Counting of votes for #BiharElection2020 underway in Patna https://t.co/wFnh9Dnmgc

Counting process in the Bihar assembly polls is turning out to be a slow process — by 4pm only around 42% of votes had been counted.  With Covid restrictions in place and the number of voters limited to 1,000 per booth, 63% more EVMs were used this time.  According to the ECI, the number of polling stations were raised from 72,723 earlier to 1,06,515.  Around 2. 7 crore out of the 4. 11 crore votes polled in Bihar were counted till 5. 30 pm.  Even as trends at 7. 45 pm show a clear lead for the NDA, with the BJP increasing its gap with the rest, the Opposition is holding onto hope given the peculiarity of counting in this election.  Given the special coronavirus circumstances, the election commission had capped the maximum number of voters per booth from a maximum of 1,500 to 1,000.  This means an increase in the number of polling booths, from where votes are to be counted on Tuesday. In 2015, counting took place at 38 locations.  This time, it’s happening at 55 locations.  The officials also said the number of counting rounds range from 19 to 51 — approximately 35 rounds on an average.  Bihar Election Results: Full coverageChief electoral officer H R Srinivasa said around 4. 10 crore votes were cast this time.  The total number of voters in Bihar stood at 71,822,450.  Earlier there used to be 25-26 rounds of counting, this time it went up to around 35 rounds.  So the counting will continue till late night.  The EC officials said tables in a particular hall, where votes are being counted have been reduced to seven from the 14 earlier to maintain social distancing in view of the Covid-19 threat.  RJD leader Manoj Jha said that in multiple seats, counting could go up to 30 to 35 rounds, which leaves them scope for a comeback, particularly with wafer-thin leads on 70 seats.   Deputy election commissioner Ashish Kundra added that nearly 160,000 ballots were dispatched for service voters, of which (as of the most recent data) over 50,000 have been received by the returning officers (RO).  Deputy election commissioner Sudeep Jain further asserted that the EVMs were absolutely robust, shooting down any questions about a possibility of tampering with the counting.  Also Read: Amit Shah dials Nitish Kumar as NDA maintains marginal lead in BiharBihar is witnessing a politically charged contest with numbers seeming to be a far cry from the exit poll predictions.  Exit polls had predicted an edge for the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan.


CNN PROJECTION: Donald Trump wins South Dakota

Joe Biden wins Connecticut https://t.co/dcPxpkgu7D #CNNElection https://t.co/EVixGd3VGU

The president-elect emphasized how he would handle the pandemic response. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris deliver 1st message of unity after historic winJoe Biden is set to become the 46th president of the United States, capping a tumultuous and tension-filled campaign during a historic pandemic against President Donald Trump.  ABC News characterized Joe Biden as the apparent winner of his home state of Pennsylvania, putting him over the 270 vote threshold needed to capture the presidency. The hard-fought battle against the president was set against the backdrop of racial unrest and the coronavirus pandemic and bitter divisions among the electorate. Trump had falsely declared on election night, when he held a lead in several key states, that he won the contest and alleged without evidence, after the count started to swing the other way, that the election was being stolen from him and that fraud had been committed. Painting the election as a "battle for the soul of the nation," Biden won on a message of unity over division, compassion over anger, and reality over what he called Trump's "wishful thinking" as the coronavirus pandemic cast a heavy shadow over the campaign. The 2020 election has shattered voting records with votes totaling 147 million and counting, surpassing the 138 million who voted in 2016. A Justice Department official confirmed Monday evening that Richard Pilger, a career official who was serving as director of the Elections Crimes Branch, has resigned from his role in the division because of the attorney general's memo authorizing U. S.  attorneys to "pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities," despite little evidence surfacing thus far of any widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Pilger has stepped back into a role in the DOJ's Public Integrity Section. The New York Times reported that Pilger wrote to colleagues in an email this evening, "Having familiarized myself with the new policy and its ramifications, I must regretfully resign from my role as director of the Election Crimes Branch. ”A DOJ spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Pilger's resignation. When ABC News sought a response from Pilger, an automatic reply to the email said, "I am no longer the Director of the Election Crimes Branch, and have stepped back to the line at the Public Integrity Section. "-ABC News' Alexander MallinThe Biden transition team will not receive full intelligence briefings until the General Services Administration officially "ascertains" the former vice president to be winner of the presidential election, according to a statement from the Office of Director of National Intelligence on Monday. "ODNI follows the statutory direction provided in the Presidential Transition Act, which requires ascertainment of the candidate by the administrator of GSA prior to supporting a potential presidential transition.  ODNI would not have contact with any transition team until notified by the GSA Administrator," an ODNI spokesperson said in a statement. Meanwhile, outside government watchdogs are already warning that a continued delay in briefings could carry grave national security implications for the incoming administration. Aaron Scherb, the legal director at Common Cause, told ABC News on Monday that the "petty and unproductive" decision by GSA to withhold key resources to the Biden transition could have the "potential for catastrophic results. " "By GSA not signing off on this, there is certainly some classified intelligence information that the incoming administration would not have access to -- and would potentially not be fully prepared on day one to be able to counteract ongoing efforts from our adversaries like all previous incoming administrations have," Scherb said. "If the Biden transition team doesn't have access to some of the documents and information," he continued, "there are national security concerns. "-ABC News' Molly Nagle and Lucien BruggemanAttorney General William Barr sent a memo to U. S.  attorneys Monday evening authorizing them to "pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities," despite little evidence surfacing thus far of any widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. In the memo Barr says that such inquiries "may be conducted if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State. "But Barr emphasized in the letter that this should not be taken as the DOJ believing there was widespread fraud -- a baseless claim being made by attorneys for Trump and the RNC.  Rather, he's doling authority out to U. S.  attorneys in the event they might uncover any such credible evidence of a fraud conspiracy that might affect vote tabulations before election results are certified. "Nothing here should be taken as any indication that the Department has concluded that voting irregularities have impacted the outcome of any election," Barr wrote.  "Rather, I provide this authority and guidance to emphasize the need to timely and appropriately address allegations of voting irregularities so that all of the American people, regardless of their preferred candidate or party, can have full confidence in the results of our elections. ""While it is imperative that credible allegations be addressed in a timely and effective manner, it is equally imperative that Department personnel exercise appropriate caution and maintain the Department's absolute commitment to fairness, neutrality and non-partisanship," Barr said in the memo.  "While serious allegations should be handled with great care, specious, speculative, fanciful or far-fetched claims should not be a basis for initiating federal inquiries. "-ABC News' Alexander MallinBiden is slated to give remarks focused on the Affordable Care Act and the Trump administration's lawsuit to overturn it.  Biden will talk about his own plan "to expand access to quality, affordable health care. "The event in Wilmington, Delaware, is slated for 2 p. m. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments at 10 a. m.  in the case brought by Trump and 18 Republican-led states asking that the Affordable Care Act be eliminated in its entirety.


Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to dedicate Kosi Rail Mega Bridge to the nation and inaugurate new rail lines and electrification projects in Bihar, via video-conferencing. https://t.co/gQrsJXQxu4

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the historical Kosi Rail Mega Bridge to the nation and inaugurated new rail lines and electrification projects in Bihar via video-conferencing.  Railway Minister Piyush Goyal was present at the event.  “These projects will improve Bihar’s railway network and also strengthen connectivity in areas of West Bengal and West India,” PM Modi said. The PM took a dig at the Congress government for not expediting the Kosi Rail line programme for which foundation stone was laid by Atal Bihari Vajpayee when his government was in power before 2004.  “If the government continued to work at the rate it was working on after 2004, the project could never have been completed on time,” he said. “In the last 6 years, efforts are being made to shape Indian Railways as per the aspirations of new India and expectations of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat. ’ The made in India trains are becoming part of rail network,“ PM Modi said. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said that the Kosi Rail Mega Bridge will not only connect two places but also help the state’s economy grow.  “This will aid in the overall development of the state,” he said. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar thanked PM Modi and Railway Minister for their work aimed at Bihar’s development.  He expressed his gratitude for the projects being inaugurated on Friday. Bihar deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi said that these rail lines will connect Jain and Buddhist pilgrimage sites and encourage tourism in Bihar. “The bridge has strategic importance along the India-Nepal border.  The historical project to build the bridge, which is 1. 9 kilometres long and has been constructed at a cost of Rs 516 crore, was sanctioned by the Centre in 2003-04,” a government release said. “The project was completed during the Covid-19 pandemic where the migrant labour also participated in its completion,” it added.


A video of six men brutally beating up a woman in public, while police officials watch without taking action, is being shared as a fake instance of ‘injustice against Dalit women’.  The incident actually has no caste context and was a dispute between a husband and a wife over a domestic matter.  CLAIM Six men can be seen in the video, beating and kicking the woman on the ground, who can be heard wailing.  One man even hits her with a stick.  While bystanders stop and stare, a couple of people appear to try and stop the men.  But cops who can be seen in the frame do not appear to be taking any action.  One Twitter user shared the video with the claim that this was a Dalit woman who was being beaten up.  The tweet had 5. 5k views, 228 retweets and 274 likes at the time this story was published.  We also found that the video had been viral in May with the claim that the woman in the video belonged to the Muslim community.  The video was also shared with this communal angle on Facebook.  WHAT WE FOUND On looking at messages on the tweet, The Quint found that the incident caught on video here had taken place in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur.  On searching with keywords, we found that it had taken place in an area called Rehra Bazaar on 23 May.  According to news reports, one of the men who can be seen beating up the woman is her husband, and the others are all her relatives – three nephews and two brother-in-laws.  According to the reports, the dispute had arisen between the woman, Sushila Devi and her husband, Ashok Kumar, over their house and some electricity cables in their house, which led to the latter beating her up along with other male members of the family.  Suresh Diwan of Rehra Bazaar police station confirmed the incident, as well as the names and identities of those involved in the incident to The Quint.  He also told us that there was no caste angle involved and that the woman was not a Dalit.  He also said that four of the six men, who can be seen in the video, including Kumar, were arrested the same day as the incident and that efforts are underway to arrest the other two.  Balrampur Superintendent of Police Dev Ranjan Verma had also said the same in a video uploaded to Balrampur Police’s Twitter handle on 23 May.  SP Verma also added that the policemen seen in the video not taking any action had been suspended from duty.  Therefore, it is clear that a domestic dispute over a house between a husband and a wife, which led to the latter being thrashed is being falsely shared with the claim that this is injustice against a Dalit or a Muslim woman.  There is neither any caste, nor any communal angle in the incident.


