#WATCH US President Donald Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Demilitarized zone between North Korea and South Korea. https://t.co/F7ozzOdBqJ

Donald Trump stepped onto North Korean soil Sunday as he met Pyongyang’s leader Kim Jong Un in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the peninsula, in a symbolic diplomatic spectacle and a first for any American president.  After shaking hands with Kim over the line that marks where their two countries and their allies fought each other to a standstill in the 1950-53 Korean War, Trump walked for several steps into North Korean territory, before another handshake. The two men then walked into Seoul’s territory together -- pausing on the line for photographers -- where they were joined by South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Watch | Trump becomes 1st US President to enter North Korea; meets Kim Jong Un “It’s a great day for the world and it’s an honour for me to be here,” Trump said.  “A lot of great things are happening. ”The impromptu meeting in the DMZ -- which came after Trump issued an invitation on Twitter on Saturday -- comes with negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington over the North’s nuclear arsenal at a deadlock. The two would “just shake hands quickly and say hello because we haven’t seen each other since Vietnam”, Trump said earlier. Their first summit took place in a blaze of publicity in Singapore last year but produced a vaguely-worded pledge about denuclearisation, and a second meeting in Vietnam in February intended to put flesh on those bones broke up without agreement. Contact between the two sides has since been minimal -- with Pyongyang issuing frequent criticisms of the US position -- but the two leaders have exchanged a series of letters and Trump turned to Twitter on Saturday to issue his offer. “If Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(? )! ,” he wrote from from Osaka in Japan, where he was attending a G20 summit before flying to Seoul. In an unusually fast and public response, within hours of Trump’s tweet the North’s official KCNA news agency quoted Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui as saying the offer was “a very interesting suggestion”. Trump’s entry onto North Korean soil is a dramatic re-enactment of the extraordinary scene last year when the young leader invited South Korean President Moon Jae-in to walk over the Military Demarcation Line that divides the Koreas. Moon -- who seized on last year’s Winter Olympics to broker the process between Pyongyang and Washington, after tensions soared in 2017 amid missile and nuclear tests and mutual insults -- will be going to the DMZ with Trump. “The leaders of the US and the North will have a handshake for peace at Panmunjom, the symbol of division, for the first time,” Moon said, referring to the “truce village” in the DMZ. ‘Barren no-man’s land’But analysts were divided over the headline-grabbing meeting’s potential impact on the underlying issues. The four-kilometre-wide (2. 5 miles) DMZ, running for 250 kilometres, is where the front line lay when the Korean War ended with a ceasefire rather than a peace treaty, and is described as the world’s last Cold War frontier. John Delury of Yonsei University in Seoul said an encounter in the “barren no man’s land that embodies the unhealed wound of post-WWII division, the Korean War, and 70 years of animosity” would help improve ties. “It’s not just about denuclearisation and it’s not all about a deal -- important as those are,” he said.  “If Trump and Kim meet & can announce some kind of interim agreement, that’s great.  If they meet and don’t, that’s ok too.  If in the end they don’t meet, it’s good that Trump offered to. ”But Joshua Pollack of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies cast doubt on what it could achieve. The Hanoi meeting foundered amid disagreements on what the North -- which has carried out six nuclear tests and developed missiles capable of reaching the entire US mainland -- would be willing to give up in exchange for relief from sanctions that have crippled its economy. “An agenda-free, made-for-TV encounter won’t undo a year of inflated expectations and disappointment,” said Pollack. What was needed, he added, was “something more than a one-page letter and another handshake”. The DMZ has been a regular stop for US presidents visiting the South, a security ally -- although Trump’s helicopter was forced to turn back by fog in 2017 -- while Panmunjom saw the first two summits between Moon and Kim last year.


The latest figure on Chinese casualties in the Galwan Valley, if social media claims are to be believed, is 100.  BJP leader Kapil Mishra tweeted a report by an obscure website kreately. in which said, “Jianli Yang, a former Chinese military official and son of a leader in the Chinese communist party, accepted that ‘More than 100 Chinese soldiers were killed in the dreadful conflict between Indian and Chinese soldiers, in the night of 15th June. ” Mishra’s tweet has over 11,000 retweets.
Republic TV also carried the claim in a report published on July 7.  “In a massive claim, former Chinese military official Jianli Yang has alleged that more than 100 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers died in the violent face-off between India and China along the LAC on the night of June 15,” the outlet wrote.  MyNation published a similar report. This slideshow requires JavaScript. The article by Republic TV carried a tweet by an account @Tsai Ing-Wen promoting the identical claim.
Twitter handle @NewsLineIFE was one of the earliest to share the claim.
There are several red flags that suggest the claim is false. 1.  Claim promoted by dubious websites and accounts A platform that was one of the earliest to promote the claim was Twitter handle @NewsLineIFE which has emerged as a frontline purveyor of unverified numbers on Chinese deaths since the Galwan clash.  The handle had tweeted the figure on July 2.  The same account had earlier promoted baseless claims that five Chinese soldiers died and 11 were injured in the skirmish.  It then tweeted that 43 Chinese army men were killed.  Both tweets now stand deleted. This slideshow requires JavaScript. News Line IFE had tagged the handle @drapr007 while tweeting the claim.  This handle had made the same claim a day earlier, on July 1.
A website that subsequently published an article with the ‘100 Chinese deaths’ was kreately. in, a newly-created platform.  Its Twitter bio states, “Publish Yourself.  Sign up and be a writer, it’s that easy. ” The website is not a journalistic platform but publishes user-generated content.  It also does not have any details of address or who runs it.
An article by newscast-pratyaksha. com was also shared by several individuals.  The website claimed that 100 Chinese soldiers were killed by the Indian army and referenced The Washington Times opinion piece by Jianli Yang which we will talk about in the next section. 2.  Yang Jianli’s opinion piece in The Washington Times Alt News found that no credible media outlets, mainstream or otherwise, have claimed that Yang Jianli said 100 Chinese soldiers were killed in clashes with India.  The posts identified Jianli as former Chinese military official and son of a former leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC). While Jianli is indeed the son of an ex-CPC leader, Yang Fengshun, he is not a former Chinese military leader.  Jianli is, in fact, a Chinese dissident living in the United States.  He is a human rights activist who studied in the US.  He is a former Tiananmen Square activist and was imprisoned by the Chinese government in 2002 for attempting to observe labour unrest.  Jianli was released in 2007. He recently penned an opinion piece in The Washington Times on the Indo-China clashes where he wrote that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian did not acknowledge the Chinese death toll and termed Indian reports on at least 40 Chinese deaths as “false information”. “What country does not even acknowledge the martyrdom of its uniformed soldiers at its borders, let alone pay them a respectable last homage?  It is China, which reels under the fear that the admittance that it had lost troops, that too more in number than its opponent, could lead to such major trouble and domestic unrest, that the very regime of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be put at stake,” wrote Jianli. Not one place in the report does Jianli put a number to the alleged Chinese deaths.
3.  Tweet by imposter account carried by Republic TVRepublic TV carried a tweet by an account @tsaiing_wen.  This is an account posing as the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan).  The account does not have a verified blue tick, unlike Tsai Ing-wen’s genuine account @iingwen.
4.  Old photos of Jianli used with the viral claimThe photograph of Jianli used by kreately. com is from the 2013 witness testimony on the human rights situation in China before the US House Subcommittee on Global Human Rights.
The image used by newscast-pratyaksha. com has been lifted from Wikipedia.  As per its description, “Cropped Image of Dr.  Yang Jianli Speaks at the opening ceremony of the 13th Interethnic Interfaith Leadership Conference held in U. S.  Congress Rayburn House Office Building.  December 10, 2018. ”
The claim that 100 Chinese soldiers were killed in clashes with India was widely circulated on social media.  Among those who promoted it were GD Bakshi, Ramesh Solanki, Radharamn Das and Chayan Chaterjee.  Most of them shared the article by newscast-pratyakhsha. com. This slideshow requires JavaScript. Other prominent handles which claimed that 100 Chinese soldiers died in clashes with India were @TheArnaw, @friendsofrss, and @FrontalAssault1. This slideshow requires JavaScript. Donate NowPooja Chaudhuri is a senior editor at Alt News. A picture of Tej Pratap Yadav has been making the rounds on social media recently…. A video of police tying a rope around an elderly person’s wrists has been circulating…A photo of a man being flogged with his hands tied has been gathering a…Assam-based media outlets DY365, Asom Live 24, and NorthEast Now reported that 26 Rohingya Muslims…A set of two images, an alleged tweet and a video has been shared on…


Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla arrives at the Ministry of Home Affairs

Guidelines of #lockdown 4.0 will be issued shortly

(Pics: ANI)

