West Bengal reports 14,281 new #COVID19 cases, 59 deaths and 7,584 discharges in the last 24 hours

Total cases: 7,28,061
Active cases: 81,375
Death toll: 10,884 https://t.co/Aq9gtu71Aa

In the four states and one Union territory that went to the polls in the latest round of assembly elections, Covid-19 cases started rising much later than the rest of the country, but a steeper curve in these regions has now pushed them ahead in terms of new cases per capita, shows data. These numbers are as important, if not more than the election results themselves -- and highlight both the folly of holding elections without proper protocols (the Election Commission’s role, for much of the duration of the campaign was restricted to guidelines on this, and involved no monitoring whatsoever, something that earned the body harsh words from the Madras high court) in the midst of the pandemic, as well as the immediate challenge facing the new governments of these regions. In all five – Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal – the seven-day average of new cases has increased at a rate more than twice that of the national average in the past week, shows an analysis by HT. To be sure, the key factor behind the delayed surge in the five regions with elections appears to be that daily tests there lagged significantly compared to the rest of the country till the first week of April (till elections in all but West Bengal were wrapped up).  The West Bengal polls continued in eight phases in all, till April 29 -- their sheer length is inexplicable given the backdrop of Covid-19, and the Election Commission has understandably come under criticism for that. Click here for full coverage on electionsIn order to give the two sets of regions (those with elections and the rest of India) a common base for comparison, figures used in the analysis have all been normalised for their respective populations – case and testing numbers are per million residents of the respective sets of regions. In terms of daily infections, regions with elections were reporting a seven-day average of 17 new infections per million residents a day for the week ending March 1.  This number was slightly lower in the rest of the country (10 new cases a day per million population). India’s first Covid wave bottomed out on February 11, and started surging at alarming levels through the middle of March.  In the latter period, cases in the rest of the country started overtaking the regions with elections. By the end of March, non-electoral regions in the country were reporting more than 2. 5 times as many new infections than those going to the polls (52 new cases per million against 21 for week ending March 31).  But a massive surge of new infections was reported in the regions with elections by the second week of April, which sent the trajectory soaring. By the end of April, areas with elections were reporting more cases than the rest of the country – 280 new infections a day per million residents against 273 in the rest of the country (Chart 1). This trend is mimicked very closely in the rate of daily tests in these two sets of regions.  At the start of March, the two groups were nearly identically placed in terms of daily tests per million residents. By mid-March, as cases surged in the rest of the country, testing saw a near-continuous increase (with the exception of a small blip towards the end of March) as well.  The five regions with elections, however, only picked up testing after the first week of April.  Primarily this increase in testing only occurs after April 6, the day when elections had been wrapped up in all regions except West Bengal, which was to see four more phases of polling. In absolute numbers, the seven-day average of new Covid-19 cases has gone up more than twice that of the national average in the past week in the four states and Puducherry.  The seven-day average of new infections in India for the week ending Saturday is 372,005.  This number was 309,855 last Saturday – meaning it has seen a 20% week-on-week increase in the country. The states that went to the polls have seen at least twice this rate of growth.  Even Tamil Nadu, which has seen the lowest increase in new cases among these regions, has seen twice this growth rate (40%) in the last week.  Cases in Kerala have grown 47% in the past week, in Puducherry new infections have gone up 50% in the same time period. The two eastern states – West Bengal and Assam – have seen their cases rise most from this group, 54% and 76% respectively.  Assam’s health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed on camera that there was no Covid in his state when asked why he was not sporting a mask.  The numbers tell a different story.


Former White House aide Cliff Sims says President Trump may use the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller's report as a "political bludgeon" against Democratic presidential candidates https://t.co/N4fH53zvn9 https://t.co/7kOE7lXVf7

Democrats also want Attorney General William Barr to appear before Congress.  Democratic leaders question the conclusiveness of Barr's summary on Mueller reportHouse Democrats on Monday demanded that the Justice Department turn over the full report from special counsel Robert Mueller to Congress by next Tuesday, while also requesting Attorney General William Barr's appearance before lawmakers. The move to escalate the fight over Mueller's findings could be followed with subpoenas, signaling Democrats plans to continue investigations even as President Trump and Republicans have declared victory after Mueller found that the Trump campaign did not conspire with the Kremlin in the 2016 election, according to Barr's summary of Mueller's findings sent to Capitol Hill Sunday. "There are a lot of open questions," House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif. , said Monday.   “These questions have not been answered by the summary we got from Bill Barr.  I would hope that there are answers in the Mueller report.  Now those answers, I imagine, don’t amount to proof beyond a reasonable doubt of a crime.  But they are concerning nonetheless, particularly as they shed light on whether there is any form of compromise on these individuals. "Their continued focus on the investigations could hurt Democrats politically, following the end of the Mueller investigation, as Republicans continue to accuse them of overreach. "They need to get over it but they won’t get over it," House Republican Whip Steve Scalise, R-La. , told ABC News.  "They’re still going to keep harassing the president. "Democrats have taken issue with Barr’s obstruction of justice determination, citing a memo that he sent to the Justice Department before his confirmation arguing it would be "fatally misconceived" that Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey could be the basis of an obstruction of justice inquiry. "His conclusions raise more questions than they answer," House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep.  Jerry Nadler, D-N. Y. , said Sunday.  "The American people are entitled to a full accounting of the president's misconduct referenced by the special counsel. "Mueller, according to Barr's summary, did not find that the Trump campaign officials or any associated with it conspired or coordinated with the Russian government to influence the 2016 election.  Barr also revealed Mueller's conclusion on obstruction, that "while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also doesn't exonerate him," and said the special counsel set out evidence on "both sides of the question. ""Given Mr.  Barr’s public record of bias against the Special Counsel’s inquiry, he is not a neutral observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations about the report," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement. Trump and Republicans on Capitol Hill celebrated Mueller's conspiracy conclusion, arguing that it vindicated the president. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. , said in a statement Sunday that the findings meant  the "case is closed" on the matters investigated by Mueller, a conclusion rejected by Democrats. “This is just the beginning,” Rep.  Eric Swalwell, D-Calif. , a member of the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, told ABC News Sunday afternoon.  "It’s case closed criminally but not case closed as to whether the president committed a high crime or misdemeanor. "Rep.  Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, a Trump ally and member of the House Judiciary Committee, argued that Democrats’ focus on the Russia probe would hurt their standing with the public. “We will be able to show that this batch of Democrats that had been telling lies about the president for 22 months, cannot be trusted,” he said, previewing Republicans’ message ahead of the 2020 presidential election.  “They can't be trusted on healthcare, on infrastructure, on education, because they came here to Washington insisting that there was this Russia collusion.  They've spent all their time on that narrative, it's proven to be false. “And I think the American people see who's fighting for them in this president, and who's just trying to create a distraction that ultimately was disproven. ”Nadler and five House Democratic chairs asked the Justice Department for the full Mueller report by next week, and for the underlying evidence to be transmitted to Congress beginning on, April 2.  The House Judiciary Committee has also asked Barr to appear before the panel to testify, according to Judiciary Committee members, who met privately on Monday evening with the committee's special oversight counsels to plot out the path forward. In a statement with Schiff and House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, he said it was "unacceptable that, after Special Counsel Mueller spent 22 months meticulously uncovering this evidence, Attorney General Barr made a decision not to charge the President in under 48 hours," and did so without interviewing Trump. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, who also said he wanted Barr to testify, stood by the attorney general’s conclusions on Monday, and said he wanted his committee to investigate the handling of the Russia counterintelligence investigation. The attorney general is also expected to appear before the House Appropriations Committee for a budget hearing on April 9, according to a committee aide, giving Democrats another opportunity to question him about the Mueller investigation. ABC's John Parkinson contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


A series of images and video of a brutally killed werewolf have been circulating the internet, with numerous claims that they are from Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil, and other locations across the world.  It shows a scary looking human figure with a face of a wolf.  Several people have shared videos claiming to show a killed werewolf, however the location of the creature’s alleged death has been altered.  While some users on social networking sites such as Twitter believe that the werewolf was killed by Pakistani security personnel in Balochistan and Sialkot, other groups allege that the werewolf appeared in Nigeria and Santa Catarina, Brazil.  Werewolf killed by security forces in Pakistan pic. twitter. com/1u2V484aMn — Farooq Raza Alteejani (@AlteejaniRaza) June 15, 2021  The werewolf appears to be bleeding and dying in one of the videos, and a siren can be heard in the distance.  This was killed in south eastern Nigeria… Please what exactly can this be called?  A werewolf?  #BiafraExit pic. twitter. com/AdUseCrddl — Ebuka (@Deetrellheart) June 18, 2021         It’s an artwork, not a real creature.  The realistic looking werewolf that was “killed” in various locations across the globe was created by Rob Cobasky, a SFX artist for a movie.   A post shared by Joseph-Rob Cobasky (@robcobasky)  We found Joseph-Rob Cobasky’s Instagram account, a freelance sculpting artist who focuses on special effects (SFX).  He’s the one behind the realistic-looking werewolf photos and videos that can be found all over the internet.     All of the viral photos and videos, as well as many more works by him, were available on his Instagram account, all of which appeared to be incredibly realistic and detailed.     Tremulous Motion Pictures, a television and film production studio headquartered in Los Angeles and Orlando, Florida revealed in a tweet that the werewolf was created by Rob Cobasky, Director of Practical Effects for a film titled “Unsanctified,” that is yet to be released.  Rob Cobasky our Director of Practical Effects on UNSANCTIFIED.  Creator of the Werewolf man went viral in Argentina and Brazil when People beloved his Monstrous creature was real.  https://t. co/1zSFzZCHma pic. twitter. com/HapBEAJgC2 — Tremulous Motion Pictures (@MotionTremulous) June 18, 2021    Similar Hoax were spread earlier Is that a strange creature or an alien ?


