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Hong Kong’s Controversial National Security Law: What Is It, Why Does China Want It?

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Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests paralysed the city last year (File)

Hong Kong:

China’s parliament has proposed introducing a new security law in Hong Kong, a move expected to fan fresh protests in the semi-autonomous financial hub.

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The proposal, which has been condemned by the United States and Hong Kong pro-democracy figures as an assault on the city’s freedoms, was submitted for deliberation on Friday.

“Why has China moved to impose the law?”

Article 23 of Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law, says the city must enact national security legislation to prohibit “treason, secession, sedition (and) subversion” against the Chinese government.

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Hong Kong has been trying to introduce a law for years but pro-democracy demonstrations that paralysed the city last year have pushed the issue up the agenda and galvanised Beijing.

Last month, Beijing’s top official in Hong Kong, Liaison Office director Luo Huining, said the city urgently needed a new national security law to combat violent protesters and independence advocates.

On Friday Wang Chen, vice chairman of the National People’s Congress’s (NPC) Standing Committee, its actual law-making organ, warned “powerful measures” were needed to curb the city’s pro-democracy movement.

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“How do people in Hong Kong feel about it?”

Article 23 has never been implemented due to public fears it would curtail Hong Kong’s cherished rights, such as freedom of expression and the press.

Those liberties are unseen on the mainland and are protected by an agreement made before Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997.

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An attempt to enact the clause in 2003 was shelved after half a million people took to the streets in protest against it. Then security chief Regina Ip had to resign following the failure.

China’s move would authorise its lawmakers to circumvent Hong Kong’s legislature and directly enact the legislation at a future date.

“What will happen next?”

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China’s legislature is expected to rubber-stamp the draft resolution on Thursday, the last day of the annual parliamentary gathering, before the details are fleshed out next month at another meeting of the NPC’s Standing Committee.

Wang said the law would then be implemented locally, an unprecedented move that could spark a further wave of protests.

In a statement Friday, Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam vowed to “fully cooperate” with Beijing over the law.

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The Hong Kong government will “complete the legislation as soon as possible to discharge its responsibility of safeguarding national security,” said Lam, who is attending the NPC.

Jimmy Sham, leader of the Civil Human Rights Front, which organised the million-person rally that kicked off last year’s unrest, appealed Friday for millions to come out on the streets once again.

“What does this mean for ‘One country, Two systems’?”

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Pro-democracy lawmakers have said the legislation marks the end of ‘One country, Two systems’ – a reference to the handover agreement that has given Hong Kong a limited form of autonomy since returning from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

Even before the proposed security law, there were fears that Beijing was steadily eroding those freedoms.

“This is the end of Hong Kong, this is the end of One Country, Two Systems, make no mistake about it,” said Civic Party lawmaker Dennis Kwok.

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“They (Beijing) are now completely walking back on their obligation owed to the Hong Kong people.”

Amnesty International warned the legislation posed “a quasi-existential threat to the rule of law in Hong Kong”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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(Note: This is a Article Automatically Generated Through Syndication, Here is The Original Source

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AstraZeneca’s Covishield To Cause Rare Yet Serious Side Effects

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AstraZeneca's Covishield To Cause Rare Yet Serious Side Effects

A huge update for those who were a part of COVID vaccination programs! Rare side effects of the vaccination have surfaced, questioned by numerous health experts.

The Economic Times reported that AstraZeneca, the British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, has legally acknowledged that its product, Covishield, can cause certain rare side effects.

AstraZeneca developed Covishield, which was produced by the Serum Institute of India. In India, Covishield was one of the primary vaccines provided to citizens.

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AstraZeneca’s Statements

AstraZeneca is currently facing a lawsuit in a UK court. The lawsuit was filed after claims surfaced on the internet that AstraZeneca’s vaccine caused deaths. To date, 51 deaths have been reported, hence 51 cases have been filed against the company.

AstraZeneca finally admitted in one of the court papers that, “Covishield can, in very rare cases, cause TTS.” TTS stands for Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome.

Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, a medical expert, told ANI,

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“TTS is thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, which is basically a clot in the blood vessels of the brain or elsewhere, along with a low platelet count. It is known to occur in very rare instances following certain types of vaccines and also from other causes. According to the WHO, adenovirus vector vaccines, in particular, have rarely been associated with this condition.”

TTS: About, Diagnosis, Treatment

TTS, or Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, is a serious yet rare health condition characterized by low platelet counts (thrombocytopenia) along with the formation of blood clots (thrombosis).

Various symptoms associated with TTS include neurological deficits, shortness of breath, leg swelling, abdominal pain, and severe headaches.

TTS can be diagnosed if blood tests are conducted to assess the levels of platelets in the blood. Moreover, to detect blood clots, imaging studies are required, reported the Times of India.

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TTS can be treated with a multidisciplinary approach. It includes supportive care, anticoagulation therapy to prevent blood clotting, and hospitalization.

To manage and stabilize platelet levels in the body, plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) can also be performed.

Patients with TTS are prone to severe complications like death and organ damage. Hence, close monitoring of patients by healthcare providers is a must.

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Also Read: Online doctor consultations in India increase by 4 times after the Covid-19 pandemic: Report

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Report: Gangster Goldy Brar Is Alive, Confirms US Police

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Report: Sidhu Moosewala Murder Case Prime Suspect, Goldy Brar Is Alive 

The prime suspect in the murder case of a famous Punjabi singer, Goldy Brar, is alive, reported TOI.

Goldy is the infamous Canadian gangster who was earlier rumored to be dead in an alleged incident that took place at Fairmont and Holt Avenue last Tuesday.

In the incident, one of the two individuals reportedly got gunshot wound and succumbed to injuries at the hospital. You can read our story about California shooting incident in which Goldy Brar allegedly got shot here.