Updates: https://t.co/LW1A0RbTzh https://t.co/5yCf4x23bs

Sep 05, 2021-Sunday

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Curfew in Himachal Pradesh to continue till May 31No change in rail services; only Shramik and special passenger trains to runPeople can drive drown to other city in different stateMHA allows sports complexes , stadia to open in Lockdown 4Govt removes clause for private companies to make it madatory for employees to use 'Aarogya Setu' appAs per new guidelines, marketplaces such as Khan Market, Karol Bagh, Chandni Chowk can open nowZones to be decided by the states on the basis of parameters of Ministery of HealthInter-state travel allowed in Lockdown 4. 0Domestic, international flights to remain shut till May 31Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba to hold video conference with state chief secretariesNDMA directs govt to continue lockdown measures till May 31As the nation gears up to enter the fourth phase of the lockdown, which will commence from Monday, MHA has announced the new guidelines for the phase. The fourth phase of the lockdown in India will start from May 18 and last till May 31.  Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the lockdow 4. 0 will be different in nature as new rules and relaxation will be implemented.  Centre's guidelines on the same are likely to be announced shortly today.  The third phase of the lockdown witnessed considerable relaxations in measures with standalone stores lifting shutters, liquor shops opening up and 15 special passenger trains resuming service ever since the Railways suspended operations on March 25. Curfew in Himachal Pradesh to continue till May 31"Curfew in Himachal Pradesh to continue till May 31," says chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on coronavirus lockdown. No change in rail services; only Shramik and special passenger trains to runNo change in rail services.  The rules that were impletmented during lockdown 3, to carry on till May 31.  Only Shramik special trains and special passenger trains will continue to run, says railway minsitry. People can drive drown to other city in different stateThe latest lockdown guidelines also mean that people can now drive down to other city in different state, depending on both states have allowed.  It’s a green signal for inter state travel in cars/buses/trains from Centre. MHA allows sports complexes , stadia to open in Lockdown 4Ministry of Home Affaris on Sunday permitted sports complexes to open up from Monday in the fourth phase of the lockown. It has possibly cleared the path for a resumption of the training of athletes which came to a halt in mid-March. Govt removes clause for private companies to make it madatory for employees to use 'Aarogya Setu' appThe government has removed the clause from national directives for work places in which private companies’ employees were asked to mandatorily use “Aarogya Setu” app.  It is more of an advise on individuals by the MHA in the latest guidelines. As per new guidelines, marketplaces such as Khan Market, Karol Bagh, Chandni Chowk can open nowThe latest lockdown guidelines state that "all other activities will be permitted, except which are specifically prohibited", which means marketplaces - like GK-2, Khan Market, Connaught Place, Karol Bagh, Chandni Chowk can open now.  Till now, marketplaces were not allowed to open.  Shopping malls, however, will continue to be shut till May 31. Zones to be decided by the states on the basis of parameters of Ministery of HealthThe zone, such as red, green, orange, containment zones and buffer zones, will be decided by the states on the basis of parameters of ministry of health. Inter-state travel allowed in Lockdown 4. 0However, inter-state travel of people will be allowed in Lockdown 4. 0, which was not permitted since March 24. Domestic, international flights to remain shut till May 31The government issues guidelines for Lockdown 4. 0.  All domestic and international flights, metro train, schools, colleges, hotels, restaurants will continue to remain shut.  However, government has allowed opening of stadiums and sports complexes but without any spectators. Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba to hold video conference with state chief secretariesUnion Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba to hold video conference with state chief secretaries at 9 pm today. NDMA directs govt to continue lockdown measures till May 31National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) asks Ministries/ Departments of Government of India, State Governments and State Authorities to continue the lockdown measures up to 31st May 2020. First published: May 17, 2020 18:09 IST


Marijuana sales in Illinois top $3 million on first day of legal recreational cannabis in the state. https://t.co/FWvmKOGlAn

By Alicia Wallace, CNN BusinessUpdated 4:33 PM ET, Thu January 2, 2020 San Francisco (CNN Business)Illinois' first day of legal recreational cannabis translated to a good chunk of green -- nearly $3. 2 million in sales.


BJP in-charge for Bihar, Bhupendra Yadav: Lok Janshakti Party's Chirag Paswan to contest from Jamui.
#LokSabhaElections2019 https://t.co/fwKZpbt5Zd

The driver of the e-rickshaw, “toto” to locals, enthusiastically points at the roads and culverts and declares, “The Mamata Banerjee government has got all this done. ” In the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) district office in Cooch Behar, a small town in north West Bengal close to the Assam border, some leaders concede that the ruling Trinamool Congress has a “good record” in development. But despite its track record and electoral supremacy in West Bengal – Trinamool won 211 of 294 seats in the 2016 assembly polls – chief minister Banerjee’s party might face its toughest poll challenge yet against the BJP in the April-May general elections. Political functionaries have earmarked seats like Alipurduars, Cooch Behar, Balurghat, Jalpaiguri, Raiganj, Bishnupur, Malda North as well as Darjeeling and Asansol – the last two are in the BJP’s kitty – as likely arenas of fierce Trinamool-BJP contests. One of several factors playing out in the poll run-up is the controversial citizenship amendment bill that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre brought to give non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan Indian citizenship. “The bill has a lot of relevance for north Bengal,” explained political analyst Subhankar Sinha in Siliguri, the north Bengal town located between Assam, Nepal and Bhutan.  “More than 90% Bengali Hindus in north Bengal had roots in Bangladesh.  For them, it’s a big issue. ”Author and historian Debabrata Chaki agreed with Sinha.  “The citizenship thing can be a major political plank.  But more important, the Congress has no base left here while the Left is a marginal force.  A part of the Left organization has also shifted to the BJP,” he said in Cooch Behar, some 135 kms away from Siliguri. In the 2014 general elections, Trinamool increased its vote share in Bengal to 39. 35% from 33. 1% in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.  The BJP won 16. 84% votes in 2014 against 6. 14% in 2009.  The Left parties and the Congress suffered a sharp decline in support base. North Bengal development minister and senior Trinamool leader Rabindra Nath Ghosh, however, rejected the possibility of a tough contest with the BJP.  “In the 2016 Assembly polls, BJP vote share slipped to 10. 16% while Trinamool got 44. 91% of the popular votes in Bengal,” he said. The ruling party has, however, changed four candidates, including a sitting MP in north Bengal, for the upcoming elections. Although local people in Alipurduars and Jalpaiguri complained about the infighting in Trinamool, Ghosh claimed the party was united.  “Does the BJP have any face in this area?  The note ban and the economic crisis have badly hit the people.  Voters are either coming back to us or going to CPI-M [Communist Party of India - Marxist],” he said. Another advantage the Trinamool is looking at is the minority votebank.  “Bengal has around 31% minority voters, who would stand rock solid behind Mamata Banerjee,” claimed a senior Trinamool leader. Keen to expand its footprint in Bengal, the BJP is planning to make this an issue.  “Trinamool’s politics is nothing but minority appeasement.  In many state government schemes, Hindus are being ignored,” alleged Malati Rava, BJP district president in Cooch Behar.


Oscars 2019: See the full list of winners https://t.co/1H9JDxsuXn https://t.co/o20Ct1FBgL

"Green Book" won best picture while Rami Malek took home best actor. The best moments from the 2019 OscarsThe 2019 Academy Awards were one for the books, with stars like Lady Gaga, Rami Malek and Spike Lee taking home an Oscar. Regina King won the Oscar for actress in a supporting role for "If Beale Street Could Talk" and Mahershala Ali won his second Oscar for best supporting actor in "Green Book. "Iconic director Spike Lee won his first Oscar for original screenplay for his work in "BlacKkKlansman. " Gaga took home her first award for her original song "Shallow," which she also performed alongside "A Star Is Born" co-star Bradley Cooper.  Olivia Colman won best actress for "The Favourite," beating out Glenn Close, who had seemed like a shoo-in heading into the show. Overall, "Bohemian Rhapsody" lead the way with four wins, including Malek for actor in a leading role.  "Black Panther," "Roma" and "Green Book" have all won three awards each.  The biggest award of the night, best picture, went to "Green Book. "Here are your 2019 Oscar winners:Best PictureActor in a Leading RoleActress in a Leading RoleBest DirectorActress in a Supporting RoleActor in a Supporting RoleDocumentary FeatureMakeup and HairstylingCostume DesignProduction DesignCinematographySound EditingSound MixingForeign Language FilmFilm EditingAnimated Feature FilmAnimated Short FilmDocumentary ShortVisual EffectsLive Action Short FilmOriginal ScreenplayAdapted ScreenplayOriginal ScoreOriginal Song24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


JUST IN: For 20 straight weeks, the number of Americans who have lost their jobs and filed for unemployment insurance has topped 1 million. https://t.co/4J6naNRxp1

By Anneken Tappe and Tami Luhby, CNN BusinessUpdated 2:32 PM ET, Fri August 7, 2020 New York (CNN Busness)In recent weeks the recovery from America's jobs crisis seemed to have hit a roadblock, but last week's claims for first-time unemployment benefits fell more than expected.


Photo shows Muslim woman at Shaheen Bagh flashing

An image of a woman caught shoplifting in London is being falsely linked to the ongoing protest at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).  The image, which shows a woman lifting her burkha to prove there were no stolen goods hidden beneath it, are now being shared with false claims that the women protesters at Shaheen Bagh were caught being promiscuous.   Delhi's Shaheen Bagh is witnessing a unique protest led mainly by Muslim women against the new citizenship law that critics argue is discriminatory in nature.   The photograph was sent to BOOM's helpline number for verification.   The image was earlier viral, with a caption in Bangla which linked it to Shaheen Bagh protesters.  The caption, when translated to English, reads as, "Shaheen Bagh taking the route of Jawaharlal Nehru University students.  Cannot understand, what kind of protest is this. "  (Original text in Banlga: "শাহীনবাগ এখন JNU এর পথ #অনুসরন শুরু করলো। এটা কোন ধরনের #প্রতিবাদ বুঝতে পারছি না। সংগৃহীত পোষ্ট)    Also Read: #बंद_करो_JNU #Shut_JNU: Facebook Group Fuels Misogyny And Misinformation   Also Read: JNU Violence: Unrelated Photos Of Sex Toys, Condoms Go Viral    You can see the post here.   The post is archived here.  Also Read: Anti-CAA Protesters Bribed With Biryani And Other News You Almost Believed Fact Check BOOM ran a reverse image search and found that the photo is originally of a woman who was caught trying to shoplift at a supermarket in London.   According to a report in Telegraph , the incident occurred at a branch of the  Asda supermarket chain in Dagenham, East London in August, last year.   Two women were caught while stealing dozens of baby food packets worth £200.  The women had reportedly hid them in their burkhas.  They were apprehended by security guards, while trying to escape.  It is not clear whether the women were Muslims or not as their identities were not revealed and news reports from the UK suggested the two women were accused of using a Muslim dress.  A video  footage, taken by a fellow shopper shows them being caught red handed by the security  staff.  At one stage one of them pulls up the dress revealing her underwear and body to confirm that no more items were hidden beneath the burkha.  The screen grab of that frame is viral on social media.   The incident was  reported on Metro, The Sun as well.   Screenshot of the report published by Metro on August 2019 Also Read: Hindu Women Posed As Muslims To Disrupt Anti CAA Protests?  A FactCheck