CNN PROJECTION: Donald Trump wins Indiana https://t.co/lCnX8gH59B #CNNElection https://t.co/7P94E6UM2Y

The president-elect emphasized how he would handle the pandemic response. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris deliver 1st message of unity after historic winJoe Biden is set to become the 46th president of the United States, capping a tumultuous and tension-filled campaign during a historic pandemic against President Donald Trump.  ABC News characterized Joe Biden as the apparent winner of his home state of Pennsylvania, putting him over the 270 vote threshold needed to capture the presidency. The hard-fought battle against the president was set against the backdrop of racial unrest and the coronavirus pandemic and bitter divisions among the electorate. Trump had falsely declared on election night, when he held a lead in several key states, that he won the contest and alleged without evidence, after the count started to swing the other way, that the election was being stolen from him and that fraud had been committed. Painting the election as a "battle for the soul of the nation," Biden won on a message of unity over division, compassion over anger, and reality over what he called Trump's "wishful thinking" as the coronavirus pandemic cast a heavy shadow over the campaign. The 2020 election has shattered voting records with votes totaling 147 million and counting, surpassing the 138 million who voted in 2016. A Justice Department official confirmed Monday evening that Richard Pilger, a career official who was serving as director of the Elections Crimes Branch, has resigned from his role in the division because of the attorney general's memo authorizing U. S.  attorneys to "pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities," despite little evidence surfacing thus far of any widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Pilger has stepped back into a role in the DOJ's Public Integrity Section. The New York Times reported that Pilger wrote to colleagues in an email this evening, "Having familiarized myself with the new policy and its ramifications, I must regretfully resign from my role as director of the Election Crimes Branch. ”A DOJ spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Pilger's resignation. When ABC News sought a response from Pilger, an automatic reply to the email said, "I am no longer the Director of the Election Crimes Branch, and have stepped back to the line at the Public Integrity Section. "-ABC News' Alexander MallinThe Biden transition team will not receive full intelligence briefings until the General Services Administration officially "ascertains" the former vice president to be winner of the presidential election, according to a statement from the Office of Director of National Intelligence on Monday. "ODNI follows the statutory direction provided in the Presidential Transition Act, which requires ascertainment of the candidate by the administrator of GSA prior to supporting a potential presidential transition.  ODNI would not have contact with any transition team until notified by the GSA Administrator," an ODNI spokesperson said in a statement. Meanwhile, outside government watchdogs are already warning that a continued delay in briefings could carry grave national security implications for the incoming administration. Aaron Scherb, the legal director at Common Cause, told ABC News on Monday that the "petty and unproductive" decision by GSA to withhold key resources to the Biden transition could have the "potential for catastrophic results. " "By GSA not signing off on this, there is certainly some classified intelligence information that the incoming administration would not have access to -- and would potentially not be fully prepared on day one to be able to counteract ongoing efforts from our adversaries like all previous incoming administrations have," Scherb said. "If the Biden transition team doesn't have access to some of the documents and information," he continued, "there are national security concerns. "-ABC News' Molly Nagle and Lucien BruggemanAttorney General William Barr sent a memo to U. S.  attorneys Monday evening authorizing them to "pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities," despite little evidence surfacing thus far of any widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. In the memo Barr says that such inquiries "may be conducted if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State. "But Barr emphasized in the letter that this should not be taken as the DOJ believing there was widespread fraud -- a baseless claim being made by attorneys for Trump and the RNC.  Rather, he's doling authority out to U. S.  attorneys in the event they might uncover any such credible evidence of a fraud conspiracy that might affect vote tabulations before election results are certified. "Nothing here should be taken as any indication that the Department has concluded that voting irregularities have impacted the outcome of any election," Barr wrote.  "Rather, I provide this authority and guidance to emphasize the need to timely and appropriately address allegations of voting irregularities so that all of the American people, regardless of their preferred candidate or party, can have full confidence in the results of our elections. ""While it is imperative that credible allegations be addressed in a timely and effective manner, it is equally imperative that Department personnel exercise appropriate caution and maintain the Department's absolute commitment to fairness, neutrality and non-partisanship," Barr said in the memo.  "While serious allegations should be handled with great care, specious, speculative, fanciful or far-fetched claims should not be a basis for initiating federal inquiries. "-ABC News' Alexander MallinBiden is slated to give remarks focused on the Affordable Care Act and the Trump administration's lawsuit to overturn it.  Biden will talk about his own plan "to expand access to quality, affordable health care. "The event in Wilmington, Delaware, is slated for 2 p. m. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments at 10 a. m.  in the case brought by Trump and 18 Republican-led states asking that the Affordable Care Act be eliminated in its entirety.


BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah holds a roadshow in Thrippunithura, Kerala.

#KeralaAssemblyElections2021 https://t.co/mGyzD6rhdP

The Bharatiya Janata Party leaders should be more than happy with the party’s performance, especially in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, where the party’s vote share increased.  In Kerala, its vote share did not go down much despite the Left Front alliance sweeping the polls.  For the first time, the BJP, a party considered to be one of Hindi heartland, has managed to make a mark in a southern state where its base was poor and it had failed to expand despite several efforts.  After a gap of 20 years, the BJP has won four seats in Tamil Nadu assembly.  It has also opened its account in neighbouring Puducherry, where it had no presence before the polls and all three MLAs were nominated.  The BJP won six seats there and is set to form the next National Democratic Alliance government in the Union Territory. In Tamil Nadu, the BJP contested only in 20 seats in the AIADMK-led alliance and won four -- Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Modakurichi and a nail-biting contest in Coimbatore South.  The party got 2. 62% of the total votes polled, which is two percentage points less than that of the Congress, which contested 25 seats in alliance with DMK. The BJP has been pulling all stops to make inroads into the Dravidian heartland sensing an opportunity after the demise of stalwarts and former chief ministers J Jayalalithaa in December 2016 and M Karunanidhi in August 2018. While it is evident that it is still the Dravidian parties that hold sway with the DMK winning a majority and AIADMK finishing with 66 seats, the wins, even if a handful, have given the BJP the push it needed for its vision to come into its own by 2026 in Tamil Nadu.  “The wins have laid a solid foundation for the growth of our party,” said BJP national president and Tamil Nadu election in-charge, CT Ravi. The last time BJP made gains in Tamil Nadu was in 2001 where it was in alliance with DMK and won four seats.  To counter its image as a north-Indian, Hindu party, the BJP revamped its state unit which is headed by a Dalit, L Murugan.  They led the Vetrivel Yatra in November 2020 for Tamil deity Lord Muruga who is worshipped widely by the locals in its attempt to consolidate Hindu votes.  But it didn’t garner the response that was expected though national leaders in their rallies gave a war cry following the yatra.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi started his political rallies by throwing up his hands and saying, “vetrivel” (victorious spear) and the crowd would respond “veeravel” (courageous spear).  On the ground, the BJP also strengthened its booth committees, activating more than 48,000 of them.  “Their pro-Hindu rhetoric worked to some extent,” says political analyst Raveendran Duraisamy.  “But it was the AIADMK that contributed to their wins, especially in Modakkurichi for C Saraswathi. ” She created an upset by beating former DMK minister Subbulakshmi Jegadeesan.  On the specific wins, Duraisamy is of the opinion that BJP’s MR Gandhi surprised three-time DMK MLA N Suresh Rajan because of a Hindu consolidation and in Tirunelveli, former AIADMK man Nainar Nagendran gave BJP a win with the caste support of Mukkalathurs and Devendrakula Vellalars.  Modi has the support of the latter after he accepted their long-standing to group seven sub-castes together to be known by their heritage name.  Coimbatore south was a seasaw battle which had actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan leading through the day and finally Vanathi Srinivasan, who is also the BJP’s national women’s wing president, defeated him by 1,540 votes.  “It was her individual work, she has been working in the constituency for more than three years which helped her reach the masses,” says Duraisamy.  In Puducherry, which is currently under Governor’s rule, N Rangasamy of the All Indian NR Congress (AINRC)-led NDA alliance is set to form the government in the 30 seat assembly.  AINRC won 10, BJP swept six but their ally AIADMK drew a blank.  Congress won only two while its ally, the DMK secured six seats.  From having just three nominated members between 2016 and 2021, an MLA in 2001, the BJP has come a long way.  Besides, anti-incumbency and Rangasamy’s support base, this is also primarily due to the exodus of heavyweights from the Congress to the BJP; leaders such as former minister A Namassivayam and A John Kumar added to the saffron party’s tally.  “BJP poached powerful individuals in Puducherry who helped them win,” says Duraisamy.


Madhya Pradesh reports 2,182 new cases and 72 deaths and 7,479 recoveries today; active cases 43,265 https://t.co/qKHJ9oyuX3

Uttar Pradesh on Monday recorded 288 more Covid-19 deaths which pushed the toll to 13,447 while the infection tally rose to 13,42,413 with 29,192 fresh cases, an official statement said. Of the fresh Covid-19 deaths, Lucknow reported 26 followed by Allahabad (25), Jhansi (21), Gorakhpur (19), Kanpur and Chandauli (17 each), Gautam Buddh Nagar (13), Varanasi (11), and Meerut (10), it said. Of the new cases, 3,058 were reported from Lucknow, 1,446 from Gautam Buddh Nagar, 1,404 from Moradabad, 1,311 from Kanpur, 1,222 from Saharanpur, 1,097 from Gorakhpur, 1,082 from Amroha and 1,022 from Varanasi, the statement said. As many as 38,687 Covid-19 patients have recovered from the disease in the state taking the total number of discharged patients to 10,43,134. The number of active Covid-19 cases in the state stands at 2,85,832, the statement said. In the last 24 hours, more than 2. 29 lakh samples were tested for Covid-19 while so far, over 4. 15 crore samples have been tested in the state, the statement said.