#BiharElection2020 The counting of votes for Bihar Assembly elections is underway at counting centre established at Anugrah Narayan College in Patna https://t.co/nPfjLuzxxx

The counting of the votes polled in seven Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly seats, where bypolls were held last Saturday (November 3), started from 8 am on Tuesday (November 10) amid precautionary measures due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. UP chief electoral officer (CEO) Ajay Kumar Shukla said the Election Commission of India (ECI) has made adequate arrangements for personal protective equipment (PPE) kits such as face shields, masks, thermal scanners, gloves, sanitisers, soaps and water for those who have been deputed for the counting. An average of over 53% of voters had exercised their franchise to decide the electoral fate of 88 candidates, including nine women, for the Naugawan Sadat, Tundla, Bangarmau, Bulandshahr, Deoria, Ghatampur and Malhani assembly seats. Also Read: D-day for 58 assembly seats across 11 states“A maximum seven tables have been be placed in a counting hall.  The counting of votes for Bulandshahar and Malahani assembly segments are being done in three halls each while counting for the remaining five constituencies are being conducted in two halls each,” Shukla said. “Adequate security forces have been deployed at the counting centres to maintain law and order.  The ECI has deputed seven observers to monitor the exercise.  The results of all the seven seats are likely to be declared by Tuesday evening,” he added. Of the seven assembly seats, where bypolls were held, six and one were held by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP), respectively, in the 2017 assembly elections. UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and the BJP’s state unit president Swatantra Dev Singh had led the party’s campaign on all the seven seats.  The SP had also campaigned vigorously.  The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress had also mobilised their resources to increase their strength in the 403-member UP legislative assembly. AK Saxena, a political observer, said the results of the by-election would set the tone for the 2022 UP assembly polls.  The results would reflect the mood of voters both in urban and rural areas in the wake of Covid-19--induced lockdown since the assembly seats are spread across the state.  “Economic slowdown, new agriculture policy and migrants’ issues were raised by the political parties during the campaigning.  The results will also reflect the voters’ reaction to these issues,” he said. The maximum number of candidates in the electoral fray is in the Bulandshahr assembly seat, followed by Malhan (16)i, 14 each in Deoria and Naugawan Sadat, 10 each in Tundla and Bangarmau and six in Ghatampur.  The Naugawan Sadat, Ghatampur, Bulandshahar, Deoria and Malhani assembly seats fell vacant after the death of sitting lawmakers Chetan Chauhan, Kamal Rani Varun, Virendra Singh Sirohi, Janmejai Singh and Prasanath Yadav, respectively. The Bangarmau assembly seat in Unnao district fell vacant after the disqualification of the then sitting legislator Kuldeep Singh Sengar following his conviction in a rape case on December 20, 2019.


Sen. Lindsey Graham: "If you're looking for somebody that a Republican would be picking regardless of the process, it would be Judge Barrett. She would be on anybody's list." https://t.co/ZXtjY5pWfM https://t.co/sZXAbz1faM

By Fredreka Schouten, CNNUpdated 5:26 PM ET, Sun October 11, 2020  (CNN)Democratic Senate candidate Jaime Harrison, running to unseat Sen.  Lindsey Graham in South Carolina, raised $57 million during the final full quarter of the campaign, shattering Senate fundraising records as his party seeks to wrest control of the chamber from Republicans. CNN's David Wright and Caroline Kenny contributed to this report.


Electric car maker Tesla will stop accepting Bitcoin as a payment, CEO Elon Musk tweets, citing environmental concerns. https://t.co/MnQTcATeYf

By Julia Horowitz, CNN BusinessUpdated 1342 GMT (2142 HKT) May 13, 2021 London (CNN Business)Elon Musk's surprise reversal on accepting bitcoin payments for Tesla (TSLA) cars has triggered a sharp plunge in the cryptocurrency — spelling trouble for other coins that have notched shocking returns in recent months.


#Analysis | In the Congress, the pandemic, polls and the election of the next president

(By @VinodSharmaView)

https://t.co/C2RUiwiOiH https://t.co/wRi8xGYxBC

At a meeting on May 10, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) “temporarily” deferred the long overdue organisational elections.  But the health emergency-related exigencies that necessitated the delay aren’t going to go way anytime soon.  The circumstances make Sonia Gandhi’s continuation as the party’s interim president inevitable through this year, perhaps until polls happen to five state assemblies in the first quarter of 2022. Barring Uttar Pradesh, the Congress could be in the reckoning for power in the remaining election-bound states: Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.  After the February-March round, elections are scheduled to the Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat legislatures in October and December next year. “Even if we want to hasten party elections, how do we do it? ” wondered a senior Congress leader who was part of the ginger group of 23, which wrote to Gandhi in August 2020, advocating an organisational revamp to face up to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s political challenge.  He said the virus on the rampage has changed the ground situation as people were dying for want of essential medical services.  The battle against the pandemic, in his view, was as much a battle of perception the party should seek to win by speaking for the people and standing by them. Also Read | Despite second wave, Bhagwat’s comments indicate Sangh-BJP ties on trackHow much the Congress can do by way of providing relief to the diseased and their loved ones, especially in the states it governs, remains in the realm of uncertainty, with the chaos on the ground being the same everywhere. Organisational mechanics In terms of organisational mechanics, however, Gandhi has done well by reaching out to Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Union health minister and a prominent G-23 face, to give him charge of the Congress’s Covid-19 task force.  Besides senior leaders, the panel includes BV Srinivas, the youth Congress president who has earned encomiums for his Good Samaritan acts with a team of committed workers. There certainly is some freshness in the teams Gandhi has constituted for pandemic related work and to study the party’s disappointing show in the assembly elections.  Another member of the pro-change group, Manish Tewari, has a seat on the panel led by former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan to evaluate the causes of the Congress’s defeat in the polls, especially in Kerala, Assam, Puducherry and West Bengal. The co-option of Anand Sharma, also a signatory to the letter written to Gandhi, is evident as much in the statement he recently issued on the Israel-Palestine conflict as chairperson of the All India Congress Committee’s foreign affairs department. These short-term initiatives do not take away from the fact that the party needs a full-time, hands-on president who’s accessible and willing to carry colleagues along across age groups.  Several party persons informally shared ideas that they thought could be implemented in the immediate, middle and long time-frames to place the party back on the rails. Preparing for polls For starters, many felt the Chavan panel’s report on poll debacles should be discussed threadbare in the CWC and shared perhaps in full or in a redacted form at various tiers of the party organisation. “The leadership should build upon the report and turn it into a sort of blue book to be followed during election time,” remarked a CWC member who declined to be quoted.  He said an honest narrative of “how the party managed to lose could be the best lesson on how to win”.  It’ll be a creative short-term move to promote accountability with transparency. Thr Chavan panel is working overtime — virtually — to wrap up its task in about six weeks.  Its findings should be factored in for preparing the party in states due for polls next year, proffered an AICC secretary with a state portfolio.  The corrective steps, he said, should be taken right away, be it undertaking organisational changes, deciding the party’s CM face or sewing up alliances. For instance, former chief minister Harish Rawat is the Congress’s most prominent face in Uttarakhand but is currently the AICC in-charge of another poll bound state of Punjab.  Likewise, the Congress has to look for a formidable successor to the 87-year-old Virbhadra Singh in Himachal. Requiring an immediate resolution in Punjab is the growing friction between Capt Amarinder Singh and Navjot Sidhu.  The latter has taken to the social media to voice the resentment shared by other party legislators over the CM allowing the bureaucracy a disproportionate control of the state administration. “These issues need to be immediately addressed,” said a state unit head of the Congress.  He felt the party often paid the price for prevaricating on key changes in the lead-up to elections when the best approach is to name the leader and leave it to him to sort out local angularities against his elevation in consultation with the AICC general secretary concerned.  For such decisions to be fruitful they’ve to be taken much in advance and not when the elections are a whisker away. Also Read | The inside story of why the BJP lost Bengal“The template can work if power is genuinely devolved by the high command and exercised fairly at the state level,” noted a party veteran, calling it a “gingerly first step” towards nurturing leadership in provinces without which the party cannot be federally structured.  “The central leadership has to be a planet with satellites. ”Alliance-building The planet-satellite imagery is a long-haul process requiring, in the middle term, a neatly held organisational overhaul reflective of the party rank and file’s support and sentiments.  Once in place, the architecture will be best suited for myriad objectives, notably the alliances the Congress needs at the state level. Here one’s reminded of Sharad Pawar’s formula that did not reach fruition in the run-up to the 2019 polls.  The Nationalist Congress Party patron had then said that the Congress should extend and take primacy in seat sharing through an objective assessment of its strength in comparison with regional stakeholders.  Illustration: it can be the senior partner in Rajasthan or Gujarat, not in Bihar or Uttar Pradesh. Be that as it may, an alliance making team comprising the party’s provincial and central leaders should be constituted in the not too distant future for the impending assembly polls.  The same body can liaison with other parties to nationally carry forward the task closer to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.  If it works, the arrangement might well throw up a core group of policy makers the party has lacked since the demise of the Ahmed Patel-Motilal Vora duo and the marginalisation of Janardhan Dwivedi. To make the experiment work, Gandhi or whoever takes over as the Congress president after her, will at once have to be a disrupter and a consensus builder.  For her part, the interim chief is more of a consensus person — a trait currently needed to assuage ruffled sentiments but not quite effective when hard decisions must to be taken.