Airports around the world are increasing health screenings and implementing new quarantine procedures as officials race to slow the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus https://t.co/AXTDpxIq3H https://t.co/JNx69WPkkX

WHO delayed a decision on declaring the new virus a public health emergency. WHO convened emergency committee on new coronavirusAuthorities in Wuhan, the city at the center of the new coronavirus outbreak, are shutting down public transportation beginning on Thursday, according to CCTV, China's state television network. Barring emergencies, residents of the 11-million-person city will be prohibited from leaving the city or using buses, subways or ferries. So far, 17 people have died from the new coronavirus and more than 440 have been sickened.  There been additional cases reported among travelers from countries outside of China, including a patient in the United States. The travel suspension, meant to stem the spread of the disease, comes days before Chinese New Year, when millions are expected to be traveling. A World Health Organization committee that met Wednesday to decide whether to declare the virus a "public health emergency of international concern" postponed that decision until at least Thursday, when the committee plans to reconvene. To earn that WHO designation, the outbreak would have to rise to the level of being "an extraordinary event" that endangers international public health, according to the WHO's procedural guidelines. "I take it extremely seriously," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general at the WHO, said at a news conference after Wednesday's meeting.  "It was also clear that to proceed we need more information. "Should the new virus be declared a public health emergency, that would "substantially impede travel in and out of China for both commercial and tourist reasons," Dr.  William Schaffner, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, told ABC News. "That would also suggest that other countries not accept tourists and visitors for whatever reason from China," Schaffner added.  "It really inhibits a lot of commercial work. "While the situation in China is fluid, Schaffner said he thinks it's somewhat unlikely that the WHO will declare it an emergency. "At the moment, it is a local problem with a little bit of exportation to other countries, but not in a major way," he said. Only a handful of outbreaks, including the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the influenza pandemic and Zika virus, have been serious and widespread enough to constitute an international emergency. Previous outbreaks of SARS and MERS, diseases in the same family as the new coronavirus, weren't deemed an international emergency. The WHO meetings come as President Donald Trump met with world and business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week. "We have it totally under control," Trump said of first coronavirus case in the United States, referring to the patient in Washington state. The patient, a man in his 30s who traveled to Wuhan, said he didn't visit the seafood and live-animal market at which the virus is believed to have originated. "I'd encourage the public to stay abreast of the situation," Dr.  Jeanne Marrazzo, division director of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told ABC News.  "Certainly, think twice about traveling to China at this point. "She pointed to the patient in Washington state, who'd read about the outbreak in Wuhan, then sought treatment and informed health care providers of his recent travel promptly after developing symptoms. The man, still hospitalized, last was listed in good condition, according to health officials in Washington state and at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who also are trying to determine whether any individuals the patient came in contact with were exposed to the virus. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


"Congress cannot let the President shred the Constitution": Democrats on Capitol Hill were quick to denounce Trump's announcement that he is signing a national emergency declaration over a border wall -- and vowed to fight back against the executive action https://t.co/Ext6CnLC3E https://t.co/wAfaDYuOWm

The president also has signed a funding bill that averts a government shutdown.  President Trump declares national emergency for border wall fundingPresident Donald Trump capped months of political drama Friday, announcing he's signing a bill to fund the government, avoiding another government shutdown, while also taking the extraordinary action of declaring a national emergency to secure additional money for his proposed border wall that congressional Democrats refused to give him. "I am going to be signing a national emergency," Trump said. The president explained his highly controversial move in a Rose Garden announcement, saying "We're going to confront the national security crisis on our southern border and we're going to do it one way or the other. "He said he was taking "critical actions" but "not because it was a campaign promise. ""We're talking about an invasion of our country with drugs, with human traffickers, with all types of criminals and gangs," he explained. But even as the president sought to cast the situation at the border as a national security and humanitarian crisis, he also made an admission that could be helpful to those mounting legal challenges to his action Friday. "I could do the wall over a longer period of time.  I didn't need to do this, but I'd rather do it much faster," the president said, seeming to concede that a national emergency was avoidable. The president asserted that he was not declaring an emergency because of the upcoming 2020 election, despite the fact that building a wall was his key campaign promise in 2016, but accused the Democrats of using the issue for campaigning purposes. "And the only reason we're up here talking about this is because of the election, because they want to try and win an election which it looks like they're not going to be able to do, and this is one of the ways where they think they can possibly win -- is by obstruction and a lot of other nonsense -- and I think that I just want to get it done faster that's all," he said. As he spoke, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted out a photo of the president signing the emergency declaration. Trump's decision to go along with a congressional border security deal funding deal comes after a 35-day shutdown -- the longest in U. S.  history -- and after three weeks of negotiations by a bipartisan group on Capitol Hill that delivered a bill without all the wall money the president wanted.  The measure includes $1. 375 billion for border security, enough to construct about 55 miles of new barrier in new areas, but less than the proposal Trump rejected late last year, triggering the shutdown. The president's emergency declaration order and other executive actions come on the heels of warnings from the Justice Department that the moves are nearly certain to be blocked by court challenges, at least temporarily. President Trump directly acknowledged that he expects the emergency order will be challenged in the court system, predicting how the battle will play out and that he will ultimately prevail at the Supreme Court. "We will have a national emergency and we will then be sued and they will sue us in the Ninth Circuit even though it shouldn't be there, and we will possibly get a bad ruling, and then we'll get another bad ruling, and then we'll end up in the Supreme Court, and hopefully we'll get a fair shake and we'll win in the Supreme Court just like the [travel] ban," Trump said. Trump is seeking to  a total of about $8 billion through a mix of spending from the congressional appropriations bill, executive action and the emergency declaration. A senior White House official familiar with the plan to get money beyond the congressional funding told ABC News $1. 375 billion would come from the spending bill Congress passed Thursday; $600 million would come from the Treasury Department's drug forfeiture fund; $2. 5 billion would come from the Pentagon's drug interdiction program; and through an emergency declaration: $3. 5 billion from the Pentagon's military construction budget. Both Republicans and Democrats have voiced opposition to Trump's emergency declaration, a workaround that would allow him to build a border wall without support from Congress. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who had previously opposed the president's moves, announced on the Senate floor Thursday the news that Trump would sign the deal, and that he would support an emergency declaration.  on Friday, he, too, blamed Democrats. “President Trump’s decision to announce emergency action is the predictable and understandable consequence of Democrats’ decision to put partisan obstruction ahead of the national interest," he said in a statement. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a joint statement issued just after the president's Friday announcement, said, "The President’s unlawful declaration over a crisis that does not exist does great violence to our Constitution and makes America less safe, stealing from urgently needed defense funds for the security of our military and our nation. "This is plainly a power grab by a disappointed President, who has gone outside the bounds of the law to try to get what he failed to achieve in the constitutional legislative process," their statement continued.  "The President's actions clearly violate the Congress’s exclusive power of the purse, which our Founders enshrined in the Constitution.   The Congress will defend our constitutional authorities in the Congress, in the Courts, and in the public, using every remedy available.  "ABC News' Jonathan Karl, John Parkinson, Katherine Faulders and Mariam Khan contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Another 1.2 million Americans filed for initial jobless benefits last week on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Department of Labor reports. That is down from the prior week's 1.4 million initial jobless claims. @ChristineRomans reports. https://t.co/FR7T6pKNc4 https://t.co/38uLpzuJLe

The unprecedented streak of jobless claims has shattered all previous records.  What to know about applying for unemployment benefitsFor 20 straight weeks, the number of Americans who have lost their jobs and filed for unemployment insurance has topped 1 million. This unprecedented streak of weekly jobless claims has shattered all historical records. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the previous record for weekly unemployment filings was 695,000 in 1982.  In the last week of March, that was smashed by nearly tenfold as 6. 9 million Americans filed for unemployment insurance in a single week. Gary Burtless, an economist and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told ABC News that the U. S.  has never seen anything like the current unemployment crisis historically, especially considering the speed with which the new filings exploded. "It's far more serious than anything we’ve ever experienced to my knowledge, in the suddenness of the rise in unemployment," he said, noting how in February the nation had a historically low unemployment rate of 3. 5%.  "Nothing compares with the suddenness. "According to most recent data from the U. S.  Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate shot up to 11% in June -- though economists warned this figure might not capture the full extent of layoffs that entrenched the country later in the month as many states were forced to rollback reopening plans amid rises in COVID-19 cases. The magnitude of this crisis in terms of new weekly unemployment filings has also already dwarfed the Great Recession from December 2007 to June 2009, which saw a much more gradual increase in layoffs versus the sudden job losses seen now. In an attempt to ease the burden on the unemployed, Congress expanded the amount of workers who could apply for unemployment insurance during the COVID-19 crisis to include freelancers, self-employed and other categories previously not included.  Burtless said this may have contributed to the current, skyrocketing data. Comparing the current crisis to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' previous worst period for weekly unemployment filings, during a recession in the early 1980s, also shows how this current situation is already in a completely different ballpark. Burtless added that there is no data on weekly jobless claims from the Great Depression as the unemployment insurance program did not exist then, but it's estimated that at its peak approximately a quarter of the workforce was unemployed and seeking a job. The suffering of many Americans during the Great Depression was also heightened as a result of there not being any unemployment insurance relief, according to Burtless.  While the current unemployment benefits program has been riddled with problems and many have reported long lags before receiving any aid, Burtless said the amount of funds being paid out is "historically generous. "For the millions of workers pushed into unemployment by the crisis, the bolstered pandemic aid of an extra $600 a week proved a lifeline.  That aid expired at the end of July, but the streak of elevated unemployment filings continues to roll in. As of last week, some 17 million Americans were still receiving unemployment benefits.  And as the weeks turned to months, Burtless said that further agony looms as many people who thought they were on temporary furlough will likely be permanently laid off. "A lot of people did not think that they were permanently unemployed, they thought they were on furlough, they thought the job they had would reappear and it would come back, whether a month, three months or six months," he said.  "But I think now people are reassessing whether they will be recalled to their last job. "Ultimately, full economic recovery remains contingent on a vaccine or effective treatment for the coronavirus, according to Burtless. "The primary thing that has been driving the statistics is just the public health emergency, the fact that if you leave your home, if you go to work, if you go to shop, you face a higher risk of becoming infected than if you just stay at home," he said.  "And that is the driver of a weak economy, people aren’t shopping for things, people aren’t leaving their homes, they’re not as willing to go risk their lives by going to work. "24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


