'Iconic' image of Palestinian protester in Gaza goes viral
An image of a shirtless young protester in Gaza gripping a Palestinian flag with one hand and swinging a slingshot over his head with the other has drawn comparisons with the iconic French Revolution painting, Liberty Leading the People.
Captured on October 22 by Mustafa Hassouna of Turkey's Anadolu Agency, the photo shows 20-year-old Palestinian A'ed Abu Amro seeming to rise out of the thick of a protest against the Israeli blockade.
He appears in sharp contrast to fellow demonstrators and reporters in protective jackets behind him, all set against a background of black smoke from burning tyres. The image has been tweeted over 5,000 times.
When a Michelangelo with a camera captures David fighting Goliath in action.
— (((YousefMunayyer))) (@YousefMunayyer) October 24, 2018
Getty image by Mustafa Hassouna pic.twitter.com/MgJAbr7JwQ
Abu Amro lives in the al-Zaytoun neighbourhood in Gaza City. He protests every Friday and Monday with friends.
"I was surprised this picture of me went viral," he told Al Jazeera. "I participate in protests on a weekly basis, sometimes more. I didn't even know there was a photographer near me."
Amro said that his friends sent him the image - taken in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza - the next day, having spotted it being shared on social media.
"I don't go to protests to get pictures of me taken, but this has encouraged me to continue demonstrating," he said.
"The flag I was carrying is the same one I always hold in all the other protests I've attended. My friends make fun of me, saying it is easier to throw rocks without holding a flag in the other hand, but I got used to it.
"If I get killed, I want to be wrapped in the same flag. We are demanding our right of return, and protesting for our dignity and the dignity of our future generation."
"13th attempt to break the Gaza blockade by sea". (Photo by Mustafa Hassouna, Andalou Agency for Getty).
— Fred Oumar KANOUTÉ (@FredericKanoute) October 24, 2018
Does it look familiar, especially to the French?#FreePalestine #EndTheBlockade pic.twitter.com/hswvIWmfF9
Beautiful Image of David Vs Goliath
— Revenant410 (@revenant410) October 24, 2018
Oh the irony!
Photo of the year! Powerful stuff. https://t.co/OWSA9ufTsO
— Zaid Rahim (@zaid_rahim) October 25, 2018
I dare you to see this image and not stare contemplating all the complexity https://t.co/JdoFuLmsVH
— antonietta priolo (@antoniettampa) October 25, 2018
They say a picture speaks a thousand words ? https://t.co/Aay59eyiVG
— pádraig (@podymc) October 25, 2018
I cant stop staring at this photo https://t.co/DOsXTsJDfu
— HiMaui??? (@HiMaui) October 25, 2018
For nearly seven months, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have protested along the fence with Israel demanding their right to return to the homes and land their families were expelled from 70 years ago.
The protesters are also demanding an end to the crippling 11-year Israeli blockade of the enclave.
courtesy : aljazeera.com
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Three company directors held in Rs 100-crore investment fraud in Kochi
Kochi (Kerala) (PTI): Police on Sunday arrested three directors of a firm accused of cheating hundreds of investors of over Rs 100 crore through a fake investment scheme linked to agricultural tourism here, officials said.
The accused were identified as Muraleedharan, Ashik Murali and Akhil Murali, all natives of Thrissur.
The arrests were made by the Kalamassery police in connection with a fraud involving ATCOS (Agri Tourism Cooperative Society), a firm headquartered at Pathadipalam here.
Police said the company had promised high returns by collecting investments from the public in the agricultural tourism sector, but allegedly cheated hundreds of people and fled with the money.
ATCOS was registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act and operated 13 branches across various districts in Kerala, besides a branch in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, officials said.
When investors failed to receive their promised returns or the invested amount, complaints were filed with the police.
Officials said around 54 cases have been registered against the firm in 32 police stations across the state, including 29 cases at the Kalamassery police station alone.
Following instructions from Kochi City Police Commissioner K S Mahesh Kumar, a special investigation team was formed under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Shehensha and Thrikkakara ACP Manoj Kumar.
The team traced the accused to an apartment in Amala Nagar in Thrissur, where they had been hiding after secretly renting the flat, officials said.
The bank accounts of the accused have been frozen, and steps have been initiated to trace their assets, officials said.
Police also conducted a raid at the company’s office at Pathadipalam and seized several documents related to the case.
The accused were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Kalamassery, which remanded them to judicial custody and sent them to Kakkanad jail.
Police said they would seek the custody of the accused for further interrogation as the investigation continues.