Video shows people protesting against Hazara killings is from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir

A video of people protesting in Kargil, India, against the recent Hazara killings in Mach area of Balochistan, is viral on social media with claims that it shows demonstrations in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) against the Pakistan Army for inflicting violence on the community.   The video has been tweeted several times with the caption, "Thousands of locals in #Pakistan occupied #Kashmir protested against the atrocities & human rights violations committed for decades on it own people by Pakistan Army.  Is this the beginning of the end of Pakistan, the Garrison State? " Click here for an archive of the tweet.   Thousands of locals in #Pakistan occupied #Kashmir protested against the atrocities & human rights violations committed for decades on it own people by Pakistan Army. Is this the beginning of the end of Pakistan, the Garrison State? @majorgauravarya @MAJORshailendra @CestMoiz pic. twitter. com/kDKZBaav8w The video was earlier tweeted by Radio Chinar, a Kashmir based news outlet, with the same narrative.  It has since been deleted.  Click here for an archive.    The video is viral in the backdrop of the death of eleven coal miners from the Shiite Hazara community, who were kidnapped and killed by the extremist organisation Islamic State on January 3, 2021.  The community began demonstrating  and refused to bury the bodies of the deceased in an act of protest.  Prime Minister Imran Khan visited a delegation of the Hazaras and Shiite leaders in Quetta and assured a compensation for the dead on January 10, following which the protest ended.  Fact Check BOOM ran a keyword search on YouTube and found a video of the protest uploaded on the platform on January 8, 2021 by Jammu and Kashmir's local daily, Daily Excelsior .  Protesters can be seen carrying the same banner as in the viral video.   The video has been titled as, Kargil: Massive Protest Against Hazaras' Killing In Pakistan.  According to the description, the rally was held in Kargil to protest the death of 11 Hazara Shia community members.  The protest rally was organized under the banner of Anjuman Jamiyat Ullama Isna Ashriya Kargil (AJUIAK) Ladakh, starting of Isna Ashriya square passing through Khomeni Chowk, Lal Chowk concluding at Isna Ashriya square in which hundreds of people participated.  Upon further keyword search we found the entire protest footage uploaded on the Anjuman Jamiat ul Ulama Isna Asharia Kargil-Ladakh (AJUIAK) channel of YouTube.   The same clip can be seen from 3 minute 18 second mark.   The AJUIAK uploaded images from the protest rally on its Facebook page and stated that the organisation was in solidarity with the Hazara community which lost 11 lives in the massacre.  *انجمن جمعیت العلماء اثنا عشریہ کرگل, لداخ کا کوئٹہ کے ہزارہ شیعوں کے ساتھ اظہار ہمدردی. *    *مرکزی نمازِ جمعہ کے بعد. . .  The same video was tweeted by Kashmir-based journalist Sajjad Kargili.   Thousands staged protest in #Kargil against the #HazaraShiaGenocide in #Pakistan. #StopShiaGenocide #ShiaLivesMatter pic. twitter. com/RhbeIeFQkT


#COVID19 vaccination dry run underway at Primary Health Center in Kamakshipalya

(ANI)

Updates: https://t.co/tIAw3kghvU https://t.co/YbtXgh1zql

Sep 05, 2021-Sunday

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Chandigarh reports 29 new Covid cases in last 24 hoursRussia inoculates more than 800,000 people against Covid-19Jharkhand logs 151 new Covid cases in last 24 hoursHimachal Pradesh records 149 new Covid-19 casesUK records 57,725 new Covid-19 cases, 445 deathsJ-K record 244 new coronavirus casesKarnataka logs 755 new Covid casesCovid-19 recoveries in Iran cross 1 million markRajasthan government imposes night curfew from 8 pm to 6 am in 13 urban districtsManipur records 37 new Covid casesMumbai logs 592 fresh Covid casesFinland records first adverse reaction to Pfizer Covid-19 vaccineTamil Nadu records 910 new Covid casesFour UK returnees to Gujarat test positive for new strain494 new Covid-19 cases and 14 deaths in DelhiA one-day nationwide dry run for Covid-19 vaccination began on Saturday and is currently underway, after the exercise was carried out in four states-Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab-on December 28 and 29.  The country's search for a Covid-19 vaccine is also on the verge of ending as a subject experts committee (SEC) of the government on Friday reportedly gave its approval for the emergency use authorisation (EUA) of Oxford University-AstraZeneca's Covishield, which will be manufactured in India by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII).  The vaccine will by officially cleared for use after approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), where its EUA application will be sent next. Click here for full Covid-19 coverageIndia's tally of cases of Covid-19, meanwhile, is at 10,305,788 after the Union health ministry on Saturday reported that the country had logged a total of 19,079 infections in the preceding 24 hours.  Recoveries, active cases and death toll are at 9,906, 387, 250,183 and 149,218 respectively.  These constitute 96. 12%, 2. 43% and 1. 45% of the country's total Covid-19 cases thus far. Follow all live updates here:Chandigarh reports 29 new Covid cases in last 24 hoursChandigarh on Saturday reported 29 fresh coronavirus cases and one death, taking the infection count to 19,865, according to a medical bulletin, reports PTI. Russia inoculates more than 800,000 people against Covid-19More than 800,000 people in Russia have been inoculated so far against the new coronavirus and more than 1. 5 million vaccine doses have been dispatched, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Saturday, reports Reuters. Jharkhand logs 151 new Covid cases in last 24 hoursJharkhand reported 151 new #COVID19 cases & 205 recoveries & 4 deaths today. The total number of cases now stands at 1,15,392 including 1,12,734 recoveries, 1034 deaths, and 1,624 active cases: State Health Department pic. twitter. com/fO42PbojUbHimachal Pradesh records 149 new Covid-19 casesHimachal Pradesh reports 149 new #COVID19 cases, 339 cured cases, and 2 deaths in the last 24 hours. Total cases: 55,619Total cured cases: 52,443Deaths: 926Active cases: 2,202 pic. twitter. com/DOdTXQ0LdlUK records 57,725 new Covid-19 cases, 445 deathsThe United Kingdom recorded a further 57,725 cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, the fifth day running that it has topped 50,000, and another 445 deaths, official data showed, reports Reuters. J-K record 244 new coronavirus casesJammu and Kashmir recorded 244 new coronavirus cases and another death, taking the tally to 1. 21 lakh and the toll to 1,885 on Saturday, officials said, records PTI. Karnataka logs 755 new Covid casesKarnataka reported 755 new #COVID19 cases, 976 discharges and 3 deaths today. Total cases: 9,21,128Total discharges: 8,98,176Death toll: 12,099Active cases: 10,834 pic. twitter. com/rhteaRq2QSCovid-19 recoveries in Iran cross 1 million markIranian health authorities announced 6,045 new Covid-19 infections on Saturday, bringing the overall count to 1,237,474 cases in the country, reports ANI. Rajasthan government imposes night curfew from 8 pm to 6 am in 13 urban districtsNight curfew from 8 pm to 6 am will be in force within the urban limits of the district head quarter towns of 13 districts — Kota, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Udaipur, Ajmer, Alwar, Bhilwara, Nagore, Pali, Tonk, Sikar & Ganganagar: Rajasthan GovernmentManipur records 37 new Covid casesManipur reported 37 new #COVID19 cases, 40 recoveries & 1 death today, says State Health Department. Total cases so far: 28,243Total recoveries: 26,782Active cases: 1,104Total Deaths: 357Recovery rate is 94. 82 % pic. twitter. com/mKvBW239YnMumbai logs 592 fresh Covid casesMumbai reports 592 new #COVID19 cases, 695 recoveries/discharges and 7 deaths today.  Total cases rise to 2,94,659 including 2,74,767 recoveries/discharges and 11,132 deaths.  Active cases stand at 7,892 pic. twitter. com/XhSBDC1t5BFinland records first adverse reaction to Pfizer Covid-19 vaccineThe Finnish Medicines Agency has received the first report of an adverse reaction to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against coronavirus a week after Europe started its mass immunization campaign, the Finnish YLE broadcaster reported on Saturday, reports ANI. Tamil Nadu records 910 new Covid casesTamil Nadu reported 910 new #COVID19 cases, 1,007 discharges, and 11 deaths in the last 24 hours: State Health DepartmentTotal cases: 8,19,845Total discharges: 7,99,427Death toll: 12,146Active cases: 8,272 pic. twitter. com/8M6nlxfVCqFour UK returnees to Gujarat test positive for new strainFour passengers who returned from the United Kingdom have tested positive for the new strain of Covid-19 in Gujarat, says Jayanti Ravi, state principal secretary (health). 494 new Covid-19 cases and 14 deaths in DelhiDelhi reports 494 new Covid-19 cases, 496 recoveries and 14 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per Delhi health department. Delhi reports 494 new #COVID19 cases, 496 recoveries and 14 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per Delhi Health DepartmentTotal cases: 6,26,448Total recoveries: 6,10,535Death toll: 10,571Active cases: 5,342 pic. twitter. com/kyi7wIp4aTFirst published: Jan 02, 2021 07:01 IST


A video of a huge plane carrying many futuristic weapons, technologies, robotic weapons which can camouflage  is viral with different texts 1st *यह वही ड्रोन है जिसे भारत इज़राइल से खरीद रहा है।इसे खरीदने का प्रयास चीन ने भी किया लेकिन भारत का विरोधी होने के कारण इज़राइल ने बेचने से साफ मना कर दिया* आप भी देखिए इस ड्रोन का कमाल” Translation: “This is the same drone which India is buying from Israel.  Even China tried to buy but being Anti-India, Israel clearly denied to sell them.  You also see the miracle of this drone”    2nd “जिस राफेल फाइटर प्लेन के लिए इतना हंगामा हो रहा है उस प्लेन की एक झलक भी देख लीजिये” Translation: “For which Rafale fighter plane, there is such a chaos, you also have a look at it”  WhatsApp –       It’s ironical that people who are forwarding this in the name of Rafale doesn’t have even an iota of idea what Rafale is.  While the plane in video is a huge cargo plane, Rafale is a much smaller fighter aircraft The video is totally computer generated and not real.  The video carries the name of Semenov Dahir Kurmanbievich at the bottom left.  Semenov Dahir Kurmanbievich is the name of the Russian inventor and engineer.  The name present on the left side of the video clearly proves the video is fake.  Rafael has no connection with Dahir Kurmanbievich.  And moreover the mail id that is provided along with the name (dakhirsemenov@gmail. com) is the personal mail id not the mail id of any company.  The official mail id of Rafael should contain the name of Rafael Advance Defense Ltd.  Dahir Semenov, also known as Semenov Dahir Kurmanbievich is a Russian Engineer come innovator.  He has created many such Futurristic videos as how technology can help He uploaded this video in 2016 on his YouTube channel.  Watch 6. 15 minute long Complete video  His another video how drone can be used for war –  You should check out his YouTube Channel for many such intriguing Computer generated videos  A similar false video was viral in the name of Rafale last year and still is.  This actually was a small Remote Controlled Toy Plane Is that really the Rafale fighter plane for which India has done deal with France ?


