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All You Need To Know About India’s Colossal General Election[PHOTOS]

Published

1 year ago

June 1, 2024

Indians flocked to the polls under scorching heat in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi on Saturday as a marathon national election reached its final day, six weeks after voting first began.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is widely expected to win a third term in office when results are announced Tuesday, in large part due to his cultivated image as an aggressive champion of India’s majority faith.

The 73-year-old’s constituency of Varanasi is the spiritual capital of Hinduism, where devotees from around India come to cremate deceased loved ones by the Ganges river.

It is one of the final cities to vote in India’s gruelling election and where public support for Modi’s ever-closer alignment of religion and politics burns brightest.

“Modi is obviously winning,” Vijayendra Kumar Singh, who works in one of the popular pilgrimage destination’s many hotels, told AFP.

“There’s a sense of pride with everything he does, and that’s why people vote for him.”

Modi has already led the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to two landslide victories in 2014 and 2019, forged in large part by his appeal to the Hindu faithful.

This year, he presided over the inauguration of a grand temple to the deity Ram, built on the grounds of a centuries-old mosque in Ayodhya razed by Hindu zealots in 1992.

Construction of the temple fulfilled a longstanding demand of Hindu activists and was widely celebrated across the country with back-to-back television coverage and street parties.

The ceremony, and numerous other chest-beating appeals to India’s majority religion over the past decade, have in turn made many among the country’s 200 million-plus minority Muslim community increasingly uneasy about their futures.

Modi himself has made a number of strident comments about Muslims on the campaign trail, referring to them as “infiltrators”.

He has also accused the motley coalition of more than two dozen opposition parties contesting the poll against him of plotting to redistribute India’s wealth to its Muslim citizens.

Janesar Akhtar, a Muslim clothesmaker working in Varanasi’s famed embroidery workshops, told AFP that the BJP’s sectarian campaigning was an unfortunate distraction from India’s chronic unemployment problems.

“Workshops here are closing down and the Modi government has been busy with the politics of temples and mosques,” the 44-year-old said.

“He is supposed to give us jobs and not tensions.”

‘Already so hot’

India has voted in seven phases over six weeks to ease the immense logistical burden of staging an election in the world’s most populous country.

Both counting and results are expected on Tuesday, but exit polls published after voting ends on Saturday are expected to give some indication of the winner.

Turnout is down several percentage points from the last national election in 2019, with analysts blaming widespread expectations of a Modi victory as well as successive heatwaves scorching India’s northern states.

Authorities in the eastern state of Bihar said Friday that 10 poll workers had died of heatstroke the previous day while setting up for the vote.

Extensive scientific research shows climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense, with Asia warming faster than the global average.

A scorching sun bore down on Varanasi and its countless temples and riverside crematoriums during Saturday’s vote, with temperatures forecast to peak at 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit).

“It’s already so hot,” Chinta Devi, who arrived to cast her vote at eight in the morning, told AFP.

“Varanasi has felt hotter than usual over the last few days,” she added. “You see all the streets and markets empty.”

AFP

Headline

How Thief Stole Aeroplane At Airport 22 Years After Two Men Went Away With Boeing 727

Published

18 hours ago

July 19, 2025

Editor

To many, stealing an aeroplane right inside the airport with a watertight security system in place seems unbelievable, but a man in Canada stole a light aeroplane at an airport in the country, circled it around and later landed it before he was arrested by security officials.

This came 22 years after two men entered a Boeing 727 parked inside the airport in Luanda, the Angolan capital, and went away with the big aircraft.

According to reports, the aeroplane had not been found till today and the men had evaded arrest since then.

According to the Cable News Network (CNN), the stolen Cessna 172 aircraft caused a temporary shutdown of the airspace over Vancouver International Airport, one of the busiest in Canada, on Tuesday.

The man stole the aircraft, took off from Victoria International Airport, where it is used for flight training, and flew north about 40 miles to Vancouver.

He started circling, apparently due to his lack of expertise.

“We do have an aircraft that has been stolen and is in the vicinity of the airport,” a tower controller warned other pilots.

“Just in case anything starts heading towards you, you have the ability to move at your discretion.”

The man eventually landed the plane safely at Vancouver International Airport and was immediately surrounded by police.

The thief, who was not identified by authorities, was the only person inside and was arrested.

A similar incident also occurred at Luanda International Airport, Angola, when two individuals successfully stole a Boeing 727 without any security official knowing about the theft until a few hours later.

The Boeing 727, once operated by American Airlines, was retired and left at Luanda airport after plans to convert it were rejected. In 2003, two men—a pilot and a mechanic—illegally boarded the plane and took off with 14,000 gallons of fuel, enough to travel 1,500 miles. The plane and the men were never found.
(TRIBUNE)

Headline

10 Top-earning Dead Celebrities Of 2025

Published

19 hours ago

July 19, 2025

Editor

The top-earning dead celebrities have changed the perception of death. Despite not being alive for years, some for many decades, they are still earning millions of dollars. This shows that a celebrity can continue to earn even while in the grave.

