Assam: The affiliation of Assam Regiment and Arunachal Scouts of Indian Army with 106 Air Force Squadron was formally signed at a ceremony at Tezpur today. https://t.co/o5jibAqrzO

India reached a grim milestone on Wednesday after 4,529 people succumbed to Covid-19, the highest single day death toll since the beginning of the pandemic.  Wednesday's death toll surpassed that of US and Brazil, the other two worst affected countries in the world.  Experts have predicted that even as the daily number of cases have been on the decline the death toll will go up as people who were infected during the peak of the second wave are still battling the disease. Dr VK Paul, Niti Aayog member (health), said at a press briefing on Tuesday that the "pandemic curve" is stabilising in many states of India even as the country continues to record close to 3 lakh cases and over 4,000 deaths a day.  The union government also flagged certain states where cases were high, including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, the two states where polls were conducted recently. Follow all the updates here:Jharkhand records nearly 1,900 new Covid-19 cases, 53 deathsJharkhand reports 1894 new #COVID19 cases, 4528 recoveries and 53 deaths in the last 24 hoursTotal cases 3,20,934Active cases 28,841 pic. twitter. com/qEWixI16vvJharkhand's caseload of the Covid-19 disease climbed to 320,934 on Wednesday after 1,894 new cases, 53 more deaths and 4,528 recoveries, according to the state health department's bulletin.  Maharashtra: Pune logs 4,557 new coronavirus cases, 114 deathsMaharashtra | Pune reports 4557 new #COVID19 cases, 6733 recoveries and 114 deaths in the last 24 hoursActive cases 65,083Total cases 9,80,986 pic. twitter. com/BIHNxeCGy3Chhattisgarh reports 5,680 new Covid-19 cases5680 new #COVID19 cases, 1366 recoveries and 146 fatalities reported in Chhattisgarh todayTotal cases 9,31,211Active cases 85,868 pic. twitter. com/fc4YFW3qTcAssam reports 6,143 new Covid-19 casesAssam reports 6,143 new #COVID19 cases, 4,057 discharges and 89 deaths in the last 24 hoursActive cases 48,390Total cases 3,47,001 pic. twitter. com/EFDbLDd3MJTamil Nadu logs 34,875 new Covid-19 cases, tally reaches nearly 1. 7 millionTamil Nadu reports 34,875 new #COVID19 cases, 365 deaths and 23,863 discharges todayTotal cases 16,99,225Active cases 2,53,576 pic. twitter. com/GLp2A1eVmdHaryana reports 6,818 new Covid-19 casesHaryana reports 6,818 new #COVID19 cases, 11,821 recoveries and 153 deaths in the last 24 hoursTotal cases 7,16,507Active cases 70,758 pic. twitter. com/IG3pI3eNq2Telangana logs 3,837 fresh Covid-19 cases, 25 deathsTelangana registers 3837 new #COVID19 cases, 4976 recoveries and 25 fatalities todayTotal cases 5,40,603Total recoveries 4,90,620Death toll 3037 pic. twitter. com/u1nFeJHdJYManipur reports 582 new Covid-19 cases582 new #COVID19 cases, 347 recoveries and 23 deaths reported in Manipur today; active cases at 6,817 pic. twitter. com/xX2ZainX78Andhra Pradesh reports 23,160 new Covid-19 casesAndhra Pradesh reports 23,160 new #COVID19 cases, 106 deaths and 24,819 recoveries in the last 24 hoursTotal cases 14,98,532Death toll 9686Total recovered cases 12,79,110Active cases 2,09,736 pic. twitter. com/pbzidMrGGmKerala witnesses rise of over 32,000 Covid-19 cases in last 24 hoursKerala on Wednesday reports 32,762 new coronavirus cases and 112 deaths in the last 24 hours.  The death toll of the state now stands at 6,724, reported ANI. Maharashtra: Nagpur reports 1,377 new coronavirus casesNagpur on Wednesday reported 1,377 new coronavirus cases and 36 deaths.  More than 20,000 samples were tested to detect the disease in the last 24 hours. Goa reports 1,209 new Covid-19 cases, active caseload reaches 22,964COVID19 | Goa reports 1,209 new cases, 31 deaths today; active cases 22,964 pic. twitter. com/mEfitW74k1Uttar Pradesh: Muzaffarnagar reports 174 new Covid-19 casesUttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar detected 174 people with coronavirus infection in the last 24 hours.  The total number of people affected by the disease in the district now stands at 28,585, reported PTI. Puducherry logs 1,759 fresh coronavirus infectionsCOVID19 | Puducherry records 1,759 new cases, 29 deaths today; active cases 17,652 pic. twitter. com/TCZtQZ8BXjMalawi destroys 20,000 Covid-19 vaccines that expiredDefying calls from World Health Organization and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to not destroy vaccines that expired, Malawi burned 20,000 expired AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines, reported AP. Thailand reports 3,394 new coronavirus casesThailand on Wednesday found 3,394 people positive with coronavirus infection in the last 24 hours.  The country reported 29 more fatalities, as per an ANI report. Mizoram reports 184 new Covid-19 casesMizoram on Wednesday reported 184 fresh infections of Covid-19, pushing the state's tally to 9,252, reported PTI. Delhi reports 3,846 new Covid-19 cases, 235 deathsDelhi on Wednesday logged 3,846 new coronavirus disease cases, 9,427 recoveries and 235 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the health bulletin.  Read moreJharkhand reports nearly 3,000 new coronavirus casesJharkhand on Wednesday reported a decline in mortalities as it logged 62 deaths from Covid-19.  The state reported 2,925 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, according to a PTI report. Odisha clocks 11,099 new Covid-19 infections, takes tally to over 644,00011,099 people tested positive with coronavirus disease in Odisha in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 644,401, while 21 deaths from the virus pushed the toll to 2,378, reported PTI. Delhi's Covid-19 positivity rate has dropped to 6. 89%: Satyendar JainDelhi's Covid-19 positivity rate has dropped to 6. 89%, health minister Satyendar Jain told reporters on Wednesday.  The recovery rate has also improved and now stands at 94. 79.  Delhi had reported 4,482 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday. Karnataka govt announces ₹1,250 crore Covid-19 relief packageKarnataka government announced a ₹1,250 crore Covid-19 relief package on Wednesday, reports ANI.  The state has been reeling under a resurgent wave of Covid-19 and had recorded 30,309 fresh cases on Tuesday. Taiwan puts whole island under Covid alertTaiwan on Wednesday raised the alert level for the whole island as cases continue to rise, reported Reuters.  Initially only capital Taipei had been put under alert. Delhi high court issues notice to DCGI, others on PIL challenging Covaxin trial in children aged 2-18The Delhi high court issued notice to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) and others on a PIL challenging Covaxin trials in children aged 2-18, reported ANI.  DCHI had given the go-ahead to Bharat Biotech on May 11 and the trials were set to begin in the next 10-12 days. Former chief minister of West Bengal Buddhadeb Bhattacharya tests positive for Covid-19West Bengal's former CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya tests positive for #COVID19.  He is under home isolation.  (File photo) pic. twitter. com/XJ6NbzuAW5Former chief minister of West Bengal and CPI(M) stalwart, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday and is currently in home isolation, reported ANI. Get our daily newsletter Get free access to newsletters, alerts and recommendations


Claim: A video has been making rounds on social media where a man wearing a mask, supposedly a doctor, advises people to drink a lot of warm water and gargle with salt or vinegar to kill the corona virus.  It is being claimed that he works as a doctor at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram hospital.  However, this not the case.  Neither is he a doctor at the hospital nor does his claims prevent corona virus.  The video was shared several times of Facebook with caption that read “☝गंगाराम हॉस्पिटल के डॉक्टर ने एक बहुत ही अच्छी इंफॉर्मेशन दी है” Translated to English: “Ganga Ram Hospital’s doctor has given very good information” This particular post was shared more than 5,000 times.  Archived here.        The same was shared on Twitter also.  ☝गंगाराम हॉस्पिटल के डॉक्टर ने एक बहुत ही अच्छी इंफॉर्मेशन दी है#CoronaUpdatesInIndia pic. twitter. com/g9o5lGyUtB — राकेश एक सनातनी हिन्दू 🙏🙏 (@modified_hindu) May 8, 2020  The tweet has been archived here.       The claims in the video about gargling warm water with salt and vinegar to kill coronavirus are false.  The video was made by a TikTok user @subhashayada who is not a doctor.  However, now he has deleted the video after it went viral on other social media platforms.  Ganga Ram Hospital authorities have said the video is being falsely connected to them and that man does not work as a doctor at that hospital.  World Health Organization states the suitable prevention but does not mentions anything about this theory claimed in the video about gargling warm water with salt or vinegar to fight coronavirus.  No other study stands by that theory either.     The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has also debunked this rumour and tweeted about the same by declining the theory.  #Coronavirus CANNOT be treated by gargling with warm water mixed with salt and vinegar.  This is #fakenews circulating on social media and WhatsApp.  For authentic information on #Coronavirusoutbreak, follow @PIB_India and @MoHFW_INDIA #PIBFactCheck #IndiaFightsCorona pic. twitter. com/gKUGDBqR9Q — PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) March 16, 2020    Therefore, the viral video gives out false information and does not include a doctor from Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi.


