Video shows the aftermath of a devastating explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut, severely damaging a number of structures, killing at least 135 people and injuring 5,000. https://t.co/vdrnDkgsGd https://t.co/2JoWYV6d4v

By Tara John, Melissa Macaya, Mike Hayes, Veronica Rocha, Meg Wagner, Joshua Berlinger, Adam Renton, Zamira Rahim and Ed Upright, CNNOur live coverage of the Beirut blast and its aftermath has moved here. From CNN's Jennifer HanslerThe US State Department is “aware of at least one US citizen killed, and several more injured, by the explosion” in Beirut, a spokesperson said Wednesday. “All US Chief of Mission personnel in Beirut are safe and accounted for and US Embassy Beirut is open,” the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said they are urging “US citizens in the affected areas who are safe to contact their loved ones directly and/or update their status on social media. ”“If you are in the affected area and need immediate emergency services, please contact local authorities.  We urge US citizens to avoid the affected areas / shelter in place and follow the directions of local authorities,” they said. From CNN's Aditi SangalHospitals in Beirut are overwhelmed with casualties, with four of its hospitals out of service due to damage by the explosion.  Even under this already high level of strain, Firass Abiad, CEO of Rafik Hariri University Hospital, says the situation will escalate and the death toll will climb further. “I think that it's very likely that those numbers will increase.  What we are hearing today from some of the EMS services that are sweeping buildings, that are in the vicinity of the blasts, is that they are finding bodies,” he said. The crisis comes to the city and its hospitals amid already existing challenges. Rafik Hariri University Hospital was already running low on its medical supplies due to the financial crisis in Lebanon when Covid-19 hit, Abiad said.  And in this backdrop of a surge in cases during a second wave, came the casualties from Tuesday’s explosion, completely overwhelming the hospital.  Now, it’s about to run out of supplies. The financial crisis, the coronavirus pandemic and the explosion has put his team “in the middle of a perfect storm,” he added. The way the staff at the hospital has reacted to the crisis has been “silver lining,” Abiad said. “When this happened, part of my staff were finishing their shift and going home.  And they just came back,” he said.  “They were filled with empathy toward the patients and kindness.  And I think the only hope I see with all of this is the ability of the human spirit to endure these hardships. ”Watch more:From CNN's Milena VeselinovicUK will send 5 million GBP (approximately $6. 6 million) in aid to Lebanon and will also provide medical and search and rescue experts to help in the aftermath of the Beirut blast, Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told reporters on Wednesday. Raab said he had spoken to the Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab, and that a British Navy ship was "in the area" and ready to help.  From CNN's Lauren LeeAt least 100 people are dead and 4,000 wounded following an explosion in Lebanon's capital city of Beirut.  While it is still unclear what caused the explosion, the city is decimated with thousands of residents left homeless, a medical system strained and up to $5 billion worth of damage. You can help raise funds for supplies and assistance so desperately needed by clicking the button in this link. Several charities are on the ground providing medical care, shelter, supplies and other desperately needed services to help the city recover and rebuild.  You can contribute by clicking here.  From CNN's Aditi SangalA Catholic church in Beirut was televising its Tuesday mass as part of its Covid-19 safety protocols, but it was interrupted when the massive explosion went off.  Video of the service shows parts of the ceiling falling as a priest ran for cover, getting injured in the process. Pope Francis has called on people to pray for Lebanon in the aftermath of Tuesday’s deadly explosion. Watch the moment here from Al Hurra TV:From CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq and Mostafa SalemThe death toll for Tuesday’s blast increased to 135, Lebanon’s Health Minister Hamad Hassan told Al-Manar television.  Another 5,000 people are wounded and dozens more are still missing, he said.  From CNN's Barbara Wojazer in Paris The office of the Paris prosecutor said in a statement on Wednesday that 21 French nationals were injured in the blast in Beirut. This has prompted the Prosecutor's Office to open an "investigation for unintentional injury," the statement says, a standard procedure when French nationals are injured abroad, a source close to the investigation told CNN.  French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Beirut on Thursday to show “solidarity” with the Lebanese people in the aftermath of Tuesday’s disastrous explosion, according to the Twitter account of the Lebanese presidency. From CNN's Aditi SangalGhassan Hasrouty worked in the port in Beirut where the massive explosion took place.  He went to work Tuesday morning, and that’s the last time his family saw him.  Now, his daughter Tatiana Hasrouty said she is considering the possibility that he’s trapped under rubble. Hasrouty expressed her frustration with the government’s response to the disaster, saying the authorities are not searching the blast site. “No authority is searching for them where they are,” Hasrouty says.  “They say they don't have the capabilities, they don't have machines or construction machines to remove the rocks to find them.  But we know for him and other workers of his, they are stuck there. ”“We don't really know what to do,” she added.  "It's really frustrating and devastating. ”She said no authority has contacted the family. Watch Tatiana's plea:From CNN's Aditi SangalCNN's senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman went inside a home overlooking the port where Tuesday’s massive explosion took place in Beirut.  The home was inhabited by an elderly couple. Looking out through the walls of the home that have collapsed, Wedeman describes the state of the warehouse that exploded.  What was simply dry ground before, Wedeman says, is now a crater, with water flowing into the area. The Lebanese government has committed to conducting a transparent investigation into the explosion, but Wedeman says it is “scant consolation” to the families of those killed, injured and missing.  Beirut's governor said in an interview earlier today that at least 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes by the blast.  Go inside the home damaged by the explosion: Please enable JavaScript for a better experience.


Officer Eric Talley was the first officer to report to the scene of a mass shooting at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday -- and it's where the father of seven died after actions that were described as "heroic" by officials. https://t.co/DBLIxQGbSn

The victims range in age from 20 to 65. Boulder district attorney discusses investigation into mass shootingTen people, including a police officer, were killed in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday afternoon when a gunman opened fire at a King Soopers grocery store, where residents had gathered to shop and receive COVID-19 vaccines. The victims range in age from 20 to 65, Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said. The slain officer, 51-year-old Eric Talley, was the first member of law enforcement to arrive at the scene, Herold said.  He was shot in the head, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. The other victims were identified as: Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Teri Leiker, 51; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jody Waters, 65. The shooting was reported at about 2:40 p. m.  local time, police said.  Officers arrived within minutes, entering the store and engaging with the suspect, who was shot in the exchange of gunfire, according to police. The suspect, 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, of Arvada, Colorado, suffered a leg wound and was taken into custody at 3:28 p. m.  Monday, the chief said. The suspect has been charged with 10 counts of murder, Herold said.  He was expected to be taken to the Boulder County Jail Tuesday following his release from the hospital, Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty said. The victims were found in the store and in the parking lot.  One person was in a car in the lot, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. The chief said she lives several blocks from the store. "I feel numb.  And it's heartbreaking," she said at a Tuesday news conference. Talley had been a member of the Boulder Police Department since 2010. He "loved this community," the police chief said.  "He's everything that policing deserves and needs. "President Joe Biden said Tuesday, "Officer Talley did not hesitate in his duty, making the ultimate sacrifice in his effort to save lives.  That's the definition of an American hero. "Talley was a father of seven. "He loved his kids and his family more than anything," Talley's father, Homer Talley, said in a statement to ABC News. Talley's father said the late officer joined the police force when he was 40 years old and recently started training to be a drone operator so he could get a job to keep himself off the front lines. "He didn't want to put his family through something like this," Homer Talley said. Victim Rikki Olds, 25, was a "strong, independent" young woman who worked at the grocery store, her uncle, Robert Olds, told ABC News. Her boyfriend rushed to the store parking lot in hopes of good news, he said. "She was so loved and she will be so missed," Robert Olds said.  "We are heartbroken and saddened and devastated. "The suspect bought a Ruger AR-556 pistol on March 16, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. Biden urged lawmakers on Tuesday to take action by banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. "I don't need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take common sense steps," he said. The Senate "should immediately pass the two House-passed bills that close loopholes in the background check system," Biden said. Biden has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House.  Last week, the president ordered flags to fly at half-staff in honor of the Georgia spa shooting victims.  That order expired at sunset on Monday. Former President Barack Obama said in a statement, "It is long past time for those with the power to fight this epidemic of gun violence to do so. ""We can overcome opposition by cowardly politicians and the pressure of a gun lobby that opposes any limit on the ability of anyone to assemble an arsenal," Obama said.  "We can, and we must. "Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse told reporters Tuesday, "We need to see a change because we have lost far too many lives. "As the shooting unfolded Monday afternoon, eyewitnesses shared videos from the parking lot on social media.  The videos showed officers ordering a suspect to come out of the store with his hands up and surrender.  Eyewitness videos from inside the supermarket show shoppers and employees trying to flee or hide. Andy Arellano, who works at the King Soopers store, told ABC Denver affiliate KMGH that he was concerned for his colleagues and shoppers as gunshots rang out. "We were like sitting ducks, you know, and that's one thing that I'm reliving it and looking at it in my head," Arellano said.  "And that, that bothers me, I'm still shivering, I'm still shaking. "Andrew Hummel told KMGH that he was at another store in the same shopping center when he heard the shots, prompting him and others to run out. Hummel said his roommate works at the store and hid in a storage room with some customers, texting updates to him. "I think one of the biggest scary text[s] that he sent, he just said, 'I love you guys, like, thank you for everything, in case, like, things go bad,'" Hummel said.  "That's something that I would never want to hear from any of my friends, because I knew the seriousness of what was going on.  And I was horrified. "Colorado Gov.  Jared Polis said in a statement, "Tonight, the families of these victims, our fellow Coloradans, my neighbors, are hearing the devastating news that their loved one who simply woke up and went to work this morning, or who ran out to pick up eggs, won't be coming home. ""Today we saw the face of evil.  I am grieving with my community and all Coloradans," he said. The King Soopers supermarket chain and its parent company, Kroger, released a joint statement Monday evening, offering "thoughts, prayers and support to our associates, customers, and the first responders who so bravely responded to this tragic situation. ""We will continue to cooperate with local law enforcement and our store will remain closed during the police investigation," the statement added. ABC News' Luke Barr, Alexander Malin, Nadine Shubailat and Morgan Winsor contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Voting begins for third phase of #LokSabhaElections2019 in 116 constituencies across 13 States & 2 Union Territories https://t.co/exD9eq8T8y

