Gujarat: Adhir Saiyadh, a ham radio enthusiast from Ahmedabad, got a response from SpaceX Crew Dragon's astronauts while trying to connect with International Space Station; says,"I was on video call with a student explaining how to connect to ISS, it was then that I got response" https://t.co/QdqnP7u4wq

An engineer from Ahmedabad has claimed he got connected with SpaceX’s maiden manned spaceflight carrying two NASA astronauts into orbit.  Adhir Saiyadh, a ham radio enthusiast, claims he got a response from the Crew Dragon astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken while trying to connect with the International Space Station, reports news agency ANI. “I was on video call with a student explaining how to connect to ISS.  It was then that I got a response,” the 58-year-old Ahmedabad resident told ANI.  Gujarat: Adhir Saiyadh, a ham radio enthusiast from Ahmedabad, got a response from SpaceX Crew Dragon's astronauts while trying to connect with International Space Station; says,"I was on video call with a student explaining how to connect to ISS, it was then that I got response" pic. twitter. com/QdqnP7u4wqAccording to another report in Ahmedabad Mirror, Saiyadh got connected around the time the astronauts were giving the viewers of NASA TV an interactive tour of the cockpit.  “I was on video call with a friend from Valsad, explaining to him the features of a mobile application that helps track ISS.  He asked me if we can connect with ISS.  I realised that the capsule was to pass over India around then and I decided to try my luck.  I coincidentally got connected to their frequency and received a response from one of the commandants of the capsule,” Saiyadh told the Ahmedabad Mirror. A qualified engineer, Saiyadh told the publication that the experience “felt personal” as he got a response from astronaut Doug Hurley when he got connected.  He added that the call made him feel that he too, “was a part of the history they made. ”In a first of its kind spaceflight, entrepreneur Elon Musk’s company SpaceX became the first private entity to carry NASA astronauts into orbit.  A Crew Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket, both developed by SpaceX, with Hurley and Behnken, lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 3. 22 pm EDT on May 30 and docked with the ISS around 19 hours later.  The SpaceX’s Crew Dragon flight was also the first time in 11 years that NASA astronauts were launched into space in an American space vehicle and from US soil.


Defence ministry gave its go-ahead for the purchase of military equipment worth Rs 8,722 crore, including 106 locally made basic trainer aircraft, for the Indian Air Force

(report by @rahulsinghx)

https://t.co/WBKyzd8Ws7

The defence ministry on Tuesday gave its go-ahead for the purchase of military equipment worth Rs 8,722 crore, including 106 locally made basic trainer aircraft, for the Indian Air Force to provide a push to the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ (self-reliant India movement), a defence ministry spokesperson said. Basic trainers figure on the government’s negative import list that seeks to ban the import of 101 different types of weapons, systems and ammunition over the next five years.  The ministry’s defence acquisition council (DAC) accorded its acceptance of necessity (AoN) for buying 106 Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) aircraft from state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at a meeting chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh. Under India’s defence procurement rules, AoN by the council is the first step towards buying military hardware. “With HAL having successfully developed HTT-40 prototypes and certification process underway, the DAC approved procurement of 106 basic trainers to address the training requirements of the IAF,” the ministry said in a statement.  The IAF is expected to order 70 trainers initially, with the remaining 36 to be bought after the operationalisation of the HTT-40 fleet in the IAF. This is the first step in a long journey ahead, said Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.  “While it’s a thumbs-up for the design and development of the HTT-40, HAL has to rise to the occasion now and produce them to a time schedule that the IAF wants.  Work ethics would require a change to do that,” Bahadur said. The HTT-40 aircraft has undergone a string of elaborate tests at HAL to demonstrate that it is safe for rookie pilots and meets the IAF’s exacting standards for trainer planes.  HAL could begin the production of the trainers by early next year.  Rookie pilots in IAF go through a three-stage training involving the Pilatus PC-7 MkII planes, Kiran trainers and finally the Hawk advanced jet trainers before they can fly fighter jets.  As the Kirans are approaching the end of their service life, some amount of Stage 2 training is being done on the PC-7. The defence ministry in July 2019 suspended business dealings with Swiss plane maker Pilatus Aircraft Limited for one year for violation of a pre-contract integrity pact in a Rs 2,900-crore contract for 75 basic trainers, and also factoring in Indian investigations against the plane maker for alleged corruption and irregularities. The contract with Pilatus included a clause for follow-on purchase of 38 more planes.  The DAC - India’s apex procurement body - also cleared the purchase of an upgraded version of the super rapid gun mount (SRGM) which is fitted as the main gun onboard warships, to improve the navy’s firepower, the statement said.  This weapon will be supplied by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).  “The upgraded version of SRGM has enhanced capability to perform against fast manoeuvring targets like missiles,” the statement said. Other defence items cleared for purchase include tank ammunition – the 125 mm APFSDS (Armour Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot).  It will have 70% indigenous content.  The statement said some of the other approvals given by the DAC will accelerate the purchase of AK-203 assault rifles and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) upgrades. India on Sunday announced that it will ban the import of 101 defence items over the next five years, a significant step on the long road towards achieving self-reliance in the defence sector. These include artillery guns, light military transport aircraft, conventional submarines, long-range land attack cruise missiles, assault rifles, sniper rifles, short-range surface-to-air missiles, beyond visual range air-to-air missiles, corvettes, missile destroyers, light combat helicopter, light combat aircraft, a variety of radars and different types of ammunition.


Joe Biden and Donald Trump meet face to face one last time. With less than 2 weeks before election day, it’s time for the final presidential debate. Special live coverage starts tonight at 7 p.m. ET https://t.co/5dZuCDvJHV

Highlights from the final presidential debate before Election Day. Trump vs.  Biden: Key moments from the 2nd presidential debate President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, faced off in the final presidential debate of the 2020 election cycle from Belmont University in Nashville on Thursday night, marking the candidates’ last chance to pitch themselves to tens of millions of voters in primetime before Nov.  3. The stakes were high: Trump needed to make his case as polls show him trailing nationally and in several battleground states key to his reelection hopes.  At the same time, Biden had a platform to solidify his lead and avoid any major mistakes with Election Day just 12 days away. Biden spent the week hunkered down in Wilmington, Delaware, to prepare -- what he's done before other debates -- while Trump had seemingly done less to prepare, telling reporters on Wednesday,  "I do prep, I do prep," without elaborating.  Earlier this week Trump said that answering journalists' questions is the best kind of preparation. Thursday's debate was supposed to be the candidates' third matchup but is instead the second of only two presidential debates this election.  Trump refused to participate in the second debate when it was moved to a virtual format following his COVID-19 diagnosis.  The candidates ultimately participated in dueling town halls instead. President Donald Trump knows the playbook, in part, because he basically wrote it: A flurry of stories, a stunt designed to rattle his opponent and an attempt to define his opponent based on family connections and dark allegations. Trump stepped into the relatively calm conversation at Thursday night's presidential debate with a series of attacks on Joe Biden and his family, in what may be seen as a last-ditch attempt to turn around a campaign that's shaping up as a referendum on Trump's presidency. "I don't make money from China, you do.  I don't make money from Ukraine, you do," the president said.  "They're like a vacuum cleaner.  They're sucking up money every place he goes. "Biden then claimed it is Trump, not him, who has foreign sources of income. "The guy who got in trouble in Ukraine was this guy," Biden said, speaking of Trump.  "The only guy who's made money from China is this guy. "Trump hopes that his performance in the final debate will mark a pivot point in the campaign, making it a race between him and Biden, rather than a referendum on his own presidency.  Yet, with nearly 50 million votes already cast, it may all prove to be a gambit better designed for a different campaign, against a different candidate and, perhaps, for a different era entirely. Read more of ABC News Political Director Rick Klein's analysis here. For 90 relatively-civil minutes, the pair sparred over a range of topics including the pandemic, health care, election security, immigration, their personal financial entanglements and climate change, among other things, guided by moderator Kristen Welker of NBC News. The closing arguments arrived, however, on a day in which the number of early votes cast this year eclipsed the number of early votes total in 2016 -- with still 12 days to go until Election Day.  Over 48. 5 million Americans have already voted, which leaves a winnowing group of persuadable individuals for Trump and Biden to win over. Though there was some doubt about whether the event would take place after Trump repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debate's attempt to hold a virtual second debate prior to its eventual cancelation -- and later their decision to mute the candidates' microphones during portions of Thursday's discussion -- the debate moved forward without delay and largely absent of the repeated interruptions that marred the first. Read the five key takeaways from the final presidential debate. -ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett and Adam KelseyThere were supposed to be three. Thursday night's debate was only the second this cycle after the town hall was canceled when President Donald Trump and nearly two-dozen of his associates contracted COVID-19 and he refused to debate his Democratic opponent Joe Biden virtually. The president’s personal experience battling the coronavirus may have changed the schedule, but it had little impact on the substance of the debate or how the president talked about the novel coronavirus in the end. Read more of ABC News Deputy Political Director MaryAlice Parks' analysis here. TRUMP'S CLAIM: Trump said that "the mortality rate is down 85%" for COVID-19 in the United States, and that "the excess mortality rate is way down, and much lower than almost any other country. "FACT CHECK: Although Trump was correct to assert that death rates have fallen significantly since the spring, they are not down by 85%, but rather 62% -- and they are currently trending up again nationwide. According to public health experts, much of that decline can be attributed to greater testing, better treatment protocols and to a larger number of younger people -- rather than older people -- becoming infected with COVID-19. Meanwhile, "excess mortality" is an estimate of how many more people are dying than during a normal year, or other time period.  It is incorrect to refer to the rate as "way down," since it is estimated that in the United States, there have been many more excess deaths compared to last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Tuesday 299,028 more people had died in the United States from late January to early October than would be expected in a typical year.  It attributed 66% of those excess deaths, or 198,081, to COVID-19. According to a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, "The US has experienced more deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) than any other country and has one of the highest cumulative per capita death rates. "Analyzing the number of deaths per 100,000 people attributed to the pandemic, the U. S.  had 60. 3 deaths per 100,000 people.  That was higher than Germany (11. 3), Canada (24. 6) and France (46. 6), but lower than Belgium (86. 8) and the United Kingdom (62. 6), according to the report. -ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos


