The pandemic had resulted in a halt over everyone’s education, careers, livelihoods, but for the fraudsters in Sydney. These grifters have a fresh way to make their living now, and they chose the Chinese students who’ve been stranded in the unknown land, away from their homes as their new means of income.

The process they follow as these scam artists after choosing their victims, they tend to blackmail them to release sensitive information. In order to avoid that the victims are forces to stage their own kidnapping and make the abduction seem genuine and send this recording as a proof to their relatives in China which will help them obtain the ransom. They deliver the messages to thousands of random phone numbers purporting to be from a messenger service. It is a robocalls and says a package needs to be delivered.

On Tuesday, the police in New South Wales confirmed of eight such cases had occurred with ransom one case confirmed that the family paid $2 million and in others the price range was between a few thousand dollars to more than $200,000, of kidnapping which never took place. A young, 21-year old woman was a victim of such a scam. The video she sent to her family in China seemed genuine to them where the student seemed to be in pain and pleaded for their help in an unreleased location in Australia. A few hours later the female’s housemate information the police in Sydney on July 14, she was found be safe at a hotel where she lured by the perpetrators.

The victims in Australia return calls from someone who greets in Mandarin and ask for their basic identity information or that they have been implicated in a crime in China as the person claims to be speaking from the Chinese Government or the Chinese embassy or some other authority. In some cases, the students were also persuaded to not to contact their families for days in order to root a possibility that the student might in danger.

What seemed unusual to the police that after the ransom was paid, the victims were found safe and sound the very next day. The reason the affected students did not report this crime was that they felt ashamed of reporting it in the first place, still traumatised and frightened of the fact that their information might be leaked or that their parents won’t spare them.

"The victims of virtual kidnappings we have engaged are traumatised by what has occurred, believing they have placed themselves, and their loved ones, in real danger," said NSW Police.

According to the advocate for the international students in Australia, made a statement where the person assured that the international students have been the most vulnerable amidst this unfortunate situation. The reason of this he claimed to be was the student’s reliance on casual work and their exclusion from the government welfare.

"Students can do two important things to protect themselves against these types of crimes - firstly, be aware they exist and secondly, ask for help early if they think it might be happening to them or someone they know," advised the NSW Police.

Now there also have been new reports from New Zealand and the United States.

Ambitious, young aspirants, striving to achieve their dreams move away from the comfort of their own homes and set foot in a foreign land to start their journey. The very experience traumatizes a few, not knowing how to deal with it or whom to turn into for help. It is unfortunate to see such bilks are reprobates are on the lookout for such naïve persons to make their living through them. The Government should stringent the laws and take firm actions.

For anybody whose once normal everyday life was suddenly shattered by an act of sexual violence– the trauma, the terror, can shatter you long after one horrible attack. It lingers. You don’t know where to go or who to turn to…and people are more suspicious of what you were wearing or what you were drinking, as if it’s your fault, not the fault of the person who assaulted you…We still don’t condemn sexual assault as loudly as we should. We make excuses, we look the other way…[Laws] won’t be enough unless we change the culture that allows assault to happen in the first place.

- President Barack Obama, September 2014

It isn’t news to hear the skepticism a victim of rape or sexual harassment faces. There’s no perfect world but what I expect from this world is sympathy/empathy for the person who has gone through a traumatic experience. Everyday hundreds of reports are filed with the police of rape or sexual assault and unfortunately, this has been normalised to an extent that the news fails to astonish us. The question is, why is this being normalised?

 

Research on sexual assault and victim blame typically focuses on one of two perspectives. The first perspective focuses on the features of the observer as they influence victim blaming tendencies, which is referred to as individual factors. The “rape perception framework,” is the second perspective focus where the aspects of the victim, perpetrator, or characteristics of the assault are focused on as they influence victim blame. This is referred to as situational factors. One critical factor affecting victim blame is the societal and institutional factors. These forces refer to the border cultural influences which include gender roles, media, and rhetoric surrounding sexual assault that contribute to an overall environment promoting victim blame.

The researches, while conducting their study, a sexual assault had been divided in three categories: stranger rape, date/acquaintance rape, and marital rape. As the name suggests, stranger rape is where the perpetrator has no prior connection to the victim, not even of an acquaintance, where if the perpetrator turns out to be someone of whom the victim had a prior relation to, such as a friend, classmate, or someone she has gone on a few dates with, then it is classified as an acquaintance or date rape. Please note that “date rape” is also used to describe assaults that occur in established relationships. Finally, the sexual assault which occurs in a marriage, i.e. a forceful physical relationship consummated by the husband is deemed as marital rape.

