Sen. Bernie Sanders: "I don’t want a summary of the Mueller report. I want the whole damn report." https://t.co/uuNentCaAB https://t.co/QcIJUGsEji

  Attorney General William Barr on Sunday released his summary of the main conclusions from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

  Here are the top takeaways:

  President Donald Trump has been saying – and tweeting – a similar refrain for two years now: “NO COLLUSION! ”

  Trump says Barr’s summary proves him right.  “(T)he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities,” the letter states.

  Trump and his allies are already seizing on that line of the summary released Sunday, and it’s undoubtedly a major headline pushing back on two years of Democrats claiming they had evidence of collusion.

Mueller did not find Trump or his campaign conspired with Russia, also did not exonerate him on obstruction

  Of course, numerous Trump world contacts with Russians during the campaign and transition have already been established.  So what does it mean that Mueller didn’t find conspiracy or coordination?

  Barr’s summary includes a footnote that explains how Mueller defined coordination: an “agreement – tacit or express – between the Trump Campaign and the Russian government on election interference. ”

  In addition, Barr wrote that no Trump associate conspired or coordinated “despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign. ”

  The Justice Department decided not to prosecute the President for obstructing justice with his behavior – both public and in private – but Trump isn’t fully cleared.  He is likely to still face a hailstorm of political criticism for his actions after taking office, when more of Mueller’s investigation is revealed.

  Mueller said he thoroughly investigated the obstruction question, though he didn’t interview Trump.  Ultimately he left the question to the President’s political appointees, Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, to decide what to do.

  Barr and Rosenstein chose not to prosecute.  They decided that they couldn’t press a case against Trump because they didn’t have evidence of an underlying crime, Barr’s letter said Sunday.

  Barr also said the President’s actions did not “constitute obstructive conduct” and were not “done with corrupt intent. ” (His and Rosenstein’s decision hadn’t factored in the constitutional briar patch of indicting a sitting president. )

  “While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,” Mueller wrote in his report, as Barr quoted him on Sunday.

Read: Justice Department summary of Mueller report

  Perhaps without collusion, there could be no obstruction, Shan Wu, a CNN contributor who previously represented Rick Gates in the investigation, said on Sunday.  It’s possible Barr didn’t want to indict the President because an obstruction charge wouldn’t stand without an underlying collusion case.

  Notably, Barr has always been opposed to an obstruction case against the President.  Before he was attorney general under Trump, Barr wrote a memo in June 2018 to top Justice Department officials, saying he believed an obstruction case against Trump was “fatally misconceived. ”

  Trump’s other big win during the Mueller probe was that he never sat for an interview.

  His personal legal team had long been opposed to what they believed could be a perjury trap and Mueller never put the President in that position, in either a private interview or in testimony under oath.

  Barr’s letter on Sunday suggests Mueller never needed that interview.

  Mueller appears not to have gotten there because the Russian collusion case hadn’t materialized.  But he did consider forcing an interview with the President.  CNN reported Sunday that Mueller had deliberated at length about subpoenaing Trump before deciding not to make a formal request within the Justice Department.

Investigations will continue despite submission of the Mueller report

  Barr previously told Congress that Mueller never split with his bosses about steps to take in the investigation.

  Ultimately, Mueller was left with a set of written answers from Trump about questions of collusion and contact with Russians.  These were heavily vetted by Trump’s lawyers, and because of the President’s legal team’s negotiations and lack of pressure from Mueller, didn’t touch on obstruction of justice.

  Congressional Democrats are ready to pick up the torch of the Mueller investigation.

  Lawmakers are already raising questions about Barr making the prosecution decision on obstruction of justice, and House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler says he will call on the attorney general to testify “in the near future. ”

  “In light of the very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the Justice Department following the Special Counsel report, where Mueller did not exonerate the President, we will be calling Attorney General Barr in to testify before @HouseJudiciary in the near future,” the New York Democrat tweeted Sunday.

  Republicans, meanwhile, are joining Trump in claiming vindication for the President — and they’re going on offense to criticize Democrats over collusion.

  “For years, high-ranking Democrats in leadership positions in Congress claimed the special counsel’s report would provide definitive proof of collusion, and today’s report has proven that to be an outright lie once and for all,” said House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana.

  It’s a political fight of competing narratives that will surely spill into the 2020 presidential election.

  The four-page summary Barr released on Sunday is written in a lawyerly way in many cases, especially when it comes to the decisions made over the probe into obstruction of justice.

  And the letter – in addition to Barr’s previously expressed opposition to an obstruction probe into Trump in the first place – is fueling Democratic demands that Mueller’s full report be released.

  “Given Mr.  Barr’s public record of bias against the Special Counsel’s inquiry, he is not a neutral observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations about the report,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement Sunday.

  Of course, Republicans have also said they want Mueller’s report to be released and several have said the report should be out so that Democrats cannot claim the Justice Department is hiding anything.

  Documents from Mueller.  Internal Justice Department discussions.  Witness interview memos.  Thousands of court records.

  There are still many pages of documentation of Mueller’s work – plus discussions of his and the attorney general’s decisions and findings – that aren’t yet public.  But those documents could be available in the future, even soon, and would fill out even more pieces of the puzzle about what Mueller learned.

  Parts of Mueller’s original report could still become public, Barr said on Sunday, and the attorney general promised Congress he’d work “expeditiously” and is working with Mueller “as quickly as possible” on a public release.

  Barr wrote that Mueller will be involved in scrubbing the report to remove secret grand jury information and any content related to ongoing investigations before it could be made public.  (The ongoing investigations are “several” and other prosecutorial offices will be considering “further action,” Barr wrote. )

  Separately, Barr alludes to internal discussions that may have be documented, thus making it possible those papers could someday see the light of day.  Barr cited instances during the obstruction of justice review when he and Rosenstein consulted with the Office of Legal Counsel.  Mueller also considered subpoenaing Trump for an interview over several months, CNN reports, and Barr says in his letter Mueller spoke with other department officials in weighing obstruction case decisions, potentially creating even more of a paper trail.

  Separately, the release of documentation of court action will be largely out of Barr’s hands – and that ream of filings is massive.

  Federal judges will likely be asked to decide how and when to release the mostly still-confidential 500 search warrants, almost 300 warrants for electronic data and 13 requests to foreign government Barr said Mueller used to gather evidence.  So far, only a few dozen warrants related to the cases of Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen are available publicly.

  Mueller also interviewed about 500 witnesses, Barr said, meaning there are that many more files from those discussions kept by the Justice Department and FBI.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


Rajasthan: Thermal screening of devotees and sanitization being done at Ajmer Sharif Dargah, in view of #Coronavirus. https://t.co/Pc9u6RXh5X

Professors and students of Kohima Science College at Jotsoma have made hand sanitisers, and distributed them free to a hospital and government offices.  Sanitisers are one of the essential items to prevent spread of COVID-19.  The santitisers were prepared with isopropyl, hydrogen peroxide, glycerine, aloe vera plant extract and distilled water, college authorities said.  Principal of the autonomous college Lily Sema said, 760 ml of isopropyl, 41 ml of hydrogen peroxide, 15 ml of glycerin, 2 ml of aloe vera plant extract and 182 ml of distilled water were used for preparing one litre of hand sanitiser. “We prepared the sanitisers by following the WHO specifications,” Sema told reporters here on Wednesday. Following a government order asking all offices to provide hand sanitisers to its employees and also reported shortage of the product in the market, the institutes Chemistry department initially pitched in with the idea of preparing sanitisers for the college staff, the principal said.  The santitisers were subsequently distributed to government institutions such as Dordhashan and Regional Centre for Excellence, Music and Performing Arts at Jotsoma on Tuesday, she said. Fifteen litres of sanitisers were also provided to Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) for use in the hospital. Expressing appreciation for the “thoughtful” action on the part of the college to make available sanitisers in the wake of novel coronavirus threat, NHAK managing director Dr Thorhusie Katiry in a statement, urged the college to continue with its noble initiative. Meanwhile, the state government has issued notifications against hoarding of masks and hand sanitisers, saying that stern action would be initiated against those found involved in such activities by enforcing the Essential Commodities Act.


A news video of ‘Sudarshan News’ reporting that AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi has danced celebrating the death of Akhila Bharat Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari is being posted on Facebook by many users with the same claim.  Let’s analyze the authenticity of that claim. Claim: Video of Asaduddin Owaisi dancing in celebration of the death of Kamlesh Tiwari. Fact: Video shows Asaduddin Owaisi performing a dance step after the end of his rally in Aurangabad on October 17, 2019.  But Kamlesh Tiwari was murdered on October 18, 2019, i. e. , a day after Owaisi had performed that dance.  So, the claim made in the post is FALSE.    The video in the Facebook post has the name ‘Sudarshan News’ on it and the news anchor reports that Owaisi had danced celebrating the death of Kamlesh Tiwari.  When searched for that news video, it wasn’t found anywhere.  When searched on YouTube with keywords ‘Asaduddin Owaisi dancing video’, a video of ‘Zee News’, uploaded on October 18, 2019, was found in the search results.  From that news video, it was found that Owaisi had performed a dance step after an election rally in Aurangabad.  The news video had the watermark of ‘ANI’ on it, so when we did Twitter advanced search with relevant keywords, the same video that shows Owaisi dancing was found in a tweet of ‘ANI’.  From that tweet, it was found that Asaduddin Owaisi had performed a dance step at Aurangabad election rally on October 17, 2019. Maharashtra: AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi performs a dance step after the end of his rally at Paithan Gate in Aurangabad.  (17. 10. 2019) pic. twitter. com/AldOABp2ydBut, Akhila Bharat Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari was murdered on October 18, 2019, i. e. , a day after Owaisi had performed that dance at Aurangabad election rally. To conclude, in the video, Asaduddin Owaisi hasn’t danced celebrating the death of Kamlesh Tiwari. Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series?