Hong Kong police have used water cannons and fired tear gas at protesters demonstrating against a controversial extradition bill. Live updates: https://t.co/gzmI80Itt7 https://t.co/lZnnoS0aCC

Thousands are protesting against a controversial extradition bill. Police fire tear gas at Hong Kong protestersPolice fired tear gas at throngs of protesters in the streets of Hong Kong on Wednesday amid growing anger over the government's proposal to change an extradition law. The controversial extradition law amendment, which would allow individuals to be sent to mainland China for trial, was scheduled to be introduced to Hong Kong's Legislative Council on Wednesday, but the session was postponed due to the protests.  The bill will be voted on June 20. So far, 22 people have been injured in the clashes, with 10 of those in stable condition, according to the Hong Kong hospital authority.  The condition of the remaining 12 people is unknown. "Didn't we say at the end of the Umbrella movement we would be back? " opposition lawmaker Claudia Mo shouted to her supporters, referring to the name often used for the pro-democracy street protests that deadlocked the former British colony in 2014.  "Now we are back! "The protesters, many of them young people, occupied the streets outside the Legislative Council complex in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory and ultimately clashed with riot police, who responded by hitting them with batons and firing multiple rounds of tear gas.  Crowds were seen fleeing clouds of smoke. Some people used their vehicles to block off roads, forming makeshift barricades. A number of protesters were seen throwing bottles, umbrellas and other objects at riot police. Hong Kong Police Commissioner Stephen Lo said at a press briefing Wednesday that his officers had to fire tear gas, rubber bullets and bean bag rounds, otherwise "protesters would have used metal bars to stab our colleagues. "He called the situation "dangerous" and "chaotic," but said he's confident his officers can contain the rioters, according to RTHK, Hong Kong's main English-language public broadcaster. Amid the chaos, the Hong Kong Legislative Council announced it would cancel Wednesday's planned session, where lawmakers had planned to debate the extradition law amendment.  Some politicians weren't able to make it inside the building due to the protests. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union, the city's largest educational union, has announced an island-wide strike in protest against what they've described as an "evil" law. The violent clashes come just three days after a largely peaceful march in central Hong Kong that organizers said drew over a million people. Despite the mass protests and heightened police presence, the bill is expected to become law.  Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, has said she plans to sign the legislation. Concern has been mounting in recent years in the semi-autonomous region that the central government in Beijing is undermining the freedoms guaranteed to its citizens under the terms of the territory's 1997 handover from the U. K.  to China. Mass protests against changes to the territory's electoral system in 2014 saw demonstrators occupy and paralyze parts of the city's government and commercial district for around six months. In 2016, six pro-democracy lawmakers were disqualified from their offices in a controversy over protests inserted into their oaths of office.  In 2018, a political party calling for independence from China was also banned by the local government. ABC News' James Longman contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Reacting to Pres. Trump's claim casting doubt on 2020 election, Joe Biden tells @DavidMuir "the American people will not let" Pres. Trump stay in office if he loses. https://t.co/TLklYAQvfI https://t.co/n5Iy4oEvGj

Opinion by Dean Obeidallah Updated 8:28 PM ET, Sun August 23, 2020 Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is the host of SiriusXM radio's daily program "The Dean Obeidallah Show" and a columnist for The Daily Beast.  Follow him @DeanObeidallah.  The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own.  View more opinion articles on CNN.  (CNN)"Donald is out for Donald, period. " "Donald is cruel. " "You can't trust him. " "He has no principles.  None. " "The lack of preparation.  The lying.  Holy sh*t. "  Sign up for CNN Opinion's new newsletter. Join us on Twitter and Facebook


J&K Police on today's Anantnag terrorist attack: The terrorist was gunned down on the spot. 5 CRPF personnel attained martyrdom while repulsing the attack. Area has been cordoned, search is underway. Case registered. https://t.co/Emc1vBFsO5

Motorcycle-borne militants gunned down five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in an audacious daylight attack on one of the busiest roads in south Kashmir’s Anantnag town on Wednesday — the first major terrorist strike since the killing of 40 soldiers by a suicide bomber in Pulwama in February that brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.  The station house officer (SHO) of Anantnag, three CRPF personnel and a civilian woman were also injured in the attack that occurred on the bustling Khanbal Pahalgam (KP) Road that is also frequented by pilgrims on the Amarnath Yatra, which begins in roughly three weeks.  Police said two motorcycle-borne militants drove down KP Road and opened fire at 4. 50pm at a contingent of CRPF personnel belonging to the 161 Battalion that was deployed at the spot.  The CRPF personnel were on law-and-order duty and part of the Road Opening Party.  Additional forces led by Anantnag SHO Arshad Khan and a Quick Reaction Team (QRT) rushed to the spot, only to face a volley of bullets from the militants, who also hurled grenades at the forces.  In the ensuing gunbattle, one militant was killed and he is believed to be a foreigner, said a CRPF spokesperson.  An AK-47 rifle was recovered from the militant. A health department official said on condition of anonymity that Khan, who suffered a gunshot wound in his chest, was in a critical condition.  He and three paramilitary personnel are being treated at the army’s 92 Base hospital. A police spokesman termed the strike as a “stand-off firing attack”. “In this terror incident, five CRPF personnel were killed while repulsing the terror attack.  Three security force personnel, including SHO Anantnag inspector Arshad Khan, sustained gunshot injuries.  In the retaliatory action, the terrorist was gunned down on the spot.  From the materials recovered, it is found that the dead terrorist was a foreigner,” the spokesperson added. Minutes later, Al-Umar Mujahideen, a militant outfit led by Mushtaq Zager, who is currently based in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. The CRPF personnel killed in the attack were identified as assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Ramesh Kumar of Jhajjar, Haryana; ASI Nirod Sarma of Nalbari, Assam; and constables Satendra Kumar of Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar, Mahesh Kushwaha of Gazipur, UP, and Sandeep Yadav of Madhya Pradesh. This is the first major strike on security forces since the February 14 suicide strike that killed 40 soldiers in what was the worst attack in Kashmir’s history.  After the Pulwama strike — which occurred on a highway roughly 35km from the spot where Wednesday’s firing took place — the army and other forces tightened security across the Valley, especially in the militant hotbed of south Kashmir. “It is too premature to connect today’s attack to the Amarnath Yatra.  Over 100 terrorists have been eliminated in the first six months (of 2019) — which is much higher than the previous years.  Terror organisations such as the JeM [Jaish-e-Mohammed], HM [Hizbul Mujahideen], etc, are under pressure,” a senior official of the home ministry said on condition of anonymity. The Pulwama attack was claimed by Pakistan-based JeM and ratcheted up tensions between India and Pakistan.  Indian forces undertook a strike on terror targets across the border in Balakot; Pakistan sent its jets in retaliation, which triggered the first dogfight between the two neighbours in roughly half a century.  However, after Pakistan returned captured air force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman on March 1, tensions have been mostly contained.  Wednesday’s attack took place at a spot on KP Road that is considered a vulnerable spot as similar strikes have taken place in the past.  In January this year, two personnel of the security forces were injured in a grenade attack in the area.  Two policemen were killed in an encounter in a nearby area in 2016. The attacks were condemned by politicians in the Valley.  “Very sorry to hear about the attack on the CRPF personnel in Anantnag today.  I unreservedly condemn this attack & pray for the souls of the departed.  May the injured make a speedy & complete recovery,” tweeted former chief minister Omar Abdullah. “Strongly condemn the barbarous attack on security personnel in Anantnag.  My heart goes out to families of our martyred CRPF personnel.  Prayers for speedy recovery of those injured “ tweeted former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. In the first five months of this year, security forces killed 101 militants, including some top commanders of terror outfits in different parts of Kashmir.  Many of the militants were killed in south Kashmir.  After the Pulwama attack, 81 militants have been killed and 24 security personnel — including the five who died on Wednesday — have lost their lives. .