CBI registers a case against Cambridge Analytica and Global Science Research Ltd for "illegal harvesting of personal data from Facebook users in India." https://t.co/ienWauLlub

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica (CA) and Global Science Research Limited, UK, for allegedly harvesting personal data of Indians from Facebook, officials said on Friday.  The agency, after two and a half years of enquiry, has found that personal data of 335 users and around 562,000 additional users who were part of the friend’s network of these 355 users was illegally collected.  CBI enquiry revealed that Dr Alexandr Kogan, founder and director of Global Science Research had created an app - “thisisyourdigitallife”.  As per the platform policy of Facebook, the app was authorised to collect certain specific data of the users for academic and research purposes.  The agency says that the app, however, illegally collected additional unauthorised data of the users as well as their friends’ network in the Facebook.  Kogan has been named as accused in the CBI First Information Report (FIR) registered on January 19 and has been charged under sections of criminal conspiracy and Information Technology Act. CBI says that the data was collected with the knowledge and consent of users.  The data collected includes demographic information, pages liked on FB, and contents of private messages etc, CBI says.  The FB conveyed that 335 users had installed the app in India.  They have estimated that data of 562,000 additional users who were part of friends’ network of these 335 users has also been unauthorisedly harvested by the app, CBI adds. Cambridge Analytica earlier faced allegations that it used personal information harvested from 87 million Facebook accounts to help Donald Trump win the 2016 US presidential election.  Union law and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had told Rajya Sabha in 2018 that the probe will be handed over to the CBI. The anti-corruption agency had launched a preliminary enquiry against CA in July 2018 on the complaint of ministry of Information Technology.  During the enquiry, CBI had contacted 335 app users out of which six responded to the agency and were examined during the course of enquiry.  “They unanimously stated that they were misled by the app and were not aware of the fact that their personal and friends’ data was harvested.  They also said that they would not have used the app if they knew that it would do so,” CBI FIR, reviewed by HT, adds.  Global Science Research, CBI says, entered into a criminal conspiracy with CA during 2014 and right to use illegally harvested data sets was given to the latter for commercial purposes.  “Facebook had collected written certificates from Alexandr Kogan (Global Science Research) and CA during 2016-17 declaring that all such data obtained by them through the app, thisisyourdigitallife, was accounted for and destroyed.  This facts confirms that Global Science harvested data sets and provided the same to CA for commercial purposes,” CBI FIR states.  However, CBI adds, enquiry could not authenticate the veracity of claim by Global Science and CA that they had destroyed the data sets.


Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays last respects to veteran lawyer and former Union Minister Ram Jethmalani. He passed away this morning at the age of 95. https://t.co/qK5XHQSjgA

India is observing 20th Kargil Vijay Diwas on Friday to commemorate the victory of Indian armed forces over Pakistan in the mountains of Kargil on Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. The Kargil war, which led to 527 deaths on Indian soldiers, lasted for over two months and ended on July 26, 1999.  Indian Army, with the help of the Indian Air Force (IAF), wrested back the Kargil region, in Ladakh sector, from the Pakistan army. President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the soldiers of the Indian armed forces who laid their lives during the Kargil War.  Among several other leaders, Defence minister Rajnath Singh and home minister Amit Shah also paid their respects to the soldiers of the Indian Army. :What Major Padmapani Acharya wrote to father before heading to KargilTen days before his march to capture the peak back, Major Padmapani Acharya had written to his father. . "Tell a story a day from Mahabharata to Charu so that your grandchild imbibes good values. " Charulata Acharya was six months pregnant at that time. #KargilVijayDiwas pic. twitter. com/SckZd1G8hwDon’t repeat your misadventure. . . : Army Chief warns PakArmy Chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday issued a stern warning to Pakistan, saying it will get a “bloodier nose” if it chooses to go into another war with India while advising the neighbouring country of not repeating such “misadventures”. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Kargil herosThose who hold up our flag through sacrifice and hardship, those who fight for freedom, for our sovereignty and all that India stands for, can never be forgotten.  Our gratitude to all those who fought in Kargil and sacrificed their lives for ours. #KargilVijayDiwas #कारगिलविजय pic. twitter. com/ZsTlp2wAFsRajnath Singh at National War Memorial‘Respect, Love, Salute’We will never forget all the sacrifices you made for us.  Respect, Love, Salute.  🇮🇳 #JaiHind #KargilVijayDiwasKargil hero fought Pak.  20 years on, father fights against Pak’s war crimesTwenty years have passed since the 1999 Indo-Kargil war, but for Captain Saurabh Kalia’s parents, the war for justice is not over. Pak can only fight proxy war: Rajnath SinghDefence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday hailed the heroic acts of Indian soldiers in all the wars fought with Pakistan.  He said that the wars have made our soldiers confident that neither can Pak fight a full-fledged war with India nor a limited once.  It can only fight proxy war, he was quoted as saying by news agency IANS.  Army Chief: Any task given to defence services will be accomplishedArmy Chief General Bipin Rawat in Dras: I want to convey to our countrymen that you can be rest assured that any task given to defence services will always be accomplished no matter how difficult it is.  Our soldiers will continue to man and guard our borders.  Army Chief General Bipin Rawat: We are looking at modernising our inventory.  Our focus is on Artillery weapon system, by 2020 we will get the Howitzers, K-9 Vajra is being manufactured in the country now and two Bofors like guns are being manufactured locally.  Army Chief General Bipin Rawat in Dras: I want to convey to our countrymen that you can be rest assured that any task given to defence services will always be accomplished no matter how difficult it is.  Our soldiers will continue to man and guard our borders.  #KargilVijayDivas: pic. twitter. com/V8EbQafM7eFather of Capt.  Saurabh Kalia on Kargil DiwasNK Kalia,father of Capt. Saurabh Kalia who lost his life in 1999 Kargil War: Indian govt took action after Uri & Pulwama attacks, and when IAF’s Abhinandan was captured by Pakistan.  If similar actions were taken in 1999, our soldiers would not have been treated badly by the Pakistan.  NK Kalia,father of Capt. Saurabh Kalia who lost his life in 1999 #Kargil War: Indian govt took action after Uri & Pulwama attacks, and when IAF's Abhinandan was captured by Pakistan. If similar actions were taken in 1999, our soldiers would not have been treated badly by the Pak pic. twitter. com/SG0tlXopdyFather of Capt Vikram Batra on Kargil DiwasGL Batra, father of Capt Vikram Batra, who lost his life in Kargil War: Government is taking strong actions against Pakistan as it continues to support infiltration&terrorism.  I’d requested government in Delhi to rename roads in Delhi after Param Vir Chakra awardees.  I am yet to receive a response on it. Captain Vikram Batra of the Indian Army was posthumously awarded with the Param Vir Chakra (PVC).  Captain Vikram Batra of the Indian Army was posthumously awarded with the Param Vir Chakra (PVC).  #KargilVijayDivas https://t. co/7zaEfEzDNCJ&K: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat pays tribute at Kargil War Memorial in DrasJammu & Kashmir: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat pays tribute at Kargil War Memorial in Dras, on 20th Kargil Vijay Divas.  Jammu & Kashmir: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat pays tribute at Kargil War Memorial in Dras, on 20th #KargilVijayDivas pic. twitter. com/fYwysrFFvJNaik Deepchand,1889 Missile regiment: My battalion had fired 10,000 rounds during the warNaik Deepchand,1889 Missile regiment, Kargil: My battalion had fired 10,000 rounds during the war.  I am proud of this fact.  We had only one target in mind that is to defeat the enemy.  I have come here to pay tribute to soldiers who lost their lives in Kargil War.  Naik Deepchand,1889 Missile regiment,Kargil:My battalion had fired 10,000 rounds during the war.  I am proud of this fact.  We had only one target in mind that is to defeat the enemy.  I have come here to pay tribute to soldiers who lost their lives in Kargil War.  #KargilVijayDivas pic. twitter. com/4VOHfgea7RKarnataka’s Shivamogga gets park dedicated to Indian soldiers on Kargil Vijay DiwasKarnataka: A park dedicated to Indian soldiers has been constructed in Shivamogga that will be inaugurated today on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas.  Karnataka: A park dedicated to Indian soldiers has been constructed in Shivamogga that will be inaugurated today on the occasion of #KargilVijayDiwas.  pic. twitter. com/V5IQAkCtNYPresident Kovind:A grateful nation acknowledges the gallantry of our Armed ForcesPresident Ram Nath Kovind: On Kargil Vijay Diwas, a grateful nation acknowledges the gallantry of our Armed Forces on the heights of Kargil in 1999.  We salute the grit and valour of those who defended India, and record our everlasting debt to those who never returned.  Jai Hi, reports news agency ANI. Rajnath Singh pays tribute at National War Memorial in DelhiDelhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pays tribute at National War Memorial on 20th Kargil Vijay Diwas.  Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pays tribute at National War Memorial on 20th #KargilVijayDiwas.  pic. twitter. com/PWssdObUJY20th Kargil Vijay Divas being celebrated at Kargil War Memorial in J&K20th Kargil Vijay Divas being celebrated at Kargil War Memorial in Dras, Jammu & Kashmir.  20th #KargilVijayDivas being celebrated at Kargil War Memorial in Dras, Jammu & Kashmir.  pic. twitter. com/nFzaJntNRAPresident Ram Nath Kovind celebrates 20 years of Kargil Vijay DiwasPresident Ram Nath Kovind celebrates 20 years of Kargil Vijay Diwas at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar today.  He was supposed to visit Drass memorial, but due to bad weather his visit was cancelled. Three Services Chiefs will pay homage at Drass war memorial.  President Ram Nath Kovind to now celebrate '20 years of #KargilVijayDivas' at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar today.  He was supposed to visit Drass memorial, but due to bad weather his visit was cancelled. Three Services Chiefs will pay homage at Drass war memorial.  (file pic) pic. twitter. com/J8ZFDhB46V


1,132 new #COVID19 cases and 11 deaths reported in Rajasthan till 8:30 pm today. The total number of cases in the State stands at 36,430 including 9,852 active cases and 624 deaths: State Health Department https://t.co/46OFcwBzTF

Brazil recorded 39,436 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours as well as 1,374 new deaths resulting from the disease, the country’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday. Brazil has registered more than 1. 1 million cases since the pandemic began, while cumulative deaths reached 52,645, according to the ministry.


First lady Jill Biden posts message thanking "service members, first responders, civil servants who have put in hours upon hours of work to make sure our inauguration was a reflection of the pride and promise of our nation." https://t.co/zlsaCyfdWN https://t.co/VtOSM7QaOB

Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNNUpdated 7:26 AM ET, Thu January 21, 2021  (CNN)On the first morning of Joe Biden's presidency, America has changed utterly, and not at all.