Here are 7 takeaways from the third Democratic presidential debate https://t.co/gyBp6LX0dP https://t.co/blX3FIlkcn

President Donald Trump didn't immediately tweet about it, but others did. Democratic debate: The moments that matteredPresident Donald Trump didn't tweet during the third Democratic primary debate on Thursday night, but a number of other key Republicans spoke out in real time. Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh told ABC News: "Unimpressive roster of Dems up there tonight.  Nothing new.  President Trump will dominate any of them. "During the debate, Murtaugh also called out Andrew Yang's plan to give 10 supporters $1,000 a month for a year as part of a push for a universal basic income. "Not one new word uttered on stage, outside of Yang openly buying votes," Murtaugh said. Eric Trump tweeted during the debate that "these people are so uninspiring. . .  #yawn. "Donald Trump Jr.  retweeted a number of tweets that were critical of the Democrats during the debate, commenting on three that specifically criticized former Vice President Joe Biden. Kayleigh McEnany, national press secretary for the Trump campaign, released a statement after the debate, slamming "Democrats' big government socialism. ""President Trump's record of accomplishment easily eclipses any of these weak candidates," McEnany said in the statement.  "Thank you to ABC and the Democrat Party for another infomercial for President Trump! "24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


4 things we learned from Attorney General William Barr's Mueller report summary https://t.co/dvBj4T89Q6 https://t.co/I1S6fi3RYV

Vladimir Putin's spokesman again denied Russia meddled in the 2016 election. Russia reacts cautiously to Mueller report findingsMOSCOW -- The Kremlin has responded cautiously to the conclusion of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation that found no evidence of a conspiracy by Donald Trump's presidential campaign to help Russia interfere in the 2016 U. S.  election. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday he couldn't comment on Mueller's findings since no one had seen the report in full, and he denied again that Russia had meddled in 2016. "We haven’t seen the report itself," Peskov said in a daily briefing call with reporters.  "We have seen a certain condensed version, a summary, which, moreover, tells nothing new, except the acknowledgment of the absence of any conspiracy. "Reiterating Russia's long-standing blanket denial that it had interfered in the 2016 election, Peskov said of Mueller's investigation, "It's hard to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if it's not there. "Attorney General William Barr on Sunday released a summary of the key findings of Mueller’s 22-month investigation into Russia's effort to influence the 2016 election.  In a letter to Congress, Barr quoted from Mueller's own report that the special counsel had found no evidence that Trump or anyone associated with his campaign had conspired with Russia, "despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign. "Peskov denied that Russia had sought to aid Trump or meddled in 2016 in any way.  He also rejected Mueller's finding that Moscow mounted a two-pronged influence operation targeting American social media and a hacking attack that stole and then leaked documents from the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign. Other Russian officials' reactions were far more strident, however. Russia's foreign ministry criticized Mueller’s investigation in a Monday statement as a waste of time and resources, and said the accusation of Russian meddling was an "obvious fake. ""The long-awaited Mueller report has proved what we in Russia knew from the very beginning: there was no conspiracy between Trump and someone from his team with the Kremlin," Kostantin Kosachev, a prominent senator who chairs Russia's senate committee on foreign affairs, wrote on his Facebook page, condemning what he said had been "two years of ceaseless lies. "Meanwhile, anchors on the main state news channel, Russia 24,  mocked how much time and space American media had given to what they called a "fake. "Mueller’s investigation saw 34 people charged, among them six Trump aides and advisers.  Twenty-five Russians, many of them military intelligence officers, were indicted for their role in the hack of Democratic party institutions, or for taking part in the social media campaign.  In those indictments, Mueller laid out how the Russia’s intelligence services and a so-called "troll factory" in Saint Petersburg had sought to influence the U. S.  electorate. Russian officials and state media for two years have insisted the accusations of election meddling are fantasies invented by the Democrats to be used as a pretext to sanction Moscow.  Despite Barr's letter stating the opposite, Russian officials on Monday portrayed Trump's clearing of collusion as also proving there had been no Russian interference of any kind. The Russian foreign ministry on Monday attacked the Obama administration, accusing it of trying "to discredit Trump" in 2016 by making "unfounded accusations of 'hacking attacks. '"The Obama administration in 2016 agonized over how to make Russia's election operations public, worrying over just such an accusation of partisan bias, former administration officials have since said.  After Republican leaders rejected a request to make a partisan statement calling out the Russian campaign, in the end, the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National intelligence released a joint statement in October 2016 noting the Russian efforts, but leaving out whether the Russians had sought to help a particular candidate. With Mueller's investigation now over, some Russian senators said they hoped Trump might now try to improve relations with Russia, but they expressed doubts, saying they feared instead fresh sanctions were more likely to follow. "We in Russia have little to celebrate," Kosachev wrote, saying he believed Congress would now argue that even without a conspiracy it was necessary to strengthen sanctions against Russia. "There is a chance to reset much in our relations, but whether Trump will risk it remains an open question.  We, obviously, are ready," Kosachev wrote, adding Trump should use the moment to begin negotiations on two key arms agreements, the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces and the START treaties. Russia and the U. S.  in any case are at loggerheads in many areas unrelated to the 2016 election-- from Syria to Venezuela. Maria Lipman, a veteran Russian journalist and editor of the Counterpoint journal, agreed it was unlikely that Mueller's conclusion would ease the confrontation.  Having used Russia as "a battering ram against Trump" for the past two years, she said, it would be hard for Democrats to now put it aside and that the portrayal of one another in both countries was so negative that little could change in the short term. "The antagonism between Russia and the U. S.  has become so deep that I don't think there can be any improvement.  I don't think we should expect any change," she said. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Gujarat | Prime Minister @narendramodi meets his mother Heeraben Modi at her residence in Gandhinagar and seeks her blessings.

Follow updates here: https://t.co/MFzYdUVt83

(📸: ANI) https://t.co/tFksLZeZna

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah will be felicitated by the Gujarat unit of the party in Ahmedabad on Sunday following the massive victory in the Lok Sabha election.  During his first visit to his home state after the poll results, Modi will seek the blessings of his mother Hiraba Modi at her residence in the city, reports news agency PTI. Follow highlights here:PM Modi meets his mother at her residence in GandhinagarPrime Minister Narendra Modi meets his mother Heeraben Modi at her residence in Gandhinagar and seeks her blessings.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets his mother Heeraben Modi at her residence in Gandhinagar and seeks her blessings.  #Gujarat pic. twitter. com/qWEwnJo1Y9PM Modi arrives at his mother’s residenceGujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at his mother Heeraben Modi’s residence in Gandhinagar.  Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at his mother Heeraben Modi's residence in Gandhinagar.  pic. twitter. com/Khpl5FHy7kDuring the whole election it was noticed that people were voting to make government strong: PM ModiPrime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad: This election many pundits failed, after 6th phase of polling I had said that we will get 300 plus seats.  Many people made fun of me.  During the whole election it was noticed that people were voting to make government strong, reports news agency ANI. I saw a video on social media in which a woman from Bengal kept saying ‘Modi, Modi’: PM ModiPM Modi in Ahmedabad: I saw a video on social media in which a woman from Bengal kept saying ‘Modi, Modi’. When asked why?  She said “I had visited Gujarat and found development there, I want the same in Bengal” but when that woman was asked for whom she voted, she didn’t say anything.  PM Modi in Ahmedabad: I saw a video on social media in which a woman from Bengal kept saying 'Modi, Modi'. When asked why?  She said "I had visited Gujarat&found development there, I want the same in Bengal" but when that woman was asked for whom she voted, she didn't say anything.  pic. twitter. com/i2YcDfDH1sThe coming five years have to be years of Jan Bhagidari and Jan Chetna: PM ModiThe coming five years have to be years of Jan Bhagidari and Jan Chetna: PM Modi. We have to further enhance India’s position at the world stage: PM ModiWe have to utilise these five years to solve issues of the common citizens.  These have to be five years of all-round development.  We have to further enhance India’s position at the world stage: PM Modi. Was in constant contact with state government regarding Surat fire incident: PM ModiI was in constant contact with the state government regarding the Surat fire incident: PM Narendra Modi, reports news agency ANI. Big mandate brings big responsibilities: PM ModiThis big mandate brings big responsibilities.  It is important to remain humble and grounded in the wake of such a massive win: PM Modi. People of India are at the forefront of this campaign: PM ModiWithin the first three days of campaigning I was convinced that the BJP or NDA aren’t fighting the elections.  The people of India are at the forefront of this campaign: PM Modi. Vote in 2019 is a pro-incumbency vote and a positive vote: PM ModiThe vote in 2019 is a pro-incumbency vote and a positive vote: PM ModiIt is historic to see such a big mandate being given: PM ModiAfter sixth phase of polling itself I had said that it’s 300 plus for us.  When I said it, people mocked me.  But, the results are for everyone to see.  It is historic to see such a big mandate being given.  The people had decided that they want a strong government again: PM ModiIn the run-up of 2014 polls, people of India got to know about development strides Gujarat made: PM ModiIn the run-up of the 2014 polls, the people of India got to know about the development strides Gujarat made: PM ModiFamilies who lost their children, lost their future: PM ModiPM Modi in Ahmedabad: Since yesterday I was in dilemma whether to attend the programme or not.  One side it was ‘kartavya’ and on other side it was ‘karuna. ’ Families who lost their children, lost their future.  I pray that god gives power to the families of those children.  PM Modi in Ahmedabad: Since y'day I was in dilemma whether to attend the programme or not.  One side it was 'kartavya' & on other side it was 'karuna. ' Families who lost their children, lost their future.  I pray that god gives power to the families of those children.  #SuratFire pic. twitter. com/DqgRagrHRsIt is from the BJP office here in Khanpur that I learnt the Sanskars of a Sangathan: PM ModiIt is from the BJP office here in Khanpur that I learnt the Sanskars of a Sangathan.  I remember coming among you all in 2012, after our party was blessed with the people’s mandate: PM Modi. I am here for a Darshan of the people of Gujarat: PM ModiI am here for a Darshan of the people of Gujarat.  The blessings of the state’s citizens have always been very special for me: PM Narendra Modi. I am back to a place with which I have a very old bond: PM ModiI am coming back to the land that has nurtured me.  I am back to a place with which I have a very old bond: PM Modi. State Government is further strengthening disaster management infrastructure across Gujarat: PM ModiThe fire tragedy in Surat has saddened us all.  We stand in solidarity with the bereaved families.  May Almighty give them strength in this hour of grief.  The State Government is further strengthening disaster management infrastructure across Gujarat: PM Narendra ModiWe should pay condolences to 22 children who lost their lives in Surat fire tragedy: Amit ShahBJP President Amit Shah in Ahmedabad: People have come here to welcome us, but today, we should pay condolences to the 22 children who lost their lives in Surat fire tragedy.  We should pray to God for them and their families.  BJP President Amit Shah in Ahmedabad: People have come here to welcome us, but today, we should pay condolences to the 22 children who lost their lives in Surat fire tragedy.  We should pray to God for them & their families.  pic. twitter. com/I1nPqMNAEDShout loud so that the voice reaches West Bengal: Amit ShahBJP President Amit Shah in Ahmedabad: After winning 26 seats (in Gujarat) Narendra bhai has come here, please shout loud so that the voice reaches West Bengal.  BJP President Amit Shah in Ahmedabad: After winning 26 seats (in Gujarat) Narendra bhai has come here, please shout loud so that the voice reaches West Bengal.  pic. twitter. com/ij3CUuPTXDPrime Minister Narendra Modi to address first rally after in Gujarat shortlyPrime Minister Narendra Modi to address first rally after in Gujarat shortly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to Sardar Patel in AhmedabadPrime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to Sardar Patel in Ahmedabad.  Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's statue near the Ahmedabad Airport.  BJP President Amit Shah and Gujarat CM VIjay Rupani also present.  pic. twitter. com/QdP1FinnCdPM Modi arrives at Ahmedabad airportGujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Ahmedabad airport.  Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Ahmedabad Airport (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport).  pic. twitter. com/xGzuakPmTYPM Modi, Amit Shah to address public meeting at JP ChowkPrime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah will address a public meeting at the JP Chowk, reports IANS. PM Modi will leave for Delhi the next morningPM Modi will leave for Delhi the next morning, after which he is scheduled to visit his Lok Sabha constituency, Varanasi. PM Modi, Amit Shah will visit party office in Khanpur areaState BJP president Jitu Vaghani said Modi and Shah will reach Ahmedabad Sunday evening and will visit the party office in Khanpur area where they will be felicitated, reports PTI. PM Modi will seek blessings of his motherDuring his first visit to his home state after the poll results, Modi will seek the blessings of his mother Hiraba Modi at her residence in the city. PM Modi, Amit Shah to be felicitated in AhmedabadPrime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah will be felicitated by the Gujarat unit of the party in Ahmedabad on Sunday following the massive victory in the Lok Sabha election.