Punjab: People gather in large numbers to offer namaz on the occasion of #EidUlFitr

Visuals from Amritsar’s Jama Masjid Khairuddin Hall Bazar https://t.co/zTLXgFf1RE

Ordering the extradition of Nirav Modi on Thursday, the District Judge at Westminster Magistrates’ Court Sam Goozee said that the testimony of former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju was not reliable and had “hallmarks of an outspoken critic with his own personal agenda”. Katju had last year appeared in the Westminster court as an expert defending Nirav Modi saying he won’t receive fair trial in India. In his judgement, reviewed by HT, Jude Sam Goozee said – “I attach little weight to Justice Katju’s expert opinion.  Despite having been a former Supreme Court judge in India until his retirement in 2011 his evidence was in my assessment less than objective and reliable.  His evidence in Court appeared tinged with resentment towards former senior judicial colleagues.  It had hallmarks of an outspoken critic with his own personal agenda. ”The Judge further said that he found Katju’s “evidence and behaviour in engaging the media the day before giving evidence to be questionable for someone who served the Indian Judiciary at such a high level appointed to guard and protect the rule of law. ”In his testimony, Katju had said in the court that India was in terrible economic collapse and the (ruling) BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) were trying to solve the problem but they did not know how to, so they found scapegoats and Nirav Modi is a scapegoat for causing financial crisis in India.  Katju had also said during his testimony that the Indian Supreme Court had become subservient to the Indian government. Rejecting his contention, Judge Sam Goozee said in judgement– “Despite making commentary about the fairness of any trial process in India, he accepted on a number of occasions in cross-examination that he had not considered the evidence and it is evident from his report he certainly had not considered the full requests from the Government of India”. “He made bold assertions about corruption across the judiciary in India (including former Chief Justices) and that the Supreme Court had surrendered itself to the executive.  Of note, despite being critical of a former Chief Justice passing a verdict in a Supreme Court case in exchange for a nomination to the Upper House of Parliament in India on his retirement on a quid pro quo basis, suggesting collusion and corruption, Justice Katju himself secured appointment by the Government to Chairman of the Press Council of India following his own retirement,” the Judge observed. The court further said - “Despite being highly critical of the ‘trial by media’ and its impact on Nirav Modi’s case, he (Katju) took the astonishing decision to brief journalists in relation to the evidence he was giving in these proceedings, creating his own media storm and adding to the heightened media interest to date. ”


Government of India statement on yesterday’s All-Party meeting. https://t.co/VeRHRptPdR

The World Bank has put on hold the publication of its ‘Doing Business Report’, which carries the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) Rankings, over alleged irregularities in the underlying data. , the Bank said in a statement. The effective suspension of the publication of the rankings has been announced in the wake of a number of reported irregularities regarding changes to data in the 2018 and 2020 reports published in October 2017 and October 2019.  In a statement on Thursday, the Bank said it was conducting a “systematic review and assessment of data changes that occurred subsequent to the institutional data review process for the last five Doing Business reports”.  “We have asked the World Bank Group’s independent Internal Audit function to perform an audit of the processes for data collection and review for Doing Business and the controls to safeguard data integrity,” it added. The culmination of this process will be followed by a retrospective correction in the rankings, the statement said.  “The Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank has been briefed on the situation as have the authorities of the countries that were most affected by the data irregularities. ”The Union ministries of finance and commerce did not respond to email queries on the effective suspension of the rankings. But officials from the two ministries, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Bank may have briefly paused the publication but not ended it, and a review would make it more robust and credible.  They added this would neither halt nor deter India’s commitment towards Ease of Doing Business.  In fact, India has gone a step further in striving to achieve Ease of Living, the officials said. “For example, just see reforms in tax administration.  The Prime Minister recently unveiled faceless assessment system in the income-tax matters to curb corruption and released, for the first time, a taxpayers’ charter.  Next month, faceless appeal system will be introduced.  All these are part of ongoing reform aimed at Ease of Living for the common man, which will also benefit businesses,” said one of the officials on condition of anonymity. A second official said wide-ranging reforms have been introduced for the Ease of Business keeping both agriculture and industry in mind.  “Farmers have been unshackled now so that they can sell their produce to lucrative markets.  The commerce and industry ministry is considering introducing a technology-based single-window system soon that would ensure expeditious multiple regulatory approvals at both the Central and state levels from one point.  Reforms are ongoing and not dependent on the ranking of the Ease of Doing Business. ”The policy regime in India places a lot of importance on the rankings.  After assuming power in 2014, the Narendra Modi government set a target for India to be among top 50 countries in the rankings.  In 2014, India was ranked 142nd.  It jumped to the 63rd position among 190 countries in May 2019. The rankings are based on a country’s performance on 10 indicators: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency. This is not the first time the rankings are courting controversy.  In 2018, Paul Romer, the then chief economist of the World Bank, quit after criticising the rankings in an interview with The Wall Street Journal for having “conveyed the wrong information” about the business environment in Chile.  According to a Reuters story, Romer told the newspaper the decline resulted from methodological changes, rather than a deterioration of Chile’s business environment, and may have been the result of the World Bank staff’s political motivations. In his book, “The Rise and Fall of Nations: The Rules of Change in Post-Crisis World”, Ruchir Sharma, the chief global strategist and head of the emerging markets equity team at Morgan Stanley, criticised these rankings, saying they were “vulnerable to political manipulation and marketing”. ”More than a few countries have started hiring consultants to help them raise their rankings. . .  In 2012, President Vladimir Putin set a goal of raising Russia’s rank for ‘ease of doing business’ from 120 to top 20 within six years, and he soon saw results.  By 2015, Russia was ranked at 51, more than thirty places ahead of China, and sixty places ahead of Brazil and India.  That raised a question: If it was so easy to do business in Russia, why wasn’t anyone doing business there? ” he wroteOther scholars have also criticised these rankings.  A 2016 Indian Institute of Management Bangalore working paper by Vivek Moorthy and A Arul Jason argued the rankings cannot capture the true cost of doing business in countries with a large unorganised sector.  Another 2019 paper by Sabyasachi Kar and others argued the fundamental premise of the rankings, that rules are the be all and end all of Ease of Doing Business in a country, might not be true.


NCP chief Sharad Pawar will take part in a protest against farm laws at Mumbai's Azad Maidan on 25th Jan. MVA govt will be supporting this protest organised by few farmer organisations. Farmers will also take out a march to Raj Bhawan: NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik https://t.co/B46pBHhrLF