Ujjwal Nikam, special public prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case on arrest of Hafiz Saeed: Pakistan is fooling the world that they have arrested him, we have to see how they produce evidence in courts and how efforts are made to convict him, otherwise it is a drama. https://t.co/tvRToS0j6q

Mumbai terror attacks mastermind and Jammaat ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed was arrested on Wednesday in Gujranwala, Pakistani media reported.  Hafiz Saeed was arrested by the Counter Terrorism Department while he was travelling from to Gujranwala from Lahore to appear before an anti-terrorism court, Geo News reported. A spokesman for JuD confirmed Saeed’s arrest and said the charges he faces are still unknown but appear to be linked to terrorism financing, Reuters reported.  Also Watch | ‘Hafiz Saeed’s arrest aimed to satisfy FATF’: Expert | HT ConversationsOn Monday, Hafiz Saeed and three of his aides were granted pre-arrest bail by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan over JuD’s illegal use of land for a seminary.  Last week, Pakistani authorities had announced a crackdown on terror financing by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its front organizations.  They said cases were registered against Lashkar founder Hafiz Saeed and 12 of his aides. Also read: Masood Azhar banned, Pakistan to prop up Lashkar if Jaish goes off radarIndia was not impressed by Pakistan’s claims and said that the action of terror financing seemed like an effort to “hoodwink” the international community.  “Let us not get fooled by these cosmetic steps.  We have seen the course of such convictions in the past,” Raveesh Kumar, foreign ministry spokesperson, had said. Hafiz Saeed’s JuD is believed to the front for Lashkar, which is responsible for the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai.  Lashkar-e-Taiba has been declared as a foreign terrorist organization by the US.  Saeed was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US treasury department with a $10 million award for any information that brings him to justice.  Washington had warned Islamabad of “repercussions” after he was released from house arrest in 2017India has handed over several dossiers to Pakistan detailing the role of Hafiz Saeed and Lashkar in the Mumbai attacks.  Islamabad has said that Saeed had been cleared by Pakistani courts and India needs to provide more evidence.


Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemns Christchurch attack, calls on world leaders to fight hatred and not "let the lessons of those 50 deaths go unlearned." https://t.co/mVUBa6szx2 https://t.co/UrKuYeqlM2

By Hilary Whiteman, CNNUpdated 1157 GMT (1957 HKT) March 19, 2019 Christchurch, New Zealand (CNN)The man who opened fire on two New Zealand mosques last week may have succeeded in killing 50 people, but the country's leader has promised to deny him the one thing he truly wanted: Notoriety.  CNN's James Griffiths contributed reporting from Hong Kong.


British authorities are seeking to recapture a young minke whale lost far from home in the Thames River after it escaped from rescuers overnight. https://t.co/nC6IEkOGxY https://t.co/uqV8tjofv2

By Rob Picheta, Mitchell McCluskey and Amanda Jackson, CNNUpdated 2311 GMT (0711 HKT) May 10, 2021  (CNN)A young whale trapped in London's River Thames was euthanized after becoming stranded for a second time on a river embankment Monday evening. @twickerati Beached Whale in the Thames.   😞 looks injured.  A bit  upsetting, so moved on.   Hope it can be saved.  pic. twitter. com/UOPHbPLZjcWhale at Richmond Lock Bridge 🐋 #riverthames #richmond #whale pic. twitter. com/JhiUSU9pCAWhale stuck at Richmond lock bridge!  🐳🙁 pic. twitter. com/sYViNLWk46CNN's Susannah Cullinane contributed to this report.


Melissa McCarthy and husband Ben Falcone hit the red carpet ahead of the 2019 #Oscars. https://t.co/FhvBqNVCbr https://t.co/BuMNMAjJkm

Hollywoodâs awards season wrapped up Sunday night with the Oscars. Check out the best photos from the red carpet before the show:Lady Gaga (Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images)Mahershala Ali and his wife, Amatus Sami-Karim (Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images)Yalitza Aparicio, left, and Marina de Tavira (Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images)Regina King (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Tonya Lewis Lee and Spike Lee.  Spike Lee is wearing rings that say âloveâ and âhate. â The jewelry paid homage to Radio Raheem,Â a beloved character in the directorâs film âDo the Right Thing. â Lee also wore purple in honor of the late musician Prince.  (Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images)Olivia Colman (Rick Rowell/ABC/Getty Images)Gemma Chan (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Billy Porter, left, and Adam Smith (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Charlize Theron (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images)Ruth E.  Carter (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)Paul Rudd and Queen Latifah (Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images)Rachel Weisz (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)Kiki Layne (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez (Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images)Danai Gurira (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Lucy Boynton and Rami Malek (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)Krysten Ritter (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)Octavia Spencer (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Bradley Cooper with his mom, Gloria Campano, and his girlfriend, Irina Shayk (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)Michelle Yeoh (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Michael B.  Jordan and his mother, Donna (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Serena Williams (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Emma Stone (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)Pharrell Williams and his wife, Helen Lasichanh (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)Brie Larson (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Chadwick Boseman (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Helen Mirren (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Amy Adams (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)David Oyelowo (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Kacey Musgraves (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Jennifer Hudson (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Tina Fey (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)SZA (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Glenn Close (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images)Linda Cardellini (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Melissa McCarthy (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)US Rep.  John Lewis (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Awkwafina (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)Constance Wu (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Amandla Stenberg (Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images)Marie Kondo (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Shangela, left (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Produced by Brett Roegiers and Kyle Almond


NEW: Pres. Trump's attorney Jay Sekulow: "Today’s testimony by Michael Cohen that attorneys for the President edited or changed his statement to Congress to alter the duration of the Trump Tower Moscow negotiations is completely false." https://t.co/p5F5ESzs73 https://t.co/dvRkYs1W7k

  Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen testifies before the House Oversight Committee.  Here is what he is expected to present.

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Bangladesh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple in Ishwaripur, Satkhira district.

This is the second day of the PM's two-day visit to the country. https://t.co/enEYPZvG6O

Praying for a Coronavirus-free world at Bangladesh's Jeshoreshwari Kali temple early on Saturday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he feels fortunate to visit the goddess just ahead of the Chaitra Navratri.  PM Modi, who is on a two-day visit to the neighbouring country, was seen wearing a mark as he was welcomed in the temple, which was renovated on the occasion of PM Modi's visit.  He also offered a hand-made, gold-plated silver crown to the goddess. Watch: PM Modi prays at Bangladesh temples, visits Bangabandhu mausoleumIshwaripur village in Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira border West Bengal.  PM said during fairs, many people visit the temple from across the border too.  That's why a community centre is needed, which can double as a shelter home during an emergency, like a cyclone.  "A number of devotees come here during Kaali Puja.  So a multi-purpose community hall is needed here, which can become a shelter house during any disaster, especially cyclone.  The Indian government will construct a community hall here.  I express my gratitude to the Bangladesh government that it has also wished us well for this work," PM Modi said. He said he prayed for a coronavirus-free world as India believes that the world is a family (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam). "Ahead of Chaitra Navratri, I got the opportunity to visit one of the 51 shakipeeths.  When I came to Bangladesh in 2015, I offered my prayers to Maa Dhakeshwari.  Today, I was fortunate enough to bow my head before Maa Kali," PM Modi said, adding that he wished to visit all the shaktipeeths if he gets the chance.  According to Hindu mythology, the Jeshoreshwari Kali temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peeths — the 51 sacred sites where goddess Sati's 51 body parts were believed to have fallen.  The shaktipeeths are spread across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China and Sri Lanka. On Saturday, PM Modi is also scheduled to visit Gopalganj's Orakandi temple. "I am particularly looking forward to my interaction with representatives of the Matua community at Orakandi, from where Sri Sri Harichandra Thakur ji disseminated his pious message," Prime Minister Modi had said in a statement on Thursday. Then, he will also visit the 'Mausoleum of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman' in Tungipara of Gopalganj.


Social media is abuzz with an image of a poster demanding the release of activist and anti-CAA protester Sharjeel Imam with claims that it is from the ongoing farmers’ agitation against the new farm laws.  However, The Quint found that the image is from a protest organised in February 2020 in Kerala, by the Welfare Party of India.  CLAIM The aforementioned image is being shared massively on Facebook and Twitter with claims insinuating that the protesting farmers demanded the release of Imam with many users mockingly saying that Imam is a farmer too.  The image was also used in an article on a website called Indian Defence Research Wing titled ‘Left-wing extremists have hijacked farmers’ protests’.  WHAT WE FOUND We ran a reverse image search on the viral photograph and found a tweet dated April 2020 which carried the same image.  Although the tweet description did not provide any hints about the location or the exact date of clicking the image, we became certain that the said photograph has been in existence much before the ongoing farmers’ protests started.  Next, we observed the image carefully and found ‘Welfare Party of India’ written on the upper right corner of the banner.  We also observed posters in Malayalam and Welfare Party’s flag in the image.  We then reached out to Sajid Khalid, state secretary of Welfare Party’s Kerala wing, who confirmed that the image is from a protest organised by the party in February.  We looked up for news reports on the ‘Occupy Raj Bhavan’ march and found articles by the Times of India and The Hindu.  However, it must be noted, that farmers did put up posters of activists, including Umar Khalid and Bhima Koregaon activists, who have been jailed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) at Tikri Border on 10 December.  A representative of the BKU told The Quint, while they agree that they have been put behind bars without charges and have also been wronged by the State, their demands are only for the three farm laws to be repealed.  Evidently, an old image was revived to falsely claim that it’s from the ongoing farmers’ protests.


"It's apocalyptic damage and the fire is still burning."

@mattgutmanABC reports from the border of Brazil and Bolivia, where flames continue to engulf the Amazon rainforest and farmers are impacted by burned land and intense smoke. https://t.co/CvUxebUGPO https://t.co/DvwggmQJIH

By Flora Charner, Isa Soares, Waffa Munayyer, CNN, and Apu GomesUpdated 0459 GMT (1259 HKT) August 27, 2019  (CNN)Deep in the heart of the Amazon, Ajareaty Waiapi performs one of her tribe's most traditional rituals.  The tribal chief crushes blood red urucum seeds into a thick paste and generously applies it to her face, bare chest and torso.  The mixture protects her skin from the sun and insects.  It's also believed to ward off evil spirits.