BREAKING: All charges dropped against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett, his attorneys say. https://t.co/ccwTgHEXlw

    Actor Jussie Smollett says he has been “truthful and consistent” from the jump.  The prosecutor’s office says dropping the charges was just and appropriate.  The mayor and police superintendent?  Not so fast, they say.

    Hours after prosecutors announced the “Empire” actor would face no charges on allegations that he duped police into thinking he had been the victim of a hate-fueled attack, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson held a news conference excoriating Smollett and the Cook County State’s Attorney Office.

Follow live updates

    Johnson said prosecutors did not consult his office.  He learned that the charges for filing a false police report were dropped the same time the media did, he said.

    Repeatedly calling the decision a “whitewash of justice,” Emanuel said the deal struck between the actor and the prosecutor’s office threatens to render hate crime laws toothless.  People of every faith, race and sexual orientation stand to suffer for it, he said.

    Here are some highlights from their joint news conference:

    “Do I think justice was served?  No.  What do I think justice is?  I think this city is still owed an apology,” Johnson said.  “I’ve been a cop now for about 31 years.  When I came on this job, I came on with my honor, my integrity and my reputation.  If somebody accused me of doing anything that would circumvent that, I would want my day in court, period, to clear my name.  I’ve heard that (Smollett’s camp) wanted their day in court with TV cameras so America could know the truth, even though they chose to hide behind secrecy and broker a deal to circumvent the judicial system. ”

    “From top to bottom, this is not on the level,” Emanuel said.  “At the end of the day, it’s Mr.  Smollett that committed this false claim.  It is not on the level from beginning to end, and there needs to be a level of accountability throughout the system, and this sends an unambiguous message that there is no accountability. ”

    “Our job as police officers is to present (prosecutors) with the evidence,” Johnson said.  “The apology comes from the person that did this.  If you want to say you’re innocent of a situation, then you take your day in court.  I would never, if somebody falsely accused me, I would never hide behind a brokered deal and secrecy, period. ”

    “On financial costs, this $10,000 doesn’t even come close to what the city spent in resources to actually look over the camera, gather all the data, go over all the information that actually brought the indictment by the grand jury on many, many multiple different charges,” Emanuel said.

    “As a person who was in the House of Representatives when we tried to pass the Shepard legislation that dealt with hate crimes … to then use those very laws and the principles and values behind the (Matthew Shepard And James Byrd, Jr. , Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009) to self-promote your career is a cost that comes to all the individuals: gay men and women who will come forward and one day say they were victim of a hate crime who will now be doubted, people of faith – Muslim or any other religious faith – who will be a victim of hate crimes, people also of all walks of life and backgrounds, race, ethnicities, sexual orientation, now this casts a shadow of whether they’re telling the truth, and he did this all in the name of self-promotion,” the mayor said.

    “This is a whitewash of justice.  A grand jury could not have been clearer. ”

    “Even after this whitewash, (there’s) still no sense of ownership of what he’s done,” Emanuel said.  “He says that, in fact, that he is the wronged in this case.  This is an unbelievable not just whitewash of justice; this is a person now who’s been let off scot-free with no sense of accountability of the moral and ethical wrong of his actions.  From top to bottom, not only besmirching the name of the city, but then I cannot stress that in a time when you have people bringing a moral equivalency in Virginia between bigots and those fighting bigotry, that you have a person using hate crime laws that are on the books to protect people that are minorities from violence, to then turn around and use those laws to advance your career and your financial reward, is there no decency in this man? ”

    He added, “Now you have an individual who took those laws, turned them inside out, upside down, for only one thing: himself.  And that, in my view, is an insult and an offense to every one of us who collectively upholds those laws because they reflect who we are as a city and – because of the hate crime legislation, which is federal – who we are as a country. ”

    “You cannot have, because of a person’s position, one set of rules apply to them and another set of rules apply to everybody else.  In another way, you are seeing this play out in the universities, where people pay extra to get their kids a special position in universities.  Now, you have a person, because of their position and background, who’s getting treated in a way that nobody else would ever … get close to this type of treatment,” the mayor said.

    Emanuel said later, “This is without a doubt a whitewash of justice and sends a clear message that if you’re in a position of influence and power you’ll be treated one way.  Other people will be treated another way.  There is no accountability then in the system.  It is wrong, full stop. ”

    “He brought this case forward,” Emanuel said.  “He said he was victim of a hate crime, both for his sexual orientation and for being black.  The evidence came forward.  A grand jury saw the evidence, realized this was a hoax, a hoax on the city, a hoax on hate crimes, a hoax on people of good values who actually were empathetic at first and he used that empathy for only one reason. ”

    “The city saw its reputation dragged through the mud, but I remind everybody: It was not just the officers’ work.  That work, a piece of that work was shown to a grand jury and they made a decision based on only a sliver of the evidence, and as I remember correctly somebody wanted to have that evidence and, as the superintendent said, their day in court so all the evidence could be made public.  Because of the judge’s decision, none of that evidence will ever be made public,” the mayor said.

    “At the end of the day, it’s Mr.  Smollett who committed this hoax, period,” the police superintendent said.  “If he wanted to clear his name the way to do that was in a court of law so that everyone could see the evidence.  … I stand by the facts of what we produced.  If they want to dispute those facts then the place to do that is in court, not secrecy. ”

    “To the state’s attorney, the question about whether it was politically motivated or not, is something you have to ask them, because only they can answer their motivation, but I do know what the grand jury said,” the mayor said.
  © 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


Democrats consider supporting President Trump's attorney general nominee, William Barr: "No one can say he isn't qualified" https://t.co/WEKSHW8Uxb https://t.co/YC6FW2Ancy

