A video accompanied by a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that the Taliban in Afghanistan were trying to fly the US’ leftover Black Hawk Helicopter.  Let us fact-check the claim made in the post. Claim: Video of Taliban trying to fly the Black Hawk Helicopter. Fact: The video is from Libya and not from Afghanistan.  Libya since 2019 had a conflict between UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) and a coalition of armed groups led by Qadhafi-era military defector Khalifa Haftar known as the Libyan National Army.  On 04 June 2020, GNA-aligned forces were towing the Mi-35 helicopter captured at the outskirts of Tarhuna, Tripoli.  A defunct Mi-35 helicopter gifted by India was seized by the Taliban recently, but the video is not related to this seizure.  Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING. When reverse image search is done on the screenshots of the video, a tweet with a similar video was found.  The tweet made on 05 June 2020 says that GNA-aligned forces were towing the Mi-35 helicopter captured at the outskirts of Tarhuna, Tripoli.  Tripoli is the capital of Libya.  Therefore, the video is old and not from Afghanistan.   #Tripoli: last one for the day, GNA-aligned forces towing an #LAAF helicopter (Mi35) captured near Fom Melgha, at the outskirts of #TarhunaPretty sure no driving test prepares you for this… pic. twitter. com/ywVPxDcWgoTaking the cue that the video is from Libya, an article was found when searched in google with relevant keywords.  On 04 June 2020, the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) Mi-35 helicopter was captured by Turkish-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) and driven on the streets of Tripoli Airport.  Similar videos of the incident can be seen here and here.  So, the video is not related to Afghanistan and the Taliban. Libya, which holds Africa’s biggest oil reserves, has been mired in conflict since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising against long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi.  In recent years, the country was split between a UN-recognised government in the capital Tripoli (GNA) and a coalition of armed groups led by Qadhafi-era military defector Khalifa Haftar known as the Libyan National Army.  The chaotic war had drawn in several outside powers and foreign arms and mercenaries.  They signed ‘permanent ceasefire’ on 23 October 2020. On 31 August 2021, the United States of America had completed the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan.  The Taliban then declared victory and independence and took control of the Kabul airport.  According to reports, the United States military had disabled 73 aircraft, 27 Humvees, weapons systems, and other high-tech defence equipment before boarding the final flight from Kabul. A viral video on social media suggests that a defunct Mi-35 helicopter was seized by the Taliban at the Kunduz Airbase.  There are reports that the helicopter seized by the Taliban from Afghan National Defence Forces may have been gifted by India to Afghanistan.  India gifted four of these helicopters to Afghanistan earlier.  ‘Indian defence forces declined to comment on the issue, saying that they would not like to comment on the internal matters of Afghanistan’ according to this article. To sum it up, 2020 Video from Libya is shared as Taliban trying to fly Black Hawk Helicopter.


Dry run for #COVID19 vaccination administration is being conducted at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital

(ANI)

Updates: https://t.co/tIAw3kghvU https://t.co/8G9QFWERbH

Sep 05, 2021-Sunday

Metro cities -  Delhi, Mumbai,
											Chennai,
											Kolkata

Other cities -  Noida,
											Gurgaon,
											Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Bhopal
											, Chandigarh , Dehradun,
											Indore,
											Jaipur,
											Lucknow,
											Patna,
											Ranchi

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


Can't believe he is #ArnabGoswami. If it's real.....Maharashtra Govt has asked for the dooms day (sic).

Two photos which show a cop thrashing a man is being circulated with a false claim that it is the Maharashtra Police thrashing senior journalist and Republic TV Founder Arnab Goswami, who was arrested on Wednesday, 4 November, in connection with a 2018 abetment to suicide case.  But in reality, this photograph is from a video which went viral in January 2020, and it shows police personnel at a police station in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, thrashing a man, identified as Sumit Goswami, who was brought in on charges of mobile piracy.  CLAIM The photos were shared by BJP leader Gaurav Goel on his official Twitter account with a claim, “Can't believe he is #ArnabGoswami.  If it's real. . . . . Maharashtra Govt has asked for the dooms day (sic). ” The same was shared by multiple other users on Twitter.  The photos were shared with the same claim on Facebook as well.  WHAT WE FOUND OUT On conducting a reverse image search on one of the pictures, we came across a news reports on News18 which stated that incident happened in Deoria, where a man was thrashed inside the police station by three police personnel, including the chief constable.  As the video went viral, the Deoria Police had acknowledged the incident and the three policemen were suspended.  The Quint had also reported on the incident back in January.  Clearly, an old incident is being shared in the light of Goswami’s arrest.  (With inputs from SM Hoax Slayer)


West Bengal: Anuj Sharma is new Kolkata Police Commissioner https://t.co/3BZSB90WDI

In a major shuffle among IPS cadres, the state government has appointed Additional Director General (ADG) of West Bengal Police (law and order) Anuj Sharma as the new Kolkata Police Commissioner, replacing Rajeev Kumar, a government notification said on Tuesday. Kumar, who had completed three years in office as the Kolkata police chief, was posted as the ADG of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), it added.  The outgoing police commissioner was recently in the eye of a storm over his alleged role in tampering with the evidence in the Saradha chit fund case. Kumar was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Shillong for five days after the Supreme Court directed him to appear before the agency and cooperate in the investigation of chit fund cases. The notification also said Sharma had assumed his new responsibilities.  Siddh Nath Gupta, who was ADG (IB), was made ADG (law and order).  According to a rule of the Election Commission (EC), any IPS or IAS officer, who has completed three years of service in a post, should be transferred before an impending election.


Here's how a Joe Biden presidency could impact the world: https://t.co/pkLfC0oShU https://t.co/htTkAMYmsT

The increase comes less than two weeks after Halloween. US crosses 250,000 coronavirus deathsA pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1. 3 million people worldwide. Over 53. 2 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.  The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some national governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their outbreaks.  The criteria for diagnosis -- through clinical means or a lab test -- has also varied from country to country. Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the virus has rapidly spread to every continent except Antarctica.  The United States is the worst-affected nation, with more than 10. 7 million diagnosed cases and at least 244,283 deaths. Nearly 200 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, at least 10 of which are in crucial phase three studies.  Of those 10 potential vaccines in late-stage trials, there are currently five that will be available in the United States if approved. The national test-positivity rate hit 10. 2% in the past week, according to an internal Health and Human Services memo obtained by ABC News Friday night. That was up from 8% in week-to-week comparisons. Fifty-one states and territories are in an upward trajectory of new cases, while two jurisdictions are at a plateau and two are going down, the memo said. The number of new cases confirmed from Nov.  6 to 12 increased 41. 1% from the previous seven-day period, while deaths increased 29% during that same time frame, HHS found. Across the country, 28% of hospitals have more than 80% of their ICU beds filled.  That number was 17% to 18% during the summertime peak. Hospitals in North Dakota are especially strained, as some have suspended elective surgeries as they report reaching or nearing 100% capacity. Utah health care leaders have reported that many of the 16 referral hospitals in the state that have the capability to treat severely ill patients are full or nearly full, according to the memo. In South Dakota, the seven-day COVID-19 hospitalization rate continued to rise steeply, reaching a high of 62. 6 per 100,000 population on Nov.  10, HHS said. ABC News Josh Margolin contributed to this report. The New Mexico Supreme Court will pause criminal and civil jury trials through the end of 2020, officials announced Friday. An order issued by the court will suspend jury trials set to begin on or after Nov.  16 to next year.  Trials currently underway are not affected. New Mexico’s appellate, district, metropolitan and magistrate courts will also remain open. The order came hours after Gov.  Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that the state will shelter in place for two weeks starting on Monday.  Nonessential businesses will have to close, and people are advised to leave their homes only for essential trips. The shelter-in-place measure does not apply to court operations, but the Supreme Court's precautions "will reduce the number of people who need to come to a courthouse at a time when the state has tightened public health order restrictions on New Mexicans because of a spike in COVID-19," Chief Justice Michael E.  Vigil said in a statement. ABC News' Michelle Mendez and Cherise Rudy contributed to this report. Nevada Gov.  Steve Sisolak has tested positive for COVID-19, he announced Friday afternoon. "As part of a regular testing protocol, I underwent routine COVID-19 testing on Friday, November 13 in Carson City.  A rapid test provided a positive result," he wrote on Twitter. Sisolak said he is currently experiencing no symptoms, though earlier in the week he "felt a little fatigue, which I attributed to my demanding schedule. "The Democratic governor, 66, previously tested negative on Nov.  2 and Nov.  6, he said. He is still awaiting results from a PCR test, which is more accurate than a rapid test. "Consistent with guidelines from the CDC and the DHHS, I am isolating and continuing to monitor my symptoms," Sisolak said.  "All public events have been canceled at this time.  I remain in constant contact with my staff and my Cabinet and the work of the Governor’s Office will continue remotely. "New York state reported more than 5,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time since late April, when the state was ground zero for the pandemic. On Thursday, 5,401 people tested positive for COVID-19, Gov.  Andrew Cuomo's office announced.  A record 203,721 tests were reported, for a positivity rate of 2. 65% -- one of the lowest in the nation, the governor said. "The bad news is we are in the midst of a sea of COVID rising around us," Cuomo said in a statement. He warned that the state may need to take additional steps to combat the spread of the virus as the holiday season approaches and travel will likely increase. ABC News' Joshua Hoyos contributed to this report.


#Oscars flashback: Check out Willem Dafoe on the Oscars red carpet in 1987, when he was nominated for his first #Oscar, vs. tonight. He is nominated for best actor for "At Eternity’s Gate." https://t.co/1F5SFjWsFK https://t.co/hzrxFclNS0

  Queen may have opened the Oscars, but Rami Malek is the real champion of the night.

  Malek on Sunday picked up the best actor award for playing Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody. ”

  In his acceptance speech, Malek reflected on his journey and the importance of immigrant stories.