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As per the US police, reports of Goldy’s disappearance were circulating all over the internet on Tuesday. However, the U.S. authorities clarified the rumors of Brar’s disappearance in a California shooting incident are untrue. 

The claims were refuted by the Fresno police department and labeled them as fake. William J. Dooley, the Lieutenant, debunked online speculations and announced that the victim of the California shooting was not Goldy Brar. 

William J. Dooley stated,

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“If you are inquiring because of the online chatter claiming that the shooting victim is ‘Goldy Brar’, we can confirm that this is absolutely not true.”

Who is Goldy Brar?

Goldy Brar, hailing from Muktsar Sahib, Punjab, is a close ally of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. It is anticipated that he is the mastermind behind the assassination of Sidhu Moose Wala, the Punjabi pop icon. 

According to The Economic Times, in January 2024, Satinderjit Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, was designated as a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the anti-terror law, UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act). 

Orders by the government-linked Goldy Brar to a listed terrorist organization under the UAPA, Babbar Khalsa International. 

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Goldy Brar has never ceased to vanish from police’s eyes since he murdered Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. His father also was a Police Officer himself.

After completing his graduation and getting a BS degree, he has been operating from Canada remotely. 

Last year Goldy’s statement, targetting Bollywood superstar Salman Khan next made huge media headlines.

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Prajwal Revanna ‘Sexual Abuse’ Viral Video Case: Here’s What We Know So Far

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Prajwal Revanna

The viral sex video case involving Prajwal Revanna, a member of the prominent Karnataka political family JDS, has created a storm in the Karnataka political scene.

The video, which involves a trail of deceit connected to a 16-acre ancestral property, has led to allegations of intimidation and blackmail, resulting in legal action and widespread dissemination of the tapes.

The central figure, now-suspended MP Prajwal Revanna, is the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda.

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The origins of this scandal trace back to an acrimonious land dispute within the inner echelons of H D Deve Gowda’s son, H D Revanna’s family. In 2023, a trusted lieutenant of the Revanna family, Kartik, went rogue and decided to challenge the family’s monopoly.

At the center of the controversy was a 16-acre piece of land located in the ancestral village of the Deve Gowda clan in Holenarsipura.

This land soon became a prestige issue and the bone of contention between Kartik and the Revanna family.

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Tensions escalated when Kartik, feeling marginalized, lodged a complaint in December 2023 accusing Prajwal and his mother of using coercive means to hand over the land.

This was followed by a series of revelations about clandestine activities within the Deve Gowda lineage.

It was also revealed that Kartik had access to Prajwal’s mobile phone, with which he recorded the incriminating videos.

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The scandalous videos were initially shared on his personal device and later used as a tool of blackmail after Kartik’s fallout with the family.

Kartik later approached prominent lawyer and BJP functionary G Devaraj Gowda, which further aggravated the situation.

This led the Revanna family to seek legal action against some media outlets and individuals, alleging a smear campaign against them.

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The courts ruled to forbid the release of the videos in any manner.

G Devarajegowda maintained silence and did not release the videos, citing concerns for privacy and dignity.

However, his political rivals did not let the opportunity slip and started a widespread dissemination of the tapes ahead of the elections.

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According to Kartik, he doesn’t know what Devaraj did with the videos.

Whenever he asked about them, Devaraj told him to wait.

It is also said that Devaraj gave the videos to the BJP high command and even asked the party not to give a ticket to Prajwal, and wrote a letter to this effect.

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Later, Kartik asked Devaraj to return the pen drive containing the videos.

Devaraj gave him a copy of the letter he had written to the BJP high command, stating that even if he did not get justice from the court, he would seek it in this way.

Later, Kartik said that Devaraj discussed the matter with the media and started ignoring him.

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Devaraj also stated to the media that he had given some copies of the videos to some friends from Congress, but this has been outrightly denied by Kartik, who added that Devaraj had cheated him.

The Karnataka Government has initiated a special probe and has formed an SIT team to investigate the matter.

Things have become even more complicated after Prajwal’s departure for Frankfurt, Germany, just a day before the formation of the SIT, leading to many unanswered questions.

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The SIT team has been tasked with investigating allegations of sexual harassment and an alleged obscene video scandal against Prajwal Revanna, the current Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Janata Dal (Secular) from Hassan.

It is not clear how many women have been victims in this high-profile sex scandal. It is alleged that a number of women were sexually harassed, and videos were made.

More than 3000 videos have gone viral on different social media platforms like Twitter, Reddit and more.

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The videos started surfacing about 5 days before the start of the second phase of the voting for the Lok Sabha 2024 elections, which occurred on 20 April.

Voting for the second phase of the elections happened on 26 April in different parts of the country, including 14 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.

Prajwal Revanna, however, remained unfazed and even participated in the election campaigns, asking voters to support the NDA alliance, of which JD(S) is a component.

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Post-elections, he took a flight to Germany, and opposition parties have alleged that he fled the country to escape prosecution.

Amidst these developments, a woman who had worked with the Revanna family filed an FIR and made many shocking charges against both HD Revanna and Prajwal Revanna.

The woman stated that she first came in contact with the Revanna family when she was employed as a worker during their son Sooraj’s marriage.

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Later, Prajwal Revanna would often call her alone to a room.

She revealed that six women used to work for the Revanna family and all were petrified and afraid of Prajwal Revanna.

The woman also alleged that whenever the female members of the Revanna family were out, Prajwal Revanna would call her and behave in an objectionable manner.

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She also accused him of sexually molesting her.

The Holanarsipur Police have since recorded the statement of the woman and are investigating the matter, and have registered a case against both H D Revanna and Prajwal Revanna.

Also Read: Dhruv Rathee Debunked Viral Claims Of Him and His Wife Being Pakistani

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