Team Herald
PANJIM: Two videos published by Suleman Khan, alias Siddiqui, have become key pieces in the complex puzzle surrounding his escape and subsequent rearrest in December, raising more questions than answers in the investigation.
The first video, recorded by Siddiqui on December 15, two days after his escape from the Crime Branch lockup, named several officials in his getaway. He mentions dismissed constable Amit Naik, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Suraj Halarnkar, and Superintendent of Police (SP) Rahul Gupta, claiming that they had assisted
in his escape.
However, in a dramatic reversal, a second video surfaced on social media on December 23 in which Siddiqui retracted his earlier statements. He claimed that he had been coerced into naming the officials and instead accused AAP Goa President Amit Palekar of orchestrating the video’s contents. Suleman further alleged that he had sent four videos to Palekar, which were then allegedly morphed.
Interestingly, this second video surfaced on a local portal around 11.30 am on December 23, around half an hour before Chief Minister Pramod Sawant publicly announced his capture and stated that he had been arrested two days back.
So the biggest question that still remains unanswered is: how was the second video sent out if Siddiqui was already in police custody? And if he had indeed been caught, were his statements in the second video made under duress?
Police have been completely mum about this and are refusing to speak on
the case.
Questions on Siddiqui’s twin videos refuse to die
While they have earlier claimed that Siddiqui was arrested in Kerala, Palekar maintains that the arrest happened on December 17, and not in Kerala.
Sources within the Crime Branch suggest that Siddiqui has been attempting to bribe multiple officers during his time in custody, possibly using more than just money as leverage. Despite claims from the Director General of Police (DGP) denying any monetary exchange between Suleman and the dismissed constable, it remains unclear what other forms of cooperation may have occurred.
The second video, which appeared shortly after the Chief Minister’s statement, only deepens the intrigue. Why did Suleman backtrack on his initial claims in the December 15 video? Who received the video, and where did it originate from?
The inclusion of Arms Act charges in the case has surprised many following the investigation, indicating that there may be more to the story than initially thought.
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Thousands flee as wildfires ravage LA
The two fires are about 18 kilometers apart.
Dozens of blocks were flattened to smoldering rubble in scenic Pacific Palisades. Only the outlines of homes and their chimneys remained. In Malibu, blackened palm strands were all that was left above debris where ocean-front homes once stood.
At least five churches, a synagogue, seven schools, two libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and groceries were lost. So too were the Will Rogers' Western Ranch House and Topanga Ranch Motel, local landmarks dating to the 1920s. The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage or specifics about how many structures burned.
AccuWeather, a private company that provides data on weather and its impact, on Thursday increased its estimate of the damage and economic loss to USD 135-USD 150 billion.
Firefighters made significant gains Thursday at slowing the spread of the Eaton and Palisades fires, though both remained at 0% containment, officials said.
Crews also knocked down a blaze in the Hollywood Hills, allowing an evacuation to be lifted Thursday. The fire that sparked up late Wednesday near the heart of the entertainment industry came perilously close to igniting the famed Hollywood Bowl outdoor concert venue.
“While we are still facing significant threats, I am hopeful that the tide is turning,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said Thursday.
Water dropped from aircraft helped fire crews quickly seize control of the fires in the Hollywood Hills and Studio City, officials said. Much of the widespread destruction occurred Tuesday after those aircraft were grounded due to high winds.
Fire officials said Thursday that they don't yet know the cause of the fires but are actively investigating.
Enormity of destruction emerges
Earlier in the week, hurricane-force winds blew embers, igniting the Southern California hillsides.
Right now, it's impossible to quantify the extent of the destruction other than “total devastation and loss,” said Barbara Bruderlin, head of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce.
“There are areas where everything is gone, there isn't even a stick of wood left, it's just dirt,” Bruderlin said.
Of the seven deaths so far, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley confirmed two were in the Palisades Fire. County officials said the Eaton Fire had killed five.
Cadaver dogs and search crews are searching through rubble, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy, were waiting for an ambulance to come, but they did not make it out, Mitchell's daughter, Hajime White, told The Washington Post.
Shari Shaw told KTLA that she tried to get her 66-year-old brother, Victor Shaw, to evacuate Tuesday night but he wanted to stay and fight the fire. Crews found his body with a garden hose in his hand.
On Thursday, recovery crews pulled a body from rubble of what was a beach-front residence in Malibu on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. A charred washer and dryer were among the few things that remained.
Evacuations, school closures and arrests
At least 180,000 people were under evacuation orders, and the fires have consumed about 117 square kilometers — roughly the size of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles' history.
All schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second largest, will be closed Friday because of the heavy smoke wafting over the city and ash raining down in parts, and classes will not resume until the conditions improve, officials said.
At least 20 arrests have been made for looting, and the city of Santa Monica declared a curfew Wednesday night because of the lawlessness, officials said. Luna said to protect properties national guard troops would be stationed near the areas ravaged by fire and a curfew was expected to go into effect from 6 pm until 6 am, starting as soon as Thursday.