The man who pleaded guilty to setting fire last year to three historically Black churches in Louisiana's Creole country was sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $2.66 million in restitution to the churches, according to the DOJ https://t.co/36tmitpDFj https://t.co/zkcFEyHX8C

Matthews pleaded guilty in February to arson and hate-crime charges.  Donations pour in to rebuild Louisiana churchesA white man who pleaded guilty to torching three historically Black Louisiana churches in a 10-day span was sentenced on Monday to 25 years in federal prison. Holden James Matthews, 22, learned of his fate in federal court in Lafayette, Louisiana, at the conclusion of a two-day hearing in which parishioners displaced by the 2019 arson rampage gave emotional victim impact statements, with one person saying to Matthews "some believe you should receive the death penalty. "Prior to Judge Robert Summerhays issuing the sentence, Matthews apologized for his crimes and said he wanted congregants of the churches he destroyed to know he had found faith in the Lord. Matthews, according to prosecutors, could have been sentenced to 70 years in prison. He pleaded guilty in February to three counts of using fire to commit a felony and three counts of intentional damage to religious property, which are hate crimes under the Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996. Federal prosecutors said Matthews admitted to setting the fires because of the "religious character of these buildings" and in an effort to raise his profile as a "Black Metal" musician, a music genre with roots in the Norwegian heavy metal scene that reportedly was the inspiration of several church burnings in that country in the early 1990s. Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division said Matthews also admitted to taking and posting photographs and videos on Facebook showing the first two church burnings in hopes of promoting himself in the Black Metal community. Matthews' reign of terror began on March 26, 2019, setting fire to St.  Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre, Louisiana, officials said. On April 2, 2019, he set fire to the Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas, Louisiana, and two days later he torched the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, also in Opelousas, officials said.  All three churches are in St.  Landry Parrish. He was arrested in April after investigators traced three gas cans found at one of the burned churches to a local Walmart and discovered through credit card receipts and surveillance video that they were purchased by Matthews, officials said. Matthews' father is a sheriff's deputy in St.  Landry Parish.  In April, St.  Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said Matthews' father "helped facilitate" his son's arrest and had "no knowledge" of the arson spree. Rev.  Kyle Sylvester, a pastor at St.  Mary Baptist Church, was among those who gave victim impact statements on Friday. "Some believe you should receive the death penalty, some want to kill you themselves and others believe your punishment today will not be enough," Sylvester told Matthews, according to ABC Lafayette affiliate KATC-TV. Defense attorneys called a clinical psychologist who evaluated Matthews' mental state to testify on Friday.  Mary Lou Kelley, a professor at Louisiana State University, said Matthews, in her opinion, suffers from untreated depression, social anxiety, arrested social development and socially avoidant behavior that stems from a fear of social rejection. Kelley claimed that Matthews has a history of alcohol and substance abuse and that he got drunk before setting each fire. "His mother continuously told him to pray and it'll get better.  . . .  He was angry at God because his prayers weren't heard.  I think if he had gotten the mental health services he needed he would not be here today," Kelley said. As part of the sentencing, Summerhays gave Matthews 18 months credit for time served since his arrest and ordered Matthews to seek substance abuse counseling while in prison. The fires drew national attention, and Vice President Mike Pence traveled to St.  Landry Parrish to condemn the acts. "No one should ever fear for their safety in a house of worship, anywhere in this country, anywhere in the world.  Attacks on communities of faith must stop," Pence said at the time, citing a mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct.  18, 2018, that left 11 people dead and seven wounded and another shooting at a synagogue in Poway, California, in which one congregant was killed and three were injured, including the rabbi. Following the arson fires, churches and religious groups throughout Louisiana and the nation donated more than $2 million to a GoFundMe site established by the Seventh District Baptist Association, a 150-year-old nonprofit religious organization, to help rebuild the three burned churches. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee expels party leader A. P. Abdullakutty for praising PM Narendra Modi. (File pic) https://t.co/IklzeBErbf

The Congress’ Kerala unit on Monday expelled former lawmaker A P Abdullakutty from the party for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for following Mahatma Gandhi’s values.  In a Facebook post last week, A P Abdullakutty had said Prime Minister Modi won handsomely for the second time because he inculcated Gandhian values in governance. “This victory is a reward for governance strategies and development agenda of the Modi government.  What made him so popular was that he inculcated enough Gandhian values in governance,” he said citing the Swacchh Bharat mission and free LPG connections to the poor. “Gandhi once told his followers when you create a policy, think the face of the poorest person you may have met in your life.  Modi has done exactly that.  Through ‘Swacchh Bharat’ he gave toilets to 9. 26 crore families and gave free LPG connections to six crore families,” he said in the post.  The party had sought an explanation from him for his remarks in favour of the Prime Minister. Kerala Congress president Mullapally Ramachandran said Abdullhakutty’s explanation was not satisfactory and he continued to raise allegations against some of the state leaders.  But Abdullhakutty said the party action was on the expected line and that he will continue to serve people.  There is strong speculation that he will join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has already welcomed the leader from the minority community.  Soon after Abdullhakutty’s post, many Congress leaders criticised him and sought action against him.  But he maintained that he only pointed out the flaws in party policies and wanted the Congress to correct them. As a CPI(M) leader, Abdullhakutty represented Kannur in the Lok Sabha seat from 1999 to 2009 and after his expulsion from the party, the Congress made him a legislator twice.  He had been sulking after he was denied a seat in the April-May Lok Sabha elections.


Bengaluru: Section 144 has been imposed in areas under DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits till 6 am on 15th August https://t.co/vABbF9KWBn

Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) has been extended in areas under DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits till 6 am on August 15.  Section 144, which prohibits the gathering of four or more people at a place, had been imposed in the entire city on Wednesday after violence broke out in some parts of the city over a derogatory social media post.  Bengaluru Commissioner of Police Kamal Pant had on Wednesday announced that the imposition of Section 144 of CrPC in areas under DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits has been extended till 6 am on August 15. FIR has been filed against 17 main accused in violence that took place on August 11. Earlier on Wednesday, Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that a district magistrate will hold an inquiry into Tuesday’s violence in Bengaluru and said so far 146 people have been arrested. The arrested persons have been accused of arson, stone-pelting and assault on the police.  The police said that accused Naveen has been arrested allegedly for posting “derogatory” material on social media. Residence of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasamurthy was also attacked after the violence broke out.  (ANI)


Mumbai: BMC removes poster which they had put outside 'Jalsa', residence of Amitabh Bachchan, declaring it as containment zone.

Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan & their daughter Aaradhya are admitted at Nanavati Hospital after testing positive for COVID https://t.co/GIImOJVA7n

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) removed the poster that declared senior actor Amitabh Bachchan’s bungalow ‘Jalsa’ as a Covid-19 containment zone, on Sunday.  It has been 14 days since the ‘Don’ actor, along with his actor-son Abhishek Bachchan, was admitted to the Nanavati Hospital after testing positive for coronavirus on July 11.  Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Aaradhya were also admitted to the same hospital after testing positive for the virus.


While acknowledging the importance of testing, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said that it is only part of the solution to reopen the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic. https://t.co/3tm3rfHM23

By Kaitlan Collins, CNNUpdated 2:48 PM ET, Mon April 20, 2020  (CNN)The White House is preparing to use the Defense Production Act to give a Maine medical supplies company federal funding so it can ramp up its production of swabs needed for coronavirus testing.  CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated with additional detail and context from the White House on what the Trump administration is doing to facilitate testing swab production.


Around 177 Indian nationals to board a special flight from Manama, Bahrain for Kochi, Kerala today.
#VandeBharatMission #COVID19 https://t.co/isZa7Nnuc2

Domestic air operations will not resume in Tripura from Monday as all flights operating to and from Agartala stand cancelled, according to Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport’s officials. Services were halted as all the flights are connected to Kolkata and the Kolkata airport is not available till May 27, in view of cyclone Amphan. Union minister for civil aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri, on Sunday announced that domestic flights will recommence across the country from May 25. Director, Biju Patnaik International Airport, VV Rao, in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar said that at least two flights may be cancelled due to some issues at Kolkata, Mumbai and other places. “We have done inspection and trial run with all stakeholders today evening and went off successfully.  All stakeholders trying their level best to ensure touch-free and safe passage of air travel for passengers,” he said. All scheduled commercial passenger flights were suspended in India since March 25 when the Narendra Modi government imposed a lockdown to contain the virus. Domestic flight operations resumed across the country from Monday except in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.


Over 500 protesters block Delhi road, force DMRC to shut Jaffrabad station

https://t.co/PTaesTpP44 https://t.co/90IkRH3Z5s

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Sunday morning closed the entry and exit of the Jaffrabad station in Northeast Delhi amid a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) outside the station.  In a tweet, the DMRC also said trains will not stop at this station. Security UpdateEntry & exit of Jaffrabad have been closed.  Trains will not be halting at this station. Delhi Police have also deployed additional personnel around the Jaffrabad metro station as women continued their protest against the CAA.  There was already heavy security deployment, including women police personnel, in the area when the protest began Saturday night. Jaffrabad became the latest anti-CAA protest site in Delhi when about 500 people, mostly women, gathered there to protest against the new citizenship law and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), blocking a major road on Saturday night. The women, carrying the national tricolour and raising slogans of ‘aazadi’, said they would not move from the site till the Centre revoke Citizenship (Amendment) Act, PTI had reported.  They also tied a blue band on their arm and also raised ‘Jai Bhim’ slogans. The women had blocked road No.  66 which connects Seelampur to Maujpur and Yamuna Vihar.  Another protest against the CAA is already on near the main Seelampur road and Kardampuri.  The protest at Jaffrabad began even as efforts are on to clear a road blocked by anti-CAA and anti-NRC protesters at Shaheen Bagh in Southeast Delhi for over two months. The protesters have blocked the road connecting Southeast Delhi and Noida.  The Supreme Court has appointed mediators to find a way to end the impasse. Protesters say the CAA which fast tracks citizenship for illegal non-Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh is unconstitutional, divisive and discriminatory because it makes religion a test of citizenship.


Sen. Amy Klobuchar tells AG Barr that his 4-page letter was "clearly a summary and that's why Director Mueller called it a summary."

"We must hear from Director Mueller." https://t.co/6ZpX4pELwy https://t.co/tRF5qAqIQe

    In the wake of a bombshell revelation that special counsel Robert Mueller took issue with the way William Barr described his Russia probe’s findings, the attorney general came to Capitol Hill to testify about his handling of the 448-page Mueller report in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

    I am watching it live and offering key takeaways from the hearing in real time.  They’re below.

    Graham, the chairman of the Judiciary committee, has stood out over the first two-plus years of Donald Trump’s time in the White House for his drastic about-face on the President.  The South Carolina senator went from calling Trump a “kook” who was unfit for office during the 2016 GOP primary to being one of the President’s biggest advocates and allies in Congress.