The Sambhal Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh is considered to be the Samajwadi Party’s stronghold. Mulayam Singh Yadav, the SP’s patriarch, won the general election from the constituency in 1998.  In 2004, Mulayam’s brother Ram Gopal Yadav successfully contested from Sambhal.  The Bahujan Samaj Party won the Sambhal seat in 2009 when Shafiqur Rahman Barq won as its candidate.  However, he lost to Satyapal Singh Saini of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2014 Lok Sabha election when he fought as an SP nominee. This year, Shafiqur Rahman Barq is the candidate for the SP-BSP alliance, the BJP has fielded Parmeshwar Lal Saini and Major JP Singh has been nominated by the Congress party. Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of members to Parliament at 80, will go to polls in all the seven phases of the Lok Sabha election 2019.  Votes will be counted on May 23. READ: All about Lok Sabha elections 2019Here are a few details about the Sambhal Lok Sabha seat:State: Uttar PradeshName of the Lok Sabha constituency: SambhalPolling date: April 232019 candidates: Parmeshwar Lal Saini (BJP), J P Singh (Congress)Sitting MP, party: Satyapal Singh, BJPWinning margin in 2014: 5,174Runner up name, party: Shafiqur Rahman Barq, SPNumber of voters in 2014: 1,057,002Percentage of votes polled in 2014: 62. 42%Number of women voters in 2014: 761,642Number of polling booths in 2014: 1,691


Here's a look back at the life and legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the US Supreme Court, in photos.

Ginsburg died Friday due to complications from pancreatic cancer. She was 87. https://t.co/UttySE8Z3J https://t.co/xeui4dH9lL

Aug.  10, 1993: Ruth Bader Ginsburg sworn in as Supreme Court justiceToday in HistoryToday is Monday, Aug.  10, the 223rd day of 2020.  There are 143 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History:On August 10, 1944, during World War II, American forces overcame remaining Japanese resistance on Guam. On this date:In 1680, Pueblo Indians launched a successful revolt against Spanish colonists in present-day New Mexico. In 1861, Confederate forces routed Union troops in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek in Missouri, the first major engagement of the Civil War west of the Mississippi River. In 1921, Franklin D.  Roosevelt was stricken with polio at his summer home on the Canadian island of Campobello. In 1945, a day after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Imperial Japan conveyed its willingness to surrender provided the status of Emperor Hirohito remained unchanged.  (The Allies responded the next day, saying they would determine the Emperor’s future status. )In 1962, Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man made his debut in issue 15 of “Amazing Fantasy” (cover price: 12 cents). In 1969, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were murdered in their Los Angeles home by members of Charles Manson’s cult, one day after actor Sharon Tate and four other people were slain. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a measure providing $20,000 payments to still-living Japanese-Americans who were interned by their government during World War II. In 1991, nine Buddhists were found slain at their temple outside Phoenix, Arizona.  (Two teenagers were later arrested; one was sentenced to life in prison, while the other received 281 years. )In 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the second female justice on the U. S.  Supreme Court. In 1995, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were charged with 11 counts in the Oklahoma City bombing (McVeigh was convicted of murder and executed; Nichols was convicted of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to life in prison). In 2006, British authorities announced they had thwarted a terrorist plot to simultaneously blow up 10 aircraft heading to the U. S.  using explosives smuggled in hand luggage. In 2016, Lonnie Franklin Jr. , the Los Angeles serial killer known as the “Grim Sleeper,” was sentenced to death for the murders of nine women and a teenage girl.  Franklin was found dead in his cell on March 20, 2020. Ten years ago: The House pushed through an emergency $26 billion jobs bill that Democrats said would save 300,000 teachers, police and others from layoffs; President Barack Obama immediately signed it into law.  Hollywood producer David L.  Wolper, 82, died in Beverly Hills, Calif. Five years ago: A draft of a secret study obtained by The Associated Press found that air traffic controllers’ work schedules often led to chronic fatigue, making them less alert and endangering the safety of the country’s air traffic system.  A power plant operator in southern Japan restarted a nuclear reactor, the first to begin operating under new safety requirements following the Fukushima disaster. One year ago: Jeffrey Epstein, accused of orchestrating a sex-trafficking ring and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, was found unresponsive in his cell at a New York City jail; he was later pronounced dead at a hospital.  (The city’s medical examiner ruled the death a suicide by hanging. )Today’s Birthdays: Actor Rhonda Fleming is 97.  Singer Ronnie Spector is 77.  Actor James Reynolds is 74.  Rock singer-musician Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) is 73.  Country musician Gene Johnson (Diamond Rio) is 71.  Singer Patti Austin is 70.  Actor Daniel Hugh Kelly is 68.  Folk singer-songwriter Sam Baker is 66.  Actor Rosanna Arquette is 61.  Actor Antonio Banderas is 60.  Rock musician Jon Farriss (INXS) is 59.  Singer Julia Fordham is 58.  Journalist-blogger Andrew Sullivan is 57.  Actor Chris Caldovino is 57.  Singer Neneh Cherry is 56.  Singer Aaron Hall is 56.  Former boxer Riddick Bowe is 53.  Actor Sean Blakemore is 53.  Rhythm-and-blues singer Lorraine Pearson (Five Star) is 53.  Singer-producer Michael Bivins is 52.  Actor-writer Justin Theroux is 49.  Actor Angie Harmon is 48.  Country singer Jennifer Hanson is 47.  Actor-turned-lawyer Craig Kirkwood is 46.  Actor JoAnna Garcia Swisher is 41.  Singer Cary Ann Hearst (Shovels & Rope) is 41.  Rhythm-and-blues singer Nikki Bratcher (Divine) is 40.  Actor Aaron Staton is 40.  Actor Ryan Eggold is 36.  Actor Charley Koontz is 33.  Actor Lucas Till is 30.  Reality TV star Kylie Jenner is 23.  Actor Jeremy Maguire is 9. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


A screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by the United States President Joe Biden is being shared on social media stating that Joe Biden addressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a world leader while thanking him for his greetings on him becoming the 46th US President.  Let’s verify the claim made in the post. Claim: Joe Biden’s tweet addressing  PM Narendra Modi as a world leader. Fact: This tweet is not posted from the account of the new United States President Joe Biden.  Joe Biden did not respond to the greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi till now.  The user name of the account that made this tweet is different from the one of Joe Biden’s official Twitter handle.  Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE. On 20 January 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his congratulations to Joe Biden for being sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.  As of now, Joe Biden has not responded to this tweet from Narendra Modi.  No such tweet was found in the tweets made from the personal and official Twitter handles of Joe Biden. My warmest congratulations to @JoeBiden on his assumption of office as President of the United States of America.  I look forward to working with him to strengthen India-US strategic partnership. On observing carefully, it is found that the username visible on the tweet is different from the user name (@JoeBiden) of Joe Biden’s personal Twitter handle.  Further, one can notice that there is no verified symbol on the Twitter account mentioned in the post. To sum it up, this tweet addressing PM Narendra Modi as a world leader is not posted from the official account of the US President Joe Biden, but from a parody account.


Kerala: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurate various development projects to the nation, at Kochi https://t.co/9QU7ZCKqPR

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talk to farmers protesting the Centre's farm laws to resolve their issues and said there is no scope for "egos" in a democracy. He accused the Centre of trying to break up the agitation by tiring out the farmers who have been camping at Delhi borders since November last year. Badal also appealed to the rank and file of the SAD to hoist black flags atop their houses on May 26 to express solidarity with the farmers. The agitating farmers will observe a 'black day' on May 26 to mark the completion of six months of their protest. Badal was here to inaugurate a 25-bed Covid care centre started by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee at the Guru Nanak Sangat Hospital in Kalra village.  The facility is also equipped with oxygen concentrators. He requested Modi to talk to the farmers immediately to resolve all their grievances and said there is no scope for "egos" in a democracy. Only "dictatorships adopted an intransigent attitude towards people", he added. The farmers have been demanding that 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 be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for crops. In a statement, Badal said instead of listening to the farmers, the central government "broke" talks with them and is trying its best to break up the agitation by tiring them out. "I want to state unequivocally that the SAD is a representative party of the farmers and the poor and will always stand up to support them.  I urge party workers to hoist black flags on their houses on May 26 to demand justice for the farming community," the SAD chief said. On Friday, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions spearheading the protest against the farm laws, had written to Modi seeking the resumption of talks. Several rounds of talks between farmers and the government in the past have failed to break the deadlock over the legislations.


