The Subcontinent - 10 December 2020
COVID Deaths fall below the 500 mark in India, a global disinformation campaign, arrest of a well-known Pakistan DJ, discovery of a war-time 250 kg bomb in Bangladesh, Female Afghan TV anchor killed
The Subcontinent - 10 December 2020INDIA: COVID Deaths below 500 mark
Four hundred eleven casualties were reported in India due to COVID-19, making it the fifth consecutive day that fatalities were below the 500 mark. New infections remained below 40,000 for the tenth day (Times of India). The active caseload is now below 400,000 (4 lakh) (Hindustan Times), with the number of total cases having crossed 97 lakhs.
INDIA: Indian Chronicles
According to this report by the BBC, a deceased professor and 550 fake media websites are a part of a global disinformation campaign to serve India’s interests. The EU DisInfo Lab described it as a 15-year influence operation involving 10+ UN Human Rights Council accredited NGOs, the resurrection of a deceased professor, identify thefts, 750+ fake media outlets, covering 119 countries, and 550+ domain names.
PAKISTAN: DJ Butt again
Pakistan’s famous DJ Butt, who provides sound and video services, has been arrested (Geo TV). The DJ, whose original name is Muhammad Asif, acquired fame for providing sound system to rallies addressed by Imran Khan during his 2014 sit-in. In 2020, he is now providing similar services to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance that is threatening to derail the Imran Khan government.
Why the Arrest? While the police claim that he violated COVID Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) (Samaa TV), the opposition parties claimed that his arrest was related to the Lahore protest planned by the PDM for December 13, 2020 (Express Tribune).
BANGLADESH: War-Time Bomb Found
A war-time 250 kg bomb has been found in Dhaka. It was discovered during digging operations for the third terminal at the Dhaka airport (India Today). The 250 kg bomb found three metres below the ground has been defused (Dhaka Tribune).
Origin? It could be from the World War or the 1971 War of Liberation, though most Bangladesh media points towards 1971.
Photographs Here (United News of Bangladesh),
and here (Daily Star).
AFGHANISTAN: Female TV Journalist Killed
An Afghan journalist and anchor with Enikass TV, Malala Maiwand, was killed while she was on her way to work. Her driver was also killed (India Today) by unidentified gunmen. The incident happened in eastern Nangarhar province. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the incident.
Photograph
Here (Khaama Press)