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expecting rain

[Sushant Singh @SushantSin]

Loan Recovery Rate: 74% for the Poor, 15% for the Rich — RTI Lays Bare Central Bank of India’s Write-off Divide https://t.co/rujZKrpr3Q

[Anish Gawande @anishgawande]

On 8 August 1942, the Quit India resolution was passed at Gowalia Tank. The next morning, with the leaders already under arrest, it was Aruna Asaf Ali who climbed up and raised the tricolour over the maidan.

Within days the newspapers were censored and the country went dark. Into that silence, a 22-year-old student leaned into a microphone in a rented flat: "This is the Congress Radio calling on 42.34 metres, from somewhere in India."

Her name was Usha Mehta. She opened every broadcast with Sare Jahan Se Achha (a song the government had banned) and read out the news the Raj was working to bury.

For close to three months she carried a hidden transmitter from flat to flat — Chowpatty, Walkeshwar, Girgaon — a step ahead of British detector vans.

Then she was betrayed, arrested, and sent to Yerawada for four years. She gave up no one.

This week's column is about her, and about the women of the August Kranti who never waited for permission to resist.

Full piece in Mumbai Mirror: https://t.co/x8q740bnrm

[PenPencilDraw @penpencildraw]

Heinous crimes.

[Younis Tirawi | يونس @ytirawi]

Lebanon |

An Israeli soldier smashing the head of a Jesus Christ statue during operations in southern Lebanon.

[Ihab Hassan @IhabHassane]

Unbelievable, insane night in the West Bank.

Hundreds of Israeli settlers are rampaging across more than 15 villages and towns right now, torching homes, cars, and fields, and attempting to burn people alive.

The Israeli army is showing complete failure and total indifference.

[The Onion @TheOnion]

Netanyahu: ‘These So-Called Genocide Experts Have Probably Never Committed A Genocide In Their Lives’ https://t.co/sWxtxQ4b9w

[sarah @sahouraxo]

We’re making this video because we could die at any moment.”

“70–80% of our patients are children and pregnant women.”

“I delivered a beheaded woman who was nine months pregnant.”

“Can someone please stop this terror and horror?”

—Australian doctors, speaking from Gaza

[Paul Holdengraber @holdengraber]

“Fragile and momentary, we continue.”
~ Linda Gregg

[Prashant Bhushan @pbhushan1]

Fine edit slamming the denial of bail to Umar Khalid & Ors by the Delhi HC in the Indian Express today

[Paul Holdengraber @holdengraber]

"That things 'just go on' is the catastrophe."
~ Walter Benjamin

thanks to @Samantharhill

[Gautam Bhatia @gautambhatia88]

Wow, the Supreme Court is so efficient when it doesn’t involve someone’s home getting bulldozed or someone being in jail for five years without a trial.

[Pitchfork @pitchfork]

Nick Drake's 1969 debut was overstuffed with strings, congas, and piano. A new box set offers a trove of uncluttered renditions of its songs—and a more direct view of Drake’s early genius.

Our Best New Reissue review: https://t.co/oBIxMI2Dwr

[Dhanya Rajendran @dhanyarajendran]

Just wanted to remind everyone of TNM's investigation in 2023- which also focused on assembly segments in Bangalore Central seat including Mahadevapura.

We found that a Bengaluru NGO- recruited by the BBMP- working with the ECI- was stealing voter data.

Chilume NGO also ran an election management company as well as a mobile application called Digital Sameeksha that compiled voters’ data. This data was sold to politicians and parties- we showed one BJP leader who bought it.

The NGO's agents, posing as Booth Level Officers, gathered information.

As Chilume collected data, BJP pushed for thousands of voters to be deleted in Shivaji Nagar, a Muslim-dominated area.

How?

BJP sympathizers complained about 26000 fake voters without even filling due forms. Eventually (after a court case) 7,000 voters were deleted.

On ground, TNM found that many of these voters still lived in the constituency, and sometimes in the same address.

Chilume trained workers at BJP ward office.
One of our people posed as a job-seeker and got pictures from this training centre.

Then we found that people in the village of Krishnappa Ravikumar, Chilume founder were getting deposits into bank accounts ranging from ₹40,000 to ₹1,40,000 , often marked as "CSC e-Governance" transfers. These amounts were withdrawn in case and given to Ravikumar.

CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd is a Special Purpose Vehicle (CSC SPV) incorporated by Government of India

Eventually, after our investigation, many were arrested or suspended.

*BBMP cut ties with Chilume. ECI asked for revision of rolls in three assembly segments- Shivajinagar, Chickpet & Mahadevapura.*

But why did money come into villagers accounts? What happened to lists Chilume made? No proper govt probe happened (though Congress is in power now)

Our investigation found here- https://t.co/TSkaUdsblr

[Harrison H. Smith ✞ @HarrisonHSmith]

Bethlehem, Jesus' birthplace, was under Muslim rule for nearly 1200 years from 637-1947.

During that time, the Christian population never went below 85%.

In the 77 years since Israel was founded, that has dropped to just 10%

Mike Johnson is working with Israel to make it 0%

[Amnesty UK @AmnestyUK]

The documentary that the BBC refused to air showing the targeting, detainment and torture of medics in Gaza by Israeli authorities was broadcast by Channel 4 last night.

Amnesty International researcher, Budour Hassan, explains the use of secret sites by the Israeli authorities.

[Haaretz.com @haaretzcom]

'It's a killing field': IDF soldiers ordered to shoot at unarmed Gazans waiting for humanitarian aid
https://t.co/CuTtHDFKBo

[Khalil Sayegh @KhalilJeries]

Horrific: A settler driver attempts to block the road of a Palestinian ambulance in the West Bank — a practice by settlers that has become disturbingly routine. Apartheid is no longer just a legal system, but a state of mind.

[Brindille @Brindille_]

© Patricia Olive Prost

[Assal Rad @AssalRad]

The language of manufacturing consent:

🇮🇱: Preemptive strikes
🇮🇷: Escalation

🇮🇱: Warns
🇮🇷: Threatens

🇮🇱: Targets
🇮🇷: Attacks

🇮🇱: Government
🇮🇷: Regime

🇮🇱: Right to self-defense
🇮🇷: Condemnations

🇮🇱: Sophisticated military (has nukes)
🇮🇷: Nuclear threat (has no nukes)

[Kaushik Raj @kaushikrj6]

"I am afraid of hope, so I try not to remain hopeful. Nurturing hope in jail is a risky business."

Umar Khalid writes from jail. He has been in jail for 1730 days without trial.

https://t.co/I5GA7dZG0j