Delhi: Heavy deployment of police personnel at the Red Fort as a preventive measure to dispel actions resulting from calls for 'Chakka Jaam' by farmer unions protesting the farm laws https://t.co/IgHF11YWyg

National Highway 44 has been blocked at Kurukshetra, Panipat and Karnal districts in Haryana as farmers carry out a 'chakka jam' protest against the three Central farm laws, said the police.  Farmers have also blocked Panipat-Rohtak highway near Panipat, Hisar-Chandigarh highway at Kaithal and Pehowa, Karnal-Jind highway near Assandh. Haryana police have diverted the traffic from NH 44 to alternative routes to avoid traffic jams.  The protestors said that the highway blockade will continue for three hours till 3pm.  However, they said they had made arrangements for food and water for commuters stuck in traffic jams on one of the busiest highways of the country, which caters to around 40,000 vehicles daily.  Earlier heavy police deployment was made around Chandigarh-Delhi national highway 44. The authorities tried to convince the protesting farmers not to block NH 44, which connects three states of Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and three union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Chandigarh with the national capital of Delhi, but the union leaders insisted on the blockade of all major national and Haryana state highways, forcing the authorities to divert the traffic from NH 44 to link roads. Rakesh Bains, national spokesperson of BKU (Charuni) said block level coordination committees have finalised the locations for protests. He said instructions have been issued to local farmers to ensure protests remain peaceful and the movement of ambulances, marriage parties and media persons were allowed. Following the vehicle-blockade call, Haryana ADGP Law and Order Navdeep Virk has asked all district superintendents of police to make necessary security arrangements at all traffic junctions and important roads. The district administrations have made arrangements to avoid any face-off with the farmers, who have identified hundreds of locations, including 11 in Karnal district alone, to block the highways. Also Read: Farmers' stir: Security tightened, many metro stations shut ahead of chakka jamKarnal Superintendent of police, Ganga Ram Punia, said that police deployment has been made to prevent traffic jams and apart from release of a traffic advisory, arrangements have been made to divert the traffic on the link roads when the highways are blocked. The traffic from NH 44 is being diverted from Bastara toll plaza to Kutail and Gharaunda.  Kurukshetra district police have issued an advisory too, diverting traffic from several highways to the link roads.


Defense attorneys for Roger Stone, the veteran GOP operative and former adviser to Pres. Trump, filed court documents seeking to dismiss charges brought by special counsel Robert Mueller and request access to his 400-page report in its entirety. https://t.co/DHgzOMAMpY https://t.co/IM20y5971Q

    Longtime Donald Trump ally Roger Stone is connected to investigations Robert Mueller sent to other prosecutors and that continue despite the special counsel having finished his work, the Justice Department said Friday in a new court filing.

    The Justice Department told the federal court in Washington, DC, on Friday afternoon that it shouldn’t allow the public release of search warrants being used in Stone’s criminal case in DC federal court.  The warrants “concern investigations that remain ongoing,” the filing says.  There’s so much sensitive information still in the search warrants that they should not even be released with redactions, the Justice Department argues.

    “Because of the interconnected nature of the Special Counsel’s investigations, the category of materials here sweeps more broadly than Stone and the specific crimes with which he has been charged,” the prosecutors wrote.

    “Although the Special Counsel has concluded his investigation, the requested materials concern investigations that remain ongoing, a trial in (Stone’s case) that is scheduled for later this year, and the privacy interests of uncharged third parties.  No right of public access applies to such materials,” the prosecutors said.  A media coalition, including CNN, had asked to unseal the Stone warrants.

    Prosecutors even gave a hypothetical about ongoing investigations, saying it’s possible a defendant gets charged with a crime but still has other conduct and communication with others under investigation.

    “The Special Counsel’s investigation has involved multiple lines of inquiry.  Many have been handled in the Special Counsel’s Office.  But the Special Counsel has also referred a number of matters to other offices in the government for investigation,” the prosecutors added.

    Stone was charged with lying, obstruction and witness intimidation related to his statements to Congress about his attempts to interact with WikiLeaks about stolen documents in 2016.  Russian military agents were separately charged by Mueller for the alleged hack of the Democrats.

    WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested in London on Thursday and charged with a conspiracy computer crime, but it did not touch on the 2016 hack or WikiLeaks’ publication of those documents.
  © 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


According to the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre, as of April 5, the United States has recorded the most number of confirmed COVID-19 cases – 330,000.  Over 9,500 people have lost their lives in the country due to the pandemic. A two-minute video which shows people looting a mall has gone viral on social media.  The claim associated with the video suggests that people in America are looting malls due to a fear of coronavirus.  On the bottom right, one can spot a CNN logo with the news flash – “BREAKING NEWS Organized theft of malls in California, Virginia, York and other cities due to fears of a corona virus. ”Kuwait-based social media celebrity Bibi Alabdulmohsen shared the viral video on Twitter (archive link).  She quote-tweeted a tweet which said, “Malls stormed America in California.  Virginia.  New York.  And other states (translated from اقتحام المولات بامريكا في كاليفورنا .  فيرجينيا .  نيويورك .  و ولايات اخرى). ”اللي نشوفه بأفلام نهاية العالم صار صج https://t. co/wl7gtcR1D2— تحيا بيبي العبدالمحسن (@Bibii6363) March 28, 2020Alt News has received several requests to fact-check the viral video on WhatsApp (+91 76000 11160) and on our official Android application.
Alt News performed a keywords search on YouTube and noticed that a similar-looking mall was looted in Veracruz, Mexico three years ago.
Using this as a clue, we performed another keyword search but with Spanish keywords ‘saqueo de centros comerciales’ (translation of ‘mall looting’ by Google).  The viral video was also published by a YouTube account Fernando Mojica J on January 6, 2017.
According to the description, the video shows the looting at Chedraui Ponti mall Veracruz on January 4, 2017.  A January 5, 2017 report by Bloomberg confirms the incident.  According to the report, people responded to a hike in gasoline prices by looting several malls.  The viral video has been clipped from the 1:46 mark. Readers should note that the breaking news text and CNN logo has been morphed.  The screenshot below compares stills from two videos which shows a man wearing number 12 jersey.
Therefore the claim associated with the viral video is false and misleading.  Americans did not loot malls in the US fearing coronavirus pandemic but the video represents an old incident from Mexico. Donate NowArchit is a graduate in English Literature from The MS University of Baroda.  He also holds a post-graduation diploma in journalism from the Asian College of Journalism.  Since then he has worked at Essel Group's English news channel at WION as a trainee journalist, at S3IDF as a fundraising & communications officer and at The Hindu as a reporter.  At Alt News, he works as a fact-checking journalist. A picture of Tej Pratap Yadav has been making the rounds on social media recently…. A video of police tying a rope around an elderly person’s wrists has been circulating…A photo of a man being flogged with his hands tied has been gathering a…A set of two images, an alleged tweet and a video has been shared on…A photo of an idol of Hindu deity Nandi found buried in the ground has…


A message is doing the rounds on social media claiming that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has accepted an Indian student’s home remedy for the cure of COVID-19.  In the message, it is mentioned that the home remedy was prepared by a student of Pondicherry University and he has prepared it by mixing 1 tablespoon of black pepper powder, 2 tablespoons of honey and some ginger juice.  It is mentioned that if the mixture is consumed consecutively for five days, the effects of Coronavirus would be suppressed.  Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post. Claim: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has accepted an Indian student’s home remedy for the cure of COVID-19. Fact: There is no authentic information that an Indian student from Pondicherry University has found a cure for COVID-19.  WHO website clearly states that, to date, there are no medicines that can prevent or treat COVID-19.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE. When we searched to check if any Indian student from Pondicherry University has found a cure for COVID-19, no news reports confirming the same were found.  Regarding the cure mentioned in the post, many news reports mentioned that the mixture (honey + black pepper powder + ginger juice) is a good remedy for cold and cough and also boosts immunity.  Those reports can be seen here, here and here.  But none of these reports claim this to be a cure for COVID-19. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has debunked myths that are being spread around the coronavirus disease.  One of the myths debunked also states that including Hot peppers (one of the ingredients mentioned in the post) in the food cannot cure or prevent COVID-19. In the same Mythbusters section on the WHO website, it can read that, to date, there are no medicines that can prevent or treat COVID-19. To sum it up, WHO has not accepted any Indian student’s home remedy for COVID-19 cure.


An old Facebook post is being shared again with the claim that, during a University’s Graduation Ceremony, US former First Lady Michelle Obama has hugged her daughter who wore a cap that had a quote by Prophet Muhammad printed on it.  Let’s try to check the veracity of the claim made in the post. Claim: Michelle Obama’s daughter wore a cap printed with a quote by Prophet Muhammad on it during her Graduation Ceremony. Fact: The woman hugging Michelle Obama, with a quote by Prophet Muhammad on her graduation cap is from Yemen named Orrubba, who graduated from ‘The City College of New York’ in 2016.  Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE. When the photo in the post is run through Google Reverse Image Search technique, it was found in the Instagram account of Michelle Obama.  It was posted in 2016 and from the description of the photo, it was found to be taken during the Graduation Ceremony of ‘The City College of New York’ in 2016. Michelle Obama was found to have posted another photo of the woman whom she hugged (the woman holds the same cap and also has the same dark blue hijab over her head) in the Graduation Ceremony.  By going through the description of the photo, it was found that she is from Yemen and her name is Orrubba.  Michelle Obama has two daughters Malia Obama and Sasha Obama.  From an article published by the BBC in 2017, it was found that the elder daughter Malia has joined for Graduation course in Harvard University in 2017 and the other daughter, Sasha was still in High School. To summarize, the woman seen hugging Michelle Obama during a Graduation Ceremony with a quote by Prophet Muhammad on her graduation cap isn’t her daughter.  She is from Yemen named Orrubba.  Did you watch our new Episode of DECODE Lite series.


Tikait arrived in Muzaffarnagar Mahapanchayat, Slogans of Allah Hu Akbar! Is this a farmers movement? Is this anti-Modi-Yogi or support for something specific?