A 2019 video showing Nihang Sikhs attacking a bus driver has been revived with captions that do not make it clear the video is old and hashtags that link the clip to current events.  BOOM found that the incident is from September 2019 when a Pepsu Road transport Corporation (PRTC) bus en route to Kapurthala was stopped by Nihang Sikhs and its driver was attacked.  The bus had reportedly hit one of the horses in the Nihang cavalcade.  The video has been revived in the backdrop of the violent clashes between protesting farmers and Delhi police on January 26 this year.  The farmers protesting on the border of Delhi against the three Farm laws passed last year had taken out a tractor rally on the Republic Day.  The rally had later deviated from its original route resulting in violence in some parts of Delhi.  The protestors had also gained entry into the Red Fort and hoisted religious flags there.   Right-wing TV channel Sudarshan News tweeted the video with a Hindi caption translating to 'With great patience the country is watching everything. . . not just the perpetrators but also those who support them'.  The hashtags used by Sudarshan News - #IndiaAgainstPropaganda, #KhalistaniExposed - are the ones trending on Twitter in the recent days.  Also read Farmers' Protest: Photo Of Plainclothes Cop From 2019 Viral With Fake Claim (Hindi: बड़े धैर्य के साथ देश देख रहा है ये सब कुछ. . . सिर्फ करने वालों को नहीं. . . उनका साथ भी देने वालों को. . ) BOOM, on earlier occasions, has debunked fake news - here and here - published by the Sudarshan News.  The viral video shows a group of Nihang Sikhs attacking the driver of a bus parked by the side of a road.  The driver manages to escape as soon as he gets a chance.  बड़े धैर्य के साथ देश देख रहा है ये सब कुछ. . . सिर्फ करने वालों को नहीं. . .  उनका साथ भी देने वालों को. . #IndiaAgainstPropaganda#KhalistaniExposed pic. twitter. com/GrX6fEaWg5  The video has also been shared on Facebook by right wing page Nation With Namo with a caption 'The nation is watching these treasonous events closely, and the nation will neither forive nor forget (Sic. )'.  Another caption written over the video reads 'Swordsmen attack Punjab Road Transport Corporation bus, threaten drive.  Those who still support these violent agitators need to introspect what they actually stand for' .   The viral post can be seen below and their archived version can be checked here.  Also read Deep Sidhu, Accused Of Inciting Violence On Republic Day: What We Know The video is quite viral on Facebook with similar claims.  BOOM watched the video closely and saw PRTC written on the bus' windshield.  Taking cue, we did a keyword search with 'Nihangs attack PRTC bus' and found several YouTube videos sharing the clip.  Watch here and here.  We also found news reports about the incident.  According to a report published in The Tribune on September 20, 2019, the incident took place a couple of days before the video went viral.  According to the report, a group of Nihangs had vandalised a Kapurthala depot bus with swords and sharp weapons.  The article further states that the incident reportedly happened after the bus had allegedly accidentally hit one of the horses of the Nihangs.   The same video was uploaded by a YouTube channel India News Punjab Live on September 21, 2019.  We also found reports published by Hindi dailies Amar Ujala and Dainik Bhaskar (watch the video by Dainik Bhaskar here) on the same incident.  Dainik Bhaskar had published a screenshot of the viral video which corroborated that the incident is old.  According to the Dainik Bhaskar report, the bus plied between Nakodar and Kapurthala in the early morning slot.  It was en route to Kapurthala when the group of Nihangs threatened the driver Nirmal Singh.  Also Read Farmers' Protest: 2018 Video Of Nihang Sikhs' Rally Viral As Recent


Madhya Pradesh reports 870 new #COVID19 cases and 15 deaths today, taking the total number of cases to 41,604 including 1,048 deaths and 9,317 active cases: State Health Department https://t.co/82VCI8L6Yf

Another 12,000 plus new cases of Covid-19 took Maharashtra’s tally in the pandemic to over 5. 8 lakh on Saturday, the health department said. The state recorded 12,614 new cases out of which 1,254 were in Mumbai to take the state’s tally 5,84,754. It was marginally higher than Friday’s count of 12,608 new cases. On Saturday, Mumbai’s Covid-19 tally stood at 1,27,716. The death toll in Maharashtra rose to 19,749 with 322 casualties.  Mumbai reported 48 of the casualties. The number of recovered patients went up to 4,08,286 after 6,844 people were discharged on Saturday. Click here for full coronavirus coverage. On most days between August 8 and August 15, Maharashtra has reported fresh Cpovid-1d-19 cases in excess of 12,000.  On August 8, the state marked the highest single-day spike with 12,822 that took the tally past the 5 lakh mark.  In the last one week, Maharashtra has added 80,000 new cases of Covid-19. As authorities continued to ramp up testing, the health department said that 31,11,514 people have been tested so far for Covid-19.


India’s #COVID19 death toll fifth highest in world, US and Brazil top the tally

https://t.co/uvQJlQ4MOW https://t.co/Ok803vSoWr

With over 36,500 Covid-19 fatalities, India has the fifth-highest Covid-19 death toll in the world.  According to Johns Hopkins Covid-19 tally, the United States has the highest number of Covid-19 fatalities in the world with 153,314 patients losing their battle with the contagion.  Brazil comes on the second spot with over 90,000 deaths followed by Mexico (46,688) and the United Kingdom (46,204).  When it comes to the total number of coronavirus cases, India stands third on the global tally after the United States and Brazil.  However, the government has maintained that India’s recovery rate, around 64 percent, in coronavirus patients is among the best in the world and continues to improve.  So far, over 10 lakh patients in India have recovered or been discharged from hospitals.  At present, India has over five lakh active cases of Covid-19 across the country.  India’s Covid-19 death rate stands at around 2. 15 percent, among the lowest in the world.  Also read: Another one-day spike of over 57,000 Covid-19 cases pushes India’s tally to nearly 1. 7 millionIndia recorded the steepest spike of 57,118 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours.  With this, the country’s coronavirus caseload nears 1. 7 million.  The month of July alone accounted for nearly 1. 1 million infections.  As per the health ministry, additional 764 deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, taking the country’s Covid-19 death toll to 36,511. On Friday, health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that India achieved more than 1 million recoveries with active cases accounting for only one-third of the total.  India is now conducting more than 640,000 tests in 24 hours, taking cumulative tests across the country to nearly 1. 9 million, he said.


#Karnataka: Janata Dal (Secular) calls for legislative party meet later today; Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy to return to India later today. (file pic) https://t.co/I3pxBhsKxa

As Congress lawmaker L B P Bheema Naik reached a guest house in Bengaluru where party leaders were gathered, the Congress claimed that it had defeated any possibility of desertion in its ranks and called a meeting of its legislature party on Friday to show its strength. The Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance government had been jolted by the withdrawal of support by two Independent MLAs, who had been part of the government, on Tuesday. There had been speculation in the state that the government was set to fall even as the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party continued to keep its MLAs in a resort in Gurugram.  Arriving at the Kumar Krupa Guest House – where Congress general secretary in charge of state, KC Venugopal, was staying and where Congress leaders had congregated –, Naik said there was no truth to the allegation that he had been approached by the BJP.  The fact that his mobile had been switched off had led to speculation that he was one among five Congress MLAs who had switched sides.  “I have two mobile numbers and one of them was switched off.  There is no truth to these allegations against me.  I have not been approached by the BJP,” Naik told reporters.  Watch: I have sufficient number: HD Kumaraswamy on BJP’s horse-trading remark Even as the day began with speculation indications that the Congress was unperturbed came with the news that its trouble shooter in the state, irrigation minister DK Shivakumar, had gone to Maharashtra’s Aurangabad to attend an international conference.  Former chief minister Siddaramaiah, who is the chief of the Congress Legislature Party, too, took to the road, visiting Chickamagaluru district. Speaking to HT later in the day, home minister MB Patil maintained there was no question of any operation to poach Congress MLAs.  “All of our leaders are in touch with us and they will arrive for the legislature party meeting where everybody will see that we are united and that this government is strong,” he said.  “In fact, one of the independent MLAs who withdrew support on Tuesday also got in touch with us, expressing his desire to join us again,” Patil added.  Meanwhile, state Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao said the episode had exposed the BJP and its “unethical politics”.  “Today the nation is witness to the level to which the BJP is willing to stoop to destabilise a state government.  These past two days have only strengthened our coalition further,” he said.  Union minister and former Karnataka chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda, who had said on Tuesday that his party would form the government if the current one fell, refused to comment on the day’s developments.  “ I’m unaware of the developments as I am in Delhi to attend Cabinet meetings,” he said.


