Featured on TIME's list, Shaheen Bhag's Bilkis says would have been happier if CAA was withdrawn

Agencies
September 24, 2020

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New Delhi, Sept 24: Bilkis, who became the face of a women-led anti-citizenship law protest at Shaheen Bagh here, on Thursday said she was happy to have been recognised by the TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2020, but would have been happier had her demand been met.

The 82-year-old, along with her two friends Asma Khatoon (90) and Sarwari (75), was at the protest site every day, braving a chilly winter last December, the coldest in over a century. The trio were hailed as "Dadis of Shaheen Bagh" on social media.

"When we told her that she has been declared as one of the most influential people in the world, she just said 'okay'," her son Manzoor Ahmad told PTI on the phone.

She is not as excited as the family is, Ahmad, who works as a translator, said.

"I am thankful to the almighty. I would have been much happier had our demand been fulfilled...had the government listened to us and given us what we wanted (withdrawal of the Citizenship Amendment Act)," Bilkis said in a trembling voice.

"It is sad we had to call it (protest) off because of the disease (Covid-19). I was there till the end,” she said.

Ahmad said his mother had taken ill in December last year, but she continued going to the protest site.

“It was so cold and she was running a fever, despite that she went there to support other women,” he said.

Ahmad said all women in his family participated in the protest.

“We are a joint family. So, the women took turns to participate in the dharna,” he said.

The Shaheen Bagh protest demanding the government to withdraw the law went on for over a hundred days. It ended in March this year in view of the COVID-19 outbreak and a subsequent lockdown announced by the government to contain the spread of the disease.

Also on the TIME magazine's list from India are Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bollywood actor Ayushman Khurrana. 

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News Network
November 19,2024

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News Network
November 26,2024

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Mangaluru: The coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi are witnessing a fascinating weather pattern, with chilly early mornings giving way to dry, sweltering afternoons. Over the past two days, dense fog blanketed the rural landscapes, while urban centers like Mangaluru felt the stark contrast of brisk mornings and peak afternoon heat.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) noted that in rural areas, the morning chill caused temperatures to dip by one to two degrees Celsius below the seasonal norm, intensifying the fog. Monday saw Mangaluru recording a maximum temperature of 33.3°C and a minimum of 22.6°C, reflective of the sharp day-night variation.

While mornings painted a serene picture with mist-covered trees and a cool ambiance, the afternoons proved relentless, with temperatures soaring between 11 am and 3 pm, offering little respite. Currently, there are no signs of rainfall, with forecasts predicting the continuation of this dual weather pattern for the coming days.

Local residents have mixed feelings about this weather trend. Farmers in rural areas appreciate the cool mornings that ease early chores but express concerns over the dry afternoons, which may affect crop irrigation if the dry spell prolongs. In contrast, urban dwellers are enjoying the foggy mornings but brace for the scorching afternoons.

Meteorologists attribute the sudden chill to shifts in atmospheric pressure along the coast, a precursor to possible weather transitions in December. Whether this pattern persists or leads to unexpected changes remains to be seen, but the twin districts are clearly caught in nature's dramatic play of contrasts.

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News Network
November 21,2024

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Hamas says the Israeli regime’s sole objective lies in “erasing” the entirety of the Palestinian population from across the Palestinian territories.

Khalil al-Hayya, a ranking official with the Gaza Strip-based Palestinian resistance movement, made the remarks to the Palestinian al-Aqsa TV on Wednesday.

“The occupation targets everyone—it strikes hospitals, civil defense, women, children, and the elderly,” he said, adding that the regime sought to “empty Gaza of its residents, and displace the Palestinian people to fulfill its dreams of building a Zionist Jewish state across all of Palestine.”

The remarks came amid the regime’s October 2023-present war of genocide on the coastal sliver that has so far claimed the lives of nearly 44,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

“This unprecedented aggression in modern times evokes scenes from the dark ages of human history, having crossed all red lines and exceeded every expectation of brutality in the modern era,” the Palestinian official lamented.

He also regretted that the regime had added “systematic and dangerous starvation to its aggression, falsely claiming before the world that it allows 250 [aid] trucks into Gaza daily. In reality, the number of trucks is far fewer.”

Hayya, meanwhile, regretted that “scenes of children torn apart, women screaming over their children, and heart-wrenching destruction have failed to stir enough humanity to stop these crimes.”

He decried the United States for vetoing the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions that are aimed at bringing about a potential ceasefire in the war, saying this indicated Washington’s “partnership in the aggression” and a simultaneous siege that the Israeli regime has been enforcing on Gaza.

Addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the official asserted that, despite what the Israeli official is after, Hamas would not hand over the regime’s captives “without [the regime’s] stopping the war.”

He called Netanyahu “the main obstacle” in the way of cessation of the aggression, saying the Israeli premier “blocks any progress for political reasons,” and citing his preventing conclusion of a ceasefire agreement in July.

Hayya also warned that the regime sought to expand the war beyond Gaza, but asserted that its goals are “impossible and will never happen.”

“Today, the enemy exposes its true intentions of extermination and displacement, but it will fail,” he stressed.

“The Palestinian people are resilient and will not surrender, as they believe in their humanitarian and political cause. The enemy and its allies will not succeed in achieving their goals. This steadfast people will endure, and the occupation will not prevail against them.”

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