A cropped video showing Rakesh Tikait raising the chant of 'Allah Hu Akbar' from the dais at the 'Kisan Mahapanchayat' held in Muzaffarnagar on September 5, 2021 is viral on social media with misleading claims.  The cropped video is being shared by right-wing social media users with captions purportedly claiming that Tikait is resorting to Muslim appeasement in the name of farmers protest.   On September 5, farm leaders driving the agitation against the Central government's three farm laws since several months descended in UP's Muzaffarnagar staging a show of strength.  According to an Indian Express report, the event was organised by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of farmers' unions leading the protest since past nine months.   Rakesh Tikait of the Bharatiya Kisan Union was one of the key speakers at the Sunday's Mahapanchayat.  The viral video is being shared against this backdrop.  Also read All The Fake News Spread By The Indian Media On Afghanistan Twitter user Aditya Trivedi tweeted a clip where Tikait can be seen speaking from the dais.  He says, "If government's like this are there in the country they will work to manufacture riots.  Earlier too when Tikait Sahab was there slogans were raised. . .  Allah hu Akbar. . . Allah hu Akbar. . .  such slogans were raised'.  (Hindi: इस तरह की अगर सरकारें देश में होंगी तो ये दंगे करवाने का काम करेगी . . पहले भी नारे लगते थे जब टिकैत साहब थे. . .  अल्लाह हू अकबर. . अल्लाह हू अकबर के नारे लगते थे) Trivedi shared the video with a Hindi caption translating to 'Tikait arrived in Muzaffarnagar Mahapanchayat, raised slogans of Allah Hu Akbar!  Is this a farmers' movement?  Is this anti-Modi-Yogi or support for something specific? '.  (Hindi: मुजफ्फरनगर महापंचायत में पहुंचे टिकैत, लगायें अल्लाह हू अकबर के नारे!  ये किसान आंदोलन है?  ये मोदी- योगी का विरोध है या किसी विशेष चीज़ को समर्थन? ) मुजफ्फरनगर महापंचायत में पहुंचे टिकैत,लगायें अल्लाह हू अकबर के नारे! ये किसान आंदोलन है? ये मोदी- योगी का विरोध है या किसी विशेष चीज़ को समर्थन?  https://t. co/liRW00dVTT pic. twitter. com/EVlZuiP3aA Right wing columnist Shefali Vaidya tweeted the video with a caption 'Cute.  Tikait and Taliban speak the exact same language'.  Cute.  Tikait and Taliban speak the exact same language :) pic. twitter. com/m45h79hPWE The video is viral on Facebook with similar captions.  BOOM found the video of Tikait's speech broadcast live on his official Facebook page where he can be seen speaking from the dais.  At timestamp 11. 24, Tikait can be heard saying 'If government's like this are there in the country they will work to manufacture riots.  Earlier too when Tikait Sahab was there slogans were raised. . .  Allah hu Akbar. . . Allah hu Akbar. . .  such slogans were raised'.  Also read Video From Pakistan Of Man Admitting To Stealing Electricity Viral As India When Tikait raises the slogan of Allah Hu Akbar, the crowd responds with Har Har Mahadev and Allah Hu Akbar.    Tikait then continues his speech saying 'Chants of Har Har Mahadev and Allah Hu AKbar were raised on the same land.  These chants will always be raised.  Riots won't happen again.  The will try to divide, we will try to unite.  Don't be in a misbelief.  This country is ours, this state is ours, these districts are ours'.  (Hindi: हर हर महादेव और अल्लाह हु अकबर के नारे इसी धरती से लगते थे.  ये नारे हमेशा लगते रहेंगे.  दंगा यहां पर नहीं होगा.  ये तोड़ने का काम करेंगे हम जोड़ने का काम करेंगे.  किसी ग़लतफ़हमी में मत रहना ये देश हमारा है, ये प्रदेश हमारा है,  ये ज़िले हमारे हैं) Muzaffarnagar had been the epicentre of Hindu-Muslim communal riots in 2013.  Clashes erupted on September 7, 2013 in Muzaffarnagar and claimed at least 50 lives.   Also read Photo Of A 2014 Street Play In London Falsely Linked To Afghanistan


From Russia to North Korea to Ukraine, John Bolton was in the room for key decisions of the Trump White House.

Read the broadcast transcript of his exclusive interview with @MarthaRaddatz. https://t.co/f9uYCaoWT7

By Zachary Cohen, CNNUpdated 0849 GMT (1649 HKT) June 22, 2020 Washington (CNN)Former White House national security adviser John Bolton called President Donald Trump "naive and dangerous," in an ABC News interview that aired Sunday, adding that he hopes his former boss will be remembered as a one-term president.


A post with a photo is being widely shared on Facebook with the claim that it is a rare picture of Mahatma Gandhi’s murder by Nathuram Godse.  Let’s analyze the claim made in the post. Claim:  A rare picture of Mahatma Gandhi’s murder by Nathuram Godse. Fact: The image is from a still of the movie ‘Nine Hours to Rama (1963)’.  So, the claim is FALSE. When the image is subjected to reverse image search technique, a link of ‘Internet Movie Database’ (IMDb) was obtained in the search results.  It is related to the movie ‘Nine Hours to Rama (1963)’.  The image was found in the photo gallery of that movie.  The movie is about Nathuram Godse’s plan to kill Mahatma Gandhi and the task of a police officer, Gopal Das, to find the killer before it’s too late.  The movie ‘Nine Hours to Rama’ was found on YouTube and a still in it, at 1:55:32, is similar to that of the viral photograph.  To conclude, a still from a movie is falsely shared as ‘Rare picture of Mahatma Gandhi’s murder by Nathuram Godse’. Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?


West Bengal: Members of LGBT community, Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee and students of Jadavpur University hold protest against #CitizenshipAmendmentAct & NRC, in Kolkata. https://t.co/yG46vndHRu

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit out at the government for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA, saying she will not allow them (the BJP government) take away their rights. “If we raise the issue of joblessness and hunger, they say go to Pakistan,” Banerjee said while addressing a rally in Siliguri.  “I won’t let them take rights,” she said. “It’s a shame that even after 70 years of Independence, we have to prove our citizenship,” Banerjee added. They are dividing the country in the name of religion, she further said adding, “India a big country with rich culture and heritage; why do you regularly compare our nation with Pakistan? ”She also took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he behaves like an ambassador of Pakistan.  “Are you prime minister of India or ambassador of Pakistan; why do you glorify Pakistan on every issue? ” Banerjee said. PM Modi had attacked the Congress party and those who are protesting against the CAA, questioning why they are not exposing Pakistan.  “Pakistan was formed on the basis of religion, religious minorities were being persecuted there.  The persecuted were forced to come to India as refugees.  But Congress and its allies don’t speak against Pakistan, instead they are taking out rallies against these refugees,” PM Modi said in Karnataka’s Tumakuru on Thursday. “Has prime minister forgotten about India that he needs to talk about Pakistan at regular intervals? ” said Banerjee. Banerjee also urged other political parties to join her in opposing the CAA.  “I am fighting against National Register of Citizens and CAA, join hands with me.  I am requesting all people to come forward to save our democracy,” said Banerjee.


Telangana: Bharatiya Janata Party Working President JP Nadda holds a door-to-door campaign in Hyderabad, as a part of the party's membership drive. https://t.co/qivfJL7i3r

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cannot play Karnataka-like dramas in Telangana, as the people of the state do not entertain its divide-and-rule politics, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president K T Rama Rao said on Monday. Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, alleged that the BJP leaders were day-dreaming of coming to power in Telangana.  “The BJP leaders do not want peaceful co-existence of people of all religions.  They want to split the community and rule them.  Such tactics will not work in Telangana,” he said. The TRS leader, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s son, took strong exception to the allegations leveled by BJP national working president J P Nadda at a public rally on Sunday against the TRS government.  Addressing a public rally in Hyderabad on August 18, Nadda had said that BJP will “re-write the history in Telangana” as the party is confident of securing the state in BJP’s kitty by the year 2024. Describing Nadda as “abaddhala adda” (a bundle of lies), KTR said the BJP working president had only read out the script prepared by the state party leaders. “It is ridiculous that Nadda talked about scam in Kaleshwaram project.  Let him go back to Delhi and find out why central funding agencies had appreciated the project which was completed in a record period of three years.  He should know why the Niti Aayog authorities had appreciated the project.  Doesn’t he feel ashamed to make such wild allegations against the TRS government? ” Rao said. Talking about a Congress leader who had vowed not to shave his beard until he proves the alleged corruption in Kaleshwaram, Rao said, “What happened to him?  His party had to bite the dust in the elections and yet he continues to sport the beard. ” “Nadda said the people were unhappy with the misrule of the KCR government.  If that is the case, how could the TRS win nearly 100 out of 119 seats in the assembly elections? ” KTR asked. He said that the BJP leaders who are accusing TRS of corruption should prove their allegations.  “Otherwise, people will teach them a fitting lesson,” he said. Also watch | Viral video: Crocodile on roof of submerged house in flood-hit Karnataka Challenging the BJP President, Rao said that Nadda should show one single BJP-ruled state which was implementing welfare schemes akin to those being implemented in Telangana.  “No state is implementing round-the-clock, free power supply to the agriculture sector.  No state has schemes like Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya.  Now, the Centre and some BJP-ruled states have started copying our schemes,” he asserted.  Mission Bhagiratha is a scheme guaranteeing piped drinking water supply to every household and Mission Kakatiya is a scheme for restoration of tank irrigation.  Responding to an allegation by Nadda, accusing the Telangana government of not implementing NDA government’s Ayushman Bharat scheme, the TRS leader said the state was already implementing its own Arogya Sri scheme.  “Ayushman Bharat is a bakwas (waste) scheme.  Our health scheme is much better than Ayushman Bharat,” he said.


