Month: April 2023

A Hindu temple has been vandalised with anti-India graffiti in Windsor in Canada’s Ontario, Windsor police said in a statement.

The Windsor Police Service has started an investigation into the vandalism as a “hate-motivated incident” and two suspects are wanted in the incident.
According to the statement, police personnel were sent to the Hindu temple on April 5 after a report of hate-motivated vandalism.

“On April 5, 2023, officers were dispatched to a Hindu temple in the 1700 block of Northway Avenue following a report of hate-motivated vandalism. Officers discovered anti-Hindu and anti-India graffiti sprayed in black on an exterior wall of the building,” Windsor Police said in the statement.

In the investigation, police officers obtained a video that shows two suspects in the area just after 12 am (local time).

” In the video, one suspect appears to commit the vandalism on the wall of the building while the other keeps watch,” Windsor police said in the statement.

“At the time of the incident, one suspect wore a black sweater, black pants with a small white logo on the left leg, and black and white high-top running shoes. The second suspect wore black pants, a sweatshirt black shoes, and white socks,” the police further said.

The Windsor police have called on residents in the immediate vicinity of the temple to check their home surveillance between 11 pm – 1 am (local time) for evidence of the suspects. Police have urged people to call the Mortality Unit if they have any information regarding the incident.

Earlier in February, the Ram Mandir in Canada’s Mississauga was vandalised with anti-India graffiti. The Consulate General of India in Toronto condemned the defacing of the Mandir and requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action against the perpetrators.

“We strongly condemn the defacing of Ram Mandir in Mississauga with anti-India graffiti. We have requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action on perpetrators,” tweeted the Consulate General of India in Toronto.

In January, a Hindu temple in Brampton was defaced with anti-India graffiti triggering outrage among the Indian community. The Consulate General of India in Toronto condemned the vandalism at the Gauri Shankar Mandir stating that the act has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Indian community in Canada.

The consulate office in a statement said, “We strongly condemn the defacing of Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton, a symbol of Indian heritage, with anti-India graffiti. The hateful act of vandalism has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Indian community in Canada. We have raised our concerns on the matter with Canadian authorities.” Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown also condemned the vandalism of the temple. (ANI)

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The Reserve Bank of India has decided to keep the key benchmark interest rate – repo rate – unchanged at 6.5 per cent with readiness to act should the situation so warrant, Governor Shaktikanta Das announced on Thursday, after a two-day monetary policy (MPC) meeting.

Five out of six members of MPC voted to remain focused on the withdrawal of accommodation to ensure inflation aligns with target while focusing on growth, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Thursday. The Monetary Policy Committee of the central bank decided to take a pause after a rate hike seen in previous six consecutive policies.
Accordingly, RBI has decided that the standing deposit facility (SDF) will remain unchanged at 6.25 per cent and the marginal standing facility (MSF) and bank rates unchanged at 6.75 per cent.

Shaktikanta Das-headed Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) conducted its three-day meeting on April 3, April 5 and April 6 amid the rate hiking spree that started in May last year to check inflation.

At the last MPC meeting of the RBI in early February, it decided to raise the repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.5 per cent to manage inflation. So far, RBI raised the repo rate, the rate at which it lends to banks, by 250 basis points cumulatively since May 2022.

Raising interest rates is a monetary policy instrument that typically helps suppress demand in the economy, thereby helping the inflation rate decline.

Inflation had been staying above the RBI’s tolerance limit of 6 per cent for two consecutive months since January. In February, India’s retail inflation stood at 6.44 per cent, while in January, it was at 6.52 per cent.

Core inflation — non-food, non-fuel component — continued to remain above 6 per cent mark for the fourth consecutive month, prompting expectations of another rate hike of 25 basis points by the RBI in its upcoming policy review in April.

The central bank conducts six bi-monthly reviews of its monetary policy in a year. And, there are out-of-cycle reviews in which the central bank conducts additional meetings in times of emergency. Today was the first announcement of RBI’s first bi-monthly monetary policy of FY24.

RBI tries to control inflation in the economy by increasing the repo rate. By doing this, it makes borrowing a costly affair for businesses and industries and this in turn slows down investment and money supply in the market. It eventually and negatively impacts the growth of the economy, which helps in controlling inflation.

Apex industry chamber ASSOCHAM in a statement had urged the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) for a halt to more hikes with the lending rates amid uncertainties in the global business environment.

“There are suggestions in some quarters about another 25 bps (basis points) increase in the repo rate by the RBI Monetary Policy Committee, we feel the economy has reached a saturation point beyond which it may be difficult to absorb any more rate hikes,” ASSOCHAM President Ajay Singh said.

“Rate sensitive sectors like real estate including residential complexes, passenger cars, commercial vehicles may see the negative impact of the rate hike,” said the new president. (ANI)

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Protests and conferences were held in different parts of Bangladesh to mark the 33rd anniversary of the Baren Revolution in East Turkistan, which is known as Xinjiang in China.