    Graham kept up his pro-Trump work during his opening statement on Wednesday.  He incorrectly said that Mueller asked Barr to make a conclusion about whether or not Trump had obstructed justice in his actions related to the special counsel probe; Mueller did not do that at all – simply not making a recommendation of his own about Trump and obstruction, noting that the Office of Legal Counsel made clear a sitting president could not be charged.

    Then Graham turned to a favorite subject of the President: The text messages – badmouthing Trump – between then-FBI official Peter Strzok and Lisa Page during the 2016 election.  Graham promised an investigation into those text messages as well as into the origins of the FBI’s counter-intelligence probe – up to and including questions about the FISA warrant granted the FBI to surveil Carter Page.  As many people on Twitter quickly noted, if name-calling Trump during the 2016 election was a crime, then Graham himself would be in jail right now.

    One example from February 2016: “Donald Trump is not a conservative Republican.  He’s an opportunist.  He’s not fit to be President of the United States. ”

    Now that we know that Mueller took issue with the way that Barr described the report in his summary letter on March 24, the AG sought to re-classify what he meant to do with the letter.  He compared it to offering a verdict in a trial, with the transcript of the proceedings (the Mueller report) to come out later.  Barr said that public interest was such – and the stakes were so high – that he felt the need to offer the summary or verdict immediately after receiving the report.

    To hear Barr tell it then, what happened with his letter was all a big misunderstanding.  (“We were not trying to summarize the report,” Barr told the Judiciary committee on Wednesday. ) It was never meant to fully categorize the nature of Mueller’s investigations, according to Barr; that misunderstanding is why Mueller wasn’t thrilled with Barr’s letter.

    Asked what, specifically, Mueller took issue with in his four-page summary letter, Barr said that the special counsel was unhappy with the description of obstruction as it relates to the President; “The press was reading too much into it,” Barr said of what he took from the phone conversation with Mueller on March 28.

    But that’s not at all what Mueller said in the March 27 letter to Barr, which was released Wednesday morning.  There’s no mention of the media in that letter.  In fact, Mueller seems to directly criticize Barr’s handling of the letter.  Wrote Mueller:

“The summary letter the Department sent to Congress and released to the public late in the afternoon of March 24 did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this office’s work and conclusions,” Mueller wrote.  “There is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation. ”

    Barr tried to thread a very narrow needle in explaining why President Trump telling then White House counsel Don McGahn to get rid of Mueller was not obstruction of justice.  Barr claimed that Trump never told McGahn to “fire” Mueller but rather to remove him from his position due to alleged conflicts of interest.  The difference, according to Barr?  Firing Mueller would eliminate the special counsel while removing Mueller for cause would ensure a new individual would be named to carry on the special counsel investigation.  Therefore, no obstruction.  That’s slicing the onion very, very thinly.

    One more thing: In May 2017, the Department of Justice made clear that Mueller had no ethical conflicts and was perfectly capable of overseeing the special counsel investigation.  A month later, Trump told McGahn to remove Mueller for conflicts of interest.  So, how did Trump not already know that the DOJ had said no such conflicts existed?

    If you blinked, you might have missed this exchange between Graham and Barr:

GRAHAM: “Do you share my concerns about the counterintelligence probe and how it was started? ”

BARR: “Yes. ”

    Big deal.  Barr’s agreement with Graham means that the attorney general is now at odds with both the FBI and the Mueller report, which made clear that the counterintelligence probe began after the Australians approached the US – following the release on WikiLeaks of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee – to tell them that a one-time Trump aide named George Papadopoulos had told an Australian diplomat that the Russians had dirt on Hillary Clinton.

    Barr’s statement on Wednesday puts him – or at least potentially puts him – much more in line with Trump, who has repeatedly claimed that the counterintelligence investigation was based on an opposition research document put together by former British spy Christopher Steele.

    (Steele’s work was paid for, at times, by the DNC and the Clinton campaign. )

    Last month, in a Capitol Hill hearing, Barr said that he believed “spying” had occurred on the Trump campaign in 2016.  Controversy followed, as national security officials insisted that the AG referring to the legal use of a FISA warrant to surveil Carter Page was deeply irresponsible.

    On Wednesday, Barr refused to back down from the use of that word – insisting that “spying is a good English word that in fact doesn’t have synonyms because it is the broadest word incorporating really all forms of covert intelligence collection. ” Challenged by Sen.  Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) as to whether the term “spying” is used commonly in the Department of Justice, Barr retorted: “It’s commonly used by me. ”

    The facts are these: More than a week after Barr received Mueller’s letter expressing concern about how the AG’s summary letter had characterized the obstruction evidence – and talked to Mueller on the phone about it – he appeared before Congress.  And he had this exchange with Florida Democratic Rep.  Charlie Crist:

CRIST: Reports have emerged recently, General, that members of the special counsel’s team are frustrated at some level with the limited information included in your March 24 letter, that it does not adequately or accurately portray the report’s findings.  Do you know what they are referencing with that?

BARR: No, I don’t.

    Asked about that moment on Wednesday, Barr explained what looks like willful obfuscation – basically – this way: I didn’t know what specific “reports” Crist was referring to or who on the special counsel’s team he was talking about.  Therefore, my answer is accurate.

    Which is, well, whoa.  Or, better put, it is a hugely legalistic answer to the question of whether Barr misled Crist and the broader country.  Common sense dictates that, when asked about whether he was aware of any frustrations from the special counsel regarding his four-page letter, the letter from Mueller – and their subsequent phone conversation – would jump immediately to mind

    Barr can make a lawyerly argument that he didn’t understand what Crist was specifically referring to in his question.  But that doesn’t pass the smell test.

    Pressed on his critical decision not to charge Trump with obstructing the Mueller probe, Barr made a bit of news.  Here’s what he said: “I didn’t exonerate.  I said that we didn’t believe that there was sufficient evidence to establish an obstruction offense. ”

    That’s broadly in keeping with how the Mueller report described its own findings on Trump and obstruction, writing this:

“(I)f we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state.  Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment.  … Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. ”

    All of that is VERY different than how Trump himself has described the findings of the Mueller report and what Barr decided after reading it.  “No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION.  KEEP AMERICA GREAT! ,” Trump tweeted on March 24.

    The key thing to remember here: Not bringing charges is not the same thing as innocence or exoneration.

    California Sen.  Kamala Harris asked Barr a simple question: Did anyone in the White House ask or suggest that he open an investigation into a person or people?

    Barr was taken aback, asking Harris to repeat the question.  He then said he wasn’t entirely sure what she meant by the word “suggest. ”

    All of that potentially suggests – ahem – that someone in the White House has either asked or suggested that Barr and the DOJ look into a matter.  Which is interesting, to say the least.
  © 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 exam results announced. Overall Pass Percentage is 88.78%. https://t.co/MKswRe5NpA

CBSE Class 12 result 2020: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday announced class 12 examinations results on its official website.  The overall pass percentage has increased by 5. 38 percentage point this year compared to 2019.  As many as 11,92,961 students had appeared in CBSE class 12 examination this year, out of which 10,59,080 passed.  The overall pass percentage is recorded at 88. 78%, compared to last year’s 83. 40%.  The board has not declared the merit list this year in view of the change in evaluation criteria.  Follow CBSE 12th Result 2020 live updatesWhile 1,57,934 students have scored 90% and above marks, 38,686 students have scored 95% and above marks. CBSE did not declare the results of around 400 students on Monday.  “The results of 400 students could not be computed and hence, their results could not be announced today,” the board has said in a statement.  Also Read: CBSE Board 12th Result 2020 declared at cbse. nic. inIn region-wise performance, Trivandrum performed the best with overall pass percentage of 97. 67%, followed by Benaguluru at 97. 055, Chennai at 96. 17%, Delhi west at 94. 61% and Delhi east at 94. 24%.  The overall pass percentage of Delhi region stood at 94. 39%. Also Read: CBSE 12th Result 2020 declared, 88. 78% pass, girls outshine boysLike last year, girls performed better than boys.  While the overall pass percentage of girls who appeared in the exams stood at 92. 15%, around 86. 19% boys passed the exams.  The pass percentage of transgender stduents was recorded at 66. 67%, lesser than last year’s 83. 33%. Also Read: CBSE 12th Results 2020 declared, here’s how to check at cbseresults. nic. inJawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JKV) performed the best with overall pass percentage of 98. 70% followed by Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) (98. 6%) and the Central Tibetan School Administration (98. 23%). Also Read: CBSE 12th result 2020: Important details here, no merit list this time“CBSE has decided to replace the term ‘Fail’ by the term ‘Essential Repeat’.  Hence, in the result declared, no ‘Fail’ term will be mentioned in the documents issued to the candidates and the result hosted on the website,” the board said in a press statement on Monday. This year, exams of as many as 12 papers of class 12 were cancelled in India and abroad in view of the covid-19 pandemic.  The students were evaluated on the basis of the average of marks in exams they had appeared for before the lockdown was announced to contain the pandemic in March.


A post with an image of a Congress poster is being shared on Facebook claiming that Rahul Gandhi’s name has been misspelt on the poster.  Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post. Claim: A Congress poster in Wayanad (Kerala) misspelt Rahul Gandhi name as ‘Rahul Gandu’. Fact: The photo of the poster has been taken in Telangana, not Kerala.  Also, the photo has been photoshopped.  In the actual photo, it can be seen that Rahul Gandhi name has not been misspelt.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.  If the leaders in the poster are clearly observed, it can be found that they are Telangana Congress leaders (Sudheer Reddy at the bottom right and Uttam Kumar at the top right), not Kerala Congress leaders.  So, the poster is from Telangana, not Wayanad (Kerala).  When the posted picture is run through Yandex Reverse Image Search, a Telugu article published last year on this issue can be found in the search results.  So, this image has been in circulation before Rahul filed his nomination in Wayanad.  According to that article, the picture was photoshopped to change the name ‘Gandhi’ to ‘Gandu’.  The original photo can be found in that article.  Also, on the official Facebook account of Sudheer Reddy, a video posted last year shows the same flexi, in which the name was found to be correctly spelt. To sum it up, Rahul Gandhi’s name was not misspelt on the Congress Poster.  The image has been photoshopped.


