Dane who drew controversial cartoons dies

Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, whose controversial image of Prophet Muhammad was at the centre of widespread anti-danish anger in the Muslim world in the mid-2000s, has died. He was 86. Westergaard’s family announced his death to Danish media late on Sunday.

HELSINKI:

Prevention based in Delhi; Menon, the India country head for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as at least one other foundation employee were also part of the list, reported the Post.

Le Monde reported that the numbers of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and several of his ambassadors in India appeared on the list as potential targets. Dozens of other Delhibased diplomats and ambassadors, including from Iran, Afghanistan, China, Nepal and Saudi Arabia, were also targeted, the French newspaper added.

Media outlets in the consortium said Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, India, and the United Arab Emirates accounted for most of the numbers on the list .

They included several members of Arab royal families, at least 65 business executives, 85 human rights activists, 189 journalists and more than 600 politicians and government officials -- including heads of state, prime ministers and cabinet ministers.

“What is this mentality?” he asked, and said it was for the first time he faced such a situation in the House. The Congress’s Rajya Sabha chief whip Jairam Ramesh pointed out that “in 2004, the BJP in Opposition had not allowed then PM Manmohan Singh to introduce his ministers.”

The Opposition has called a meeting at 10am on Tuesday to decide whether to raise the Pegasus snooping issue the same day or later as the government has accepted their demand to discuss the Covid-19 situation in the House. “We have to see what other parties say on prioritising the Covid-19 debate over other issues,” said a senior Congress leader. Trinamool’s Lok Sabha floor leader Sudip Bandopadhay, however, added that the party will raise the snooping scandal in the House on Tuesday.

As a ruckus erupted in the Upper House, leader of the Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal tried to remind the Opposition about the tradition of introduction of new ministers since the time of the first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

In the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury prevented the PM from speaking and said his party has given notices to discuss issues, including the economy and (rising) prices. As other leaders also rushed to the well, Akali leaders Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Sukhbir Badal demanded repeal of the three farm laws enacted last year.

Speaker Om Birla appealed for peace. “You have been in power too. You should not lower the dignity of the House. You are breaking a good tradition. This is the largest democracy, and you are setting a bad precedent.” But the protesting MPS didn’t relent.

In the Rajya Sabha, chairman Venkaiah Naidu urged parliamentarians to rise above political considerations and make effective use of the Monsoon Session for effective tackling of the anticipated third wave based on the experience so far. He said MPS cannot “afford to let the people down in their hour of pain and suffering”.

“Let us be conscious of the immense responsibility cast upon all of us…we all are on test, and I hope we acquit ourselves creditably by ensuring a productive monsoon session,” he said in his opening remarks on the first day of the session.