William Barr faced tough questions before the Senate Judiciary Committee. AG nominee vowing to protect Robert Muller's investigationAs the Senate confirmation hearing got underway Tuesday for William Barr, President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, Democratic Sen.  Dick Durbin asked Barr if he's prepared to be at odds with the president, for a "Mattis moment. " It was a reference to former Secretary of Defense James Mattis' recent decision to resign over his disagreements with Trump. Barr, who's 68, said while he might have been intimidated a few years ago, he wouldn't be this late in his career. "I have a very good life, I love it -- but I also want to help in this circumstance and I am not going to do anything I think is wrong, and I will not be bullied into doing something that I think is wrong, by anybody" including Congress or the president, Barr said. Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee,  Barr is facing tough questions from Democrats over his views on special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation and a memo Barr wrote in June 2018 opposing an obstruction of justice case against the president. Analyzing the president's firing of then-FBI director James Comey in May 2017, Barr argued in the memo to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that any obstruction of justice inquiry into Trump based on the firing would be "fatally misconceived. "Barr knows the Justice Department from his time as attorney general under President George H.  W.  Bush.  And while Democrats acknowledge his previous experience, many insist the current situation is unprecedented, and have been in lockstep demanding assurances from Barr that the Mueller report be made public and that he not interfere or limit the special counsel. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has gone so far as to call on Trump to rescind Barr's nomination based on the memo. Barr addressed the memo controversy head-on Tuesday. "I wrote the memo as a former Attorney General who has often weighed in on legal issues of public importance, and I distributed it broadly so that other lawyers would have the benefit of my views," Barr said in his opening statement. "As I explained in a recent letter to Ranking Member Feinstein, my memo was narrow in scope, explaining my thinking on a specific obstruction-of-justice theory under a single statute that I thought, based on media reports, the Special Counsel might be considering.  The memo did not address -- or in any way question -- the Special Counsel's core investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election," Barr continued.  "Nor did it address other potential obstruction-of-justice theories or argue, as some have erroneously suggested, that a President can never obstruct justice.  I wrote it myself, on my own initiative, without assistance, and based solely on public information. "Barr also sought to reassure Democrats he thinks Mueller should be allowed to finish his work, unhappy over Trump's appointment of Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker whom they suspected was named to block Mueller's investigation. "I believe it is in the best interest of everyone -- the President, Congress, and, most importantly, the American people -- that this matter be resolved by allowing the Special Counsel to complete his work.  The country needs a credible resolution of these issues.  If confirmed, I will not permit partisan politics, personal interests, or any other improper consideration to interfere with this or any other investigation," Barr said. "Second, I also believe it is very important that the public and Congress be informed of the results of the Special Counsel's work.  For that reason, my goal will be to provide as much transparency as I can consistent with the law.  I can assure you that, where judgments are to be made by me, I will make those judgments based solely on the law and will let no personal, political, or other improper interests influence my decision. "Asked under what circumstances he might fire Mueller, Barr replied, “Under the regulations, Bob Mueller could only be terminated for good cause.  Frankly, it’s unimaginable to me that Bob would ever do anything that gave rise to good cause. ”And he said he had made no promises to the president-- or been asked to make any. "President Trump has sought no assurances, promises, or commitments from me of any kind, either express or implied, and I have not given him any, other than that I would run the Department with professionalism and integrity," Barr said.  "As Attorney General, my allegiance will be to the rule of law, the Constitution, and the American people.  That is how it should be.  That is how it must be.  And, if you confirm me, that is how it will be. "Barr said Mueller would never go on a "witch hunt" -- what the president has repeatedly called the special counsel's investigation. However, some decisions that could impact the release of Mueller's findings, such as whether the White House will assert any type of executive privilege, would not rest with Barr. Mueller and Barr worked together in the early 1990s when Barr was attorney general and Mueller was the head of the DOJ's Criminal Division. Sen.  Lindsey Graham, R-S. C. , the Judiciary Committee's new chairman, said Mueller and Barr are "best friends" and have known each other for more than 20 years, adding that their wives have been in a Bible study group together and that Mueller has attended the weddings of two of Barr's daughters. At Graham's request, former Sen.  Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican and long-serving member of the Judiciary Committee, introduced Barr Tuesday as he did for Barr's previous confirmation hearings. Barr, meanwhile, outlined his friendship with Mueller. "I have known Bob Mueller personally and professionally for 30 years.  We worked closely together throughout my previous tenure at the Department of Justice under President Bush.  We've been friends since.  I have the utmost respect for Bob and his distinguished record of public service.  When he was named special counsel, I said that his selection was 'good news' and that, knowing him, I had confidence he would handle the matter properly.  I still have that confidence today," Barr said. Barr also said his priorities at the Justice Department are fighting violent crime, prosecuting hate crimes, enforcing and improving immigration laws and protecting the right to vote. He noted that he was partially retired, but took the job out of love for the Department of Justice and reverence for the law. ABC News' Mike Levine contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Farmers' #RepublicDay tractor rally in protest against the three farm laws begins at Delhi's Dhansa border https://t.co/gZXfHSXhTl

Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body of the 40 farmers' unions, on Tuesday called off the tractor rally and said that their movement will continue peacefully. It also appealed to all participants to immediately return to their respective protest sites. In a statement, the SKM said that the "movement will continue peacefully" and further steps will be discussed and decided soon. Explained: What farmers wantThe announcement comes after a day of violence in Delhi in which policemen were injured and buses vandalised.  The violence started after the farmer organisations deviated from the path decided by the authorities for tractor rally.  They pushed towards central Delhi, breaking barricades and facing water cannons. Some groups of farmers also stormed the Red Fort and hoisted their own flag.  In the clashes at the 17th century monument, the policemen were attacked with sticks, leaving some of them injured.  By evening, however, these protesters had started returning to their sit-in sites at the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders. At least 19 people were taken to two Delhi hospitals following violence during the tractor rally.  Most of them suffered minor injuries and were in need of first aid, according to doctors from the two hospitals. The Delhi Police registered four FIRs on Tuesday in connection with the violence.  "Three FIRs were registered in east district and one in Shahdara district," news agency PTI quoted a police official as saying. According to Delhi Police, 86 of its personnel were injured in the violence, news agency PTI reported.  Alok Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police, said legal action will be taken against those who assaulted the police personnel. "The protesters violated conditions fixed for the rally.  The farmers began tractor rally before the scheduled time, they also resorted to violence and vandalism," Delhi Police PRO Eish Singhal said. The SKM had earlier condemned and regretted the violence that took place in the national capital.  It claimed that some "anti-social" elements infiltrated their "peaceful" protest on Republic Day. "Anti-social elements had infiltrated the otherwise peaceful movement.  We have always held that peace is our biggest strength and that any violation would hurt the movement," the SKM had said in a statement, adding that it dissociates itself from those who have resorted to violence. The farmers, who have been protesting against three farm laws of the Centre, held the tractor rally to demand the repeal of new acts.  Instead of following the marked route, they forcibly entered central Delhi by removing police barricades. The three laws against which these farmers have been protesting since November 26 are: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.


The viral video is being used to claim that hospital authorities are “purposely killing” COVID patients as they are allegedly getting “money from the government from each casualty.”

A compilation of three different videos is being circulated on WhatsApp with one of them showing a woman standing at Bengaluru’s Oxford Hospital claiming that the hospital is “killing” coronavirus patients.  The other two videos of patients allegedly being thrashed have been stitched together in an apparent reference to the woman’s claims.  However, we found that the three videos are not related to each other.  The news bulletin in which the woman can be seen levelling allegations against the hospital is from April 2021, while the CCTV footage is from Patiala in Punjab and dates back to 2020.  Further, the third clip could also be traced to 2020 but we have not been able to verify that.  CLAIM The viral video is being used to claim that hospital authorities are “purposely killing” COVID patients as they are allegedly getting “money from the government from each casualty. ” The video begins with a news bulletin and is followed by two videos showing patients being thrashed.  (Note: Due to the distressing nature of the visuals, The Quint is not displaying the video in the story. ) The Quint received multiple queries on the claim being made in the viral video on its WhatsApp tipline.  WHAT WE FOUND OUT On looking carefully, we noticed the location stamp in the viral video suggesting that it’s from Patiala, Punjab.  We then searched on Google with keywords ‘Patiala CCTV patient killing’ and came across a Tribune article from August 2020 that carried the viral visuals.  The article mentioned that two employees of a private hospital in Patiala had been arrested for allegedly beating a patient who was suffering from depression.  Gurdeep Singh and Mohammed Rahul, staff members of Prime Hospital had been identified as the accused in the matter.  It is evident that the viral clip is from an old incident that took place in Patiala and has been revived as a recent incident.  WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER TWO CLIPS?  Since the video that is being circulated on WhatsApp is a combination of three clips, let us analyse the remaining two videos.  Regarding the news bulletin that is played at the beginning of the viral video, we found that it was uploaded on a regional channel called NewsFirst Kannada on 22 April and is from Oxford Hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka.  The woman seen in the viral video starts speaking at 02:40 minutes of the YouTube video and the part included in the viral video can be heard from 03:55 minutes.  In the news bulletin, she alleged that the hospital is not providing proper care and treatment to the patients.  “When a person dies, the hospital receives Rs 8 lakh.  Seven people are being killed daily.  They are not dying.  They are being killed.  Please save people.  I lost my father.  Let’s not lose other people’s lives please,” she further claimed.  Regarding the third video, it was being shared in 2020 as well and we could trace it back to a YouTube channel, which uploaded the video in May 2020.  The video was also published on a Bangladesh-based website in an article that was published last year.  The Quint has not been able to independently verify where the video is from and what is happening in it, but what we know is that it is not a recent one.  Further, Karnataka Police’s fact-checking website also published an article on the viral video clarifying that it is not from Karnataka.


Punjab: Schools reopen for students of classes V to XII in the state from today following government's order.

"All COVID-19 protocols will be followed. We'll take consent letters from parents before they sent their children to school," says teacher of a school in Ludhiana. https://t.co/SVskutgPM6

The Odisha government on Thursday constituted a “high power” committee to make “necessary” recommendations regarding reservation for students of state-run high schools in engineering and medical courses, according to an official release. This comes after the state cabinet on December 28, 2020, had proposed reservation for students who passed from government schools for admissions into various medical and engineering colleges.  The proposals were approved by the cabinet in a meeting via video conferencing chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Dr Justice AK Mishra, born in Jaipur in 1958 and a retired judge of Odisha High Court, will head the committee He has earlier been director of Odisha Judicial Academy, Special Judge CBI, and Registrar General Odisha High Court. Other Members of the said committee are --- Prof Ashok Kumar Das Former Vice-Chancellor of Utkal University and Former Head of the Laser and Plasma Technology Division at BARC, Vice-Chairperson of Odisha State Higher Education Council - Member, Prof (Dr) CBK Mohanty, Director, Medical Education and Training, Odisha - Member, BS Poonia, IAS, Chairman, Council of High Secondary Education, Odisha - Member, G Reghu, IAS, Director, Technical Education and Training, Odisha - Member and Dr AK Nayak, OAS, Joint Secretary to Government, SD&TE Department - Member Convenor.