People gather outside the hospital in Bengaluru where Kannada actor #ChiranjeeviSarja breathed his last

https://t.co/Vr2m8Q5jTD

(pics: ANI) https://t.co/EN3gki4hWd

Popular Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja breathed his last on Sunday at a private hospital in Bengaluru due to cardiac arrest.  He was 39.  As per a report by Deccan Herald, he complained of breathlessness and severe chest pain on Saturday.  On Sunday afternoon, he was rushed to a hospital in unresponsive state.  He reportedly suffered a heart attack. Several film personalities took to Twitter to express their shock and condolences over Chiranjeevi’s sudden demise. Actor Sanjana Galrani tweeted: “Cannot believe and I’m in immense shocking state of mind to know that #chiranjeevisarja is no more, very saddening , my condolences to his family and @meghanaraj at this time of pain and sorrow.  Cannot yet digest this fact, my hands are shivering as I write this msg (sic). ”Priyamani tweeted: “Shocked to hear about #chiranjeevisarja‘s demise! ! !  Can never forget his smiling face.  My deepest condolences to the whole family (sic). ”Actor Sai Kumar tweeted: Shocked and unbelievable!  Deeply saddened by untimely demise of Chiranjeevi Sarja.  My condolences to family and friends (sic). ”Chiranjeevi made his acting debut with 2009 Kannada film Vayaputra.  Nephew of popular Tamil actor Arjun and grandson of veteran actor Shakti Prasad, he had starred in over 20 films.  His last release was Kannada action-drama Shivarjuna, which released earlier this year.  Also read: Ranbir Kapoor takes a backseat as Riddhima can’t stop gushing over Alia Bhatt, her sister Shaheen.  See picsSome of his other popular films include Varadanayaka, Whistle, Ram-Leela, Bhajari and Khaki among others. In 2018, Chiranjeevi married actor Meghna Raj.  The couple were in love and dated each other for quite some time before entering wedlock.  Follow @htshowbiz for more


Asaduddin Owaisi Danced After Kamlesh Tiwari’s Murder

Suresh Chavhanke, of Sudarshan News, posted a video of Assaduddin Owaisi dancing in an election rally with a false claim he was celebrating the murder of Kamlesh Tiwari, Hindu Samaj leader.   BOOM found that Owaisi, president of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) danced on October 17 a rally in Maharashtra, a day before Tiwari's murder on October 18.         (Original text in Hindi - चोरों और आतंकियो की मौत का मातम मनाने वाला ओवैसी #कमलेश_तिवारी के बलिदान के बाद झूम कर नाचा.  ऐसे लगा कि जैसे इसका कोई मिशन सफ़ल हुआ हो.  @myogiadityanath @AmitShah और @narendramodi जी, इसका बाहर रहना न जाने और कितने #KamleshTiwari की हत्या की वजह बनेगा)     In the 1. 33 minutes clip in his tweet, Chavhanke can be heard provocatively and falsely declaring that Owaisi was spotted dancing a day after the murder of Tiwari and calling for his arrest.     चोरों और आतंकियो की मौत का मातम मनाने वाला ओवैसी #कमलेश_तिवारी के बलिदान के बाद झूम कर नाचाऐसे लगा कि जैसे इसका कोई मिशन सफ़ल हुआ हो. @myogiadityanath @AmitShah और @narendramodi जी, इसका बाहर रहना न जाने और कितने #KamleshTiwariकी हत्या की वजह बनेगा@aimim_national #BindasBol pic. twitter. com/bggFOvUHWU    Click here to view, and here for an archive.        BOOM looked for the original clip of Owaisi dancing and found a tweet from wire agency ANI with details that Owaisi performed the dance on October 17, 2019.   We also found that media outlets reported that  Tiwari died on October 18.      The ANI tweet mentions that Owaisi "performed a dance step after the end of his rally at Paithan Gate in Aurangabad".  While ANI tweeted on October 18, the text on the tweet mentions that Owaisi danced on October 17.         According to news reports, Tiwari was found murdered inside his house in Lucknow on October 18, 2019.          Owaisi also spoke to mediapersons about the clip which soon went viral, and said, "he was not dancing but performing the action of flying a kite which is AIMIM party's symbol. "       "I was pulling my party's symbol -  kite, someone has put a song on the video which is wrong, I do not pay much attention to such things," said Owaisi     Owaisi also repeated the "kite flying" action in another rally held in Aurangabad as part of his campaigning for the Maharashtra elections.          Speaking to a reporter, Owaisi condemned Kamlesh Tiwari's murder.         BOOM reached out to Owaisi's office for a response, the article will be updated once a response is received.


Salem: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief MK Stalin holds a door to door campaign in Aathur area for Rekha Priyadharshini, DMK's candidate for the Gangavalli constituency

Tamil Nadu to go to polls in a single phase on April 6

#TamilNaduElections2021 https://t.co/aYLp7CZnwe

Amusing spectacles unfold everyday with candidates attempting a variety of things from donning the role of a chef to washing clothes to woo voters, spicing up the campaign for the April 6 Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu. Amid laughter and claps, AIADMK candidate from Royapuram here, D Jayakumar filled a pot fully with water for a woman by manually operating a roadside handpump. Also, the Fisheries Minister Jayakumar dons the signature 'MGR' cap sometimes and goes around his constituency on a cycle-rickshaw to seek votes. During his campaign, DMK nominee from Virugambakkam AVM Prabakar Raja displayed his culinary skills at a small eatery by quickly pouring batter on the tawa and making a hot dosa. If Makkal Needhi Maiam candidate Priyadarshini from Egmore sat at a roadside eatery, prepared spicy fried fish and requested support, popular actor and independent candidate Mansoor Ali Khan is going solo on a moped to seek votes. Contesting from Thondamuthur (Coimbatore region), Khan broke coconuts with dexterity using a machete belonging to a vendor selling tender coconut.  When there was no one to buy the coconut he broke, he paid for it and drank the coconut water. Touring Sowcarpet here, which is home to a large number of natives of northern states, DMK nominee from Harbour constituency P K Sekar Babu and Lok Sabha MP Dayanidhi Maran sported bright red Rajasthani headgear.  In the past polls, DMK wall posters in Hindi in this area were not uncommon. Going several steps ahead of all of them was the Nagapattinam segment contestant belonging to the AIADMK, Thanga Kathiravan.  While canvassing votes, he spotted a woman washing clothes in Nagore in front of her house.  Not stopping with offering to wash clothes of her household, he did that and after squeezing the clothes dry, came his punchline.  He told her that she need not strain herself so much to wash clothes as AIADMK has promised washing machine for every household and the only thing she needed to do was to vote for the two-leaves symbol. AIADMK rival and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam chief TTV Dhinakaran, during his campaign, mimicked late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi's voice to rounds of applause from his supporters. He imitated the late leader's voice to mock at the DMK's poll promise of ₹1,000, 'rights' assistance to women family heads every month.  Dhinakaran is fighting both the AIADMK and the DMK and he has branded the two parties as betrayers and evil force respectively. Many candidates, including former Chennai Mayor and AIADMK nominee 'Saidai' Duraisamy, did not miss an opportunity to prepare tea by stepping into roadside tea shops. BJP's star candidate Khushbu Sundar even prepared tea at the residence of a voter in her Thousand Lights segment here. Another feature seen during the current election is candidates, cutting across party lines, honouring voters with a shawl while seeking votes in both rural and urban areas. Several candidates make it a point to touch the feet of the elderly to seek their blessings, which is however, not unusual. While AIADMK candidates V V Rajan Chellappa and M R Vijayabaskar tried their hands at traditional handlooms, PMK's M Thilaga Bama helped a vegetable vendor and several other aspirants flock to places of worship, praying for success. Also, song-dance shows, in which performers recreate popular numbers with lyrics to suit a specific party, and performances by folk artists add colour to campaigns. In a poll event, some even dressed up like 'Chhota Bheem,' 'Motu' and 'Patlu,' cartoon characters popular with children. "Stalin thaan Vaararu," (Stalin is coming) and "Boomi Ulla Varai" (a song in praise of 'Amma' Jayalalithaa) are among the campaign songs that reverberate in the poll meetings of the DMK and AIADMK.


Did you miss the #Oscars last night?

