CLAIM On 20 December, a cleric Asad Raza Hussaini was reportedly picked up by Muzaffarnagar police along with 40 students of the seminary following protests against the Citizenship law.  Now a picture of the cleric is being juxtaposed with the photograph of a protester who is seen holding a stone in his hand to claim that he was roughed up because he was pelting stones.  TRUE OR FALSE?  False.  The Quint can confirm that the claim is false and the man who can be seen pelting stones is not Syed Asad Raza Hussaini.  The cleric was allegedly thrashed by the police in Muzaffarnagar on 20 December.  According to a report in Telegraph he was released by the police on 21 December.  And the picture which shows the man pelting stones was taken in Kanpur at 5 pm on 21 December.  WHAT WE FOUND OUT On conducting a keyword search on Google about the story, we came across multiple news articles which had covered the incident.  According to a report in The Times of India, the cleric was picked up along with 40 students of the seminary during the clashes on 20 December.  Speaking to the daily, a staffer said that the policemen entered their campus and attacked everyone, including minor students.  However, this charge has been denied by the police.  Another report in Telegraph mentioned that the police allegedly stripped and tortured the maulana in custody and detained almost all of his 100-odd students from the Saadat hostel-cum-orphanage in Muzaffarnagar town.  The Quint also got in touch with Hussaini who denied pelting stones and said that the man in the picture wasn’t him.  He also told us that he was released by the police on 21 December following which he stayed at a doctor’s clinic in Muzaffarnagar till 23 December.  IMAGE 2 We then got in touch with journalists working with Hindustan Times who confirmed to us that the picture of the protester was taken by a photojournalist who works with the daily.  They also mentioned the date and the time at which the picture was taken.  This picture appeared on the front page of the newspaper on 22 December.  It is clear that the message is being circulated with a fake claim to discredit protests against the contentious law.


BEATLES BIRTHDAY: Ringo Starr turns 80 today. https://t.co/z23Vij5Ih9 https://t.co/zHcYZ5QExm

Updated 10:08 AM ET, Tue July 7, 2020Ringo Starr became a household name as the drummer of the Beatles, one of the most iconic bands of all time. But decades after the Beatles broke up, he continued to make an impact. In 2015, Starr was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist, and in 2017 he was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II. Starr turns 80 years old on Tuesday, July 7.


A video of a massive protest by Muslim groups is being shared on social media claiming it as the protest conducted by Muslim groups in West Bengal.  Let’s verify the claim made in the post. Claim: Video of a massive protest conducted by Muslim groups in West Bengal. Fact: Video in the post shows a massive protest by Muslims in Bangladesh.  In 2017, Bangladesh right-wing party ‘Islami Andolan Bangladesh’ organized a protest against the Myanmar government for the atrocities on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.  It has nothing to do with West Bengal, India.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE. On observing the video carefully, we can see the flag of Bangladesh in the protest at 0. 37 seconds in the video.  By observing the placards held by the protesters carefully, we found out it is a protest against the atrocities on Rohingya Muslims.  On the placards, we can see names of organizations like ‘Islami Jubo Andolan’ and ‘Islami Shasantantra Chhatra Andolan’ on it.  We found that both these organizations belongs to Bangladesh. On reverse image search, we found similar visuals in a video posted by a user named ‘Spice Info Tube’ on YouTube.  He uploaded this video with the title ‘Islami Andolon Bangladesh enclose Myanmar Embassy’.  When we searched for official sources using these keywords, we found a video posted by Bangladeshi national channel ‘Channel i news’ on YouTube on ‘13 September 2017’.  Though these visuals are not exactly similar to the video posted on social media, we found similar placards and flags held by the protesters in this video.  In the video, it is mentioned as an incident related to a protest by Muslim groups near the Embassy of Myanmar in Dhaka, Bangladesh.  They protested against the Government of Myanmar for atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. We also found an article published by ‘The New Indian Express’ news website about this protest.  In the article, it is mentioned that at least 15,000 supporters of ‘Islami Andolon Bangladesh’ party carried out a massive protest against the atrocities on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, near the Embassy of Myanmar in Dhaka. To sum it up, video of a massive protest conducted in Bangladesh is falsely portrayed as the protest in West Bengal. Did you watch our new video?