The IRS is ordering 36,000 furloughed employees to return to work without pay, with less than two weeks to go before tax filing season begins https://t.co/lwoafBwpli https://t.co/BuGKwnvMwZ

The union says some IRS workers are claiming financial hardship. Shutdown concerns grow as more IRS employees skip workSome IRS employees are claiming they can't return to work for the upcoming tax season because of financial hardship, a major union said Wednesday, warning that others could follow in their footsteps if the government shutdown continues much longer. That legions of IRS workers might refuse to show for work raises the prospect that Americans could see a significant slowdown in the agency's ability to process tax returns this year.  It could also ratchet up pressure on President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats as budget talks remain at a standstill.  The Trump administration has tried to mitigate much of the impact of the partial government shutdown by recalling workers for popular programs, such as employees who process federal farm loans and tax refunds, and reclassifying them as essential or "excepted. ""There's been a lot of anxiety in my life and the lives of my friends," said Janet Li, an IRS researcher in Washington who before the shutdown began, was working on how the agency would handle the new tax law. With the spending lapse in its second month and employees facing their second missed paycheck, Li said that if she does receive a notice to return to work without pay, she would consider using sick leave or applying for a hardship exemption.  And she knows of others who would do the same.  Li was among a crowd of federal workers protesting Wednesday on Capitol Hill. "It's to be expected," she told ABC News.  "It's a bit unfair to demand people come in and not get paid. "The IRS announced last week that it would recall another 36,000 workers to process tax refunds in particular, bringing to 46,000 the number of agency employees required to show up without pay.  Under the rules of a government shutdown, any federal workers deemed "essential" could be fired if they don't report to work.  They are also prohibited from striking. The agency declined Wednesday to confirm a report by The Washington Post that "hundreds" of IRS employees have filed hardship claims. "The IRS is continuing its work in preparation for next week’s filing season," the agency said in a statement.  "We are continuing our recall operations, and we continue to assess the situation at this time. "The National Treasury Employees Union said it has told IRS employees not to use the financial hardship claim as a form of protest and that "tens of thousands" of agency workers have taken its advice to "answer the call and return to work" despite the prospect of working without pay.  But, the union said, some employees are telling their bosses that returning to work without a paycheck isn't feasible financially. "After a month with no pay, real hardship does exist for IRS employees including not having the money needed to get back and forth to work or to pay for the child care necessary to return to work right now," said NTEU National President Tony Reardon.  "Emergencies can occur at any time so the hardship exemption can be requested during a lapse in appropriations when an employee is suddenly unable to return to work.  That is why the exemption exists. "He added: "I believe that IRS management understands the stress that employees are under and is doing its best to accommodate the very real hardships employees are experiencing. "Jenny Brown, head of a local NTEU chapter that represents some 5,000 IRS employees in Ogden, Utah, said she is getting about 10 to 15 calls a day from members asking about hardship leave, which requires a manager's approval. "Really what we're hearing is people want to get back to work, but they want to get paid," she said. Even if all 46,000 IRS workers show up for tax season -- which is expected to start officially next week when Jan.  28 begins to process return -- Americans could face some frustration anyway.  The 46,000 IRS employees represent less than 60 percent of it's usual workforce. And while the IRS will be adding staff to answer some questions via telephone, the agency said last week, it's warning Americans to expect "heavier call volume" and "longer wait times. " Walk-in assistance centers also will remain closed, including those offices intended to help people who are victims of identity theft and are required to visit an IRS office to establish their identity. What will remain in effect is the requirement that people pay their taxes on time, although the agency said it won't conduct any audits during the spending lapse. "During this period, the IRS reminds taxpayers that the underlying tax laws remain in effect, and all taxpayers should continue to meet their tax obligations as normal," the IRS wrote on its website.  "Individuals and businesses should keep filing their tax returns and making payments and deposits with the IRS, as they are required to do by law. "The plan comes after the White House on Jan.  7 ordered the agency to still process tax returns starting Jan.  28 and issue tax refunds as planned.  A disastrous tax season wouldn't be in Trump's best interest politically.  In 2017, he signed into law a massive rewrite of the tax code and Republicans were counting on Americans seeing a bump in their refund checks. At least one top Democrat, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, has questioned whether recalling so many employees during a shutdown is legal when only the most critical employees should be called on, usually for reasons of public safety. "The president now is going to order them to do what we think is illegal to do because he wants to act like a dictator," Hoyer told reporters earlier this month.  "Federal employees are being deeply damaged by this continuing long-term shutdown. "The IRS has urged people to file electronically and go to its website with questions. "No live telephone customer service assistance is currently available, although the IRS will be adding staff to answer some of the telephone lines in the coming days," the agency wrote last week.  "Due to the heavier call volume, taxpayers should be prepared for longer wait times. "The IRS also noted earlier in the shutdown that appointments related to audits and collections would be rescheduled.  The agency also said it would not process applications for groups claiming tax-exempt status. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Police rescued a 3-year-old boy from getting hit by bullets during the terrorist attack in Sopore: Jammu & Kashmir Police https://t.co/T5hGdXkRAs https://t.co/JaoSjrzsOD

A 16-year-old boy approached the police in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district alleging that his father forcibly solemnised his nikah (marriage) with a 20-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh, the police have booked his father and have sent the boy to child protection home in the district.  “A 16-year-old minor boy complained to them on Wednesday that his father forcibly married him to a 20-year-old girl from Rampur in UP on March 20 this year, a few days ahead of the lockdown.  He also pointed out that he was not yet adult,” said Yunus Khan, senior sub-inspector at Mallital police station in Nainital. “The boy also alleged that when the girl’s side came to know that the boy was a minor they refused to marry.  But later his father persuaded the girl’s side somehow for the marriage,” said. Khan said the boy also alleged that his father had threatened to kill him when he refused to marry the girl.  “ We have registered an FIR against minor’s father under Prohibition Child Marriage Act’s section 3 (Child marriages to be voidable at the option of contracting party being a child) and section 10 ( whoever performs, conducts or directs any child marriage shall be punishable with rigorous imprisonment) and IPC section 506 (criminal intimidation),” he said. Khan said the marriage took place in Rampur area of UP and the police have registered a zero FIR in Nainital and sent the case to Rampur for investigation.  “Further investigation and arresting would be conducted by Rampur police in UP,” he said. Dushyant Mainali, a senior advocate in Haldwani, said child marriage in this era is one of the serious crimes.  “But the rare thing, in this case, is that the teenager himself complained about his father.  This will set up an example for other youngsters who are forced into child marriage by their families. ”


A post with a video of police using tear gas and water cannons against Muslim protesters is being widely shared on social media with the claim that the video is of the ongoing protests in France.  Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post. Claim: Video of police using tear gas and water cannons against Muslim protesters during the ongoing protests in France. Fact: The video is actually of protests in Turkey back in 2012 when students protested in solidarity with the hunger strike by prisoners.  They tried to offer prayers on the streets and were dispersed by police using tear gas and water cannons.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE. Reverse image search of the screenshots of the video in the post led us to a similar video on YouTube.  The video is uploaded on YouTube on 09 November 2012 and the description of the video reads ‘Civil Friday prayer with gas bombs – Yüksekova – Gever’.  This proves that the video in the post is on the internet at least since 2012. Taking a cue from the YouTube video, further Google search with relevant keywords led us to a few 2012 news articles which carried images similar to the visuals in the video.  According to one such news article, the incident happened in Hakkari, Turkey when a group of students protested by offering Friday prayers on the streets, in solidarity with the hunger strike by prisoners back in 2012.  Few more images of the incident can be seen here.  Other news articles which reported the incident and carried images similar to the visuals of the video can be read here and here. Also, in the video, the words ‘POLIS’ written on the vehicles can be clearly seen similar to Turkey Polis vans.  Whereas in France it’s written as ‘POLICE’.  With all this evidence, we can conclude that the video in the post is not related to the ongoing protests in France. In the wake of the outrage by Muslim countries against the statements by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding Islam, posts similar to the one in the post are being widely circulated across all social media platforms with misleading claims. To sum it up, the video is actually of a protest in Turkey back in 2012.


Ahmedabad: Alpesh Thakor & Dhaval Singh Zala join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in presence of Gujarat BJP President, Jitu Vaghani. https://t.co/qgcHc6RvwT

Former Gujarat Congress MLAs Alpesh Thakor and Dhaval Singh Zala join BJP in the presence of Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani.  Both Thakore and Zala had quit as MLAs on July 5, just ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections. Thakore who had been vocal about his differences with the Congress quit the party before the Lok Sabha elections in April-May. A prominent OBC leader and a former MLA from Radhanpur in Gujarat’s Patan district, Alpesh Thakore had said that he was “ignored and insulted” in the Congress.  Zala was the MLA from Bayad. Both the leaders had earlier met Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitin Patel that led to speculations that they might join BJP. The BJP has 104 MLAs in the 182-member Gujarat assembly.  The Congress has 71 MLAs.


"I don't think there is a bad culture in the FBI and I don't think the problems that manifested themselves during the 2016 election are endemic to the institution," Attorney General William Barr tells Sen. Marsha Blackburn https://t.co/TfPZTJ4wu7 https://t.co/ecKLoliC34

  Attorney General William Barr said special counsel Robert Mueller was “a bit snitty” in his letter expressing misgivings about the attorney general’s letter to Congress summarizing Mueller’s findings.