Although Victims of stranger rape are the least likely to be blamed for their assault; victims of marital rape are much more likely to be found culpable. Even though blaming a victim of sexual trauma may seem straightforward but it varies in terms of literature. Researchers typically present participants with a scenario of a sexual assault case, accordingly, some researchers assess blame, others assess perceived responsibility, others utilize a combination of both blame and responsibility, and still others assess related constructs. Blame is defined as a value judgment of the extent to which one should be held accountable for (and perhaps suffer from) a negative event.

Some judgements were influenced by gender. The researched came up with two possible hypothesis which are contradictory, to explain the reason of discrimination. On the one hand, because rape is mainly a concern of women, they might be expected to blame less as a function of ingroup solidarity. On the other hand, “just world” ideology might suggest they might blame more: Precisely because of the greater threat that sexual assault poses to women, victim blaming may help women distance themselves from the reality that they could be victimized themselves. In a study, women were found to blame the victim significantly less than men.

Rape Myth Endorsement is problematic because rape myth scales focus on stranger rape and assesses beliefs about rape at a general rather than specific level. RME is used to assess (in some matters) the blame suffered by the victim in particular rape cases. Rape Myth Endorsement is significantly correlated with restrictive beliefs about women’s roles and rights. According to Simonson and Subich’s study, they found that after controlling for gender role endorsement, their finding that men blamed the victim more than women was eliminated; gender role attitudes may be a stronger predictor of blame than participant gender Kailash Vijayvargiya, "It [rape] is a social crime which depends on the man and the woman. It is sometimes right and sometimes wrong," Mr Babulal Gaur claimed.

It is desolating to hear from the people who are elected to improve their respective regions for good. Blaming the victim for not wearing appropriate clothes, defaming them just because they were intoxicated, judging her character by the time of night the person reaches home is not acceptable. The fact the victim experienced “frozen fright” during the incident and wasn’t in the right state of mind to defend themselves is not called asking for it. Her clothes don’t justify the statement that she had it coming, her intoxication doesn’t justify the statement that she had it coming, the time of night when she’s out doesn’t justify the statement that she had it coming. The sentence “she had it coming” is absolutely wrong in itself. She doesn’t have a significance only by being a daughter, mother, sister, she has her own identity. RESPECT THAT INDIVIDUALITY.

picture reference- http://www.thestorypedia.com/news/short-clothes-do-not-cause-rapes-men-in-short-clothes-make-the-point/">http://www.thestorypedia.com/news/short-clothes-do-not-cause-rapes-men-in-short-clothes-make-the-point/<;/a>

US Service Workers Strike: Highlighting Racism on 20th July

A US National Coalition of labour unions and racial and social justice organisations have decided to go on a mass strike from work from July 20th , as part of an ongoing protests on systemic racism and police brutality in the United States and to pay a tribute to George Floyd who was killed in a police brutality last month. 



The organisers of the strike have demanded strict action by the Trump government to end the racism in an economy that has been choking off the economic mobility and career growth opportunities for many Black and Hworkers, who struggle to make a living amidst discrimination and are not able to rise up to higher positions at work.



The coalition has demanded for guaranteed sick pay, affordable healthcare and better safety measures for low-wage workers who don't have the option of working from home during COVID-19.

Right there, he was shot dead, like three of his accomplices who, according to the police, had also tried to escape from custody earlier.

On a victorious note, Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain Police has finally caught the history sheeter Vikas Dubey after he went on to play a hide and seek with the police and administration after having brutally killed 8 policemen.



Gangster Vikas Dubey is accused to have killed 8 policemen who had gone in a large team to Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur to arrest him for a crime.



While the UP police was on a high alert to arrest him since friday, the gangster had fleed to MP's Ujjain but the vigilante police team arrested him when he was spotted praying at the Mahakal temple in Ujjain, where he had arrived after a 700-km road journey.



There are reports of his surrender after he was left with no ally to support him in his flight.



"It is a big success for the police, Vikas Dubey is a cruel killer. The entire Madhya Pradesh police force was on alert. He has been arrested from Ujjain Mahakal temple. We have informed Uttar Pradesh Police," said Shri Narottam Mishra, Madhya Pradesh Minister.



Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said he was in touch with his UP counterpart Yogi Adityanath on the arrest and the criminal would now be handed over to the Uttar Pradesh police.

Pandemic and Digital Divide: Sparking Mental Trauma among young minds.

The lack of technological resources in the hands of the poor has challenged remote-learning which can create a big - learning gap between the rich & poor. We can't imagine the physiological trauma of a child who craves to study but can't.

