Two Powerful Earthquakes Hit Cuba Within An Hour

Two powerful earthquakes rocked southern Cuba in quick succession on Sunday, US geologists said, as authorities said no tsunami alert was issued and no deaths immediately reported.

The US Geological Survey put the second, more powerful tremor at a magnitude of 6.8 and 14.6 miles (23.5 kilometers) deep, some 25 miles off the coast of Bartolome Maso, in southern Granma province.

It came just an hour after a first tremor, which the USGS put at a magnitude of 5.9, with the epicenter some nine miles beneath the ocean roughly 22 miles off Bartolome Maso. 

The state-run newspaper Granma said no deaths had been immediately reported, but that the quake had been felt throughout the Caribbean island nation.

"Here people quickly took to the streets because the ground moved very strongly," Andres Perez, a 65-year-old retiree who lives in downtown Santiago de Cuba, told AFP via telephone of the first quake. 

"It felt very strong really, my wife is a bundle of nerves," he added. 

The US tsunami warning system said no tsunami warning had been issued.

The tremor shook the island as it recovers from Hurricane Rafael, which hit the country's west as a Category 3 storm, leaving residents without power for two days. 

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded in October 2023 in Santiago de Cuba, without causing any damage. 

Another strong earthquake of magnitude 7.7 was recorded in January 2020 in the Caribbean Sea and was felt in several Cuban provinces, causing the evacuation of buildings in the capital Havana, with no damage reported.

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"Avoiding Mention Of Khalistanis": Canadian MP Slams Politicians

Days after an attack on Hindus at a Brampton temple, Canadian MP Chandra Arya has come down heavily on politicians pitting Hindus and Sikhs on “opposing sides” and asserted that the Hindu-Canadians and the Sikhs are on one side and the Khalistanis on the other.

Due to the deliberate actions of some politicians and the influence of Khalistanis, Canadians now mistakenly equate Khalistanis with Sikhs, Arya said in wake of several Canadian politician trying to portray the Brampton incident as a clash between the Canadian Hindu and Sikh communities.

Protesters carrying Khalistani flags clashed with devotees at a Hindu Sabha temple and disrupted an event co-organised by the temple authorities and the Indian Consulate on November 3 at Brampton, a city in Ontario's Greater Toronto Area.

“Politicians are deliberately avoiding recognising and mentioning Khalistanis as responsible for this attack or are shifting the blame to other entities. They are misleading Canadians by framing this as an issue between Hindus and Sikhs,” Arya, a member of Parliament from Nepean, Ontario, said in a post on X on Friday.

“Politicians are portraying Hindus and Sikhs as opposing sides regarding the attack on the temple by Khalistani extremists. This picture is simply not true. The two sides are actually Hindu-Canadians and the vast majority of Sikh-Canadians on one side, and Khalistanis on the other,” Arya said in the post on X which had both a video and a text statement.

Strongly condemning the attack by Khalistani extremists “on behalf of Hindu-Canadians and the vast majority of Sikh-Canadians,” Arya also pointed out how it is common in Canada to see Hindus visiting Sikh Gurudwaras and Sikhs visiting Hindu temples.

“Politicians may try their best to divide Hindus and Sikhs. We can—and must—prove them wrong,” he appealed. “We, as Hindus and Sikhs, will not and should not allow vested interests to divide us for their political gain.” The relations between India and Canada have come under severe strain following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in September last year of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing.

New Delhi rejected Trudeau's charges as “absurd.” Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was designated a terrorist by India.

India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.

India has expelled six Canadian diplomats and withdrawn its high commissioner Sanjay Verma and other "targeted" officials from Canada after strongly dismissing Ottawa's charges.

Arya, who has been vocal on the issue earlier too, also mentioned the Sikh community leader and former British Columbia Premier Ujjal Dosanjh, who said that a silent majority of Sikhs do not want to have anything to do with Khalistan and that they just don't speak out because they're afraid of violence and violent repercussions.

Dosanjh said Khalistani supporters control many of the Gurudwaras in Canada but the silent Sikhs “still hold power over which politicians get elected,” Arya said.