  “I think about what it would have been like to tell little bubba Rami that one day this might happen to him and I think his curly-haired little mind would be blown,” he said.  “He was struggling with his identity, trying to figure himself out.  And I think to anyone struggling with theirs, and trying to discover their voice: Listen, we made a film about a gay man, an immigrant, who lived his life just unapologetically himself.  The fact that I’m celebrating him and this story with you tonight is proof that we’re longing for stories like this. ”

  In his speech, Malek pointed out that he is a first-generation American.  His parents are from Egypt.

  “Part of my story is being written right now.  And I could not be more grateful to each and every one of you, and everyone who believed in me for this moment,” he said.  “It’s something I will treasure for the rest of my life. ”

  Malek’s win was a big win for the film, which had a well-chronicled battle to the big screen, but not its only statue of the night.  “Bohemian Rhapsody” also picked up the awards for film editing, sound editing and sound mixing.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


Andhra Pradesh: CM Chandrababu Naidu’s son & state IT Minister Nara Lokesh offers prayers at Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Jamia Masjid & a church in Mangalagiri. https://t.co/BKZcIZDFgf

Just a month after its coalition government with Janata Dal (Secular) collapsed during a floor test, Karnataka Congress leaders are clamouring for changes in the state unit as they try to assert power. The Congress high command is yet to take a call on the vacant Leader of the Opposition post in the Assembly, and the party’s Karnataka unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao’s tenure is set to end in a year. Both these posts have now become sought-after as the party has come out of power after six long years, and those who were interested in ministerial berths over this period are now vying for party posts. Currently, former chief minister Siddaramaiah is the front runner for the LoP post as he is also the chief of the Congress Legislature Party.  However, the high command’s slow pace in resolving this matter has been interpreted by leaders here as its willingness to make changes. Leaders from the different factions said the high command had to decide on three crucial issues.  One, on whether it wants build a younger leadership.  Two, it has a decision to make on whether it will continue with the AHINDA (Kannada acronym for a coalition of minority communities, backward classes and Dalits) or back one of the two dominant castes of Vokkaligas or Lingayats. Three, there is the larger question of whether the Congress wishes to continue building coalitions across the country as it had done in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls.  This has gained significance in the state, especially after former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda hit out at Siddaramaiah, blaming him for the collapse of the coalition, making it clear that the Gowda family will not willingly join hands with the former CM. Gundu Rao, the current state president, is seen as being close to Siddaramaiah, so those who are in the anti-Siddaramaiah camp are believed to have informed the high command to divest power away from the former CM and spread it evenly. These concerns are set to be aired on Saturday when AICC general secretary KC Venugopal and senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad are scheduled to visit the state capital and hold talks.  They will give party president Sonia Gandhi a report based on these consultations. The challengerThe primary challenger from the state is DK Shivakumar.  The Vokkaliga leader was recently in New Delhi for four days and met senior leaders there to sound them out on the change.  A leader from the Shivakumar faction, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that it was time for Siddaramaiah to step aside.  “He has already been the chief minister and he was LoP before that, so it is now time for him to step aside and let younger leaders take over. ”Another leader from the state said that the party had to make a decision on whether it would continue with the AHINDA policy.  “This hasn’t borne any fruit and in the meanwhile we are losing out on dominant caste votes to the BJP, which has the support of Lingayats, and the JD(S), which is backed by Vokkaligas.  No party can hope for a majority without the backing of at least one of these communities,” said the leader. There are regional equations at play as well.  One senior leader from the northern Mumbai-Karnataka region said that the party must include one person from the region.  “This is why it will be ideal for the party to have three different leaders as the LoP, CLP chief and the party president,” he said. Another person, whose name has cropped up in discussions among the state leaders, is the former MP Mallikajun Kharge.  “We lost all seven of the reserved constituencies in the state in the Lok Sabha polls.  This was a historic low,” said one leader from the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, from where Kharge hails. This faction of senior leaders like Kharge, former MP KH Muniyappa and others have also expressed reservations against Siddaramaiah, blaming him primarily for the poor showing of the coalition in the Lok Sabha elections in the state, as it won only two of the 28 seats on offer. The leader from the Shivakumar camp added that the spat with Deve Gowda had also caused some anger.  “We need to maintain a working relationship with them,” he said.  “Besides, the high command is aware that many of the 17 MLAs, whose resignations led to the coalition government’s collapse, were from Siddaramaiah’s camp,” he said. However, close aides of the former chief minister claim that he still enjoys the most support in the party.  “It is natural that these people will lobby for posts, but it is doubtful that they have many followers.  Siddaramaiah remains the most popular leader,” the person, a senior MLA, said. Political analyst Narendar Pani, who is faculty at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, said the Congress had no choice but to build on the AHINDA grouping.  “The party just cannot afford to be the second the choice of Lingayats and Vokkaligas and will have to project its own support group,” he said. Pani said the next few months would be a time of flux, especially as the BJP central leadership had decided to stamp its authority on the state party, sidelining many senior leaders that had led to resentment from some quarters.  “If the Congress builds on the AHINDA grouping, it will then also be able to absorb the disenchanted from the BJP, because the way things are going it appears that there will be a backlash for the national party soon,” he said.


You can safely score an 'X' into a bottle of Fabuloso, place it in your toilet tank, make toilet cleaning easier, and make your bathroom smell good.

A March 13 2021 Facebook post featured a TikTok #CleanTok tip involving Fabuloso in a toilet tank: @sheiskd_Tik Tok made me do it ✨🌸 ##fabuloso ##fyp ##stimuluscheck ##tax ##covidrelief ##foryou ##foryoupage♬ original sound – allierockk The ‘Fabuloso in Toilet Tank’ Video, Explaind.  That Facebook post (which shared more than 28,000 times by the time we stumbled across it) featured a TikTok tip by user @sheiskd_, demonstrating a way to use Fabuloso’s all-purpose cleaner in a toilet tank, presumably for long-lasting freshness after cleaning.  It was originally posted on March 12 2021, and viewed almost five million times.  A thumbnail read “TikTok made me do it,” and it depicted a person holding a bottle of Fabuloso in Ocean Paradise (blue); the water in both the tank and toilet bowl were a matching shade of blue.  Using a knife, @sheiskd_ carefully cut an “X” into the bottom of the bottle, creating crossed slits to dispense a light but steady stream of cleaner into the tank and toilet.  After scoring the bottle, the user placed it into the tank, closed it, and flushed.  Text reading “smells amazing” appeared on the screen before the clip ended.  Presumably the user had already tried the “hack,” due to the vibrant water seen in the video.  ‘Fabuloso in Toilet Tank’ Search Interest.  Google Trends data from January 1 2021 to May 17 2021 indicated that intermittent searches for “Fabuloso in toilet tank” were measured as early as January 22 2021, but began registering in earnest in mid-March 2021 (after the TikTok was shared): Searches for “Fabuloso” and “toilet tank” began peaking again on May 16 and 17 2021.  Fabuloso in a Toilet Tank, and Plumbers on Tanks and Cleaners.  Tennessee-based PipeWrenchPlumbing. com didn’t specifically mention Fabuloso in its blog post about cleaners in toilet tanks, but its advice was nevertheless relevant to the popularity of the trend in question.  In an August 2018 blog post (“Is It Safe to use Blue Tablets in my Toilet Tank? ”), the company addressed a different product — “blue cleaners” or tablets specifically designed to be used in the tank of a toilet, and marketed that way.  In that post, the author said that they recommend “skipping the blue tablet,” with reason number one being commonly cited in discourse about the TikTok Fabuloso toilet tank hack: We’ve all seen toilets with a vibrant pool of blue water — courtesy of those tank cleaning tablets.  While they may seem like the perfect way to sanitize your “throne” and keep it clean, the reality is that they are quite harmful to your toilet.  Those blue toilet tablets can not only cause corrosion to parts inside of the tank, but they’re also crafted with chemicals — which can be harmful and may be released into your home, as well as into the environment.  Here’s why we recommend skipping the blue tablet and what you can do instead.  Reason #1: Blue Toilet Tablets Can Wear Down the Flush Valve.  Believe it or not, one of the most important pieces of your toilet is the flush valve.  Living up to its name, this part will help move H2O into your toilet.  However, if you tend to use blue cleaning tablets, the harsh chemicals that are packed within have the possibility to corrode your toilet’s flush valve (as well as other internal parts) or get stuck inside of it.  This will, indeed, make it impossible to flush your “throne” and may cause a potential plumbing disaster if not repaired in a timely manner.  Roto Rooter plumbing expert Paul Abrams spoke to another site about the all purpose cleaner bottle (like Fabuloso) in toilet tanks, explaining that there are additional functional concerns in doing so: The first thing to know: Placing a 45-ounce bottle inside your toilet tank will displace the same amount of water that would have normally occupied that space inside the tank.  “The result is that less water will be available to rinse the toilet bowl with each flush hence a less powerful flush,” Abrams says.  That means, on a standard toilet, the flush water would drop from 1. 6 to 1. 248 gallons per flush, which, depending on the brand and bottle of your toilet, could be very noticeable or hardly noticeable at all.  Abrams says he definitely wouldn’t advise anyone to try the hack if they have one of the newer 1. 28 gallons-per-flush toilets — it would simply make the toilet’s flush too weak to move waste through your drain pipes and sewer.  The other consideration is how the chemical ingredients in an all-purpose cleaner would affect the plastic and rubber toilet tank parts.  In the TikTok, the creator uses Mr.  Clean Multi Surface Cleaner, which Abrams says contains chemicals that could damage certain types of plastic and rubber in your toilet tank over time.  “It would probably take many months of exposure, possibly more than a year before damage begins affecting toilet performance, but it will likely shorten the life expectancy of some tank parts,” he says.  Another site, plumbingbyjake. com, discussed toilet tank cleaners in general: Unfortunately, just like most things that profess convenience, drop-in toilet bowl cleaners are more trouble than they’re worth.  This is because they actually cause toilet parts to wear out faster than they would with normal use.  In short, plumbing experts warned that even products formulated to work inside toilet tanks could affect components like the flush valve (corroding them), and advised customers to steer clear of them for several reasons.  Corporate Responses to TikTok ‘Hacks’ Off the bat, a few elements of the #CleanTok hack seemed likely to merit a “no” from the brand.  As we discussed on a tamer viral cleaning tip (using powdered Tide detergent to mop floors), cleaning product manufacturers tend to be extremely conservative about “creative” uses of their products (even if the advice is sufficiently viral to meaningfully influence sales).  Tide didn’t outright say not to use their powdered laundry detergent on floors, but they publicly advised a happy customer that its usage for that purpose had not been deemed safe by the brand: Can You Mop Your Floors With Tide Powder?  “Tide mopping” simply entailed replacing one’s standard floor cleaner of choice with Tide detergent.  By contrast, the Fabuloso toilet tank hack involved stabbing a container of cleaning chemicals with a knife, deliberately creating a leak, and placing the deliberately broken bottle of cleaning solution into a toilet tank for sustained, semi-controlled leaking.  In other words, a lot of potential risks were crammed into ten seconds of TikTok.  And while Fabuloso didn’t specifically address the hack in their FAQ, two consecutive question-and-answer pairs appeared to have to do with viral cleaning tips — which Fabuloso discouraged in both cases: In the second question and answer, Fabuloso addressed its use on dishes, stating that Fabuloso was “not formulated or intended to be used” in that fashion.  In the second question, the brand addressed whether it was safe to “heat Fabuloso . . .  to use as an air freshener or to refill a plug in,” followed by the answer: No, Fabuloso® products should not be heated.  Our products are meant to be used only for household cleaning purposes and they are safe when used as directed.  In order to use them appropriately, please always read the label for proper usage instructions.  Can I use Fabuloso® or Fabuloso® Complete to clean my dishes?  No.  Fabuloso® Complete is not formulated or intended to be used on dishes.  For all other questions related to the intended use of Fabuloso® Complete or Fabuloso®, please contact 1-800-443-0602.  Calling Fabuloso About the TikTok Cleaning Hack.  We called Fabuloso’s helpline to specifically ask about using a bottle inside the tank of a toilet, and we were not the first callers to pose the question.  A representative with whom we spoke indicated Fabuloso was aware of the video (and others like it).  They said Fabuloso “definitely” does not suggest using Fabuloso directives from TikTok “without first checking for safety. ” The representative emphasized that consumers can safely “clean the inside of the toilet bowl and tank, as long as it’s diluted,” reiterating that dilution was a necessary component of standard, recommended use of Fabuloso.  They noted Fabuloso was “safe to use in the bathroom and on the toilet tank in accordance with instructions” printed on each bottle of Fabuloso: Finally, the Fabuloso representative stated: “we definitely do not recommend [doing] what you see on TikTok,” referring presumably to the vast number of creative applications of Fabuloso across TikTok’s #CleanTok clips.  Summary.  A viral TikTok video advised users to use a knife and stab a bottle of Fabuloso for toilet tanks, a tip that traveled quite far on TikTok and Facebook.  Fabuloso is an extremely popular product with “cleaning nerds” and on TikTok in particular, due in part to its variety of long-lasting scents and vibrant hues.  Plumbers have warned not only of Fabuloso in toilet tanks, but even advised against use of toilet tank cleaners like “blue tablets” — advice which would, presumably, result in increased business to repair weakened seals and gaskets.  A representative for Fabuloso indicated that the tip was not officially recommended, noting the product was safe for toilets and tanks, but not in the manner demonstrated.  Finally, stabbing a bottle of cleaning chemicals with a knife is itself a proposition requiring a great deal of precision and luck in order to avoid a number of possible unpleasant outcomes.  Article Sources +Fabuloso in Toilet Tank TikTok | FacebookFabuloso in Toilet Tank | TikTok Fabuloso in Toilet Tank TikTok | Google Trends [2021 to date]Fabuloso in Toilet Tank TikTok | Google Trends [May 2021]]Tide Mopping | TruthOrFiction. comIs It Safe to use Blue Tablets in my Toilet Tank? Are Drop-In Toilet Bowl Cleaners Safe? There’s One Big Problem With That Viral “Self-Cleaning” Toilet Hack from TikTok