The researchers said their test can determine if someone is currently infected and if they have been infected in the past.

https://t.co/o9sPAvhD2r

Researchers in Australia have devised a test that can determine novel coronavirus infection in about 20 minutes using blood samples in what they say is a world-first breakthrough.  The researchers at Monash University said their test can determine if someone is currently infected and if they have been infected in the past. “Short-term applications include rapid case identification and contact tracing to limit viral spread, while population screening to determine the extent of viral infection across communities is a longer-term need,” the researchers said in a paper published in the journal ACS Sensors on Friday. The research team was led by BioPRIA and Monash University’s Chemical Engineering Department, including researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent BioNano Science and Technology (CBNS). Their test, using 25 microlitres of plasma from blood samples, looks for agglutination, or a clustering of red blood cells, that the coronavirus causes. While the current swab test is used to identify people who are infected with the coronavirus, the agglutination assay - or analysis to detect the presence and amount of a substance in blood - can also determine if someone had been recently infected, after the infection is resolved, they said. Hundreds of samples can be tested every hour, the researchers said, and they hope it can also be used to detect antibodies raised in response to vaccination to aid clinical trials. A patent for the innovation has been filed and the researchers are seeking commercial and government support to scale up production. The novel coronavirus has infected more than 13. 8 million people around the world and killed nearly 600,000 since it emerged in China late last year.  Australia has reported more than 11,000 cases and 116 deaths.  (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.  Only the headline has been changed. )Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter


Nick Gordon, the former boyfriend of Bobbi Kristina Brown, has died three years after he was found liable for her death. https://t.co/10Nkb6wZWP

The ex-partner of the late Bobbi Kristina Brown, has diedNews headlines today: Dec.  23, 2020ATLANTA -- Nick Gordon, who was found liable in the death of his ex-partner Bobbi Kristina Brown, has died.  He was 30. Gordon's attorney Joe S.  Habachy confirmed his client's death in a statement Wednesday to The Associated Press.  The Atlanta attorney did not give a cause of death or say where it occurred. Gordon's death comes nearly five years after Brown, the daughter of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, was found face-down and unresponsive in a bathtub in January 2015.  The 22-year-old died after six months in a coma. Investigators with the medical examiner’s office were not able to determine exactly how Bobbi Kristina Brown died.  An autopsy showed that she had morphine, cocaine, alcohol and prescription drugs in her body, but the medical examiner couldn’t determine if she killed herself, if someone else killed her or if her death was accidental. Her family blamed Gordon, accusing him in the lawsuit of giving her a “toxic cocktail” before putting her face-down in the water. Gordon was never charged in the case, but he was found responsible in a wrongful death lawsuit.  An Atlanta judge ordered him to pay $36 million to Brown’s estate. Houston brought Gordon into her household as an orphan at the age of 12, raising him and her daughter after divorcing Bobby Brown in 2007. Gordon wore a large tattoo of Houston’s face on his arm and called the singer “mom,” but the music superstar never fully adopted him or included him in her will.  Houston died in 2012 after she drowned in a bathtub.  Coroner's officials ruled Houston's death accidental and said heart disease and cocaine were contributing factors. After Houston’s death, Gordon and Bobbi Kristina went public with their romance. "Despite all of the incredible challenges Nick faced over the last few years I can honestly say that he worked hard to hold his head up and stay sober and that he genuinely wanted a happy healthy life with his family more than anything else," Habachy said in a statement. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Saurabh Bhardwaj, AAP: The exit poll has two meanings. One, it is exit poll for #DelhiElections2020 and the other is that it is an exit poll for Manoj Tiwari. He will soon get an exit as Delhi BJP Chief and he knows this very well. https://t.co/ZRJ4lsi4qd https://t.co/R4iQYrXclB

REPUBLIC-Jan Ki Baat exit poll predicts Aam Aadmi party (AAP) will return to power in Delhi with a thumping win under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.  The poll predicts AAP will sweep the Assembly elections and the BJP will end up second. The voting in 70 Assembly seats ended at 6 pm today.  The counting of votes will take place on February 11. The REPUBLIC-Jan Ki Baat is giving 48-61 seats to AAP.  It has predicted anything between 9-21 seats for the BJP and only one seat for the Congress.  It terms of vote share, it predicts 51 -52% for AAP, 38-40 % for the BJP and 4-5 % for the Congress.  However, it remains to be seen how accurate exit polls turn out to be.  They had predicted AAP’s return in 2015, but were way off the mark when it came to the number of seats. All the exit polls had given AAP a decisive edge over the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2015, with one of them predicting that the party will win 53 seats in the 70-member House.  The AAP, however, defied all the predictions and won 67 seats, leaving just three for the BJP.  The Congress drew a blank. Delhi witnessed a triangular contest between AAP, BJP and Congress this year.  The Arvind Kejriwal-led party had showcased its development work to woo voters in a bid to recapture the seat of power.  The BJP, however, alleged that AAP government was not able to deal with the law and order problems in the national capital.  The Congress too targeted AAP and made a pitch to voters to choose a party which gave the national capital a progressive government under Sheila Dikshit. (An election exit poll, not always known to be correct, is a poll of voters taken immediately after they exit the polling stations)


#NobelPrize2020 in Literature awarded to American poet Louise Glück. https://t.co/Yvucv38c37

American poet Louise Glück won 2020 Nobel Literature Prize on Thursday.  “Her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal,” the academy said while announcing the award.  The announcement comes after years of controversy and scandal for the world’s pre-eminent literary accolade. In 2018 the award was postponed after sex abuse allegations rocked the Swedish Academy, the secretive body that chooses the winners, and sparked a mass exodus of members. Last year’s choice of Austrian novelist Peter Handke also unleashed a flood of criticism, leaving many wondering how it could award a writer known for supporting Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic in the Balkan wars and playing down his army’s atrocities. The Academy defended its choice of Handke as one based solely on literary merit. Still to come are prizes are for outstanding work in the fields of peace and economics.


Members of the Tablighi Jamaat celebrated PM Modi’s birthday inside the Nizamuddin Markaz – Jamaat’s global headquarters.

When you are the Prime Minister of the largest democracy in the world, even your birthday becomes a national event.  PM Narendra Modi celebrated his 70th birthday on September 17, 2020.  While BJP workers across the country held joyous celebrations, several others termed it as “#NationalUnemploymentDay” to raise voice against unemployment and economic crisis in the country. Amid this, a photograph of a group of Muslim men praying along with an image of PM Modi in the background is viral on social media.  It is being said that it is the Islamic sect Tablighi Jamaat celebrating the PM’s birthday inside Nizamuddin Markaz - its global headquarters in Delhi. One of the claims in Hindi translates in English as, “Modi's birthday was celebrated in Nizamuddin Markaz of Tablighi Jamaat.  These are the same people who are ashamed to celebrate the Birthday of their prophet. ”India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the claim along with the image is misleading.  Nizamuddin Markaz is temporarily closed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.  The celebration was conducted outside the Markaz by a BJP leader, Suhaib Qasmi. Similar claims are also shared on Facebook. The archived versions of the posts can be seen here and here.  AFWA probeWith the help of a keyword search, we found a report on the event by news agency ANI titled, “Delhi's Muslim community celebrates PM Modi's 70 birthday at Nizamuddin Markaz”. The report mentions how several members of the Muslim community in Delhi celebrated PM Modi’s birthday.  It quoted one Maulana Suhaib Qasmi and Firoz Bakht Ahmed, Chancellor of the Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad. We found two Facebook accounts of Suhaib Qasmi, the Maulana quoted in the ANI report. According to the ‘About’ section on both the Facebook accounts, Qasmi is the National President of Jamaat Ulema e Hind, an organisation of Islamic scholars.  He is also a member of the BJP and RSS. Also, one of his profile pictures show him with BJP National President JP Nadda and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. Who celebrated PM Modi’s 70th birthday?  AFWA reached out to Qasmi who told us that he is a BJP National Executive member and is currently the convener of the 'Muslim Rashtriya Manch' which is associated with the RSS.  He also added that the celebration happened outside the Nizamuddin Markaz and had in attendance people from various groups. “It is true that we celebrated PM Modi's birthday on September 17.  But it was outside the Nizamuddin Markaz.  Many people joined in including those from BJP and RSS.  Some people like the Chancellor of the Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad also came from outside Delhi.  Everyone prayed for PM's good health,” he said. A 4:15 second video of the cake cutting event is also posted by Qasmi on his Facebook account.  The video clearly shows the event was held on the street outside the Markaz. We also spoke to Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, spokesman for the Tablighi Jamaat group for more clarity on the matter.  Rehman confirmed that the Markaz has been temporarily closed due to Covid-19 and Tablighi Jamaat did not officially participate in any such birthday celebrations. “Markaz is temporarily closed as a precautionary measure against Covid-19.  Tablighi Jamaat, Nizamuddin did not officially participate in any such cake cutting celebrations as part of the PM’s birthday.  Also, we don’t allow celebrations like cake cutting inside the Markaz.  We don't even celebrate the birthday of our founder or prophet,” Rehman told AFWA. Tablighi Jamaat and Nizamuddin Markaz shot to headlines in March 2020.  Hundreds of people tested Covid positive after they attended a religious congregation organised by the Jamaat in Nizamuddin Markaz despite Coronavirus warnings by the authorities. According to reports, Delhi Police arrested 233 Tablighi Jamaat members and 2,361 were evacuated from the Markaz in March.  The Union Home Ministry on September 21, 2020 also claimed in Rajya Sabha that this Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Nizamuddin led to the coronavirus infection spreading among 'many' people in the country. The number of crows determines the intensity of the lie.


French FC PSG’s Instagram followers doubled after the announcement of Messi’s signing with the club.