A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as the visuals of a massive protest in Bangladesh against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh.  This photo shows hundreds of Muslims marching in a rally.  In the wake of PM Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Bangladesh on 26 March 2021, this post is being shared on social media.  Let’s verify the claim made in the post. Claim: Photo of a massive protest in Bangladesh opposing the PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh. Fact: The photo shared in the post is an old one.  In October 2020, thousands of Muslims marched in Dhaka protesting the French cartoons on Prophet Mohammed.  This photo is related to that protest and has nothing to do with PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh.  Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE. On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found in an article published on 27 October 2020.   This article mentioned the picture to be of a massive protest held in Dhaka city, Bangladesh.  This protest was held against the French Cartoons on Prophet Mohammed.  Reporting the same, ‘The Irish Times’ shared the same photo in a galley article published on 27 October 2020.  This article reported that thousands of demonstrators marched in a rally towards the French Embassy in Dhaka, protesting the French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments on Prophet Mohammed cartoons. Sharing a similar photo, ‘BBC’ News published an article about this protest held in Dhaka city of  Bangladesh.  In the article, it is mentioned that thousands of Muslims participated in a protest rally demanding the complete boycott of French products in Bangladesh.  This rally was held in protest against the French President Emmanuel Macron’s statement on not giving up the Prophet Mohammed cartoons published in Charlie Hebdo magazine. To sum it up, 2020 photo of Bangladesh Muslims protest against French cartoons is shared as the protest against PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh.


A post is being shared on social media claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had helped India win its first Olympic medal.  Let us fact-check the claim made in the post. Claim: Photo of Aaj Tak crediting Modi with the first Olympic medal. Fact: This photo of Aaj Tak crediting Modi for the Olympic medal is morphed from an image published by Aaj Tak in its Facebook page.  Aaj Tak is a Hindi news channel which runs a program named ‘Khabardar’ usually every night.  There are no such programs, in the given list from Aaj Tak’s website, which claim that Modi had helped India win its first Olympic medal.  Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE. When reverse image search is done on the photo, a Facebook post published by Aaj Tak was found.  This post was published on 09 July 2019 with an identical image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and news anchor Sweta Singh, as in the social media post.  The post is read in English as, ‘Watch Khabardar at 9 pm with Sweta Singh’ and it poses a question saying, ‘Will PM Modi win the world cup for India? ’.  This news program was done in 2019, when India was playing the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England. When the photo is closely observed, the title has been changed from ‘Will PM Modi win the world cup for India? ’ to ‘PM Modi helped India win its first Olympic medal’. Three medals were pasted on the logo of the cricket world cup trophy seen in the original image; the trophy can still be seen in the edited image. Aaj Tak is a Hindi news channel that runs a program named ‘Khabardar’ usually every night.  The list of topics they addressed in these programs recently can be seen here.  There are no programs in the list which claim that PM Modi had helped India win its first Olympic medal. Mirabai Chanu won India’s first medal at the Tokyo Olympics on 24 July 2021.  She won a silver medal in the Women’s 49kg weightlifting event.  Articles regarding this can be seen here and here.  Mirabai Chanu dedicated her Olympic medal to India and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his encouragement. To sum it up, the photo of Aaj Tak crediting Modi for the first Olympic medal is morphed.


CLAIM A poster of a women’s protest march, organised by the Mumbai Citizen’s Forum, was shared by multiple handles on social media, claiming that the dress code for the event was hijab or burqa.  The march was against the recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.  An archived version of the tweet can be seen here.  Various handles shared the same poster, calling out the ‘mandatory’ outfit.  Most of the tweets were from Friday, 17 January.  BJP members, including media panelist Yashveer Raghav, tweeted saying that the protesters were pushing the country towards sharia law.  The same poster was also shared on Facebook by Postcard English, a website which has been caught peddling fake news multiple times in the past.  TRUE OR FALSE?  The claim that the women protesters have to wear a burqa or hijab is false.  The content of the poster has been manipulated to discredit the protest.  WHAT WE FOUND The Quint found a poster of the event, tweeted on 15 January, two days before the false claim went viral.  The tweet was by Aamir Edresy, one of the organisers of the protest march.  The poster did not mention any dress code for women participants of the march.  Further, The Quint got in touch with Edresy, who said that there was no dress code for people who attend the protest.


Delhi: Security tightened in Seelampur area on the occasion of #EidAlAdha. https://t.co/wtiU6y029N

The number of coronavirus disease has already seen a huge spike in national capital Delhi, and now a cluster of 15 infections has been reported from a building, according to Hindustan Times’ sister publication Hindustan. The building is located in Arjun Nagar locality in South Delhi’s Hauz Khas, Hindustan further reported.  The Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) has ordered sealing of entire locality; the area has been sub-divided into containment zone and buffer zone, it said. This means the essentials will now be provided by the administration. Arjun Nagar is a densely populated locality.  The building where the cluster has been found saw a number of vegetable shops nearby.  Almost all the residents of the area used to buy vegetables from these vendors, and are now concerned about contracting the infection, Hindustan reported. All these vendors will be screened for Covid-19, as per the order of the SDM.  Twenty families have also been quarantined. Municipal Councillor Radhika Abrol told Hindustan that every building in the locality has four floors which house a lot of people. Delhi recorded 2,084 fresh coronavirus cases on Monday, taking the infection tally in the city to over 85,000, while the death toll from the disease rose to 2,680, the authorities said.  The number of containment zones in the city also jumped to 435 on Monday, according to a Delhi Health Department bulletin. The national capital had reported the highest single-day spike of 3,947 cases on June 23. Fifty-seven fatalities have been recorded in the national capital in last 24 hours, the bulletin said.  It said the death toll due to coronavirus has risen to 2,680. The number of active cases stands at 26,246 while 56,235 patients have migrated/recovered or have been discharged.


LATEST: A third woman has alleged unwanted advances by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. https://t.co/eaSFHmwZld

By Paul LeBlanc and Gregory Krieg, CNNUpdated 9:20 PM ET, Tue March 2, 2021 Washington (CNN)Democratic New York Gov.  Andrew Cuomo made an unwanted advance toward a woman at a 2019 wedding, The New York Times first reported on Monday evening and a friend of the woman who says they witnessed the incident told CNN on Tuesday.


NEW: A Chicago judge ordered $1 million bond for R. Kelly on Saturday after the singer was charged with 10 counts of felony sex abuse. https://t.co/e5PPQVJRcC

    A judge in Chicago set bond for R.  Kelly at $1 million Saturday on charges the singer sexually abused four females from 1998 to 2010.

    Under the terms of his bond, Kelly must surrender his passport and may not have contact with anyone under 18.

    The singer, whose full name is Robert Kelly, was arrested and indicted Friday on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four alleged victims.

    A Cook County judge set bond at $250,000 for each case.  Kelly, one of the most successful R&B acts in history, needs to put forth $100,000 to make bail.

    Prosecutors also revealed additional graphic details about the accusations against him.

    Among the revelations was that Kelly allegedly spit on two the victims.  And one of the alleged victims provided authorities with a shirt she wore during an alleged encounter with Kelly, which later tested positive for his DNA.

    At the time of the alleged abuse, two of the victims were 16 years old, one was between 14 and 16, and the fourth was 24, according to Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s description of the evidence.

    The indictment says Kelly used force or the threat of force.

    Kelly’s attorney Steve Greenberg said Kelly and his defense team are “very happy” with the bond and that it seems “fair and reasonable given the allegations. ”

    “Right now he’s presumed innocent,” he said.  “We haven’t seen any reason to believe that these allegations are credible. ”

    Greenberg said Friday that he thinks “all the women are lying. ”

    “Mr.  Kelly is strong, he’s got a lot of support and he’s going to be vindicated on all these charges – one by one if it has to be. ”

    Kelly turned himself in Friday night, just hours after Chicago police issued a warrant for his arrest.  He arrived in a large, black van wearing a hoodie under an electric blue puffer jacket.  He waded through a sea of reporters asking questions such as “What do you have to say to the fans? ” and “What do you have to say to the black women of Chicago? ”

    Kelly did not respond.  Once he entered the building, he was handcuffed and led away by police.  His arraignment is set for March 8.

R.  Kelly charged with sexual abuse

    A grand jury was convened in Cook County this month in connection with new allegations against Kelly, two sources close to the case told CNN.

    Greenberg told CNN this month that he had not been notified of a grand jury.   Days before, attorney Michael Avenatti announced he had given the State’s Attorney’s Office a videotape that he said showed Kelly having sex with an underage girl.

    “This tape leaves no question as to whether R.  Kelly is guilty of multiple sexual, illegal acts against a 14-year-old girl,” he told reporters Friday.  He said Foxx’s investigation was “very thorough … dedicated and methodical. ”

    CNN has seen the VHS tape, which is 42 minutes and 45 seconds, clear and explicit.  It appears to show Kelly having sex with a girl who refers to her body parts as 14 years old.

    Homeland Security Investigations is involved in an investigation of Kelly, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement official said.  The official did not provide any details.

    In a news conference Friday, his attorney told reporters he did not know what was on the tape.

    Greenberg brought a point of contention to one of the cases in the indictment.

    “One of the charges appears to involve the same alleged victim from the earlier case and double jeopardy should bar that case,” he  said.

    But the charges in the 2008 case were child pornography charges, and different from the aggravated sexual abuse charges Kelly currently faces.

    Kelly has been associated with accusations of abuse, manipulation and inappropriate encounters with girls and young women for more than two decades.  He has strongly denied the accusations.

Analysis: Black women would not rest until R.  Kelly was investigated

    What is on the latest video mirrors some of the alleged acts for which Kelly was arrested in a child pornography case in 2002 when he was 35 and then acquitted six years later.

    He has been sued by multiple women accusing him of having sex with them when they were underage.  Most cases, with the exception of the trial where he was acquitted, have been settled out of court.

    There has been a growing movement against him, including the #MuteRKelly campaign to stop his music being played.  His hits include “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Ignition. ”

    In January, the release of a docuseries called “Surviving R.  Kelly” on Lifetime television helped boost the public campaign against him.

    In that series, women said they were kept in abusive sexual relationships.