Online Classes through the gifts of technology has bridged the gap between the educators and the students but has also mirrored “ Digital-Divide” in India.

The Digital Divide: The non-accessibility of gadgets has created a historic wave of mental-health problems like suicide, depressions etc.

According to the 2017-’18 National Sample Survey report on education, only 24% of Indian households have an internet facility. While 66% of India’s population lives in villages, only a little over 15% of rural households have access to internet services.

 

Giving a global perspective, UNESCO noted, “Half of the total number of learners — some 826 million (82.6 crores) students — kept out of the classroom by the Covid-19 pandemic, do not have access to a household computer and 43 percent (706 million or 70.6 crores) have no internet at home, at a time when digitally-based distance learning is used to ensure educational continuity in the vast majority of countries.”

The psychological trauma of the class 10 student who committed suicide as she was distraught by not being able to access classes online is unimaginable. Think about the students who used to go to school for the “Mid-Day Meal”.

Web-based learning in the Indian market has increased gigantic footing as of late. Beside simply scholastic content, they likewise empower students to pick up abilities and even get ready for serious assessments. Yet, there are different sides to each story. E-learning too has a considerable amount of advantages and disadvantages.  Let’s check some points

Almost sixteen lakh kids from poor households studying in government and municipal schools within the Delhi are watching disruptions of their studies without access to mobiles, net and laptops or desktops, at the same time privileged students from private faculties are taking online classes amid the coronavirus lockdown.

From coping with basics like internet connectivity and India’s notoriously undependable power supply to more structural issues such as curriculum and teaching methods, educators have come under tremendous stress.

A teacher from an SDMC faculty in Sarvapriya Vihar said the first actual problem in implementing the plan is: “We do not even have the database for the students or the parents’ contact numbers as a way to reach out to them.”

The teacher said there isn’t even a computer in the school for teachers to feed contact details into.

A mathematics teacher from a North Delhi municipal faculty agreed that executing the plan is a huge hassle. “At the same time as my faculty hasn’t received any orders, several others I recognize had been instructed to start WhatsApp class. But subjects like maths can't study on those applications, even for those who use WhatsApp. How will one take a look at calculations?”

Online education is not equal or the same or easy for everyone. When others are discussing the technical disadvantages of E-learning like lack of interaction, less cost-effective etc, while others don’t have a phone at least, this is the hidden truth of the society. It is the condition of the Nation’s capital.

According to a study conducted by scholarship ed-tech platform Buddy4Study, of the 25 crore students affected by the lockdown, 80 percent fall in the Economically Weaker Section category. Let’s read some stories:

Kartik and his sister Mansi are students of class5 and class 1, respectively, in distinct MCD schools in Kapashera. Their mother and father sell vegetables for a living. Kartik, who wants to be a police officer, said that they've no longer received any assignments from school on their father’s phone for the reason that lockdown started out. “We haven’t been given any work; on the grounds that schools closed, it’s been a holiday for us.”

Shyam Singh, a labourer in Samaypur Badli, had no clue what WhatsApp meant while he received a call from his son Sohan’s class teacher at an NDMC school. “Madam called five days ago, and I didn’t have WhatsApp installed on my phone. Now my son has explained it to me and I’ve downloaded the app, but no work has been assigned through the school yet,” he said.

Tarun, son of a domestic employee in GK-II, cannot now use his father’s second-hand phone as it has broken. The father’s employer offered to shop for him a simple phone but realized delivery of non-essentials online wasn’t possible amid the lockdown. The owner explained: “I felt depressed, that’s why I allow Tarun to take a class with my smart hone every morning.  I feel that’s was the sole thing I could do.”

A visually-impaired pupil at a Delhi government school, who didn’t want to be diagnosed, stated: “Assignments on WhatsApp were now not possible for me. I don’t have parents and my grandparents too antique to use WhatsApp.

The interaction with school students, their parents, and teachers from government schools revealed how everybody was suffering to bridge the virtual gap — many families do not have smartphones, not to mention computers or laptops. Some said they don’t understand how to use WhatsApp, even as some parents are engaged in vital services and need to take their only smartphones with them on work.

The humanitarian crisis has brought all the officials under the microscope. How to ensure a sound transaction of online classes to students, especially poor across the country?

The Mirror of lockdown has reflected how the rooted structural imbalances are between rural & urban, rich & poor even in the digital world.