Covid-19 cases in India have breached the 10. 8 million mark.  The active caseload, however, has dropped below 149,000 and recoveries from the viral disease too are on a steady rise and have reached 10,510,796, according to figures released by the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Saturday morning. As 49,59,445 health and frontline workers have been vaccinated against the coronavirus disease so far, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan has said that inoculation for first of recipients from the general public are likely to begin in March. The global Covid-19 tally has surpassed 105,346,100 and 2,296,700 people have died of the infection.  In the United States, the worst affected nation, the cases have reached 26,804,927 and 459,278 fatalities have been recorded, according to the Johns Hopkins University’s dashboard. Follow all the updates here:Bengal reports only one Covid-19 related death on Saturday; lowest since AprilWest Bengal on Saturday added only one death due to the coronavirus disease, which pushed the toll to 10,202, according to the health bulletin.  Saturday's death toll has been the lowest since April last year.  Meanwhile, the total cases stand at 571,178 after after 197 more people tested positive for the infection.  Madhya Pradesh adds 197 new Covid-19 cases, 315 recoveriesMadhya Pradesh on Saturday recorded 197 new coronavirus infections which pushed the tally to more than 256,000.  One more related death in Betul took the toll to 3,820, a health official told news agency PTI.  "315 persons were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the state's recovery count to 250,320," he added.  Rajasthan reports 97 new Covid-19 cases, one more deathRajasthan on Saturday added 97 new cases which took the overall tally to 318,118.  One more death pushed the toll to 2,772.  The capital city of Jaipur has the highest deaths (516), followed by Jodhpur (303) and Ajmer (222).  Funeral homes, cemeteries in Bolivia overwhelmed amid surge in Covid-19 deathsCorpses in Bolivia have begun to pile up as a fierce 2nd wave of Covid-19 has overwhelmed funeral homes and cemeteries, according to officials, stoking fears the growing backlog could become yet another focal point of infection. 531 fresh cases push Karnataka's Covid-19 tally to over 942,000Karnataka reports 531 new #COVID19 cases, 434 recoveries and 3 deaths today. Total cases 9,42,031Total recoveries 9,23,811Death toll 12,233Active cases 5968 pic. twitter. com/tFXd6uMIDCGujarat's Covid-19 tally climbs to 263,200; 252 fresh cases loggedGujarat on Saturday registered 252 new Covid-19 cases and one death which pushed the overall tally and death toll to 263,200 and 4,394 respectively, the state's health department said.  More than 256,000 people have recovered till now and the recovery rate stands at 97. 38 per centMaharashtra adds 2,768 new Covid-19 cases, 25 deaths in last 24 hours; total active cases nearing 35,000Maharashtra reports 2,768 new COVID-19 cases, 1,739 recoveries, and 25 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per State Health DepartmentTotal cases: 20,41,398Total recoveries: 19,53,926Active cases: 34,934Death toll: 51,280 pic. twitter. com/UeMvpZwpCjMore than 100,000 people vaccinated against Covid in Delhi till nowOfficials told news agency PTI on Saturday that more than 100,000 people had been vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the national capital till now adding that the majority of them were healthcare workers.  More than 9,200 healthcare workers were administered vaccine doses on Friday.  States advised to improve coverage, minimise vaccine wastage: Health ministryDuring the briefing, the ministry also said that states and UTs were advised to improve coverage, beneficiary turn-out per session and minimise vaccine wastage.  Over 5. 6 mn people vaccinated against Covid till now, says health ministryAs of 6th Feb 2021 at 6 pm, the total vaccination is 56,36,868, out of which healthcare workers who have been vaccinated are 52,66,175 which is 54. 7% of the total cohort of healthcare workers who are registered on CoWIN: Manohar Agnani, Additional Secretary, Union Health Ministry pic. twitter. com/aWBiVczLOFThe Union health ministry said on Saturday that more than 5. 6 million have been administered vaccines against the coronavirus (Covid-19) disease.  A total of 5,266,175 health care workers have been vaccinated while the remaining 370,693 are frontline workers. Vietnam expects to receive first batch of vaccines before March endVietnam is expected to get the first coronavirus vaccines under the COVAX within the first quarter, the government said on Friday adding that number of doses will be between 4. 89 million and 8. 25 million. 477 fresh Covid-19 cases push Tamil Nadu's tally to over 841,000Tamil Nadu reports 477 new #COVID19 cases, 503 recoveries and 3 deaths today. Total cases 8,41,326Total recoveries 8,24,527Death toll 12,382Active cases 4,417 pic. twitter. com/EQxXTLbt9bTamil Nadu added 477 fresh coronavirus cases, 503 recoveries and 3 deaths on Saturday which took the overall tally to 841,326.  The active cases stand at 4,417 while 12,382 people have died till now. ‘Early Days’ in Covid lockdown easing plans in UK, says PM JohnsonUK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that “still early days,” when it comes to lifting strict lockdown restrictions which have been imposed to control the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) disease.  “We have rates of infection in this country still very, very high” he said on Friday.  Delhi adds 123 Covid-19 cases, 151 discharges, 4 deaths in last 24 hrsDelhi reports 123 new COVID-19 cases, 151 discharges, and 4 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per Delhi Health DepartmentTotal cases: 6,35,916Total discharges: 6,23,865Active cases: 1,174Death toll: 10,877 pic. twitter. com/nYNSMcCuwMAndhra Pradesh registers 75 fresh Covid-19 cases, one deathAndhra Pradesh on Saturday added 75 coronavirus cases and just one death, which pushed the overall tally to over 888,000.  A health department bulletin stated that the active cases stood at 1,012 while 880,179 people have recovered till now.  Iran to begin Covid-19 vaccination drive this weekIranian President Hassan Rouhani announced on Saturday that the country will kick start the coronavirus disease vaccine rollout this week by administering Sputnik V vaccine doses to medical workers.  The first batch of the Russia-made vaccine had arrived on Thursday. Schools for classes 1 to 8 in Odisha to open soon: MinisterSchools for class 1 to 8 students to open soon in Odisha.  Preparation of SOPs for the reopening is in progress, as per School & Mass Education Minister Samir Das. Telangana reports 161 new cases, one deathTelangana reported 161 new coronavirus infections, taking the state's tally to 2,95,431.  The death toll after one fresh fatality stands at 1,608.  Andamans record three new Covid-19 casesThe Andaman islands recorded three new coronavirus infections, taking the union territory's tally to 4,997.  The death toll currently stands at 62.  Jharkhand reports 41 new Covid-19 casesJharkhand reported 41 new coronavirus infections, taking the state's tally to 1,18,938.  The death toll currently stands at 1,077.  India approves supply of 1,00,000 vaccine doses to CambodiaIndia approved the supply of 1,00,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses to Cambodia on an emergency basis.  India’s active Covid-19 cases drop below 149,000; recoveries over 10. 5 mnIndia recorded a 11,713 new cases in the last 24 hours taking the country's infection tally to 10,814,304.  While the recoveries from the viral disease have gone up to 10,510,796, the active caseload has fallen below 149,000. France reports 22,139 Covid-19 new cases, toll tops 78,000The number of new confirmed coronavirus infections in France slowed for the second day in a row but stood well above the 5,000-case threshold to unwind restrictions, while deaths caused by the epidemic rose to 78,603, the health authorities said on Friday. A total of 22,139 people tested positive for Covid-19 in France in the past 24 hours, down from 23,448 on Thursday and 26,362 on Wednesday. Brazil's Covid-19 death toll tops 230,000Brazil reported on Friday 1,239 deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, taking its death toll to 230,034, the health ministry said.  Another 50,872 confirmed cases were detected, bringing its nationwide tally to 9,447,165. Joe Biden says minimum wage hike unlikely to be in virus relief billPresident Joe Biden said he didn’t think his proposed increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour will survive congressional negotiations to pass his broader coronavirus-relief bill. Get our daily newsletter Get free access to newsletters, alerts and recommendations


A cobbler in West Bengal, Sanjoy Rabidas, scored 93% in West Bengal board exams. He is also an RSS member.

There are always stories that inspire.  And then there are some that inspire even with an apparent falsehood in them.  Here’s such a story from West Bengal that started out with a fact check and ended in a whole new inspiration. With various board results being declared, a motivating post is doing the rounds on social media showing a photo of a young boy who appears to be a cobbler, along with a copy of a marksheet of one Sanjoy Rabidas from West Bengal. It is being claimed in the post that despite working as a cobbler during the day, Rabidas, an RSS member, obtained 93% marks in West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE).  It is also said in some posts that Sanjoy lost his father too. India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the marksheet of Sanjoy Rabidas is two years old when he passed Class 10 board examination from WBBSE with 66% marks, and not 93%. It is true, however, that Sanjoy is a cobbler and has lost his father.  Also, he told India Today that he is not associated with the RSS or any political party. Believing it to be a recent event, netizens congratulated Sanjoy and extended him their best wishes.  The post has been shared in the thousands on social media. Similar posts about this boy have been circulating on the Internet for the last 10 days. The archived version of one of the viral posts can be seen here. AFWA investigationUsing reverse search, we found an article on The Youth about the inspirational story of Sanjoy Rabidas.  The article published in June 2018 says despite having poor background and facing difficulties, cobbler Sanjoy Rabidas managed to score 465 marks in his Class 10 examination in West Bengal. Sanjoy hails from Chanchal town which is in Malda district of West Bengal, said the article.  He studied at Kanua High School. The story of Sanjoy was also covered by Prabhat Khabar in 2018. The marksheet in circulation clearly shows the year ‘2018’. We found the profile of Sanjoy Rabidas on Facebook and reached out to him.  He confirmed his photo and marksheet in the viral post, and that he works as a cobbler in Chanchal town. Sanjoy said the marksheet and the photo is two years old when he scored 66% (465/700) in Class 10 in 2018.  “It is true that I have lost my father,” Sanjoy said.  But he denied the claim that he is a RSS member. The twist in the taleThe posts that have been circulating for the last 12 days claimed that Sanjoy scored 93%.  The coincidence is that Sanjoy had appeared for Class 12 examination from West Bengal board this year, the results of which were declared today (July 17), and he scored above 95 percentile. However, the viral posts are still misleading as they were shared some 10-12 days ago and at that time, the West Bengal board didn’t declare Class 12 board results. ConclusionHence, the viral post is not completely true.  The marksheet shown in the post is two years old.  Secondly, he scored 66%, and not 93%, as mentioned in the post.  However, Sanjoy’s story is undoubtedly inspiring as he scored above 66% in Class 10 and over 95 percentile in Class 12 after experiencing hardships. The number of crows determines the intensity of the lie.


Photo Shows Deer Out On Ooty-Coimbatore Road After Lockdown Due To Coronavirus

A six-year-old photo of a herd of deer lounging in the middle of the road in Japan's Nara region is being shared with the false claim that it is from Ooty-Coimbatore road in Tamil Nadu after the nationwide lockdown came in effect to halt the spread of the deadly Coronavirus.  The image is being shared with the caption, "The Ooty-Coimbatore Road, now reclaimed by its original Owners. "  Click here to view, and here for an archive.  The same viral image was shared on Twitter by IPS officer HGS Dhaliwal with the misleading claim.  Oh Deer🦌 ! !  Truly a Party time for wildlife during #CoronaTimes! !  Ooty-coimbatore road today. . .  pic. twitter. com/7XKbIIPK6G  Click here to view, and here for an archive.  Also Read: Social Media Posts Claiming Army Built 1000-Bed Quarantine Facility Are False We performed a reverse image search using Google images and found that the image was taken in Nara, Japan in July 2014, and not recent or from India.  The search results showed an article dated July 28, 2014, by Japan Today with the headline, "Nara's deer take over one of city's streets" that had the same viral image.  Nara's deer are believed to be messengers of the gods under Shinto belief, and the animals are neither caged nor penned, but instead allowed to roam free around the sprawling expanses of Nara Park according to Japan Today.  A Twitter user named Mojizuri on July 22, 2014 had uploaded the images of deer occupying a sidewalk as was startled to see a herd of deer occupying a sidewalk, as well as spilling out into the road itself reported Japan Today.        On can see a signboard in Japanese in the original image which when translated reads, "To  Deer jump out", and the same person sitting on the bicycle clicking with a camera in both the images.   We also found a 5. 30 seconds video from the same location as Mojizuri's photos dated July 17, 2014, where one can see a herd of deer occupying the sidewalk.    From Sarcsm To Fake News  The image of the herd of deer sitting in the middle of the street was shared in a sarcastic context, however, it took a life of its own with social media users falling for it.  Click here for the deleted tweet link.  At the time of writing this story Tamil Nadu has reported 26 positive COVID-19 cases, Follow BOOM's LIVE blog for recent updates: Coronavirus LIVE Update: India Reports 13 Deaths, 649 Cases  Also Read: Croatia Earthquake Pics Peddled As Italy Overwhelmed With COVID-19 Patients


An image of stacks of fake Rs 2000 denomination currency notes in the custody of the police has been revived on social media with the false claim that the cash was recovered from a politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the poll-bound West Bengal.  The image dates back to November 2019, when the Telangana Police had busted an interstate gang for circulating fake notes from the Khammam district.  CLAIM The image was shared widely on Facebook.  User 'NS Mehra' had garnered over 1,700 likes and 1,500 shares at the time of writing this article on his post, captioned, "बंगाल में BJP के नेता के घर से बरामद रुपया".  (Translation: "Money recovered from BJP leader's house in Bengal") Another user had garnered over 1,200 likes at the time of writing this article.  An archived version of a similar post on Facebook can be viewed here.  The image was also shared on Twitter with the same claim by users like 'Vulgar News' and 'Sushil Mishra'.  WHAT WE FOUND OUT A reverse image search on Yandex led us to a tweet by news agency ANI, dated 2 November 2019.  According to the news agency, the Khammam Police in Telangana had arrested five people for exchanging fake Rs 2,000 denomination currency notes at a 20 percent commission.  320 bundles of fake notes amounting up to Rs 6. 4 crore were seized, which can be seen in the viral image as well.  Further, according to a report by Telangana Today, Commissioner of Police (CP) Tafseer Iqubal told the media that "the racket was being operated with Sathupalli town as its centre. " Shaik Madar was identified as the main accused, along with his wife Shaik Masthan Bee, their elder son Shaik Rameej and nephew Shaik Noushad.  Driver Thota Hanumantha Rao and mediators Modem Saraiah and Gayam Venkata Narayana were also arrested in the case.  The Times of India and Financial Express had also reported on the incident carrying similar visuals.  The image had earlier gone viral with the false claim that the counterfeit notes were recovered from a RSS supporter in Gujarat and was debunked by several fact-checking websites including The Quint.