External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar to meet Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at 6PM today in Moscow, Russia on the sidelines of SCO meet
(file pic) https://t.co/umW99xBrF0

Foreign minister S Jaishankar met Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday and discussed strategic ties focusing on special and privileged strategic partnership between both the nations.  Both foreign ministers also spoke about the current international situation. Following the meeting, the union minister for foreign affairs tweeted, “Pleasure to meet FM Sergey Lavrov, this time in person.  Excellent talks that reflect our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.  Value our exchanges on the international situation. ” Pleasure to meet FM Sergey Lavrov, this time in person.  Excellent talks that reflect our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.  Value our exchanges on the international situation.  pic. twitter. com/e9ztsiuy8lRussian foreign minister Lavrov said that Russia highly appreciates the discussions and looks forward to further developing strategic bilateral ties across all areas including BRICS and UN.  The Russian Embassy in India said in a statement, “We highly appreciate an opportunity to discuss the development of Flag of RussiaFlag of India strategic partnership in all areas: bilateral relations, cooperation within the frameworks of #SCO, #BRICS, #UN. ” 💬 Russian foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the meeting with EAM @DrSJaishankar: "We highly appreciate an opportunity to discuss the development of 🇷🇺🇮🇳 strategic partnership in all areas: bilateral relations, cooperation within the frameworks of #SCO, #BRICS, #UN pic. twitter. com/vGsxEEjj1MJaishankar had earlier met the foreign ministers from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.  He called his meeting with his Kyrgiz counterpart C Aidarbekov ‘fruitful’ and then later on went to meet Tajikistan foreign minister S Muhriddin.  Jaishankar is on a four-day visit to Russia to attend the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).


The bees living on Notre Dame's roof survived the fire https://t.co/MsFZf9zIBY https://t.co/KcoJjbVEKa

This news comes as the investigation into the devastating fire is underway.  Notre Dame fire likely caused by electrical short circuit: InvestigatorsFrench Catholics, art historians and beekeepers are celebrating "miracles" amid the damage from a massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. The extent of the damage from Monday's fire is still being assessed, but a rooftop colony of bees were found to have survived. French beekeeping company Beeopic, which maintains hives at the historic cathedral, posted a picture of the surviving bees on Instagram, along with a confirmation from the site manager that "nos abeilles" ("our bees") are still on site. The Instagram caption included the hashtag "miracle. ""Instead of killing them, the CO2 (from smoke) makes them drunk, puts them to sleep," Notre Dame beekeeper Nicolas Geant told the Associated Press. "It's a big day.  I am so relieved.  I saw satellite photos that showed the three hives didn't burn," he added. Another victory was announced for a different community: art historians.  It was found that some of the artwork inside the cathedral suffered less damage than anticipated. Judith Kagan, who works for the French Culture Ministry, said that fire, soot and water didn't reach inside cathedral walls, so some of the artwork inside wasn't majorly damaged, according to the AP. Those works have been transported to a secure location away from the cathedral, Kagan told the AP. The full review of the cathedral is expected to take days or weeks, according to another culture minister. The cause of the blaze is still being determined, but a French judicial police official told the AP investigators believe an electrical short-circuit is to blame. On Friday afternoon, in celebration of Good Friday, there was a service directly across the River Seine from the cathedral, at the Quai de Montebello, that was expected to draw significant crowds. Services throughout the weekend will be held at other nearby churches, including the historic Church of Saint-Suplice on Saturday and the Church of Saint-Eustache on Easter Sunday. ABC News' Ben Gittleson and Ibtissem Guenfoud contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


BREAKING: Pres. Trump writes Speaker Nancy Pelosi to say he plans to deliver State of the Union address. Pelosi had urged the address be rescheduled due to the government shutdown. https://t.co/9BhgdXNpBw https://t.co/fa0y965Nz3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are 6 scenarios that could ACTUALLY end the government shutdown

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

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

    The loser in all of this political extremism is, of course, the 800,000 federal workers who are either furloughed or working without pay.  It’s impossible to think Wednesday’s ugliness does anything but make a compromise to re-open the government an even more remote possibility.  (And, to be honest, there wasn’t much of a chance of it even before today. ) That means days – and maybe weeks – more of working without pay or not working at all.  And that’s the real tragedy of all of this.
  © 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


Hariprasad, Ahmed given tickets to strengthen Congress party: DK Shivakumar

https://t.co/q7h4HORF1b https://t.co/Uo61hkdcqZ

Congress leaders BK Hariprasad and Naseer Ahmed filed their nominations as party candidates for Legislative Council elections in Bengaluru and KPCC chief DK Shivakumar said that the two leaders have been given ticket to strengthen the party with their guidance. “The Legislative Council means the Upper House and the Elders House.  We have unanimously agreed to select and send these two senior leaders to discuss the party organization and various issues of the state in Legislative Council.  There were plenty of aspirants to enter the Upper House.  But it is decided to elect these two leaders and they will contest the election,” Shivakumar said. “We need seniority to guide us. . .  That’s the reason we are selecting these leaders. . .  The high command has given these senior leaders the opportunity to discuss with all our leaders about strengthening the party,” he added. The elections are scheduled to be held on June 29.


U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar liked a tweet mocking former South Bend (Indiana) Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

On Dec.  15, 2020, U. S.  President-elect Joe Biden announced that his former political rival Pete Buttigieg would serve as the transportation secretary in his administration.  Some people criticized this decision, noting that Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, had little experience, and some argued that someone like U. S.  Sen.  Amy Klobuchar was more worthy of the position.   As social media users debated Biden’s choice, a picture circulated that supposedly showed Klobuchar had liked a tweet mocking Buttigieg for getting opportunities that he didn’t deserve: Klobuchar did not like this tweet.  The “Amy Klobuchar” who did was actually just a Twitter user who briefly changed handles to imitate the senator.   Twitter user Calla, who posted the above-displayed meme, was even quick to point out that the senator did not actually like her meme mocking Buttigieg, writing “people on this website are so gullible omg,” and “Putting this on the record before someone gets mad at me: THIS IS FAKE AMY KLOBUCHAR DID NOT LIKE MY TWEET, SOMEONE WITH THE SAME NAME DID. ” Some may like to imagine Klobuchar pettily liking memes mocking Buttigieg, but in reality, the senator congratulated her former political rival on the appointment, writing: Congratulations @PeteButtigieg!  From roads to rail, there is so much to be done and I’m looking forward to working with you!  I know you will bring both your big ideas & your local government experience to the job.  John & I look forward to welcoming you & Chasten to Washington.


JUST IN: Another 1.4 million U.S. workers filed for unemployment insurance last week, the Labor Department said.

This marks the 18th straight week that weekly jobless claims surpassed 1 million. https://t.co/VYs2CMZj4B

By Anneken Tappe and Tami Luhby, CNNUpdated 10:18 AM ET, Thu July 23, 2020 New York (CNN Business)America's jobless crisis is far from over.  Thursday's Department of Labor report hammered that point home: Another 1. 4 million Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week, marking the first increase in initial claims in 16 weeks. Track America's recovery -- from your job to your investments


Claim: Two images are being shared on social media platforms with claims that they are from Delhi.  One image where a security personnel is seen standing on an empty road is taken during the time of Navaratri and the other image where the streets are filled with people amid coronavirus lockdown is taken during the time of Ramazan.  It is also claimed that these pictures have been published by news agency ANI.  However, one of the image claiming to be from Delhi is actually an image from Jammu and it is not taken during the festival Navaratri.    The post was shared by multiple users on Facebook with the same caption that says “ये हैं अरविंद केजरीवाल की दिल्ली की तस्वीरें, जो आज न्यूज एजेंसी ANI ने पब्लिश की हैं!  इस देश मे सारे कानून नियम केवल हिन्दूओं के लिए ही बने है”
Translated to “This is Arvind Kejriwal’s Delhi, these pictures were published by news agency ANI today.  Every law in this country is made for Hindus only. ” The archive can be seen here.     The same misleading post was shared on Twitter also.   The tweet can be seen here and archived version here.     One of the images of empty streets with a police personnel standing alone was claimed to be on Delhi during the time of Navaratri but that image is from Jammu.  There is a police barricade which says “JMC” which is Jammu Municipal Corporation and also a bike with “JK” on its number plate which signifies the Jammu and Kashmir.  These attributes confirms that the image is taken in Jammu.     Moreover, this same image was also shared by India Today in one of their article with the headline: “Jammu and Kashmir a week into nationwide coronavirus lockdown. ” on 1st April 2020.     This particular image is obtained through the news agency, PTI and not through ANI, as claimed.  While the other image claimed to be taken during Ramazan, is indeed from Delhi.  The second image from the viral post which has ANI stamp on it, was shared by the news agency on 24th April.  The viral picture is the third image in ANI’s tweet and is from a market in Shastri Park area in northeast Delhi.  It is relevant to note that Ramazan began on 23 April this year.   The tweet can be seen here and has been archived here.  A news report from India TV news also mentions that even amidst the lockdown, people in huge numbers were seen in northeast Delhi.  “Even as a lockdown remains in place, crowds were seen thronging a market in North East Delhi’s Shastri Park on Friday.  The gross violation in the country’s national capital comes as a shocker especially at a time when the cases of the coronavirus have moved past 23,000 with over 700 deaths.  Violating the norms of social distancing, crowds were moving around freely in the market.  Some police officials could also be spotted in the pictures that were posted by news agency ANI,” the report stated.  Hence, the post is misleading as it wrongly claims Jammu’s picture to be Delhi’s picture during Navaratri.


Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary of the Health Ministry, said on Friday, 13 March, that till now, there have been 81 confirmed coronavirus cases in India, out of which 64 are Indians, 16 Italians and one a Canadian national.  Amid the coronavirus outbreak, social media has been flooded with a deluge of misinformation with fact-checkers working round the clock to debunk false claims.  CLAIM A viral ‘Office Memorandum’ being circulated claims that the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has issued a clarification regarding declaration of holidays in four states, namely Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Sikkim.  This holiday has been ‘declared’ from 14 to 21 March and says that in case of any violation, a fine of Rs 5,000 will be imposed.  Catch the live updates of coronavirus outbreak here.  The Quint received multiple queries about the claim in this ‘circular’ via its WhatsApp helpline, so here’s the fact-check.  WHAT’S THE TRUTH?  The Ministry of Health issued a clarification on Twitter and called the viral “official memorandum” fake.  The PIB release mentions that it “has NOT BEEN issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.  Necessary action under extant law is being initiated. ” Further, sources in the Health Ministry also confirmed to The Quint that the circular has not been issued by the ministry.  Moreover, in the viral circular, the word “Gujrat” has been misspelled.  We compared the viral circular with an official memorandum released by the ministry and found some glaring differences.  The name Rajender Kumar has been spelled as Rajendra Kumar in the viral circular. The official circular has also been copied to ‘Prl Secy/ Secy H of all States/UTs’ – but the viral circular has not been copied to any official.  You can read all our fact-check stories on coronavirus here.


Actor Shabana Azmi said she will leave the country if PM Narendra Modi returns to power

Veteran actor Shabana Azmi has been actively voicing her opinion against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and was until recently campaigning for CPI candidate Kanhaiya Kumar from Begusarai in Bihar.  But will she leave the country if Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns to power?  Well, a photo of the actor has been going viral on Facebook along with the claim: Big news.  Even this time if Narendra Modi wins and becomes the prime minister then I will leave the country.  Shabana Azmi! ! Facebook user Rahul Mishra posted this message on the group NamoAgain2019’. India Today Anti Fake News Room (AFWA) couldn’t find any such statement made by Azmi publicly and she has too denied saying it. The archived version of the post can be seen here. The post uploaded recently has been shared by more than 100 Facebook users and it received as many as 388 comments at the last count.  Most comments were critical in nature such as 'Go to Pak', 'Modi will become PM', 'Pack your bags' and 'Go to hell'. AFWA spoke to Azmi about this post and she vehemently denied having made such comment about leaving the country if PM Modi returns to power.  She said this was pure lies. Elaborating further, Azmi said, I have no intentions of leaving the country.  This is where I was born and this is where I'll die.  I have nothing but contempt for the fake news brigade.  Their desperation to try and discredit those who hold a view different from theirs is both vicious and laughable.  I have never made this statement attributed to me. AFWA did a reverse search of the photo and found that it is more than a year old and has been used in several articles like this. AFWA also scanned the Internet to check if Azmi at any point had said anything about leaving the country, but we found no such comment. Also read: Fact Check: Viral photos of huge BJP crowd not from AzamgarhAlso read: Fact Check: Is this Tej Bahadur Yadav having booze in the viral video? The number of crows determines the intensity of the lie.


Gujarat: One dead and two injured after a portion of a building collapsed in Bharuch. https://t.co/PCVFgiHzcu

Two members of Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district on Sunday, police officials familiar with the matter said. According to security officials, the forces launched a cordon-and-search operation on Sunday morning after receiving a tip-off about the presence of terrorists in the district’s Hend-Sitapur area.  “During the search operation, the hiding terrorists opened fire on the search party.  In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the encounter site,” police spokesperson Manoj Kumar said. Police identified the slain LeT members as Javid Ahmad Bhat of J&K’s Redwani and Adil Bashir Wani of state’s Waripora village. “They [Bhat and Wani] were wanted for their complicity in a series of terror crimes, including attacks on security establishments and civilian atrocities.  Several terror cases were registered against them,” a police statement said. The police urged residents of the area to stay away from the encounter site till the area was cleared of all explosive material.  On 21 October 2018, seven civilians were killed after a stray explosive burst at the site of an encounter in Jammu & Kashmir’s Kulgam.


Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier today. https://t.co/t0GXTaOvsw

At her first meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in two years, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday invited PM Modi to inaugurate the world’s second largest coal block in West Bengal and asked him fast-track approval to the state’s request to change its name to Bangla. Banerjee told reporters that she had requested Prime Minister Modi to launch the Deocha Pachami coal block in Birbhum district, which the state insists, has the potential to generate nearly one lakh jobs.  The coal block is also expected to bring in investments to the tune of Rs 12,000 crore. Banerjee has also sought the prime minister’s intervention to get approval for the state’s name change, following up on an effort to move West Bengal up the alphabetical order of India’s states.  “He has promised to do something about the matter,” Mamata Banerjee said. “If they (Centre) have alternate suggestions to rename the state, we will welcome them.  We want to change state of name to Bangla and I have asked PM Modi for his suggestions as well,” she said. The state government had suggested ‘Paschimbanga’ in 2011, but it was turned down by the central government.  In 2016, In 2016, the state proposed ‘Bengal’ in English, ‘Bangla’ in Bengali and ‘Bangal’ in Hindi, which was also turned down. Last year, it took the feedback from the centre on its earlier proposals into account to request the Centre to change the state’s name to ‘Bangla’.  But this proposal also hasn’t had a smooth ride.  There is a view at the Centre that it is strikingly similar to Bangladesh and it would be difficult to differentiate the two at international forums. Mamata Banerjee’s party has sought to underscore that the chief minister wanted to keep political matters and administrative issues separate.  Mamata Banerjee sought to make the same point when she later met reporters.  “There was nothing political about the meeting… It was a government to government meeting,” she said.


Imagine when malls open the fungus in the ducts will fly free in closed atmosphere of malls….. entering our respiratory system….. leading to major infection,

A WhatsApp text has gone viral along with seven images of disfigured leather products like wallets, bags shoes and belts.  The viral text claims that the pictures are from Shoppers Stop.  The text warns readers that leather products developed mould because the mall airconditioning was shut during the lockdown and advises against visiting malls for at least four months after the lockdown is lifted.  “Imagine when malls open the fungus in the ducts will fly free in closed atmosphere of malls…. .  entering our respiratory system…. .  leading to major infection,” it says.
Alt News has received several requests to fact-check this on WhatsApp (+917600011160) and on our official Android application.
On performing a reverse image search on one of the seven images, Alt News found a YouTube video and an article published by China Global Television Network (CTNG).
The video by CTNG included all seven images in the viral text.  As per the article published on May 12, the images are from Malaysia’s Metrojaya Center.  The mall has been shut since March 18 due to lockdown restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19.  As per the report, leather goods at the mall were covered in mould due to humidity and lack of air conditioning.
The incident was also covered by Daily Mail which further informed that cinema hall seats and carpeting were also covered in mould after two months of shutting down. Coronavirus: Mould found growing on leather products in Malaysia as businesses reopen https://t. co/Omb8UZRH68— The Straits Times (@STcom) May 12, 2020The images indeed show leather products spoilt because of mould formation during the lockdown.  However, they are it not from Shoppers Stop in India but Malaysia’s Metrojaya Center. Donate NowArchit is a graduate in English Literature from The MS University of Baroda.  He also holds a post-graduation diploma in journalism from the Asian College of Journalism.  Since then he has worked at Essel Group's English news channel at WION as a trainee journalist, at S3IDF as a fundraising & communications officer and at The Hindu as a reporter.  At Alt News, he works as a fact-checking journalist. Assam-based media outlets DY365, Asom Live 24, and NorthEast Now reported that 26 Rohingya Muslims…Actor Amitabh Bachchan tweeted a video on September 8, 2021, as the first unveiling of…In a recent ‘breaking news’ segment, India Today claimed that Ahmad Massoud, head of the…A video is viral on social media with the claim that the police in Ahmednagar,…On September 2, TV actor Sidharth Shukla died of a heart attack.  His fans expressed…


Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he asked President Trump to remove State Department Inspector General Steve Linick because the independent watchdog was "undermining" the department and wasn't performing in a way that the top US diplomat wanted him to https://t.co/Z1p3aaQbid

