Karnataka crisis: Governor sets second deadline; asks CM to finish floor test today itself

Mangaluru, Jan 18: ‘Ride For Rotary’ convoy of motor vehicles will be flagged off from Hotel Ocean Pearl Inn at Bejai-Kapikad, Mangaluru on 19th January, 2020 at 8.30 a.m.

Mangaluru has been chosen as the starting point for the convoy route this year which will cover Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. 38 Rotarians from 14 countries are participating in 2019-20 Ride For Rotary, which is the fourth edition of the event. They will traverse through Madikeri, Mysore, Wayanad, Ooty, Coimbatore, Munnar, Thekkady and Allepey before terminating at Kochi on 29th of January, 2020.

2019-20 Ride For Rotary includes 28 motorbikes and 5 cars. The participating nationalities are India, Norway, Sweden, Canada, France, Germany, USA, UK, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Poland and Belgium. They belong to ages 21 to 78, with 78-year old Otto Rieve from Canada being the senior most enthusiast. Swiss national of Indian origin Raj Patholi and Mangalorean Abraham Zacharias are among the riders. Delegates who have already reached Mangalore visited Bantwal on Friday to attend a gala dinner hosted by the Rotary Club of Bantwal.

Ride for Rotary is a charity event conceived by Rotary District 3181 which comprises of the revenue districts of Mysore, Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada and Chamarajanagar covering 85 Rotary Clubs in 9 zones. Rotarians from across the world will come together for twelve exhilarating days. They will traverse through the meticulously arranged routes, enjoy the natural beauty of the places and experience the varied cultures and cuisines of the region. Ride for Rotary connects people and places like no other - Rotary Connects the World.

The proceeds from the event go to The Rotary Foundation, a charitable organisation that works tirelessly for the upliftment of the society.

French Nobel prize winning scientist Luc Montagnier has sparked a fresh controversy by claiming that the SARS-CoV-2 virus came from a lab, and is the result of an attempt to manufacture a vaccine against the AIDS virus.

In an interview given to French CNews channel and during a podcast by Pourquoi Docteur, professor Montagnier who co-discovered HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) claimed the presence of elements of HIV in the genome of the coronavirus and even elements of the "germ of malaria" are highly suspect, according to a report in Asia Times.

"The Wuhan city laboratory has specialized in these coronaviruses since the early 2000s. They have expertise in this area," he was quoted as saying.

The theory that Covid-19 virus originated in the lab is making rounds for quite some time.

US President Donald Trump last week acknowledged Fox News report that the novel coronavirus may have been accidentally leaked by an intern working at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.

The Fox News, in an exclusive report, based on unnamed sources has claimed that though the virus is a naturally occurring strain among bats and not a bioweapon, but it was being studied in Wuhan laboratory.

The initial transmission of the virus was bat-to-human, the news channel said, adding that the "patient zero" worked at the laboratory. The lab employee was accidentally infected before spreading the disease among the common people outside the lab in Wuhan city.

Professor Montagnier was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine for the identification of AIDS virus, with his colleague professor Franeoise Barre-Sinoussi.

His fresh claim on coronavirus, however, received criticism from scientists, including his colleagues.

"Just in case you don't know. Dr Montagnier has been rolling downhill incredibly fast in the last few years. From baselessly defending homeopathy to becoming an antivaxxer. Whatever he says, just don't believe him," tweeted Juan Carlos Gabaldon.

As per a recent Washington Post, two years ago, the US embassy officials in China raised concerns about the insufficient biosafety at the Chinese government's Wuhan Institute of Virology where deadly viruses and infectious diseases are studied.

Though the institute, located quite close to the Wuhan wet market, is China's first biosafety level IV lab, the US state department had warned in 2018 about "serious shortage of appropriately trained technicians and investigators needed to safely operate this high-containment laboratory".