Patient has to be taken to hospital as soon as possible. This is the only way to reach him, the other route is lengthy: Raju, driver of the ambulance. https://t.co/M7JtazoL2s https://t.co/AmtUe8X5jC

A 42-year-old man in Berhampur town in Odisha’s Covid hotspot district of Ganjam died at his home on Monday after an ambulance driver refused to take him to hospital suspecting that he was a coronavirus patient. Manoj Praharaj’s family members had called 108 emergency response services for an ambulance to take him to hospital.  However, as soon after the ambulance reached the home of Praharaj who was also a diabetic and suffered from high blood pressure, the driver refused to take him to hospital suspecting him to be suffering from Covid-19. “I kept pleading with the ambulance driver to take my father to hospital as he was suffering from fever for the past couple of days.  The ambulance driver instead asked us to call an ambulance (104) meant for coronavirus patients,” said Manas Praharaj, son of the deceased. After the ambulance left, the family members of Praharaj arranged an auto-rickshaw to take him to the hospital.  But he died on the veranda of the house. A video of the minor son pleading helplessly with the ambulance driver to rush his father to hospital went viral on social media. Following the incident, Ganjam district collector Vijay Amrita Kulange said both 104 and 108 ambulances will henceforth carry all Covid suspects to hospitals. In a similar incident, a 55-year-old man in Berhampur town died early this month when the driver of an ambulance refused to carry him to hospital suspecting him to be infected with Covid-19.  On July 12, Shiva Prasad in Sriram Nagar area of Berhampur complained of uneasiness after which his family called for an ambulance. While the ambulance refused to come to his house, none of the neighbours came to help either.  He later died. Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 cases in Odisha mounted to 26,892 with 1,503 new cases even as the sample positivity rate rose to 16. 11, its highest so far.  The number of deaths rose to 147 with seven more casualties. In Bhubaneswar, 17 blind people including 15 from the Odisha Association for the Blind have tested positive for Covid.  According to officials, the 15 blind people came in contact with the caretaker of a professor working in the blind association who earlier tested positive.


Michael B. Jordan and Donna Jordan hit the red carpet ahead of the 2019 #Oscars. https://t.co/SnhY0riMTA https://t.co/h7KvmWj0zT

  People were not happy with some aspects of Sunday’s Academy Awards.

  Over on social media, there were plenty of complaints about the best picture winner, “Green Book. ”

  The film chronicles the real-life relationship between piano virtuoso Dr.  Donald Shirley, played by best supporting actor Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali and Tony Vallelonga, played by Viggo Mortensen, who served as his driver during a concert tour of the South in the 1960s.

  The movie dealt with a quite a bit of controversy, from Shirley’s family complaining that it took too much creative license to Mortensen using the N-word during a post-screening discussion (he later apologized) to one of the film’s writers, Nick Vallelonga (son of Tony Vallenlonga) issuing a mea culpa for a 2015 tweet that contained a false, Islamophobic statement.

  But it’s the “white savior” trope that some saw in the drama that led to more than a few complaints that Georgia Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis introduced the film at the Oscars.

  “I can bear witness that the portrait painted of that time and place in our history is very real,” Lewis said during the introduction which he shared with actress Amandla Stenberg.  “It’s seared in my memory, black men and women, our brothers and sisters, treated as second class citizens, threatened for raising their families or earning a living, beaten and sometimes killed for the crime of trying to live a life with dignity.  Our nation bears the scars of that time, as do I. ”

  “John Lewis introducing Green Book has me sick,” writer and podcast host Aminatou Sow tweeted.

Isn't Green Book supposed to be mega racist and white savioury?  Gross.  #oscars
How many more times is the American Negro going to bundle up their hopes and dreams in somebody else's award?   #Oscars will continue to #GreenBook you until you finally decide that your opinions matter more than anyone else's.
  The overall sentiment from some was that the film was not exactly progressive in its themes.

  Then there was upset over Glenn Close not winning best actress for “The Wife. ”

  Close lost out to Olivia Colman of “The Favourite. ”

  But even those who mourned the fact that Close has been nominated seven times and has yet to win an Oscar, still had to bow to Colman’s royal performance as England’s Queen Anne.

Glenn Close was ROBBED! ! !  #oscars2019
Best Actress was definitely one of the most stacked categories.  Hate to see Glenn Close come so close but fall short of her first Oscar.
  “WHAT DOES GLENN CLOSE HAVE TO DO! ? ?  (Whispers: I adore you Olivia Colman.  You were also brilliant),” Showtime executive Johanna Fuentes tweeted.

  Another loss that annoyed people was Spike Lee being passed over for best director in favor of Alfonso Cuarón.

  It felt almost historical to more than a few people on Twitter.
In one lifetime Spike Lee has lost the Best Picture #Oscars to a movie about a Black guy driving a white lady, Driving Miss Daisy, and to a film about a Black guy being driven by a white guy Green Book. . .   What are the odds?
Driving Miss Daisy 2. 0! Spike Lee lost to Driving Miss Daisy when he had Do the Right Thing.  30 years later he loses to Green Book when he had BlacKKlansman.
Really messed up that Spike Lee lost to Driving Miss Daisy a second time three decades later
  “In one lifetime Spike Lee has lost the Best Picture #Oscars to a movie about a Black guy driving a white lady, Driving Miss Daisy, and to a film about a Black guy being driven by a white guy Green Book…,” one person tweeted.  “What are the odds? ”

  And as is the case every year, people were heated that someone was left out of the In Memoriam tribute.

  Carol Channing, who was nominated for best supporting actress for her role in the 1967 film “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” died in January and was not included.
Dear #Oscars, us gays are very upset that Academy Award nominated Carol Channing - an ICON - was not included in the In Memoriam segment! ! !
Carol Channing was an Oscar nominee.  Carol Channing was an Oscar nominee.  Carol Channing was an Oscar nominee.  Carol Channing was an Oscar nominee.  Carol Channing was an Oscar nominee.  Carol Channing was an Oscar nominee.  Carol Channing was an Oscar nominee.  Carol Channing wa
They didn’t just forget about Carol Channing, they did it with Barbra Streisand *right* *there*. Not cool #Oscars, not cool.  #InMemoriam
  “Dear #Oscars, us gays are very upset that Academy Award nominated Carol Channing - an ICON - was not included in the In Memoriam segment! ! ! ,” blogger Perez Hilton tweeted.

  One thing that didn’t appear to elicit too many complaints: the fact that this year’s show was without a host.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi Admits That He Has Studied Till High School

Congress IT-cell head Divya Spandana tweeted a misleading video clip from a nearly two decade old interview of Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking about his educational qualifications, breathing new life into a controversy that has dogged him for years.    The video is a cropped version of an interview that Modi gave to Rajeev Shukla for his show Ru-Ba-Ru.    The misleading clip leads the viewer to believe that Modi has only studied up to high school based on his reply to a question from Shukla.        बड़ी मुश्किल से विडियो ढूंढा है, ये 1998 का इन्टरव्यू है जिसमे साहब खुद कह रहे है हाई स्कूल तक पढा हूँ, लेकिन आज साहब के पास ग्रेजुएशन की डिग्री है जो 1979 मे किया था ! !  pic. twitter. com/zr2DLBDv6i — Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) September 18, 2018   Below is the transcript of the 29-second video.            But a look at the full interview of Modi by Shukla paints a completely different picture.  At the time of the interview, Modi was speaking as the general secretary of BJP general secretary during the NDA government.  A search for the interview on YouTube throws up results for a 23-minute interview with Modi divided into five parts.  It is in the fifth part, that Modi says he has studied “only till high school. ” Soon after saying this, Modi continues with the following -   "But after that on the insistence of a sangh leader, I started appearing for external examinations.  I did my Bachelor of Arts from Delhi University through an external exam.  But he kept insisting, so I completed my Masters of Arts via an external exam.  But I have never seen a college gate. ”     The part where Modi speaks about appearing for examinations and obtaining BA and MA degrees is not part of the clip shared by Spandana.  While Spandana soon issued a clarification by sharing an article from Alt News, the original tweet still exists and has received over 3,000 retweets and been liked more than 5,900 times.      So that’s not the entire clip!  Whatsapp 🤦🏽♀ https://t. co/NwfJWQcbsQ — Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) September 18, 2018  Watch the full interview (From 20:51 onwards)     https://youtu. be/shyXSvQW4_w   A search with the text of tweet shows that the video has also gone viral on Facebook and WhatsApp as well.       Controversy Around PM Modi's Educational Degrees   The video was in focus in 2016 when Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal raised questions about Modi’s educational qualifications and asked the Central Information Commission to make the details public.    In the weeks that followed Kejriwal’s questions, the above edited started going viral on social media with Congress leader Digvijay Singh also tweeting the same video in 2016 as “proof” of Modi’s educational qualification.    But the controversy surrounding Modi’s educational qualification is not new.  With the affidavits filed in 2014 general elections, and the 2012 and 2007 Gujarat elections claiming he has a graduate and masters degree, the Prime Minister’s office was flooded with RTI applications requesting details.    Many RTIs were filed with the Gujarat University and Delhi University.  Following orders from the CIC and the Delhi High court, DU and GU both submitted details of the degrees but this sparked another controversy.  The degree displayed by GU on its website states, Modi earned a degree as an “external student” in “Entire political science” while the one submitted by DU had discrepancies in Modi’s name and date of birth.    This led to a political furore with many claiming the degrees were fake and forged to quell suspicions.  But there is no conclusive evidence to prove that the degrees are fake.