Here are some of the highlights. See all of the night's winners here: https://t.co/7OMnVtjxOe https://t.co/cpumEegn3e

There was glitz, glamour and so much more! Gaga, J. Lo, Glenn Close: Here's our round up of the best red carpet looks of the 2019 OscarsThe 2019 Oscars are officially here, and the red carpet is full of celebrities who have waited for this moment to bring their fashion A-game. We've rounded up some of our favorite looks of the night. Lady GagaConstance WuAngela BassettBilly PorterDiane WarrenStephen JamesRegina KingAshley GrahamAmandla StenbergSpike LeeYalitza AparicioCharlize TheronAdam LambertMelissa McCarthyEmilie ClarkeAwkwafinaGlenn CloseJennifer HudsonMichelle YeohHelen MirrenEmma StoneMaya RudolphTina FeyBrie LarsonTessa ThompsonSarah Paulson24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ripped up her printed copy of President Trump's State of the Union address as he concluded his remarks. #sotu https://t.co/3VloidReAG https://t.co/Xr9J0rlFhk

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited Fred Guttenberg as her guest. Dad of teen killed in shooting: 'Hold your kids'Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed in the Parkland, Florida, school shooting, has apologized following an outburst during President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech on Tuesday. When the president mentioned that he would protect gun rights, Guttenberg was heard shouting from the speaker's box.  He was quickly removed from the audience by a plainclothes police officer. After the State of the Union, Guttenberg tweeted, "Tonight was a rough night.   I disrupted the State Of The Union and was detained because I let my emotions get the best of me.   I simply want to be able to deal with the reality of gun violence and not have to listen to the lies about the 2A [second amendment] as happened tonight. ""That said, I should not have yelled out," he continued.  "I am thankful for the overwhelming support that I am receiving.  However, I do owe my family and friends an apology.  I have tried to conduct myself with dignity throughout this process and I will do better as I pursue gun safety. "Among those showing support for Guttenberg was California Gov.  Gavin Newsom, who tweeted in response to the apology: "Grateful to call you an ally. . . Thank you for your advocacy.  I know Jaime would be proud. "Guttenberg was invited to the State of the Union by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "Thank you @SpeakerPelosi for inviting me to be your guest tonight at the State Of The Union," Guttenberg tweeted earlier on Tuesday.  "I cannot thank you enough for your commitment to issues important to Americans and to the issue most important to me on dealing with gun violence. "Guttenberg's 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, was a freshman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when a gunman opened fire on Feb.  14, 2018, killing her and 16 others. Guttenberg became a gun safety advocate in the wake of the shooting. "We are not going away.  Too many people are dying," Fred Guttenberg told "Nightline" last year on the one-year anniversary of the shooting. "I'm certain that she's on my shoulder now telling me, ‘You can't put up with this.  You need to be strong,'" he said. ABC News' Stephanie Wash and John Parkinson contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


JUST IN: The body found at a Southern California lake has been identified as former "Glee" actress Naya Rivera, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office says https://t.co/BExYnnfjMe

The identification will need to be confirmed using dental records. 'Glee' star Naya Rivera's body believed to be found in Lake Piru in CaliforniaThe body found Monday morning at the lake where actress Naya Rivera is believed to have drowned last week is believed to be that of the actress, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said Monday. Ayub announced at a press conference that based on the "location of where the body was found, physical characteristics of the body, clothing found on the body and the physical condition of the body, as well as the absence of any other persons reported missing in the area," his team is "confident" in their identification, though the Ventura County Medical Examiner's office will confirm it with dental records. Rivera was alone in the boat with her son, 4-year-old Josey Hollis Dorsey, who told authorities that he and his mother went for a swim and that afterward he got back in the boat, but his mother did not.   Before Rivera disappeared, she helped her son back into the boat by boosting him from behind, according to Ayub. The child told investigators that he "looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water," Ayub said. There is no indication of foul play or that Rivera's death could be ruled a suicide, Ayub said. Authorities have been searching for the "Glee" actress since Wednesday, July 8, when her boat rental became overdue three hours after she took it out on the water. CCTV footage released by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office on July 9 captured Rivera and her son arriving at Lake Piru at around 1 p. m.  local time and boarding the boat together before setting off onto the lake. When the boat was not returned at around 4 p. m.  local time, a boat rental employee found Josey, asleep, drifting alone on the boat, and authorities were immediately notified. The child is now "in good health" and with family, officials said. On Thursday, authorities announced that the search for the missing actress was now a recovery mission.  During a press conference, officials with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said there were "no signs of foul play" and it was presumed that Rivera had drowned in what "just seems like a tragic accident. "On Friday, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office released a video showing the underwater visibility of the sonar equipment being used to search the 30-foot-deep lake. Authorities said Lake Piru can be challenging to search due to low visibility, uneven underwater terrain, and debris and entanglements in the area where the boat was found. Authorities also said "cabins and outbuildings in the surrounding area" were included in the search for Rivera, and shared a message to those visiting the lake who were looking to get involved in the search. Rivera is most well-known for playing Santana Lopez on "Glee" from 2009-2015.  She entered the industry early, starring in CBS sitcom "The Royal Family" when she was just 4 years old. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


A video of a boy sexually assaulting a girl is being shared on social media with a claim that the minority community Hindu girls get harassed frequently in Kerala.  Let’s verify the claim made in the post. Claim: Video shows a Hindu girl molested in Kerala. Fact: Video in the post shows a girl being sexually assaulted and filmed by a group of three men in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, in 2017.  It is an old video and has nothing to do with Hindu girls in Kerala.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE. On reverse image search of screenshots in the video, similar visuals were found in a video posted by ‘The Times of India’ news website on their YouTube channel on ’26 September 2017’.  In the description of the video, it is mentioned that a minor girl was molested and filmed by her molesters in Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh.  Describing the incident in detail, ‘Times Now’ published an article on ‘27 September 2017’.  In the article, it is mentioned that three boys had sexually assaulted a girl and filmed her.  This incident took place in Kanigiri town of Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh.  It is mentioned in the article that a boy among the three, asked his friend to molest his girlfriend while they took her for a picnic.  He filmed the incident while his friend molested his girlfriend and later circulated the video on social media.  After the girl’s parents lodged the complaint, the Kanigiri police arrested the three youth involved in this incident. Similar visuals with the same description were found in the videos posted by ‘NewsX’ and ‘Tv9’ news channels.  They can be seen here and here. To sum it up, a 2017 molestation video of a girl from Andhra Pradesh is falsely shared as the molestation video of Hindu girl in Kerala.


"Speak the names of those who were lost, rather than the name of the man who took them."

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urges the public to avoid giving accused mosque gunman the notoriety he seeks. https://t.co/Lf35Z7td3j https://t.co/BjgALGvkHT

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


West Bengal: A Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata depicts the lives of migrants during #COVID19 pandemic.

"We wanted to portray the coming back home of the people of Bengal who were working outside the state, as coming back to their mother," says a member of the pandal association. https://t.co/uwTXiRVhyb

As West Bengal gears up for its biggest festival, the Durga Puja, which starts next week, some organising committees have decided to portray in their pandals  (temporary sheds), the travails of millions of migrant workers in the wake of the lockdown imposed on March 25 to fight the coronavirus disease -- keeping with the trend of pandals reflecting contemporary themes.  At least 10 million migrant workers left cities -- many lost jobs because of the lockdown -- and returned to their homes in the hinterland.  With special trains for them being launched only on May 1, many ended up walking home in April, and even later.  Some hired trucks and buses.  A few cycled back home.  West Bengal alone is estimated to have seen the return of at least a million such workers.  “Not only are we installing statues of migrant workers on the move to portray one of the biggest human migrations the country witnessed after Partition, but we are also coming up with a statue of actor Sonu Sood, who booked chartered flights, trains and buses to help migrant workers return home.  A real bus will be parked in our pandal and there will be statues of migrant workers seated inside the bus,” said Ranjit Chakraborty, secretary of Keshtopur Prafulla Kanan (Pashim) Adhibasi Prinda puja committee in north Kolkata.  The puja will be inaugurated by migrant workers on October 19 and residents in the area will switch off their lights at homes, light diyas and maintain a minute’s silence to mourn the passing of migrant workers who died on the way back home.  Artisans at a puja pandal in Salt Lake’s AK block have made life-sized statues, and painted murals to depict scenes of the massive exodus the country witnessed during the 68-day lockdown.  Bedraggled migrant workers -- men and women, young and old – carrying belongings and children on their head and shoulders, walking hundreds of miles down national and state highways to reach their homes became a common sight during the pandemic.  A few died, even though the centre said in the parliament that it has no data on migrant deaths.  Click here for complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic“More than a dozen statues, depicting people from various walks of life, are being installed in the pandal.  They would represent the local press-wala, the panipuri wala, the tea stall owner who basically work as migrants workers in cities.  Even the idol of Goddess Durga has been made in such a way that she resembles a simple village woman,” said Raja Banik, one of the organisers of the 33-year-old Salt Lake’s AK Block Puja.  In another puja pandal  in west Kolkata, organisers have selected relief as their theme, replacing the idol of Goddess Durga with a statute of a migrant woman carrying her child.  Her children, including a son with an elephant-head walk behind her.  “The family represents Goddess Durga and her children, including Ganesha and Kartikeya.  The woman is a migrant worker and a mother who is searching for food and water for her children,” said Rintu Das, the artisan.  In West Bengal, puja pandals in and around Kolkata are built around a current theme -- from a socio-economic problem to the Indian Premier League to cyclone Amphan.  “We are portraying the devastation caused by cyclone Amphan through jute work -- collapsed huts, uprooted trees and dead cattle.  The suffering of the people will also be depicted through these jute artworks, which are being deisgned on the pandal walls,” said Gautam Biswas, secretary of Simla Vivekananda Sporting Club.  Cyclone Amphan, which hit the West Bengal coast on May 20, killed 98 people and affected around 100 million people in 10 districts of south Bengal leaving a trail of destruction.  Also Read| Cancelling Durga puja revelry not an option, people should follow Covid protocols: Mamata“In our pandal we are depicting this destruction.  The moment people enter, they will be able to see the destruction the cyclone has inflicted in rural Bengal and the plight of the people,” said Timir Sarkar, joint secretary of Chakraberia Sarbajanin Durgotsab which is in its 75th year.  Durga Puja will be celebrated for four days starting October 23.  This year, at least 37,000 pujas are being organized across the state, including at least 2500 in Kolkata.  Around 1700 pujas are organized by women across Bengal.  The list doesn’t include those organized inside housing societies and houses.  The festivities continue for at least a week.  The big-theme pujas parade down the road to participate in a carnival during immersion where thousands gather every year.  The carnival has been cancelled this year because of the restrictions on account of Covid-19


Contentious Michael Cohen hearing turns into spectator sport at bars around Washington, D.C. https://t.co/eQe7I4asqR https://t.co/QvstSzDz56

    Michael Cohen’s testimony Wednesday represented the biggest moment to date for House Democrats and their sweeping investigation into every aspect of President Donald Trump’s life.

