium, Nigambodh Ghat, the number of cremations have gone up from 15 per day to over 30 as COVID-19-related deaths in the national capital continue to rise.

Delhi recorded 104 deaths due to coronavirus on Wednesday, the highest since November 20. The same day, India recorded 1,027 deaths, the highest daily count since October 18 when 1,033 deaths were recorded.

WhatsApp privacy policy will result in excessive data collection and stalking of users: CCI tells Delhi HC

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WhatsApp privacy policy will result in excessive data collection and stalking of users: CCI tells Delhi HC

Three months after WhatsApp announced its updated privacy policy, the controversies and probes do not seem to be going away. The global criticism did not deter WhatsApp from continuing to push forth its updated terms and services, but in India, the competition regulatory body CCI had ordered an antitrust probe into the Facebook-owned platform. WhatsApp as well as Facebook had opposed this order in the Delhi High Court. In the matter, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Tuesday told the Delhi HC that the new policy that WhatsApp announced would result in excessive data collection as well as “stalking” of consumers. This data would be used for targeted advertising to bring in more users, it said, which would therefore amount to abuse of WhatsApp’s dominant position.

The CCI, represented by senior advocate Aman Lekhi, was defending its order which directed that there be an investigation into the updated policy, and asserted that it was only looking into the impact the policy would have on the compact, and not into the way the policy allegedly violates the users’ privacy. The latter is currently being looked into by the Supreme Court. This, the CCI said, led to there being no error of jurisdiction. In its defence, it also stated that WhatsApp and Facebook’s pleas challenging the CCI probe order were incompetent as well as misconceived.

CCI advocate Lekhi told the HC, which has reserved its order, that only after an investigation could it be determined whether WhatsApp’s collection of data and then its utilisation by Facebook would be an anti-competitive practice or an abuse of its dominant position.

CCI further stated that the collected data, which would include information like the location of the user, the type of device that they were using, the people they are conversing with as well as their internet provider, would result in the development of a customer profile and preference. This information could then be monetised using targeted advertising. The CCI further said that all of this would amount to “stalking”.

Lekhi also argued that at this point, there would be no civil consequence of the probe which would only be an administrative proceeding.

While challenging the decision, WhatsApp and Facebook said that the matter of privacy policy was already being looked into by the Supreme Court as well as the Delhi HC, which meant the CCI did not need to order a probe, and alleged that the CCI was abusing its suo motu jurisdiction by intervening into a matter that the apex court was already looking into.

Japan to release contaminated Fukushima water into sea

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Japan to release contaminated Fukushima water into sea

Japan’s government has decided to start releasing into the sea massive amounts of radioactive water stored in tanks at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant in two years after treatment.

Tuesday’s decision, long speculated but delayed for years due to safety concerns and protests, came at a meeting of related ministers who endorsed the release as the best option.

The water has been accumulated and stored in tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant since its 2011 meltdown after a massive earthquake and tsunami, causing cooling water to leak from the damaged reactors.

Its operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., said its storage capacity will be full in the fall of 2022.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told the ministers’ meeting that the government adopted the release to sea as “utmost, realistic” and that the disposal of the water is “unavoidable in order to achieve Fukushima’s recovery.”

TEPCO and government officials say tritium, which is not harmful in small amounts, cannot be removed from the water, but all other selected radionuclides can be reduced to levels allowed for release. 

Some scientists say the long-term impact on marine life from low-dose exposure to such large volumes of water is unknown.

Under a report of the basic plan adopted by the ministers on Tuesday, TEPCO will start releasing the water in about two years after building a facility under the regulatory authority’s safety requirements.

But local fishing communities fear releasing the water will undermine years of work to restore confidence in seafood from the region.

“They told us that they wouldn’t release the water into the sea without the support of fishermen,” Kanji Tachiya, who heads a local fisheries cooperative in Fukushima, told NHK ahead of the announcement.

“We can’t back this move to break that promise and release the water into the sea unilaterally.”

The most awaited ‘Friends reunion’ has been filmed in Los Angeles

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The most awaited ‘Friends reunion’ has been filmed in Los Angeles

Filming on HBO Max’s long-awaited Friends reunion has finally wrapped over a year since the unscripted special was first announced. The special was originally set to debut as part of HBO Max’s launch. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, it was delayed twice last year. The highly-anticipated Friends: The Reunion was expected to be taped on the iconic show’s original Stage 24 soundstage on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank. However, according to behind-the-scenes photos from the set that have surfaced online during the weekend, the special was actually filmed in front of the iconic fountain, which was famously seen during the show’s opening credits. Check out the photos below!

The unscripted Friends: The Reunion special is directed by Ben Winston, who will also serve as an executive producer along with the original producers Kevin Bright, Kauffman and Crane. The six core stars will also executive produce alongside Emma Conway and James Longman.

The special is expected to feature Jennifer Aniston Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc, who have portrayed the roles of Rachel, Phoebe, Monica, Ross, Chandler and Joey. Each of the beloved cast members will reportedly earned $3 million – $4 million for the special.

Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, Friends had lasted over ten seasons from 1994-2004 which followed the story of six friends who lived in New York City. Even though 25 years had passed since its debut, the 62-time Emmy Award-nominated series stood the test of time and is still garnered as one of the best TV series of all time and had also become a pop culture phenomenon known to all ages.

It was previously reported that WarnerMedia had successfully won back the exclusive streaming rights for all 10 seasons of Friends for price of $425 million. According to a previous report, it was Warner Media Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt, who was responsible for pushing to develop a Friends reunion special.