Police misconduct is a grey area that citizens around the world in each part of the world face in their day to day lives , at varying degrees but constantly. With the death of George Floyd out in the daylight amidst many bystanders at the hands of a ruthless cop in Minneapolis led the whole world feeling choked two men in the Tamil Nadu lost their lives to custodial violence in Thoothukudi . The world around is truly not accepting and sympathetic but rather brutish. These are incidents of abuse of power but they do not exist in isolation but rather come from a space which is concealed and hidden and lies are concocted to push this matter further down .





The crimes of these men are not arson and murder but a means to livelihood in these extremely trying times of health hazard a pandemic constantly They had reportedly kept their mobile shop open beyond 8 p.m. on June 19, despite restrictions imposed by the state as part of lockdown measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. It is important to understand that compassion and humanity seems to be non existant even during such times ,one can only imagine the activities before the pandemic .



Custodial deaths have been on the increase in recent years in India. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recorded a staggering 1,674 cases of custodial deaths in 334 days (11 months) between April 2017 and February 2018, which implies over five deaths in custody per day. Unfortunately, most of the deaths are registered as suicides or deaths due to medical conditions.During the COVID-19 period, in particular, the police have resorted to excessive violence and indiscriminate use of lathis (clubs) against people .



As the citizens of any democratic nation have india too has Article 21 of the Indian Constitution states: “No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to a procedure established by law.” This is the “procedural magna carta protective of life and liberty.”

Section 49 of the Indian Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) accords several rights to the arrested person. It specifically states that there shall be no more restraint than is justly necessary to prevent escape. Section 50 of the CrPC makes it mandatory for police making arrests without warrant to inform the persons being detained about the grounds of arrest and their right to bail.



Most importantly, the arrested have a right to free legal aid and the right to consult their lawers whereas the father son duo was however inhumanely beaten up and tortured in ways that are unimaginable. On June 22, Jeyaraj and Benicks became severely ill and were taken to a hospital, where they died a day apart from each other.



A human rights violation like this cannot be allowed to happen in any civilized society. In response to public outcry, two subinspectors have been suspended and an inspector benched by the state government, and proceedings have been initiated against two head constables. However this raised so many issues on multiple levels . Is the law so complaiscant to the wishes of the enforcers that it forgets the basic principles it is to function on ? Is it the law or the enforcer that determines the end result of a breach in It. These are questions that need to be answered and understood by each citizen . There is a huge lack of knowledge about this . The death of George floyd sparked a flurry of protests while the death of these two men needed more outcry, it needed more people to speak up and challenge this brutality , sadly it didnt happen. Does this mean that people are more likely to support the cause of someone unknown to them in a another nation. Is the outcry and sentiment only tokenostic in nature if not why is there so much of lack of empathy and realization about the state of affairs in their surroundings , because in India too 5 people die due to police misconduct. The numbers reflected too are the ones that are known about there are so many that vanish into oblivion. It is essential to understand the gravity of this situation and demand change and check on abuse of power so that one day someone else doesn't find themselves battling this . It will however require a lot more than mere acknowledgement of something so heart wrenchingly cold, it requires actions towards a more responsible police and accountable police for the people not over the people.

Did you know there are board games that will educate you about Coronavirus and it’s protocols. Surprising, right ? Well here’s how they work: 

“You make me sick” Game

COVID-19 is highlighted in a newly updated board game, “You Make Me Sick,” to teach students about the immune system, infectious diseases, and good health practices. Designed by Duquesne University’s Partnership in Education, the game is available as a free download and optimized to print from the organization’s website. The game is designed for two to four players and recommended for children age 11-15 years old. The game provides a learning opportunity for the whole family and can be used by parents who are home schooling their children during the coronavirus pandemic.

Covid 19 board Game by Veer

A 10-year-old in a Delhi school developed a board game around COVID-19 and it’s now available online. A Game that reflected the time of quarantine, hand sanitiser use, social distancing, maks wearing, and more. The board has 52 spaces and starts and ends with ‘Home’, the idea being that a person who leaves home, must follow all regulations, before coming back. On the way, if they sneeze, they must wash hands, literally, and miss a few turns. They may even land on a space that asks the player to perform a yoga pose, to boost immunity. “He had five or six rules, and we helped him develop them,” says the father. Besides the board, dice, and coins, the rule book also has a list of symptoms, precautions, and COVID-19 warriors like doctors, police, vegetable vendors and other essential supplies.

" Truth is Expensive ": Aspiring Journalists 

“Not all battles are fought for victory. Some battles are fought to tell the world that someone was there on the battlefield.”
                   - Ravish Kumar.

Freedom of the press is an integral part of freedom of speech. Space for dissent is what keeps the fire ignited in democracy & brings the unspoken in light.  However, how free are we today to speak the unspoken?  and by ' we', I mean all of us. Well, sacrifices! We have to pay for everything, for freedom of expression too.