CNN PROJECTION: Donald Trump wins Texas https://t.co/CXfsXDEEz9 #CNNElection https://t.co/zI3gZ1CG1Z


Weekend lockdown imposed from 8 pm on Friday to 7 am on Monday in Maharashtra. Visuals from Shivaji Park in Dadar, Mumbai

Mumbai reported 9,327 new #COVID19 cases yesterday, taking the total number of cases to 5,10,225 https://t.co/nPvWatsw0s

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to Maharashtra Chief Secretary after the central team's visit last week and observed that the state is undergoing the second wave of Covid-19 while urging for focus on containment strategies. "Maharashtra is in the beginning of a second wave of Covid-19 pandemic.  Efforts to track, test, isolate cases and quarantine contacts are limited there with no adherence to Covid-19 appropriate behaviour among people both in rural and urban areas," Bhushan wrote in the letter. Pointing towards contact tracing, the Health Secretary's letter mentioned that the case-contact ratio is more than 1:20 in the state. "Though it appears high, a deep dive into the methodology of contact tracing revealed that the main concept of contact tracing was not clearly understood by the field level staff, who were mainly listing the immediate family and neighborhood contacts," he added. The Health Ministry Central team in its observation had written that night curfew, partial lockdowns and weekend lockdowns have a limited impact on curbing the virus transmission. According to the Central team, some districts were found implementing/contemplating to implement measures such as night curfew, partial lockdowns, weekend lockdowns etc.  (Aurangabad, Nashik and Jalgaon). "These measures may have only very limited impact on containing/suppressing the transmission.  Hence, the District Administration should focus on containment strategy as per the guidelines laid out by the Centre," the letter said, expressing its views on covid management. While the positivity rate in Maharashtra stands at 13. 21 per cent, the recovery rate is 92. 21 per cent.  The fatality rate in the state is 2. 28 per cent. The Latur district administration has already imposed a night curfew between 8 pm and 5 am to contain the spread of the virus in the district.  According to the order released by the officials, all weekly markets will remain shut till March 31.  However, emergency services have been exempted. A complete lockdown has already been announced in the Nagpur city area from March 15 to March 21 in view of the rising infections.


“It didn’t shock me, that’s what happens in that environment sometimes,” says Willy T. Ribbs, the first black driver in the Indianapolis 500, about a noose found in NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace’s garage.

Ribbs said when he was a driver he would get “death threats.” https://t.co/EocBdDn5dA

The #43 car driver said the act "offends me, but I'm not shocked. "Bubba Wallace of NASCAR was not target of a hate crime, DOJ saysNASCAR driver Bubba Wallace said he is "absolutely" reinvigorated to help advocate for social change and educate others after an alleged racist incident in his team's garage over the weekend. Wallace joined "The View" Tuesday and explained his current perspective about what comes next after NASCAR's massive show of support at Monday's race as the FBI joined the investigation into Sunday's incident at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Later Tuesday evening, after Wallace spoke to “The View,” NASCAR released a statement after the FBI concluded that no hate crime was committed against Wallace. The investigation found that a garage door pull rope fashioned like a noose had been positioned in that garage stall since as early as last fall, and thus was not directed at Wallace. According to a statement from U. S.  Attorney Jay E.  Town and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, the noose had been in the garage since at least October 2019. "Systemic racism is a problem from every aspect of life.  We have to work so hard to get that to change and we know it's not going to change overnight," Wallace said on "The View. " "This isn't going to stop me from changing.  This isn't going to be something that just boils over, blows over and just sweep it under the rug and forget about.  It's a part of me. "Wallace, who is NASCAR's only full-time Black driver, has been a leading voice in the sport amid calls for justice following the death of George Floyd and ran a Black Lives Matter paint scheme on his own #43 Chevrolet for Richard Petty Motorsports at the Martinsville race two weeks ago. "I said a couple weeks ago, that something changed inside me to be an activist.  My mother said, 'Did you ever believe you would be an activist? ' I said 'No, not really. ' But I just felt in my heart that I needed to step up and be a leader in the forefront," Wallace explained. He continued, "I'm the only Black driver in NASCAR, it's easier for me to talk about these matters because I go through some racism throughout my life.  I don't have it as hard as other people, but I still go through it so I can be a witness and be a part of it and speak on the matters and educate others. ""That's the biggest thing is that we as a sport put our messaging out there is educating people, listening and learning, helping people understand what other people are going through.  We are very often too quick to listen and don't give enough time to hear each other out," Wallace explained.  "Throughout all of this it will solidify where I stand and stand proud. "Just over two weeks before this incident Wallace helped push NASCAR to officially ban the Confederate flag at all of its events, tracks and facilities. "My dad had told me -- after the Confederate flag deal -- he said, 'I'm proud of you, but I'm worried about your safety so you have to be careful. ' So this just shows how much I have to watch my back. On Sunday after he called both of his parents, Wallace said his father reiterated his earlier point to "keep your head on a swivel. ""Obviously I was hurt, I was sad that people would go to those measures.  I wouldn't say I'm shocked because we see the stuff that goes on in the world.  But it's just unfortunate that it happened to me and my crew was able to see it and witness that and it kind of took our mind off racing for a little bit.  I guess it was kind of OK that we were put on a rain delay to go on and let us refocus for Monday. "When the race resumed Monday, Wallace was met with a huge show of support from all 39 other drivers and their crews in a march down pit road to push his car to the front of the field on track at Talladega. "Every time I watch that video I get you know emotional and get chills just to see love, compassion and understanding, those were the three words that were written on my Black Lives Matter car -- and to see everybody come together and show their support you know we are all competitors and we all basically  don't like each other when the race starts we just want to go out and beat each other.  That's just what competitors do.  But we always show the utmost respect off the racetrack -- and I'm proud to be a part of the NASCAR family. ""These times kind of bring back that positive light of love and passion and solidarity and unity to unite together and show that love is way stronger than hate," he added. As NASCAR president Steve Phelps and federal authorities investigate the discovery by Wallace's race team, Wallace responded to the notion that some people have doubted the validity of the incident. "It offends me that people would go to those measures, but again I'm not shocked.  People are entitled to their own opinion to make them feel good, whatever helps them sleep at night, but it is still an ongoing investigation with the FBI," he said. "But it's simple-minded people like that, the ones afraid of change, they use everything in their power to defend what they stand up for instead of trying to listen and understand what's going on," Wallace said.  "We're still trying to figure out whoever did this crazy act, trying to pinpoint it on somebody and just go through it all.  I think it was better for me not to see it directly.  I don't know how I would have reacted.  It's in the FBI's hands to go through everything and try and figure it out. "Wallace confirmed he has "talked to the FBI" something he said he "never thought would happen. "Although Wallace did not win Monday's race due to a late stop for fuel, he finished 14th and ended the day with fans, teammates and opponents celebrating him. He apologized for not wearing a mandatory face mask but told reporters in a post-race interview that he didn't wear it because "I wanted to show whoever it was: You are not going to take away my smile. ''"This sport is changing,'' he said.  "The pre-race deal was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to witness in my life.  From all the supporters, from drivers to crew members, everybody here, the badass fan base, thank you guys for coming out.  This is truly incredible, and I'm glad to be a part of this sport. ''Other drivers have continued to show their support for Wallace both on and off the track. Ryan Blaney, who found his way to victory lane after a photo finish with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.  said that Wallace has been one of his best friends for 15 years, and hailed the special moment before the race. "It showed how you're not gonna scare [Wallace].  You're not gonna scare him," Blaney told Scott Van Pelt in an interview on ESPN.  "He's really strong.  He's gonna rise above it and fight this. "So we just wanted to show our support.  I wanted to show my support for my best friend.  He's just been someone I've really, really loved for a long time, and I'm gonna support him 100 percent along the way for many years to come.  I hope a lot of people will look at that and learn from everyone coming together and supporting each other.  That's what it's gonna take to make things better. "Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect the results of the FBI's investigation. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


The Biden administration has now released its first official images from inside two Texas migrant detention centers, with @ABC News receiving an exclusive first look at videos and photos produced in recent days by the U.S. government. https://t.co/BGKgsS0dji

By Michael Conte and Caroline Kelly, CNNUpdated 5:26 PM ET, Tue March 23, 2021  (CNN)The Pentagon said Tuesday it has received a request from the Department of Health and Human Services to temporarily house unaccompanied migrant children at Joint Base San Antonio and Fort Bliss in Texas. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this report.