  CNN’s Sara Sidner and Nick Watt reported from Chicago, and Madeline Holcombe and Dakin Andone reported and wrote from Atlanta.  CNN’s Steve Almasy, Brad Parks and Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


As West Bengal gears up for the eight-phase Assembly election, starting 27 March, an image showing a massive gathering at a Left Front rally organised in Kolkata in 2019 is doing the rounds on social media as that from a recent joint rally organised by Congress and the CPI (M).  CLAIM The image showing a massive gathering of people is being shared with different claims to insinuate that the turnout is representative of people’s anger against the central government and the state government in Bengal.  Some Congress and Left functionaries shared the image with the same misleading claim.  WHAT WE FOUND On conducting a reverse image search on the picture, we came across a tweet that mentioned that the picture is from 2019.  Taking a cue from here, we ran a keyword search on Google using ‘Left Front Brigade 2019’ and found a report from February 2019 by Peoples Dispatch, a media organisation that covers people’s movements and organisations across the globe, carrying the viral image.  We also found the viral image on the website of Alamy stock photo collection, which mentioned that it was taken on 3 February 2019 ahead of the general elections.  Here’s a comparison between the viral image and the Alamy image from 2019.  The Left Front in alliance with the Congress has formed the Indian Secular Front (ISF) for the upcoming Bengal elections.  While they did organise a rally to kickstart their campaign on 28 February, the viral image is from 2019.


CORONAVIRUS LATEST: 157,901 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the United States on Monday, according to real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

It's the 28th straight day that the country has reported over 100,000 newly diagnosed infections. https://t.co/Af4pxJ1UTD https://t.co/ABviaJeCxZ

By Jessie Yeung, Adam Renton, Emma Reynolds and Ed Upright, CNNOur live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic has moved here. From CNN’s Amanda WattsIn November, 47 US states saw growth in new Covid-19 cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Looking at the seven-day average of new cases for each state on November 1 and comparing that to November 30, only three states saw a decline in average cases over the last month: The other 47 states and Washington, DC all saw an increase in their seven-day average of new cases over the month, according to JHU. November cases: The US added a total of 4,408,176 new coronavirus infections -- or nearly 33% of all Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began, the JHU data shows. Hospitalizations: Thirty-four states and one US territory reported at least one record-high day of Covid-19 hospitalizations last month, according to The Covid Tracking Project.  They were: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico.   From CNN's Mohammed TawfeeqThe International Rescue Committee (IRC) has urged the new Biden-Harris administration "to devote an additional $20 billion to the fight against COVID-19 globally" in its first 100 days. This money will help "stem the immediate impact of the virus on lives and livelihoods amongst the world's most vulnerable," according to Elinor Raikes, regional vice president and head of program delivery at ICR, in a statement released Tuesday. "President-Elect Biden must take urgent and expansive action to reverse these devastating trends, returning the US to global humanitarian leadership and galvanizing the international community into much-needed humanitarian action," Raikes added. From CNN's Rosa Flores and Denise Royal Ventilator use is up by almost 50% in Miami-Dade County in Florida and the number of coronavirus patients in intensive care has risen by 35% in the last two weeks, according to the county’s Covid-19 dashboard. County records show 795 patients are currently hospitalized in Miami-Dade County, a 37% increase. Florida is reporting that 4,162 patients are hospitalized state-wide, according to its Agency for Health Care Administration -- a 28% increase in the past two weeks, per data compiled by The Covid Tracking Project.  A record-high 96,039 Covid-19 patients were hospitalized in the US as of Monday evening, according to the Covid Tracking Project. California Gov.  Gavin Newsom on Monday told reporters that the intensive care unit bed capacity in the state might reach 112% by Christmas Eve, if the trend of surging infections continues. In Rhode Island, officials prepared to use field hospitals after telling residents their systems were already at capacity. As the process of trialing and approving the multiple Covid-19 vaccines continues across the world, here's the latest on when they're expected to be available, and where:North America:BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna have both submitted requests for emergency use authorization to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their vaccine candidates.  The FDA has called meetings of its advisers for December 10 to discuss Pfizer’s application and December 17 to discuss Moderna’s.  Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Monday that meant it’s possible people could begin receiving vaccines by Christmas.  Pfizer has also initiated a rolling submission in Canada.  Europe:Pfizer and Moderna submitted applications of their Covid-19 vaccine to the European Medicines Agency today that could enable their use before the end of the year.  Pfizer also formally reported its data to the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).  The UK government has referred the vaccine candidate from AstraZeneca and Oxford University to the national medicines regulator for assessment on Friday, but questions over some of its data could delay the rollout. South AmericaSeveral Covid-19 vaccines are undergoing clinical trials in Brazil, which has the second-highest number of virus deaths worldwide and the third-highest number of total cases.  The Oxford/AstraZeneca trial has been conducted with the support of the Ministry of Health and public health federal research institute Fiocruz.  Elcio Franco, the ministry's executive secretary, said the public may have access to that vaccine by January.  Venezuela is taking part in Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine candidate's Phase 3 clinical trials, and Peru and Argentina in Chinese pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm's Phase 3 trials.  Asia-PacificPfizer and BioNTech have initiated rolling submissions in Australia and Japan.  Almost a million people have been given an experimental vaccine developed by Sinopharm as part of an emergency-use program authorized by Beijing, the Chinese pharmaceutical giant's chairman said.  In June, Chinese company CanSino Biologics announced it had been given special authorization to administer its experimental vaccine to the People's Liberation Army.   India is preparing to distribute "hundreds of millions of doses" of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in the first and second quarter of 2021, drug manufacturer Serum Institute of India's CEO Adar Poonawalla said at a news conference on Saturday.  SII will apply for an emergency use license from India's drug authority in the next two weeks. Middle East:Sinopharm has carried out Phase 3 trials in 10 countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and Egypt -- but it is not clear whether that means they will be first in line to receive the vaccine.  Phase 3 trials for Russia's Sputnik V vaccine are also taking place in the UAE.  Israel began the first phase of clinical trials earlier this month for vaccine candidate BriLife, developed at the Israel Institute for Biological Research.  Phase 3 is expected to begin in April or May. Africa:Vaccinations against Covid-19 might not start in Africa until the middle of next year, the head of the continent’s centers for disease control John Nkengasong said Thursday.    Pfizer and Moderna's early supply of vaccines will be tied up in the US and Europe.  AstraZeneca is the only company that has announced Phase 3 trial results that has so far promised to supply doses to Covax, the vaccine initiative that will roll it out in many low- and middle-income countries.  It will do so on a non-profit basis.  Current modelling suggests it could take until September 2023 for vaccines to reach all countries.  From CNN's Sharon BraithwaiteA record 235 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection next year, "a near-40% increase on 2020 which is almost entirely from COVID-19,” the UN’s emergency relief chief Mark Lowcock said statement Tuesday. This number has risen to 1 in 33 people worldwide, a significant increase from 1 in 45 registered at the same time last year, which was already the highest figure in decades, the UN Global Humanitarian Overview 2021 reported.   The global health crisis has "dramatically" impacted people already reeling from conflict, record levels of displacement and climate change shocks, Lowcock said, adding that this was “the bleakest and darkest perspective on humanitarian needs in the period ahead that we have ever set out"He said that was a reflection of the fact that the pandemic "has wreaked carnage across the whole of the most fragile and vulnerable countries on the planet. ”Echoing Lowcock’s call for global solidarity, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the world to “stand with people in their darkest hour of need,” as the global pandemic continues to worsen, the statement reads. From CNN's Susannah CullinaneA Texas doctor who was pictured cradling a distraught Covid-19 patient on Thanksgiving has spoken of the isolation of his elderly patients and pleaded with people to "do the basic things" to avoid infection. Hospitalizations from Covid-19 reached another record high across the US Monday, with officials across several states expressing concern that health care facilities would be overwhelmed. Dr.  Joseph Varon, chief of staff at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, told CNN's New Day on Monday that he had worked for 256 days nonstop in the pandemic so far and was frustrated by people not doing the right thing as coronavirus patients continue to fill his hospital beds. He said the man he had been consoling had just wanted to see his family, but would not be able to see his wife until he tested negative and could be discharged. Some 96,039 Covid-19 patients were hospitalized across the US as of Monday evening, according to the Covid Tracking Project and the virus's toll continues to climb. Read the full story here:Watch:From CNNs Fred Pleitgen in Eschwege, GermanyBioNTech and Pfizer have submitted an application of their Covid-19 vaccine to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) that could enable its use before the end of the year, according to a news release.  This submission completes a rolling review process that began on October 6.  The vaccine candidate will now be assessed according to EMA’s normal stringent standards for quality, safety and efficacy, the drug makers said. Ugur Sahin, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech, said it was an important step "as we continue to seek to enable a worldwide supply upon potential approval" of the vaccine. Earlier this month, BioNTech and drug giant Pfizer submitted their mRNA coronavirus vaccine candidate to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The companies have now submitted to the EMA, FDA and UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, and have initiated rolling submissions in countries including Australia, Canada and Japan. Drugmaker Moderna yesterday announced it will become the second pharmaceutical company to apply to the FDA for emergency use authorization of its Covid-19 vaccine. From CNN’s Mick KreverThe Dutch government is mandating the use of of face masks in all publicly accessible, covered places from today. The mandate applies in stores, public transportation (including platforms), barbers, and schools (though not primary schools). Those who do not adhere to the mandate face the possibility of a 95 euro ($114) fine. The mandate does not apply to children under 13 years old, or to buildings not accessible to the general public and places of worship. From CNN's Stephanie HalaszAustria has launched a mass Covid-19 testing program for its 9 million citizens, as infections surge across Europe. According to the country's health ministry, the mass testing aims to achieve an "inventory of active infections, faster and broader localization of active cases of infection and thus a more efficient break in the chains of infection. ” Inhabitants started getting tested Tuesday morning, according to the website of the Salzburg federal state.  All those registered in Salzburg can voluntarily get checked. In Annaberg-Lungötz, the mayor went door-to-door to alert people that the test was available, according to CNN affiliate NTV. Austria has recorded 282,456 infections and 3,184 virus-related deaths so far, according to its interior ministry. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post misidentified where the mayor knocked door-to-door to inform people about the testing program.  It happened in Annaberg-Lungötz. Please enable JavaScript for a better experience.