Moncef Slaoui holds millions-worth of stock options in co.  racing for vaccine. Trump introduces 2 men who will lead vaccine effortPresident Donald Trump's newly appointed vaccine czar, Moncef Slaoui, plans to divest his equity holdings in a company leading the coronavirus vaccine development effort, the Department of Health and Human Services told ABC News on Monday. The move follows sparks of conflict of interest concerns from ethics experts in part regarding more than $12 million-worth of shares underlying stock options Slaoui holds at Moderna Therapeutics, one of the biotech companies leading the coronavirus vaccine development efforts with sizable funding from the federal government. "Dr.  Slaoui has resigned from his position as an independent member of the Board of Directors for Moderna," an HHS spokesperson wrote in a statement to ABC News.  "Further, he has directed the divestiture of his equity holdings in Moderna and that sale should be effective tomorrow morning. "The HHS also said that Slaoui has "committed to donate to cancer research all incremental value accrued from his Moderna shares between the evening of Thursday, May 14, prior to the announcement of his position on Operation Warp Speed and the time of sale, scheduled for tomorrow morning. "Though the stock options are currently estimated to be worth more than $12 million, the structure of the holding indicates that Slaoui would receive more than $5. 5 million for a portion of the options based on current stock prices and, an industry expert said, likely forfeit the rest as part of a full divestment. Some ethics experts said the Moderna divestment plan didn't go far enough and that they were still concerned about Slaoui's ties to and history with private industry. "Because so much is at stake, his integrity needs to be unimpeachable," said Virginia Canter, Chief Ethics Counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) .  "We can't afford to have somebody who many be looking out for one company's interest by putting one company's interests over other companies that actually may have a better product. "The HHS statement did not discuss any of Slaoui's other business ties, including his work with a health-focused investment firm.  The White House declined to comment for this report, but Moderna's executives congratulated Slaoui upon the announcement of his appointment to the government post, highlighting his "extensive" experience in vaccine and therapeutic development over the years. “I greatly appreciate Moncef’s contributions to the Moderna Board in his role of Chair of the Product Development Committee,” said Stéphane Bancel, Moderna’s Chief Executive Officer.  “His expertise and skills were invaluable as we approach advanced stages of development across our clinical programs. "According to financial records filed to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Moroccan-born Belgian-American researcher and businessman holds more than 155,400 in stock options in Moderna -- or more than $12 million-worth based on the company's stock price as of this report. Of his current stock options, Slaoui will be able to divest about half his Moderna holdings, according to on SEC filings, and could net more than $5. 5 million from the sale, based on the current stock price. The rest, some of which was acquired last year and more just this past month and are not set to be vested until next month and next year, respectfully, are likely to be forfeited, said Courtney Yu, director of research at Equilar, a company that tracks executive compensations.  Based on the current stock price, those options represent shares worth more than $6 million, though their value in the future is unknown. Moderna's stock price has been skyrocketing since the company announced last month that it has received $483 million in federal funding as part of the coronavirus vaccine development effort.  On Monday, the company released promising early results of its phase 1 vaccine testing, saying the results have been "generally safe and well-tolerated. "The stock price as of Monday afternoon was at $80. 00, nearly double the price just at end of last month, when Slaoui last acquired about 18,000 in options at the exercise price of about $46. 37, an SEC filing shows.  At the beginning of this year, Moderna's stock price was as low as $19. 23.  The previous year, another SEC record shows, Slaoui had acquired 54,660 in stock options, with exercise price set as just $14. 34. Financial experts said given his history of yearly acquirement of Moderna stock options and standard practices in the industry, the options appear to part of his regular compensation as a member of the board of directors.  Moderna has not responded to questions from ABC News about the nature of Slaoui's stock holdings and whether they were part of his compensation package. Sen.  Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. , had called on Slaoui to sell off his Moderna holdings shortly after his appointment to the vaccine effort by President Trump Friday, calling it a "huge conflict of interest. "Kedric Payne, general counsel and senior director at Campaign Legal Center, said Moderna was not the only financial concern. "The financial conflict of interest issue is still here, and that interest is that as an official in charge of policy making, he has financial interests that could benefit from that," Payne told ABC News.  "That's not only from these Moderna options, but as a venture capitalist with this company Medicxi. "In addition to his leadership roles in various pharmaceutical and biotech companies, Slaoui is also a partner at Medicxi, life sciences-focused investment firm.  According to the firm's website, the company works with nearly 60 different pharmaceutical and biotech companies across the country and around the world. Slaoui also serves as chairman of the board at Galvani Bioelectronics, a joint venture between Verily Life Sciences and British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where Slaoui used to run the vaccine division.  GSK announced last month that the company is joining forces with Sanofi in the vaccine development effort as well. "Given his history and also his involvement with this type of company, it doesn't give me a great deal of confidence that even if he divests from them, that he will be serving the public interest as opposed to the interests of the companies with which he was associated," CREW's Canter said. Canter said instead of a person from the private sector closely affiliated with corporate interests, the Trump administration should have found experts from the public health sector, the National Institute of Health, hospital officials or from academia. Canter also said Slaoui would need a waiver on an ethics rule in the Trump administration that sets a two-year cooling off period before an official can serve in a public policy role that directly affects his or her previous employer. "I think what's disconcerting about this is, he's coming from a venture capital firm," Canter said.  "He's going he's going to have access to a lot of nonpublic information, proprietary information not only about his own companies but also their competitors. ""How how long will he be refrained from getting back into the venture capital business after he leaves this position? " Canter added. ABC News' Ben Siegel contributed to this report. This report was featured in the Tuesday, May 19, 2020, episode of “Start Here,” ABC News’ daily news podcast. "Start Here" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes.  Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Tamil Nadu: DMK Chief MK Stalin distributes kits of soap, hand sanitizer & face mask to media personnel and staff at the Assembly in Chennai. #CoronavirusPandemic https://t.co/7GJkJa9FqK

Nine more people succumbed to Covid-19 in Tamil Nadu, which witnessed its highest single day spike of 874 cases taking the infection count past the 20,000 mark, the health department said on Friday. With the latest fatalities, the death toll in the state has risen to 154. According to a department bulletin, the total number of positive cases stands at 20,246 till date. The number of active cases, including those people in isolation wards, was 8,776. Friday marked the third straight day when the number of positive cases crossed the 800 mark in the state.  Among the 874 cases, 141 were those who had arrived from various states, the health bulletin said.  As many as 11,313 people have been discharged in the state till date while the number of people cured today was 765.  With the single biggest day surge of 618 cases, Chennai continued to lead in the number of COVID-19 cases among districts and now has a tally of 13,362 cases.  Neighbouring Chengalpattu district also saw the cumulative cases touching 1,000 mark adding 61 fresh cases today.  Among the fresh cases today,as many as 135 people from Maharashtra, three from Kerala, one each in West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka tested positive for the virus.  Those who succumbed to the virus today were--five men-- two aged over 80 years and two women (all from Chennai), a 77-year-old man from Thiruvallur and a woman of the same age from neighbouring Chengalpattu.  The state capital also leads in the number of those who died due to COVID-19 with 11, followed by 11 each from Chengalpattu and Thiruvallur districts.  Children below the age of 12 years who contracted the contagion were numbering 1,203 while as many as 1,806 people above the age of 60 have tested positive for the virus, the bulletin said.


A video of a girl being thrashed by a group of people has gone viral on social media with a claim that a Dalit girl in Uttar Pradesh was beaten for drawing water from a well that belongs to an upper caste community.  Let’s verify the claim made in the post. Claim: Video of a girl beaten up by a group of people in Uttar Pradesh for drawing water from a well that belongs to an upper caste communityFact: The incident in the video took place in Gujarat, not in Uttar Pradesh.  A tribal girl of Chhota Udepur district (Gujarat) was brutally beaten by her relatives for eloping with a man from the same village.  After the video went viral on social media, the Police have booked a case on the people who were involved in the incident.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE. When the screenshots of the video were run through Google reverse image search, it is found that the incident shown in the video took place in Gujarat, not in Uttar Pradesh.  A tribal girl of Chhota Udepur district (Gujarat) was brutally thrashed by her relatives for eloping with a man from the same village.  After the video went viral on social media platforms, the Chhota Udepur Police have filed an FIR against the three men who were involved in this incident.  A Police officer, while explaining about the incident to media, said that the family thought she brought disrespect to the family, and hence the relatives thrashed her brutally in front of the public.  The news articles related to the incident can be read here and here. To sum it up, a video of a minor tribal girl brutally beaten for eloping in Gujarat is being falsely shared as a Dalit girl beaten in Uttar Pradesh for drawing water from a well that belongs to an upper caste community. Did you watch our new video?


Demonstrators are gathering for the Women's March in Washington and related rallies across the country today, with many of the movement's supporters looking to channel two years of momentum and common cause against President Trump into progressive policies https://t.co/iapefLgeCT https://t.co/r80CZUwFFJ