I was 16 when investigative journalists exposed a well-known medical institution in Jharkhand that was practising female infanticide. Since then, the pursuit of truth, that truth is eternal, in journalism has always inspired me to join the culture of journalism. Journalism, where the voice has power & right words can shatter even the strongest lie.

Well, When I told my parents how passionate I was to become a journalist, the first feedback was," It's Risky Beta".
An aspiring journalist is always made aware that there is a price to pay when unwanted truths tumble out, you have to pay for the truth.

 There's always a line that would not be crossed but, as I inch closer to my dream of becoming a journalist, the line gets blurred. There's no idea for the price of truth. You might have to trade your life.

2017: I was 17 when Gauri Lankesh was assassinated. You have to fight against autocracy and fight against the exploitation of power. I'm a media student right now & our institution stopped us to talk & put the poster of ' Gauri Lankesh'.

 The last few months, in particular, have been a whirlwind for India – from the protests against the citizenship law to police brutality, the Kashmir lockdown and the coronavirus lockdown, a series of arrests of journalists and the deadly Delhi riots – the news industry has barely had a minute to breathe.

But with every reinforced silence, the fight of journalists is weakening. Where criticism of governments is a sign of good journalism, the arrest of such journalists who are trying to bring out the truth is the sign of a failing democracy & you are titled as ' Anti- Nationals'. The first rule of Journalism: BE NEUTRAL. That's the price journalists have to pay: Hide the truth &  so separate from work and fear of repercussions injected into them plays a dominating role.

So when Gauri Lankesh was assassinated or when Masrat Zahra was charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, I’m sure many young people dreaming of joining the ranks of the fourth pillar of democracy vanished.

Well, some of my classmates who are pursuing journalism, accept that they experience withering of their spirit when it comes to continuing journalism as their career. No Security for Journalists. So, you have better options :  filmmaking or advertising – which they say are growing sectors.

What about the harsh reality, the dialect that is uttered in journalism? 

Well, stories about, Health journalist Vidya Krishnan being harassed, threatened and humiliated online for calling out the lapses in the way India has been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Oh ! that's the security provided to truth-seekers. 

 These cases have lit a fire in the belly may questioning the ethics of journalism.
 Why journalists, on the ground covering the pandemic were not given access to proper gear?  Recently, an on-ground journalist, Ronojoy Roy, died of what was suspected to be coronavirus and he is not the only one. Several more have tested positive.
In the World Press Freedom Index of 2020, India fell by two places and now stands at the 142nd position.

Independent media houses and fact-checking websites sell untruths and half-truths to their audiences: The flagbearers of journalism !! 
Many journalists don't sacrifice their belief system by joining a media house. 

Why many are disappointed about joining a profession where one is ambushed for speaking truth to power?
In a  democratic country, the unrestricted cycle of information is important. 

The battle in me has become dimensionless. But the revolutionary spirit needs to bike phoenix– can be reflamed.

Following presented are some interesting facts which a school curriculum does not cover-

• The first U.S gay rights organization, “The Society for Human Rights” (SHR) was founded in 1924 by Henry Gerber, a German immigrant, which was disbanded in 1925 by police raids.


•  The first newsletter which gave voice to the obstacles faced by the community was “Friendship and Freedom”.


• Similarly, the first lesbian rights organization were formed was called “Daughters of Bilitis” with San Francisco being claimed as its birthplace on September 21, 1955.  

But what about India? In India, post-independence. Light was thrown on the community of the people of LGBT when the famous Mathematician Shakuntala Devi published the first study on homosexuality called “The world of Homosexuals”.

In 1977, All Inida-Hijra Conference was held in Agra where 50,000 members travelled to attend the conference!

Another day and yet another year in which the colours of the rainbow flail with pride, bringing a new perspective everyday of every month of every year. Then why is the entire month of June known as the Pride month?

The story behind the name travels back to 1960s, the time when same-sex relations were illegal in The United States of America. The history of this is particularly linked with the New York City. Since the relations were banned all around, the members of this community flocked to bars, clubs which were specifically designed for them, where they could express their true selves without any fear and restriction. Although the New York State Liquor Authority penalized and closed these bars, the activists legalised the rights for these bars to serve liquor, unfortunately, they were not allowed to display their affection publicly. Even though all bars couldn’t receive the liquor license, they still functioned with zeal as a major reason behind this was, they were backed up by the Mafia.