“Due to the deliberate actions of some politicians and the influence of Khalistanis, Canadians now mistakenly equate Khalistanis with Sikhs,” he said, adding, Hindus and Sikhs alike must educate Canadians "that we stand united in our fight against Khalistani extremists and their political backers.” He also appealed to Hindus and Sikhs in Canada to urge the community leaders “not to provide a platform at any of our events or temples to politicians unless they publicly recognise and expressly condemn Khalistani extremism.” Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the presence of Khalistan supporters in Canada but said they do not represent the Sikh community as a whole.

His comments came during Diwali celebrations at Ottawa's Parliament Hill recently amid an ongoing diplomatic row with India over Nijjar's killing.

“There are many supporters of Khalistan in Canada, but they do not represent the Sikh Community as a whole. Similarly, there are supporters of Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi's government in Canada, but they do not represent all Hindu Canadians,” Trudeau said.

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Video: Trapped Leopard Was Being Loaded On Truck. Then This Happened

Three forest department officials were injured after they were attacked by a leopard while they were putting the trapped big cat in a cage in Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor district, officials said on Saturday.

The incident took place in a forest near Dharmanagri when the officials managed to trap the leopard.

A video shows three forest department officials carrying the leopard to a cage kept in a truck. It appears that the officials subdued the leopard with sticks and they appeared to tie its limbs.

While two officials can be seen holding the leopard's paws, another, wearing a helmet, can be seen holding the big cat near its head.

As they approached the cage, the officials put the big cat down.

However, to their shock, the leopard woke up, roared, and attacked the group of forest department workers.

Soon after, the officials managed to trap the leopard again and put it into the cage.

Three workers have been injured in the incident and are being treated, officials said.

(With inputs from Zubair Khan)

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"Unknown To Any Civilised System": Supreme Court On 'Bulldozer Justice'

The full text of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud's recent judgment on illegal demolitions in Uttar Pradesh mentions "justice through bulldozers is unknown to any civilised system of jurisprudence."

The Supreme Court on Wednesday had pulled up the UP government for an "illegal" demolition in 2019 while issuing directions to all states and Union Territories (UT) on the procedure to be followed during road-widening and removal of encroachments.

A bench of Chief Justice Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra had also directed the UP government to pay Rs 25 lakh compensation to the man whose house was razed in 2019 for a road-widening project.

"... There is a grave danger that if high-handed and unlawful behaviour is permitted by any wing or officer of the state, demolition of citizens' properties will take place as a selective reprisal for extraneous reasons," Chief Justice Chandracud said in the order.

"Citizens' voices cannot be throttled by a threat of destroying their properties and homesteads. The ultimate security which a human being possesses is to the homestead. The law does not undoubtedly condone unlawful occupation of public property and encroachments," he said.

"Bulldozer justice is simply unacceptable under the rule of law. If it were to be permitted, the constitutional recognition of the right to property under Article 300A would be reduced to a dead letter," the Supreme Court said.

The Supreme Court had then directed the UP chief secretary to conduct an inquiry into the matter pertaining to a house in Maharajganj district and take suitable action. The bench elaborated on the steps that a state or its instrumentality must undertake before taking action in pursuance to a road-widening project.

In case an encroachment was found, the state must issue notice to the encroacher to remove it and if the correctness and validity of the notice was objected to, the state would issue a "speaking order" keeping in mind the principles of natural justice, the Supreme Court said.

In a scenario of the objection being rejected, a reasonable notice would be given to the person against whom the adverse action was proposed, to remove the encroachment, it added.

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No Dating, Babies: South Korea's '4B' Movement Enters US After Trump's Win

A section of women in the United States are "swearing off men". Reason? Donald Trump's win as the President.

With Donald Trump becoming the US President, fears have raised over the abortion rights of women, doubting if the Republican would make access to the procedure more uncertain. In 2022, Trump had celebrated the Supreme's Court's ruling that ended a nationwide right to abortion. However, over time, he has also said that he would leave the decision on abortion rights to the states rather than enact a federal ban.