Two US Capitol Police officers who say they were injured during the January 6 insurrection are suing former President Donald Trump for inciting the crowd.
https://t.co/Y5IpvSZlvT

The federal suit quotes Trump's words leading up to the riot. 2 Capitol Police officers sue Trump for injuries sustained from riotTwo Capitol Police officers filed a civil suit Tuesday against former President Donald Trump for physical and emotional injuries they say they suffered as a result of the Jan.  6 Capitol riot. In the lawsuit, James Blassingame, a 17-year veteran of the force, and Sidney Hemby, who has served as a Capitol Police officer for 11 years, quote Trump's words leading up to the riot, including Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud and his assertion that Democrats were "trying to steal" the election. The suit, filed in federal court in Washington, D. C. , demands an award of at least $75,000 for each officer for each of the five alleged counts against Trump, as well as punitive damages and costs associated with the litigation.  The counts include directing assault and battery, aiding and abetting assault and battery, directing intentional infliction of emotional distress, and violating D. C.  statutes against incitement of a riot and disorderly conduct. A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment. Officer Blassingame was one of "eight or nine" officers who rioters confronted in the crypt of the Capitol, directly below the rotunda, the suit alleges. "The insurrectionists were throwing items, and striking Officer Blassingame and the other USCP officers with their fists and weapons," the complaint alleges, as a "front line of insurrectionists was being pressed from behind by waves of newly arriving insurrectionists. "A "forceful surge of insurrectionists pushed forward and slammed Officer Blassingame against a stone column," striking his spine and the back of his head, leaving him "unable to move," the suit alleges. "Foremost in Officer Blassingame's mind was the terrifying certainty that the insurrectionists were interested in him and the other officers not going home to their families that night," the lawsuit claims. The suit also makes a claim similar to what Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn told ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas about the racial slurs hurled at officers who were on duty that day. "For the first time in [Officer Blassingame's] life, people were yelling into his face, calling him a [n-word] repeatedly and throughout the attack in the crypt.  He lost count of the many times the racial slur was hurled at him," the suit alleges. The allegations in the suit paint an ugly, violent and vivid picture of the attacks it says Blassingame endured. "The insurrectionists struck Officer Blassingame in his face, head, chest, arms, and what felt like every part of his body," it says.  "Insurrectionists used their fists and had weapons that ranged from flagpoles to stanchions and building directional signs, water bottles and other objects he could not identify. "Blassingame's "sole focus was to do what he could to survive," the suit claims. Blassingame alleges that he suffered back and head injuries and "is haunted by the memory of being attacked, and of the sensory impacts -- the sights, sounds, smells and even tastes of the attack remain close to the surface. "The suit also alleges that Blassingame "experiences guilt of being unable to help his colleagues who were simultaneously being attacked; and of surviving where other colleagues did not. "Following the attack, Blassingame "was not able to sleep," claims the suit, and he allegedly suffered from "depression that he could not address because he was too consumed with a sense of continued obligation to continue on with his professional responsibilities. "Because he continues to work in the Capitol, "he is unable to avoid most of the triggers of his emotional reactions," the suit claims. Officer Hemby, the suit alleges, was "crushed against the doors on the east side trying to hold the insurrectionists back," and that the rioters "continued to scream, 'Fight for Trump,' 'Stop the steal,' and various other slogans, as they struck him with their fists and whatever they had in their hands. "Hemby also endured being "sprayed with chemicals that irritated his eyes, skin, and throat," the suit alleges. The suit alleges Hemby was "bleeding from a cut located less than an inch from his eye" and that he "had cuts and abrasions on his face and hands, and his body was pinned against a large metal door. "As a result of the attack, the suit claims that Hemby's "left hand and left knee became swollen and painful," and that he suffers from back and neck pain and that his skin was burned from being "sprayed in the face and body with chemical sprays. "Hemby also claims in the suit that he now suffers from trouble sleeping. The lawsuit cites a litany of Trump's tweets and public statements leading up to the attack, including his call for a "wild" protest on Jan.  6 and his promotion of "the baseless idea that Vice President Mike Pence could single-handedly reject the election outcome based on false claims that some states wanted to 'decertify' or 'correct' election results that were not in Trump's favor. "The suit also cites the words of a number of prominent Republican lawmakers who place the blame for the riot on Trump, including Sen.  Mitt Romney, Rep.  Liz Cheney and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who after voting to acquit Trump on the charge of inciting the insurrection, took to the Senate floor on Feb.  13 and made clear his belief that Trump was responsible for the Capitol riot. "There's no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day," McConnell said.  "The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president, and having that belief was a foreseeable consequence of the growing crescendo of false statements, conspiracy theories and reckless hyperbole which the defeated president kept shouting into the largest megaphone on planet Earth. "What McConnell said next is also cited in the suit, in support of how Trump may still be held accountable for his actions even though he's no longer in office. "President Trump is still liable for everything he did while he was in office, as an ordinary citizen, unless the statute of limitations has run, still liable for everything he did while in office, didn't get away with anything yet -- yet," McConnell said.  "We have a criminal justice system in this country.  We have civil litigation.  And former presidents are not immune from being held accountable by either one. "24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


West Bengal: Members of 'Regional Tibetan Youth Congress' hold an anti-China protest in Siliguri, appealing to all to boycott Chinese products and delete Chinese mobile apps. https://t.co/jS6WMcFQox

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has appealed to people to boycott Chinese products to hit China economically. He was talking to media persons in Rewa, 536 kilometres north east of Bhopal, on Friday evening after attending the funeral procession of Naik Deepak Singh, one of the 20 soldiers killed in a clash Chinese troops in Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night. In a video clip that has gone viral on social media Chouhan said, “We should boycott Chinese products.  Our Army too will give a befitting reply to China but we will also break it economically.  That’s why my humble request is to all the people of the state is to be filled with patriotic feelings as has been said by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to adopt swadeshi, give preference to local products and boycott Chinese products.  India will give a befitting reply to China. ”There have been calls for boycott of Chinese products from other parts of the country as well following the Galwan clash.  China, one of India’s largest trading partners, has a massive balance of trade advantage. Earlier, Friday afternoon, Chouhan went to Farenda village, about 35 kilometres from Rewa district headquarters where he paid tributes to the fallen soldier. Ahead of the funeral, the chief minister had announced in Bhopal an ex-gratia payment of Rs one crore to the family of Deepak Singh. “The state and the entire country are proud of the supreme sacrifice made by Deepak Singh.  The state government will give a ‘samman nidhi’ of Rs 1 core, a pucca house or a plot and a government job to a member of the family. ”


Rajasthan: Mercury on rise in the state; #visuals from Nagaur and Churu https://t.co/Oq6DH1EDTs

An AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force with 13 people onboard has gone missing after taking off from Jorhat in Assam. The aircraft was headed to Mechuka Advance Landing Ground, the landing strip in the eastern Himalayas of Arunachal Pradesh’s West Siang district.  The landing strip is about 30-odd km from the nearest point on the India-China border. The transport aircraft took off from Jorhat at 12. 25 pm. It was in contact with ground agencies for the next 35 minutes.  An Indian Air Force official said there had been no contact after 1 pm.  “Since the aircraft did not reach the airfield, overdue action was initiated by IAF,” the official said, adding that all available resources had been deployed to locate the aircraft. News agency ANI said Sukhoi-30 combat aircraft and C-130 Special Ops aircraft had also been deployed on a search mission to locate the IAF aircraft.  One official said ground troops had spotted some fire and smoke but there was no official confirmation from the IAF.  A total of eight crew and five passengers were onboard the aircraft. Defence minister Rajnath Singh who was visiting Siachen tweeted his concern over the missing aircraft.  Spoke to Vice Chief of @IAF_MCC, Air Marshal Rakesh Singh Bhadauria regarding the missing IAF AN-32 Aircraft which is overdue for some hours.  He has apprised me of the steps taken by the IAF to find the missing aircraft.  I pray for the safety of all passengers on board. The AN-32s joined the IAF in 1983 and continue to remain in service.  The air force has a fleet of more than 100 AN-32s. Monday’s missing aircraft revived memories of the AN-32 that went missing while flying from Chennai to Port Blair in July 2016. A massive search mission had been launched to find the 29 people on the transport plane.  The IAF had then carried out 200 search sorties to cover over 2 lakh square nautical miles multiple times by these aircraft.  The IAF court of inquiry later concluded that it was unlikely that the missing personnel on board the aircraft survived the accident.


Attended&addressed e-Dikshant Samaroh of CISF. As an elite force that guards India’s most prestigious & sensitive establishments & infrastructure, they perform their duty with honour & tenacity. My best wishes to all passing out officers: Union Minister G Kishan Reddy https://t.co/K8nnjDYIAq

Fighter jets will perform a fly-past over Rajpath, Delhi and the national capital region (NCR), while helicopters will shower petals over several hospitals in the capital on Sunday morning, as part of an elaborate military plan to show gratitude to the country’s Covid-19 warriors, an Indian Air Force spokesperson said on Saturday. The plan, announced by the chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat on Friday, involves several activities such as illuminating warships and band performances outside Covid-19 hospitals across the country. The fighter jets featuring in the fly-past over Delhi-NCR, or what the IAF is calling an “aerial salute,” will include the Sukhoi-30s, MiG-29s and Jaguars.  The fly-past is planned between 10 am and 10. 30 am.  The aircraft will be flying at a height of 500 to 1,000 metre and will be visible to the residents of Delhi from their rooftops, the spokesperson said. The fly-past by the fighter jets will be followed by the C-130J special operations aircraft flying over Delhi-NCR in a formation. The IAF spokesperson said helicopters will shower petals over the National Police Memorial and Delhi hospitals treating Covid-19 patients.  These include the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, GTB Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, Sri Ganga Ram Hospital, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Apollo Indraprastha Hospital and the Army Hospital (Research and Referral). Wreaths will be laid at the police memorial on the behalf of the three service chiefs. Fighter jets and transport planes will carry out fly-pasts across the length and breadth of the country, from Srinagar to Thiruvananthapuram and Dibrugarh to Kutch, as reported by Hindustan Times on Sunday. The Indian Navy will illuminate its warships at anchorage from 7:30pm to midnight at Mumbai, Porbandar, Karwar, Vizag, Chennai, Kochi and Port Blair, a navy spokesperson said.  He added that naval helicopters will shower petals over Covid-19 hospitals in Mumbai and Goa.  Also, 46 Indian Coast Guard ships will be lit up at 25 locations along the country’s eastern and western seaboards, the defence ministry said.  Ten coast guard helicopters will shower flower petals over Covid-19 hospitals in Daman, Mumbai, Goa, Chennai and Port Blair. The tributes to Covid-19 warriors will see army bands perform outside several hospitals and locations across the country including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Sri Ganga Ram Hospital, the Army’s RR Hospital and the Base Hospital in Delhi Cantt, an army spokesperson said. Dal Lake in Srinagar is also among the locations where the army bands will perform to honour Covid-19 warriors. “The armed forces have always stood as a wall against all threats to the country and every time our citizens have come out in large numbers and showered their blessings and appreciation towards us.  This time, it is our turn to applaud the sacrifice of our Corona warriors,” the army spokesperson said.  For Coronavirus Live UpdatesThe military’s plan to honour the frontline workers was finalised at a meeting chaired by the defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday.  The meeting was attended by the national security adviser, the CDS and the three service chiefs. The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19