During this period, the Genovese crime family hegemonized the almost all the bars located in the Greenwich Village. One of them was the Stonewall Inn which was renovated into a gay bar in 1967. History states that the Genovese crime family bribed the sixth precinct of the NYPD to ignore the activities being effectuated. Because of the bribery, the family cut off costs which were required for the maintenance of the club. Which also lacked fire exits.

The very club stood out as it welcomed drag queen which faced prejudice in most of the clubs. The bar was only one of a few which allowed dancing.

The morning of June 28 changed the entire course of future thereafter, it was the day the NYPD raided the bar which came to the people as surprise. The raided ended up arresting 13 people which in turn included employees and people who manifested the courage to stand up against the gender appropriate clothing statute. The arrested were aggressively manhandled. This sparked an infuriating protest against the very riot, which also ended up in igniting the place. Numerous gay rights organizations which included GLAAD (formerly Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), PFLAG (formerly Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), etc. Therefore, thousands marched to the streets of Manhattan which was named “Christopher Street Liberation Day” with its official chant being: “SAY IT OUT LOUD, GAY IS PROUD!” The intensive street riots brought on by the enraged members of the community hoped to bring about a change and put an end to the discrimination faced by them for years, as a result of which June 28, 1970 marks one-year anniversary.

America’s 44th President; Barack H. Obama claimed the site of Stonewall Inn, Christopher Park, and the surrounding streets and sidewalks as a national monument in 2016, in respect to the contribution made for the gay rights.

Gradually, to commemorate the very sacrifices, the month experienced a series of events, each year to even more successful than the last, with youth finally accepting their true selves. Unfortunately, they still have a long way to go worldwide.

•In past 24 hours, the Israeli army has shot a Palestinian with autism to death, bulldozed Palestinian homes. Jenin is on fire.

•A Tanker truck drove into protesters on Minneapolis highway.

•A driver in Denver, ran over pedestrians with his SUV during a peaceful protest for George Floyd

#blacklivesmatters 

•The Protest against police brutality reached to Amsterdam as well

•The Same Hacker Group that hacked governmental organisations threatened to expose the other crimes from the Minneapolis police.

"I can't breathe” has become symbolic with the protests that were sparked with the death of a black man in police custody in front of many as he begged for his life. The event took place on 26, 2020.Minneapolis police was called by a grocery store employee after George Floyd allegedly tried to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. The subsequent arrest, a violent one of Floyd, a black man, was filmed by many members of the public. He could be seen on the ground with his hands cuffed behind him while a white officer, Derek Chauvin, 44, pressed him to the pavement with his knee on Floyd’s neck. Chauvin was holding Floyd down for about eight minutes as Floyd complained of breathlessness and becoming unresponsive, while witnesses begged the officers to release him. Eventually paramedics had to lift limp Floyd on to a stretcher and placing him in an ambulance towards a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Floyd was described as a gentle giant by loved ones. He worked as a club security guard until COVID-19 restriction rendered him unemployed. His death has enraged a series of protest that began peacefully In Minneapolis culminating into what are now the The Twin Cities protests. His death has brought up wounds and memories of the grave racial inequality in the nation. The deaths of others like Eric Garner and Michael Brown amongst many others were refreshed as the nation heart wrenched for the unfortunate death of this man . Hundreds of protesters gathered at the driveway of Chauvin's house after Floyd’s death which prompted police response and Chauvin being charged with third degree murder.

The incident has however turned into a realisation of the way racism in internalised in the America and how it impacts the daily life of millions. The protests have since then turned violent and spread across the nation including Atlanta, New York, Charlotte, Los Angeles , Washington D.C, Virginia amongst others. With a state of emergency declared in Minnesota troops were deployed across the region. Symbolic gestures and peaceful protests continue amongst the violence, looting and rioting. Protesters are seen kneeling before the troops while chanting slogans of “i can’t breathe” and reinstating the black lives matter movement. The protests have seen support from numerous celebrities and president Trump too said that the voices of peaceful protests should not be drowned in the violence.

Teary eyes with sorrow and fire, coughing and dark fumes of smoke and a burning smell take us to Minneapolis, a burning city. This unrest should leaves people unsettled due to the normalised differential treatment  of people of colour and not due to the violence or the looting as they have endangering the lives of many amidst the ongoing battles with COVID-19.  This conscious effort and a spark towards change should not be allowed to go down in flames as a few people cannot take over the narrative from thousands of peaceful protesters .

Suhana Sehrawat

“AMPHAN”, EVACUATION AMID CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC

Know about How India braced to fight the “Virus from Air”

AMPHAN pronounced as “UM-PUN” is the super-tropical cyclonic storm with a speed of 240 km/h, a minimum pressure of 925 hPa. A tropical cyclone is a weather phenomenon that is essentially a rapidly rotating storm system with characteristics such as a low-pressure centre, strong winds and thunderstorms that produce heavy rain, among others.