In the capital Dhaka, Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan (BKA) organized a conference presided over by its leader Shaheed Zaidin Yusuf. During the meeting, attendees condemned China for its illegal occupation of East Turkistan (Xinjiang) and for committing atrocities on innocent Uyghur Muslims.

Later, a protest was held to highlight the issue of settling Han Chinese in East Turkistan to reduce the Uyghur populace. The protestors warned the Chinese government to stop such moves.

BKA extended its support to the people of East Turkistan for their freedom from illegal Chinese occupation and urged the international community to come forward and support the cause of Uyghur Muslims.

The Islamic Progotoshil Janata Front organized a discussion and Dowa Mahfil at Bangladesh Photojournalist Auditorium, Purana Paltan, Dhaka to commemorate Barren Day.

Islamic scholars including Maulana Abdur Rashid Majumder of Nizam-e-Islam, Maulana Abu Jafar Kashemi of BKA, Maulana Shahidul Islam of Bangladesh Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam, Maulana Kabirul Islam, Adviser of Alem Muktijoddha Projonmo Forum, Maulana Abdulla Yahyiya, Assistant Secretary-General (Dhaka City) of Bangladesh Hefazat-e-Islam attended the said Dowa Mahfil and highlighted the atrocities being committed on the Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese.

Bangladesh Mohajir Welfare and Development Committee (BMWDC) also organized protest demonstrations and human chains near Dhaka University. Some 200 protestors distributed leaflets highlighting atrocities committed against the Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese government. The BMWDC members also submitted a memorandum to the China embassy.

Open Dialogue Bangladesh organized a street play in front of the National Press Club to highlight the oppression of Uyghur Muslims by Chinese occupation forces. Protesters condemned China for the Uyghur genocide.

The protestors displayed banners and posters highlighting the plight of Uyghur Muslims in China.

In Gazipur, the Sanchetan Nagarik Samaj organized a Human Chain. Protest demonstrations in Gazipur highlighted Chinese atrocities and the ongoing genocide of Uyghur Muslims.

Some 300 protesters expressed solidarity with the Uyghur Muslims and condemned China for adopting double standards on minority issues. Protestors were carrying banners and posters highlighting Baren Revolution.

In Ranpur, Muktijoddha Mancha (MM) organized a protest demonstration-cum-discussion in front of the Bangabandhu Mural near Rangpur Press Club, Rangpur City.

The event was attended by around 300-400 people. Md. Murad Kausar, MM General Secretary of Rangpur City, said that more than ten Lakh Uyghur Muslims are under arrest in China and around 1000 Uyghurs who raised their voice against Chinese oppression were killed on this day at Baren City in Xinjiang province.

Protestors termed China as the world’s largest oppressor who is killing its own people, the same as what Pakistan did to the Bangladeshis.

In Khulna, “Alokito Foundation”, an NGO and “Sammilito Samajik Andolon” organized a human chain and procession in Khulna city to commemorate Baren Revolution Day. The event was attended by about 150-200 protesters including Imams and Moulanas.

An event was also held in Chattogram by Bangladesh Islami Front (BIF). They discussed Chinese oppressive policies and atrocities on the Uyghur Muslims at Chattogram Press Club.

The event was attended by around 600 people including influential Maulanas. While addressing the protestors, Maulana M A Matin, Chairman of BIF criticized China for continued human rights violations in Xinjiang province.

BIF urged Muslim Ummah to raise a collective voice against China and demanded a boycott of China in Bangladesh. (ANI)

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Russian President Vladimir Putin told the newly appointed US Ambassador to Moscow, Lynne Tracy, that the situation in Ukraine was a result of Washington’s support for the Maidan protestors in 2014, reported CNN.

Putin told Tracy as he accepted her credentials, “Dear Madam Ambassador, I do not want to disturb the gracious atmosphere of the presentation of credentials and I know that you may not agree with me, but I cannot but say that the use of such instruments by the United States in its foreign policy as support for the so-called ‘colour revolutions,’ support in this regard by the State Department of the coup in Kyiv in 2014, ultimately have led to the current Ukrainian crisis.” “[US actions] additionally made a negative impact on the degradation of Russian-American relations.”
Notably, over 70 people died during the 2014 Maidan protests, which were sparked by former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to scrap a trade deal with the European Union and instead turn toward Russia, according to CNN.

Over 50 people were killed and 100 were hurt on the bloodiest day in Kyiv’s Maidan, or Independence Square, where protestors said government snipers opened fire on them.

Putin said on Wednesday that ties between Russia and the US were at an all-time low.

Putin said, “Relations between Russia and the United States, on which global security and stability directly depend, are in a deep crisis unfortunately,” adding, “It is based on fundamentally different approaches to the formation of the modern world order,” CNN reported. (ANI)

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