    Cohen implicated Trump on numerous fronts, from hush-money payments during the campaign to financial shenanigans at the Trump Organization to orchestrating lies while he was in the Oval Office.  And he maligned the President’s character, calling him a “racist” and a “conman. ”

    Republicans and the White House dismissed Cohen, calling him a convicted liar motivated by greed.  But the hearing made clear that Cohen’s allegations will be a jumping off point for Democrats to probe deeper into Trump’s world.

    Here are six takeaways from Cohen’s hearing:

    For the first time in a nationally televised setting, Cohen accused the President of directing him to commit the crimes he pleaded guilty to last year when he paid hush money to women alleging they had affairs with Trump.

    But Cohen went further than that.  He displayed a copy of the check that Trump signed to reimburse him, and he said that Trump told him to lie publicly in February 2018 that Trump had any knowledge of the payment.

    Beyond that, Cohen claimed Roger Stone told Trump that he has spoken to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and there would be an email leak forthcoming.  And he explained why he thought Donald Trump Jr.  had told his father in advance about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton.

    Those charges weren’t as solid, however, as the allegations involving the payments to women, which in a vacuum – a presidential candidate directing payments to silence women alleging affairs – is a remarkable accusation.  It underscores the notion that Trump’s campaign finance issues could ultimately prove to be his biggest potential liability.

    Cohen also said he could not discuss his last conversation with Trump that occurred after the FBI raid of his offices, citing an ongoing investigation from federal prosecutors in New York.  Trump’s former lawyer said he was “aware” of wrongdoing or illegal acts that involved Trump, but he could not talk about them because they are currently under investigation.

    Cohen’s testimony showed plenty of possible exposure for those in Trump’s orbit on several fronts.

    Several Trump associates are likely to be hearing from Congress soon enough – most notably Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg – as multiple Democrats asked Cohen to name names when it came to questions about Trump’s finances.

    Cohen provided financial statements from 2011 and 2013 given to Deutsche Bank in an attempt to ask about a loan to buy the Buffalo Bills, suggesting Trump inflated his income when it suited his interests.

    Cohen told Rep.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that Trump had also provided inflated assets to an insurance company, which the New York Democrat said was a reason that Congress should see Trump’s financial statements and tax returns.

    Rep.  Stephen Lynch, D-Massachusetts, said the hearing could help give the Ways and Means Committee “probable cause” to subpoena Trump’s tax records.

    Cummings said after the hearing that he would “probably” bring in both Weisselberg and Trump Jr.  for questioning.

    Republicans came into Wednesday’s hearing with a clear strategy: attack Michael Cohen’s credibility.

    They aggressively went after Cohen’s crimes that weren’t tied to the hush-money payments – lying to Congress, cheating on his taxes – to paint him as an uncredible witness whose accusations were meaningless.

    The GOP side also gave its two most vocal attack dogs – ranking member Jim Jordan of Ohio and Mark Meadows of North Carolina – ample time to press Cohen, with most Republicans deferring their final minute to one of the two House Freedom Caucus leaders.

    But they largely avoided trying to defend Trump against Cohen’s allegations.

    Instead, they worked to muddy the waters by raising questions about Cohen’s character, even accusing him of lying during his testimony on Wednesday.  And Republicans put Cohen on the defensive about whether he wanted to work at the White House, after he insisted in his testimony that he did not despite federal prosecutors stating in court filings Cohen had told friends he expected a prominent position.

    After the hearing, Meadows said there were six inconsistencies that they planned to probe.

    Cohen spent most of the day criticizing his former boss.  But he also ruled out some of the more salacious accusations that have been leveled against Trump.

    Cohen was asked about multiple rumored tapes of Trump, including a claim of alleged “catch-and-kill” footage of Trump striking his wife, Melania Trump.  “I have no reason to believe that tape exists,” Cohen said.  “I don’t believe Mr.  Trump ever struck Mrs.  Trump, ever. ”

    Later, Cohen was asked if there are any tapes that could be the subject of “extortion or blackmail” – a reference to long rumored Russian kompromat.

    “I’ve heard about these tapes for a long time, I’ve had many people contact me over the years – I have no reason to believe that that tape exists,” Cohen said.

    And Cohen also shot down the notion of a “love child. ” “There is not, to the best of my knowledge. ”

    More significantly, Cohen said he did not believe that Trump had directed Stone to reach out to WikiLeaks.  While Cohen accused Trump of learning from Stone about a WikiLeaks’ email dump, he said Stone was “freelancing. ”

    Cohen’s testimony is at odds with statements from several other key witnesses, including Stone and Trump Jr.

    It’s not clear whether Cohen opened anyone up to legal scrutiny, but he did raise questions about what key Trump officials have previously testified.

    Trump Jr. , for instance, has denied telling his father ahead of time about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting.

    Cohen said he thought he heard such a conversation occur – though he didn’t have proof.

    “Don Jr.  came into the room and walked behind his father’s desk – which in itself was unusual,” Cohen said.  “I recalled Don Jr.  leaning over to his father and speaking in a low voice, which I could clearly hear, and saying: ‘The meeting is all set. ’ I remember Mr.  Trump saying, ‘OK good … let me know. ’”

Michael Cohen testifies that Trump paid for portrait with Trump Foundation funds

    But Cohen raised other potential issues for Trump’s eldest son.  He said that he briefed Trump Jr.  and Ivanka Trump 10 times about the Trump Tower Moscow project.

    Trump Jr.  told the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2017 that he knew “very little” about the project.

    “I was peripherally aware of it, but most of my knowledge has been gained since,” Trump Jr.  testified.

    Cohen’s testimony about Stone and WikiLeaks is also at odds with Stone’s previous testimony that he didn’t speak to Assange, though like Cohen, Stone has also been charged with lying to Congress.  (Stone has pleaded not guilty. )

    WikiLeaks tweeted on Wednesday that Assange “has never had a telephone call with Roger Stone. ”

    Cohen is known for his work in the Trump Organization, and he never worked in the White House.

    But his testimony makes clear that Trump’s problems with Cohen’s allegations stretch directly into the Oval Office.

    While the two hush-money payments occurred before Trump was elected President, Trump was paying back Cohen while he was in the White House, as Cohen testified.

    And Trump spoke to Cohen last year about directing the public fallout from the payments, directing him to lie about Trump’s knowledge of the payments, Cohen said.

    In addition, Cohen said that he went over his false testimony with Trump’s lawyers in the White House – and spoke to Trump ahead of his testimony.

    Rep.  Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat, asked Cohen about an email that Trump had requested a meeting with Cohen and the President’s former attorney Jay Sekulow, where he said he discussed his upcoming testimony.

8 things I learned from Michael Cohen today

    Cohen said his statement was edited by Trump’s attorneys.  And he claimed the President was suggesting he lie to Congress, even if he didn’t say it directly.

    Instead, Cohen said that Trump did not “directly” tell him to lie to Congress, but that Trump would tell him personally and the public that he had “no business” with Russia, even as he was negotiating the Moscow project.

    “In his way, he was telling me to lie,” Cohen said.

    In a statement, Sekulow responded that Cohen’s testimony about editing the Trump Tower Moscow testimony was “completely false. ”

  CNN Manu Raju, Alex Rogers and Marshall Cohen contributed to this report.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


Uttarakhand: Portals of the Kedarnath temple open for pilgrims after a period of six months. https://t.co/u22L9AAMPh

High schools in the Kashmir Valley opened on Wednesday to poor attendance after being closed for more than three weeks in a lockdown enforced to forestall protests against the Centre’s decision to strip J&K of its special status.  Like pupils of primary and middle schools that had opened earlier, a majority of high school students did not turn up to attend classes.  HT visited some prominent schools in Srinagar and found them deserted. “No students have come.  The teachers came in the morning and left around 12:30 pm,” said the gatekeeper of a prominent missionary school in Lal Chowk.  Another missionary school in Sonwar, a VIP area, was also deserted, as was a girls school in uptown Raj Bagh. SP Higher Secondary, a prominent government school in the city centre, has been taken over by central security forces.  A security man opened a small window in the gate to answer a knock. “No student will be allowed.  When we came here on August 5, Principal Sahib said that the school is not opening,” he said.  On Wednesday staff turned up at a middle school in Kothi Bagh, but a higher secondary school in the same neighbourhood was deserted.  “We have opened from August 19 but no students have come to attend the classes.  The situation is not good,” said a teacher of the middle school on condition of anonymity. Until Wednesday evening, there was no official word on attendance in the high schools that were reopened.  Most schools, including top private institutions, are still closed because the students haven’t come back.  According to officials, restrictions have been removed in more than 70 police station areas in Kashmir and staff and student attendance in schools has improved.