A picture of a man jumping off a building has gone viral.  According to social media users, a young boy in Italy committed suicide after all his family members died due to coronavirus. A Facebook user Saeed Siddiqui posted the viral image.  It has been liked over 1,100 times. This picture is viral on Twitter and Facebook with the Hindi text, “News from Italy made the whole world cry.  After a young boy’s whole family died due to coronavirus the boy jumped off a building and committed suicide (translated from इटली की ये खबर पूरी दुनिया को रुला गई करोना से पूरे परिवार को खोने के बाद युवक ने बिल्डिंग के छत से कूदकर आत्महत्या कर लिया।)”Alt News has received several requests to fact-check the images on WhatsApp (+91 76000 11160) and on our official Android application. Alt News performed a reverse image search on Google and found that the viral image was published by Maldito Feminismo, a Spain-based fact-checking platform on December 31, 2019.  According to the report, the police informed that a woman committed suicide by jumping from the roof of Hotel Valencia Center on December 24, 2019.  The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Spain on January 31, 2020.  The report states that the claims related to coronavirus are baseless. ❌No, la persona que se suicida desde la azotea de un hotel no es “otro afectado más por la ley de violencia de género, esta vez en Valencia”: era una mujer según Policía Nacional. https://t. co/CWwT4bMuxC— MALDITO BULO (@malditobulo) December 30, 2019The incident was also fact-checked by Spanish website Newtral.  “The National Police of Valencia has confirmed to Newtral. es that the images of this event were recorded in 2019 and that they are not related to the coronavirus,” reads its article. Thus, the social media claim associated with the viral video is false.  Earlier, a 2015 video of a Ghanian woman jumping off a building was shared as a man committed suicide in the US after testing positive for coronavirus. Donate NowA 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…


Officials in Puerto Rico have begun the distribution operation of the Hurricane Maria emergency supplies that were found in a warehouse over the weekend, according to a general with the Puerto Rican National Guard https://t.co/w3N5MYoQ87

The referral was made so "a thorough investigation continues with priority. "Puerto Rican official fired after warehouse discovered with supplies from 2017Government officials in Puerto Rico have referred an investigation into why the much-needed disaster aid went unused for years to the Department of Justice. The office of Gov.  Wanda Vazquez announced Monday night that the Bureau of Special Investigations -- which had 48 hours to conduct a preliminary investigation -- recommended referring its preliminary conclusions to the DOJ "so that a thorough investigation continues with priority and the corresponding actions are taken by law," according to a statement. The aid, believed to have been delivered during Hurricane Maria in 2017, was discovered in an abandoned government-operated warehouse in the southwestern city of Ponce over the weekend, sparking a wave of angry protests. Authorities began distributing the aid to residents on Monday in the wake of a deadly hurricane and more recently a batch of crippling earthquakes. The once-abandoned supplies -- which included thousands of sealed cases of water bottles, pallets of food, diapers, baby formula and cots -- were distributed to shelters in communities where powerful earthquakes leveled homes in recent weeks and caused an estimated $110 million in damages, according to government officials. Some residents gathered outside of the Governor’s Mansion in San Juan to call for the governor's resignation amid questions over why the aid didn't make it to those in need earlier. Puerto Rico Gov.  Wanda Vazquez fired the island's chief of emergency management, Carlos Acevedo, and temporarily called for the National Guard to oversee the agency amid an ongoing investigation into why the aid was left to sit while residents were in need. "In the last days there have been actions by members of the government that are not acceptable," Vazquez told reporters Sunday.  "I will not permit this type of conduct in my government. "She also called for the resignation of Family Affairs Secretary Glorimar Andujar and Housing Secretary Fernando Gil after they were unable to provide the information she requested on their agencies’ distribution centers. They tendered their resignations after the press conference concluded. "I feel the indignation that the people of the island feel," Vazquez said. When asked how it was possible she did not know about the existence of the 43,000-square-foot warehouse, Vazquez replied: "That’s what the head of agencies are for . . .  to inform the governor. "Vazquez has vowed that all the Ponce warehouse supplies that are not expired would be distributed to the towns that were the hardest hit by the quakes. Acevedo defended the emergency management agency before his firing in a statement released on Saturday.  He said the warehouse had been inspected after a recent earthquake by a structural engineer who recommended emptying it due to damage suffered. "It is important to emphasize that no citizen has been denied any of the items found at this place," the statement said.  "At the moment, there is no shortage of any of these articles and they are being distributed to the people who need it; data that can be verified in the shelters and base camps. "Acevedo said at one point there had been 600 pallets of water, which were distributed to the public when Hurricane Dorian and Hurricane Karen threatened Puerto Rico, but there were about 80 left. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Ric Ocasek, whose sound was synonymous with the late 1970s and '80s as lead singer of the band The Cars, has died at age 75. https://t.co/RE3MLoQCIe

    Ric Ocasek, lead singer of the new wave rock band The Cars, died of heart disease, according to the New York City medical examiner’s office.

    He was 75.

    The New York Police Department received a call around 4 p. m.  Sunday “for an unconscious male” at a townhouse on East 19th Street, the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information told CNN.

    Ocasek died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a press release Monday from the medical examiner’s office.  There was a contributing condition of pulmonary emphysema.  The manner of death was natural.

    Supermodel Paulina Porizkova, who separated from Ocasek last year, posted on Instagram that he had been recuperating at home following surgery.  She was at the home helping their children care for their father when she found him while bringing coffee.  “I touched his cheek to rouse him.  It was then I realized that during the night he had peacefully passed on. ”

    Porizkova shared a photo of flowers outside the home.

    The Cars became hugely popular in the late 1970s and early 80s with hits including “My Best Friend’s Girl” and “Drive. ”

New wave rock band The Cars' most memorable moments

    The Cars were a mainstay of MTV in its early days.  Their video for “Double Life” was the 21st video ever played on the new cable channel, according to VH1.

    Ocasek married Porizkova after the two met while shooting the video for 1984’s “Drive. ” They had two children together.

    He was known for his mop of black hair and black sunglasses, which featured in many of the band’s videos, including “You Might Think” in 1984.

    Ocasek and The Cars were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

    “(T)he Cars were the ultimate New Wave dream machine: a hook-savvy super-charged quintet that fused 60s pop, 70s glam and avant-rock minimalism into a decade of dashboard-radio nirvana,” the band’s biography reads on the Hall of Fame website.

    The band had 13 Top 40 singles and four Top 10 LPs, according to the biography.

    Ocasek founded the group in 1976, the biography said.

The Cars' Ric Ocasek talks solo career (1983)

    A demo tape of one of the band’s first songs, “Just What I Needed,” was so popular on two Boston radio stations that the band caught the attention of record companies, according to a Contemporary Musicians biography.

    Ocasek was the band’s main song writer and also played rhythm guitar.

    The band broke up in 1988, but Ocasek went on to make solo albums, the biography said.

    In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine ahead of the band’s induction into the Hall of Fame, Ocasek described playing there as “a good cap on the bottle” after so many years.

    “It’s kind of weird because it’s like a lifetime,” Ocasek told the magazine, looking back at the history of The Cars.  “It is a lifetime.  I had three families during that time.  They are like lives that go by and millions of people and things and artists and writers and business people and fans.  … It’s a lot of stuff.  It’s been a pretty eventful life, I can say. ”

    As news of Ocasek’s death spread, several musicians and other celebrities posted tributes to the fallen rocker.

    Musician Billy Idol said in a tweet he was sorry to hear the news.

    Peter Frampton tweeted that his thoughts were with Ocasek’s family and applauded his career as a writer and singer.

    Gun N’ Roses guitarist Slash posted a photo of Ocasek during a performance.
  A post shared by Slash (@slash)
    Rainn Wilson, star of “The Office,” also tweeted his condolences, saying he was “stunned and saddened. ”
  I’m stunned and saddened by the loss of Ric Ocasek - he was a visionary who affected the lives and hearts of everyone who listened to music in the 80s.  God Speed, Ric!  Keep Moving in Stereo!
  CNN’s Melissa Gray and Hollie Silverman contributed to this report.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


Gujarat: A three-storey building collapses in Amraiwadi area in Ahmedabad. Rescue operation underway. https://t.co/jRtU4Tae7h

At least two persons died and four were injured when a three-storey, nearly 100-year-old, building collapsed in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Eight persons were reportedly buried under the debris when a dilapidated building in Banglowwali Chawl in eastern Ahmedabad’s Amraiwadi area came crashing down at 2 pm.  “Five people were rescued soon.  But it took some time to rescues others.  Rescue operations are still on,” said a fire brigade official. The fire brigade vehicles could not go inside to commence the rescue operation due to narrow lanes leading up to the location of untoward collapse.  Additionally, the narrow lanes did not permit the movement of heavy equipment that rescue force needed for the operations. “The locals have come forward to help and some residents formed a human chain to dig and pass rubble by hand, along with the fire brigade team.  Without everyone joining the hands, it was impossible to remove the rubble from the lane,” said Ahmedabad municipal councillor Baldev Desai, adding that the “building was some 100-years-old. ”Of the six persons referred to government-run hospital, two women were declared ‘brought dead’ by doctors, the authorities said, adding four others are currently under treatment. “The rescue operation is still on as we suspect that more people are still trapped under the debris,” said deputy commissioner of police Akshaya Raj Makwana. Levelling blame on the Ahmedabad Municipal Committee, the Congress said that the AMC failed in its duty on preventing residents from living in the damaged building. “The building was old and in dilapidated condition.  As far as we know, no notice was served to the residents by the AMC and no safety check was done.  This has claimed two lived’’, said Jagdish Rawal Congress councillor. BJP ruled AMC Mayor Bijal Patel said, “The AMC in pre-monsoon drive has served notices to all the unsafe building.  This was private property.  The AMC cannot forcibly ask anyone to vacate private building”.