.@DanaBashCNN breaks down Robert Mueller’s 675-day long investigation by the numbers:
• More than 170 tweets from Trump calling the probe a “witch hunt”
• 34 people charged by Mueller (6 Trump associates)
• 3 entities charged by Mueller
• 5 people sentenced to prison #CNNSOTU https://t.co/FKKR0uYTkS

The report doesn't conclude Trump committed a crime and doesn't exonerate him.  Special counsel report delivered, focus shifts to attorney generalSpecial counsel Robert Mueller's report into the Kremlin's interference in the 2016 presidential election  did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia, according to a letter to Congress from Attorney General William Barr. The letter describes "two main" Russian efforts to influence the election  including “attempts by a Russian organization… to conduct disinformation and social media operations in the United States” and “the Russian government’s efforts to conduct computer hacking operations” targeting former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic Party. In both circumstances, the “Special Counsel did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in these efforts. ”The special counsel’s office made no conclusion on the matter of possible obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump. "The Special Counsel, therefore, did not draw a conclusion – one way or the other – as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction," the letter read.  "Instead, for each of the relevant actions investigated, the report sets out 'difficult issues' of law and fact concerning whether the President's actions and intent could be viewed as obstruction. "In his communique to lawmakers, Barr underscored that the special counsel states that “while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. ”While Mueller’s report did not reach a conclusion as to whether obstruction of justice occurred, Attorney General Barr’s letter said he determined a case for obstruction was not warranted. “In cataloging the President’s actions many of which took place in public view, the report identities no actions that, in our judgment, constitute obstructive conduct, had a nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding, and were done with corrupt intent, each of which, under the Department's principles of federal prosecution guiding charging decisions, would need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to establish an obstruction-of-justice offense. "Barr said his intent is to release as much as possible but there are grand jury secrecy concerns with some portions. The White House celebrated the news, with President Donald Trump hailing the report on Twitter and, later in comments to reporters, as an "exoneration. ""This was an illegal takedown that failed and hopefully, someone is going to be looking at the other side," Trump told reporters on Sunday. He tweeted: "No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION.  KEEP AMERICA GREAT! ""The Special Counsel did not find any collusion and did not find any obstruction," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.  "Attorney General Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein further determined there was no obstruction.  The findings of the Department of Justice are a total and complete exoneration of the President of the United States. ”Jay Sekulow, one of President Trump’s lawyers, told ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos that the report was a "complete win for the president and the American people. ""Not just a win. " Sekulow said.  "The entire basis upon which this inquiry was instituted was a concern over collusion between the Russian government and the trump campaign, Bob Mueller and the Department of Justice could not be clearer.  To have the obstruction issue even as a viable one, which it was not, there would have to be an underlying crime, which there wasn't. "House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N. Y. , questioned the timing of the letter tweeting "Special Counsel Mueller worked for 22 months to determine the extent to which President Trump obstructed justice.  Attorney General Barr took 2 days to tell the American people that while the President is not exonerated, there will be no action by DOJ. " He later tweeted that "in light of the very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the Justice Department following the Special Counsel report," the House Judiciary Committee will be calling Barr in to testify in the near future. In his letter to members of Congress on Sunday, Barr described the breadth of the special counsel’s extensive and exhaustive probe.  Mueller’s 19 prosecutors and 40 FBI agents issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants, and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses, Barr wrote, the results of which amounted to 37 indictments and six guilty pleas to date. The news comes amid Democrats continued calls for the full release of the findings. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a joint letter, seemed to sum up the sentiment of many congressional Democrats in saying that Barr's letter "raises as many questions as it answers" and that Congress "requires the full report and the underlying documents. ""The fact that Special Counsel Mueller’s report does not exonerate the president on a charge as serious as obstruction of justice demonstrates how urgent it is that the full report and underlying documentation be made public without any further delay," they wrote.  "Given Mr.  Barr’s public record of bias against the Special Counsel’s inquiry, he is not a neutral observer and is not in a position to make objective determinations about the report. "The congressional leaders also took issues with the president's claims of being "exonerated. "On the campaign trail and on the Hill, Democrats made clear they are going to want every detail and document about the investigation and some have said they are willing to use their subpoena power in order to get it. "It means make the request, if the request is denied subpoena, if the subpoenas are denied we will hold people before the Congress and yes, we will prosecute in court as necessary to get this information," House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep.  