The legendary Argentinian footballer, Lionel Messi recently ended his 21-year association with the Spanish football club, Barcelona and joined France's Paris Saint-Germain. Ever since his move to PSG, several netizens are claiming that the Instagram follower count of Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (PSG) has doubled within 24 hours of Messi joining it. Two screenshots of PSG’s Instagram profile — one with 19. 8 million and the other with 40. 2 million followers — are viral on the internet with the claim.  It is being said that the first screenshot shows the number of PSG’s Instagram followers before Messi’s joining the team, whereas the second one shows the follower count 24 hours after the big announcement. Sharing these screenshots, a Facebook user wrote, “PSG followers before and after signing Messi.  20. 2M followers in 24 hours.  Leo Messi is bigger than the club.  (sic)”The archived version of this post can be seen here. India Today Anti-Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that though the follower count of PSG’s Instagram page increased by around 3. 4 million just 24 hours after Messi’s joining the club, it didn’t, however, double in number. Messi signed a two-year contract with the French football club Paris Saint-Germain on the night of August 10. In order to find the truth behind the numbers, we used different online tools to get to the root of it. According to the historical data provided by ‘Socialblade’, PSG had around 38. 8 million followers on Instagram a day before (August 9) the announcement of Messi’s signing.  On the day the deal was signed (August 10), the total follower count rose to around 41 million.  Subsequently, on August 11, the follower count kept rising and came to around 44. 4 million. This data establishes that around 24 hours after Messi signing the deal, PSG’s Instagram follower count increased by around 3. 4 million. As on August 13, PSG has around 46 million Instagram followers (and counting), which comes to around an addition of 7 million new followers ever since Messi joined the club.  Thus, the claims of followers doubling are baseless. Using Followerstat, we were able to fetch almost two-year old follower count data of PSG's Instagram account.  We found that PSG had around 21 million followers in 2019 itself. In the viral screenshot, it is claimed that PSG had 19. 8 million followers 24 hours before Messi joined the French FC.  This means that the alleged ‘pre-deal' screenshot of PSG’s Instagram profile showing 19. 8 million followers is morphed. With two different tools pointing towards the same result, we can indeed be sure that there is no basis in the fact that PSG’s Instagram follower count doubled after Messi’s joining.  A morphed screenshot of PSG’s ‘pre-contract’ Instagram follower count is being shared to falsely claim that the number of Instagram followers of PSG doubled 24 hours after Messi’s joining. Often addressed as the GOAT (Greatest of all time) by his fans, Lionel Messi had created history in 2012 when he created a world record by scoring 91 goals. It is interesting to know that Messi’s first contract with FC Barcelona was signed on a paper napkin in the year 2000, as per this ESPN report. He was only 13 years old when Barcelona executive Carles Rexach spotted him during a trial and thought that he was "too good to let go". The number of crows determines the intensity of the lie.


West Bengal: Security personnel deployed in Siliguri in the wake of restrictions imposed in the state due to #COVID19 https://t.co/Fyscf16H5I

In view of evolving Covid-19 situation, registration for Amarnath Yatra is being temporarily suspended, said Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board on Thursday. The board further said that the situation is being constantly monitored and it will be reopened once the situation is improved. Online registrations for this year's Amarnath Yatra commenced on April 15. This year's 56 day-yatra will commence simultaneously on both routes from June 28 and culminate on Raksha Bandhan, August 22. Nitishwar Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board had earlier informed that the intending yatri shall have to visit the official website for registration.  The yatri will then be guided for the steps to be followed. "They will have to fill up his details in the online application form and attach his photograph and the Compulsory Health Certificate (CHC)," said the CEO. He said that for ensuring against fraudulent health certificates, only such certificates which are issued by doctors/medical institutes authorised by the concerned state government/UT administrations shall be accepted for the online registration. The CEO further informed that persons under the age of 13 years or above the age of 75 years and ladies who are more than six weeks pregnant would not be registered for this year's yatra. For Yatra 2021, only those health certificates which have been issued after March 15 shall be valid. The CEO informed that the yatris shall be able to download the yatra permits after their applications have been duly processed.  The yatris will have to carry their original Photo ID and CHC with them during the yatra. Kumar further stressed that for ensuring effective security arrangements along the difficult tracks, only those yatris who are in possession of a yatra permit which is valid for a specified date and route will be allowed to proceed beyond the base camps, and cross the entry gates at Domel and Chandanwari. The yatris who propose to travel by helicopter do not require registration as their helicopter tickets shall suffice for this purpose.  However, they shall be required to produce the Compulsory Health Certificate,(CHC) in the prescribed format issued by an authorised doctor, before they are allowed to travel by helicopter.


A cartoon with the title ‘Lipstick on a pig’ is being widely shared on social media claiming that American Cartoonist Ben Garrison has drawn the cartoon to depict the current state of Indian media.  The cartoon showcases a mother pig who has a caricatured face of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many piglets that are represented with the logos of few Indian news channels feeding on the mother pig.  In the background, there is a dog with the name ‘Bhagwat’, to represent RSS Chief Mohan Bhagawat.  Another cartoon is also being shared on Facebook with the same claim that American Cartoonist Ben Garrison has drawn the cartoon to depict the current state of Indian media.  The cartoon (archived) showcases a pack of dogs whose heads are replaced with pen nibs looking anticipatedly at a bone held in hand.  Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.  Claim: American Cartoonist Ben Garrison’s cartoons depicting the current state of Indian media. Fact: The cartoons were found to exist on the internet for many years and Ben Garrison didn’t draw them.  Ben Garrison issued a clarification that he never drew any cartoons on Indian Politics, and the cartoons with his signature were fake.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE. Cartoon-1:When we subjected the photo to reverse image search technique, the original cartoon of the one in the photo was found in the search results.  The original cartoon has a mother pig with a caricatured face of Hillary Clinton and many piglets represented as ‘Lies’, ‘Criminality’, ‘Theft’, ‘Graft’ etc. , feeding on it.  The dog in the background is represented with the name ‘Bill’.  The cartoon was drawn by American Cartoonist Ben Garrison in March 2016 during the US Presidential Elections.  So the cartoon in the post is a photoshopped one. Indian Cartoonist Satish Acharya tweeted in 2017 that the caricature of Modi’s face in the photoshopped cartoon was taken from a cartoon drawn by him in 2010 when Narendra Modi had turned 60 years old.  The truth about Ben Garrison's Modi cartoon orbiting the web world!  pic. twitter. com/VR0zuJnkUGCartoon-2:When we subjected the image to reverse image search technique, the cartoon was found to exist on the internet at least since 2009.  It was first found in an article of Persian website ‘adeli-af. com’ that was written about the scholars and writers in Afghanistan.  In the article, no exact details of the cartoonist who drew that cartoon were mentioned. When we looked on the website (grrrgraphics. com) of Ben Garrison, no such cartoon was found to be drawn by him depicting the situation of Indian media.  In 2017, Ben Garrison has also tweeted that he never drew any cartoons on Indian Politics, and all such cartoons with his signature are fake.  No- I have never drawn any cartoons on India politics- there are some cartoons with my sig going around- Not mineEarlier, when another cartoon was shared on the social media as the one drawn by Ben Garrison targeting the Indian National Congress party’s rule, FACTLY has debunked the claim and written the fact-check article.  To sum it up, American cartoonist Ben Garrison hasn’t drawn any cartoons depicting the state of current Indian media.  Did you watch our new video?


Anadabazar Patrika shows opinon poll as TMCs Dilip Yadav ahead in Pursurah seat

A morphed newspaper clipping of Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika showing results of an opinion poll that predicts the win of Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate from Pursurah (Hooghly) Dilip Jadhav is viral on social media.   The clipping features an image of Jadhav, the Hooghly district president of TMC and a graphic termed as the 'result of the opinion poll'; it states that the TMC will get a 46. 1% of vote share beating Biman Ghosh of BJP.  The opinion poll package appears to be the lead story of the edition.  Click here  to see the post and here for an archived link.   The image has been widely shared on Facebook.   Also Read: Is There No More COVID-19 In Assam, As Himanta Biswa Sarma Claims?  Fact Check BOOM checked the e-paper archive of Anandabazar Patrika and found the image was created by editing the lead story of the publication dated April 3, 2021.   According to the digital version of the ABP newspaper of April 3, the top fold of the published newspaper had been morphed to include the fake opinion poll,  a caption on Jadhav's forthcoming win based on the poll and an unrelated article.  There is also a spelling error of the word 'poll' in Bangla in the graphic.  Additionally, we reached out to a correspondent from Anandabazar Patrika who clarified that the given poll is fake.   "ABP channel commissioned two polls C-Voter and CNX.  And the results of both are out. " Further, the newspaper has also 'decided to take necessary legal action' against the misinformation peddlers.    BOOM compared viral fake image and the real image of ABP's paper published on April 3, 2021 below.   Also Read: Fake KolkataTV Opinion Poll Claims Suvendu Adhikari's Win In Nandigram


Karnataka reports 44,438 fresh #COVID19 cases including 22,112 cases in Bengaluru Urban, 20,901 discharges and 239 deaths.

Active cases: 4,44,734
Death toll: 16,250 https://t.co/L0Mufmrc0c

Assam has placed fresh restrictions on attendance in public transport, Bihu events, schools, offices, gatherings and ordered markets to close earlier as record Covid-19 cases were seen on Monday.  While ruling out a complete lockdown, a senior government official said, more restrictions may come after a review of the situation in the next 3-4 days. Additionally, anyone found not wearing face masks or spitting in public will be fined up to ₹1000, as per the new guidelines, which will remain in force till April 30. “. . . It is felt that in order to contain the fast spread of virus, additional prohibition/restrictions on certain activities needs to be imposed, except essential and emergency activities/services as an emergency measure for well being and safety of the people,” the order issued by chief secretary Jishnu Barua, who is also the chairperson of the executive committee of the State Disaster Management Authority, read. Despite a call by political parties and eminent citizens, ongoing Bihu functions will not be cancelled, however, a cap of 50% on the venue capacity, not exceeding 400 people, has been imposed for functions held in the open, with a direction for strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols. “In closed venues, gatherings up to 50% of the seating capacity can be allowed.  No standing audience shall be allowed in open/closed venues,” the order read. The number of guests in private functions such as marriages has been restricted to 100, and more than 20 persons will not be allowed for conducting last rites; similarly, only 20 to 50 persons will be allowed at religious places depending on their size, the order says. Markets, super markets, shops in malls and weekly markets have been ordered to close down by 6 pm and buses can operate with only 50% passengers and without allowing any passenger to travel standing. Barber shops, salons and beauty parlours have been allowed to operate while observing Covid-19 safety measures.  Industrial units and tea gardens can also function by following protocols. In government and private offices only 50% employees will be allowed barring any restrictions on officers’ attendance.  The guidelines also exempt emergency/essential services, law enforcement and election work.  Pregnant women and women with children below 5 years of age shall work from home, said the order. In educational institutions, both government and private, only 50% students will be allowed in person on a day.  Schools have also been asked to stagger class timings, discontinue morning and special assemblies and prefer online teaching for primary classes. “On March 21, we recorded 25 positive cases, but the figure went up to 1,367 cases on April 19.  The positivity rate, which was 0. 57% till 10-15 days back, has now increased to 2. 74%,” said Barua explaining the reason behind fresh restrictions.  Covid-19 cases recorded on Monday were the highest daily figures for this year.  There are 6,316 active cases in the state currently. “The situation at present doesn’t require imposition of lockdown or curfews, but if it aggravates in coming days, such a decision may be required. . . ,” Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Monday. Dr Hemanga Baishya, former secretary of Indian Medical Association , Assam branch endorsed the curbs and said everyone including leaders had “forgotten about Covid-19 safety measures in the past months.  “Our health minister even went to the extent of saying that wearing of masks was not necessary.  The government should now spread awareness on the importance of the safety measures and ministers and other celebrities should lead by example so that other allow follow suit,” he said.