President George W. Bush condemns riots: "This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic" https://t.co/vuVSYfYicw

Democrats call it an effort to help President Trump overturn a fair election. On Location: September 6, 2021In a historic turn of events Wednesday, more than 100 Republicans in the House and at least a dozen in the Senate are expected to join with President Donald Trump in a last-ditch effort to challenge his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden in what Democrats are calling an unprecedented attack on American democracy. While their complaints are not expected to change the final outcome,  when Congress convenes in the House chamber in joint session to ratify the Electoral College vote confirming Biden's win, Republicans in the House and Senate are expected to lodge formal objections to the electoral results in at least three states, according to GOP aides. What traditionally has been a solemn and relatively routine process of counting the certified electoral votes from each state will instead prompt two hours of likely bitter debate and then votes in the House and Senate on each challenge. Sens.  Ted Cruz of Texas, Kelly Loeffler of Georgia and Josh Hawley of Missouri are expected to co-sign written objections from House Republicans to the slate of electors from Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania, respectively. Given that the process could take closer to three or four hours for each state, and that the chambers have been staggering voting during the coronavirus pandemic, the joint session, with the nation watching, could last late into the night, possibly into early Thursday morning, even if the eventual outcome in Biden's favor is all but certain. Republicans in the House could also object to the results from Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada, though it's not clear if any Senate Republicans will join their objections, a necessity to trigger the formal review process of those states' electors. The Senate's top Republican, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who opposes the move by his GOP colleagues, is expected to speak first once an objection is raised.  The Senate's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, will be on hand as well, with other senators watching from the public gallery because of social distancing. Governors from all 50 states have certified the votes and both the House and Senate are expected to reject all challenges -- although potentially half of the House Republican caucus -- more than 100 members -- and roughly a dozen GOP senators could vote to reject the election results in the key states that helped Biden defeat Trump, according to one senior House GOP aide. The joint session of Congress to certify the election results, presided over by Vice President Mike Pence, will begin at 1 p. m.  Wednesday with echoes of language and ceremony mandated in the Constitution and in centuries-old federal law. But Trump has viewed the Jan.  6 session as a high-profile stage to continue his so-far futile effort to overturn the election results and raise unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud -- turning the traditional pro-forma joint session   into a de-facto loyalty test for congressional Republicans, who are caught between Trump and his base, and upholding the democratic election process. The effort, which is certain to fail, has also put mounting political pressure on Pence. Despite his limited role managing the joint session, Trump and his most loyal supporters have called on the vice president to take control of the process to deny Biden electoral votes, falsely claiming he has the authority under the Constitution to swing the election in his favor. Pence told Trump Tuesday he does not have the power to reverse the outcome of the November election when he presides over the joint session, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News, in a development first reported by the New York Times. House Democrats will be prepared to respond to Republican objections and efforts to knock proceedings off script, according to a senior Democratic aide. House Democrats mounted unsuccessful challenges to state results in the joint sessions following the 2000 and 2016 presidential elections, but did not have a senator willing to back the effort to prompt debate and votes in both chambers. In 2005, after President George W.  Bush's victory over Democratic Sen.  Jon Kerry of Massachusetts, Sen.  Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. , and Rep.  Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio, forced debate and a vote on the electoral votes from Ohio, after raising concerns about the administration of the election in the swing state.  Both chambers overwhelmingly rejected the challenge. Neither of the Democrats disputed the results of the presidential election, and Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, then a senator from Massachusetts, had already conceded and did not support the effort. Because of the pandemic, members will be barred from the House chamber during the joint session unless they are scheduled to speak, according to guidance issued to lawmakers by the House sergeant-at-arms. "During the joint session, access to the Floor of the House will be limited to those Members who are scheduled to speak during the joint session," Paul Irving, the House sergeant-at-arms, and Dr.  Brian Monahan, the attending physician for Congress, wrote in the memo, which ABC News obtained.  "Unless participating in the joint session, Members are encouraged to remain in their offices unless called to vote. "Some Republican and Democratic lawmakers are asking their staff to work remotely and avoid Capitol Hill on Wednesday, in light of planned demonstrations, and members have also been advised to use the underground tunnel system to travel from their offices to the floor, to avoid walking outside amid the protests. ABC News' Trish Turner contributed to this report. This report was featured in the Wednesday, Jan.  6, 2020, episode of “Start Here,” ABC News’ daily news podcast. "Start Here" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes.  Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Unemployment benefits for millions of Americans lapsed overnight as Pres. Trump refused to sign an end-of-year COVID relief and spending bill. https://t.co/PnOp0jfHlj

By Tami Luhby, Sarah Westwood and Nikki Carvajal, CNNUpdated 12:21 AM ET, Sun December 27, 2020  (CNN)Millions of jobless gig-workers and independent contractors, as well as long-term unemployed Americans, are set to lose their unemployment benefits after this weekend since President Donald Trump hasn't signed the $900 billion relief package Congress passed last week.


Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath (@OfficeOfKNath), Congress leader @digvijaya_28 and Shiv Sena MP @rautsanjay61 at Andhra Pradesh CM & TDP Chief  N Chandrababu Naidu's (@ncbn) day-long fast in AP Bhawan, Delhi.  (ANI)

Follow live updates here: https://t.co/hLNnbCaMP7 https://t.co/1My5LXyz0A

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will undertake a day-long fast in Delhi on Monday, seeking special category status for the state and fulfilment of other commitments made by the Centre at the time of state’s bifurcation.  Naidu will begin the ‘Dharma Porata Deeksha’ at the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan at 8 am after paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat. Also Read | Andhra Pradesh hires two trains for Rs 1. 12 cr for Chandrababu Naidu’s Delhi protest against CentreThe fast is expected to turn out to be a grand show of unity of opposition parties with 21 leaders expressing their solidarity for the Naidu’s cause.  A source from the Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party (TDPP) said on condition of anonymity Congress president Rahul Gandhi will visit Naidu and express his solidarity for the cause of Andhra Pradesh, besides several other national leaders. Also Watch | Chandrababu Naidu to sit on one-day fast over special status for AP  Read highlights here:Chandrababu Naidu ends fastChandrababu Naidu ends his fast with water offered by former PM Deve Gowda. Prime Minister and NDA govt, they are dividing the country: CM NaiduThe present Prime Minister & NDA govt, they are dividing the country.  They are building hate campaign among people.  Ultimately, they want political gain, but it can’t be, says Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in Delhi, reports ANI. At Chandrababu’s day-long hunger strike, Kejriwal says Modi behaves like PM of PakistanDelhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, DMK’s T Siva and TMC’s Derek O’ Brien have arrived at Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu’s day-long fast in Delhi.  “We want to tell the prime minister that he is not the PM of BJP, he is the pm of the people of this country.  The way he treats the states with Opposition parties at helm.  it seems he is not the PM of Hindustan but of Pakistan,” said Kejriwal.  Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, DMK's T Siva and TMC's Derek O' Brien at Andhra Pradesh CM & TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu's day-long fast in Delhi pic. twitter. com/MITRXrgyiHNaidu joined by cabinet colleagues, Opposition leaders at his day-long hunger strikeNaidu’s cabinet colleagues, MPs, state legislators and leaders of student and employees groups and mass organisations were sitting with him on the fast.  A string of Opposition political leaders also met the TDP chief at his day-long hunger strike. Demand of special status to Andhra should be fulfilled without any further loss of time: Manmohan SinghFormer PM Manmohan Singh arrived at TDP chief’s day-long hunger strike, where he said, “the demand of special status to Andhra Pradesh should be fulfilled without any further loss of time. ”Delhi: Former Prime Minister & Congress leader Manmohan Singh at Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu's day-long fast, at Andhra Pradesh Bhawan.  pic. twitter. com/wEym76Hftk‘Is Andhra not part of India? ’: Rahul joins Chandrababu’s dharna“What kind of a prime minister is this, who can’t fulfil a promise he made to the people of Andhra Pradesh.  Is Andhra Pradesh not a part of this country that he is not fulfilling the commitment he made to the state?  Mr.  Modi has got no credibility left.  I assure you, in coming days the Opposition will show BJP its true place,” said Rahul Gandhi at Chandrababu Naidu’s day-long hunger strike. Rahul arrives at Chandrababu’s day-long hunger strikeRahul Gandhi has arrived at Chandrababu Naidu’s day-long hunger strike against Centre.  National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah and NCP’s Majeed Memon are also at the hunger strike venue. Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi at the Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu's day-long hunger strike against the central government.  pic. twitter. com/rKCjz9wz2lWe are here to unite the nation, BJP is here to divide: Chandrababu Naidu“We are seeking justice.  We are a part of the country.  I am asking national media to show solidarity to us.  It is our duty to remind him when he is not protecting Raj dharma.  We are suffering because of central government.  We are here to unite the nation, the BJP is here to divide, said Chandrababu Naidu. PM visited Guntur one day before the dharna.  What was the need?  asks ChandrababuAttacking the prime minister’s Andhra Pradesh visit, Chandrababu Naidu said,”Today, we came here all the way to protest against central govt.  Yesterday, PM visited Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, one day before the dharna.  What is the need, I am asking. ”Personal attacks by PM on me unwarranted: Chandrababu“You (PM spend so much time launching personal attacks on me that you forgot your promises.  The personal attacks by PM on me are unwarranted.  You can criticise my work but you shouldn’t do personal attacks.  You haven’t fulfilled your promises.  If you don’t , even now, we know how to get it done.  It’s about our self respect,” said Chandrababu NaiduBJP govt failed at every front: Naidu“The BJP govt failed at giving special status to Andhra, to release funds for the state.  They have failed at every front,” said TDP chief Chandrababu NaiduChandrababu’s hunger strike against Centre over demand of special status to AndhraAndhra Pradesh CM and Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu began his day-long hunger strike at Andhra Pradesh Bhawan.  His hunger strike is against the central govt over the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh. In March last year, the TDP had pulled out of the NDA government over its refusal to grant a special status to Andhra Pradesh. Andhra CM likely to be joined by cabinet colleagues, lawmakers in his day-long fastThe Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief, Naidu, is likley to be joined by his cabinet colleagues, MPs, state legislators, and leaders of students and employees groups and mass organisations in his day-long fast in Delhi. Farooq Abdullah, Arvind Kejriwal to visit NaiduChairman of JKNC Farooq Abdullah and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal will also visit Chandrababu Naidu’s one day fasting protest at 10 am and 1pm at AP Bhavan respectively. Rahul Gandhi to visit Chandrababu Naidu at Andhra Pradesh BhavanCongress president Rahul Gandhi will be visiting N Chandrababu Naidu’s Dharma Porata Deeksha (one day fasting protest) on Monday between 9am to 10am at Andhra Pradesh Bhavan. Chandrababu Naidu pays tribute at RajghatAndhra Pradesh CM and Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu paid tribute at Rajghat.  Naidu is observing a daylong hunger strike here today against the central govt over the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh.  Delhi: Andhra Pradesh CM and Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu pays tribute at Rajghat.  He is observing a daylong hunger strike here today against the central govt over the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh.  pic. twitter. com/jqlvtwYStn