The US government is arranging a charter flight to evacuate American diplomats and citizens from the Chinese city that has become ground zero for a new deadly strain of coronavirus, a US official said https://t.co/xt7nK5qFD3

Hospitals in China are struggling to keep up with the coronavirus outbreak.  Patients crowd Wuhan’s Red Cross hospitalWhile the city of Wuhan, China is in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak, a video posted to Twitter Friday, appears to show Wuhan's Red Cross Hospital overcrowded with patients.   Staff in hazmat suits are seen walking past what appear to be bodies covered in sheets in the hospital's crowded hallways.  It is not known when the video was shot, nor the condition of the covered patients or whether they have coronavirus. The video of the overcrowded conditions match pictures published by local media in the past two days which, however, did not show anyone lying on the floor. Hospitals in China are scrambling to treat the large influx of patients seeking treatment for possible cases of coronavirus. “Shortage of medical supplies, request help! ” Wuhan's Children's Hospital posted on Weibo, China's social network, in a plea for items like surgical masks, disposable clothing, gloves and goggles.  Several other hospitals have posted similar requests. In the meantime, Wuhan broke ground on a brand new, 1,000-bed hospital to address the outbreak, expected to be completed by Feb.  3.  The city is following the lead of Beijing, where a similar fast-tracked hospital was built to address the 2003 SARS outbreak. More than 800 people in China have been sickened by the new coronavirus.  At least 26 people have died of the disease. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


A video showing a massive crowd holding saffron flags is being circulated with the claim that it shows Hindus standing in solidarity outside a mosque after clashes took place in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain on Friday, 25 December.  However, we were able to trace the viral visuals to April 2019 and found that they are from Karnataka’s Gulbarga when people were celebrating Ram Navami.  CLAIM The claim along with the video reads: “मध्य प्रदेश के उज्जैन मे जिहादी मुल्लो द्वारा पथराव के खिलाफ हिन्दुओं ने मस्जिद के सामने अपनी एकता का परिचय दिखाया |” (Translated: Hindus showed unity in front of a mosque after jihadis pelted stones in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain. ) Several social media users shared the video on Twitter and Facebook with the same claim.  The Quint received a query on the claim made in the viral video on its WhatsApp tipline as well.  WHAT WE FOUND OUT We divided the video into multiple keyframes using InVid Google Chrome extension and then conducted a reverse search on them using Yandex.  This led us to a YouTube video uploaded in April 2019.  The YouTube video showed similar visuals as that of the viral one and was uploaded with the caption that stated it was from Kalaburgi in Karnataka.  It further mentioned that the video shows Ram Navami celebrations.  We then searched on YouTube using keywords “Ram Navami Kalaburgi” and came across a longer version of the viral video.  This video, too, was uploaded in April 2019 and several physical structures and frames were same as the viral video.  GOOGLE MAP VIEW SHOWS VIDEO IS FROM GULBARGA To ascertain the location, we carefully looked at the YouTube video and noticed two things: a shop named ‘Basavaganga Medical and Enterprises’ and the word ‘Quadri’ mentioned on the mosque.  We also located the same on Google maps and found that the mosque as well as the shop are located in the same area as seen in the viral visuals.  One can also see the tall white building in the viral video in the same area (yellow arrow).  We were also able to match the mosque seen in the viral video with that on Google maps.  LOCALS CONFIRM THE VIDEO IS FROM GULBARGA We then contacted a local shopkeeper, Shivraj, at the Basavanganga Medical and Enterprises, who said that the video is certainly old and shows Ram Navami celebrations.  We also spoke to a police officer in Gulbarga who denied any communal angle to the incident and said that the video is definitely an old one and added that such huge processions weren’t allowed this year because of the ongoing pandemic.  A local reporter also confirmed to The Quint that the video is indeed from Gulbarga.  The reporter further denied any communal angle to the incident and said that there is communal harmony in the area.  WHAT HAPPENED IN MP’S UJJAIN?  According to a report in The Indian Express, on 25 December, a clash took place in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain when nearly 60 bikers and 300 workers of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) took out a bike rally raising slogans in the Begum Bagh area.  The rally allegedly witnessed stone pelting as it passed through the Muslim dominated area to collect funds for constructing the Ram Mandir in UP’s Ayodhya, reported ThePrint.  However, locals in Begum Bagh have alleged that inflammatory slogans were raised and that is what provoked them.  They have also claimed that the Hindus were the first ones to pelt stones which prompted them to retaliate.  FIRs have been registered in the matter from both sides and the police has booked four people under the National Security Act (NSA), while three others have been charged with rioting and attempt to murder.  While clashes did take place in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain recently, we were able to verify that the viral video is not from Ujjain.  Rather, it shows Ram Navami celebrations in Karnataka’s Gulbarga.  (With inputs from ThePrint and The Indian Express)


Massaging the priest of a temple in Gujarat for molesting a girl…

The newspaper clipping being widely shared stating 4000 RSS workers arrested, claimed to be from 1971 is fake and has been created digitally.
Vishvas News (New Delhi): Vishvas News recently came across an image of a newspaper clipping being widely circulated over various social networking websites.  The headline of the newspaper, dating Sunday, August 30, 1971, stated, ‘4000 RSS workers arrested’.  Vishvas News investigated the headline and found the newspaper clipping to be fake.  The news was digitally generated. Claim:Vishvas News came across a tweet by Faiz_Save_India @Faiz_INC, sharing the newspaper clipping, he wrote, “Is this what they were doing to free Bangladesh? ”The content of the newspaper clipping was, “Yesterday while protesting for the liberation of Bangladesh before the parliament house,a group of enthusiastic RSS workers were arrested under the stringent provisions of IPC section 377.  While protesting, the RSS workers were performing unnatural sexual acts which threatened law and order situation in the capital.  Lead by an enthusiastic Gujarati Lad, they were raising slogans against section 377 too. ”Check the post and its archive version here. Investigation:A few things that made Vishvas News suspicious of the newspaper clippings were that the masthead of the newspaper was not visible completely.  The day and date mentioned on the newspaper was, Sunday, August 30, 1971’, August 30, 1971 was not Sunday but Monday.  And also, the news did not have a dateline or a byline. This was hence clear that the newspaper clipping did not belong to any newspaper.  It was thought to be made digitally and hence we entered a few keywords in the search engine, ‘newspaper clipping maker online’. This lead us to a website that generates newspaper clippings online. The newspaper snippet shown on the website was very similar to the one being widely shared online. Check the similarity below:We checked through keyword search whether the RSS workers were arrested in 1971.  This led us to a report published by The Times of India on March 27, 2021, “PM’s Satyagraha talk in Dhaka sparks online war“.  The print edition, published an archive from August 12, 1971 that did say, “10,000 Jana Sangh men court arrest in Delhi” The text in the news said, “New Delhi, August 12. Over 10,000 Jana Sangh workers, including 1,200 women and children courted arrest here today on the 12th and last day of the ‘Recognise Bangla Desh satyagraha’. ”Check the newspaper clip below.

This clarifies that the not RSS but Jana Sangh workers were arrested in the year 1971 for the Bangladesh protest which is also mentioned in the viral post.

In its last step of investigation, Vishvas News contacted the Akhil Bharatiya Sah Prachar Pramukh of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Narender Kumar.  He told Vishvas News, “The news being widely shared over internet is indeed fake.  This are nothing but ways to defame the Sangh. ”In the end Vishvas News conducted a social background check of the user who had shared the post.  Faiz_Save_India @Faiz_INC, is followed by 8952 people.  He joined Twitter in September 2014.  He has written in the intro, “Support Congress to Save India from Criminals.  BJP, RSS, MIM & AAP supporters – kindly stay away. ”Disclaimer: A few minor language and information changes are done in the story which don’t have any impact on the conclusion of the story.


A set of photos claiming to show the effect of increasing temperatures has been shared by social media users with a claim that they show the current situation in Kuwait, after the country recorded a high of 59 degree Celcius.  However, we found that the photos were all old and not related to the weather in Kuwait.  One of the photos in the collage was from a fire that took place in Arizona, USA in 2018 and others were from different times ranging from 2016-2019.  Moreover, the highest recorded temperature on Earth so far is 56. 7°C, which was measured on 10 July 1913 at Greenland Ranch, Death Valley, California, USA.   Some of these photos have gone viral before and have been doing the rounds since 2018.  CLAIM The photos were shared with a caption that read, "#BigBreaking: 59° degree temperature recorded in Kuwait yesterday".  The same caption was used by several Facebook and Twitter users.   Archives of more such posts can be found here, here, and here.  We also found that the same photo was shared with a similar claim in 2019.  That post said that the temperature recorded in Kuwait was 63 degrees Celcius.   WHAT WE FOUND OUT We conducted a reverse image search and found a fact-checking article by Snopes, published on 10 July 2018.  The article said that the photo was from Arizona, USA where the vehicles were damaged due to a fire at a construction site.  The incident was reported by Tuscon News Now and Tuscon.  According to the reports, "a massive fire that ripped through a construction site south of the University of Arizona caused an estimated $1 million in damage. " Several people were evacuated and at least 15 cars were damaged by the fire, the report said quoting a Tucson Fire Department spokesman.  A reverse image search of the second image showing a trash can melting on on a street returned results from Facebook, from 2019.  The photo was seen in a Facebook post published on 20 August 2019 by ‘Chtoukapress’ with a caption when translated from Arabic, said,  ‘The heat, my Lord, safety’.  Chtoukapress is a Moroccan electronic newspaper.  Therefore, the photograph was not recent.  The photo of a cooked egg on the street was also not recent.  We found the same photo in an article published on Kuwait Local on 23 July 2016.  According to the article, legislators had proposed reducing the working hours of employees in Kuwait because of increasing temperatures.   Another article in "GreenNews" also carried the same photograph that talked about Kuwait recording the highest temperature in the Eastern Hemisphere at 54 degrees Celcius.  The fourth photograph has been around on Facebook since 2018.  While we could not find the source of the image, we found the photo posted on Facebook on 6 July 2018.   The satirical post said, "Just open the geography book, the third average page 36, the third line is written, Iraq has a moderate summer climate! " mocking the heat.  According to a news report published on Gulf News, Kuwati recorded the highest temperature of 2021 on 16 June at 53. 2°C.  The world record for the highest temperature on Earth was recorded at Greenland Ranch, Death Valley, California, USA and it was 56. 7°C.   Evidently, the claim that Kuwati recently recorded 59°C temperature, by melting cars and other objects is false.