“AMPHAN” like giant engines uses warm, moist air as fuel from the area of low pressure over the southern Bay of Bengal.

 Aman initially grew powerful because the waters it passed over were exceedingly warm, as high as 88 degrees in parts of the Indian Ocean. Warmer water provides more of the energy that fuels such rotating storms. Cyclones have become stronger worldwide during the past four decades supporting what theory and computer models have long suggested: climate change is making these storms more intense and destructive. The authorities acted quickly to move people from the cyclone’s path, but worried they might be putting them into the path of the coronavirus. The Assam government on Tuesday issued a "high alert" over cyclone 'Amphan' and directed the state disaster management authority to set up a control room to deal with the situation. Quoting the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna said there is a strong likelihood of widespread effect of the cyclone in Assam, especially in west Assam districts.

Protecting people from becoming infected by the coronavirus while they are packed inside emergency shelters. Around three million people in India and Bangladesh have been evacuated to cyclone shelters. Some of these structures are huge, holding up to 5,000 people. In Nedhuali, a village on India’s coast, police officers moved from mud house to mud house with folded hands, urging residents to get to the emergency shelters. But many villagers refused, saying they were afraid of becoming ill.

Kolkata sat directly in cyclone Amphan’s path. The precautions taken to reduce the spread of the coronavirus may have helped the city ready itself for the storm. Many of the 15 million or so people who live in the Kolkata metropolitan area had already been staying at home, obeying India’s lockdown rules.

The Odisha government officials estimated that the cyclone has affected around 44.8 lakh people in the state. Farmers in Odisha found their fields unfit for the coming Kharif crop as about two feet of saline water was standing on the land. Odisha, which has been ravaged by a string of cyclones over the last few years, including the cyclone Fani last year, has made arrangements to shift 11 lakh, people, from vulnerable areas, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P.K. Jena said. Twelve coastal districts—Ganjam, Gajapti, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khurda and Nayagarh—are on high alert. He said of the 809 cyclone shelters in the 12 coastal districts, 242 are currently being used as temporary medical camps for the returnees from different states amid the COVID- 19 lockdown.

"We have 567 cyclone and flood shelters available to house the people in case evacuation is required. In addition, we have arranged 7,092 buildings to keep people if required," Jena said. "Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), NDRF, and fire service personnel have already been sent to the districts. We are also in constant touch with the Indian Coast Guard, IMD, and NDRF for any requirement," he said, adding "saving lives is our priority".
Officials were not taking any chances. They cleared out storm drains, shored up slum shanties with bamboo poles, and removed objects like potted plants from roofs and balconies so they wouldn’t turn into missiles.

More than 73 people were killed by the powerful cyclone that slammed into India. Thousands of homes were wiped out. Many of the dead were crushed by falling trees, electrocuted by downed wires or buried inside collapsing buildings as Cyclone Amphan pummelled the region, leaving a wide swath of devastation and grief. Heavy rains and flooding could have deadly consequences for rare animals there, pushing them out of their habitats and into areas populated by humans.

MANGROVE FOREST: Buffer against the Cyclone
Sundarbans acted as a buffer against the cyclone by slowing wind speed & protecting the villagers. Heavy rains and flooding could have deadly consequences for rare animals there, pushing them out of their habitats and into areas populated by humans.

“The Sundarbans will bear the brunt and soften the blow,” said Prerna Singh Bindra, a conservationist and the author of “The Vanishing: India’s Wildlife Crisis.”
Anand Sharma, the director of the India Meteorological Department, told NDTV that the bulk of the typhoon had moved a little further away from Kolkata, but that winds would batter the city until it reached Bangladesh on Thursday morning.

Well, we still don’t know the extent of the damage caused by Mr Amphan. India has always been appreciated by the world for its evacuation and saving humanity. The present situation of the two viruses attaching from all the ends challenged the potential of India’s warriors. According to me, We have fought a long 6 hours of war on Wednesday by following instructions, rescuing people along with “ social- distancing” but what we lacked is health equipment ranging from masks and sanitizers and enough emergency rooms for the evacuated people. We have always set an example to the world and will keep on inspiring the world. For now let us just pray for the humanity and especially for the all warriors fighting out there, our doctors, nurses, migrants, patients, reporters, officers, police and the administration, the cyclone survivors, social workers and cheers to all the liberators of the unending list of “fighters”.