  At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, Barr brushed off the criticisms in a new letter from Mueller, in which the special counsel objected to Barr’s initial four-page letter to Congress.  Mueller’s letter showed the former FBI director felt Barr’s letter to Congress didn’t fully capture his 448-page report.

  “You know, the letter’s a bit snitty, and I think it was probably written by one of his staff people,” Barr said.

  A spokesman for the special counsel, Peter Carr, declined to comment to CNN when asked about Barr’s characterization.

  The Washington Post first reported Mueller’s letter to Barr.  CNN later obtained the full letter.

  The Wednesday hearing was the first time Barr made an appearance before Congress since the release of a redacted version of Mueller’s report last month.

  In the hearing, Democrats clashed with the attorney general over his handling of the Mueller findings and his decision not to prosecute for obstruction of justice.  Some of the Democratic senators accused Barr of lying to Congress and the public about Mueller’s concerns, and multiple senators called for Barr’s resignation as attorney general.

  “(Mueller’s) letter was an extraordinary act, a career prosecutor rebuking the attorney general of the United States, memorializing in writing,” said Democratic Sen.  Richard Blumenthal.  “I know of no other instance of that happening. ”

  Barr said in the hearing that he called Mueller after receiving his letter and spoke to Mueller on speakerphone for about 10 to 15 minutes with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in the room, in addition to other staff members.

  Blumenthal asked Barr if anyone had taken notes of the call, and Barr said “there were notes taken of the call. ”

  “May we have those notes? ” Blumenthal asked.

  “No,” Barr said.

  “Why not? ” Blumenthal followed up.

  “Why should you have them? ” Barr said, before Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham ended the hearing.

  As of 4:30 p. m. , “snitty” – which means disagreeably ill-tempered – was the top trending word on Merriam-Webster. com, and look ups had spiked 150,000%, according to the website.

  CNN’s Katelyn Polantz contributed to this report.
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Bihar to vote in three phases, says Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora.

#BiharPolls https://t.co/SAsEmlx4xW

Facing several questions in whether conducting a three-phase state assembly election amid the rising number of the Covid-19 cases, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said it is a “leap of faith”, not a “leap into darkness”. “So many students took all India entrance examinations.  The Apex Court made some observations that life can’t stand still.  This is a leap of faith.  Not a leap into darkness.  All precautionary measures are in place,” CEC Sunil Arora said. “World has changed significantly from the times when we announced the dates of elections for New Delhi.  And not for the better.  This is the new normal, not normal.  Every aspect of our life has changed,” the CEC said as he announced the schedule of the election. “More than 70 countries have postponed elections so far.  As Covid-19 is not showing any sign of abating, some way has to be found to value the democratic rights of the citizens,” the CEC said.


Twitter flagged a Pres. Trump tweet about ongoing unrest in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd, saying it violated its rules about “glorifying violence.” https://t.co/10iiz8zdJL https://t.co/rKpNyVIIXH

By Brian Stelter and Donie O'Sullivan, CNNUpdated 10:40 AM ET, Fri May 29, 2020 New York (CNN Business)Twitter says President Donald Trump and the White House's official Twitter (TWTR) account have violated its rule against glorifying violence and has affixed a warning label to tweets on both, marking the first time such action has been taken against the accounts.


An alert issued by the Department of Homeland Security's cyber arm reveals Russian hackers suspected of a massive intrusion campaign into government agencies, private companies and critical infrastructure entities used a variety of unidentified tactics https://t.co/nthbhSyFPU

The government’s cybersecurity agency is expressing increased alarm about a hack of computer systems in the U. S.  and around the globe that officials suspect was carried out by RussiaOn Location: September 10, 2021WASHINGTON -- Federal authorities are expressing increased alarm about a long-undetected intrusion into U. S.  and other computer systems around the globe that officials suspect was carried out by Russian hackers.  The nation's cybersecurity agency warned of a “grave” risk to government and private networks. The hack compromised federal agencies and “critical infrastructure” in a sophisticated attack that was hard to detect and will be difficult to undo, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in an unusual warning message Thursday.  The Department of Energy acknowledged it was among those that had been hacked. The attack, if authorities can prove it was carried out by Russia as experts believe, creates a fresh foreign policy problem for President Donald Trump in his final days in office. Trump, whose administration has been criticized for eliminating a White House cybersecurity adviser and downplaying Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, has made no public statements about the breach. President-elect Joe Biden, who inherits a thorny U. S. -Russia relationship, spoke forcefully about the hack, declaring that he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris “will make dealing with this breach a top priority from the moment we take office. ”“We need to disrupt and deter our adversaries from undertaking significant cyberattacks in the first place,” he said.  “We will do that by, among other things, imposing substantial costs on those responsible for such malicious attacks, including in coordination with our allies and partners. ”“There’s a lot we don’t yet know, but what we do know is a matter of great concern,” Biden said. CISA officials did not respond to questions and so it was unclear what the agency meant by a “grave threat” or by “critical infrastructure” possibly targeted in the attack that the agency says appeared to have begun last March.  Homeland Security, the agency's parent department, defines such infrastructure as any “vital” assets to the U. S.  or its economy, a broad category that could include power plants and financial institutions. The agency previously said the perpetrators had used network management software from         Texas-based SolarWinds t o infiltrate computer networks.  Its new alert said the attackers may have used other methods, as well. Tech giant Microsoft, which has helped respond to the breach,         revealed late Thursday  that it had identified more than 40 government agencies, think tanks, non-governmental organizations and IT companies infiltrated by the hackers.  It said four in five were in the United States — nearly half of them tech companies — with victims also in Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. “This is not ‘espionage as usual,’ even in the digital age.  Instead, it represents an act of recklessness that created a serious technological vulnerability for the United States and the world,” Microsoft said in a blog post. Over the weekend, amid reports that the Treasury and Commerce departments were breached, CISA directed all civilian agencies of the federal government to remove SolarWinds from their servers.  The cybersecurity agencies of Britain and Ireland issued similar alerts. A U. S.  official previously told The Associated Press that Russia-based hackers were suspected, but neither CISA nor the FBI has publicly said who is believed to be responsible.  Asked whether Russia was behind the attack, the official said: “We believe so.  We haven’t said that publicly yet because it isn’t 100% confirmed. ”Another U. S.  official, speaking Thursday on condition of anonymity to discuss a matter that is under investigation, said         the hack was severe and extremely damaging  although the administration was not yet ready to publicly blame anyone for it. “This is looking like it’s the worst hacking case in the history of America,” the official said.  “They got into everything. ”At the Department of Energy, the initial investigation revealed that malware injected into its networks via a SolarWinds update has been found only on its business networks and has not affected national security operations, including the agency that manages the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, according to its statement.  It said vulnerable software was disconnected from the DOE network to reduce any risk. The intentions of the perpetrators appear to be espionage and gathering information rather than destruction, according to security experts and former government officials.  If so, they are now remarkably well situated. Thomas Bossert, a former Trump Homeland Security adviser, said in an opinion article in The New York Times that the U. S.  should now act as if the Russian government had gained control of the networks it has penetrated.  “The actual and perceived control of so many important networks could easily be used to undermine public and consumer trust in data, written communications and services,” he wrote. Members of Congress said they feared that taxpayers’ personal information could have been exposed because the IRS is part of Treasury, which used SolarWinds software.  Experts involved in the hack response say the intruders are not likely interested in such data because they are intelligence agents narrowly focused on sensitive national security data — and trying to steal taxpayer info would likely set off alarms. Tom Kellermann, cybersecurity strategy chief of the software company VMware, said the hackers are now “omniscient to the operations” of federal agencies they’ve infiltrated “and there is viable concern that they might leverage destructive attacks within these agencies” now that they've been discovered. Among the business sectors scrambling to protect their systems and assess potential theft of information are defense contractors, technology companies and providers of telecommunications and the electric grid. A group led by CEOs in the electric power industry said it held a “situational awareness call” earlier this week to help electric companies and public power utilities identify whether the compromise posed a threat to their networks. And dozens of smaller institutions that seemed to have little data of interest to foreign spies were nonetheless forced to respond to the hack. The Helix Water District, which provides drinking water to the suburbs of San Diego, California, said it provided a patch to its SolarWinds software after it got an advisory the IT company sent out about the hack to about 33,000 customers Sunday. “While we do utilize SolarWinds, we are not aware of any district impacts from the security breach,” said Michelle Curtis, a spokesperson for the water district. —————With contributions from Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington, Matt O'Brien in Providence, Rhode Island, and Frank Bajak in Boston. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Tens of thousands of workers have been called back by the Trump administration to mitigate the effects of the shutdown—though many federal agencies have seen increasingly high numbers of employees calling out because of financial hardship. https://t.co/DAxcobIi0E https://t.co/ACh6oaoUCJ

  President Donald Trump will NOT be giving his State of the Union speech on the House floor next Tuesday.

  That much now seems definite, following an exchange of hugely passive-aggressive letters between Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday – a battle of words that ended with Pelosi informing Trump that she would not be introducing a “concurrent resolution” allowing him to address a bicameral session of Congress on January 29.

  What it means is that we are now through the looking glass: On the 33rd day of the longest government shutdown in American history, the speaker of the House has disinvited the President of the United States from delivering his annual update to Congress – a tradition that has been around since George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address at Federal Hall in New York City on January 8, 1790.

  There are three certain conclusions as a result of Pelosi’s response to Trump’s letter earlier Wednesday, in which he insisted he was planning to show up to give his speech in the House next Tuesday, despite her previous letter asking him to postpone his speech or deliver it in writing a la Thomas Jefferson.

  There are a slew of questions that follow from these certainties: Will this cancellation further set back any attempt at compromise on reopening the government?  Will Trump give some sort of kind of, sort of State of the Union speech from some other location?  If so, where will it be?

Read: Pelosi says State of the Union won't happen during shutdown

  Knowing Trump – and watching what he and his surrogates have said over the last few days – it seems like a virtual certainty that Trump will speak somewhere and call it a “State of the Union” address.  (I outlined four potential alternate locations here. )

  “Whether he does that from the halls of Congress or whether he does that in another location, the President will talk to the American people on January 29, as he does nearly every single day,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in an interview on “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday morning.