Actors lost homes
Flames destroyed the homes of several celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton.
Jamie Lee Curtis pledged USD 1 million to start a “fund of support” for those affected by the fires that touched all economic levels from the city's wealthy to its working class.
Picking up the pieces with nowhere to go
Robert Lara sifted through the remains of his home in Altadena on Thursday with tears in his eyes, hoping to find a safe containing a set of earrings that once belonged to his great-great-grandmother.
“All our memories, all our sentimental attachments, things that were gifted from generation to generation to generation are now gone,” he said.
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Won’t make defamatory remarks against CM’s wife, AAP MP tells Court
The allegations were made in connection with the multi-crore cash-for-government-jobs scam.
The suit was filed last month, prompting the Court to seek Singh’s response by January 10, 2025.
On December 5, 2024, Singh along with Goa AAP leaders had addressed a press conference in party’s national office at Delhi where he allegedly made the allegations against Sulakshana Sawant.
Sulakshana in her complaint has urged the Court to direct Singh to publish an apology clarifying that the defamatory video, article, interview and statements were false, not based on facts, and tender an unconditional apology. She had also prayed to restrain the AAP MP by a permanent injunction from making any defamatory statements pertaining to her on any of the social media websites or portals.
The Court has adjourned the matter to January 24, 2025, for further proceedings.
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Locals furious as Morjim hotel comes up ‘without clearance’
She had granted permission for the operation of a cafeteria and food court by Magna Amusement & Leisure Private Limited – but does not mention a hotel or a swimming pool.
Naik, speaking on behalf of the company, said, “We promise that the hotel will not open before we receive the Occupancy Certificate from the Panchayat. We will resolve the matter before opening.”
However, Sarpanch Gadekar remained firm, stating, “The Panchayat has given no permission for construction and we will discuss the Occupancy Certificate when we receive the application.”
Local residents are particularly outraged by what they see as the unchecked development of properties by outsiders. Albert Fernandes, a Morjim resident, expressed his frustration: “It is shameful to be a Goan when people from outside build without regard for local authorities. If a local builds even a room, demolition notices are immediately served. Meanwhile, this property has not only built rooms and a swimming pool but has also buried a sacred well without permission, and no one seems to care.”
Naik, however, defended the construction, stating that the company had applied to the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department for permission to build the swimming pool. Yet, he could not clarify how the pool was constructed before receiving the necessary approval. “We are sure to get the permission,” he added, explaining that the company had an agreement with the Morjim Devasthan, which owns the land, to return the land in its original state after 15 years.
Prasad Kavlekar, Senior General Manager of the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), clarified that the GTDC had approved the proposal to open a hotel to boost foot traffic but had only given permission to operate the hotel on the condition that all necessary permissions for construction were obtained. “The GTDC has not given permission to build, only approval to operate once all the required permissions are in place,” Kavlekar stated.
The incident has fuelled concerns about the growing influence of outside developers in Goa, with some residents accusing a ‘Delhi mafia’ of taking advantage of the State’s land. Vinayak Datta, a local resident, remarked, “This is proof that the Delhi mafia thinks Goa is theirs. They have taken much of our land, including sacred places, without any consideration, while the government has been a mute spectator.”
Mayur Shetgaonkar, another Morjim resident, shared his frustration, revealing that he had submitted a formal complaint to the Morjim Panchayat when construction began but received no response. "I gave a written complaint, and yet the Panchayat chose to remain silent," he said.
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2024 hottest year ever recorded
That’s an unusually large jump; until the last couple of super-hot years, global temperature records were exceeded only by hundredths of a degree, scientists said.
The last 10 years are the 10 hottest on record and are likely the hottest in 125,000 years, Burgess said.
July 10 was the hottest day recorded by humans, with the globe averaging 17.16 degrees Celsius, Copernicus found.
By far the biggest contributor to record warming is the burning of fossil fuels, several scientists said. A temporary natural El Nino warming of the central Pacific added a small amount and an undersea volcanic eruption in 2022 ended up cooling the atmosphere because it put more reflecting particles in the atmosphere as well as water vapor, Burgess said.
World breaches major threshold
This is the first time any year passed the 1.5-degree threshold, except for a 2023 measurement by Berkeley Earth, which was originally funded by philanthropists who were skeptical of global warming.
Scientists were quick to point out that the 1.5 goal is for long-term warming, now defined as a 20-year average. Warming since pre-industrial times over the long term is now at 1.3 degrees Celsius.
The 1.5 degree C threshold isn’t just a number it’s a red flag. Surpassing it even for a single year shows how perilously close we are to breaching the limits set by the Paris Agreement, Northern Illinois University climate scientist Victor Gensini said in an email. A 2018 massive United Nations study found that keeping Earth's temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius could save coral reefs from going extinct, keep massive ice sheet loss in Antarctica at bay and prevent many people’s death and suffering.
Francis called the threshold dead in the water.
Burgess called it extremely likely that Earth will overshoot the 1.5-degree threshold, but called the Paris Agreement extraordinarily important international policy that nations around the world should remain committed to.