Bengaluru, Apr 21: Hardline BJP leader and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, who had deleted some of his old sexist tweets while contesting for Lok Sabha polls, yesterday deleted deleted his ugly remarks against Arab woman after it went viral and triggered sharp response from  many quarters, including from the Arab world.

In 2015, before Surya became an MP, he had said in a tweet, "95% of Arab women have never had an orgasm in the last few hundred years! Every mother has produced kids as an act of sex and not love. @Tarek Fatah."

The old tweet was picked up some influential members in the Arab community. Many intellectuals and various members of the royal families too have over the past few days condemned the attacks on Muslims in India and called out instances on Islamophobia. They have been highlighting derogatory comments about the Arab community purportedly made by supporters of the ruling BJP. It was then that a few found that even present day recognised leaders like Tejasvi had made similar comments in the past.

As the outrage grew, Tejasvi deleted the old tweet. A lot of BJP supporters on Twitter then started pointing out that Tejasvi Surya had merely quoted Canadian journalist Tareh Fatah, known for his anti-Islam comments. But by then someone had archived the tweet and Tejasvi's response to it in 2015.

Dear @Twitter , this Indian politicians @Tejasvi_Surya has racially slurred Arab women, I wonder how is his account still active? Is it not against Twitter's official policy? Please act as Arab sentiment has been badly wounded. pic.twitter.com/JAM3hnDEjN

— المحامي⚖مجبل الشريكة (@MJALSHRIKA) April 19, 2020

Pity Ur upbringing @Tejasvi_Surya that respect for women couldn’t be instilled in U despite India having some great female leaders .Please note if someday the govt bestows a foreign ministry to you, avoid travelling to Arab lands. You are not welcome here. This will be remembered pic.twitter.com/KJJlqJL5tR

— Noora AlGhurair (@AlGhurair98) April 19, 2020

In a thread to the same tweet, responding to criticism, Surya had said that these were not his opinion but attributed to Tarek Fatah. He also said that he agrees with Fateh's position that 'Islamofascism was a threat to all civilsations'.

Prime Minister ..
An Indian Member of Parliament accuses Arab women, and we Arabs are asking for his membership to be dropped !!@narendramodi@PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/aQl4XayWZU

— عبدالرحمن النصار (@alnassar_kw) April 19, 2020

Surya could not be reached for a comment.

However, a source close to Surya, said, "This is a 2015 tweet where Tejasvi Surya was quoting Tarek Fatah from an interview. It is being wrongly attributed to him with malicious intent. The main issue being addressed in the interview was about the barbaric and inhuman practice of genital mutilation of women. If there's any person to comment on it, it has to be Tarek Fatah."

Tejasvi Surya had landed in a similar controversy soon after his nomination as a candidate just ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

His deleted Tweet recorded a video

تغريدته المحذوفة تم رصدها بالفيديو @narendramodi@PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/cTrIkaGosf

— عبدالرحمن النصار (@alnassar_kw) April 19, 2020

Surya could not be reached for a comment.

However, a source close to Surya, said, "This is a 2015 tweet where Tejasvi Surya was quoting Tarek Fatah from an interview. It is being wrongly attributed to him with malicious intent. The main issue being addressed in the interview was about the barbaric and inhuman practice of genital mutilation of women. If there's any person to comment on it, it has to be Tarek Fatah."

Tejasvi Surya had landed in a similar controversy soon after his nomination as a candidate just ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

More islamophobic gems from @Tejasvi_Surya : @alnassar_kw @MJALSHRIKA @AlGhurair98 https://t.co/wktXi8fzhM pic.twitter.com/Rk2cEyRqWl

— شخص (@falana_shakhs) April 20, 2020

The Congress also stepped in to criticise Surya and the BJP, national spokesperson Sanjay Jha said in a tweet, “The BJP gives tickets to Pragya Singh Thakur and #TejasviSurya etc because it helps popularise their hardline bigoted political profile. But the chickens usually come home to roost. Today, India stands embarrassed, humiliated.”