  Seen through that lens, Trump’s letter to Pelosi on Wednesday afternoon was a purely political ploy – as this whole thing has been on both sides – designed to put the onus on the speaker to respond, and more accurately, to respond that Trump couldn’t speak from the House floor.  Shortly after Pelosi’s letter denying Trump that privilege was reported by CNN’s Manu Raju, Trump was asked about it and said this:

“I’m not surprised.  It’s really a shame what’s happening with the Democrats.  They’ve become radicalized, they don’t want to see crime stop, which we can very easily do on the southern border and it really is a shame what’s happening with the Democrats. ”

  In truth, none of this should be surprising.  Trump promised a totally and completely unorthodox presidency.  And literally every day of his two-plus years in the White House, he has delivered on that pledge.

  What’s changed over these past two years is Democratic tactics in dealing with Trump.  The party spent much of the first months of Trump’s presidency still shell-shocked that he had won – and concerned that they had grossly misunderstood the electorate.  But, as Trump’s conduct became more and more outrageous – and, to me, his mishandling of the aftermath of the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia was the tipping point – Democrats realized that treating Trump like an even semi-normal president was not a feasible strategy.

  Because Democrats were in the minority in the House and Senate through the first two years of Trump’s term, they had a relatively limited ability to follow through on that fundamental shift in their thinking about Trump.  But the 2018 election changed all of that.  Suddenly, Democrats had the majority in the House – due in no small part to their pledge to provide a check on Trump.

  What we have seen over the past week – Pelosi sent her original letter rescinding the January 29 State of the Union invite on January 16 – is simply one of a series of ways in which Democrats are using their power in the House to conduct asymmetric political warfare against Trump.  The idea of banning the president of the United States from the chance to deliver his “State of the Union” from the House floor was unimaginable under past presidents.  Yes, Democrats loathed many of George W.  Bush’s policies, but this sort of no-you-may-not-even-come-to-the-House strategy was never considered.  And yes, Rep.  Joe Wilson (R-S. C. ) shouted “You lie! ” at President Barack Obama during a speech to Congress, but Obama was given the right to speak.

Here are 6 scenarios that could ACTUALLY end the government shutdown

  This whole thing is unprecedented – and purposely so.  Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues have made the calculation that the only way you deal with a president like Trump – and unlike every president who has held the office before him – is to go beyond where you would have thought you would be willing to go.  To press to the political extremes and beyond, because you are dealing with a political opponent who has repeatedly demonstrated his willingness to not just push the envelope but to act as though he is entirely unaware any sort of envelope exists.

  Let me repeat myself: None of this is even marginally normal.  That’s the way Trump likes it – and the way that Democrats have accepted it must be if they want to effectively combat him and the effects of the policies he wants to put into place.

  The loser in all of this political extremism is, of course, the 800,000 federal workers who are either furloughed or working without pay.  It’s impossible to think Wednesday’s ugliness does anything but make a compromise to re-open the government an even more remote possibility.  (And, to be honest, there wasn’t much of a chance of it even before today. ) That means days – and maybe weeks – more of working without pay or not working at all.  And that’s the real tragedy of all of this.
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Nidan Singh (Afghan Sikh who was kidnapped a month ago and released recently) arrives in Delhi along with his family and a delegation of Afghan Sikhs. https://t.co/5ux6Oj0706 https://t.co/hSQOK4coXY

Eleven members of Sikh community from Afghanistan who were granted short-term visas by Indian Embassy in Kabul, including Nidan Singh Sachdeva who was abducted from a gurudwara in Paktia province last month, touched down in New Delhi on Sunday morning. Ministry of External Affairs recently announced that India has decided to facilitate the return of Afghan Hindu and Sikh community members facing security threats in Afghanistan to India. The decision comes four months after an Islamic State-backed attack at a gurdwara in Kabul’s Shor Bazaar killed at least 25 members of the community. India has condemned the “targeting and persecution” of minority community members by terrorists in Afghanistan at the behest of their external supporters remains a matter of grave concern. Leaders of the Afghan Sikh community have appealed to the Indian government to accommodate the Sikhs and Hindus from Afghanistan and grant them legal entry with long term residency multiple entry visas. Once a community of nearly 250,000 people, the Sikh and Hindu community in Afghanistan has endured years of discrimination and violence from extremists, and the community is now estimated to comprise fewer than 100 families across the country.


The #Grammys is traditionally one of the most bold and outrageous award ceremonies, fashion-wise. Some attendees found last-minute ways to pay homage to late NBA legend Kobe Bryant. https://t.co/AqYVDCe87v https://t.co/fXbDFef024

Seven others were with Kobe Bryant and his daughter when the copter crashed. Kobe Bryant’s basketball journey from high school passion to the NBA: Part 1NBA great Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were just two of the nine people who lost their lives in the Jan.  26, 2020, helicopter crash in Southern California. Bryant and his daughter were headed to a game at his Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks along with others connected to the basketball program. Here's a look at the other seven lives lost:College baseball coach John Altobelli -- whose daughter was a basketball teammate of Gianna Bryant -- was on the helicopter at the time of the accident. Altobelli, known as "Alto," worked at Orange Coast College for 27 years and was known to be a mentor to players, according to the school. "He truly personified what it means to be a baseball coach," the school's athletic director, Jason Kehler, said in a statement.  "The passion that he put into the game, but more importantly his athletes, was second to none - he treated them like family. ""We have lost a member of our OCC family, and our hearts are broken," the college president, Angelica Suarez, added in a statement.  "Coach Altobelli was a giant on our campus - a beloved teacher, coach, colleague and friend.  This is a tremendous loss for our campus community. ""John Altobelli was a great coach and man," tweeted Barry Faulkner, a sportswriter at the Daily Pilot in Southern California.  "I worked closely with him for more than a dozen years covering his OCC program.  Huge heart.  Great sense of humor and passion for the game, his players and his family.  RIP Alto.  Truly a legend. "John Altobelli's wife, Keri Altobelli, was also on board, along with one of their daughters. They left behind 16-year-old daughter, Alexis Altobelli, and son J. J.  Altobelli, John Altobelli's son from a previous marriage. Keri Altobelli was strong, direct and bold, but also "loving and extremely loyal" and "embraced everything her family did," her friend, Lori Lever, said at the family memorial service. "As the girls grew up, their personal passions became Keri's passions.  Managing the family schedule with baseball commitments for Alto, basketball for Lyssa, tennis and academics for Lexi, supporting J. J.  as he pursued a career in baseball like his dad," Lever said.  "And the demands of Keri's own business left little time for anything else. ""Watching her do this effortlessly was nothing short of amazing," Lever said. Their 14-year-old daughter Alyssa Altobelli was a teammate of Gianna Bryant. She was a "devoted basketball player" with a solid work ethic, but she also "always had my back," her friend Sammy Forbath said at the memorial service. Forbath recalled when they played on the same basketball team.  Instead of taking the shot, Alyssa would pass the ball to Forbath "so I could make my first," she said. "And when I'd miss, she'd look at me with a smile and say, 'Good try, you'll get the next one,'" Forbath said.  "She always was doing her best to make people happy and make them feel good. "Payton Chester, an eighth grader at St.  Margaret's Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano, California, was killed on the flight. The 13-year-old played basketball with Gianna Bryant, ABC Los Angeles station KABC reported. "She was 5 feet 11 inches tall and an exceptional basketball player," her grandmother, Catherine George, told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.  "Not only was she an athlete, she was smart and a friend to all. ""She was truly perfect," her uncle, Andy George, told the newspaper.  "I picture Payton draining the 3-point basket to win the game on the 26th.  I picture her with the confidence to take that shot, the smile on her face when she hit it and the joy running back on defense as she celebrated with her teammates. "Payton Chester's mother, Sarah Chester, was with her on the flight. Sarah Chester was on the board of trustees at her daughter's school. The 45-year-old had taught elementary school before retiring to raise her family, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported. She is survived by her husband and two teenage sons. Todd Schmidt, Payton Chester's former elementary school principal, said Sarah and Payton Chester "were genuine, kind-hearted, and caring . . .  to the staff, to other families . . .  and yes, especially to me. ""While the world mourns the loss of a dynamic athlete and humanitarian, I mourn the loss of two people just as important," Schmidt wrote on Facebook.  "Their impact was just as meaningful, their loss will be just as keenly felt, and our hearts are just as broken. "Girls' basketball coach Christina Mauser leaves behind a husband and three young children. As a top assistant coach of the Mamba girls’ basketball team, she coached Gianna Bryant and her teammates. "My wife had a brilliant, brilliant eye for coaching," Mauser's husband, Matthew Mauser, told ABC News last year.  "I was so proud of her.  It was amazing watching her in her element. ""Kobe didn't pick my wife because she was average," he said.  "She was exceptional. ""As good as she was with X's and O's, she was also that good with how to treat the girls," he added.  "They would confide in her. "May 2020 would have marked the Mausers' 15th wedding anniversary. Through tears, he told ABC News, "I love my wife.  With everything I had. "Ara Zobayan, 50, was the pilot. Group 3 Aviation, the California aviation company that trained him, said Zobayan first came to Group 3 in 1998 to learn how to fly helicopters after he took a sightseeing tour flight at the Grand Canyon.  Zobayan "knew immediately he wanted to become a pilot," the company said. He then "worked hard in other businesses to save enough money to pay for training," according to Group 3.  "Flying was his life's passion. ""There's a reason that people wanted to fly with him," pilot Jared Yochim told CNN.  "He was just a cool, calm guy. ""He felt he was here on Earth . . .  to fly and to teach, and to teach people to have this feeling that he had,” Darren Kemp, one of his student pilots, told The Associated Press. ABC News' T.  J.  Holmes, Sabina Ghebremedhin and Mark Osborne contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Complete #lockdown in some areas in West Bengal’s Nadia from Friday midnight

https://t.co/u8mMekjUcQ https://t.co/Bd2Guq9aoY

The Nadia district administration in West Bengal on Wednesday announced a complete lockdown at some places for a week starting Friday midnight to contain the spread of Covid-19, a senior official said. Comprehensive lockdown will be imposed in some areas of Sadar and Tehatta subdivisions of Krishnanagar Police District at Kalyani and Ranaghat sub-divisions of Ranaghat Police Districts, Nadia District Magistrate Vibhu Goel said. Follow latest updates on coronavirus here Shops and market complexes will be shut, and public and private transport, except long-distance ones, will be off the roads, he said. Marriages and funerals are permitted, but in strict adherence to the prescribed number of people who can participate, the DM said. Click here for complete coronavirus coverage Nadia has so far reported 12 Covid-19 deaths and at least 1,231 positive cases, officials said.