A photo of Aamir Khan with two men is going viral on social media with the false claim that he met Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists when he went for Hajj.  However, we found that the claim is fake and that Khan is standing with late Pakistani singer and fashion designer-turned-Islamic preacher Junaid Jamshed and spiritual mentor Tariq Jameel, in a photograph taken in 2012.  CLAIM We found many people on Twitter sharing this photo on social media with the claim that the Bollywood actor met two terrorists during his trip to Mecca, with the added message that Khan had not tweeted about Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.  We also found that people were sharing this photo with inlaid text which claims that that the two men standing on his side are “Junaid Samshed and Moulana Tariq (Laskhar-e-Toiba terrorists)” and that it was taken during the religious pilgrimage.  The post then goes on to say that this is the reality of Khan and that he is talking about intolerance but “tolerated these people's activities. ” People also simply shared the photo raising questions about the people with Khan.  WHAT WE FOUND On performing a reverse image search, we found the photo in a December 2016 article by Pakistani newspaper The Express Tribune.  The article spoke about Khan’s reaction to Jamshed’s death in a plane crash in December of that year.  The article also said that Khan had met Jamshed when he went for Hajj with his mother, but did not mention the year.  The viral claims on social media clearly got Jamshed’s name wrong, instead identifying him as Junaid Samshed, as well as misidentifying him as a terrorist.  Jamshed was actually a well-known Pakistani figure, a singer and fashion designer-turned-Islamic preacher who began his music career in 1983 and is famous for music albums such as ‘Us Rah Par’.  However, he later left his music career behind and started focussing on religious activities.  We also found a video where Jamshed is speaking of his meeting with Aamir Khan at Hajj.  Further, on searching for photos of Khan with Jamshed, we came across the viral photo on Pakistani newspaper Dawn, which carried the photo with the caption “Junaid Jamshed with Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and spiritual mentor Tariq Jameel during the 2012 pilgrimage”.  We also found that Jamshed had uploaded the same photo on his Facebook account in October 2012.  Therefore, this is a photo from 2012, when Khan had gone to Mecca for Hajj with his mother Zeenat Hussain, reported India Today.  Meanwhile, the other man standing next to Khan is Maulana Tariq Jameel, a Pakistani Islamic television preacher, religious writer and scholar.  He is also a well-known cleric in Pakistan and is being conferred with a civil award by the government of the country in 2020, a Daily Times report said.  We also found a video of Jameel talking about his meeting with Khan and how Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi had arranged it.  Therefore, the claim that Khan met terrorists on his pilgrimage is completely false.  This is not the first piece of fake news about Khan recently.  Earlier, on 17 August, Kangana Ranaut took to Twitter to share an interview, purportedly given by Khan, which quotes the actor talking about Islam.  In her tweet, Kangana claimed that “Aamir is an extremist and despite his wife being a Hindu, his children would only follow Islam”.  However, we found that the interview on which Kangana has based her tweet is completely fake and baseless and originates from an unreliable website.


Former IPS officer Annamalai Kuppusamy joins BJP at party headquarters in Delhi in the presence of BJP national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao (left) & Tamil Nadu BJP president L Murugan (right). https://t.co/zBK0C9ybkd

Former IPS officer Annamalai Kuppusamy, dubbed as Karnataka’s ‘Singham’ joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday. He joined the BJP at party headquarters in Delhi in the presence of national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao and Tamil Nadu BJP president L Murugan. A native of Tamil Nadu, Kuppusamy has spent 10 years in Karnataka.  He resigned from the police service in 2019. Exactly a year after he quit, Annamalai had announced via a Facebook live that he would be entering Tamil Nadu politics and was preparing to contest in the 2021 Assembly polls in the state.  Annamalai earned the reputation of a tough police after he dealt with 2017 riots in Bababudangiri in Chikkamagaluru and took on criminals, radicalisation and communal elements in coastal Karnataka region.


#GujaratByPolls: BJP wins three seats, leads on five out of the total eight assembly seats that went into by-poll in the state. https://t.co/7H77ld8FiP

The counting of votes for the 243-member Bihar assembly elections began at 8 am on Tuesday at 55 centres in 38 districts across Bihar.  Purnia is among 40 parliamentary constituencies in Bihar.  Its comprises six following assembly seats --Kasba, Banmankhi, Rupauli, Dhamdaha, Purnia, Korha seats. Get the latest updates from Purnia Lok Sabha constituency:Kasba assembly election 2020 result updates: Congress’ Md.  Afaque Alam wins as he defeats Pradeep Kumar Das of LJP. Banmankhi assembly election 2020 result updates: Seating MLA Krishna Kumar Rishi of BJP wins with a margin of more than14,000 votes.  Rupauli assembly election 2020 result updates: Bima Bharti of JD(U) wins from Rupauli as she defeated LJP candidate Shankar Singh with a margin of more than 19,800 votes. Dhamdaha assembly election 2020 result updates: Leshi Singh of JDU wins retains Dhamdaha as she defeats Dilip Kumar Yadav of RJD. Purnia assembly election 2020 result updates: Vijay Kumar Khemka of BJP retains Purnia with a margin of over 32,150 votes.  Korha assembly election 2020 result updates: BJP’s Kavita Devi wins by a margin of more than 28,986. Click here for full Bihar assembly election 2020 coveragePurnia has been a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stronghold since 2000.  In the 2015 assembly polls, Khemka defeated Congress’ Indu Sinha by 32,815 votes.  The three-phase Bihar assembly polls began on October 28 and ended on November 7. The exit polls, which came out after the polling was concluded, predicted a win for the grand alliance led by the RJD.  Nitish Kumar, fighting elections under the NDA banner, may fall short of a clear majority, according to exit polls.


449 new #COVID19 cases reported from Jammu and Kashmir today; 100 from Jammu division and 349 from Kashmir division, taking the total number of cases in the Union Territory to 28,470. Death toll rises to 542 after 15 deaths were reported today: Govt of J&K https://t.co/zhuKt0aLFT

Fourteen more people succumbed to Covid-19 in Rajasthan on Sunday taking the state’s death toll to 876, while the highest single-day spike of 1,317 cases pushed the caseload to 61,296, a health department official said. Of the new deaths, three each were reported from Bikaner and Jaipur, and two each from Ajmer, Bhilwara, Udaipur and Sikar, the official said. Out of the total deaths in the state, Jaipur has reported 232 fatalities, followed by 87 in Jodhpur, 65 in Bharatpur, 59 in Ajmer, 57 in Bikaner, 53 in Kota, 37 each in Nagaur and Pali, 23 in Alwar and 19 in Dholpur. Among the new Covid-19 cases, 164 were from Jaipur, 135 from Jodhpur, 110 from Alwar, 79 from Kota, 74 from Ajmer, 73 from Bikaner, 66 each from Bharatpur and Udaipur, 61 from Barmer and 51 from Bhilwara. Chittorgarh reported 50 new cases, Pali 45, Baran 35, Tonk 34, Nagaur 33, and Jhalawar 32.   There are 13,816 active Covid-19 cases in the state, while 45,434 have been discharged after treatment, the official said.


How did one of the safest cities in the world descend into violence? https://t.co/le9mTXFI4k https://t.co/Rhyjs5fvyq

Police officers were injured in the protests sparked by the suspect's shooting.  Protests over Memphis police shooting turn violentA man who was killed by U. S.  Marshals in Tennessee on Wednesday night, which sparked protests that injured dozens of police officers and sheriff's deputies, was wanted for stealing a car and shooting a man in Mississippi, authorities said. U. S.  Marshals were in Memphis to carry out arrest warrants issued out of Hernando, Mississippi, for aggravated assault, conspiracy and armed robbery, DeSoto County District Attorney General John Champion told reporters at a news conference Thursday afternoon. The victim of the shooting in Mississippi had placed an ad on Facebook for a vehicle and had been negotiating with the man who was killed by authorities in Memphis, identified as 20-year-old Brandon Webber.  On June 3, Webber traveled to Hernando where he and the victim took the car for a test drive, Champion said. Webber then allegedly told the victim that he wanted to see what the car could do, and after the victim got out of the car, Webber shot him five times, Champion said.  The victim is alive but is still in the hospital. Warrants were issued for Webber's arrest by the Hernando Police Department on June 8. Officers with the U. S.  Marshals Service attempted to stop Webber as he was getting into the vehicle outside a home in the Frayser area of north Memphis on Wednesday night.  He allegedly rammed the car multiple times into the officers' vehicles and then got out holding a weapon.  The officers fired at Webber, killing him, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the shooting. No officers were injured in the incident. TBI said the investigation remains active and ongoing and it will share its findings with the district attorney general. A crowd of protesters clashed with authorities at the scene of the shooting after hearing news reports. Multiple police cars were vandalized, windows at a nearby fire station were shattered and a concrete wall outside a local business was torn down, according to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland. Some protesters also hurled rocks and bricks at Memphis Police Department officers and Shelby County Sheriff's deputies, who were armed with plastic riot shields.  At least 36 officers and deputies suffered minor injuries, including six who had to be taken to the hospital, according to the Memphis Police Department. Authorities had to use tear gas to disperse the angry crowd.  Three people were arrested during the incident and charged with disorderly conduct, police said. "I was proud of our first responders," Strickland said in a statement.  "I’m impressed by their professionalism and incredible restraint as they endured concrete rocks being thrown at them and people spitting at them. ""Let me be clear," the mayor added, "the aggression shown towards our officers and deputies tonight was unwarranted. "24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


NEW: French Pres. Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for COVID-19, the presidential Elysee Palace announces. https://t.co/ayU4C2EKTY

By Pierre Bairin and Emma Reynolds, CNNUpdated 4:26 PM ET, Thu December 17, 2020 Paris (CNN)French President Emmanuel Macron has a "fever" and is "tired [and] coughing" after testing positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, according to an Élysée spokesperson.  CNN's James Frater, Saska Vandoorne, Gaëlle Fournier, Al Goodman and Claudia Rebaza contributed reporting.


Total voter turnout in #Phase5 of #LokSabhaElection2019:  62.56% https://t.co/EBqknfsgCN

The fifth phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections will be held on Monday, May 6.  The counting of votes will take place on May 23 once all the seven phases get over on May 19. Here’s a look at the fifth phase in numbers:51: Total number of Lok Sabha constituencies going to vote on May 6. 7: Total number of states that will witness voting87588722: Total number of electorate674: Total number of contesting candidates 96,088: Number of polling boothsBihar5: Number of constituencies going to vote82: Total number of contesting candidates8899: Total number of polling booths8766722: Total number of voters4678401: Total number of male voters4088096: Total number of female voters225: Number of voters of third genderJammu & Kashmir*2: Number of constituencies going to vote22: Total number of contesting candidates1254: Total number of polling booths697498: Total number of voters361630: Total number of male voters335854: Total number of female voters14: Total number of third gender votersJharkhand4: Number of constituencies going to vote61: Total number of contesting candidates5550: Total number of polling booths6587028: Total number of voters 3442266: Total number of male voters3144679: Total number of female voters83: Total number of third gender votersMadhya Pradesh7: Number of constituencies going to vote110: Total number of contesting candidates15240: Total number of polling booths11956447: Total number of voters6303271: Total number of male voters5652941: Total number of female voters235: Total number of third gender votersRajasthan12: Number of constituencies going to vote134: Total number of contesting candidates23783: Total number of polling booths23179623: Total number of voters12253615: Total number of male voters10925883: Total number of female voters125: Total number of third gender votersUttar Pradesh14: Number of constituencies going to vote182: Total number of contesting candidates28072: Total number of polling booths24709515: Total number of voters13259311: Total number of male voters11448883: Total number of female voters1321: Total number of third gender votersWest Bengal7: Number of constituencies going to vote83: Total number of contesting candidates13290: Total number of polling booths11691889: Total number of voters6004848: Total number of male voters5686830: Total number of female voters211: Total number of third gender voters


Kerala: Water from Muthirapuzha river in Munnar enters low lying areas, following heavy rainfall in the area https://t.co/9aIgclkoDW

Torrential rain triggered the third flood peak of the Yangtze river on Sunday, putting the Three Gorges Dam under severe pressure as China grapples to mitigate the impact of the deluge that has already impacted more than 45 million people and resulted in losses worth billions of dollars. Authorities have issued warnings of possible new flood peaks in the near future, requiring the Three Gorges Dam to reserve enough space for possible floods. Warning against a new peak that may appear later, China’s water resources ministry said, “The flood control and flood fighting situation is severe. ”The volume of water inflow that has entered the reservoir has reached 50,000 cubic meters per second, state media reports said, adding that the reservoir will see inflow volume of 60,000 cubic meters per second around Tuesday. By last week, China’s ministry of emergency had said that since June 1 the latest round of floods – possibly the worst since 1998 – had affected 45. 52 million in 30 Chinese provinces including specific cities and counties. The situation remains grim the sprawling municipality of Chongqing located along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, was hit on Monday by the most severe flooding since the flood season started this year. “Residents living along the river have been urged to evacuate and stay away from the riverbank… a landslide has blocked a river in southwest China’s Chongqing City, forming a barrier lake that threatens nearby townships and a power station,” local authorities told state media. State media reports have said that massive flooding along the Yangtze river, which is the longest river in Asia, has displaced over 2 million people. The current round of flood in the Yangtze river is stronger than the first two rounds, as was the second round compared to the first. The first flood this year arrived at the dam on July 2 with a peak flow rate of 53,000 cubic meters while the second one, in the third week of the month, was at 55,000 cubic meters per second. Ahead of the second round of flood, water resources authorities was quoted by the state media as saying following continuous downpours in the upper reach of the Yangtze River, the “…Three Gorges Dam is being tested by the second floods this year in the Asia’s longest watercourse. ”The dam’s maximum capacity is 175 meters.  As of Monday, the reservoir level was at 159. 46 meters, slightly lower than 164. 18 meters from a week ago, reported news agency Bloomberg.


Two Republican Senate committee chairmen requested Hunter Biden's travel information from when his father, Joe Biden, was vice president from the Secret Service director following the Senate's vote to acquit in the impeachment trial of President Trump https://t.co/pwFwPZKgdh

He offered no remorse, cursing and lashing out at opponents. Trump celebrates victory in impeachment trialPresident Donald Trump declared victory over impeachment at a rambling self-congratulatory White House event Thursday -- carried live on national TV -- calling the investigations into his presidency "evil" and Democrats "vicious as hell" as Republican allies laughed and applauded. "It was evil, it was corrupt, it was dirty cops, it was leakers and liars," Trump said.  His remarks, in the White House East Room, were meant to be a "celebration," he said, "after we were treated unbelievably unfairly. ""We went through hell, unfairly, did nothing wrong, did nothing wrong," he said. In stark contrast with apologetic remarks President Bill Clinton made after his impeachment trial concluded in 1999, Trump offered no remorse or regret.  Speaking for more than an hour, he repeated his belief that he did nothing wrong. "It was all bull****," Trump said. "This is what the end result is," Trump said, holding up a copy of Thursday's Washington Post with the banner headline "Trump acquitted. "The official event was entirely political in nature, reminiscent of a Trump campaign rally, with the president blasting specific Democratic lawmakers, thanking a long list of Republican allies on Capitol Hill -- and reserving particular ire for Utah Republican Sen.  Mitt Romney, the lone GOP senator to vote to remove Trump from office. He called Romney, who ran for president in 2012, "a failed presidential candidate," saying "things can happen when you fail so badly running. "He questioned the devout Mormon's faith, which Romney cited on Wednesday as guiding his decision when he announced he would vote to convict Trump. "You have some who used religion as a crutch," Trump said Thursday. Trump in December became only the third president in U. S.  history to be impeached and face trial , on abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.  On Wednesday, the Senate acquitted him on both articles. "Now we have that gorgeous word," Trump said Thursday.  "I never thought a word would sound so good.  It's called total acquittal. "Occasionally referring to notes on his lectern, Trump lashed out at those who have investigated him during his time in office, from House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to special counsel Robert Mueller. "These people are vicious," the president said of Democrats.  "Adam Schiff is a vicious, horrible person.  Nancy Pelosi is a horrible person. "As he often does during his campaign rallies, he even harkened back to the 2016 election, criticizing his former Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, and he took shots at former FBI Director James Comey, whom he called a "sleazebag. ""Had I not fired James Comey, who was a disaster by the way, it's possible I wouldn't even be standing here right now," Trump said.  "We caught him in the act.  Dirty cops.  Bad people. "He said it was "almost like" the Democrats "want to destroy our country. "A multitude of Republican lawmakers sat in the audience, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.  The vice president and a range of Cabinet secretaries watched as Trump spoke, as did members of the president's defense team, who received a standing ovation when they entered the East Room. Television networks carried the lengthy remarks live as Trump went on extended digressions, such a description of Ohio Republican Rep.  Jim Jordan's workout sessions and a detailed account of when Rep.  Steve Scalise, R-La. , was shot during practice for a congressional baseball game in 2017. "This is sort of a day of celebration because we went through hell," the president said. While Trump stopped short of expressing any regret for his actions, he did offer an apology -- of sorts -- to his family. "I want to apologize to my family for having them have to go through a phony, rotten deal by some very evil and sick people," Trump said, asking his daughter and senior adviser Ivanka to stand and then come up for a hug, while also noting his 13-year-old son Barron was in the audience.  First lady Melania Trump came up for a kiss. Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast earlier Thursday, Trump rejected calls from the keynote speaker to "love your enemies. ""So many people have been hurt, and we can't let that go on," the president said in a hoarse voice, "And I'll be discussing that a little bit later at the White House. "That comment came just after he launched into an attack on his impeachment, saying he and the country had been put through "a terrible ordeal" by "very dishonest people. "“They have done everything possible to destroy us and by so doing, very badly hurt our nation,” he said. At the prayer breakfast -- what is supposed to be an annual non-political events where politicians and others come together to pray --  Trump appeared to target Romney. "I don't like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong," Trump said. "Nor do I like people who say, I pray for you, when they know that that's not so," an apparent reference to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, sitting nearby, who has said she prays for Trump daily. At the White House, Trump said he was, in fact, referring to Pelosi, whom he labeled a "horrible person. ""I had Nancy Pelosi sitting four seats away," Trump said.  "I'm saying things a lot of people wouldn't have said.  I meant every word. ""She may pray," the president added," but she prays for the opposite, but I doubt she prays at all. "Trump repeated that attack on Pelosi, a devout Catholic, during his White House remarks. "She wanted to impeach a long time ago when she said, 'I pray for the president,'" Trump said.  "She doesn't pray.  She may pray, but she prays for the opposite.  But I doubt she prays at all. "As he did at the White House, when he entered the prayer breakfast, Trump brandished newspapers with banner headlines saying he had been acquitted. Romney aside, the president praised “courageous Republican politicians” who stood by him. “Weeks ago, and again yesterday, courageous Republican politicians and leaders had the wisdom, fortitude and strength to do what everyone knows was right,” he said. In an interview on Fox News Thursday morning, after the president spoke, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said the president was going “to talk about just how horribly he was treated" in the White House remarks. “Maybe people should pay," she said. Pelosi, at her weekly news conference Thursday, said Trump used his State of the Union address and Congress as "a reality show. ""They say there's going to be payback for us -- for honoring the Constitution," she said, responding to a question about Grisham's comments. "He's impeached forever," she said of Trump, "no matter what he says or what headlines he wants to carry around. ""I don't think the president understands about prayer or people who do pray," she said. "He really needs our prayers. "24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events