For the third year, women will march to protest the Trump administration. Women's March 2019: Thousands of protesters across US rally amid controversy over anti-SemitismFor the third year in a row, women across the world came out in the thousands Saturday to protest the Trump administration and to fight for women's rights. But the Women's March looked different from the the first one in 2017. Back then, it was organized in response to the incoming presidency of Donald Trump and yielded a global movement.  On the day after his inauguration, crowds marched across the U. S.  in the largest single-day protest in U. S.  history. But this year, the event was mired in controversy over the Women's March Inc. 's leadership amid accusations of anti-Semitism and racism. Echoing 2017, this year’s formal main march was held in Washington, D. C. , with more than 100 other marches planned for cities around the world. In Europe, the protests kicked off early Saturday.  Hundreds of Londoners took part in a "Women Demand Bread & Roses" protest, rallying in Trafalgar Square.  In Berlin, women marched holding signs that said, "My body, my rules. "In the U. S.  Capital, pink "pussy hats" dotted the crowd, and thousands of protesters held up signs protesting Trump while others held signs in support of transgender rights, reproductive rights and gun control.  Protestors also invoked Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and signs that read: “Believe survivors. ”One marcher shouted, "Get your tiny hands off my underpants! "Much of the buildup before the rally, however, focused on the controversy and how organizers were seemingly at odds. For months, women who had previously participated in the marches exchanged text messages and Facebook posts about whether one of the founders of the movement was anti-Semitic.  In the week leading up to the event, the march drew as much attention for controversial comments made by the organizers as the upcoming event itself. Though the conversation has been ongoing for the past year, the allegations were formalized in an article in the online Jewish magazine Tablet. On Monday, two of the march's organizers appeared on "The View," fueling the controversy.  Co-president Tamika Mallory defended her relationship with Louis Farrakhan, the head of the  Nation of Islam, who has long fielded charges of anti-Semitism. “As a leader, as a black leader in a country that is still dealing with some very serious unresolved issues as it relates to the black experience in this country, I go into a lot of difficult spaces,” Mallory said on the show.  “Wherever my people are, there that’s where I must also be. ”On Tuesday, the NAACP and the Democratic National Committee pulled out as partners.  Planned Parenthood stayed on board. By Saturday afternoon, Mallory appeared to throw out an all-inclusive olive leaf to the crowd, as she had recently drawn criticism for remarks and affiliations that some called anti-Semitic. "To all my sisters, I see you.  To my Muslim sisters, I see you.  To my Latina sisters, I see you.  To my Asian sisters, I see you.  To my Jewish sisters, I see all of you.  I see your pain.  And to my black sisters, I SEE YOU! ” Mallory said to the thousands of women and supporters gathered on the National Mall. Speakers from Black Lives Matter, Women of Piscataway, Oglala Lakota Nation Couchiching First Nation, Standing Rock Sioux Nation also took the podium. In addition, union leaders spoke, at the end of a particularly precarious week for organized workers in the U. S.  The National Federation of Federal Employees was represented, as the partial U. S.  government shutdown continues into its 29th day. Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, also spoke, as the teachers' strike in Los Angeles, the country's second-largest public school system, threatens to stretch into its second week. Despite the controversy, thousands of protestors came from around the U. S. A 5-year-old girl named Isabella came with her family from Chicago to send a message to Trump.  She told ABC News that "Donald Trump needs to be kinder. "Her father, Eddie Navarrete, is a Mexican-American emergency room doctor who came to the U. S.  when he was 8 years old.  He says today's important message is, "As a country, we are loving and caring for people, and I think we’ll come through. "Beyond Washington, D. C. , protesters joined rallies in Los Angeles, New York and Iowa, where presidential hopeful New York Sen.  Kirsten Gillibrand kicked off her campaign. "I will make this very clear.  We know there is no room for anti-Semitism anywhere in our movement.  We know this.  We know that our movement is empowered when all of us lift each other. " Gillibrand said. In New York City, which is hosting three disparate marches, freshman Rep.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delivered a unifying message. "It is so incredibly important to uplift all of our voices.  And to make sure the least among us advocated the most.  That means we will not be quiet when it comes to the rights of black women.  That means we will not be quiet when it comes to the rights of trans women.  That means we will not be quiet when it comes to the rights of poor women.  And middle-class women.  And working-class women.  And all women in the United States and in the world," she said. “Last year we brought the power to the polls, and this year we need to make sure we translate that power into policy,” Ocasio-Cortez added.  “That means we will not let anyone take our rights away.  In fact, we will expand them. ”She listed priorities including the Equal Rights Amendment, equal pay for women workers, and paid parental leave. In Texas, women took to the streets in temperatures that dipped into the 30s.  Sandra Parker, a 59-year old retired air traffic controller, headed to Denton for her third Women's March.  As a child of government workers with many family members still in public service, the stalemate in Washington is cause enough for protest. "Our country is a joke.  Women are not taken seriously and called hysterical or ‘bitch’ if they are as forceful as a man.  Strong women are not silent.  I march for myself, my daughter and my granddaughters! " Parker said.  "Sick sick sick of this shutdown and our supposed leaders!  I care! "ABC News' Matthew Seyler, Marissa Parra, Heidi Jensen and Lana Zak contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Assam: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Home Minister Amit Shah meets party workers in Guwahati.

Party President JP Nadda and Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh are present. https://t.co/0XJMkhuGJS

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) will continue their alliance for the upcoming assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, the central party's JP Nadda announced on Saturday.  Nadda, who is on a visit to Tamil Nadu to take stock of the party's affairs and poll preparedness, made the announcement during a rally in Madurai. "I would like to share with you and declare here that the BJP has decided that in the coming times, BJP along with AIADMK and other like-minded parties will contest the elections," Nadda was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Also Read | Tamil Nadu CM unveils temple for AIADMK leaders Jayalalithaa, MGRNadda also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi facilitated projects like the defence corridor for Tamil Nadu while the state was 'ignored' during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance regime.  Praising Tamil as the world's oldest language, Nadda said when the right person assumed the right place, it leads to right decisions. The AIADMK and BJP had come together during the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 and decided to fight the assembly polls together in Tamil Nadu. The latest announcement has given rest to speculation claiming a rife between the AIADMK and the BJP.  In December last year, the AIADMK refused to give a nod to the BJP for the Vetrivel Yatra (victorious spear march) in the state.  The permission was denied citing Covid-19 guidelines.  However, in its mouthpiece, Namadhu Amma (Our Mother), it had stated, "Tamil Nadu will not allow any procession or yatra that seeks to divide people in the name of caste or religion. ”Earlier in the day, Nadda had offered prayers at Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai during his second visit to the state this month.  He had visited Tamil Nadu on January 14. Elections are likely to be held in the southern state for the 234 seats of the legislative assembly in April-May this year.


A screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by the Former U. S President Barack Obama is being shared on social media.  In the tweet, Barack Obama says he feels ashamed to shake hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  Let’s verify the claim made in the post. Claim: Barack Obama’s tweet about feeling ashamed to shake hands with Narendra Modi. Fact:  Tweet shared in the post is a morphed one.  Barack Obama hasn’t tweeted anything about PM Narendra Modi recently.  Spelling mistakes and tweet alignment clearly indicates that it is a morphed tweet.  Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE. When we searched for this tweet on the official Twitter handle of Former U. S President Barack Obama, we found that Barack Obama hasn’t tweeted anything about shaking hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  His two tweets on ‘05 December 2020’ were about his book ‘A Promised Land’.  On observing carefully, one can notice that the alignment of the profile picture and attached photos are not the same as they appear in a normal tweet. Spelling mistakes in the tweet clearly indicate that the tweet is not made by the U. S Former President Barack Obama. On reverse search of the image in the post, it is found that this image of PM Narendra Modi & Barack Obama was captured during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s four day visit to US in 2014.  The picture was captured after briefing the media in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on 30 September 2014.  From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the tweet shared in the post is a morphed one. To sum it up, a morphed tweet is being shared as Barack Obama feeling ashamed to shake hands with PM Narendra Modi.


“When women and children get out of the house, understand how strong the struggle is.”

An old image of women protesters on a tractor has been revived as a recent one amid the ongoing farmers’ protest.  The image is actually from 2017 when women protesters were on their way to Jassia village amid agitation for Jat reservation in Rohtak.  CLAIM The photo was shared by several social media users with the caption, “ जब घर से औरतें और बच्चे तक निकल पड़े तो समझ लो संघर्ष कितना मजबूत है।” (Translation: “When women and children get out of the house, understand how strong the struggle is. ”) All India Joint Secretary of Students’ Federation of India, Dipsita Dhar and Secretary General of Student Wing of Indian National Lokdal, Raman Dhaka shared the images on their Twitter accounts.  Another user who had shared the image on Facebook had over 20,000 likes and 2,500 shares at the time of writing this article.  WHAT WE FOUND OUT The image is actually from 2017, and not of the ongoing farmers’ protest as claimed.  A reverse image search led us to an article on Hindustan Times dated 6 February 2017, carrying the image with the caption, “Jat women protesters on way to Jassia village during their agitation for reservation in Rohtak. ” We also found the image on Outlook India with the same caption, credited to news agency PTI.  A keyword search of ‘Jat Women Protesters’ in PTI Archives also led us to the same image.  The Jat community in Haryana had launched a protest in 2017 for job quotas and to demand the release of youths arrested during the Jat agitation in 2016 along with jobs for kin of Jats killed in the agitation.  The arson and fury of 2016 protests had left the Jat community in Rohtak divided, The Quint had reported at the time.  While the viral image is old, thousands of women have joined the ongoing farmers’ protest.  The Wire reported that a convoy of at least 10,000 women protesters from across 14 districts of Punjab, led by a woman farmer Harinder Bindu from Bathinda, made its way to Delhi for the protests.  Similarly, Hindustan Times reported that women have formed the ‘backbone of the ongoing farmers protest,’ cooking and providing food for all protesters.  Evidently, an old 2017 image of Jat protests has been falsely revived as a recent one amid the ongoing farmers’ protests.  (With inputs from SM Hoax Slayer)


On the first day of 2021, I will be taking part in a programme aimed at transforming India’s urban landscape. Will lay the foundation stone of Light House Projects and distribute PMAY (Urban) and ASHA-India awards: PM Narendra Modi (file photo) https://t.co/4OvNLzhClx

Prime minister Narendra Modi will virtually lay the foundation stone for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rajkot in Gujarat on Thursday. “At 11 AM tomorrow, December 31, will lay the foundation stone of AIIMS, Rajkot.  This project will improve the healthcare infrastructure in Gujarat,” PM Modi announced on Twitter.  At 11 AM tomorrow, 31st December, will lay the foundation stone of AIIMS, Rajkot.  This project will improve healthcare infrastructure in Gujarat.  https://t. co/xiQsibvPAVAccording to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), 201 acres of land has been provided by the government for the project.  ”It will be built at an estimated cost of Rs1,195 crore and is expected to be completed by mid-2022.  The state-of-the-art 750-bed hospital will also have a 30-bed AAYUSH block.  It will have 125 MBBS seats and 60 nursing seats,” the statement read. Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, and Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey will also take part in the ceremony.