West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar at #RepublicDay parade in Kolkata. https://t.co/4jnsOIqL2v

India marked its 71st Republic Day with many firsts as it displayed its military might and cultural diversity during the 90-minute parade at Rajpath, in the heart of New Delhi, with multi-layered security in place.  Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was attendance as the guest of honour with President Ram Nath Kovind, vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defence minister Rajnath Singh among others watching the parade and tableaus on Rajpath. Prime Minister Modi greeted the nation early in the morning before the Republic Day ceremony started.  Also Watch | CRPF women bikers make debut at R-day parade, perform daredevil stunts“Wishing everyone a happy #RepublicDay,” PM Modi wrote on Twitter. The Prime Minister in a saffron turban, breaking from tradition, visited the National War Memorial instead of the Amar Jawan Jyoti, where he lead the nation in paying tributes to the martyrs by laying a wreath. The National War Memorial was built in the memory of the soldiers killed in action since Independence near India Gate.  Amidst the celebrations, several low-intensity blasts suspected to be carried out by the banned United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (ULFA-I) using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) rocked parts of upper Assam.  Militant outfits in Assam and rest of the northeast routinely call for a boycott on Republic Day and Independence Day and carry out minor blasts to register their presence and create panic. The firstsIndia’s armed forces took centre-stage at the grand parade as they displayed the army’s battle tank Bhishma, Infantry Combat Vehicle Ballway Machine Pikate and the air force’s brand new Rafale fighter jet and the newly inducted Chinook and Apache helicopters.  The long-range artillery gun Dhanush, commanded by Indian Army Captain Mrigank Bharadwaj, was a part of the Republic Day celebrations at Rajpath for the first time.  The 155mm/45 Caliber Dhanush gun system is a towed Howitzer designed indigenously by the Ordnance Factory Board.  The gun with a maximum range of 36. 5km has the capability of automatic gun alignment and positioning. An all-woman bikers contingent of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) also made its debut at the 71st Republic Day.  Inspector Seema Nag, who is posted with the Rapid Action Force (RAF), commanded the contingent and was seen saluting while standing on top of a moving motorcycle. The women bikers wowed the audience with several daredevil stunts and concluded by forming a human pyramid of 21 personnel on five motorcycles. Another highlight was the marching contingent of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) that showcased the anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) - Mission Shakti. Mission Shakti, India’s first anti-satellite mission, was a major breakthrough in demonstrating the nation’s capability to bring down hostile satellites. The newly-inducted Chinook heavy lift and Apache attack choppers were also displayed for the first time during the parade at the majestic Rajpath. The marching contingent of the Corps of Army Air Defence, led by Capt Vikas Kumar Sahu of Army Air Defence Centre, also made its debut on Rajpath during the Republic Day parade. Marching contingentsThe Republic Day parade was commanded by parade commander Lt General Asit Mistry, General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area.  Major General Alok Kacker, Chief of Staff of Delhi Area, will be the second-in-command. The first contingent in the uniform of the erstwhile Gwalior Lancers was 61 Cavalry – the only active serving horse cavalry regiment in the world.  It was raised on August 1, 1953, with the amalgamation of six state forces’ cavalry units. The Indian Army was represented by a mounted column of 61 Cavalry, eight mechanised columns, six marching contingents and fly-past by Rudra and Dhruv Advanced Light helicopters of its aviation wing. The other marching contingents of the army included the Parachute regiment, the Grenadiers Regiment, the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment, the Kumaon Regiment and the Corps of Signals. Indigenously-developed Main Battle Tank of the Indian Army, T-90 Bhishma tank, infantry combat vehicle Ballway Machine Pikate, K-9 Vajra and Dhanush guns, transportable satellite terminal and Akash weapon system were the main attractions in the mechanised columns. The Indian Navy contingent comprised 144 sailors led by Lieutenant Jitin Malkat.  It was followed by the naval tableau – ‘Indian Navy - Silent, Strong, and Swift’. The IAF contingent, comprising 144 air warriors, will be led by Flight Lt Shrikant Sharma.  The air force tableau will showcase scaled-down models of the Rafale and Tejas aircraft, the Light Combat Helicopter, the Akash missiles system and the Astra missiles. Tableaux and fly-pastsSixteen tableaux from various states and Union territories, including from the newly-created Jammu and Kashmir, depicted rich cultural diversity of the country. Several reforms of the government, including Start-up India and Jal Jeevan Mission, were also showcased in six tableaux from different ministries and departments. School children from Delhi performed yoga and several dances, including on a song by Rabindranath Tagore, during the parade.  The recipients of Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puruskar 2020 also participated in the Republic Day parade.  There were 49 children, including 18 girls and 31 boys, who received the award in the fields of bravery, innovation, scholastic, sports, arts, culture, social service and music. The fly-past – the grand finale and the most keenly awaited segment of the parade – comprised the ‘Trishul’ formation by three advanced light helicopters. This Republic Day parade also had a “tri-service formation” for the first time.  It was followed by the ‘Vic’ formation of Chinook helicopters, used for airlifting diverse loads to remote locations. Apache helicopters, Dornier aircraft, C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, an Airborne Early Warning and Control System aircraft and the “globe formation” comprising three C-17 Globemasters also enthralled the audience. Five Jaguar Deep penetration strike aircraft and five MiG-29 upgrade air superiority fighters in ‘Arrowhead’ formation displayed their aerial manoeuvre. A fleet of Sukhoi-30 MKI jets splitting the sky with a breathtaking ‘Vertical Charlie’ aerobatic manoeuvre was last attraction of the Republic Day parade.


On visit to Delhi school gutted in riots, @RahulGandhi says the school was destroyed by hate and violence

https://t.co/f9BpPOsTii https://t.co/J4k2Zk8QmV

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who led a Congress delegation to assess the damage in riot-hit areas in Northeast Delhi on Wednesday said no one has benefited from the violence that left at least 46 dead in four days of mayhem last week.  “Violence benefits no one, it only harms people and Bharat Mata.  India is being divided,” he said. The delegation including MPs also visited a school in Brijpuri which was set on fire during the violence last week.  “This school was the future of India, hate and violence have destroyed it.  Our future has been burnt here,” the former Congress president said. The Congress had been pressing for a discussion in Parliament on the Delhi violence.  The government says it is ready to hold a discussion but after Holi.  The violence which began on the evening of February 23 raged for three days and has claimed 46 lives and left hundreds injured and damaged properties across many localities in Northeast Delhi.


THE NOTE: Ralph Northam and Stacey Abrams speak to Democrats’ worries around race—long before any candidate has a chance to face Pres. Trump. https://t.co/xDB7VSnpWR https://t.co/173IOhOpxw

  Virginia Democratic Gov.  Ralph Northam on Saturday rejected calls to step down following controversy involving a racist photo from his yearbook.

  During a press conference, the governor denied his involvement in the image but admitted later to participating in a Michael Jackson dance contest where he wore blackface.

  Many prominent politicians have called for his resignation.  Here’s a look at who:

Former Virginia Gov.  Douglas Wilder, who is one of two African-Americans ever elected governor in US history, tweeted on Saturday calling for Northam’s resignation.

  “I stated, earlier, that Gov.  Northam’s continuing in office was his choice to make.  It is difficult for anyone who watched the press conference today to conclude that he has any other choice … but to resign,” he wrote.

This is why blackface is offensive

  Additionally, the Virginia senatorial delegation, Sens.  Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, as well as Virginia Rep.  Bobby Scott condemned Northam following his press conference.

  “After we watched his press conference today, we called Governor Northam to tell him that we no longer believe he can effectively serve as Governor of Virginia and that he must resign,” the statement read.

  It continued: “Governor Northam has served the people of the Commonwealth faithfully for many years, but the events of the past 24 hours have inflicted immense pain and irrevocably broken the trust Virginians must have in their leaders.  He should step down and allow the Commonwealth to begin healing. ”

  The Democratic Party of Virginia also called for Northam’s resignation in a statement.

  “We stand with Democrats across Virginia and the country calling him to immediately resign.  He no longer has our confidence or our support,” Democratic Party of Virginia Chair Susan Swecker said in the statement.

  “Governor Northam must end this chapter immediately, step down, and let Lt.  Gov.  Justin Fairfax heal Virginia’s wounds and move us forward.  We can think of no better person than Lt.  Gov.  Justin Fairfax to do so. ”

  The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus wrote in a statement that they were amplifying their call for the governor to resign.

  “Another moment should not pass before we hear Governor Northam do the honorable thing and resign,” the statement said

  Various Democratic presidential candidates also weighed in, including California Sen.  Kamala Harris, who wrote on Twitter on Friday: “Leaders are called to a higher standard, and the stain of racism should have no place in the halls of government.  The Governor of Virginia should step aside so the public can heal and move forward together. ”

  “It doesn’t matter if he is a Republican or a Democrat.  This behavior was racist and unconscionable.  Governor Northam should resign,” former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro and Democratic presidential hopeful wrote on Twitter.

Massachusetts Sen.  Elizabeth Warren said “Hatred and discrimination have no place in our country and must not be tolerated, especially from our leaders – Republican or Democrat,” in a tweet, adding that he “must resign. ”

  “Ralph Northam should resign,” said presidential candidate and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg in a statement to CNN.  “I have high regard for Lieutenant Governor Fairfax, and he will serve Virginia well. ”

New York Sen.  Kristen Gillibrand on Friday night called for him to leave office.

  “There aren’t two sets of rules for our friends and our foes: Right is right and wrong is wrong.  Americans deserve to be respected by their leaders, and racism cannot be excused in our government or anywhere else.  Having seen the photo, I believe Governor Northam should resign,” Gillibrand said on Twitter.