The Shramik trains are an initiated by the Government of India for the migrant labourers who’ve migrated from rural areas in search of jobs in urban cities. With the poverty conditions touching the roof, the labourers in hope of providing a better future for their family move to the cities. The corona virus attack was so sudden and its impact was extremely high that it left no options to the workers to travel back to their homes. 

The number of migrant laborers crosses a mark of 40 million. As soon as the government announced the commencement of the lockdown whilst the outbreak of a deadly virus, the first gripping thought amongst them was finding a way to their sweet home. The rules of lockdown 1.0 strictly claimed for the citizens of India to remain in the comfort of their homes, but they refused to accept the shelter homes provided by the government and the fear of being quarantined a made them decide to go back to their homes and a mass exodus of set out through whatever means possible, so much so to travel by foot refusing the government’s attempt to stop the migrant flow, determined to reach their destination. 

With job opportunities diminishing due to the shutdown across the country, the labourers had only 2 choices left, either to stay put in the urban cities or to find a way back to their respective hometowns. In the turn of recent events, they gave the government no choice but to behest an order in their appeal, as a result of which the registrations for the Shramik trains kicked off. 

The incident which took place in Gurgaon was a classic example of how poorly the situation was handled. While the people climbed over one another just to get their registerations done, it could’ve been handled in a civilized manner, afterall the determinant workers of the government; the police has been working effortlessly and putting their lives on line just to maintain an order and discipline. The situation could’ve been handled by allowing a certain number of workers to stand in a queue, following the notion of social distancing and providing sanitizers in order to maintain hygiene and a good number of counters would’ve resulted in a much better posse for the government than they are in now.

According to reports, around 55000 workers have been sent back to Bihar, and till May 15, 2020, the helpline number provided by the government of Uttar Pradesh (1076), the administration had received around 50,000 applications with more calls pouring in. In totality, till date, 9 lakh migrant workers have been back to UP. In a broader perspective, around 15 lakh labourers have been sent back while India contains a whopping number of 6 crore migrant labourers, that’s simply 2.5% of the workers successfully sent back. 

According to recent announcements, Ministry of Railways in consultation with Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) have agreed upon the decision to operate 200 Shramik trains successfully from June 1, 2020, to fulfill the wishes of the stranded workers, hoping to be in the comfort of their homes and family, however the current politics being played by the congress and other political parties, giving false hopes to the migrant workers is higly despicable and is playing with the lives of the helpless.

In my opinion, the workers could’ve bid their time as the once the lockdown ends, various factories, companies, construction sites would post the vacancy of a job opportunity which the workers could’ve availed. Keeping in mind various houses require domestic help, their jobs would’ve resumed in no time, and the ruckus could’ve been avoided.

Apart from learning sudh Hindi and words  like atmanirbhar and PracharasabhaI I learnt one more thing about lockdown 4.0, we will have to accept corona virus as a part of our live now. On Tuesday PM Narendra Modi confirmed there will a fourth lockdown but this fourth lockdown will be completely different from the three lockdowns. This week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a six-hour video call with several chief ministers and asked for states' input on this matter.

“Normalcy on ground” will be the main focus of lockdown 4.0. For how long will we hide from the virus and stay at home? We have to move on from the virus and take precautions and lead our live. Yes, I know everything won’t be the same again. We will see everyone wearing masks and going to work now, we will see everyone in metro trying to maintain social distance and wearing masks and using sanitizers, we will see empty play grounds, the lines will look quite long because of one meter gap between customers, the fear of Coronavirus will still be there. I know the fear of Coronavirus won’t go until a vaccine is found. But there’s a silver lining to Coronavirus it made us see our real heroes, the doctors who are risking their lives to save their patients, the police who are hard on public just to keep them safe, the sanitary workers who are cleaning roads  for us and there are many more heroes we never realised to thank before Coronavirus.

As soon as the Indian Railways were given permission to resume services keeping in mind the need for social distancing, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow local train services in Mumbai to resume for essential services staff.
 The number of cases is continuously rising in Mumbai, making it the Number 1 city in India to report the highest number of casualties. In such scenarios, it would be absurd to put the lives of many in danger and increase the workload on the police force which is already exhausted and flabbergasted.
  The CM said that the employees and people engaged in essential and emergency services should be given entry in local trains based on identity cards. But do you think the limited resources the country's Police force is equipped with, can afford the time and energy to check IDs and then let people board the trains? 
    The country is already facing backlash for allowing liquor stores to operate in the name of needed revenue and has observed a spike in the number of cases being reported every single day. Another mistake could be fatal not only to the centre, but also the State Government's credibility.