"Transgender women are women."

Daniel Radcliffe responds to J.K. Rowling's controversial tweets: https://t.co/cJTewS0YOp https://t.co/sNb9Nx24pi

By Saba Hamedy, CNNUpdated 11:29 AM ET, Tue June 9, 2020  (CNN)The boy who lived is speaking out. CNN's Rory Sullivan and Kathryn Snowdon contributed to this report.


Dharwad building collapse: Death toll rises to 7. Till now more than 60 people have been rescued. #Karnataka https://t.co/Zt3VkCWiew

Eleven people were confirmed dead on Thursday three days after a building under construction at Dharwad in north Karnataka caved in, officials said. Fifty-three people have been rescued from the rubble of the five-storey building, but three more bodies were pulled out on Thursday. “At least 15 people are possibly still under the debris and it’s unlikely they will survive,” emergency official Srikant, who goes by one name, told AFP. The bodies of Divya Unakal (8), Dakshayini (45) and an unidentified person were retrieved from the debris as the rescue operations entered the third day, police said. The four-storeyed building, which belonged to one of the relatives of former Congress minister Vinay Kulkarni, came crashing on Tuesday.  As many as 55 people were injured in the incident. Anger and frustration were palpable as more bodies were retrieved from the accident site with loud wails of relatives. Locals sought to know how the civic agencies turned a blind eye to sub-standard materials being used for the construction, though everybody was apprehensive about the strength of the building.  Police have not arrested anyone yet. BJP MLA from Hubballi-Dharwad Central and former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar too visited the spot and took stock of the situation


Karnataka: People were seen flouting social distancing norms in the Killa area of Bagalkot district today. The area was sealed by the district administration after it was identified as a containment zone. #COVI19 https://t.co/D8w3sqcHb6

I work from home.  Maryland state, where I live, just on the northern edge of Washington DC, is not under stay-at-home orders that are in force in more than 17 other states, including New York, California and Washington DC — the three states hit the hardest in the United States (US).  But all non-essential businesses and activities have been shut down; schools and colleges are closed; restaurants have either switched to take-out or home delivery or closed, and offices are closed. Both our children are home, one from college and the other from high school, which are both closed until sometime in April.  They are grudgingly, but increasingly, reconciled to staying home.  But not on vacation; there are no sleepovers, late-night ice-cream hunts or soccer hang-outs. They stay home, have lunch and dinner with us, talk — argue (fight), if it gets a little crabby around the house — and share in the daily chores, pick up the laundry, take turns unloading the dishwasher and putting out the trash bin. We are in the suburbs where social distancing is somewhat more convenient than in the high-rises of New York City, the epicentre of the outbreak in the US, or other close-living arrangements, where every trip up or down the elevator can be a health hazard.  Someone has to hit the floor-level buttons and you can never be too sure about the infection status of the person before you.  A morning run or walk in crowded open spaces such as Central Park can turn out to be dangerous. But these social distancing-compliant circumstances cannot, and have not been able to, mitigate one of the most damaging social consequences of the outbreak: The targeting of Asian Americans, a catch-all description of people from China, where the outbreak started, and south-east Asian and South Asian countries such as India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. On my morning run the other day, I encountered an elderly Asian-origin man I had seen and nodded to every time we crossed each other in the past months.  This time, I ran around him, cutting a six-feet distance from him — as I do with everyone, irrespective of who they are as a part of social distancing.  It had felt wrong and, more notably, rude.  Rude to him, and all my Asian-American friends and acquaintances, given the hate crimes being reported against them from various parts of the country, and the world, irresponsibly stoked by political leaders. On another of my daily runs, I saw a familiar Asian American couple, who I had admired for their fitness and habitual courteousness.  This time, as I neared them, they went off the sidewalk, stepped over the grassy buffer zone, and were practically on the road as they went around me.  I wasn’t sure if they were avoiding me as a possible contaminant — an Asian man (Indian, actually) — or to save me the embarrassment of going around them.  Either way, it felt extremely wrong and disconcerting. yashwant. raj@hindustantimes. comThe views expressed are personal


191 new #COVID19 positive cases reported in Assam today between 11 am to 11 pm. Total cases stand at 4510 including 2411 recovered, 2088 active cases and 8 deaths: State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma https://t.co/qyhd6aUtZR

In view of detection of Covid-19 positive patient at Raj Bhavan Campus in Guwahati, the area with following boundary description has been declared as a containment zone on Saturday. Kamrup Metropolitan District Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Pegu has issued an order declaring Raj Bhavan Campus as a containment zone.  He has directed the Circle Officer, Guwahati Revenue Circle to seal the area immediately. The boundary of the containment zone is said to be till Hotel Belle View in North, Bonkowar Nagar in South, Borthakur Clinic in East and MG Road in West, stated the notice. According to the Union Health Ministry, Assam has reported 9,673 coronavirus cases in the state, including 3,310 active cases, 6,349 cured/discharged/migrated and 14 fatalities as of July 4.


Black, Hispanic and multiracial populations in Washington state have received fewer doses of the COVID-19 vaccine compared to other communities, officials say. https://t.co/2qpyRPFyRi

By Jacqueline Howard, CNNUpdated 6:52 PM ET, Fri February 12, 2021  (CNN)When AJ McCulloch received a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, she said a wave of emotions overcame her -- but the strongest was relief. Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr.  Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team. CNN's Ashley Ahn contributed to this report.


Vladivostok: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive at Zvezda ship-building complex. #Russia https://t.co/3cnczUKGbR

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Vladivostok International Airport Wednesday for two-day Russia visit.  “PM @narendramodi was warmly welcomed at Vladivostok airport on his 3rd bilateral visit to Russia.  Over the next 2 days, bilateral meeting with President Putin, participation at Eastern Economic Forum & meetings with other world leaders on the agenda,” the ministry of external affairs tweeted.  The prime minister received a guard of honour on his arrival in Vladivostok. Watch | PM Modi arrives in Russia for two-day visit, receives guard of honourBefore heading to Russia, the Prime Minister in his departure statement on Tuesday said he looks forward to discussing regional and international issues of mutual interest with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that his visit also underlines the desire of the two countries to diversity and further strengthen bilateral relationsIn Vladivostok, PM Modi will attend the 5th Eastern Economic Forum as the chief guest at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.  “I also look forward to meeting other global leaders attending the Eastern Economic Forum, and interacting with Indian Industry and business representatives participating in it,” Modi said.  The forum focuses on development of business and investment opportunities in the Russian Far East Region, and presents enormous potential for developing close and mutually beneficial cooperation between India and Russia in the region, he pointed out.  “Our strong partnership is complemented by a desire to promote a multi-polar world and the two countries closely cooperate towards this end in regional and multilateral fora,” Modi said in his departure statement. The Prime Minister will also hold the 20th India-Russia Annual Summit with Putin.  Modi’s visit to the Russian Far East Region is the first by an Indian prime minister.  “I look forward to discussing with my friend President Putin the entire gamut of our bilateral partnership as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest,” the Prime Minister said in his departure statement ahead of his two-day visit beginning Wednesday.


A post carrying the clip of a newspaper article is being shared by many Facebook users saying that Rahul Gandhi should be defeated in the upcoming general elections for his disgraceful remarks on ‘Baniyas’.  The enclosed article states that Rahul Gandhi in his election speech during Rajasthan State Assembly Elections 2018, has referred ‘Baniyas’, a merchant community, as ‘robbers’.  Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the newspaper clip and also the claims made in it. The archived version of the post can be seen here. Claim: Congress President Rahul Gandhi has called people of ‘Baniya’ community as ‘robbers’ in his election speech during Rajasthan State Assembly Elections 2018. Fact: When searched for any newspaper article regarding Rahul Gandhi’s disgraceful remarks on the ‘Baniya’ community, no such information was found.  Even there was no such news reported by the media houses that covered Rahul Gandhi’s election speeches during Rajasthan State Assembly Elections 2018.  Hence the claim made is FALSE. When googled for any news regarding such bizarre remarks made by Rahul Gandhi on the ‘Baniya’ community, no information is found either in the print or the broadcasting media that covers the election speeches.  On looking for any other information, it was found that similar newspaper clip was in circulation last year with the same claims on BJP President Amit Shah which was later on proved to be false.  So, the last year fake newspaper clip on Amit Shah is now edited and circulated on the name of Rahul Gandhi. Hence, the newspaper article clip claiming Rahul Gandhi degraded ‘Baniyas’ by calling them as thieves is a fake one.