New Jersey Sen.  Cory Booker also called for Northam to step down.

  Booker wrote on Twitter, “These images arouse centuries of anger, anguish, and racist violence and they’ve eroded all confidence in Gov.  Northam’s ability to lead.  We should expect more from our elected officials.  He should resign. ”

Eric Swalwell, a California congressman who is considering a run, joined with those calling for Northam’s ouster.

  “No, you can’t wear a black face or a white hood and lead a state.  Not now and not ever,” he tweeted.  “But we are merciful people.  Governor Northam should step down, seek forgiveness, and through good deeds earn the respect of the African-American Community. ”

  “We all know that no single person is irreplaceable, and the Governor needs to search deeply to determine whether he can both continue to lead and obtain the forgiveness of those who he has hurt.   I suspect the answers to these questions is ‘no’ - which is why I would counsel him to resign,” presidential candidate John Delaney said.

Rep.  Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii said if Northam, “cannot win back the trust of his constituents, he must resign. ”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared to support calls for Northam’s resignation without explicitly calling on him to do so, saying on Twitter that she was joining her colleagues in Virginia “calling on Governor Northam to do the right thing so that the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia can heal and move forward. ”

  “Northam must resign, and those who try to help him stumble past this deserve scrutiny,” New York Rep.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter.  “If you can’t understand how painful + eroding this is to American society, let alone the state of Virginia, take some time to read up this weekend. ”

  And late Saturday night, 2016 Democratic nominee for president and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton tweeted that Northam must resign.

  “This has gone on too long.  There is nothing to debate.  He must resign,” she wrote.

  CNN’s Dan Merica, Arlette Saenz and Ryan Nobles contributed to this report.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


"I've taken better care of Puerto Rico than any man ever," Pres. Trump claims, after sustained criticism over his administration's response to Hurricane Maria. "They've got to spend the money wisely. They don't know how to spend the money." https://t.co/t07q7B4Tg1 https://t.co/wEIabXDL7M

By Lauren Fox and Ted Barrett, CNNUpdated 7:53 PM ET, Wed March 27, 2019  (CNN)The President has vowed to make the Republican Party the "party of health care. "CNN's Tami Luhby, Manu Raju and Mackenzie Happe contributed to this report.


How Roger Stone spent the last 72 hours before his arrest https://t.co/sKwopiiksK https://t.co/tRAUo1SYcc

Jan.  25, 2019,
								at
								11:01 AM
By Amelia Thomson-DeVeauxFiled under Russia InvestigationBill Clark / CQ Roll CallRoger Stone’s indictment wasn’t a surprise.  On Friday morning, the Republican strategist and longtime adviser to President Trump was arrested by FBI agents and indicted in connection with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign.  Stone has been predicting for months that he would eventually be criminally implicated in Mueller’s investigation, and sure enough, he was charged with seven counts, including witness tampering, obstruction of an official proceeding, and making false statements. The charges are related to Stone’s communications with WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign, when the organization released thousands of emails from Democratic officials that were allegedly hacked by Russian agents.  According to the indictment, Trump campaign officials were interested in learning about WikiLeaks’ releases of the stolen information that might be damaging to Hillary Clinton and an unnamed senior campaign figure was even “directed” to reach out to Stone to ask about the timing of future releases and the nature of the information WikiLeaks had about Clinton. The documents don’t spell out a clear connection between the Trump campaign and Russia.  Stone left his official role with the campaign in August 2015 and was only serving as an informal adviser in the summer and fall of 2016, when he was allegedly in touch with WikiLeaks.  But the latest development is significant because unlike previous indictments of people close to Trump, which were for charges like unrelated financial wrongdoing or making false statements about a real estate deal, Stone’s indictment is the first time Mueller has charged someone connected to Trump’s campaign with misconduct related to Russia’s election interference.  The indictment also indicates that Mueller has evidence that Trump campaign officials were aware of the existence of the stolen emails before they were released. Stone is the 34th person charged in Mueller’s probe. On its face, the Stone indictment doesn’t include much information that wasn’t already in the public eye.  Stone talked in public and in private about the leaks of the stolen Democratic emails throughout the 2016 campaign and claimed in August 2016 to have communicated with Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.  Previous reporting had also outlined how Stone promoted himself to the Trump campaign as a backchannel to WikiLeaks and revealed his attempts to intimidate Randy Credico, a radio talk show host and “Person 2” in the indictment. Overall, though, Stone also hasn’t been charged with anything that actually occurred during the campaign, like conspiring with WikiLeaks.  The wrongdoing outlined in the indictment revolves around various attempts by Stone to mislead congressional investigators in 2017 by making false statements about his communication with WikiLeaks and then bullying Credico into backing up his story. The details do make for a much more colorful read than your typical court document: According to the indictment, Stone threatened Credico’s therapy dog, Bianca, and told Credico to “do a ‘Frank Pentangeli’ before HPSCI [the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence] to avoid contradicting Stone’s testimony” — a reference to “The Godfather: Part II,” where a character lies in congressional testimony. But the real unknown is how Stone’s alleged misconduct fits into the broader picture that Mueller has been painting through court documents for over a year.  In his previously filed indictments, which have been quite detailed, Mueller has told the story of a complex campaign by the Russians to influence the 2016 election to Trump’s benefit, both through online influence campaigns and email hacking. What’s still not clear is whether Trump campaign officials — or even the candidate himself — actively coordinated with Russia in these efforts.  The Stone indictment doesn’t answer that question, which could mean a few things.  It may be that Mueller’s team doesn’t have evidence to show that direct communication with WikiLeaks went any higher than Stone or that the Trump campaign was working with Russia in other ways.  Or it could mean that Mueller is still filling in the story and that more answers are coming in future indictments. Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux is a senior writer for FiveThirtyEight.    @ameliatdFiled underRobert Mueller (100 posts)
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AFP news agency: Swedish prosecutor issues formal request to hold WikiLeaks founder Assange on rape suspicion. (file pic) https://t.co/o3iPkaZ3Ve

Swedish authorities on Monday issued a request for a detention order against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is now jailed in Britain, a Swedish prosecutor said. Prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson says if the Swedish court decided to detain Assange “on probable cause suspected for rape . . .  I will issue a European Arrest Warrant. ”The development sets up a possible future tug-of-war between Sweden and the United States over any extradition of Assange from Britain. Assange was evicted last month from the Ecuadorian Embassy where he had been holed up with political asylum since 2012.  He was then immediately arrested by British police on April 11 and is currently serving a 50-week sentence in Britain for jumping bail in 2012. The Australian secret-spiller also faces a US extradition warrant for allegedly conspiring to hack into a Pentagon computer. Persson said Monday that British authorities will decide any conflict between a European arrest warrant and US extradition request for Assange. On May 13, Swedish prosecutors reopened a preliminary investigation against Assange, who visited Sweden in 2010, after two Swedish women said they were the victims of sex crimes committed by Assange. While a case of alleged sexual misconduct against Assange in Sweden was dropped in 2017 when the statute of limitations expired, a rape allegation remains.  Swedish authorities have had to shelf it because Assange was living at the embassy at the time and there was no prospect of bringing him to Sweden. The statute of limitations in the rape case expires in August next year.  Assange has denied wrongdoing, asserting that the allegations were politically motivated and that the sex was consensual. According to the request for a detention order obtained by The Associated Press, Assange is wanted for “intentionally having carried out an intercourse” with an unnamed woman “by unduly exploiting that she was in a helpless state because of sleep. ”The request added there was “an aggravating circumstance” because Assange didn’t use a condom. The 47-year-old Australian met the two Swedish woman in connection with a lecture in August 2010 in Stockholm.  One was involved in organizing an event for Sweden’s center-left Social Democratic Party and offered to host Assange at her apartment.  The other was in the audience. A police officer who heard the women’s accounts decided there was reason to suspect they were victims of sex crimes and handed the case to a prosecutor.  Neither of the alleged victims has been named publicly. Assange faces a maximum of four years in prison in Sweden if he is convicted of the rape. Persson said the day and time for the detention hearing regarding Assange at the Uppsala District Court north of Stockholm that will make the decision has not yet been decided. “However, in my view, the Swedish case can proceed concurrently with the proceedings in the UK,” Persson said in a statement.


West Bengal chief minister @MamataOfficial to visit Nandigram today

https://t.co/x2gMmDqHRA https://t.co/DW3SUDt929

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who would be contesting from Nandigram in East Midnapore district in the coming assembly elections, would be visiting the constituency today for the first time since she announced her candidature from there past Friday. “Banerjee would be holding at least four organisational meetings today.  This is the first time that she would coming to Nandigram since she officially announced on March 5 that she would be contesting from here,” said Sheikh Sufiyan, a district TMC leader. A senior TMC leader said that Banerjee is also scheduled to file her nomination in Haldia in East Midnapore on Wednesday.  The party is expected to release the manifesto on March 11, after her return to Kolkata. Also Read | Stage is set for a fierce battle in TMC bastionMeanwhile, Suvendu Adhikary, Banerjee’s her protege-turned-adversary whom the BJP has pitted against her from Nandigram, is likely to file his nomination on March 12. “At least two central ministers are expected to be there with Adhikari when he files the nomination from Haldia,” said a BJP leader. Nandigram is gradually gearing up for one of the most high-pitched election battles West Bengal has witnessed in the recent years. It goes into poll on April 1 in the second phase.  Located around 100 km south of Kolkata, it is one of most prestigious assembly constituencies for the TMC because mass movements against land acquisition during 2006-08 paved the path for Banerjee’s political resurrection and propelled her to power in 2011. The eight-phase elections for 294 seats of the West Bengal assembly are scheduled to be held between March 27 and April 29.  Counting of votes will be held on May 2.


"This…is why."

The images of a police officer kneeling on George Floyd's neck have sparked advocates, athletes and celebrities to draw a direct visual parallel to Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest against police brutality. https://t.co/ZQUK2BIlQC

By Theresa Waldrop, CNNUpdated 0448 GMT (1248 HKT) June 3, 2020  (CNN)A now-viral video is causing outrage at Kansas City, Missouri, police officers after they arrested a man who was yelling during a protest of George Floyd's death, and one officer pepper-sprayed him. CNN's Jessica King and Debbie Berger contributed to this report.