Clashes in Minneapolis after US cop shoots 20 year old black man

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Clashes in Minneapolis after US cop shoots 20 year old black man

Protests broke out Sunday night after US police fatally shot a young Black man in a suburb of Minneapolis — where a former police officer is currently on trial for the murder of George Floyd.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the police station in Brooklyn Center, northwest of Minneapolis. Police fired teargas and flash bangs at the demonstrators, according to an AFP videojournalist at the scene.

The mother of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, told a crowd earlier Sunday evening that he called her to say he had been pulled over by police, local media reported.

Katie Wright said she heard officers tell her son to put his phone down, and then one of the officers ended the call. Soon after, her son’s girlfriend told her he had been shot.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension confirmed to AFP it is “investigating an officer-involved shooting incident” in Brooklyn Center but declined to identify the victim.

According to a statement from the Brooklyn Center Police Department, officers pulled over a driver for a traffic violation. When they discovered he had an outstanding warrant, they tried to take him into custody.

He got back into his car, and one of the officers fired their weapon, striking the driver, who died at the scene.

A female passenger in the car suffered “non-life threatening injuries” and was transported to a local hospital, said the statement, which did not identify the woman.

A couple hundred people gathered in Brooklyn Center on Sunday evening, where they were met with police in riot gear.

Photos from the scene showed men stomping on the windshield of a police cruiser. Police fired nonlethal rounds to try to disperse the protesters, according to the Star Tribune.

After about an hour, the police presence eased, and the crowd lit candles and wrote messages such as “Justice for Daunte Wright” in chalk on the street.

Brooklyn City mayor Mike Elliott called the shooting “tragic”.

“We are asking the protesters to continue to be peaceful and that peaceful protesters are not dealt with force,” he wrote on Twitter.

But clashes broke out again soon after as another group of several hundred protesters gathered outside the Brooklyn Center Police Headquarters and were met with teargas and flash bangs.

Police: Minnesota officer meant to draw Taser, not handgun

The police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb apparently intended to fire a Taser, not a handgun, as the man struggled with police, the city’s police chief said Monday.

Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon described the shooting death Sunday of 20-year-old Daunte Wright as “an accidental discharge.” It happened as police were trying to arrest Wright on an outstanding warrant. The shooting sparked protests and unrest in a metropolitan area already on edge because of the trial of the first of four police officers charged in George Floyd’s death.

“I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” the officer is heard shouting on her body cam footage released at a news conference. She draws her weapon after the man breaks free from police outside his car and gets back behind the wheel.

Massive crowd reaches for Haridwar Kumbh Mela amid Covid surge

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Massive crowd reaches for Haridwar Kumbh Mela amid Covid surge

India reported a record daily tally of 168,912 COVID-19 infections on Monday, the world’s highest, while worries grew over a further spike, as hundreds of thousands of devotees gathered for a ritual bath in the Ganges river.

India now accounts for one in every six daily infections worldwide.

With the new cases reported on Monday, India has overtaken Brazil, for an overall tally of 13.53 million, data compiled by Reuters shows, placing it second after the United States, with 31.2 million.

A full opening of the economy after last year’s crippling lockdown, mass religious festivals and political rallies in states holding elections have worsened a second wave of infections, experts say.

In Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, nearly a million devotees thronged the banks of the Ganges to join in the months-long ‘Kumbh Mela’ or pitcher festival, risking a surge in infections.

“The crowd here is surging…the police are continuously appealing to people to maintain social distancing,” police official Sanjay Gunjyal told Reuters at the site.

Few wore masks as they jostled for a dip in the waters on a day considered auspicious in the Hindu calendar.

Authorities have made virus tests mandatory for those entering the area, where officials said they were battling to hold back crowds.

Elections are also due in four big states this month, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to travel to West Bengal to address rallies that will draw thousands.

“With 1.2 million active cases, and the daily number reaching 200,000, it’s bizarre to have poll rallies and a full Kumbh Mela,” political commentator Shekhar Gupta said in a Twitter post.

“This will take the virus deeper into villages and small towns. This is the calamity we dodged with a crippling lockdown in the first wave. Now we’re inviting it back.”

The number of fatalities of 904 overnight was the highest since October 18, taking the total figure to 170,179, data showed.

SC rejects Waseem Rizvi’s plea to delete verses from Quran, imposes ₹50k penalty

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SC rejects Waseem Rizvi’s plea to delete verses from Quran, imposes ₹50k penalty

The Supreme Court on Monday imposed a penalty of ₹50,000 on former chairman of Shia Waqf Board Syed Waseem Rizvi, who had sought the deletion of 26 verses from the Quran, which he claimes are used as “justifications” by Islamist terrorist groups for attacks on “non-believers”.

“It is an absolutely frivolous petition,” a bench, headed by justice Rohinton F Nariman, said. The bench also included justices BR Gavai and Hrishikesh Roy.

Rizvi’s petition had alleged that 26 verses/suras contained in the Quran violated the law of the land, promoted extremism and terrorism, and threatened sovereignty, unity, and integrity of the country.

He sought a declaration from the court to hold those verses unconstitutional, non-effective and non-functional.

The plea also asked for the appointment of a committee of religious experts to get an opinion on the subject matter of the petition while seeking a directive to the Union government to declare its policy on the subject/issue white paper or pass appropriate legislation.

Last month, the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) had issued a notice to Rizvi asking him to withdraw his comments on Quran failing which, it said, it will hold a hearing and direct authorities to take appropriate legal action against him.

The NCM had further observed that the remarks made by Rizvi appeared to be a well-thought conspiracy to disturb the communal harmony of the country.

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