Delhi: First Lady of the US, Melania Trump meets and interacts with students at Sarvodaya Co-Ed Senior Secondary School. https://t.co/OGKPgr70IL

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Transport strike in Tamil Nadu today, 80% bus services hit

https://t.co/xPweg0C7Zm https://t.co/37XFxDIHG5

Transport trade unions in Tamil Nadu have called for a statewide strike on Thursday over various issues, including wage-related demands.  Eight to nine state transport unions, including the Metropolitan Transport Corporation, have been observing the strike that has affected commuters in the state. Bus services in the southern state are running with a few employees.  Around 50 per cent of the buses are operating with temporary drivers and Anna Trade Union drivers. The strike by the transport unions has been reported to involve over one lakh transport employees affecting over 80 per cent of the bus services.  The state has around 21,000 government buses. The DMK has extended support to the strike.  Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), and All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) are also part of the strike. Also Read | 3 factors behind Covid-19 spike: What Maharashtra state health official saysPrimary demands of the protesting unions include the release of the pending benefits, wage revision, increase in the pay etc.  The 13th wage contract expired in September 2019 and the wage revision is due for over two years, K Aarumugha Nainaar of the CITU was quoted by reports. Government officials said the strike is to create pressure on the government ahead of the state budget. The transport unions had called a strike in January.  The Madras High Court vehemently objected to it and directed the workers to resume operations or 'face consequences'.  Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) workers can not resort to such strikes without any prior information, which will cause problems for the public, the court had said.


Pres. Biden unveils sweeping infrastructure plan, calling it a "once-in-a-generation investment in America." https://t.co/O3gP3UBMQW https://t.co/VzuOrz8COy

Analysis by Paul LeBlanc, CNNUpdated 8:01 PM ET, Wed March 31, 2021  (CNN)President Joe Biden's infrastructure push kicked off in earnest Wednesday with a speech framing his sweeping $2 trillion plan as a critical investment in America's future.


An image of a billboard is going viral on all social media platforms. The text on the banner read, “Nothing in this country is free. If you are getting something without paying for it, thank a taxpayer. Not to Kejriwal.” Netizens are sharing it massively, reiterating the words written on the billboard, with captions like, “If you are getting anything for free, thank a taxpayer not to kejriwal.”

An image of a billboard is going viral on all social media platforms.  The text on the banner read, “Nothing in this country is free.  If you are getting something without paying for it, thank a taxpayer.  Not to Kejriwal. ” Netizens are sharing it massively, reiterating the words written on the billboard, with captions like, “If you are getting anything for free, thank a taxpayer not to kejriwal. ” Major Surendra Poonia, former Special Forces officer of the Indian Army, currently a politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party, tweeted the viral image on 29th July 2021 with the caption, “Absolutely True !  Salute to Every Taxpayer, Jai Hind! ” Absolutely True ! Salute to Every Taxpayer 🙏❤Jai Hind 🇮🇳 pic. twitter. com/Nu0bkWGAAp — Major Surendra Poonia (@MajorPoonia) July 29, 2021  archive If you are getting anything for free thank a taxpayer not kejriwal pic. twitter. com/ug8WUwB9I6 — exsecular (@ExSecular) July 24, 2021  Wonder what is there to fact check about this hoarding?  The statement Thank the taxpayer,not Arvind Kejriwal or the hoarding itself.  pic. twitter. com/RmNdtuTI1m — anil kohli 🇮🇳 (@anilkohli54) July 29, 2021  The image also went heavily viral in 2020.  #AAPWinningDelhi#दिल्ली_मांगे_बीजेपी #दिल्ली_में_कमल_खिल_रहा_है #DelhiElections2020 It makes sense.  pic. twitter. com/lSSf3PrWCA — Nation First (@Enlighten_9) February 6, 2020  Thank a #Taxpayer.  Not to #Kejriwal #KejriwalHataoDilliBachao #KejriwalExposed #DelhiElections #DelhiElections2020 #Vote4BJP pic. twitter. com/8PgYpkmRcQ — Umesh Saradhna (@umeshsaradhna) February 6, 2020  In addition to that, the same picture has also been shared on Facebook multiple times recently, in March of 2021 and last year.   The phrase “Not to Kejriwal” has digitally been added to the viral image.  The original image is from Alabama, USA.  First and foremost, looking at the image for visual clues, one can tell that it is an edited copy.  The font style and line spacing of the last line are different from the others.  The phrase “Not to Kejriwal” looks congested, and the sentence before it ends with a period.  Now, we began the investigation by running a reverse image search on the viral photo and found the following picture uploaded on Pinterest, an image-sharing platform.  The text overlaying on the picture read, “Actual billboard in South Alabama. ”  Towards the bottom right-hand corner, we found the name and logo of a website, ALFREEMARKET. COM.  We then looked for the website’s social media handles and found their Twitter account.  Looking through it, we came across the following tweet dated 5th June 2015.  Good reminder.   cc: @GroverNorquist @taxreformer pic. twitter. com/tHmSpWFuL4 — AFMA (@ALFreeMarket) June 5, 2015    Similarly, another US-based website named Yellow Hammer published the image in the following article with the headline, “This billboard in Alabama may be the greatest thing ever. ”  Furthermore, an article published on Freedom by Barbara featured the original image and mentioned, “an amazing billboard on the outskirts of Monroeville, Alabama, went viral after Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, tweeted a picture of it to his many followers.  “Nothing in this country is free,” the billboard read.  “If you are getting something without paying for it, thank a taxpayer. ”  Back in India, Mr Nilesh Shah, the Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Co.  Ltd. , also tweeted the above image in 2019 with the caption, “This is a poster in South Alabama. ” This is a poster in South Alabama.  pic. twitter. com/4t8mo8JA6n — Nilesh Shah (@NileshShah68) January 11, 2019  Hence, with all the above evidence, we can conclude that it is a morphed image of a billboard from Alabama, and the words “Not to Kejriwal” have been digitally added to it.


#Covid19 | Prime Minister @narendramodi holds meeting via video conference with oxygen manufacturers in the country.