Amid the rising fear, South Korea's '4B' movement has entered the US, with some women on social media saying that they are tired of awaiting what the future holds for their own bodily autonomy.

The '4B' movement - a radical feminism movement against patriarchy - origniated from South Korea around 2017-18, but gained recognition in 2019 on X (formerly known as Twitter). It began in response to high rates of violence against women.

The '4B' stands for four Koreans words beginning with "bi" (which translates to no). The words are: "bihon" means no heterosexual marriage, "bichulsan" (no childbirth), "biyeonae" (no dating), and "bisekseu" (no heterosexual sexual relationships). 

The members of the movement refuse to date, marry, have sexual relations, or carry babies with men. By doing this, the women are pressing that if the violence or inequality against them does not stop, they will ensure that the birth rate will drop down.

The movement also functions as an online community where women engage in open discussion about navigating and envisioning a future without men. Women also use the platform to vent their frustrations and concerns about living in a conservative society.

"It's a new lifestyle focused on building safe communities, both online and in-person. What we want is not to be labeled simply as some man's wife or girlfriend, but to have the independence to be free from the societal expectations that often limit women's potential to be fully acknowledged as human beings," Haein Shim, a South Korean activist, told The Guardian.

What US women are saying on social media

The internet seems to be divided over the '4B' movement in US.

"Ladies, I'm being so fr when I say this, it's time to close off your wombs to males. This election proves now more than ever that they hate us and hate us proudly. do not reward them," a user wrote on X.

Another said, "Reminder that the 4B movement, and the separatist movement in general, isn't just about avoiding men-it's also about supporting and investing in women. Seek out relationships with women, women-owned businesses, women-made media, etc; surround yourself with women and our culture."

However, some people also claimed that the movement would never work in the US.

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Yoga Teacher Buried Alive, Escapes Death Using Breathing Techniques

A 34-year-old Yoga teacher faked her death using breathing techniques and saved herself after allegedly being assaulted, strangled and then buried by a group of people who assumed she was dead, police said on Friday.

Five people, including a woman identified as Bindu and her friend named Satish Reddy who runs a detective agency in Bengaluru, have been arrested in connection with the incident, they said.

"Bindu suspected her husband of having an affair with the Yoga teacher and asked Reddy to keep a tab on the woman and her proximity to him. As part of the plan, Reddy allegedly befriended the victim some three months ago on the pretext of taking Yoga classes from her and during this period, he managed to gain her confidence," a police official said.

In her complaint, the victim alleged that on the pretext of showing some places around the city on October 23, he came to her house near Dibburahalli and took her in a car in which three other men were also present.

She alleged that they took her to a secluded spot on the outskirts of the city and allegedly stripped and assaulted her.

According to her, she was thrashed, threatened and strangled using a cable. She claimed that she played along, pretended to be unconscious and faked her death using breathing techniques.

"Assuming the woman died, the accused allegedly dug a pit and covered her body with thin layers of soil because they were in a hurry and feared to be caught. But before leaving, they took away all her gold jewellery," a senior police officer said.

She claimed that she later managed to wriggle out of the pit and with the help of some villagers, got clothes and managed to reach the police station to file a complaint, he said.

The woman was sent for a medical examination as per procedure and admitted to a hospital.

"Based on the complaint, we registered a case under sections of kidnapping, attempt to murder and other appropriate sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Based on the investigation, we arrested five people, including Reddy and Bindu, on November 6," the officer said.

The vehicle in which the victim was kidnapped was allegedly stolen from Bengaluru, police said, adding, the victim's jewellery has also been recovered with the arrests.

"We are trying to verify all the claims made by the victim. There were also some online money transactions between Bindu and the associates and we are investigating the money trail also," he added.

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Putin Congratulates Trump On Big Win, Says "Ready" To Hold Talks With Him

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he was "ready" to hold discussions with Donald Trump, as he congratulated him on his victory in the US presidential election.

"I take this opportunity to congratulate him," Putin said in remarks to the Valdai forum in Sochi.

Asked whether he was open to holding talks with Trump, the Russian leader said: "Ready."

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