Contents
1. Michael Jackson ($70m)
2. Elvis Presley ($49m)
3. Charles Schulz ($42m)
4. Arnold Palmer ($30)
5. Bob Marley ($24m)
6. Dr. Seuss ($24m)
7. John Lennon ($14m)
8. Marilyn Monroe ($13m)
9. Prince ($12m)
10. Nipsey Hussle ($11m)

The renowned figures discussed in this article are mainly musicians, cartoonists, authors, and a golfer.

Here are the top-earning dead celebrities of 2025, as listed by sociallykeeda:

1. Michael Jackson ($70m)

Michael Jackson leads among the top-earning dead celebrities. Michael remains one of the biggest stars. During his lifetime and even after, he is widely referred to as “the king of pop.” It is a known fact that he sold millions of albums and also earned and continues to earn from his work.

He died on 25 June 2009 due to a drug overdose. His earnings are estimated to be 70 million dollars.

2. Elvis Presley ($49m)

Elvis Presley is another music icon, known as the king of ‘Rock and Roll’. He was not just an amazing singer, but also a dancer and actor. Elvis is one of the greatest stars of the 20th century.

As such, the deceased musician still earns from his music and other projects. One of such is the Graceland and Elvis Presley Memphis entertainment complex. His earnings are estimated to be 49 million dollars. Elvis Presley died from a heart attack on 16 August 1977.

3. Charles Schulz ($42m)

Charles Schulz is another top-earning dead celebrity. He was a creator who came up with different cartoon characters. One of his famous characters is “Snoopy,” which was used for a peanut franchise that later inspired an animated movie, “Peanuts” in 2015.

Charles Schulz can never be forgotten for his contributions to cartoons. His earnings are calculated to be 42 million dollars. He died of cancer on 12 February 2000.

4. Arnold Palmer ($30)

Arnold was a golf player that died on 25 September 2016 due to heart disease. He still makes money from licensing and from a drink formula he created — a lemonade and iced tea named the Arizona beverage. An alcoholic version was made after Molson Coors partnered with Arnold. His earnings are currently 30 million dollars.

5. Bob Marley ($24m)

Bob Marley was a music icon who pioneered the Jamaican music style, “Reggae.” His uniqueness and style of music made him loved by many and also contributed to his global success.

Till today, Bob is still famous and earns from various licensing deals and companies. He died of cancer on 11 May 1981 at the age of 36. His earnings have accumulated to 24 million dollars.

6. Dr. Seuss ($24m)

Dr. Seuss was a cartoonist during his lifetime. He still makes millions despite being dead for over three decades. He was a children’s book writer of which many kids across the world have probably read.

Some of his books include The Grinch Stole Christmas, Red Fish, The Cat in a Hat, and so on. Millions of copies of his books have been sold since his demise on 24 September 1991. He died of cancer, and his earnings are currently 24 million dollars

7. John Lennon ($14m)

John Lennon was a singer, songwriter, and vocalist. He was a co-founder of one of the most respected and greatest music bands in history, “The Beatles.” Lennon earns from brands or by using his pictures on products. He died on 8 December 1980 by homicide. His earnings are estimated to be 14 million dollars.

8. Marilyn Monroe ($13m)

Marilyn Monroe was an actress and a movie star who died over six decades ago. Monroe still earns from her deals with companies such as Chanel, Montblanc, and her estate. Her managers ensure no one uses her pictures without permission. Marilyn was just 36 years old when she died of an overdose on 5 August 1962. Her earnings are about 13 million dollars.

9. Prince ($12m)

Prince was a musician who passed away a few years ago and still earns from his songs. Deals using his name or music are managed by his family. Prince died from an overdose on 21 April 2016. The last earnings from his works are 12 million dollars.

10. Nipsey Hussle ($11m)

After his demise on 31 March 2019, Nipsey became one of the celebrities who earned the most money. The sales of his albums have since been increasing. He died of homicide, and his last earnings were 11 million dollars.
(TRIBUNE)

Headline

Russian Strikes Kill Six In Ukraine

Published

2 days ago

July 18, 2025

Editor

Russian drone and bomb fire killed at least six people across Ukraine’s east and south, local authorities said Friday, as Russia resists US President Donald Trump’s call to halt its invasion.

Moscow has escalated long-range aerial attacks on Ukraine’s towns and cities as well as frontline assaults and shelling over the past weeks, defying Trump’s warning it could face massive new sanctions if no peace deal is struck.

The latest strikes killed at least three people in the Dnipropetrovsk region — an important industrial mining territory under increasing pressure from Russia’s attacks.

“Administrative buildings, a shop and private houses have been damaged,” Governor Sergiy Lysak said on Telegram after a morning drone attack caused a fire to break out in the region’s Kamyanske district, where two were killed.

A 52-year-old man was killed in another drone attack elsewhere in the region.

And in the Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions — all of which are partially occupied by Russian forces — attacks killed another three people.

Ukraine said Russia fired 35 long-range drones overnight — a relatively low number compared to the several hundred Moscow is capable of launching.

Moscow said it shot down 73 Ukrainian drones over its territory, including 10 it said were heading for the capital, Moscow.

AFP