Track LIVE updates here: https://t.co/Gk6ygJWz3s

(pics: ANI) https://t.co/lPse8Nndep

The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) surge continues to affect several cities and regions of the country as clamour for oxygen and ICU beds continues.  India reported a record 332,730 fresh cases on Friday crossing the US in terms of the highest number of cases reported in a single day.  Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi continue to report a high number of cases and fatalities and are also facing issues with testing, hospital infrastructure and oxygen availability.  The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, chaired one review meeting on the nation’s Covid-19 situation today with the chief ministers of worst-affected state and his meeting with oxygen manufacturers is currently underway. In the worst-affected US, California is reopening at a faster pace as vaccinations have helped the state recover from the spikes that it had recorded previously during the winter season.  Michigan is the worst-affected by Covid-19 out of all states.  The WHO immunisation body has asked for more data on the reports of clotting caused by AstraZeneca vaccine from outside Europe but maintained that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks.  India’s mutant variant was discovered in Belgium from a few travellers.  Canada has joined the US and UK to ban travellers entering from India. Follow all the updates here:Jharkhand reports 5,741 new Covid-19 casesJharkhand reports 5,741 new Covid-19 cases, 3,205 discharges and 63 deaths. Active cases: 43,415Total discharges: 1,45,499Death toll: 1,778Haryana reports 11,854 new Covid-19 cases in last 24 hoursHaryana reported 11,854 new Covid-19 cases, 60 deaths and 6,334 recoveries in the last 24 hours on Friday. Delhi reports 24,331 new Covid-19 casesDelhi on Friday reported 24,331 fresh coronavirus infections and 348 deaths in the last 24 hours. Chhattisgarh registers more than 17,000 new Covid-19 casesChhattisgarh on Friday reported 17,397 new Covid-19 cases, 14,284 recoveries and 219 deaths in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra's Pune logs 9,810 new Covid-19 casesPune district reported 9,810 fresh Covid-19 cases, 137 fatalities and 10,310 recoveries in the last 24 hours. West Bengal logs over 12,000 fresh Covid-19 infectionsWest Bengal reported 12,876 new Covid-19 cases, 59 deaths and 6,878 discharges in the last 24 hours on Friday. Kerala logs highest-ever single-day hike of 28, 447 new Covid-19 infectionsKerala on Friday registered 28,447, highest in a single day, new Covid-19 cases, ANI quoted the state's Information & Public Relations Department (IPRD) as informing. Maharashtra reports over 66,000 new Covid-19 casesMaharashtra on Friday reported 66,836 new Covid-19 infections and 773 deaths in the last 24 hours. Flyers from Delhi, UP, 3 other states to Bengal must carry Covid-19 negative report from MondayThe West Bengal government makes prior RT-PCR test and Covid-negative report mandatory for flight passengers coming to Kolkata from nine states. Mumbai reports 7,221 new Covid-19 infections in last 24 hoursMumbai reported 7,221 new Covid-19 cases, 9,541 recoveries and 72 fatalities in the last 24 hours.  Active cases in the city have surpassed 81,000-mark. Andhra Pradesh announces night curfew from April 24 to curb Covid-19 spread, reports PTIAndhra Pradesh government on Friday announced that night curfew from 10pm to 5am will be imposed in the state from April 24, reported PTI.  "The night curfew will be in force daily from 10 pm to 5 am.  Only essential and emergency services, like medical and health, milk supply, will be allowed," PTI quoted deputy chief minister (Health) A K K Srinivas (Nani) as saying. Tamil Nadu logs 13,776 new Covid-19 cases in last 24 hoursTamil Nadu on Friday reported 13,776 new Covid-19cases, 8,078 recoveries and 78 deaths in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra's Nagpur reports 7,485 new Covid-19 casesNagpur district reported 7,485 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday with 6531 recoveries and 82 deaths, reported ANI. Goa reports 1,420 new Covid-19 infectionsGoa reports 1,420 new Covid-19 cases, 12 fatalities and 596 recoveries in the last 24 hours.  Active cases stand at 11,040. Uttarakhand reports over 4,300 new Covid-19 infectionsUttarakhand on Friday reported 4,339 new Covid-19 cases, 1,179 recoveries and 49 deaths in the last 24 hours. Study finds even single jab of vaccine dose reduces Covid-19 infection rateAs per a new UK study, a single dose of either Oxford/AstraZeneca or Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine reduces the infection rate by 65 per cent, reported PTI.  Oxfird/AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines are currently being administered in the UK. UP records highest single-day spike of over 37,000 new Covid-19 infectionsUttar Pradesh on Friday recorded the highest single-day rise with 37,238 fresh Covid-19 cases and 196 deaths in the last 24 hours.  The new hike took the state's tally to over one million, an official said, reported PTI. Zydus Cadila gets DGCI nod for use of hepatitis drug in Covid-19 treatmentZydus Cadila on Friday said it has received restricted emergency use approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for the use of hepatitus drug Pegylated Interferon alpha-2b (PegIFN) in treating moderate Covid-19 infection in adults, reported PTI. Covid-19 survivors face high risk of death, serious illness: StudyAs per research published in the journal Nature, Covid-19 survivors, including those not sick enough to be hospitalised, have an increased risk of death in the six months following diagnosis with the coronavirus, reported PTI. Odisha reports highest single-day rise of 6,215 new Covid-19 casesOdisha on Friday reported the highest-ever single-day spike of 6,215 new Covid-19 cases.  The rise took the Covid-19 tally of the state to nearly 400,000 cases, PTI quoted a health department official as saying. Zero case of Covid variant reported in Mizoram so far, says officialMizoram has not reported any case of new Covid-19 variants till date, PTI quoted an an official as saying on Friday.  Chhattisgarh receives 15k vials of Remdesivir15,000 vials of Remsdesivir reached Raipur airport today, says Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo "It has been sent to CGMSC godown for counting and storage.  Distribution of the same will follow immediately, later in the day," he adds pic. twitter. com/x1xpRlSFlRChhattisgarh health minister said that the distribution of Remdesivir will begin immediately after they are counted.  Mamata claims Bengal's oxygen is being diverted to UPOur oxygen supply chain has been diverted to Uttar Pradesh.  The supply chain is being maintained in BJP states.  Where will we get oxygen from? : West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee pic. twitter. com/zQD6TWlSMxAt a virtual meeting, the Bengal CM also claimed that the supply chain is being maintained by BJP states.  PM Modi's meet with oxygen manufacturers beginsPrime Minister Narendra Modi holds meeting via video conference with oxygen manufacturers in the country pic. twitter. com/uaEVJxWVSEPM Modi's meet with leading oxygen manufacturers begins.  Farmers deny to leave protest sitesSKM chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni told HT that RSS should intervene and reiterated that farmers will not call off stir at Delhi's borders.  Edhi foundation offers ambulances to IndiaPakistan's #EdhiFoundation - built by the great Abdul Sattar Edhi - writes to Indian PM with offer to send fleet of 50 ambulances to help fight #COVID19India pic. twitter. com/bj5xfeK0l0Edhi foundation offers to send fleet of 50 ambulances.  PM Modi holds meeting with CMs of states with high case burdenDelhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs a meeting with the Chief Ministers of high burden states, over the prevailing #COVID19 situation pic. twitter. com/u91CKrGOLJPM Modi held a meeting with chief ministers of states which reported a high number of cases of Covid-19.  People dying due to lack of oxygen: CJI"People are dying due to lack of oxygen," CJI Sharad Arvind Bobde observed. The SC is hearing a suo motu cognisance case on Covid-19 crisis.  Rahul Gandhi blames government for oxygen shortage, lack of ICU bedsCorona can cause a fall in oxygen level but it’s #OxygenShortage & lack of ICU beds which is causing many deaths. GOI, this is on you. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a tweet blamed the govt for oxygen shortage and lack of ICU beds.  China says willing to talk to India about its second wave of Covid-19China a day after it extended its help to India in its fight against Covid-19 surge said it is willing to talk to India about what it needs to fight the massive surge in coronavirus cases.  Read more here.  Max Hospitals rescinds order stopping all admissions at its hospitals in Delhi NCRMax healthcare has decided to not stop new admissions in its hospitals in Delhi NCR.  Max Healthcare suspends new admissions across all its hospitals in Delhi NCRMax Healthcare suspends new admissions across all its hospitals in Delhi NCROxygen supplies reach Max HospitalsOxygen carrying Vehicle has reached Max SmartAnother vehicle is enroute for Max East WestSenior Officers are monitoring the situationMax and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital which had reported medical oxygen shortage received 2 MT of emergency oxygen supply.  India records more than 3 lakh cases in last 24 hoursIndia's death toll from Covid-19 also inched towards 187,000 with 2,263 deaths reported in last 24 hours. Reliance industries rollout vaccination programme for employeesReliance will roll out our own vaccination programme, R-Surakshaa, across locations for all our employees and eligible family members above the age of 18 years, effective May 1: Reliance Industries Limited pic. twitter. com/bh2U9Atb5RReliance Industries rollout vaccination programme for employees.  Indian Air Force aircrafts deployed to airlift oxygen containersTwo IAF C-17 aircraft airlifted two empty cryogenic oxygen containers and one IL-76 aircraft airlifted one empty container to Panagarh yesterday#COVID19 pic. twitter. com/AJ0cBQS7WbTwo IAF aircrafts were deployed to airlift and send oxygen containers to Panagarh.  Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital records 25 deaths in 24 hours25 sickest patients have died in last 24 hrs at the hospital.  Oxygen will last another 2 hrs.  Ventilators & Bipap not working effectively.  Need Oxygen to be airlifted urgently.  Lives of another 60 sickest patients in peril: Director-Medical, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, DelhiSir Ganga Ram Hospital's director said that oxygen needs to be airlifted urgently as the hospital reported 25 deaths in last 24 hours, news agency ANI reported.  Read more here.  Extremely promising: UK registers drop in Covid-19 infections post vaccinationThe UK reported a drop of 65% in Covid-19 infections in adults of all ages after a dose of AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine was administered.  Maharashtra hospital fire toll rises to 13The death toll due to hospital fire in Virar rose to 13. Cuba Covid-19 tally rises due to South African virus variantThe arrival of the contagious South African virus variant led to one of the worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic in Cuba as the country reported a record 1,207 new coronavirus cases on Thursday.  Japan Covid-19 emergency measures to be announced in Tokyo, OsakaTokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo could see restaurants, bars, and karaoke parlours serving alcohol close as the Suga govt is seeking a "short and powerful" state of emergency due to a surge in cases, Reuters reported.  WHO's immunisation body call for more astrazeneca vaccine blood clot data from outside EuropeWHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) said that geographic variation was observed in people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine as more people from UK and EU reported the clotting.  SAGE sought data from outside EU as well, AFP reported.  12 dead in Maharashtra hospital fire12 patients were charred to death on early Friday morning in Vijay Vallabh Covid Care hospital in Virar West.  The patients' identity could not be ascertained as they were charred beyond recognition.  An eyewitness told HT that the hospital did not have any fire safety measures like water sprinklers and the few fire extinguishers that were there remained unused as the fire raged.  India's Covid-19 variant found in BelgiumA group of Indian students who arrived from Paris tested positive for the Covid-19 variant contributing to a surge in coronavirus cases in India.  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EXCLUSIVE: President Biden tells @gstephanopoulos that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "killer" and would "pay a price" for interfering in U.S. elections. https://t.co/2IMyklDlgr

By Maegan Vazquez, CNNUpdated 1241 GMT (2041 HKT) March 17, 2021 Washington (CNN)President Joe Biden said Vladimir Putin "will pay a price" for his efforts to undermine the 2020 US election following a landmark American intelligence assessment which found that the Russian government meddled in the 2020 election with the aim of "denigrating" Biden's candidacy.  CNN's Zachary Cohen, Marshall Cohen and Katelyn Polantz contributed to this report.


A can of dry shampoo exploded in a St. Louis woman's car and destroyed her sunroof and interior. https://t.co/4tVPIetejg https://t.co/qKdNAEuWug

The 7-ounce aerosol bottle allegedly landed nearly 50 feet away from the car. Dry shampoo bottle explodes, shatters car sunroofDry shampoo can be a quick fix for messy hair, but one St.  Louis woman found out the hard way that it can cause a bigger headache if you're not careful. "This can of dry shampoo was left in my daughter's car's middle console.  The lid of the console was closed," a woman explained on Facebook.  "It was hot yesterday and the can exploded.  It blew the console cover off of its hinges, shot through the sunroof, and went high enough in the air that it landed about 50 feet away. "Christine Bader Debrecht shared pictures of the aftermath to "hopefully prevent others from experiencing this damage or even injury. "Debrecht's post has been shared over 5,000 times and garnered over 2,000 likes. One photo showed the green 7-ounce can with the bottom completely removed from the rest of the cylinder.  The label also had a "DANGER" warning that reads "extremely flammable, container may explode if heated. ""I just want to remind you (and your kids) to heed those warnings on products you may be using.  Please don't leave aerosol cans (and especially dry shampoo, as this seems to be an issue with some brands) in your car," she wrote.  "I am so grateful that no one was hurt. "Debrecht told ABC News her husband was the one to first discover the damage to the 2018 Honda Civic hatchback, "when he went to let the dogs out after he got home from work. ""We were shocked and bewildered.  We had no idea what had happened," she explained.  "It took us quite some time to solve the mystery, but my daughter finally put it all together. "She continued, "We couldn't believe it had done so much damage.  We still can't believe it. "24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events