Democratic 2020 candidates were quick to vent frustration at Attorney General Barr, called on the special counsel to testify before Congress, and demanded release of the full, unredacted Mueller report. https://t.co/RnX3OH9J7Q https://t.co/kMYiTVMYSO

  There will be two versions of the redacted special counsel report, with one being released to the public and one that will eventually go to a limited number of members of Congress with fewer redactions, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

  Some of the redactions in the Mueller report will be because of the gag order in the case involving Republican activist Roger Stone, they wrote.  Prosecutors say they are making these redactions so not to potentially prejudice a jury, since Stone has pleaded not guilty to the charges he faces and is headed to trial.

  In a court filing related to the Stone case, prosecutors outlined a careful plan to prevent leaks of the less-redacted version the Justice Department plans to provide to Congress.

Attorney General William Barr to hold press conference Thursday on Mueller report

  First, prosecutors  will “secure” the less-redacted version – suggesting it won’t be available immediately.  They will also keep it in an “appropriate setting” and limit its access to only some members of Congress and their staff.

  If Congress wants copies of the less-redacted version, prosecutors may want to ask a federal judge for permission before giving it to them, prosecutors wrote on Wednesday.
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A photograph of a towering block of buildings is being shared across social media with the claim that it is from Hong Kong and is as tall as it looks.  The structure appears to be a very tall one, with barely any sky visible.   However, we found that while the photograph is originally from Hong Kong, it is an edited picture of the Yick Cheong building.  Its photographer, Tristan Zhou, partakes in urban photography and took a picture of the structure, popularly known as Monster Building in Hong Kong, and edited it to add to its height.   CLAIM The photograph is shared attributing the picture's location to Hong Kong.   Other posts on Facebook and Twitter can be seen here, here, here and here.  WHAT WE FOUND OUT Using reverse image search, we found the photograph of an online art photography selling website, Yellow Korner.  The photograph, titled 'Monster Building Multiplied'  was attributed to one Tristan Zhou.  Under a section called 'About The Artwork', the page discusses Zhou's work and talks about his openness about editing his photographs.  Using 'Monster Building' and 'Tristan Zhou' as keywords, we found the photographer's website where the image is published under 'Urban'.  It shows many similar photographs of urban landscapes and patterns.  We also found Zhou's Instagram profile, where he posted the picture on 7 June 2021.  In its caption, he explains, "I had this editing idea when I was sitting a my place waiting for my Uber ride in 2018. " A quick search for 'Monster Building' on Google Maps leads to the Yick Cheong Building in Quarry Bay, Hong Kong and the actual size of the building can be seen through street view.  The structure has been used as a set in many films, including Michael Bay's Transformers: Age of Extinction and the 2017 live-action adaptation of Ghost In The Shell.  Zhou's photograph of the Monster Building in Quarry Bay, Hong Kong is mesmerising but is an edited image.


JUST IN: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced elementary schools will be reopening in-person on Monday, Dec. 7, in a reversal from a previous decision. https://t.co/jDqHzKJrd5

By Nectar Gan, Brett McKeehan and Eoin McSweeney, CNNOur live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic has ended for the day. New York City public schools grades 3-k, Pre-k, and K-5th grade will begin reopening for in-person learning Dec.  7, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Schools will begin reopening in phases, de Blasio said.  Students will be tested weekly and parents will be required to sign a consent form for every student that will take in-person classes, de Blasio said. Nearly 300,000 students are eligible to return to school, according to de Blasio.  District 75 schools, which provide specialized instruction for students with significant needs, will reopen beginning Dec.  10, de Blasio saidSchools are moving to five-days a week of in-person classes as much as possible, the mayor said. From CNN's Leanna FaulkIn order to mitigate the spread of the virus, White House coronavirus task force member Dr.  Deborah Birx, is encouraging Americans to get tested for Covid-19. Birx said that people over the age of 65 should get tested immediately if they develop any symptoms.  “If you're over 65 or you have comorbidities and you gathered at Thanksgiving – if you develop any symptoms, you need to be tested immediately,” Birx said.  Birx also encouraged families who gathered for Thanksgiving to consider wearing a mask while inside their homes in order to protect their loved ones from possibly contracting the virus.  From CNN's Sheena JonesMaryland reports 1,999 new cases of Covid-19 and the state has a test positivity rate of 6. 53%, according to information on the state’s department of health website.  The state reported 23 additional deaths on Sunday, the website said.  To note: These numbers were released by the state’s health agency, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and our Covid tracker. From CNN Health’s Naomi ThomasDr.  Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told NBC that Americans should have confidence in distribution plans for a Covid-19 vaccine due to a long history of vaccine distribution, despite problems with testing strategies.  While it isn’t to the extent that vaccine goes to 300 million people, every year the system is set up so that they distribute 80 million or more vaccines, he said on "Meet the Press. " “This isn’t something that they’ve done just for the first time, obviously you’re going to want to scale it up because the numbers are going to be greater,” he said.  More details: There are a couple of aspects to getting vaccine into the arm of someone who needs it, Fauci said.  The first is to get transport from where it is being made and stored to the localities that need it, which Fauci said is being handled by General Gus Perna and the military.  Once the vaccine gets there, the state and local authorities are responsible for the distribution.   “The part about 300 million doses getting shipped is going to be taken care of by people who know how to do that,” he said.  “The part at the distal end, namely getting into people's arms, is going to be more challenging than just the regular flu season.  I think you'd be foolish to deny that.  But I think it's going to be able to be done because the local people have done that in the past.  Hopefully, they'll get the resources to help them to do that. ”From CNN's Leanna FaulkDr.  Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said bars and indoor-seated restaurants should be closed to prioritize re-opening schools in New York City.  Fauci said in order to keep schools open, Americans must continue to stop the spread of the virus within the community.  “Let's try to get the kids back, and let's try to mitigate the things that maintain and just push the kind of community spread that we're trying to avoid,” Fauci said.  “And those are the things that you know well – the bars, the restaurants where you have capacity seating indoors without masks. ”“Those are the things that drive the community spread – not the schools,” he said. ” From CNN's Naomi ThomasAdm.  Brett Giroir, the White House’s coronavirus testing czar, responded on Sunday to a question from CNN about whether it would be a mistake for the Biden team to change the vaccine distribution plan.  CNN's Dana Bash quoted Giroir’s message to the Biden administration team from earlier in the week as “you need to let it work. ” Giroir also gave the reminder that almost everyone on Operation Warp Speed, “who’s actually delivering the vaccine and controlling the logistics, they’ll be there on January 19, they’ll be there on January 21. ” “So, I believe there’ll be a smooth, professional transition,” he said.  He said to remember that they’re starting with about 40 million doses of vaccine, already this year there have been 180 million flu vaccines distributed.   “Now the logistics are more difficult and the cold chain is more difficult, but I really am confident in the plan to get it, and particularly get it to the states and get it to the high risk populations,” he said.  On testing, Giroir said that the US is doing more than enough. “We’re doing everything we can possibly do on testing,” he told CNN. “We have our first home based test, it's only available about 100,000 per month, but we're going to continue to invest, knock down every door to get the technologies and to scale up,” he said.  “We would ultimately like to get to a point in time where we do a lot more asymptomatic testing. ”From CNN's Kay JonesMississippi Department of Health has reported its second highest daily total of new Covid-19 cases on Sunday as the state surpasses 150,000 total cases. The 1,845 new cases reported on Sunday brings the state's total number of confirmed cases to 151,785. Hospitalizations are increasing statewide, with 971 patients currently hospitalized with the virus.  This is up from 618 patients on Nov.  7, according to the dashboard.  Of those, 245 patients are currently in the intensive care unit.  There are 27 new deaths being reported on Sunday, with nine of those occurring between Friday and Saturday, the state's dashboard shows.  The total number of deaths in Mississippi since the start of the pandemic now stands at 3,806. Note: These numbers were released by the state’s health agency, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and our Covid tracker. From CNN Health’s Leanna FaulkAdm.  Brett Giroir, the White House's coronavirus testing czar, said today if you’ve done any traveling over the holidays, you should get tested. “Just remember you've had an increased risk of being exposed, so you should decrease unnecessary activities for about a week, and if you can get tested in three or five days that's also a very good idea,” Giroir told CNN on Sunday. Giroir said he is concerned about a possible surge in cases and hospitalizations as travel increases. “Our hospitalizations are peaking right now at about 95,000,” he said.  “About 20% of all people in the hospital have Covid, so this is a really dangerous time. ” Unless you’ve come into contact with someone for longer than 15 minutes who has tested positive for Covid-19, it is not recommended that you quarantine after gathering for Thanksgiving, according to Giroir. “That's not recommended to have a quarantine after travel unless you've had a direct exposure to a person with Covid for 15 minutes in close contact,” he said. “Make really sure you adhere 100% to mask wearing to avoid crowds because you could inadvertently have gotten Covid and spread it, so just be careful during the week after your travel because you are at increased risk,” Giroir said.   From CNN Health’s Naomi ThomasAdm.  Brett Giroir, the White House’s coronavirus testing czar, told CNN that he wanted to make sure that all Americans knew that Covid-19 vaccines had been tested in tens of thousands of individuals and that there is going to be independent and transparent review of them.  He also said that he, the surgeon general and the rest of the team “are really out there trying to educate the public. ” While they have to wait and see what the data show, Giroir said that “all indications are this is an extremely safe vaccine, the Pfizer vaccine and Moderna, and very, very effective, over 95% effective. ” Giroir also spoke about immunizing for impact, or immunizing the groups that are at the highest risk, for example long term care facilities, the elderly and minorities.  If this happens, “we can absolutely get 80% of the benefit of the vaccine by only immunizing a few percent of the population,” he said, “and that’s what we really need to do this month. ” Giroir added that by the end of the year there should be enough vaccine available to immunize 20 million Americans, “and we have to immunize for impact.  The rest of America will get in the second quarter, third quarter of 2021, but we can maximize our impact right now. ” Please enable JavaScript for a better experience.


