QWrap: 49 Dead in New Zealand Shooting; BMC on Bridge Collapse
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1. 49 Dead in New Zealand Mosque Terror Attack
At least 49 people have been reported dead in the two mass shootings at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch on Friday, 15 March, police commissioner Mike Bush confirmed during a press briefing.
Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand, Sanjiv Kohli said, "There are nine missing persons of Indian nationality or origin."
The terror attack took place in Al Noor Mosque in central Christchurch and the Linwood Mosque in the city's suburbs.
The man who claimed responsibility for the shooting said he came to New Zealand only to plan and train for the attack. He said he was not a member of any organisation, but had donated to and interacted with many nationalist groups, though he acted alone and no group ordered the attack.
Read the full story here.
2. Major Lapses Observed in Structural Audit: BMC on Bridge Collapse
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday, 15 March, recommended "action against the structural auditor for his casual approach while performing the structural audit" of the bridge that collapsed on Thursday evening, killing at least six persons and injuring 30 others.
"Prima-facie, it is reasonably concluded that the structural audit is not carried out correctly and major lapses observed in the conducting the structural audit of the bridge," a BMC report said.
The civic body on Friday also started dismantling the foot overbridge that collapsed near the CST station in Mumbai.
Earlier, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis met the injured victims of the bridge collapse at GT Hospital and had said that he ordered the municipal commissioner to fix the primary responsibility of the mishap.
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3. Shame is Always the Woman’s: Chinmayi on Pollachi Sexual Assault
Chinmayi, the woman who fronted the MeToo movement in Kollywood and the rest of South India speaks exclusively to The Quint about the kind of issues the Pollachi sexual assault case underlines in our society. She also elaborates on her concerns about shaming and slandering the victims, while the perps are given a clean chit.
“Even if it is consensual sex and a man filmed it, it is still illegal. But because there is shame associated with the act of sex in this country, girls are unable to go forward, and they are caught in this vicious ring of blackmail and extortion,” she said.
Read the full story here.
4. France Has Decided to Freeze the Assets of JeM Chief Masood Azhar
A day after China put a ‘hold’ on the bid to designate Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, France on Friday, 15 March, decided to freeze the French assets of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) Chief Masood Azhar.
In a statement, the French government said, “France has always been and always will be by India’s side in the fight against terrorism.”
“We will raise this issue with our European partners with a view to including Masood Azhar on the EU list of persons, groups and entities involved in terrorists acts,” the statement added.
Read the full story here.
5. What Are the Movies to Watch This Weekend?
The weekend is here! All you movie buffs out there – if you’re wondering watch, we’ve got you covered. It’s an action-packed weekend with Photograph, Mere Pyare Prime Minister, Hamid, and Milan Talkies.
The most striking feature about Photograph is its determined eagerness to not impress. Unencumbered by the need to answer questions about the motivations of its characters, it focuses more on the fluid chemistry that they generate.
Mere Pyare Prime Minister introduces us to Kanha, a young boy on a noble mission. He wants to build a toilet for his mother. Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, along with writers Manoj Mairta and Hussain Dalal, try to further adorn the bare plot with as many social issues they can fit into it.
Read the full story here.
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