Bengal BJP sends choice of names for each assembly seat to the central leadership

#WestBengalElection2021

https://t.co/4EMIzngGVZ https://t.co/MevTyfUHmx

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s West Bengal unit has sent a list comprising at least three to five names for each assembly constituency from where the party’s central leadership may choose the candidates for the crucial assembly polls. “For each constituency we have sent at least three to five names to Delhi.  For some constituencies even six names have been sent.  The party’s leadership will finalise the list soon,” said a senior BJP leader. Elections have already been announced in West Bengal and will be held in eight phases starting from March 27.  The BJP, which had made deep inroads in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls winning 18 of the 42 seats, has set a target to win more than 200 seats out of the 294 seats in the assembly.  The TMC says that the BJP will not get more than 99 seats. “A team of leaders from the party’s state unit would be going to Delhi on Wednesday.  A meeting would be held with the party’s central election committee to finalise the candidate list on Thursday.  The final call would be taken by BJP’s top leaders such as Union home minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda,” said a senior leader. Infighting between the newcomers and old timers in BJP’s West Bengal has been a concern for the party’s leadership.  Since 2019, more than two dozen MLAs and former legislators of the ruling TMC have joined the BJP.  The list also includes actors and sportspersons among others. Senior leaders of the TMC meanwhile said that party chief Mamata Banerjee may file her nomination from Nandigram next week around March 10–11. “The party is finalizing the list.  Many new names are being deliberated upon.  The list will be declared soon,” said a senior TMC leader. A series of actors from Tollywood have joined the TMC over the past few weeks along with other famous personalities.  Among them is a senior IPS officer who resigned from his post and joined the party.


Over 60 people were arrested as protests over the police shooting of Daunte Wright outside the Brooklyn Center police department in Minnesota turned violent, police said. https://t.co/ICsP4b0YN2 https://t.co/258Cl9EQBI

By Amir Vera, Jason Hanna, Brad Parks and Madeline Holcombe, CNNUpdated 8:28 AM ET, Thu April 15, 2021  (CNN)For the fourth night in a row, protesters gathered at the Brooklyn Center police station to demonstrate over the killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, a Black man, during a traffic stop in the Minneapolis suburb, hours after former police officer Kim Potter was arrested and charged in his death. CNN's  Carma Hassan, Adrienne Broaddus, Amir Vera, Keith Allen, Hollie Silverman, Peter Nickeas, Jessica Schneider, Jessica Jordan, Christina Carrega, Shawn Nottingham and contributed to this report.


Harish Salve in ICJ:India submits that military courts of Pakistan can't command the confidence of this court & shouldn't be sanctify by a direction to them to review & re-consider the case. India seeks annulment of Jadhav's conviction, & directions that he be released forthwith https://t.co/UCx9tqwZE6

The International Court of Justice commenced the oral hearing on Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, 48, on Monday at The Hague.  India is likely to ask the top UN court to direct Pakistan to revoke the death sentence awarded to Jadhav for on the allegations of espionage.  India held that the death sentence awarded to Kulbhushan Jadhav by a Pakistan court was farcical. Get free access to newsletters, alerts and recommendations


Mamata Banerjee has only said Imaan ka Naam hai musalmaan (Faith is the other name of Muslims).

Did West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee try to appease Muslims and belittle the Hindus in her speech?  "Imaan ka naam hai musalmaan (Faith is the other name of Muslims)"--this line attributed to Mamata Bannerjee has gone viral on the social media. Taking potshot at the Trinamool Congress chief, netizens allege that she actually wanted to portray Hindus in a poor light.  India Today TV's Fact Check team found that the allegations are misleading. In fact, the line quoted above, and attributed to Banerjee, is part of an incomplete sentence, which has been extracted deliberately from a particular portion of her speech to spread a false narrative. Among many Twitter users who have written or posted about this is one Gaurav Pradhan.  He is followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  Pradhan has shared a TV news grab which claims that in her speech, Mamata Bannerjee said "Imaan ka naam hai musalmaan".  At the time writing this report, Pradhan's post was liked by nearly a thousand people. Secular vachanImagine is she becomes PM?  pic. twitter. com/3htflkqdU3Other Twitteretis have also started trolling Mamata Banerjee by accusing her of appeasing Muslims and insulting Hindus by saying "Imaan ka naam hai musalmaan". There are some Facebook users who have also made the same claim. India Today's Fact Check team found that this line was taken from Mamata's speech given at the 'United India Rally' on Saturday (January 19) in Kolkata.  The rally was attended by Opposition leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav, Farooq Abdullah, MK Stalin and HD Kumaraswamy.  The four hour long event can be seen here. When one watches Mamata Banerjee's speech at the rally, one can find that close to the end of her speech (at 3:55:24 of the above video), Mamata said: "Tyaag ka naam hai Hindu, Imaan ka naam hai Musalmaan, pyar ka naam hai isai, sikho ka naam hai balidaan, ye hai hamara pyara Hindustaan. " (Sacrifice is the synonym of Hindu; faith is the synonym of Muslims; love is the synonym of Christians; Sikh is the synonym of martyrdomthis is our beloved India). India Today's Fact Check team found that the viral post contains an incomplete and selectively cut line from Mamata Banerjee's speech.  She did say "Imaan ka naam hai Musalmaan", but in the same breath she also spoke about other religions in equally high regards. ALSO READ | Fact Check: BJP uses wrong pictures to showcase expressway constructionALSO READ | Fact Check: Did Rahul Gandhi attribute Mahatma Gandhi's non-violence mantra to Islam? The number of crows determines the intensity of the lie.


Amazon show director pulls series out of Georgia due to abortion bill: "There is no way we would ever bring our money to that state by shooting there." https://t.co/S0wPYWFLiZ

By Madeline Holcombe, CNNUpdated 1412 GMT (2212 HKT) May 22, 2019  (CNN)Executive producers for a new television show have decided not to scout for filming locations in Georgia because of the signing of the controversial "heartbeat bill. "


Punjab: Visuals from outside a counting centre in Jalandhar as counting of votes for #LokSabhaElections2019 to begin at 8 am. https://t.co/5DotoLEWua

4th Test: Cheteshwar Pujara purrs on gloomy Oval day

From 1931 to 2021, the caste question persists

The inside story of the ISI-Taliban nexus

Hear the voices of the women of Afghanistan

Challenges for natural gas to become India’s bridge fuel

Why do women eat last?  Understanding gender bias in India

Powering agriculture in India

Clash of narratives: The US-China Propaganda war amid the global pandemic

How the National Monetisation Pipeline works
Get free access to newsletters, alerts and recommendations


Tejashwi Yadav blames Bihar government as flood threat looms amid border dispute with Nepal

https://t.co/WlVwKSldXD https://t.co/GbVC9Qp8p6

Leader of opposition in the Bihar assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Monday blamed the state government for not taking timely action to prevent likely floods during the monsoon and “putting the onus on the Centre” following the border dispute with Nepal.  “Bihar government is trying to put the onus on the Centre.  They’re writing to MEA after the monsoon has arrived.  The entire northern part of state is in danger of getting flooded,” ANI quoted Tejashwi Yadav as saying after the state’s minister for water resources Sanjay Jha said he will sound out the ministry of external affairs about Nepal’s obstruction to flood prevention-related works. Jha had warned that if the issue is not addressed timely then a major part of the state will be flooded. “Our local engineers and DM are in talks with concerned authorities and now I’ll write a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs, over the current situation.  If this issue isn’t addressed timely, then a major part of Bihar will be flooded,” Jha said according to ANI. This situation on the Indo-Nepal border has been tense after the country laid claim to Indian territories of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura in Uttarakhand. Earlier this month, the Nepalese Parliament passed a constitutional amendment to show the disputed areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as part of Nepal. On June 12, an Indian man was killed and four others were injured after Nepalese police allegedly fired indiscriminately on them at the border near Sitamarhi district in Bihar. The firing took place after a clash between the Indians and personnel of Nepal police at the Lalbandi-Janki Nagar border in Pipra Parsain panchayat under Sonebarsha police station of the district.


The American people stand united with India in the fight against COVID-19. Today, 125,000 vials of the antiviral drug Remdesivir arrived from the US -the 4th relief shipment- and there are more life-saving supplies on the way: US Embassy in New Delhi, India https://t.co/yknzqyQD2J

A Lufthansa flight landed in India early on Tuesday morning with consignments comprising vital medical supplies from the United Kingdom, including 100 ventilators and 95 oxygen concentrators, the Union ministry of external affairs (MEA) said, as the country continues to grapple with a deadly second wave of infections of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Also Read | France joins global call to help India, to send medical equipment“International cooperation at work!  Appreciate the shipment of vital medical supplies from the United Kingdom, including 100 ventilators and 95 oxygen concentrators that arrived early this morning,” Arindam Bagchi, official spokesperson of the MEA, posted on the ministry’s Twitter handle on Tuesday morning. International cooperation at work!  Appreciate the shipment of vital medical supplies from 🇬🇧 including 100 ventilators & 95 oxygen concentrators that arrived early this morning.  pic. twitter. com/MBZFwSn4cH#WATCH | A shipment of vital medical supplies from the United Kingdom, including 100 ventilators & 95 oxygen concentrators, arrived in India earlier this morning.  Visuals from Delhi airport.  #COVID19 pic. twitter. com/5GoIryMqjPThe UK is among several countries that have stepped up to help India which has been recording more than 300,000 Covid-19 infection cases per day for the last five days, with numbers on each day surpassing figures from the previous day, and more than 2,000 people succumbing to the viral disease daily.  Since April 22, India’s single-day rise in infections is the highest recorded by any country since the beginning of the pandemic early last year.  On Monday, the Union ministry of health and family welfare’s dashboard showed 352,991 people tested positive for the infection in the preceding 24 hours, while a record 2,812 patients lost their lives.  The country’s infection tally currently stands at 17,313,163, the second-highest globally after that of the United States. Also Read | Covid-19: Joe Biden speaks to PM Modi, says 'India was there for us, we'll be there for them'Earlier this month, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson cancelled his visit to India which was scheduled on April 25.  This was the second time this year that Johnson called off a planned visit to India.  He was to be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day parade on January 26 but the trip was deferred as the UK went into a nationwide lockdown due to a surge in cases there. Also Read | UK PM Boris Johnson cancels India visit due to current Covid-19 situation“We’re looking at what we can do to help and support the people of India,” Johnson told the British media last Friday, describing the country as a “great partner. ”Also Read | UK PM Johnson says he is looking at ways to help India tide over Covid-19 crisisAccording to the coronavirus tracker maintained by the US-based Johns Hopkins University, the UK’s Covid-19 tally is currently at 4,422,562 with a related death toll of 127,688.


Delhi: Farmer's protest against the Centre's new farm laws entered 34th day at Singhu (Delhi-Haryana) border. https://t.co/hHBaHDQ6LN

Farmers’ agitation on the outskirts of Delhi against the three contentious agricultural laws entered day 34 on Tuesday, on a day when the sixth round of talks between the government and the farm unions were expected to take place.  However, on Monday, the government wrote to the farmers, inviting them for talks at 2 pm on December 30.  On Saturday, the unions had proposed that the sixth round of talks take place at 11 am on December 29, in response to the government’s proposal to hold dialogue at a date and time of the unions’ choosing.  The farmers, though, had rejected the initial proposal in this regard. Also Read | Farm laws stir: Govt, farmers to resume talks on WednesdayAlso on Monday, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh directed the police to take action after several towers of Reliance Jio were vandalised allegedly by farmers protesting against the farm laws.  Earlier in the day, in what was seen as yet another outreach by the Centre towards the farmers, prime minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off the 100th service of the Kisan Rail, which will run between Sangola in Maharashtra and West Bengal’s Shalimar.  Congress’ Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on the 136th foundation day celebrations of the party, said that it was a “sin” that the government was using for the farmers the kind of words it has, adding that it should reach out to the farmers and repeal the laws.  In West Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee, too, demanded that the “draconian” laws be taken back and expressed solidarity with the farmers. Also Read | UPA couldn’t bring in farm reforms due to pressure: Agri minister TomarHere are the updates from day 34 of the anti-farm law protests:Union ministers Narendra Tomar, Piyush Goyal meets with Amit Shah ahead of December 30 meetingAhead of the December 30 meeting with the farmers organizations, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar and railways minister Piyush Goyal met with home minister Amit Shah in Delhi.  Click here to read moreFarmers’ organisations accept invitation to talks on December 30, stays firm on demandsFarmers’s organizations have written to the secretary of Agriculture ministry accepting the invite to hold talks at 2pm on December 30.  They have also demanded that the talks include repealing the farm laws and legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP), reports ANI.  AAP announces will provide free wifi to protesting farmers“Aam Aadmi Party will provide wifi for farmers at protest sites.  First hotspot to be activated in 24-48 hours,” announces party MLA Raghav Chadha.  आम आदमी पार्टी किसानों के लिए प्रदर्शन की जगह पर Wifi लगाएगी। पहला हॉटस्पॉट 24 से 48 घंटे के अंदर शुरू होगा। परिजनों से बात करने में दिक्कत होने के कारण किसानों ने मुख्यमंत्री @ArvindKejriwal जी से Wifi लगाने की मांग की थी।- श्री @raghav_chadha pic. twitter. com/2WgS0nLFEFIf the opposition was strong, wouldn’t have to agitate: BKU’s Rakesh Tikait“If the Opposition were strong, what was the need for farmers to launch the agitation,” says Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait. Farm unions hold march towards Bihar governor’s residenceMembers of Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti and other Left organisations hold protest march to the Bihar governor’s House over Centre’s three farm laws, in Patna.  Patna: Members of Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti and other Left organisations hold protest march to the Governor's House over Centre's three farm laws#Bihar pic. twitter. com/6zMvfURdRCMembers of farm unions, other left organisations march in protest to Governor’s House in PatnaMembers of Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti and other Left organisations hold protest march to the Governor’s House in Patna over Centre’s three farm laws, reports ANI. Power towards more than 1,500 mobile phone towers disrupted in PunjabCM Captain Amarinder Singh has directed the police to take action after protesting farmers allegedly vandalised or disrupted power supply to more than 1,500 mobile phone towers in the state. Also Read | Farmers’ protest: Cellphone connectivity hit as power to 1,561 towers disrupted in PunjabSituation at blocked Delhi borders unchangedTraffic moving from Delhi to Noida at Chilla border is smooth but the other carriageway remains blocked.  Delhi-Meerut expressway towards Delhi open but blocked from the other side.  Singhu and Tikri borders remain completely closed. Also Read | Farmers’ protest: Singhu, Tikri borders remain completely blockedSocial activist Anna Hazare says will launch agitation in January 2021Social activist Anna Hazare says will launch protest in Delhi in January if his demands concerning farmers are not fulfilled “in time. ” Social activist Anna Hazare says he will launch a protest in New Delhi in January 2021 if his demands concerning farmers are not fulfilled in time.  pic. twitter. com/fOIBAuSC7PNo talks between govt-farm unions today, postponed to WednesdayThe sixth round of talks between the government and the farm unions will take place on December 30, after the Centre on Monday sent a letter to the unions in this regard.  On Saturday, responding to the government’s second proposal to hold talks at a time and date of the farmers’ choosing, the unions had suggested that the dialogue take place at 11 am on December 29.


Pres. Trump says there's "no very great rush" to craft Republican health care alternative as issue drags on in court. https://t.co/r1Cwehif3I https://t.co/8OScaRbDAF

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


#Kerala: Death toll rises to 21 as 3 more bodies recovered today from the landslide site in Rajamala, Idukki. Search underway for the missing people https://t.co/qAcvf1kiko

With 12 more bodies recovered from the mound of debris and slush on Saturday, the casualties in the landslide at a tea estate near Rajamala in Idukki district in Kerala went up to 27 even as rescue personnel, braving inclement weather, continued their search for 42 missing people. State power minister MM Mani, who is camping at the accident site, admitted that there is little hope for any survivors now.  “The situation is really bleak,” he said.  The massive landslide took place in the early hours of Friday after a portion of Pettimudi hills caved in razing a colony of tea plantation workers. The Idukki district administration said missing numbers are likely to go up as many students staying in hostels had returned to their shanties (layams) due to the Covid lockdown.  Officials were depending on the employment registry of the Kannan Devan Hill Plantation (KDHP) Limited where they were on the roll, but social workers and local leaders said many like students and guests were out of the registry.  “There is some confusion about the exact number of missing,” said Idukki collector H Dineshan. There are reports a former panchayat member of Munnar Ananda Siva and his 21 members of the extended family are among the missing.  Hoping against the hope, relatives have crowded the area and were seen pleading with rescue officials to search particular points.  Some of them broke down hysterically saying at least they should get bodies of the missing.  Survivors said they are not happy to be saved as many of their relatives are among missing. “Rajamalai area was not landslide-prone.  So we did not take much precautions here.  In the 2018 and 2019 floods, the area was least affected.  Power and communication lines were cut off in the last four days.  This really aggravated the situation,” said district panchayat president Kochu Thresia, adding heavy rains that lashed the area disrupted rescue work several times. Some areas in Idukki received 220 mm rain, said the Met regional office.  At least six teams of the National Disaster Response Force are carrying out the relief police and fire force personnel.  Minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan who came to Kozhikode to meet the injured in the plane crash said he will be going to Idukki on Sunday as directed by the Prime Minister. The PM had announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the victims and the state government Rs five lakh.  KDHP also announced a relief of Rs 2 lakh to the affected. Meanwhile, the weather department has issued a red alert in five districts: Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur.  All major rivers in the state are in a spate and dams swollen as torrential rains continue to pound many areas.  Five more flood-related deaths were reported from other areas of the state.


Video shows a fight breaking out in a Canadian Gurudwara in connection with farmers protest.

A video of a fight at a US-based Gurudwara from 2016 is being falsely shared as Sikhs in Canada fighting for power after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's alleged support for Khalistani activists.  The posts claim that the fight broke out over who gets control over the Gurudwara and then insinuate the ongoing farmer protests are a conspiracy to create riots in India and divide the country.  BOOM found that the video being shared is of a 2016 fight at a Gurudwara in Turlock City, California, at least four years before the farm bills, against which farmers are currently protesting, were passed.   Also Read: Fake News On Farmers Protests Led By Old Images & Videos: BOOM Study The video is being shared in the backdrop of the ongoing farmers protests against three new farm bills passed by the Indian government in 2020.  The video begins with a woman getting up and shoving a man recording the ongoing events on a camera or mobile phone.  Soon, more women join in and start pushing and shoving each other before an all-out fight breaks out between men.  Older men try to stop the fight before a uniformed police officers step in to break up the fight.   A text which reads "Religious power struggle in Canada" has been superimposed on to the video.  The caption being shared with the video reads: Seeing this spectacle taking place behind a chair in a gurdwara in Canada, all Sikh brothers are praying that Punjab should not be allowed in the future.  The peasant movement has now become a conspiracy to spread riots in the country and to divide the country.  You can prevent this from happening. . . Farmers like Tikait are misleading you for their personal gain.  See and understand the details of their own property.  I am sorry if I am wrong. ) An archive of the post can be viewed here.  कनाडाई प्रधानमंत्री जस्टिन ट्रुडो भारत में खालिस्तानियों को समर्थन दे रहा है।अब कनाडा में ही गुरुद्वारों की सत्ता के लिये सिखों में आपस में संघर्ष शुरू हो गए हैं।जल्दी ही ये सारे कनाडा में दिखेगा।जो दूसरों के लिये गड्ढा खोदता है . . . . . . .  pic. twitter. com/pe6v5Qnd71 An archive of the post can be viewed here.  An archive of the post can be viewed here.  Also Read: Disha Ravi: A Target Of Disinformation Fact Check Using the InVid video verification tool, we broke down the video into multiple keyframes and ran a reverse image search on Google.  We found the same video from 2017 without the superimposed text.  However, we could not identify where the video was shot.  We then ran a Google search with the keywords "fight in gurudwara" and found this video report from IndiaTV titled "America: Violent Fight Inside Gurudwara in Turlock City, California".  We then ran a Google search with the keywords "Turlock gurudwara fight" and found multiple reports on the fight.   The news website Scroll. in reported on the fight on January 12, 2016 quoting a report filed by the website Sikh24. com.  The website has also uploaded an extended version of the video which shows people using sticks and musical instruments to beat each other.  Below is the screenshot comparison of the viral video (L) and the original video posted by Sikh24. com (R).  Also Read: Toolkit Case: Edited Image Of Greta Thunberg In A Train Resurfaces According to Sikh24, the fight broke out between rival factions who have been at conflict over control of the Gurudwara's management.  The Gurudwara had been witness to another fight in 2014 when people belonging to rival factions fough in the Gurudwara's parking lot with belts leading to the temple of worship getting the nickname, "belt Gurudwara. "


Mumbai: Empty roads along the Marine Drive during weekend lockdown imposed in the city to control the spread of COVID19
#Maharashtra https://t.co/yRuLA9XmR3

The number of coronavirus infections worldwide surged past 134. 3 million, according to figures provided by Bloomberg.  The death toll reached 2. 9 million after thousands of people continued to succumb to the viral disease.  On the vaccination front, more than 748 million shots have been given to beneficiaries around the world, Bloomberg also reported. Click here for complete Covid-19 coverageIn the United States, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer called for residents to voluntarily suspend social activities for two weeks to help slow the spread in the hottest Covid-19 spot in the US. In India, daily cases broke earlier records as the number hovered over a lakh.  While in Brazil, the Covid-19 caseload reached over 13. 3 million as hospital remained under the weight of rising infections. Meanwhile, Pfizer Inc.  and BioNTech SE said they would ask regulators in the US and elsewhere to allow the use of their vaccine in adolescents ages 12 to 15. The pandemic is on the wrong trajectory after six straight weeks of increased cases, according to a World Health Organization officer, who said, “vaccines will not end the pandemic. ”Follow all the updates here:45 students of Jamshedpur college test positive for Covid-19Forty-five students of XLRI-School of Management in Jamshedpur tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Saturday, an official told news agency PTI adding that 280 students of the college had been tested for Covid-19.  Jharkhand records 2,373 new Covid-19 cases, 17 more deathsJharkhand records 2,373 new #COVID19 cases, 667 recoveries and 17 deathsTotal cases: 1,37,088Active cases: 12,293Death toll: 1,192Total recoveries: 1,23,603 pic. twitter. com/B0R7UOM6w2Jharkhand on Saturday added 2,373 new Covid-19 disease cases, 17 more deaths and 667 more recoveries, according to the health department's bulletin.  The caseload has now climbed to 137,088 including 1,192 deaths, 12,293 active cases and 123,603 recoveries.  Maharashtra reports 55,411 new Covid-19 cases, 309 deathsWith 55,411 new Covid-19 cases and 309 related deaths, Maharashtra's cases tally reached 3,343,951 and the death toll climbed to 57,638. Also, 53,005 patients have recovered taking the total recoveries to 2,748,153. Punjab reports 3,294 new Covid-19 cases, 58 deathsPunjab reports 3,294 new #COVID19 cases, 2,385 recoveries and 58 deathsActive cases: 28,015Total cases: 2,69,733Total recoveries: 2,34,270Death toll: 7,448 pic. twitter. com/zNO3HMJx9PPunjab reported 3,294 new Covid-19 cases and 58 deaths, taking the state's tally to 269,733 and the death toll to 7,448, reports ANI. Tamil nadu logs close to 6,000 new Covid-19 cases, 23 deathsTamil Nadu reports 5,989 new #COVID19 cases, 1,952 dishcarges and 23 deaths. Total cases: 9,26,816Total discharges: 8,76,257Death Toll: 12,886Active cases: 37,673 pic. twitter. com/l1oZ6wvzJXWith 5,989 new Covid-19 cases and 23 related deaths, Tamil Nadu's cases tally reached 926,816 and death toll climbed to 12,886, reports ANI. Gujarat reports 5,011 new Covid-19 cases, 49 deaths in last 24 hoursGujarat reports 5011 new #COVID19 cases, 2525 discharges and 49 deaths, in the last 24 hours. Total cases: 3,42,026Total discharges: 3,12,151Active cases: 25,129With 5,011 new Covid-19 cases and 49 deaths in last 24 hours, Gujarat's Covid-19 tally reached 342,026 cases.  Active cases currently stands at 25,129, reports ANI. Himachal Pradesh reports 941 new Covid-19 cases, 12 deaths in last 24 hoursHimachal Pradesh reports 941 new #COVID19 positive cases, 358 cured cases and 12 deaths, in the last 24 hours. Total number of cases now stands at 69,114 pic. twitter. com/7dhRTxzCVvHimachal Pradesh reported 941 new Covid-19 cases and 12 deaths in the last 24 hours as cases tally reached 69,114, reports ANI. Mumbai reports 9,327 new Covid-19 cases, 50 deaths in last 24 hoursMaharashtra: Mumbai reports 9327 new #COVID19 positive case and 50 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 5,10,225 pic. twitter. com/eAh2AXokXvMumbai reported 9,327 new Covid-19 cases and 50 related fatalities in the last 24 hours, taking the city's tally to 510,225, reports ANI. Karnataka reports 6,955 new Covid-19 cases, 36 deaths; 63% new cases in Bengaluru UrbanKarnataka reports 6,955 new #COVID19 cases including 4,384 cases in Bengaluru Urban, 3,350 discharges and 36 deaths. Total cases: 10,55,040Total dicharges: 9,80,519Active cases: 61,653Total deaths: 12,849 pic. twitter. com/hVLvzFbvSWKarnataka's Covid-19 tally reached 1,055,040 cases and death toll climbed to 12,849 after the state reported 6,955 new cases and 36 deaths, reports ANI. Maharashtra CM meets with Devendra Fadnavis, cabinet colleagues to discuss Covid-19 situationChief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is holding a meeting with Devendra Fadnavis, Leader of the Opposition and his cabinet colleagues via video conferencing, over COVID situation the state: Maharashtra Chief Minister's Office pic. twitter. com/eNW6ou85QYMaharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray met with Leader of Oppositon Devendra Fadnavis over video conferencing to discuss the Covid-19 situation in the state, reports ANI. 'India took 85 days to administer 100 million doses': Government#Unite2FightCorona#LargestVaccineDrive #amrutmahotsavIndia took 85 days to administer 100 million #CovidVaccine doses.  In 85 days, USA administered 92. 09 million doses and China's vaccination coverage was 61. 42 million.  pic. twitter. com/KROFFpjdjmThe Union health ministry said that the vaccination drive took 85 days to administer 100 million doses while other countries like USA and China have inoculated lesser beneficiaries in the same time period. Rajasthan records 4,401 new Covid-19 cases, 18 deathsRajasthan records 4,401 new #COVID19 cases, 18 deaths and 562 recoveries Total cases: 35,86,88Death toll: 2,916Total recoveries: 3,27,866Active cases: 27,906 pic. twitter. com/NOpoPngN5xWith 4,401 new Covid-19 cases and 18 deaths, Rajasthan's cases tally reached 358,688 and death toll climbed to 2,916, reports ANI. India's Covid-19 vaccination drive completes 100 million inoculations so far: Health ministry#LargestVaccineDrive #amrutmahotsav #Unite2FightCorona pic. twitter. com/yuV7FCE4kJMore than 100 million vaccine doses have been administered in India so far, the Union health ministry tweeted. Uttarakhand records 1,233 new cases, 3 deaths in last 24 hoursUttarakhand reports 1,233 new #COVID19 cases, 317 recoveries and three deaths in the last 24 hoursTotal cases: 1,07,479Active cases: 6,241Death toll: 1,752Total recoveries: 97,644 pic. twitter. com/ZMG9vwQeX7Uttarakhand reported 1,233 new Covid-19 cases and three related fatalities in the last 24 hours.  This took the state's tally to 107,479 cases and 1,752 deaths, reports ANI. Delhi reports 7,897 new Covid-19 cases, 39 deaths in last 24 hours🏥Delhi Health Bulletin - 10th April 2021🏥#DelhiFightsCorona pic. twitter. com/zvOvcAoE38With 7,897 new Covid-19 cases and 39 deaths in the last 24 hours, Delhi's tally reached 714,423 and death toll climbed to 11,235, according to a bulletin from the health department. Chandigarh reports 398 new Covid-19 cases, tally goes past 30,000Chandigarh reports 398 new #COVID19 cases, taking the total number of cases to 30,341 pic. twitter. com/TIiKlcbkAZChandigarh reported 398 new Covid-19 cases which took the city's tally to 30,341, reports ANI. Kerala reports 6,194 new Covid-19 cases, 17 deaths in last 24 hoursKerala reports 6,194 new #COVID19 cases, 2,584 recoveries and 17 deaths in the last 24 hoursActive cases: 39,778Death toll: 4,767 Total recoveries: 11,15,342Kerala's reported 6,194 new Covid-19 cases, 2,584 recoveries and 17 deaths in the last 24 hours.  Death toll climbed to 4,767 so far, reports ANI. Goa reports 540 new Covid-19 cases, 1 death; tally reaches 61,779540 new COVID19 cases, 1 death and 167 recoveries reported in Goa today; case tally at 61,779 pic. twitter. com/cdyDNDlyprWith 540 new Covid-19 cases and one related fatality, Goa's tally reached 61,779 cases, reports ANI. Madurai police collects over ₹3 lakhs from people without masks in last 2 daysA fine amount of ₹3. 04 lakhs has been received from 1,521 people for not wearing mask in Madurai, in last 2 days.  In addition, 19 cases were registered for flouting social distancing in public places: Police Commissioner, Madurai #TamilNaduMadurai Police Commissioner said that the police has collected ₹3. 04 lakhs in the last two days from 1,521 people for not wearing face masks.  Also, 19 cases have been registered for violation of social distancing rules in public places, reports ANI. With 12,787 new Covid-19 cases, Uttar Pradesh reports highest single-day spikeWith 12,787 new Covid-19 cases, Uttar Pradesh reported its highest single-day spike.  The state's tally reached 676,739 cases.  Also, 48 new fatalities pushed the death toll to 9,085. Active caseload currently stands at 58,801. Lucknow reported 4,059 new cases and 23 fatalities, taking the tally to 102,963 cases. AMU cancels entrance exams for 2021-22 amid rising Covid-19 casesWith rising COVID cases, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has canceled entrance examinations for session 2021-2022.  A fresh entrance schedule will be uploaded soon by the university authorities on AMU’s official website: Omar Saleem Peerzada, Public Relation Officer, AMU pic. twitter. com/A5XJxEjgN0The Aligarh Muslim University cancelled its entrance examinations for the year 2021-22 and said that a new entrance schedule will soon be uploaded in the official website, reports ANI. 'We are working on increasing number of normal & ICU beds in hospitals': Indore MPA 24X7 covid control room will provide virus-related information to public.  We are working on increasing number of normal & ICU beds in hospitals.  Today, a team of doctors will release a protocol on hospital admissions: Shankar Lalwani, Indore MPIndore MP Shankar Lalwani said that the administration is working to increase the number of normal and ICU beds in hospitals.  He also said that a 24x7 control room would be set up to provide Covid-19 related information to public, reports ANI. Arvind Kejriwal visits LNJP hospital in Delhi amid rising Covid-19 casesCM Kejriwal visits LNJP Hospital amid rising COVID-19 cases in Delhi, says administration, hospitals working to contain fourth wave of pandemic in cityDelhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the LNJP hospital in Delhi amid rising Covid-19 cases in the capital city, reports PTI. Punjab CM attends meeting organised by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to review Covid-19 situationPunjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh attended a meeting with Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi to review the #COVID19 situation along with Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled States.  pic. twitter. com/Qdn0AV0wHUPunjab chief minister Amarinder Singh attended a meeting organised by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to review the Covid-19 situation in Congress ruled states, reports ANI. Jharkhand reports 1,925 new Covid-19 cases, tally climbs to 134,715With 1,925 new Covid-19 infections and 17 fatalities, Jharkhand's cases tally reached 134,715 and death toll climbed to 1,175, reports PTI. Russia records 8,704 new Covid-19 cases, 402 fatalitiesRussia recorded 8,704 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, taking the nation-wide tally to 4,632,688.  402 deaths were also reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll now stands at 102,64, reported Reuters. India's cumulative vaccination coverage exceeds 9. 80 Crores#Unite2FightCorona#LargestVaccineDriveIndia's Cumulative Vaccination Coverage exceeds 9. 80 Crores (9,80,75,160). https://t. co/RO5nPqhvEx pic. twitter. com/Ls1D6PytXRUddhav Thackeray to hold meeting to review Covid-19 situation in MaharashtraMaharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has called for a meeting today of all political party leaders to review the ongoing Covid-19 situation in the state, reported news agency ANI. Are liquor shops, dhabas open?  Govt answersThe Maharashtra government on Friday issued a set of frequently asked questions in an attempt to clarify in confusion regarding the partial lockdown imposed in the state to check the Covid-19 spread.  Read moreIndia's Covid-19 caseload rises by 145,384 fresh casesIndia reports 145,384 new Covid-19 cases, 77,567 discharges, and 794 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health MinistryMumbai private Covid-19 vaccine centres shut till April 12All private Covid-19 vaccination centres in the jurisdiction of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will remain shut till April 12, the civic body notified on Friday, amid the ongoing debate over vaccine shortage in Maharashtra and several other states.  Read moreBengaluru night curfew from today: What's allowed, what's notStarting from Saturday night, seven district centres of Karnataka, including Bengaluru, will be placed under a night curfew between 10pm and 5am till April 20.  Read moreBrazil reports another sharp spike in daily Covid-19 infectionsBrazil reported another 93,317 infections and 3,693 deaths from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, raising the national tallies to 348,718 and 13,373,174, respectively, the Ministry of Health said Friday. Get our daily newsletter Get free access to newsletters, alerts and recommendations


Delhi Police Commissioner SN Srivastava arrives at the Parliament to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah. https://t.co/7FXMvlMrEq

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday had a meeting with Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava, ahead of the 'chakka jam' announced by farmer unions protesting against the three agri laws at Delhi's borders, sources said. Shrivastava is believed to have briefed the home minister about the security being in place in the city and the steps being taken for the Saturday's 'chakka jam' called by the farmers, they said. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was also present in the meeting, the sources said. The Delhi Police has tightened security at the borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, where farmers have been stationed since November-end demanding the repeal of the three farm laws enacted in September last year. The ongoing protests also resulted in violence in the national capital on Republic Day during which hundreds of people, including policemen and women, were injured and one protestor died after his speeding tractor overturned. The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader from Uttar Pradesh has been camping at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border as part of a campaign.  Farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, are also massed at Tikri and Singhu on the Delhi-Haryana border. Thousands of farmers have been protesting at the Delhi's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh demanding a rollback of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. The protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporations. However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.


CLAIM An article published in Express UK claims that Germany has sent a bill of £130 billion to China to pay for the damages caused by COVID-19.  The article titled ‘Germany sends China £130 billion bill for ‘coronavirus damages’ – sparks fury in Beijing’ has been picked up by several media organisations including news agency IANS.  The Economic Times, along with Outlook published a syndicated article from IANS with a similar headline: “China gets 130-billion-pound bill from Germany for corona damages. ” Amar Ujala, too, published an article on Monday, 20 April, making the same claim.  Social media users also shared the Express UK’s article on Twitter and Facebook.  The Quint received a query on the claims being made in the article on its WhatsApp helpline.  (Click here for live updates on COVID-19.  Also visit Quint Fit for comprehensive coverage on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. ) WHAT’S THE TRUTH?  A German newspaper ‘Bild’ mocked up a bill and assessed the damage which the coronavirus pandemic has caused to the economy.  However, the headline of Express UK is misleading to the effect that it insinuates that the German government has made the move.  Even the URL mentions ‘Angela Merkel’, giving an impression that the government is involved in this move.  However, if you read carefully, the first line of the Express article mentions that it is the German newspaper that has put together an invoice on coronavirus damages incurred by the country and not the government.  Further, Germany-based media outlet DW News aired a bulletin on 18 April with the title: “German tabloid 'Bild' demands China pay coronavirus damages. ” The bulletin showed images of the bill presented by the tabloid and mentioned that the invoice amounts to €149 billion.  (£130 Bn) Further, in a letter addressed to Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Editor-in-Chief of Bild wrote, “Your embassy in Berlin has addressed me in an open letter because we asked in our newspaper BILD whether China should pay for the massive economic damage the corona virus is inflicting worldwide. ” Though the content of the Express UK article does mention that it’s actually a Germany-based newspaper that had put together a bill, at first glance the headline is misleading and gives a wrong impression.  You can read all our fact-checked stories here.


Firefighters waged a "face-to-face" battle through the night to extinguish a massive blaze that ripped through the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris yesterday. https://t.co/iNBTpS7xXX https://t.co/eBD1jJc1Hz

  A Paris chaplain who tended to victims of the 2015 terror attack in the city has been hailed as a hero once more, after he entered the burning Notre Dame cathedral to help authorities rescue priceless relics from the blaze.

  Jean-Marc Fournier, the chaplain of Paris fire service, told CNN he entered the cathedral with firefighters and policemen to help salvage some of the priceless artifacts on Monday night.

  Thanks to keys and codes that Fournier kept, officials were able to retrieve the Crown of Thorns, which some believe was placed on the head of Christ and which the cathedral calls its “most precious and most venerated relic. ”

  “The police took the crown and I took the holy sacrament [the wafers, or body of Christ],” Fournier said.

Rose windows of Notre Dame are safe but fate of other treasures is unclear

  Fournier had previously held prayers and assisted victims after terrorists killed 130 people in attacks throughout the French capital in November 2015.

  A number of relics were rescued during Monday’s devastating fire, which tore through and destroyed parts of the 850-year-old church.

  Fournier has been praised as a hero throughout social media for his bravery after Etienne Loraillère, the director of the French Catholic television network KTO, posted a picture of Fournier and commended the chaplain.
Le père Fournier, aumônier des @PompiersParis, est allé avec des pompiers dans la cathédrale #NotreDame pour sauver la couronne d’épines et le Saint-Sacrement. . .  pic. twitter. com/4IoLVdoJZW
  Fournier was based in Germany before he joined the Paris fire service as its chaplain, and has also served in the Diocese of the French Armed Forces in Afghanistan, according to an interview he gave to Christian Family magazine after the 2015 terror attacks.

  Officials have started relocating numerous artifacts from the Notre Dame, with most being relocated to either Paris City Hall or the Louvre museum.

  A tweet from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo showed crews removing artworks.
Les œuvres sauvées de l’incendie de #NotreDame par les pompiers, les policiers et les agents municipaux, mises à l’abri cette nuit à l’Hôtel de Ville, sont à présent prises en charge par les services de l’Etat.  Un très grand merci à toutes les équipes qui se sont mobilisées.  pic. twitter. com/AZId6ad0NV
  “We managed to protect the most precious treasures in a safe place,” a Paris City Hall spokesperson told CNN on Tuesday.

  The copper rooster that sat at atop the cathedral’s spire before it collapsed was recovered intact from the rubble, Gérard Araud, the French ambassador to the United States, said on Tuesday.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


The carpet may be red, but pink was the color of the night at the #Oscars https://t.co/Ux9FoNTd0K https://t.co/ALsASvrX32

Pretty pink dresses were everywhere! Pink the big trend on the red carpetAt this year's Oscars, stars proved that pink was one of the most powerful colors on the 2019 red carpet. From Angela Basset's hard-to-miss fuchsia look to Helen Mirren's flowy gown, it was truly the hottest hue of the night that just kept on getting bigger, brighter and better. Ahead, see all the best pretty-in-pink moments. Angela BassettBassett marveled the crowds with her gorgeous gown that included an elaborate sleeve along with a dazzling pink bag to match. Gemma ChanChan was absolutely outstanding with this ruffled look from Valentino. Helen MirrenMirren was equal parts captivating and super cute in this custom Schiaparelli gown. Kacey MusgravesMusgraves looked like a princess with this Giambattista Valli Tulle gown. Linda CardelliniCardellini was a showstopper in a Schiaparelli gown from their SS19 Haute couture collection. Emilia ClarkeClarke shined and sparkled bright like a diamond on the red carpet. Maya RudolphPaulson is winning in her cropped cut dress. Sarah PaulsonRudolph was pretty in pink and floral prints that were hard to miss. Julia RobertsRoberts razzled in pink while on stage at the Oscars. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


General discussion on the Union Budget 2021-22 begins in Rajya Sabha https://t.co/SBjLIE6vth

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reply to the motion of thanks on President Ram Nath Kovind’s address in Lok Sabha on Wednesday evening.  “At around 4 PM today in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister @narendramodi will reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address,” his office tweeted. Modi had delivered his reply to the President's address in the Rajya Sabha on Monday where he asserted that his government was working for the welfare of small farmers and assured that the minimum support price (MSP) will continue.  “Since 2014 we have initiated changes in the agriculture sector aimed at empowering the farmer.  The crop insurance scheme was changed to make it more farmer friendly.  The PM-KISAN scheme was also brought in,” he told Parliament, adding that the need of the hour is to improve the lives of the small farmers. While speaking on the contentious agricultural laws that have triggered protests by farmers for the past two months at Delhi borders, Modi quoted former prime minister Manmohan Singh. “There are other rigidities because of the marketing regime set up in the 1930s which prevent our farmers from selling their produce where they get the highest rate of return.  It is our intention to remove all those handicaps which come in the way of India realising its vast potential as one large common market,” he cited a previous remark by Singh and said that there is a clear U-turn by the Congress now. The Prime Minister also slammed those behind the farmer’s demonstration against the agricultural laws enacted in September last year, saying a new "breed" of agitators has emerged who cannot live without an agitation and the country should be beware of them.  “A new FDI (Foreign Destructive Ideology) has emerged in the country, he said. The Prime Minister also lauded the role India played in the battle against the coronavirus disease, for which he said, “the world now looks up to us. ” This was an unprecedented crisis so nobody knew how to handle this unknown enemy.  However, today the whole world recognises that India played a significant role in saving humanity,” he said in his speech during the ongoing budget session.


Former Congress MLA Dr. Umesh Jadhav (in the center wearing a yellow badge) who submitted his resignation to Speaker of the Karnataka assembly on March 4, seen at the venue of the prime minister's event in Kalaburagi, Karnataka. Former CM & BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa also present. https://t.co/xPyy2RivbH

Congress rebel Umesh Jadhav, who was said to have been disgruntled after being denied a cabinet berth, on Wednesday joined the BJP in Karnataka ahead of the Lok Sabha election due this summer.  “I am very happy and very proud to be part of BJP.  They have welcomed me very well.  I beg you to give me a chance because a nationalist party and Modi have gained world renown,” Jadhav said. Jadhav, who submitted his resignation to Speaker of the Karnataka assembly on March 4, was speaking at the venue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s event in Kalaburagi, Karnataka.  “We have to write a new history in Kalburgi.  We need your support.  I beg the people to give me an opportunity,” he said. Former Karnataka chief minister and senior BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa also present on the dais. The resignation of Jadhav, a two-time MLA from the Chincholi constituency, has brought the strength of the house to 223.  The Congress-JD(S) coalition now has 116 members plus the Speaker.  The opposition BJP has 104 members. The Congress rebel is expected to contest against party stalwart Mallikarjun Kharge, the sitting MP.


Child Kidnapping gangs are taking childre for organ harvesting in Mumbai

A video from Jharkhand, of a Railway police official questioning four accused about their modus operandi for kidnapping children, is being shared in parts of Mumbai and outskirts as a gang that has reached the city.  The message with the video warns people to beware of the gang as they kidnap children to harvest organs.     The video is viral with a text, "Attention! !  From past few weeks incidents have been reported for child abduction/ kidnapping in Nallasopara and Vasai Area.  Even today there is an incident reported near Vidya Vikasini school.  Requesting everyone to take care of children.  Please keep a watchful eye for any unlawful incidents and do not step back in reporting it.  Even in society premises please do not allow unknown people to wander.  Guards are also asked to tighten the security.  Security begins with us.  Every single one of us must ensure things are on track. "       In the video, a police official can be heard questioning four people with one of them explaining how they kidnap children.  To a question from the police official asking about why they kidnap the children, one of the accused replies, they do it remove "organs"    BOOM received the same message on its helpline.        This is one of the several messages viral in Mumbai spreading panic that child kidnapping gangs have reached the city.  The messages falsely claim that children have been kidnapped in areas of Chembur, Kurla and Bandra in Mumbai             FACT CHECK    BOOM found that messages are part of the child kidnapping rumours doing the rounds viral across the country.  We debunked each message by running searches and contacting local police stations who rubbished the rumours.     MESSAGE CLAIMING KIDNAPPER IN VASAI REGION    BOOM found that the video going viral claiming child kidnappers caught in Vasai is actually from Dhanbad, Jharkhand.  A reverse image search for one of the key frames in the video led us to a news story by a local paper in Jharkhand about the Dhanbad Railway Protection Force busting a child kidnapping racket.     The report in Hindustan, a Hindi daily in Jharkhand, published a report on September 3 titled, "सनसनीखेज : बच्चा चोरी कर किडनी निकालने वाले गैंग के चार गिरफ्तार".  The report carried a photo of the arrested accused standing behind the railway police personnel who arrested them.        We also found a news report which included a video of a police official speaking about the case to mediapersons.  The viral video was also part of this news bulletin.         We identified the police officer in the video as Avinash Karosia, Inspector, RPF Dhanbad who when contacted confirmed the video.  Karosia said, "We arrested the four accused while they were attempting to kidnap a child in a train.  The video is of us questioning them. "    MESSAGE CLAIMING WOMAN ARRESTED IN CHEMBUR FOR CHILD KIDNAPPING       The second message claims nine children have been kidnapped in Chembur area, and that a lady has been caught who is said to have informed the police that "1500 people have entered Mumbai" to kidnap children.        BOOM contacted Shashikumar Meena, DCP, Zone VI, under whose jurisdiction the areas falls who dismissed the message calling them, "rumours".  Meena informed that the rumours began after the Shivaji Nagar police rescued a woman being beaten by residents on suspicion of child kidnapping.      "On September 27, a woman Kashibai Pawar, was caught by residents while she was allegedly trying to kidnap a girl in the area.  The locals beat her up but the police reached on time and rescued her.  She hails from Solapur and isn't able to confirm why she was in the area.  We have arrested her and booked her," Meena said.  He added that the woman not found with any weapons and she hasn't informed about "1500 people having entered the city" to kidnap children.      "The contents of the message are baseless and fake.  We are asking people to not believe them and report any suspicious behaviour to the police,"he said.     While the Mumbai Police spokesperson was not available for a comment, Maharashtra police tweeted asking people to not believe such rumours.


Active-duty transgender service members testified before Congress about President Donald Trump's potential ban. https://t.co/fIKKnFcPQN https://t.co/yQndaj3s9T

  Michael Cohen, the one-time personal attorney and fixer to President Donald Trump, on Wednesday presented an extensive set of his former boss’s possible criminal liabilities that Cohen described as under investigation by federal prosecutors in New York.

  In public testimony before Congress, Cohen provided fresh details about Trump’s participation in Cohen’s campaign finance crimes, including steps that occurred after Trump took office, and revealed that prosecutors are investigating other unspecified criminal activity by Trump.

  Cohen also told the House Oversight Committee that Trump Organization executives, including the President’s son Donald Trump Jr.  and Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, participated in what prosecutors have described in court documents as a scheme to reimburse Cohen for a $130,000 payment he made to silence an adult-film actress, Stormy Daniels, who claimed an affair with Trump.

  And Cohen testified that Trump had an arrangement stretching back more than a decade with David Pecker, the CEO of American Media Inc. , which publishes the National Enquirer tabloid, to eliminate stories that could prove detrimental to Trump if published.

  In an effort to corroborate his claims, particularly those concerning an alleged reimbursement payment by Trump himself, Cohen came armed with copies of checks.  One, dated August 2017, seven months after Trump was sworn into office, came from Trump’s personal bank account and appeared to showed Trump’s distinctive signature authorizing what Cohen testified was partial reimbursement by the sitting President.

RELATED: This billionaire reportedly paid $60K for a portrait of Trump.

  Cohen’s testimony dramatically expanded the scope of what is publicly known about New York federal prosecutors’ examination of the President, his company and his family.

  Prior to Wednesday, prosecutors in the Southern District of New York were known to have been examining whether any Trump Org executives violated campaign-finance laws as part of the scheme to reimburse Cohen and had been conducting an investigation of the Trump inaugural committee, CNN has reported.

  On Wednesday, Cohen suggested they are also examining a conversation he had with Trump in the spring of 2018, within two months of the FBI having executed search warrants on Cohen’s home, hotel room and office.

This billionaire reportedly paid $60K for a portrait of Trump.  He was allegedly reimbursed by Trump's charity.

  After telling the committee that conversation was the last time Cohen spoke to Trump, Cohen said he couldn’t speak further about that matter because it is under investigation by prosecutors.  “I’ve been asked by them not to discuss and not to talk about these issues,” Cohen said.

  Minutes later, Cohen was asked: “Is there any other wrongdoing or illegal acts that you are aware of regarding Donald Trump that we haven’t yet discussed today? ” Cohen replied: “Yes, and again those are part of the investigation that’s currently being looked at by the Southern District of New York. ”

  At another point, Cohen disclosed: “I am in constant contact with the Southern District of New York regarding ongoing investigations. ”

RELATED: How Michael Cohen says Trump cheated on his net worth

  A spokesman for the US Attorney’s Office declined to comment on Cohen’s testimony.

  The newly disclosed investigative efforts aren’t the only aspect of Cohen’s testimony that may spell significant legal trouble for Trump.  For the first time, Cohen publicly described in great detail Trump’s participation in and direction of Cohen’s payment to Daniels and the effort to reimburse him for that payment.

  Cohen told the committee that in 2016, when Cohen was engaged in discussions with Daniels’s then-attorney about whether to pay Daniels to remain silent, “what I did each and every time is go straight into Mr.  Trump’s office and discuss the issue with him. ”

  Days before the election, when a leaked tape of Trump making crude comments about women on the set of “Access Hollywood” created what Cohen described in his testimony as a “wildfire,” Cohen said he met with Trump and Weisselberg in Trump’s office, and Trump decided to pay Daniels.

6 takeaways from the Michael Cohen hearing

  “He acknowledged to Allen that he was going to pay the $130,000, and that Allen and I should go back to his office and figure out how to do it,” Cohen said.

  According to Cohen, he asked Weisselberg to use his own money to pay Daniels.  After Weisselberg said he couldn’t, Cohen said, Weisselberg suggested to Cohen that the two find someone who “wants to have a party at one of his clubs that could pay me instead, or somebody who may have wanted to become a member of one of the golf clubs. ”

  After concluding that they didn’t know anyone who could cover for them in such a manner, Cohen said he decided to use his home-equity line of credit to make the Daniels payment.  Trump knew of and approved that step, as well as the entire reimbursement scheme, Cohen said.

  “Oh, he knew about everything, yes,” Cohen told the committee.

  Federal prosecutors have previously explained the scheme in court filings, saying that Cohen falsely submitted invoices to the Trump Organization at the direction of “executives” of the company during the year 2017, for a total of $420,000.  The reimbursement was paid in monthly installments of $35,000, according to prosecutors.

  In court filings, prosecutors cited two company executives (“Executive-1” and “Executive-2”) who were involved in the reimbursement scheme, but didn’t name them.  On Wednesday, Cohen testified that he “believed” that Weisselberg, who had limited immunity and provided information to investigators, is “Executive-1” and that Trump Jr.  is “Executive-2. ”

  Cohen also made public a copy of what he said was one of the $35,000 reimbursement checks, signed by Weisselberg and Trump Jr.

  “Are you telling us, Mr.  Cohen, that the President directed transactions in conspiracy with Allen Weisselberg and his son, Donald Trump Jr. , as part of … a criminal conspiracy of financial fraud?  Is that your testimony today? ” Rep.  Ro Khanna asked.

  “Yes,” Cohen replied.

  An attorney for Trump Jr.  declined to comment on Cohen’s claims.

  “Is there any doubt that President Trump knew exactly what he was paying for? ” Cohen was asked at another point in the hearing.  “There is no doubt in my mind,” Cohen said.

  Though federal prosecutors didn’t reference a check from Trump in their charges against Cohen, they obtained evidence of such a from Trump’s personal account during their investigation, according to a person familiar with the matter.

  Cohen also resurfaced details of Trump’s efforts to suppress unflattering stories with the help of Pecker, who received immunity from prosecutors.

Michael Cohen says 'changes' were made to his planned 2017 testimony to Congress

  Cohen testified that Pecker had helped kill a prospective story on an alleged Trump love child.  A tip about that story was obtained by AMI, but the story was never published by the National Enquirer after AMI paid $30,000 in August 2015 to a former doorman at Trump World Tower, Dino Sajudin, who was selling the rights to what he claimed was information that Trump had fathered a child with a former employee.  No outlets, including CNN, have found any evidence to support the allegation about the child.

  The $30,000 contract, however, was scrutinized by federal prosecutors in New York in the spring of 2018 as a third hush money payment, according to people familiar with the matter.

  Cohen had told media outlets that his involvement in the matter was limited to trying as Trump’s spokesman to tamp down what AMI said were its efforts to confirm Sajudin’s tip.  But in fact, Cohen was involved much earlier in the process than previously known, people familiar with the matter said, and helped engineer the contract between AMI and Sajudin in the same manner he later orchestrated another hush money contract to an ex-Playboy model, Karen McDougal, according to two people involved in the process.

  Investigators ultimately decided against charging it as a crime.  It’s not clear why prosecutors didn’t pursue charges over the Sajudin contract, but former officials from the Southern District of New York suggested that prosecutors may have considered the timing of the contract to be too far removed from Election Day to make as compelling of a case as the payments to McDougal and Daniels.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.