Kerala: 'Attukal Pongala' celebrations underway in Thiruvananthapuram. #Holi https://t.co/TtuVsbZe3B

HighlightsMore than 2. 6 million people participated in the festival, temple’s officials said. Devotees offer pongala, a gruel made of rice, jaggery, ghee and coconut, to the presiding deity. Women converge on the last day of the 10-day festival to offer ‘pongala’ at the temple in the heart of the state capital. Lakhs of women lined up the streets of Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram on Monday to perform the annual Attukal Pongala festival at Attukal Devi temple, amid renewed fear of coronavirus after six cases were reported from the state. Many devotees were seen wearing masks to contain a possible infection due to the heightened alert but the number of worshippers was relatively low this time. Temple’s officials, however, said more than 2. 6 million people participated in the festival. Usually women from south Kerala and neighbouring Tamil Nadu throng the temple, often called Sabarimala of women, in large numbers for the festival. Devotees offer pongala, a gruel made of rice, jaggery, ghee and coconut, to the presiding deity.  In 2009, the temple had entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest annual gathering of women (2. 5 million then) in a single function.  Situated at the heart of the state capital in Attukal, women converge on the last day of the 10-day festival to offer pongala. Many foreigners also take part in the festival but this time they were advised to make the offering in their hotels.  A team from Germany was sent back and advised to do the ritual at their hotel in Kovalam, a famous beach. To clamp the spread of coronavirus infection, ‘pongala’ was held under strict vigil this time.  Many activists and others have appealed to the government to put some restrictions on such a large gathering but the Left-led government, which learned a lesson from Sabarimala incidents two years ago, was forced to overlook these concerns.  “Time is not conducive for such restrictions.  We have asked them to take certain precautions and most of them heeded,” said state Devasom minister Kadakampally Surendran. The state had witnessed large-scale violence in 2018 when the state government tried to implement the Supreme Court verdict which allowed women of all ages to worship at Sabarimala hill temple.  In the last general election, the ruling LDF had suffered a humiliating defeat winning a lone seat out of 20 and Sabarimala was attributed as a main reason for the drubbing. A three-year-old boy in the state became the youngest to get infected in the country after he tested positive for coronavirus on Monday.  The boy, whose father works in Italy, had returned with his parents by a Dubai flight. A day before, five people of a family, including three who recently came back from Italy, tested positive for coronavirus in interim reports in Kerala, prompting authorities to put the state on high alert. Three of the five people in Pathanamthitta district had returned from Italy last month and two others were infected after they came into contact with them. There are 43 people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 so far in India as hundreds have been quarantined across the country.


A majority, 56%, say President Trump and his campaign have not been exonerated of collusion based on Attorney General William Barr's summary of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to a CNN poll https://t.co/v1qkUh6nX7 https://t.co/oCGEhrIzzw

The ex-FBI director has been ridiculed by President Trump for two years. Ex-FBI director confused by Mueller's obstruction decisionFormer FBI Director James Comey said he had "great faith" in Robert Mueller, but he's still confused by the special counsel's decision to pass the buck on deciding whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice in the Russia investigation. Comey, who was fired by Trump in May 2017, continued his ongoing feud with the president in his first comments since the release of Attorney General William Barr's summary of the Mueller report at an event hosted by the Learning Society of Queens University in Charlotte Tuesday night. "I think it's very very important that the American people get transparency," Comey told the audience, calling for a full release of the report, according to The Charlotte Observer. No video or audio recordings of the event were allowed, but a number of reporters were in attendance. Comey said he wasn't hoping for "a particular result" -- despite the president's penchant for calling him "Lyin' James Comey" on Twitter -- but did have a problem with Mueller not taking a position on obstruction and allowing Barr, a Trump appointee, to decide on filing an indictment. "I can’t quite understand what’s going on with the obstruction stuff," Comey said at the event.  "I have great faith in Bob Mueller, but I just can’t tell from the letter why didn’t he decide these questions when the entire rationale for a special counsel is to make sure the politicals aren’t making the key charging decisions. "Mueller wrote in his report that he could not conclude that Trump committed obstruction, but also that the report does not exonerate him. Barr's letter instead said the decision on the crime of obstruction was passed to himself, and deputy Rod Rosenstein: "The Special Counsel's decision to describe the facts of his obstruction investigation without reaching any legal conclusions leaves it to the Attorney General to determine whether the conduct described in the report constitutes a crime. "Barr decided the conduct detailed in the special counsel's report did not constitute a crime. Comey's reference to "politicals" apparently alludes to Barr's relationship with Trump. On Tuesday night, Comey emphasized the first part of the Mueller report, which details Russian interference in the 2016 election through a sustained campaign of hacking and spreading disinformation on social media. "The Russians really did massively interfere in the 2016 election, with the goal of helping one candidate and damaging another," Comey told audience members at the Belk Theater.  “That was not a hoax. ”And while he said he wasn't hoping for Trump to come under indictment, he did get in a few shots at Trump, at one point saying the president "doesn't know anything about leadership. "Trump has had a number of explanations for why he fired Comey four months into his presidency, but said simply, "He wasn't doing a good job," in his initial comments a day after the dismissal. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


BREAKING: Trump considering declaring national emergency to redirect funds from the Defense Dept. and elsewhere to fund border wall, sources say, a move that could face legal challenge. https://t.co/ECTlUTTLLD https://t.co/6jn4h1OOkM

    President Donald Trump said Friday that he is considering using emergency powers which would allow him to use military funding to build a wall on the US-Mexico border, saying “I can do it if I want. ”

    “We can call a national emergency because of the security … I haven’t done it.  I may do it but we can call a national emergency and build it very quickly,” he said during remarks in the White House Rose Garden.

    Trump has repeatedly talked about declaring a national emergency in recent months but hasn’t followed through yet, allowing the government to shut down over funding the wall rather than declaring one.

    On Friday, he seemed to indicate that he would prefer to secure the funding through Congress.

Trump confirms he said he could keep shutdown going for months or years

    “If we can do it through the negotiating process, we’re giving that a shot,” he said.

    However, Trump also said he believes he doesn’t need congressional approval to build the wall.

    “Absolutely,” Trump replied.  “We can call a national emergency.  I haven’t done it.  I may do it.  I may do it.  We can call a national emergency and build it very quickly.  It’s another way of doing it. ”

    Asked if that was a threat to Democrats, Trump said: “I never threaten anybody, but I am allowed to do it – call a national emergency. ”

    In December, defense officials from the Homeland Defense section of the Pentagon visited the White House for a meeting to discuss the possibility, three US officials have told CNN.

    The meeting, which included officials from the Department of Homeland Security, focused on options that would allow Trump to build the border wall by tapping into military funding if he was unable to secure the money he wants from Congress.

Pence, top political aides set to get raises amid shutdown, federal pay freeze

    Two officials said that the Pentagon believes that there is roughly $1-2 billion that could be set aside from the Defense Department budget to fund this effort.

    A US official tells CNN that there is other money available that Trump could use for the emergency spending of construction funds but that he would have to cancel existing military construction projects to do so.  Most of those projects are intended to improve readiness which the Pentagon has repeatedly stressed is a major priority.

    According to this official, there are $13 billion in obligated funds from prior years that have not yet been spent and $10 billion in FY 19 funds already earmarked for various military projects, examples of which include building a fire station at Quantico, improvements at a Navy SEAL training facility and F-35 vertical landing pads in California.

    The cancellation of any of those projects could upset Congressional members from those districts.

    Trump would also be forced to deal with project termination costs for unspent funds from previous years and lawmakers may resist giving the Pentagon that money again in the future, the source said.

    “The idea that President Trump is considering declaring a phony national emergency as a pretext to take billions of dollars away from our troops and defense priorities in order to pay for his wall should alarm all Americans,” Sen.  Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee said in a statement.

    “Declaring a trumped up national emergency in order to skirt congressional approval is wrong.   And our troops and taxpayers should not bear the burden of a broken, preposterous campaign promise,” he said.

    Using this legal authority to construct border barriers was opposed by Democrats in the House and Senate in letters to then Defense Secretary James Mattis.

    The officials said that while no formal direction or orders have been given to tap these funds, defense officials believe that the White House will move to direct the Pentagon to act should Congress prove unable to provide the necessary funding.

    In December, several Democratic senators sent a letter to Mattis expressing opposition to the use of military funds for construction of a border barrier.

    “We understand that the department is currently examining other authorities for this roughly $450 million project outside of the budget request process, specifically the potential use of 10 U. S. C.  2808 and 10 U. S. C 284,” the letter said.

    “As you know, outside of a few small locations requiring security measures for weapons of mass destruction shortly after 9/11, 10 U. S. C.  2808 has never been used inside the United States.  We urge you in the strongest possible fashion to refrain from considering using this authority or 10 U. S. C.  284 for this potential $450 million border wall project,” it added.

  CNN’s Kevin Liptak and Betsy Klien contributed reporting
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