‘Tributes to courageous security personnel martyred in Handwara’, tweets Prime Minister Narendra Modi

#HandwaraEncounter

https://t.co/5Lqy3hqczd https://t.co/YOWiQsf2RM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the five security personnel killed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Handwara district during an operation to rescue civilians held hostage by terrorists served the country with “utmost dedication”. The Prime Minister was paying his tributes to Colonel Ashutosh Sharma, Major Anuj Sood, Naik Rajesh Kumar and Lance Naik Dinesh Singh and sub-inspector of Jammu-Kashmir police Shakeel Qazi who fell in the line of duty during an operation in Changimulla of Handwara. “Tributes to our courageous soldiers and security personnel martyred in Handwara.  Their valour and sacrifice will never be forgotten.  They served the nation with utmost dedication and worked tirelessly to protect our citizens,” the Prime Minister tweeted. “Condolences to their families and friends,” he said. Before him, defence minister Rajnath Singh and the army also offered tributes to the security personnel who sacrificed their lives in the Handwara encounter. “The loss of our soldiers and security personnel in Handwara (J-K) is deeply disturbing and painful.  They showed exemplary courage in their fight against the terrorists and made supreme sacrifice while serving the country.  We will never forget their bravery and sacrifice,” Singh tweeted. Watch| Handwara encounter: Army Colonel among 5 martyred, 2 terrorists gunned down “This operation exemplified true tradition and strong determination of the #SecurityForces to safeguard the lives of own citizens,” the army also posted on Twitter. Two terrorists, including a top commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba, were also killed in the encounter that began around 3:30pm on Saturday after they took hostages inside a house in Handwara district.


Members of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee block Amritsar-Delhi highway as part of their protest against the farm laws. https://t.co/Pn8tGezOfU https://t.co/QLLaKuHDcZ

The nationwide stir against the Centre’s three contentious farm laws on Wednesday entered day 14 and there are no signs of a resolution in sight.  On Tuesday, farm unions across the country held a nationwide Bharat Bandh against the three laws from 11am-3pm, which was largely peaceful.  Late last night, in a bid to break the deadlock, Union home minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting with 13 farm leaders.  However the meeting, which was reportedly ‘informal,’ was inconclusive, just like the five rounds of talks which have taken place between the government and farmers, including three last week. Also Read | No headway as farmers tell Amit Shah they want full rollbackSpeaking to media after the meeting, farm union leaders said they reiterated to Shah their demand of a complete repeal but Shah reportedly said the government will not rollback the laws.  Instead, he is said to have told farmers Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar would present a “concrete” proposal in Wednesday’s scheduled sixth round talks.  Farm leaders, however, told media they would take a call on whether to go ahead with Wednesday’s talks or not. Later in the day, a group of five Opposition leaders will meet President Ram Nath Kovind to discuss the farmers’ agitation and seek a repeal of the laws. Also Read | Opposition leaders likely to meet President, seek repeal of farm lawsFollow all live updates here: Watch | Punjabi singer Ammy Virk comes out in support of Farmers’ protest#WATCH: Punjabi singer and actor Ammy Virk sings after addressing farmers protesting at Singhu border. Today is the 14th day of the farmers' protest against the farm laws at Singhu (Haryana-Delhi border).  pic. twitter. com/4OAjWlFAqsFarmers rightly rejected govt’s proposal: SAD’s Harsimrat Kaur Badal“Five months’ non-stop protests, 6 marathon meetings, 15 nights spent in chill on Delhi roads by Annadata pleading with GoI to withdraw #AntiFarmerActs but their pain goes unfelt!  Centre packaged old wine in new bottle.  Farmers have rightly rejected the proposal & SAD stands by them,” tweets Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Farmers refuse to use govt provided amenities at Burari groundFarmers gathered at Nirankari Samagam ground in Burari, refuse to utilise government amenities. “A struggle is always done by ones’ own abilities.  We accept help from sympathisers to the cause but not from governments.  They only act to garner votes,” ANI quoted a farmer leader as saying. Modi government has betrayed farmers: Rahul Gandhi“The farmer of the country has understood that the Modi government has betrayed him and now he is not going to back down because he knows that if he compromises today, his future will not survive.  Farmer is Hindustan! ” tweets Congress’ Rahul Gandhi. “We are all with the farmer, keep fighting,” he also wrote. It is govt’s duty to resolve this issue: NCP’s Pawar“There was a request from all opposition parties for in-depth discussion of farm bills and that it should be sent to select committee, but unfortunately, no suggestion was accepted and bills were passed in hurry,” says NCP chief Sharad Pawar after the meeting between opposition leaders and President Kovind. “In this cold, the farmers are on the streets protesting peacefully, expressing their unhappiness.  It is the duty of the government to resolve this issue,” said Pawar. Gave memorandum asking to repeal agriculture laws to President: YechuryWe have given a memorandum to the President.  We are asking to repeal agriculture laws and electricity amendment bill that were passed in anti-democratic manner without proper discussions and consultations, says Sitaram Yechury, CPI-M. Farmers will not compromise: Rahul Gandhi‘Farmers will not compromise, they know that there is no future if they do don’t take a stand today,’ says Rahul Gandhi after meeting the President. “We informed the President that it is absolutely critical that these anti-farmer laws are taken back,” Gandhi also said. Farmers to block Delhi-Jaipur and Delhi-Agra highways‘We will block Delhi-Jaipur and Delhi-Agra highways on 12th December’ say farmer leaders at Singhu border. Farmers to gheraoed BJP offices on December 14On 14th December, BJP offices will be gheraoed, protest demonstrations will be held in many parts of the country.  We are also giving a call to farmers from other parts of the country to reach Delhi, said farmer leaders at Singhu border. We reject the government’s proposals: Farmers’ unionThe farmers announced to block Delhi-Jaipur highway by December 12 as deadlock with the government over farm laws remains. ‘We reject the government’s proposals,’ said Darshan Pal, President of Krantikari Kisan Union. More than 25 opposition parties have extended“More than 25 opposition parties have extended their support towards the demand of withdrawing the three laws.  These laws are not in India’s interests & also threatens our food security,” said Sitaram Yechury of CPI-M party ahead of meeting with the President against farm laws. Rahul Gandhi reaches Rashtrapati Bhawan Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reached Rashtrapati Bhawan for the meeting of joint delegation of opposition parties with President Ram Nath Kovind over the contentious farm laws. ‘Govt prolonging protest’: Farmers’ union leaderSpeaking on protest continuing for the days now, farmer leaders blames government for delay in the resolving the deadlock.  Rajeev Nagar, a local farmers’ union leader said, “It is not the farmers but the government that is prolonging the protest. ” “The government knows our demands and knows well about our peaceful demonstration.  It can address our concern and we will be gone.  We do not want to sit here for long, we have got our farms and cattle to look after,” said Nagar, the Gautam Buddh Nagar unit president of the BKU (Bhanu), PTI reported. ‘Work in progress,’ says Javadekar on progress in talk“It is work in progress,” said Union minister Prakash Javadekar after he was asked about progress in talks between government and farmers over the farm laws`Farmers remain firm on demand of complete withdrawal of farm lawsAs the talks with government’s offer to amend farm laws fail, the farmers remained firm on the demand for for a repeal of the legislations.  “All three farm laws should be repealed.  This is our demand,” said Kanwalpreet Singh Pannu, Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Punjab at Singhu border. “If the proposal talks of only amendments then we will reject it,” he also said. Farmers receive draft proposal at Singhu borderFarmer leaders at Singhu Border received a draft proposal of the amendments in the farm laws from the Government of India, reported ANI. The draft proposal has been sent by Vivek Aggarwal, Joint Secretary in Agriculture Ministry. If government is stubborn, so are farmers, says BKU spokesperson TikaitBKU spokesperson Rakesh Singh Tikait says unions will strategise in meeting and discuss Centre’s proposal.  “Farmers won’t go back as it’s a matter of their respect.  If government is stubborn, so are farmers.  Laws have to be withdrawn,” says Tikait. Madhya Pradesh CM says farmers “stand with PM Modi”Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says farmers stand with PM Modi, thanks the farmers of the state for making Tuesday’s Bharat Bandh “ineffective. ”Congress leader Digvijaya Singh advises PM Modi to “leave his stubbornness”“Modi ji should leave his stubbornness.  It is a matter of farmers, such stubbornness is not right for anyone.  All three laws should be repealed.  Joint Parliamentary Committee should be formed, that will find a solution after talking to farmers,” says senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh. Meeting can be held tomorrow if we find government’s proposal positive, says farm union leader Hannan MollahHannan Mollah, general secretary, All Indian Kisan Sabha (AIKS) says if farm unions find government’s letter “positive,” Wednesday’s sixth round meeting, which now stands cancelled, can take place on Thursday.  If the writing is on amendment, our position is very clear.  If it's on repeal of the Bill, only then can we take note of it & consider.  That meeting (today's meeting with Centre) is cancelled.  If letter comes & we consider it positive, meeting can be held tomorrow: Hannan Mollah https://t. co/CAduXcEEVdGovt will today give written proposal to Kisan Unions, says MoS Som Prakash“Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Kisan Unions yesterday about amendments.  Government will today give a written proposal to Kisan Unions and they’ll think over it.  Whatever will be in the interest of country and farmers, is being considered by all,” says Som Parkash, MoS, Commerce and Industry. ‘Sixth round of talks cancelled, will discuss Centre’s draft proposal’: Rakesh Tikait“Sixth round of talks with government is cancelled.  We’ll hold a meeting over the draft that will be sent by the Centre.  Draft will be discussed and further course of action will be decided.  We hope things will be clear by 4-5pm today,” says BKU’s Rakesh Tikait. Farmers continue to camp at Singhu border as protests enter day 14Farmers continue to camp at Singhu border (Haryana-Delhi border) to protest against the farm laws as protests reach day 14.  Delhi: Farmers continue to camp at Singhu border (Haryana-Delhi border) to protest against the farm laws. Farmers' protest at Singhu border, against #FarmLaws, entered 14th day today.  pic. twitter. com/1l1vp2t5fo‘Meeting was positive, government will give a proposal to farmer leaders’: BKU’s Rakesh Tikait“The meeting was positive.  The government will give a proposal to farmer leaders which will be discussed.  We want withdrawal of the three farm bills but government wants amendments in the bills,” says Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait.