#YogaDay2019 | ITBP personnel participate in yoga practice session in Leh on #InternationalDayofYoga

Follow LIVE updates here: https://t.co/UW0MKlHkRG

(📸: ANI) https://t.co/fKjf0eiCz1

Kick-starting the global celebrations marking International Yoga Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation by participating in a mega event in Ranchi on Friday.  Setting the stage for International Yoga Day, which is being celebrated on a global scale from 2015, PM Modi has been sharing an asan a day on social media urging people to join the movement. Home minister Amit Shah participated at an event in Rohtak and defence minister Rajnath Singh was seen in the national capital at a morning yoga session at Rajpath.  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) working president J P Nadda performed yoga, along with other party leaders and workers, at a park opposite the headquarters of the saffron party on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) Marg in the national capital. Highlights:Sri Lanka Prez praises Modi for bringing yoga to international stageOn the occasion of International Yoga Day, Sri Lankan President Maitripala Sirisena praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his efforts to bring the “common heritage” of India and Sri Lanka to the international stage. He also urged everyone to practice yoga.  “I compliment my friend @narendramodi for his efforts at bringing our common heritage of Yoga to the international stage.  I urge all to practice yoga like me,” he tweeted. Yoga is above everything, make it integral part of life: ModiPrime Minister Narendra Modi said yoga is above caste, religion, colour, gender and region as he meticulously performed various asanas with around 40,000 enthusiasts at the Prabhat Tara ground here to mark the fifth International Day of Yoga. Modi also urged people to make yoga an integral part of life. BSF’s equestrian team performs yoga on horsebacksBorder Security Force’s equestrian team performs yoga on horsebacks at the BSF camp in Gurugram.  #Haryana: Border Security Force's equestrian team performs Yoga on horsebacks at the BSF camp in Gurugram.  pic. twitter. com/Vp7ytXqDRgYoga practise at Victoria Memorial, Kolkata Yoga practise on 5th International Yoga Day in front of Victoria Memorial in Kolkata on Friday. Gautam Gambhir performs yoga in DelhiGautam Gambhir performs yoga on the occasion of international Yoga Day at Yamuna Sports Complex in New Delhi. Ram Madhav, BJP National General Secretary, performs yoga in Trivandrum Kerala: Ram Madhav, BJP National General Secretary, performs yoga at an event in Trivandrum.  #InternationalDayofYoga pic. twitter. com/DQCpOa4HZTIndo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel performed yoga at Rohtang PassIndo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel performed Yoga at Rohtang Pass on the occassion of #InternationalDayofYoga, today.  pic. twitter. com/Ekd8bvbqzsS Akbaruddin: Yoga will reinforce values of cleaner, greener & more sustainable futureS Akbaruddin, India’s Permanent Representative to UN Ambassador,in New York, says, “ I hope this indoor yoga session in Gen Assembly hall,the first of its kind, will reinforce values of cleaner,greener&more sustainable future that all of you yogis are committed to,” reports news agency ANI.  S Akbaruddin, India's Permanent Representative to UN Ambassador,in New York: I hope this indoor yoga session in Gen Assembly hall,the first of its kind, will reinforce values of cleaner,greener&more sustainable future that all of you yogis are committed to. #InternationalDayofYoga pic. twitter. com/CtigpecuGcHimachal governor, CM Jai Ram Thakur celebrate yoga day Himachal Pradesh: CM Jai Ram Thakur, Governor Acharya Devvrat and others observed two minutes of silence to pay last respects to the people who died in Kullu bus accident yesterday.  They are present at an event organised in Shimla on #InternationalDayofYoga.  pic. twitter. com/qgpzS8u3SfSmriti Irani celebrates yoga day in Delhi Celebrated #YogaDay2019 by performing Yoga with citizens of Bijwasan in Delhi.  pic. twitter. com/zjPqhKYnjGInternational Day of Yoga not just an event, says President KovindPresident Ram Nath Kovind says, “I’m happy that like previous years, we are celebrating Yoga Day this year too.  It’s not just an event, but a way to make yoga an integral part of our life,” reports news agency ANI. Pres Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan,Delhi:#InternationalDayofYoga is being celebrated at Rashtrapati Bhavan since 2015. I'm happy that like previous yrs,this yr too we're celebrating Yoga Day here.  It's not just an event, it's a way to make yoga an integral part of our life pic. twitter. com/Rcq9C4hcdoPM Modi interacts with people after performing yogaPrime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with people after performing yoga at Prabhat Tara ground in Ranchi on International Day of Yoga, reports news agency ANI. International Yoga Day celebrations at RajpathITBP personnel perform yoga in Ladakh in minus 20° CelsiusITBP personnel perform Yoga at an altitude of 18000 feet in northern Ladakh in minus 20 Degrees Celsius temperature, reports news agency ANI.  ITBP personnel perform Yoga at an altitude of 18000 feet in northern Ladakh in minus 20 Degrees Celsius temperature.  pic. twitter. com/csvfZNJc1tSchool children celebrate International yoga daySchool children celebrate International yoga day at Bandra reclamation in Mumbai. ITBP personnel of the 26th Battalion practice yoga in Ludhiana Punjab: ITBP personnel of 26th BN practice Yoga on #InternationalDayofYoga at Baddhowal Ludhiana pic. twitter. com/6ko85L2JbQLok Sabha Speaker Om Birla along with parliamentarians and parliament staff perform Yoga Lok sabha speaker Om Birla and Staff of Parliament house take part in 5th International Day of Yoga celebrations at Parliament house in New Delhi On Friday. Amit Shah and Haryana CM ML Khattar perform Yoga at Rohtak Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Haryana CM ML Khattar perform Yoga at Rohtak on #InternationalDayofYoga .  pic. twitter. com/Qidq9WV5RxActor Shilpa Shetty participates in celebrations in MumbaiMaharashtra: People perform Yoga at the Gateway of India in Mumbai, actor Shilpa Shetty also present, reports news agency ANI.  #Maharashtra: People perform Yoga at the Gateway of India in Mumbai; Actor Shilpa Shetty also present.  #InternationalDayofYoga pic. twitter. com/tRV1J1nTTMITBP personnel participate in yoga practice session in LehJammu & Kashmir: ITBP personnel participate in yoga practice session in Leh on International Day of Yoga, reports news agency ANI. Defence Minister’s tweet on Yoga Day On #YogaDay2019 I urge everyone to make Yoga an integral part of their lives.  Join us live from Rajpath, New Delhi on my YouTube channel : https://t. co/XkgAaG7EkfYoga being performed on-board INS Viraat at Western Naval Dockyard in Mumbai Indian Armed Forces personnel take part in a yoga sesssion to mark International Yoga Day on the Indian Navy aircraft carrier INS Viraat in Mumbai. We can see yoga from streets to wellness centres: PM Modi“We can say that today yoga has reached every corner, every class of India.  From drawing rooms to board rooms, from city parks to sports complexes.  We can see yoga from streets to wellness centres,” says PM Modi.  Modi performs yoga at Prabhat Tara ground in Ranchi Jharkhand: Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga at Prabhat Tara ground in Ranchi on #InternationalDayofYoga pic. twitter. com/gUAEYg8Gr6I urge you all to embrace Yoga: PM Modi PM in Ranchi: I thank ppl across the world for joining #InternationalDayofYoga celebrations.  World over,the first rays of the Sun are being welcomed by dedicated Yoga practitioners, it's a beautiful sight.  I urge you all to embrace Yoga&make it integral part of your daily routine pic. twitter. com/yeyhGKTEYlI thank people across the world for joining International Day of Yoga celebrations: PM ModiPrime Minister Modi says, “I thank people across the world for joining International Day of Yoga celebrations.  World over,the first rays of the Sun are being welcomed by dedicated Yoga practitioners, it’s a beautiful sight.  I urge you all to embrace Yoga&make it integral part of your daily routine. ”PM Modi: Yoga is ancient and modernPrime Minister Narendra Modi says, “Yoga is ancient and modern.  It is constant and evolving.  For centuries, the essence of Yoga has remained the same: Healthy body, Stable mind, Spirit of oneness. ”“Yoga provides a perfect blend of knowledge, work and devotion,” he added. Yoga has always been an important part of our culture: PM ModiPM Modi says, “We all know the importance of Yoga very well.  It has always been an important part of our culture.  But now we all have to take the practice of Yoga to another level,” reports news agency ANI.  PM Narendra Modi at Prabhat Tara ground in Ranchi: We all know the importance of Yoga very well.  It has always been an important part of our culture.  But now we all have to take the practice of Yoga to another level.  #InternationalDayofYoga #Jharkhand pic. twitter. com/bPlcOBi5nsPM Narendra Modi addresses crowd at Prabhat Tara ground in Ranchi‘I extend my good wishes to all of you, in India & across the globe, on the occasion of International Day of Yoga ,’ PM Narendra Modi.  PM Narendra Modi at Prabhat Tara ground in Ranchi: I extend my good wishes to all of you, in India & across the globe, on the occasion of #InternationalDayofYoga .  Today, lakhs of people have gathered in different parts of the world to celebrate Yoga Day.  #Jharkhand pic. twitter. com/KzMhIEYVRVPM Narendra Modi all set for Yoga Day in RanchiPM Narendra Modi all set for the Yoga Day 2019 programme in Ranchi.  All set for the #YogaDay2019 programme in Ranchi.  pic. twitter. com/11kc1vFOo3Preparations galore at Prabhat Tara groundAll necessary arrangements have been made at the Prabhat Tara ground in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, amid tight security, ahead of PM Modi’s mega event.  Around 30,000 people are expected to participate in the event, for which security has been beefed up across the city.


Republican Sen. Mitt Romney said he has had discussions with his GOP colleagues and it is "increasingly likely" that others would join his ongoing push for former national security adviser John Bolton to testify in the impeachment trial of President Trump https://t.co/JpD9OqwXDU

Reports say that Bolton's upcoming book provides key information.  Democrats want John Bolton to testify in impeachment trialPresident Donald Trump tied the release of nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine to investigations into his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter during a conversation with his then-national security adviser John Bolton, The New York Times reported  on Sunday. Bolton detailed the August 2019 conversation in an unpublished manuscript for an upcoming book from Bolton which was given to the White House for a standard pre-publication review. ABC News has not independently reviewed the manuscript. The reported conversation is the latest claim to emerge about Trump's alleged misconduct surrounding Ukraine since his impeachment in December and comes on the eve of the Trump team starting the heart of its defense in his Senate trial.  It also comes as Democrats and others have been pushing for the Senate to call witnesses. Trump flatly denied the report just after midnight Monday, tweeting, "I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens.  In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination.  If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book. "Bolton and other current and former White House aides have been barred by the White House from testifying, although Bolton said he would testify under subpoena.  What Bolton would say has been the source of much speculation. "The draft manuscript was transmitted to the White House for pre publication review by the NSC,  the Ambassador has not passed the manuscript to anyone that goes to the reporting in the New York Times," Sarah Tinsley, a spokesperson for Bolton, who left the administration in September 2019, said in a statement on Sunday in response to report.  "There is only one hard copy and it was sent to the NSC for review several weeks ago. "Four Republicans would need to break ranks and vote with Democrats in order for witnesses to be called, and the report has only added fuel to the Democrats' call for witnesses. "John Bolton has the evidence," Sen.  Chuck Schumer, D-N. Y. , the minority leader, tweeted on Sunday night.  "It’s up to four Senate Republicans to ensure that John Bolton, [acting chief of staff] Mick Mulvaney, and the others with direct knowledge of President Trump’s actions testify in the Senate trial. "Republicans have argued that Democrats should have waited for litigation to play out that could have forced Trump's top aides to testify, but Democrats rejected that argument, saying that would have allowed Trump to run out the clock. During their impeachment arguments on Saturday, the president's legal team stated there is "simply no evidence anywhere that President Trump ever linked security assistance to any investigations. "At issue is nearly $400 million in security assistance to Ukraine that was abruptly put on hold just over an hour after Trump spoke with with the country's new president on July 25, 2019 and asked him to look into the Bidens.  The aid was eventually released, but Trump's actions formed the basis of his impeachment. Trump and his allies have maintained that it was proper for them to inquire about potential corruption on the part of the Bidens - allegations that are still unproven. The Democratic House managers in the impeachment trial repeated their calls for witnesses on Sunday night. "Senators should insist that Mr.  Bolton be called as a witness, and provide his notes and other relevant documents. " the managers said in a statement.  "The President knows how devastating his testimony would be. "Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal attorney and a central figure in the impeachment trial, refuted Bolton's claims as reported by the Times in a statement to ABC News on Sunday. "He never once expressed concern to me," Giuliani said of Bolton in the statement.  "If he had confronted me, I could have explained it to him. ""While Bolton was trying to figure out who to invade or unsuccessfully overthrow, Ukrainians and Americans stole almost anything not nailed down," Giuliani continued.  "I used to like and respect John and tell people they were wrong about how irresponsible he was.  I was wrong. "The upcoming book also includes allegations about Attorney General William Barr, the Times reported.  The book states Bolton called Barr after Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukraine President Zelenskiy in order to raise concerns about Giuliani, and inform the attorney general the president had mentioned him on the call. On Sunday night, a senior DOJ official disputed that Bolton told AG Barr about the Trump-Zelenskiy call or Trump’s repeated mentions of Barr during their conversation, but the official confirmed that Bolton had spoken with Barr following the call to express concerns about Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal attorney, and his activities concerning Ukraine. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Alabama's statewide mask mandate to curb the coronavirus is being extended to April 9 — but it won't be extended after that, Gov. Kay Ivey said https://t.co/KrXzd5GzkE

This comes days after Texas and Mississippi announced the end of mask mandates. Alabama's governor extends mask order until April 9, eases some restrictionsAlabama's governor said Thursday she is extending the state's mask mandate until April 9. "After April the 9th I will not keep the mask order in effect," Gov.  Kay Ivey said at a news conference. "We've kept the mask mandate in place for more than a generous period of time because it's helped," she said.  "We've seen dramatic results and real progress being made. "This week the state reached its lowest average for daily new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations since June, she said. "Even with this positive news . . .  we need to get past Easter and hopefully allow more Alabamians to get their first shot" of the vaccine before removing the mask order, Ivey said. "If businesses believe wearing masks are important to keeping their doors open & their employees and customers safe -- and many do -- then they’ll have five weeks from today to get ready to impose their own policies," Ivey tweeted. Ivey also announced the easing of several restrictions: seating limits at restaurants will be loosened; outdoor programs will be allowed at senior centers with safety guidelines; two visitors, instead of one, will be allowed at hospitals and nursing homes; and summer camps can resume. Lt.  Gov.  Will Ainsworth had urged for a lift of the statewide mask mandate, tweeting Wednesday, "I urge Gov.  Kay Ivey to immediately lift the statewide mask mandate and allow citizens and local officials the liberty to make the decisions that best fit their circumstances. "The governor said a mask mandate "has been the right thing to do" but she respects those who believe "that was a step too far in government overreach. "Ivey's announcement comes days after Texas and Mississippi announced the end of mask mandates. Texas Gov.  Greg Abbott said Tuesday the state's mask mandate would end March 10 and all businesses can reopen at full capacity. "It is now time to open Texas 100%," Abbott said.  "COVID has not suddenly disappeared . . .  but it is clear from the recoveries, from the vaccinations, from the reduced hospitalizations, and from the safe practices that Texas are using, that state mandates are no longer needed. "Mississippi Gov.  Tate Reeves also announced Tuesday that county mask mandates would be lifted and businesses can "operate at full capacity without any state-imposed rules. ""Our hospitalizations and case numbers have plummeted, and the vaccine is being rapidly distributed," Reeves tweeted.  "It is time! "Dr.  Anthony Fauci on Wednesday called Abbott's decision "ill-advised. ""It is really quite risky," Fauci said in a livestream with United Food and Commercial Workers International Union President Marc Perrone. "If you look at the amount of infection that is in the community right now, even though the slope is coming down sharply, if you look at the last seven day average, it’s plateaued," Fauci said.  "That’s a dangerous sign because when that has happened in the past, when you pull back on measures of public health, invariably you’ve seen a surge back up. "President Joe Biden on Wednesday called Abbott's decision "Neanderthal thinking. ""I hope everybody has realized by now these masks make a difference," Biden told reporters in the Oval Office. "And the last thing, the last thing, the last thing we need is the Neanderthal thinking that in the meantime everything’s fine, take off your mask," Biden said.  "It’s critical, critical, critical, critical that they follow the science. "ABC News' Erin Schumaker contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Michael Cohen's attorney Lanny Davis responds to Representatives Jordan and Meadow's referral for alleged perjury: "In my opinion, it is a sad misuse of the criminal justice system with the aura of pure partisanship." https://t.co/KQgbqMgBCj https://t.co/XhOpwCHHMH

Don Lemon Tonight


66 civilians wounded in multiple blasts in Jalalabad city of Nangarhar province on Afghanistan Independence day: Pajhwok Afghan News (Pic courtesy - Reuters) https://t.co/cRnaBuMBY7

At least 66 civilians sustained injuries in multiple blasts in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province on Monday, state media reported. The incident took place on Monday morning in Jalalabad city on the 100th Independence Day of Afghanistan, reported Pajhwok Afghan News agency. Details regarding the nature of the blast are yet to be ascertained. The incident comes two days after the wedding hall suicide blast in Kabul that claimed the lives of 63 people and injured 180 others.  The ISIS had claimed the responsibility for carrying out the heinous blast.  (The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text, only the headline has been changed)


Former White House national security adviser John Bolton called President Donald Trump "naive and dangerous," in an interview that aired Sunday, adding that he hopes his former boss will be remembered as a one-term president. https://t.co/43fWNm5lzx

Here are the many headlines from ABC's interview with Trump's former top aide. ‘Trump should not be president,' John Bolton saysPresident Donald Trump's longest-serving national security adviser John Bolton condemned his presidency as dangerously damaging to the United States and argued the 2020 election is the last "guardrail" to protect the country from him. In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Bolton offered a brutal indictment of his former boss, saying, "I hope (history) will remember him as a one-term president who didn't plunge the country irretrievably into a downward spiral we can't recall from.  We can get over one term -- I have absolute confidence, even if it's not the miracle of a conservative Republican being elected in November.  Two terms, I'm more troubled about. "In the interview with ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz and in his new book, "The Room Where It Happened," Bolton paints Trump as "stunningly uninformed," making "erratic" and "irrational" decisions, unable to separate his personal and political interests from the country's, and marked and manipulated by foreign adversaries. "I don't think he's a conservative Republican.  I'm not going to vote for him in November -- certainly not going to vote for Joe Biden either.  I'm going to figure out a conservative Republican to vote in," he told Raddatz. Since excerpts of the book -- out June 23 -- leaked, Bolton has faced a tsunami of criticism both from Trump and his allies, for betraying his trust, and from Trump's critics, for coming out against the president now when he refused to testify before the House impeachment hearings and stayed silent with Trump on trial in the Senate. Trump himself has blasted Bolton as a "wacko" and "liar," while accusing him of revealing classified information and attacking him personally: "Everybody in the White House hated John Bolton. " Those comments contradict what Trump said just months ago after Bolton left the administration, telling reporters in November, "I like John Bolton.  I always got along with him. "In his interview, Bolton predicted Trump's response would be "volcanic," countering, "It's typical of the Trump administration that when faced with criticism, they don't deal with the substance of the criticism, they attack the person, which I fully expect and doesn't surprise me. ""The president isn't worried about foreign governments reading this book.  He's worried about the American people reading this book," Bolton added, saying he was "very conscious" to avoid including classified information, but, "The people of the country need to hear the reality. "A federal judge ruled Saturday that while Bolton's book can be released, publishing it without formal clearance from the White House "has exposed his country to harm and himself to civil (and potentially criminal) liability. "Pressed by Raddatz on his own support for Trump, Bolton called it a "mistake. ""I overrated the chances to make this into a coherent, rational, systematic, decision-making process, to advance American interests.  . . .  That turned out not to be right," he said, adding that he stayed for 17 months "because the stakes are so high that I thought I could continue to make a contribution. "The critics have not been swayed by Bolton's explanation for why he stayed silent for months, until his book was ready for release.  Last fall after resigning -- Trump said he was fired -- he rejected a request to testify before the House and said he would testify only if a judge ordered him to obey a subpoena.  The House declined to issue the subpoena to avoid a legal battle.  Bolton later said he would obey a subpoena if one was issued by the Senate, but the Republican-controlled Senate did not issue one. Bolton now said his testimony wouldn't have mattered, while also accusing House Democrats of "impeachment malpractice" for not taking their time and widening their inquiry's scope to include potentially impeachable offenses that Bolton only alleges publicly for the first time in his book. "I didn't think the Democrats had the wit or the political understanding or the reach to change what, for them, was an exercise in arousing their own base, so that they could say, 'We impeached Donald Trump,'" he said, adding "that conduct (is) almost as bad and somewhat equivalent to Trump. "Bolton told Raddatz he now has "an obligation to let the American people know what it's like in the White House and what their leader is doing. "But pressed about what public obligation he had at the time, he again turned to how the probe was initially conducted. "It's not my obligation to help the Democrats out of their own problem.  My judgment was that I was prepared to testify.  But I think now this is actually a better time to tell the story because now the American people can look at it in the context of the most important political decision we make as a nation every four years," he said. The Republican-controlled Senate ultimately voted not to call any witnesses to testify in Trump's trial, but Bolton now argues it wouldn't have made a difference. "Minds were made up on Capitol Hill, and my feeling was in the midst of all the chaos that had been created, this would have come and gone, and nobody would have paid any attention to it," he said. While congressional Republicans have had a muted response to Bolton's allegations, his account might have moved the needle.  Bolton is the first witness to come forward alleging that Trump directly told him that he was tying Ukrainian investigations into his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, to his hold on nearly $400 million of U. S.  security assistance to Ukraine, which is battling Russian-led separatists in its eastern provinces. In fact, Bolton's claims countered many of the legal defenses put forward by Trump's lawyers and Republicans, including that Trump never connected the investigations and the assistance, that Trump instead cared about combating corruption in the country and that the Ukrainians never knew about the connection. "The defense of the president was, he cares about the general corruption in the Ukraine, and that was on his mind -- that's utter nonsense," Bolton told ABC News, adding the Ukrainian government "fully understood" the connection. "He was bargaining to get the investigation, using the resources of the federal government, which I found very disturbing," Bolton said. He heard it from Trump himself on Aug.  20, he claimed, when Trump "directly linked the provision of that assistance with the investigation. "Trump has denied that, tweeting in January, "I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens. "Bolton said Trump is lying, "and it's not the first time either. "According to Bolton, that connection was "widely understood at senior levels in the government," too, including the White House, State Department, Pentagon and Department of Justice. Specifically, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and Attorney General Bill Barr were all aware and equally "alarmed" as he, according to Bolton, who also said he had conversations about the legality of it with the White House counsel's office and Barr -- something Barr's spokesperson has denied. Bolton said they all were actively working to convince Trump to separate the aid from any Ukrainian probe. "People in the aftermath, in light of the impeachment investigation thought that those of us like Pompeo and Esper and myself should have been sort of junior woodchuck FBI agents looking for evidence of impeachable offenses.  What we were all trying to do was get the assistance released to the Ukraine because it was in America's interests to do so. "While the aid to Ukraine was ultimately released, Bolton said Trump's actions there were part of a larger "pattern" of behavior where he put his personal relationships and political interests above the country's national security priorities. "When it comes to reelection, his attention span was infinite, and his focus was very direct.  It's just too bad there wasn't more of that when it came to national security," Bolton told ABC News. He cited specific examples of strongmen leaders who had "mastered the art of ringing (Trump's) bells," including Xi Jinping of China, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. According to Bolton, Erdogan asked Trump to intervene on behalf of Halkbank, a Turkish state-run bank that faced possible criminal charges for violating U. S.  sanctions against Iran and was said to operate like a slush fund for Erdogan's family. "And the president said to Erdogan at one point, 'Look, those prosecutors in New York are Obama people.  Wait till I get my people in and then we'll take care of this,'" Bolton said. "I've never heard any president say anything like that.  Ever," Bolton added.  "It did feel like obstruction of justice to me. "Whatever was said to Erdogan, Halkbank was indicted last fall for fraud, money laundering, and sanctions violations after a negotiated settlement fell apart. While some critics have charged that Bolton's stories will weaken Trump's position on the world stage, Bolton shot back he's "not telling Vladimir Putin anything that he doesn't already know -- and it's telling the American people something they may not be aware of. ""The North Koreans, as perhaps with Iran and China and Russia as well, think that if they can separate Trump from his advisers, they can get him to make a deal.  . . .  They see him as somebody who's fundamentally not aware of the trade-offs he's making," Bolton added. That drive to make a deal that would burnish his image as a deal-maker and support his reelection was dangerous, according to Bolton. "There really isn't any guiding principle that I was able to discern other than what's good for Donald Trump's reelection," Bolton told Raddatz.  "There's no coherent basis, no strategy, no philosophy, and decisions are made in a very scatter-shot fashion, especially in the potentially mortal field of national security policy.  This is a danger for the republic. "Beyond his critiques of Trump's foreign policy or philosophy, Bolton takes aim at Trump's decision-making, at the man himself: "The president's thought process is a random walk that never stops.  I mean, it's like a random walk meets Groundhog Day. ""I couldn't tell from day to day in the White House what was gonna happen," he added, calling the president "stunningly uninformed" and saying it was "very difficult, therefore, to have sustained conversations about policy development over a period of time. "According to Bolton, Trump spoke about as much as he listened during his intelligence briefings, which were far less frequent than other presidents.  He listened to unknown outside advisers who gave him, what Bolton describes as "inaccurate" information that was not vetted by the professional staff, and he could not grasp "bits of history that help to inform the current context of a lot of situations.  And we just never made headway on many of them," Bolton said. "It's one thing to be erratic and impulsive and episodic and anecdotal on day-to-day stuff.  It's when you get into crisis situations or very high-stakes circumstances where it becomes not only important, but potentially dangerous if the president doesn't maintain the focus on what's in front of him," Bolton said. Raddatz pushed back on Bolton's characterization, pointing to his own past praise of Trump as a deal-maker with an "outstanding" ability to "size up" opponents. Bolton said he didn't "particularly" believe that at the time, but had to defend the president and put "the triumph of hope over limited experience at that point. "This report was featured in the Monday, June 22, 2020, episode of “Start Here,” ABC News’ daily news podcast. "Start Here" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes.  Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


An alleged screenshot of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s tweet has gone viral on social media. The tweet shows Gandhi sharing her “favourite story” about her great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru. “As PM, he returned from work at 3 am to find his bodyguard exhausted and asleep on his bed. He covered him with a blanket and went to his room to sleep with his wife,” reads the story. Twitter user Sadanand Ghodgerikar who is followed by prime minister Modi shared the purported tweet with the caption, “With his wife… solid confusion.” (archive link)

An alleged screenshot of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s tweet has gone viral on social media.  The tweet shows Gandhi sharing her “favourite story” about her great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru.  “As PM, he returned from work at 3 am to find his bodyguard exhausted and asleep on his bed.  He covered him with a blanket and went to his room to sleep with his wife,” reads the story.  Twitter user Sadanand Ghodgerikar who is followed by prime minister Modi shared the purported tweet with the caption, “With his wife… solid confusion. ” (archive link)With his wife…🤔🤔🤔 solid confusion 🤭🤭 pic. twitter. com/WPbgK7APJv— Sadanand Ghodgerikar (@SGhodgerikar) November 16, 2020The screenshot also carries the following text — “Which wife and whose wife…I was educated that Kamala Nehru died in 1936. ”Another Twitter user Murali Jai Hind posted the screenshot and claimed that Priyanka Gandhi has taken down her tweet.  (archive link)His means bodyguard’s wife. .  The tweet is now deleted for obvious reasons. 😂 pic. twitter. com/hT0BFeqZBK— Murali Jai Hind 🇮🇳🇮🇱 (@Muralik79739498) November 16, 2020“Whose wife by the way? ” questioned one Manjeet Bagga.  (archive link) The same screenshot is massively viral on Facebook as well.
A cursory look at the screenshot itself reveals that it has been morphed.  For starters, the date/ time is visible both at the bottom and on the top right.  If one is scrolling through tweets without clicking on them, date and time appear on the top right.  Once we select a certain tweet, it shows at the bottom. The viral screenshot reads ‘5h’ on the top right and ’16:33 · 14 Nov 19 ·’ below the tweet which is not possible.  However, before we elaborate on the visual distinction, let us find out if Priyanka Gandhi made any similar tweet last year on India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday. Gandhi indeed shared her favourite story about her great grandfather on November 14, 2019. My favourite story about my great-grandfather is the one about when as PM, he returned from work at 3 am to find his bodyguard exhausted and asleep on his bed.  He covered him with a blanket and slept on an adjacent chair.  #JawaharlalNehru pic. twitter. com/HDDiC1hked— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) November 14, 2019However, the last line has been altered in the viral screenshot.  Gandhi wrote that Nehru slept on a chair adjacent to his bodyguard and not “went to his room to sleep with his wife…” Furthermore, Gandhi’s tweet has been posted from an iPhone unlike the viral screenshot which says ‘Twitter for Android’.
Now coming back to the visual distinction in the format of the tweet.  As stated before, the date/ time cannot show both on the top right and at the bottom simultaneously.
Gandhi’s tweet from last year was also reported in the media.  The Indian Express published an article the same day it was posted.
An old tweet by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was morphed to target Jawaharlal Nehru on social media.  The former Indian prime minister has come under the crosshairs of similar misinformation that attempts to brand his as an ‘immoral’ man. Donate NowA picture of Tej Pratap Yadav has been making the rounds on social media recently…. A video of police tying a rope around an elderly person’s wrists has been circulating…A photo of a man being flogged with his hands tied has been gathering a…A set of two images, an alleged tweet and a video has been shared on…A photo of an idol of Hindu deity Nandi found buried in the ground has…


NEW: Pres. Trump says he will not deliver State of the Union until shutdown ends.

"I am not looking for an alternative venue for the SOTU Address because there is no venue that can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House Chamber." https://t.co/3kwUySyNUc https://t.co/yrz04cWe1m

  Former White House chief of staff John Kelly and the other four former secretaries of homeland security sent President Donald Trump and Congress a letter Wednesday calling for full department funding and an end to the month-long partial government shutdown.

  “As former secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), we write to you today with a simple message – fund the critical mission of DHS,” wrote the bipartisan group of Kelly, President George W.  Bush alums Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff, and President Barack Obama alums Janet Napolitano and Jeh Johnson.

  Kelly, who left his White House role just as the shutdown began, derided the border wall at the center of the funding battle during an exit interview last month, telling the Los Angeles Times, “to be honest, it’s not a wall. ”

  Kelly continued at the time, “The president still says ‘wall’ — oftentimes frankly he’ll say ‘barrier’ or ‘fencing,’ now he’s tended toward steel slats.  But we left a solid concrete wall early on in the administration, when we asked people what they needed and where they needed it. ”

  In their letter Wednesday, the former secretaries cited the historical precedent of Congress prioritizing funding agencies such as the Department of Defense as a matter of national security.

  “Congress does so because putting national security at risk is an option we simply can’t afford,” the group wrote.  “DHS should be no different. ”

  As federal employees face their second missed paychecks Friday, some have turned to food pantries to make ends meet.  While they were “heartened” at the community support for both furloughed and essential employees – those required to work during the shutdown – “this cannot and should not be the answer,” the group argued, citing how members of the Coast Guard are legally barred from quitting or pursuing other full-time employment.

  “DHS employees who protect the traveling public, investigate and counter terrorism, and protect critical infrastructure should not have to rely on the charitable generosity of others for assistance in feeding their families and paying their bills while they steadfastly focus on the mission at hand,” they added.  “This is unconscionable. ”

  The group also warned of a large scale brain drain from government employees leaving for the private sector, as “the Department is facing a real crisis in retaining this workforce week after week. ”

  “We call on our elected leaders to restore the funding necessary to ensure our homeland remains safe and that the Department’s critical national security functions continue without compromise,” the letter concludes.

  On Thursday, Johnson said “from a security standpoint we are letting our guard down,” and warned a breaking point for federal workers may come on Friday when they miss a second paycheck.

  Johnson said the “very people we depend on for security are made to suffer,” and noted that for years the US fought high attrition in the Secret Service and said he fears “this shutdown and missing paychecks are a huge setback. ” Johnson was speaking at an event with former senior DHS officials hosted by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat.

  CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Geneva Sands and Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning to suspend all fishing activity in West Bengal and Odisha till May 20, in the wake of super cyclone #Amphan; Visuals from Odisha's Bhadrak, one of the 6 districts expected to be affected due to the cyclone https://t.co/ZJnsZ2bYGW

India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a warning to suspend all fishing activities in West Bengal and Odisha till May 20, in the wake of super cyclone Amphan. Several fishermen at Odisha’s Bhadrak were seen parking their boats at the dock today morning. Notably, Bhadrak is one of the six districts expected to be affected due to the cyclone. Notably, 15 NDRF teams have been deployed in different districts of Odisha.  They are already in the field and are creating awareness among public and fishermen on evacuation and safety measures. Also read| Evacuate people, stock essential items: Centre tells states as they brace for Cyclone AmphanFive teams are also ready in Mundali to meet the exigency. Chief Secretary, Odisha and Additional Chief Secretary, West Bengal apprised National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) of preparatory measures taken by them.  They informed that evacuation of people from the low lying areas is being carried out, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in the letter.  Also read|Cyclone Amphan: The states likely to be hit by its landfall“36 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are currently deployed in both states.  Rescue & relief teams of Army & Navy along with ships & aircraft of Navy, Air Force & Coast Guard have been put on standby,” it added.


Karnataka: A Bengaluru Court has issued summons to Former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy in an alleged illegal denotification case. More details awaited. (file pic) https://t.co/UI81U7bDjF

Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy Saturday accused the Income Tax department of “harassing” Congress and JD(S) workers in the state and sought the “immediate intervention” of the Election Commission in the matter. In a pre-dawn raids on Thursday, I-T sleuths had carried out coordinated searches at many locations across Bengaluru, Ramanagara, Kanakapura, Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan and Shivamogga, triggering an angry backlash from leaders of the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance. He termed the raids a “shameful attempt” to threaten and generate fear among party workers. Kumaraswamy on Saturday wrote on Twitter, “IT officials continued their raid.  They raided the rice and sugar mills run by Congress and JDS workers till 4am today and put spy cams on their premises.  Disguising themselves as railway officials, they borrowed vehicles and are now staying at CFTRI Mysuru (sic). ” “A shameful attempt to threaten and generate fear among our workers!  We request the election commission to immediately intervene and stop this harassment of our workers,” he said in another tweet. These tweets by Kumaraswamy came days after he took to the streets along with Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, CLP leader Siddaramaiah and KPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao on Thursday, and staged a protest in front of the I-T Department office here against the raids, in the first such protest by a Karnataka chief minister in recent memory. Terming the raids “politically motivated,” the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance alleged that the I-T raids were carried out on JD(S) leaders overseeing the electioneering of Kumaraswamy’s son, Nikhil, in Mandya and nephew Prajwal Revanna in Hassan. The ruling alliance leaders had said the raids on Thursday were targeted at state Minor Irrigation Minister C S Puttaraju, his relatives, and associates of Kumaraswamy’s brother PWD Minister H D Revanna. The crackdown had come a day after Kumaraswamy claimed on Wednesday night that I-T raids had been planned from 5 am Thursday. Strongly defending its action, the I-T department, in a statement on Thursday, had said its activities should not be politicised, personalised or trivialised.  It had also said that no MP, MLA or minister had been covered in the searches which were being carried out on the basis of credible information.  (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. )


Former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke sentenced to 81 months in prison for Laquan McDonald murder. https://t.co/4k0UAPb32U https://t.co/kYZkSPMG13

    Jason Van Dyke, the former Chicago cop whose fatal 2014 shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald reignited the fervent nationwide conversation about police shootings, was sentenced Friday to six years and nine months in prison.

    The veteran police officer was convicted in October of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm for the shooting in October 2014.  The shooting and video of it prompted protests throughout Chicago and calls for Van Dyke to face serious prison time.

Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke found guilty of second-degree murder in Laquan McDonald killing

    On Friday, he was sentenced on just the murder charge, Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan said.  The aggravated battery charges carried potentially more prison time.

    Special Prosecutor Joe McMahon, who had recommended that Van Dyke be sentenced to a minimum of 18 years for the aggravated battery charges, said justice was served.

    “This is a significant sentence,” McMahon said.  “I and this team are satisfied we achieved our goal of justice and holding Jason Van Dyke accountable for his actions. ”

    One of Van Dyke’s defense lawyers, Daniel Herbert, told reporters the former officer was happy with the verdict.

    “He truly felt great,” Herbert said after talking with his client for a few minutes.  “(But) he’s certainly not happy about going to jail.  He’s not happy about missing his family, but he’s happy about the prospect of life ahead of him. ”

    Herbert said a decision has not been made on whether to appeal.

    Given a chance to speak before the judge’s ruling, Van Dyke reiterated that he had feared for his life.

    “No one wants to take someone’s life, even in defense of their own,” he said.

    He said he prayed daily for McDonald’s soul.

    Van Dyke’s sentencing came a day after a Cook County judge found three other Chicago police officers not guilty of falsifying police reports to protect Van Dyke, in a case that had come to be seen as a referendum on Chicago police officers’ so-called “code of silence,” and their alleged willingness to protect each other from criminal investigations.

    The prosecution called several black men as witnesses who testified they had run-ins with Van Dyke and that he had allegedly mistreated them.

    The first, Vidale Joy, said that Van Dyke pulled him over as he was leaving a gas station in August 2005.  Van Dyke had his gun drawn and “put the gun to my temple,” Joy alleged.  He also alleged that Van Dyke called him the n-word.

    Edward Nance said in his tearful testimony that he sustained shoulder injuries from his interactions with Van Dyke and had to have surgery on both rotator cuffs.  Nane also testified he now has anxiety, PTSD and ADD as a result of his run-in with Van Dyke in July 2007.

    The prosecution did not bring an expert witness to testify that Nance’s injuries were caused by Van Dyke’s actions.

    Laquan McDonald’s great uncle the Rev.  Marvin Hunter also took the stand, reading a letter that he wrote in McDonald’s voice.

    In the letter, Hunter said that Van Dyke became “judge, jury and executioner” on the night McDonald was killed.  He recounted how McDonald was about to move in with his mother and sister after his mother had battled drug addiction.

    “However, Jason Van Dyke, with his cold, callous disregard for the life of a young black man, without me provoking him, robbed us of this.  The story of my life is that in the short time of my life, I have worked hard to correct the mistakes I had made.  But in a matter of six seconds, he then took 16 shots and ended the possibility of this happening forever. ”

    “What happened to me can never be changed,” Hunter said in his great nephew’s voice.  “But other young black men and women would not have to face Mr.  Jason Van Dyke and his evil and selfish ways. ”

    “Why should this person, who has ended my life forever because he chose to become judge, jury and executioner, and has never asked for forgiveness, be free, when I am dead forever? ”

    Van Dyke’s attorneys submitted dozens of letters from police officers, longtime friends of Van Dyke and his family asking the judge for leniency.

    His 17-year-old daughter Kaylee read from the letter she had submitted in court  Friday, detailing the emotional impact of the prosecution of her father.

    She was bullied at school, she said, and had lost friends over her father’s role in the shooting.

    “Over the years I have learned how to handle my emotions and deal with him going to court, but now that he is gone I feel as (if) I am left with nothing,” Kaylee’s letter said.

    “My heart sincerely goes to the McDonald family, but it’s time to bring my dad home.  It’s time for him to hug and kiss his wife and protect his family.  Bring my dad home.  Please. ”

    Perhaps the most emotional testimony came from Van Dyke’s wife, Tiffany, who described the toll the case had taken on her family, emotionally and financially.

Three Chicago police officers found not guilty of cover-up in Laquan McDonald's shooting death

    “My life has been a nightmare,” she said.  “My life has been turned upside down, inside out.  My husband is not with me. ”

    Tiffany Van Dyke said she pays between $400 and $500 every week so that she and her daughters can speak to Van Dyke for just a few minutes a day.  She has lost work opportunities, she said, because of who her husband is.

    On the night of the shooting, her husband was simply doing his job, Tiffany Van Dyke said.  “There was no malice, no hatred on that night,” she said through tears.

    Tiffany Van Dyke also said she prays every day for the McDonald family, and that she wants both sides and the city of Chicago to have peace.

    She pleaded for leniency, pointing out that as a convicted felon, “his life is over. ”

    “He has paid the ultimate price. ”

    The shooting was captured on a grainy police dashcam video.

    Several police officers were responding to a call about a man breaking into trucks in a parking lot on Chicago’s South Side.

In the video, McDonald is initially seen running, then walking in the middle of the street toward several police cars with flashing lights.  McDonald later veers away from two police officers, who have their guns drawn, and within seconds he appears to spin around and fall.  He was holding a knife as he walked away from multiple police officers who were following him.

Beneath the Skin Ep.  1: Horrific cuts cover her son's body after he's shot and killed by police, and Cynthia Lane wants answers.

    There were 16 shots fired over 15 seconds, all by Van Dyke.  Van Dyke argued he fired in self-defense after McDonald lunged at him with a knife.

    But the dashcam video – which a judge ordered the city to release 13 months after the shooting – showed McDonald walking away from police, rather than charging at them.

    Crowds of outraged protesters chanted and marched on the streets of Chicago after the 2014 killing, leading  to reforms and a national conversation about police use of deadly force.

    Video of the shooting led to protests, a Justice Department civil rights investigation, criticism of the mayor and, eventually, the ouster of the police superintendent.

  CNN’s Dakin Andone and Nicole Chavez reported and wrote this story in Atlanta, while Marlena Baldacci reported from Chicago.  CNN’s Steve Almasy, Samira Said, Faith Karimi and Ray Sanchez contributed to this report.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


India scales another peak with Recovery Rate leaping past 85%. Recovered cases exceed the new cases in past 24 hours. 82,203 recoveries registered while the number of new confirmed cases stands at 72,049: Ministry of Health https://t.co/W2bAmSvhPF

India on Wednesday recorded 89,706 new cases of the coronavirus disease in the last 24 hours, pushing the nationwide tally to 43,70,129, according to Union health ministry dashboard on Wednesday. The number of fatalities rose by 1,115, according to the health ministry data, to reach 73,890. The number of active cases went up further, with 13,697 recorded in the last 24 hours.  The total number of active cases stand at 8,97,394. The number of active cases will soon cross the nine lakh mark.  The more worrying situation is that half of these cases are in just three states - Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. India has seen the number of cases rise rapidly in the month of August - in the third week of last month, the country added 4,024 active cases daily.  The number has now increased to 14,273 daily active cases. At this rate, India will see a million active cases by next week. There is concern because of more relaxations being allowed by the government.  The metro services have been resuming phase wise, and with footfalls expected to increase in the days to come, authorities fear the number of cases could see a rise further. The health ministry had said on Tuesday that the above three states, along with Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, account for nearly 70 per cent of deaths due to Covid-19 in the country. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that apart from these five states, other states and union territories account for 31. 37 per cent of the deaths due to the disease. He also highlighted that despite the high number of cases, the number of Covid-19 cases per million population in the country stands at 3,102 - among the lowest in the world. Bhushan said that the global average for number of cases per million population stands at 3,527. He also said that Case Fatality Rate (CFR) is continuously declining.  “It was 2. 15 per cent in the first week of August.  It now stands at 1. 70 per cent compared to the global average of 3. 04 per cent,” said Bhushan.


A four-minute video is being shared across social media platforms, claiming that paramilitary forces have arrived in Mumbai amidst the rising cases of coronavirus in the city.  All posts made, make the same claim in English, Hindi and Marathi.  Claim 1: “CRPF arrived in Mumbai. ” Claim 2: “मुंबई सेंट्रल पैरा मिलिट्री फोर्स आली आज सकाळी आता हाच एक पर्याय अतिदीड शहाण्यांना” Marathi: Paramilitary forces arrived at Mumbai Central this morning.  This is the only option left for the ‘very wise’.  Claim 3: “मुंबई सेंट्रल पैरा मिलिट्री फोर्स आ गई है आज सुबह” Hindi: Paramilitary forces arrived at Mumbai Central this morning      (Archived)   (Archived)    CRPF at certain locations deployed in Mumbai#CRPF #Mumbai #Corona pic. twitter. com/WlSjj5WmUr — Satish Rathod (@Satishrathod100) May 19, 2020  (Archived)   Welcome Para-Military Force in Mumbai.  This was the Last Option Left.  pic. twitter. com/x3d2w2X1yl — आओ भक्तों, गन्ना चुसो (@GannawaleBaba) May 18, 2020  (Archived)   The video was posted on YouTube by a user with the same claim.       We carefully analysed the video for any clues that point against the claims made.  The video shows a building called City Hospital, below which there is a shop called Prime Chemist.  In the same frame, there is a 2-wheeler with its registration number starting with ‘MH 12’.       We used the keywords ‘Prime Chemist’ and ‘City Hospital’.  One of the shops registered on the web directory Magic Pin returned a result of a store called Prime Chemist, below City Hospital in Bhawani Peth, Pune.        The registration number beginning with ‘MH 12’ also adds to the result, as city codes 12 and 14 in Maharashtra indicate that the vehicle is registered in Pune.     Further along in the video, the camera moves to show us the forces moving down the road.  A residential building appears to bear the name ‘Leela Heights’ and while panning back to the hospital reveals a Kotak Mahindra bank branch.       To verify the location of these places, we used keywords like ‘Leela Heights Bhawani Peth’ and looked it up on Google Maps.  The residential building was marked on the map as a shop called ‘The Art Lam’, which was down the road in the same direction as shown in the video.       We found a Marathi news report that discussed the introduction of the Rapid Action Forces, which are battalions of the CRPF in Maharashtra, to aid the pre-existing police force.     An article by the New Indian Express also talks about the Centre’s deployment of paramilitary forces in Mumbai, Pune, Malegaon and Amravati in Maharashtra, so that the state’s police force could have some respite.   Maharashtra is leading the country in the number of COVID-19 positive cases, with over 35,000 cases and 1,249 deaths (as of 20th May 2020).    We could, therefore, confirm that the video was not taken at Mumbai Central in Mumbai, but was shot at Bhawani Peth, East Street in Pune.


Gujarat | Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President @AmitShah holds a road show in Ahmedabad. (ANI)

Follow updates here - https://t.co/kJay5hgz2G

#LokSabhaElections2019 #ElectionsWithHT https://t.co/vRYJIoy5wQ

Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be addressing poll rallies in Aalo in Arunachal Pradesh, Moran in Assam and Gohpur in Assam.  BJP chief Amit Shah will also be addressing poll rally in Gandhinagar followed by a road show before he files his nomination from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat.  Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari and leaders of BJP’s allies such as Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, SAD supremo Parkash Singh Badal and LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan are expected to be present during party president Amit Shah’s filing of nomination.  Follow Live updates here: BJP’s mission in Arunachal Pradesh is 60+2: CM KhanduExuding confidence in the BJP’s poll prospects in Arunachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said on Saturday that voters will help the saffron party accomplish its mission of “60 plus two” in the state. “We have a target of winning all the seats and the BJPs mission is 60 plus two,” Khandu said while addressing an election rally here in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP has already opened its account in the state with three candidates declared elected unopposed in the 60-member Assembly. Approved five new bridges on Brahmaputra: PM ModiConstructed roads in villages and cities, our government has also approved five new bridges on Brahmaputra for Assam’s welfare: PM Modi When world is praising India, opposition is raising questions on India’s achievement: PM Modi in AssamWhole world has been praising the India for its development steps and security stances.  But the opposition has been raising questions on India’s achievements: PM Modi In Assam’s Gohpur‘Backed Congress in 1971 when India defeated Pakistan in war’: PM Modi in AssamWe supported Congress in 1971 when the then government defeated Pakistan and provided freedom to Bangladesh, but today Congress has been raising questions on our soldier’s valour: PM Modi in Assam Worked with honesty for Assam: PM Modi in AssamI have worked with honesty for the betterment of Assam, Congress only destroyed the states: PM Modi in Assam BJP chief Amit Shah files nomination from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seatAmit Shah files nomination from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, top NDA leaders including Union home minister Rajnath Singh, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackrey and Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani accompany him.  Working to develop Northeast as India’s new energy hub: PM ModiNortheast has power to become new India’s new energy hub, govt is working hard to develop region for realising this dream: PM Modi in Moran. Only Congress and terrorist not happy with BJP govt.  : PM ModiPeople are happy with BJP govt but it is only Congress and terrorists who are not happy: PM Modi at Moran rally,reports news agency PTI.  Planning to provide Schedule Tribe status to Assam’s six communities: PM ModiNDA government committed to save Assam’s tradition and culture.  We are thinking to provide Schedule Tribe status to Assam’s six communities: PM Modi Congress donot want to see anyone associated with Tea business: PM ModiCongress has problems with Chowkidars and Chaiwalas, Initially I thought the problem was with only one chaiwala but after touring whole country I realised that they don’t want to see any chaiwala or anyone associated with tea business: PM Modi in Assam’s MoranWhen ASAT test was done, Congress had tears in their eyes: PM ModiWhole world stood with India after surgical strikes, but Congress did not.  When our scientist carried out A-SAT test, Congress got tears in their eyes: PM Modi in Assam Assam first state to provide gas and fuel to nation, but only 40% residents of Assam got gas connections in 70 years: PM ModiAssam was the state where India for the first time got fuel and oil but only 40 percent of the houses of this state got gas connection, but now within 5 years we have taken the number to 85 percent.  Same with electricity, only 40 percent of houses in Assam got electricity in 70 years, but within 5 years of our government almost ever house in Assam has electricity connection.  Congress made fun of our scientists: PM ModiCongress’s statement after Surgical strikes were seen by the nation, even when our scientist had achieved what only three countries could, congress made fun of them also: PM Modi while addressing poll rally in Arunachal  आपने सर्जिकल स्ट्राइक के समय ये खुद देखा है।जब भारत ने आतंकियों को घर में घुसकर मारा, तो इनका क्या रवैया रहा, ये भी आपने देखा है।जब हमारे वैज्ञानिक दुनिया को हैरान कर देते हैं, तो भी ये उसका मजाक उड़ाने के बहाने खोज लेते हैं: पीएम श्री @narendramodi #NorthEast4ModiDouble engine of growth for Arunachal after 2019 LS polls: PM ModiI believe youth of Arunachal Pradesh, I am sure NDA government at both centre and state will act as double engine of growth for the state: PM Modi Congress is blinded by love for neighbouring country : PM Modi Congress and its leaders have been blinded by the love for neighbouring country to the point that they don’t cherish Northeast or India anymore, their statements are being flashed in Pakistan: PM Modi Other PMs did not visit Arunachal Pradesh in 30 years, I visited Northeast 30 times in 5 years: PM Modi in Arunachal Pradesh’s AaloIt is after 30 years that a Prime Minister has visited Arunachal Pradesh’s Aalo, but in BJP’s rule Prime Minister has visited Northeast over 30 times within five years: Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing poll rally in Arunachal Pradesh’s AaloBJP president Amit Shah holds road show in GandhinagarGujarat: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah holds a road show in Ahmedabad,reports news agency ANI.   Gujarat: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah holds a road show in Ahmedabad.  pic. twitter. com/T42WkCPz9iFeel fortune to be named BJP’s candidate from Gandhinagar LS seat: Amit ShahMy political career started in 1982, when I was a poll party head in Gandhinagar.  I feel fortunate to be announced BJP’s candidate from Lok Sabha seat which was once Lok Sabha seat to LK Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee: BJP president Amit Shah If we can credit Indira Gandhi for 1971 war victory, why can’t we credit Modi for airstrikes: Rajnath SinghIn 1971 Atal Bihari Vajpayee congratulated Indira Gandhi for war victory over Pakistan because we placed nation first and party later but Congress has been trying to discredit Narendra Modi’s decision making abilities: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh India will soon be one of the top 3 super powers of the world: Union Home Minister Rajnath SinghIt is Narendra Modi who has taken India ahead of time, if given second chance then NDA government under Narendra Modi’s leadership will soon be regarded as one of the top three super powers of the world: Union Home Minister Rajnath SinghNDA government is ‘Power to the Poor’ government: Ram Vilas PaswanNDA government is ‘Power to the Poor’ government, we made sure SC/ST and OBC get economically and socially stronger: LJP founder Ram Villas Paswan ‘Kaun banega PM’: Uddhav Thackeray’s poser to Opposition Grand alliance should hold a rally together and announce PM candidate, they are all busy proving different leaders as PM candidates: Uddhav Thackeray Some people were celebrating thinking BJP and Shiv sena are fighting, but we are on same track now: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav ThackeryPeople must be surprised that I reached at Amit Shah’s nomination filing.  Some of them were celebrating thinking that two parties of same ideologies were fighting.  We had detailed discussion over our misunderstandings and now we are on same track: Uddhav Thackery Our government achieved things that other governments could not in 50 years: Nitin Gadkari in GandhinagarWhat other governments failed to achieve in 50 years, our government did in 5 years.  Amit Shah is India’s biggest organiser and campaigner: Prakash Singh BadalAmit Shah is India’s biggest organiser and campaigner, he was chief campaigner and organiser in 2014 when Narendra Modi was elected as Prime Minister of India: SAD supremo Prakash Singh Badal Amit Shah pays tribute to Sardar Vallabhai Patel before addressing poll rally in GandhinagarAhmedabad: BJP President Amit Shah pays tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, he will file his nomination for Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency today, reports news agency ANI.  Ahmedabad: BJP President Amit Shah pays tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, he will file his nomination for Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency today.  #Gujarat pic. twitter. com/HL1a0fupMxUP village threatens to boycott LS polls over demand for bridgeThe residents of a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district have threatened to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha elections over the authorities not paying heed to their demand to construct a bridge over Solani river. The decision was taken at a panchayat meeting in Yogender Nagar village. A villager, Pratap Singh, said since the village is located near the river, residents face problems in getting across. These problems are aggravated during the monsoon season, he added, reports news agency PTI.  Top NDA leaders to be present during Amit Shah’s filing of nominationUnion ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari and leaders of BJP’s allies such as Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, SAD supremo Parkash Singh Badal and LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan are expected to be present during party president Amit Shah’s filing of nomination, reports news agency PTI Amit Shah to address poll rally, before filing nomination from GandhinagarBJP president Amit Shah will be addressing poll rally in Gandhinagar followed by a roadshow before he files his nomination from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha.   भाजपा राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष श्री @AmitShah जी 30 मार्च, 2019 को दोपहर 1. 20 बजे गांधीनगर संसदीय क्षेत्र से नामांकन करेंगे।नामांकन से पूर्व माननीय अध्यक्ष जी विशाल जनसभा और रोड शो भी करेंगे।जनसभा- सुबह 9. 40 बजेरोड शो- सुबह 10. 40 बजेनामांकन- दोपहर 1. 20 बजे pic. twitter. com/PGD7y1Qwn2


Muslims abetted suicide of the Hindu priest in Sultanpur

Two officials belonging to Sultanpur Police in Uttar Pradesh have rubbished any communal angle and called the death of a young Hindu monk in Chhatauna Kalan village on Thursday, a suicide.  (Note this story contains descriptions of suicide) A disturbing photo showing the young monk, Satyendra Anand Saraswati, hanging from the bow of a tree inside the premises of a temple, went viral on social media on July 23, 2020.  According to Hindi news reports he was 22 years old.  Several Twitter users sharing the graphic photo alleged that the priest was killed by local Muslims who objected to him performing rituals in the holy month of Shravan.  Also read: Viral Posts Claiming Doctor Kafeel Khan Has Been Released Are False BOOM has not included the tweets due to the distressing nature of the photograph.   Archived versions of the tweets can be seen here, here, and here.  A tweet in English claimed, "In Sultanpur, the body of the priest "Satyendra Anand Saraswati" was found hanging on the tree.  After Meerut, now in Sultanpur, this priest was killed because he was worshiping in Saavan month in the temple premises by following all rituals and the peacekeepers didn't like it! " (sic) Similarly, another Tweet, which has been retweeted over 4,400 times, alleged that a day prior to his death the monk was seen having an argument with local Muslims over puja during the month of Shravan.  The photograph is also viral on Facebook with the same fake claim.  The posts can be seen here.  BOOM ran a relevant key-word search and found two reports published by two major Hindi dailies Dainik Bhaskar and Navbharat Times.  The archives of the articles can be seen here and here.  While Navbharat Times's article states locals were discussing whether the Hindu monk's death was a suicide or murder, it does not mention any communal angle.   "Local people were discussing whether the priest was murdered and hanged or whether he hanged himself?  Locals said Bal Yogi Anand Saraswati came from Himachal Pradesh years ago and was living in Chhatauna village that comes under Chanda police station," Navbharat Times reported.  Taking a clue from the reports, we reached out to the Superintendent of Police Sultanpur, Hari Meena.  "Neither it is a murder by Muslim nor anyone else.  The postmortem has come and it is a suicide," Meena told BOOM.  We then contacted the circle officer, deputy superintendent of police Lal Singh Chaudhari, Lambhua Circle.  He confirmed that the viral image is that of the deceased.  "I personally visited the temple where he died and two other temples where he used to visit, recently.  It is a case of clear suicide.  Whoever is claiming anything other than it is a suicide, is false and unsubstantiated," he said.  When questioned if the deceased had any arguments with any locals, Chaudhari said, "we did not receive any complaints regarding fights and arguments of any kind. "  Chaudhari also alleged that the deceased was addicted to marijuana, however, BOOM cannot independently confirm the allegation.   Also read: Truck Crashing Into A Helicopter in Brazil Viral As Punjab, India


Delhi: Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Piyush Goyal arrive at Vigyan Bhawan to hold talks with farmer leaders https://t.co/4yYZrwaorY

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank will meet all Vice Chancellors of Central Universities virtually on May 18 to review the online education amid Covid-19. In this virtual meeting, the minister will also talk about the planning and implementation of the New Education Policy-2020. In the wake of the second wave of Covid-19, the Union Education Ministry has cancelled the Class 10 CBSE board exam and postponed the CBSE board exam of Class 12. The ministry has also postponed all exams of higher education scheduled in May.


The price of DRDO’s 2DG anti-COVID 19 drug has been kept at Rs 990 per sachet by Dr Reddy’s lab. Govt hospitals, central and state govt would be provided the medicine at a discounted price: Govt officials https://t.co/FEic70fSq5

Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) anti-Covid-19 drug will be sold at ₹990 per sachet by Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL), officials said on Friday.  The Hyderabad-based pharma company, however, will provide the medicine to Centre and state government at a discounted price. The first batch of DRDO's anti-Covid-19 drug was released on May 17 by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, after the Drugs Controller General of India permitted the emergency use authorisation of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), anti-viral drug as an adjunct therapy for moderate to severe coronavirus patients. In April last year when the pandemic broke out, scientists of Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of DRDO conducted laboratory experiments with the help of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad in collaboration with DRL and found that this molecule works effectively against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and inhibits viral growth. The 2-DG drug comes in powder form in the sachet, which is taken orally by dissolving it in water. It accumulates in the virus-infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production.  Its selective accumulation in virally infected cells makes this drug unique. The drug reportedly reduces a patient's average recovery time by two and a half days and oxygen demand by upto 40 per cent, the Union Health Ministry said.


Patna: National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams deployed in the city rescue locals and animals stuck in Rajendra Nagar. #patnaflood https://t.co/5Plyr76GzD https://t.co/iEFoaQHf8o

In case you wanted more reasons why taking a phone to the loo probably isn’t the best idea, here’s something that may act as a cautionary tale.  A little boy in China was so distracted while playing on a mobile phone in the bathroom, he found himself stuck inside a toilet seat.  Eventually firefighters had to be called in to help him out of the tough situation. The incident took place in Wuhan, China’s Hubei Province on March 1.  A video circulating online details how the firemen worked in tandem to rescue the boy. According to reports, the six-year-old had locked himself inside the bathroom and was playing on the phone.  He eventually realised he was stuck inside the toilet seat and couldn’t free himself.  Family members tried to help him as well but eventually had to call in firefighters to rescue him.  Five firemen arrived to help the boy.  They used tools to break the seat in order to pull the child out.  The rescue operation took about an hour and the boy escaped the ordeal with some bruises.


Karnataka: A pregnant woman delivered a baby at a dentist's clinic in Bengaluru where she had reached, along with her husband, after walking for around 7 km in hopes of reaching a hospital. The mother & baby (in pic with the dentist) were later sent to hospital after the delivery https://t.co/dO9edQ9EsU

A pregnant woman in Karnataka’s Bengaluru walked for nearly 7 kilometres in the hope of finding a clinic or a hospital amid the coronavirus lockdown.  The woman delivered at a dentist clinic, news agency ANI reported.  A doctor at the clinic told ANI that the woman and her husband were looking for a hospital or any clinic where she could deliver her baby.  Dr Ramya told ANI that at first the newborn was not responding but they were successful in resuscitating the baby. The mother and the baby were later sent to a hospital.  Karnataka: A pregnant woman delivered a baby at a dentist's clinic in Bengaluru where she had reached, along with her husband, after walking for around 7 km in hopes of reaching a hospital.  The mother & baby (in pic with the dentist) were later sent to hospital after the delivery pic. twitter. com/dO9edQ9EsU“She had walked for 5-7 km expecting some clinic/hospital to be open.  She came across this clinic and delivered the baby.  The baby wasn’t responding initially, so we thought it’s dead but we were able to resuscitate it.  We sent them to a hospital after the delivery,” Dr Ramya said.  Earlier this week, it was reported that a man in Kerala had to take his father in arms and walk up to a kilometre after the police personnel didn’t allow their auto any further citing coronavirus lockdown guidelines.  The incident took place in Kerala’s Punalur area on Wednesday. Kerala State Human Rights Commission took cognizance of the incident and registered a suo moto case in connection with the incident. Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry on Sunday released an advisory on spraying disinfectant on people in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. “The following advisory is issued: spraying of individuals or groups is NOT recommended under any circumstances.  Spraying an individual or group with chemical disinfectants is physically and psychologically harmful,” the health ministry’s advisory stated.


JUST IN: President Trump will suspend all travel from Europe to the US for the next 30 days due to the coronavirus, but makes an exception for the UK https://t.co/otQecfVXIJ

The ban comes amid growing public anxiety over the economy and public healthTrump orders 30-day travel ban for parts of EuropeAmid growing public anxiety over the novel coronavirus, President Donald Trump announced an extraordinary ban on some travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days and called for a series of stimulus measures to blunt the economic side effects of the virus. "To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days," Trump declared during a prime-time address to the nation from the Oval Office Wednesday night. The new travel restrictions will take effect Friday at midnight, but Trump's order does not ban all travel from Europe. The Trump administration is restricting travel to the U. S.  by certain foreign nationals who have traveled to any of the 26 European countries identified (a list that includes Italy, Spain, France and Germany but omits others like the U. K. , Ireland, Croatia and Ukraine) in the past 14 days before coming to the U. S. Restrictions exempt U. S.  citizens, permanent residents (green card holders) and foreign nationals who are immediate family members such as the spouses and children of U. S.  citizens and permanent residents who have undergone appropriate screenings. "We are marshaling the full power of the federal government and the private sector to protect the American people," Trump said, emphasizing that the pandemic started off of U. S.  shores, and specifically pinpointing China. Globally, there are more than 126,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 4,630 deaths reported.  In the U. S. , there are at least 1,300 confirmed cases with 38 coronavirus-related deaths. Even as the president sought to reassure a jittery public that "this is not the financial crisis" and is "just a temporary moment of time that we will overcome together as a nation and as a world," he called for a series of dramatic stimulus actions to prop up the American economy from the side effects of the virus. "To ensure that working Americans impacted by the virus can stay home without fear of financial hardship I will soon be taking emergency action, which is unprecedented, to provide financial relief," the president said. He specifically ordered the Treasury Department to defer tax payments without interest or penalties for certain impacted individuals and businesses and called on Congress to provide "immediate" payroll tax relief, in addition to other measures. During his speech, Trump misspoke when he said prohibitions would impact a "tremendous amount" of trade and cargo.  He later clarified in a tweet that trade won't be affected by the Europe travel ban.  "The restriction stops people not goods," he tweeted. The president broadly sought to credit his administration's actions thus far, making the case that the situation could have been worse -- even as the administration has come under fire for a slow rollout of testing. "This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history.  I am confident that by counting and continuing to take these tough measures, we'll significantly reduce the threat to our citizens and we'll ultimately and expeditiously defeat this virus," Trump said. The president also reiterated the CDC's guidelines to Americans to protect themselves and others from the spread of the virus. "Wash your hands, clean often-used surfaces, cover your face and mouth if you sneeze or cough.  Most of all, if you're sick or not feeling well, stay home," Trump said. He also emphasized making the effort to specifically protect older Americans by avoiding non-essential travel in crowded areas and avoiding all medically unnecessary trips to nursing homes. The president -- who has himself been guilty of politicizing the issue with his frequent mentions of "do-nothing Democrats" -- closed his address with a message of unity, urging the nation to come together to overcome the threat. "We must put politics aside, stop the partisanship, and unify together as one nation and one family.  As history has proven time and time again, Americans always rise to the challenge and overcome adversity.  Our future remains brighter than anyone can imagine.  Acting with compassion and love, we will heal the sick, care for those in need, help our fellow citizens and emerge from this challenge stronger and more unified than ever before," Trump said. Following his address, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham announced the president's events in Nevada and Colorado would be canceled "out of an abundance of caution. " Trump had been set to travel to Nevada on Thursday. A campaign event set to feature the president, scheduled for March 19 in Milwaukee, was also postponed, Tim Murtagh, the Trump campaign's communications director, announced on Twitter.  The event had been announced about 24 hours earlier. ABC News' Will Steakin, William Mansell and Anne Flaherty contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


An aircraft carrying the first shipment of 184 oxygen concentrators from Ukraine arrive in India this morning: Ministry of External Affairs https://t.co/P0CgLW9zhR

An aircraft carrying the first shipment of 184 oxygen concentrators arrived from Ukraine to India on Monday, as the country battles the second wave of coronavirus pandemic. "Thank Ukraine for first shipment of 184 oxygen concentrators that arrived early this morning," tweeted Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs. Several countries have come forward to help India as the country fights the second wave of Covid-19. India has received medical help and assistance from the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, in the form of oxygen concentrators, ventilators, raw materials for vaccines, PPE kits. Meanwhile, India on Sunday reported the lowest single-day Covid-19 rise in 46 days with 1,65,553 cases reported in the last 24 hours while 3,460 people succumbed to the Covid-19 infection taking the total Covid-related death toll to 3,25,972. The cumulative number of the Covid-19 cases has increased to 2,78,94,800, with a daily positivity rate stands at 8. 02 per cent, which is less than 10 per cent for the sixth consecutive day.


Kerala Startup Mission has started #Coronavirus awareness campaign using 2 robots in Kochi. Jayakrishnan T,founder&CEO of Asimov Robotics,"Robots are crowd pullers, so we can spread our message effectively. They are distributing hand sanitizers,masks&sharing info about pandemic" https://t.co/XA8uIOEqXo

Sep 05, 2021-Sunday

Metro cities -  Delhi, Mumbai,
											Chennai,
											Kolkata

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

											Powered by
US emergency declaration came as deaths from Coronavirus soared in EuropeItalians braving social isolationTrump says 'may be adding' Britain to European travel banTrump says 'likely' to have #Coronavirus test 'fairly soon'Not taken coronavirus test because 'I don't have any of the symptoms': TrumpChhattisgarh Health Minister's response to not being invited for meet on coronavirusRajasthan shuts down its schools, colleges, cinema hallsMaitree Express, Bandhan Express services suspendedUS President Donald Trump declares national emergency over coronavirus pandemicHealth minister Zafar Mirza to be available for video conferencing on COVID-19: Pak foreign ministryUS mission in India cancels immigrant, nonimmigrant visa appointmentsMinistry of Health puts total coronavirus cases in India at 8269-year-old woman in Delhi dies of coronavirus, second death in IndiaEurope now 'epicentre' of COVID-19 pandemic: WHOLone coronavirus patient from Telangana has recovered and is going to be discharged from the hospital soonCoronavirus epidemic is surging all over the planet and has infected people from more than 100 nations.  China reported a 8 new cases of coronavirus and five cases of new infections from Hubei have been recorded.  These were the lowest numbers China has reported since the outbreak began from a Wuhan in December 2019.  Italy recorded 1,000 deaths due to the outbreak making the European nation the centre of the epidemic in the continent.  In India, 81 coronavirus cases have surfaced so far.  A septuagenarian from Karnataka succumbed to covid-19 on Thursday. Markets across Asia plunged on Friday as Japan's Nikkei 225 and BSE's Sensex opened at record lows.  The disease has infected people from across the social spectrum with politicians, sports personalities and movie stars.  Canadian first lady Sophie Trudeau, Australian minister Peter Dutton, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, Chelsea forward Hudson-Odoi have been infected by covid-19. US emergency declaration came as deaths from Coronavirus soared in EuropeThe US state of emergency declaration came as infections and deaths from the new Coronavirus soared in Europe, and as the WHO chief warned that it was impossible to say when the virus would peak globally.  : AFPItalians braving social isolationItalians are beating the social isolation imposed by the country's coronavirus lock down by taking to their windows and singing in unison.  : AFPTrump says 'may be adding' Britain to European travel banTrump says 'may be adding' Britain to European travel banTrump says 'likely' to have #Coronavirus test 'fairly soon'Trump says 'likely' to have #Coronavirus test 'fairly soon'. Not taken coronavirus test because 'I don't have any of the symptoms': TrumpTrump says not taken coronavirus test because 'I don't have any of the symptoms'. Chhattisgarh Health Minister's response to not being invited for meet on coronavirusOn reports of not being invited for a meeting on coronavirus at CM's residence on March 12, Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo said, "Maybe the meeting was called in haste but I think CM's Office should have made sure that the Health Minister attended it. Rajasthan shuts down its schools, colleges, cinema hallsSchools, colleges, cinema halls, coaching centres, gymnasiums will be closed in Rajasthan till March 30. Maitree Express, Bandhan Express services suspendedAs per Advisory of MHA, operation of existing Indo-Bangladesh cross-border passenger trains (i. e.  Maitree Express and Bandhan Express) and passenger buses shall remain suspended from March 15 to April 15, 2020, or till further orders whichever is earlier. US President Donald Trump declares national emergency over coronavirus pandemicUS President Donald Trump declares national emergency over coronavirus pandemicHealth minister Zafar Mirza to be available for video conferencing on COVID-19: Pak foreign ministryAisha Farooqui, spokesperson for Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs tweeted: The threat of #COVID-19 requires coordinated efforts at global and regional level.  We have communicated that SAPM on Health will be available to participate in the video conference of #SAARC member countries on the issue. US mission in India cancels immigrant, nonimmigrant visa appointmentsU. S.  Mission India posts, in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, are cancelling immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments from March 16, 2020, onward. Ministry of Health puts total coronavirus cases in India at 82Ministry of Health has put the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases across India at 82. 69-year-old woman in Delhi dies of coronavirus, second death in IndiaA 69-year old woman, mother of a Janakpuri patient, tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday died at Dr RML hospital on Friday. Europe now 'epicentre' of COVID-19 pandemic: WHOEurope now 'epicentre' of COVID-19 pandemic, says WHO. Lone coronavirus patient from Telangana has recovered and is going to be discharged from the hospital soonTelangana Health Minister's office: The lone coronavirus patient from the state has recovered and is going to be discharged from the hospital soon. First published: Mar 13, 2020 05:35 IST


Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar arrives at the Parliament to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. https://t.co/e9iRslrrf4

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his Parliament office and held talks on different issues for close to an hour. This was Kumar’s first visit to Delhi after becoming the chief minister for the fourth time in a row.  Kumar is also scheduled to meet the President and vice-president.  Earlier, on Wednesday, he had a meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah as well.  Kumar is on a two-day visit to New Delhi. The meeting with PM and Shah, immediately after the cabinet expansion in Bihar, assumes significance following the impending cabinet expansion at the Centre.  Also, it is believed that Kumar in his meeting could have raised the LJP’s continuation in NDA.  The Bihar CM, on Wednesday had spoken about the role of the LJP in the Bihar assembly election.  “What is going to be the LJP’s role, the BJP has to take a call.  We don’t take cognizance of such issues,” he had said. The LJP contested the Bihar assembly polls independently and was instrumental in the defeat of the JD (U) on a number of seats. However, Kumar, after meeting the PM said, “No meaning should be attached to the meeting.  It was a courtesy meeting.  I did not make any demand and we talked on a range of issues. ”“In coalition politics, every party keeps talking to each other on different issues.  What are the requirements on environment, education, etc. ,” he said and ruled out that any discussions had been held with PM Modi on the Bihar cabinet expansion. The Bihar CM said that his party is with the government on the issue of Farm Bills and that the Centre has opted for the right path by holding talks with the farmer unions agitating against the three laws. “These legislations are in the interest of farmers and not against them.  Hopefully, the issue will be resolved soon," he said. Kumar also made light of the claims of rival parties, including the RJD, that his government in Bihar will not last its full term, saying if they are getting publicity out of it, then there is nothing wrong with that.  He added in the same vein that these leaders are ignorant of realities. Kumar's meeting with the BJP’s top leadership had also triggered speculation that JD (U) may join hands with the saffron party to contest the West Bengal assembly polls.  Kumar, however, said that the party was still to decide on the number of seats it would contest in West Bengal.  “Party’s West Bengal wing wants to contest polls and national president R C P Singh is holding discussions with them,” he said.


A video of a violent mob physically assaulting two cops is doing rounds on various social media platforms.  Claim: The 43 seconds long video is being circulated across different social media platforms with the claim that a mob of enraged Muslims thrashed two police personnel in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly when they were fined for breaking the law.  The video is going viral on Twitter with a caption that reads “बरेली सिविल लाईन्स न्यूज़ पुलिस द्वारा चालान काटने पर मुसलमानों ने उनकी पिटाई की जो कानून को चुनौती है!  यह वीडियो बताता है की आगे हिन्दुस्तान मे क्या क्या होगा | कौन देश चलायेगा!  और सबका भविष्य क्या होगा !  कड़वा सच यह है कि देश को बाहर से ज्यादा अन्दर से बहुत ज्यादा खतरा है! ” Translation – “The physical assault of the Bareilly Civil Lines Police by Muslims on getting fined for breaking the law is a challenge to law and order.  This video tells about what exactly is going to happen in India in the days to come.  Who will run the country!  And what will everyone’s fate look like!  The bitter truth is that the country is much more threatened by internal factors than external ones. ” बरेली सिविल लाईन्स न्यूज़ पुलिस द्वारा चालान काटने पर मुसलमानों ने उनकी पिटाई की जो कानून को चुनौती है!  यह वीडियो बताता है की आगे हिन्दुस्तान मे क्या क्या होगा | कौन देश चलायेगा!  और सबका भविष्य क्या होगा. . ?  pic. twitter. com/IXyZgqhkxX — हिन्दू शेरनी टीम पं.  नेतन्याहू (@its_pallu) July 14, 2021    बरेली सिविल लाईन्स न्यूज़ पुलिस द्वारा चालान काटने पर मुसलमानों ने उनकी पिटाई की जो कानून को चुनौती है!  यह वीडियो बताता है की आगे हिन्दुस्तान मे क्या क्या होगा |कौन देश चलायेगा!  और सबका भविष्य क्या होगा !  कड़वा सच यह है कि देश को बाहर से ज्यादा अन्दर से बहुत ज्यादा खतरा है!  pic. twitter. com/P4C9bE9FiL — Uttam Damrani Jain (@UttamDamrani) June 15, 2021  archive बरेली सिविल लाईन्स न्यूज़ पुलिस द्वारा चालान काटने पर मुसलमानों ने उनकी पिटाई की जो कानून को चुनौती है!  यह वीडियो बताता है की आगे हिन्दुस्तान मे क्या क्या होगा |कौन देश चलायेगा!  और सबका भविष्य क्या होगा !  कड़वा सच यह है कि देश को बाहर से ज्यादा अन्दर से बहुत ज्यादा खतरा है! 👇🏻👇🏻 pic. twitter. com/vV1wIw0kzp — अरविंद कुमार पटेल (@ArvindK25714377) June 22, 2021  archive   The video is being shared on Facebook with the following caption –   archive   archive  The claim being circulated with the 43 seconds long viral video that a mob of enraged Muslims thrashed two police personnel in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly when they were fined for breaking the law is misleading.  It is just being shared with a communal spin in order to incite communal tension.     During the course of our investigation, we discovered that the viral video was originally taken from Jurhera, a small town in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district that lies quite close to the Rajasthan and Haryana border.  We used the InVid Verification tool, broke the video into several keyframes, and did a reverse image search on Google with a few keywords associated with the incident to find out the veracity of the claim being peddled along with the video.  We found a youtube video dissecting the whole matter on the Rajasthan Tak Youtube channel.       (Source: Rajasthan Tak Official Youtube Channel) The news report associated with the viral video was uploaded on Rajasthan Tak’s official Youtube channel on 27 May 2021 with the following description “भरतपुर जिले में हरियाणा पुलिस की पिटाई का वायरल वीडियो सामने आया। वीडियो करीब महीनेभर पुराना बताया जा रहा है। हरियाणा पुलिस भरतपुर जिले में एक मामले की जांच के लिए पहुंची थी, लेकिन लौटते वक्त पुलिस की जीप से एक युवक टकरा गया था, जिसके बाद स्थानीय लोगों ने हरियाणा पुलिस के जवानों को लाठी-डंडों से खूब पीटा था। अब वीडियो के आधार पर आरोपियों की धरपकड़ की कोशिश की जा रही है।” Translation – “A viral video of Haryana Police getting thrashed has emerged from the Bharatpur district in Rajasthan.  It is being told that the video is about a month old.  Haryana Police had gone to the Bharatpur district to probe into a matter but on their way back a man ran into their jeep after which the locals brutally thrashed the cops using wooden sticks and truncheons.  Now, the video is being used as a reference to nab the accused. ”   कतिपय Twitter के माध्यम से एक वीडियो बरेली सिविल लाईन्स का बताकर प्रसारित किया जा रहा है। जिसका बरेली पुलिस खण्डन करती है। #UPPolice @Uppolice @adgzonebareilly @igrangebareilly @CMOfficeUP @UPGovt pic. twitter. com/e9Ya46zW3p — Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) May 25, 2021  While verifying the claim associated with the viral video we also discovered a tweet by Bareilly Police vehemently denying its association with any such incident and also specifying that nothing of such sort happened in Bareilly.  It also warned people that legal action would be taken against anyone found circulating any social media posts without verifying their authenticity.  Additionally, we also came across a news report published by Dainik Bhaskar(its web entity) in which the entire incident was also reported.  Dainik Bhaskar – भरतपुर जिले के कामां में पुलिसकर्मी को बेरहमी से पीटने का मामला सामने आया है। कुछ युवकों ने पुलिसकर्मी को बीच बाजार में बुरी तरह से पीटा है। घटना के दौरान 100 से ज्यादा लोग मौजूद थे, लेकिन कोई भी पुलिसकर्मी को बचाने के लिए आगे नहीं आया। युवक पुलिसकर्मी को घूंसों और डंडों से पीटते रहे। पुलिसकर्मी ने बचने का प्रयास किया, लेकिन भीड़ ने उसे जाने नहीं दिया। घटना करीब एक महीने पुरानी बताई जा रही है, जिसका वीडियो मंगलवार को सामने आया है। घटना भरतपुर और हरियाणा की सीमा के पास जुरहरा कस्बे की है। यहां हरियाणा के पुनहाना थाने का पुलिस कांस्टेबल किसी केस की जांच के लिए जुरहरा आया था। बाजार से गुजरते वक्त पुलिस की गाड़ी की दूसरी गाड़ी से टक्कर हो गई। टक्कर के बाद पुलिसकर्मी और दूसरी गाड़ी में सवार युवाओं में कहासुनी हो गई थी। मामला इतना बढ़ा कि गुस्साए युवाओं ने कांस्टेबल को पकड़ लिया और उसकी जमकर पिटाई कर दी। साथी के साथ भी की गई मारपीट
पुलिसकर्मी वर्दी में था। वह उग्र भीड़ से लगातार बचने का प्रयास करता रहा, लेकिन युवक नहीं माने। मौके पर लोगों की काफी भीड़ जमा हो गई। आक्रोशित लोगों ने डंडे से भी पुलिस कर्मी पर हमला किया। इस दौरान पुलिसकर्मी के साथी ने बीच-बचाव करने की कोशिश की तो उसके साथ से भी मारपीट की गई। हरियाणा-राजस्थान पुलिस मौके पर पहुंची
पुलिस कांस्टेबल की पिटाई के दौरान किसी ने स्थानी पुलिस को सूचना दी। इसके बाद नजदीकी थाने से फोर्स पहुंची और पुलिसकर्मी को बचाया। सूचना के बाद हरियाणा पुलिस भी मौके पर पहुंची। दोनों राज्यों की पुलिस की मौजूदगी में गांव के लोगों को समझाया गया। इसके बाद मामला शांत हुआ। दोनों पक्षों में राजीनामे के बाद पुलिसकर्मी हरियाणा लौट गया।


JUST IN: A stay-at-home advisory will go into effect in Chicago on Monday morning "due to the alarming and ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases," Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces. https://t.co/yTyJ2dpq0l https://t.co/8V8tC1A8OE

By Brad Parks, Kay Jones, Omar Jimenez and Leah Asmelash, CNNUpdated 9:34 PM ET, Thu November 12, 2020  (CNN)Thanksgiving typically means two things: lots of food and lots of family time.  But this year, with Covid-19 numbers soaring, the city of Chicago would prefer if its residents nixed the latter. CNN's Christina Maxouris and Holly Yan contributed to this report.