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The most well-known ship of 2021, and why we adore it

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Unless a ship sinks, ships are rarely discussed. Ships have been the drivers of human migrations, economy, trade, and culture for thousands of years, but we don’t pay them much attention. They simply go about their business, ruling the planet in silence.

The month of March 2021 was an outlier. It was a time when a ship became trapped and virtually the entire world took notice. And what a location to become stuck in.

On March 23, 2021, the Ever Given, one of the world’s largest container ships, became caught in the Suez Canal, and since the Suez Canal is so narrow, the stopped ship blocked the Canal. That was it; a ship had become stranded, and a large portion of global trade had come to a halt. That’s when the rest of the world took notice.

It wasn’t all the fault of the poor giant. A sandstorm occurred just as the ship was crossing the Canal, and the ship went aground on a sandbank due to a strong gust of wind.

The Suez Canal is responsible for 12% of global trade, therefore it’s a terrible place to get stalled. According to estimates, the block was holding up items worth $9.6 billion dollars every day, or $400 million per hour.

The ship became the world’s favourite news and meme fodder of the year while trapped. After all, history isn’t written by well-behaved, disciplined ships.

To liberate the 200,000-ton cargo ship, it needed every tugboat in the area, a large number of ocean salvage specialists, and a lot of effort. However, before the ship was released, a little excavator became well-known.

For a long time, the image of hope, determination, and efforts will remain the little boy digging up sand to refloat the Goliath ship looming before it.

The ship sparked some of the year’s best and most inventive memes.

There’s a website where you can have Ever Given become trapped wherever you want it to get stuck. Why should the Suez Canal have all the fun? The cleverly named website ‘Ever Given Ever Ywhere’ allows you to stick Ever Given everywhere.

After nearly a week, Ever Given was eventually let free. While the Canal was closed, Egyptian authorities proclaimed a state of emergency. They had even filed a billion-dollar lawsuit against the shipowners. Ever Given was stranded, not literally, but legally, in the Great Bitter Lake for months after being refloated while the court dispute raged on.

The ship was finally liberated in July, and it crossed the Canal again in August this year, happily without being trapped. After arriving at the UK’s Felixstowe port on December 27, the world-famous ship has safely crossed the canal a couple of times and is now in the North Sea. It is now en route to Hamburg, Germany.

The Suez Canal is the shortest shipping route between the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, measuring around 120 miles long. It connects the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean and is extremely important since, without it, ships would have to circumnavigate the whole African continent before reaching the Indian Ocean, as they did until 1869.

Ever Given got trapped, providing us with some much-needed relief from the Covid pandemic’s never-ending doom. For once, we weren’t talking about mortality, diseases, infections, or hospitals. In other ways, the ship symbolised how the world must keep moving forward, despite the fact that the epidemic is merely a sandbank. It can only slow us down, not stop us.

Let us all hope that global trade will continue unabated in 2022 and that no ships will become stranded.

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Navi Mumbai Police Seize Drugs Worth ₹1.10 Crore, Arrest Three in Pre-Dawn Raid

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In a major crackdown on drug trafficking and illegal immigration, the Navi Mumbai Police conducted a pre-dawn raid on Thursday, seizing narcotics worth Rs1.10 crore and arresting three African nationals.

Acting on directives from Commissioner of Police Milind Bharambe, the Anti-Narcotics Cell and Crime Branch launched a coordinated operation at 4:00 AM. The raid, led by Assistant Commissioner Bhausaheb Dhole and Inspector Sandeep Nigde, involved 125 police officers targeting 11 locations across the Commissionerate.

Authorities confiscated 118.48 grams of high-quality cocaine worth Rs59.24 lakh, 100.84 grams of MD powder valued at Rs50.42 lakh, and Rs43,500 in cash. A total of 35 African nationals were screened, and three individuals found in possession of narcotics were arrested under the NDPS Act at Ulwe Police Station.

Additionally, 11 individuals with expired visas and passports were served Leave India Notices, as part of the police’s intensified efforts against illegal immigration.

The Navi Mumbai Police have vowed to continue their crackdown on drug trafficking and unlawful activities, warning of strict action against offenders.

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Principal, Coordinator Booked For Detaining Kindergarten Student Over Pending Fees

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A case has been registered against the principal and a coordinator of Orchid International School, Seawoods, for allegedly detaining a five-year-old kindergarten student in the daycare center for four hours over a pending fee of Rs1,000.

The complaint was filed by the child’s father, who stated that on January 28, when he arrived to pick up his son at 12:30 PM, the boy was missing from the queue. Upon inquiry, the class teacher directed him to the school management. Principal Vaishali Solani then informed him that his son’s fees were pending and, as per school policy, he and another student were kept in the daycare center.

After paying Rs1,000 on the spot, the boy was finally handed over to his father around 1:00 PM. However, when the father requested CCTV footage to verify the incident, the school delayed providing it. Upon intervention from Belapur BJP MLA Manda Mhatre, the police commissioner was urged to take action.

The footage revealed that the child and another student were confined in the daycare center from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM and were not allowed to attend class. The father alleged that the school’s zonal head, Shreeya Shah, initially promised to terminate the principal but later withdrew the assurance.

Following the complaint, NRI Coastal police booked Solani and coordinator Deepti under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act for cruelty to children. Authorities are investigating the matter further.

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One Arrested, One Absconding in Kharghar Road Rage Murder Case

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Navi Mumbai Crime Branch Apprehends One, Continues Manhunt for Second Accused.

The Case

After a week of investigation, the Navi Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested one of the two accused involved in the Kharghar road rage case. The arrested suspect, identified as Rehan Shaikh (20), was caught in BKC on Monday night, while his accomplice, Faizan Shaikh (20), remains absconding. Both are residents of Nagpada and worked as delivery boys.

The incident took place on February 3, when IT professional Shivkumar Roshanlal Sharma (45) was attacked following a dispute over overtaking. According to police investigations, Sharma overtook the accused twice and allegedly spat at them, which led to a heated argument between them near Utsav Chowk. During the altercation, Sharma kicked one of the accused, after which the other suspect struck him multiple times on the head with a helmet.

Although Sharma did not appear seriously injured, he rode to Kharghar police station, reported the assault, and even shared a video of the incident before suddenly collapsing. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead.

The accused fled the scene, unaware of Sharma’s death, and later attended an event in Kharghar before returning home. Police tracked them down using CCTV footage, technical evidence, and informants.

Rehan Shaikh has been handed over to Kharghar police and was presented in Panvel court on Tuesday. Authorities are continuing their efforts to arrest Faizan Shaikh. The investigation was led by senior crime branch officers under the supervision of ACP Ajay Landge and DCP Amit Kale.

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