Adam Schiff, D-Calif. , said Sunday on "This Week". Democratic candidates running to unseat President Donald Trump in 2020 reacted quickly to the news that Mueller delivered his report to DOJ with one consistent message: Make it public. "The Mueller report must be made public — all of it," Sen.  Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY said in a presidential campaign speech outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York City. She added: "It is not often that I agree with Richard Nixon, but he was right to say that the American people have a right to know whether their president is a crook. "The much-awaited report was handed to the Justice Department for Barr’s review, and Congress was notified of the transfer late Friday afternoon, according to a Justice Department spokeswoman. After reviewing Mueller's report, Barr will then send what he has described as his own "report" on the Mueller investigation to the top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Judiciary committees.  Barr has promised to be as transparent as possible, but it's unclear how extensive or detailed Barr's own "report" to Congress will be. In a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary committees, Barr wrote that he intends to "consult with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Special Counsel Mueller to determine what other information from the report can be released to Congress and the public consistent with the law. "A senior Department of Justice official told ABC News on Friday that the report would not include any further indictments. Mueller and his team investigated how far the Kremlin went to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, including trying to determine whether any Americans may have helped those efforts. At the heart of Mueller’s probe were two Russian operations: the spread of disinformation on social media, and the release of thousands of sensitive emails stolen by hackers from the Democratic National Committee and other Democratic targets.  Mueller’s team has charged 25 Russian nationals and three foreign companies for their alleged role in those operations. In appointing a special counsel to investigate, however, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein also directed Mueller to look into “allegations” of possible “coordination” between Russian operatives and associates of President Donald Trump. Trump and his Republican allies have derided the investigation as a “witch hunt. ” But Rosenstein, FBI Director Chris Wray and Barr have each explicitly disputed that description. At least four Trump associates, including Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, have pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents during the Russia-related investigation. Another Trump associate, the president’s former attorney Michael Cohen, has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about Trump’s business dealings in Moscow.  And former Trump adviser Roger Stone has been charged with lying to Congress about his alleged role in tracking information stolen from Democrats during the 2016 presidential campaign. Mueller’s investigation grew out of a probe the FBI launched in late July 2016. By then, the FBI was already scrutinizing Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort’s business dealings with pro-Russian officials in Ukraine – dealings that have since landed Manafort in jail.  And the FBI was keeping tabs on Trump adviser Carter Page, who was previously targeted for recruitment by Russian spies and had raised eyebrows with a trip to Moscow in mid-July 2016. But claims by Trump adviser George Papadopoulos – that the Russians were touting “dirt” on Clinton – really set off alarms inside the FBI. “If any Americans were part of helping the Russians [attack] us, that is a very big deal,” James Comey, who was FBI director at the time, later told lawmakers. Several weeks after formally launching the Russia probe, counterintelligence agents leading the investigation in Washington received a so-called “dossier,” which had been compiled at the behest of Democrats and detailed uncorroborated allegations of coordination between Trump’s campaign and the Kremlin. Some of the allegations involved Page, who was already on the FBI’s radar, so agents began secretly intercepting his communications.  Page has never been charged with any crimes. The wide-ranging investigation continued even after Trump took office.  After Jeff Sessions became attorney general, he recused himself from oversight of the FBI’s Russia-related probe, citing his previous advocacy for Trump on the campaign trail. Rosenstein subsequently assumed oversight of the investigation. And then Trump shocked the federal law enforcement community: He fired Comey. The move prompted Rosenstein to appoint Mueller to take over the whole matter, including a review of whether Comey's firing and other actions meant Trump improperly tried to obstruct the probe. Comey later alleged that in a private meeting with Trump before his removal, the president directed Comey to “let [Flynn] go. ”Mueller has not released any evidence suggesting Trump committed a crime related to Russian efforts. However, Mueller did uncover evidence of other possible crimes and referred those cases to other federal prosecutors. The U. S.  Attorney’s Office in Manhattan ended up tying Trump to federal campaign violations, alleging that – in the midst of the 2016 presidential campaign – Trump personally directed Cohen to silence two woman claiming affairs with Trump by making illegal payments to them; Trump has repeatedly denied the affairs. Cohen has pleaded guilty for his role in the matter, but no other charges have been filed. ABC News' Pierre Thomas, John Santucci and Kyra Phillips contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


A dreadful video showing a woman and two children lying in a pool of blood and a man sitting beside them with hands full of blood is being shared with a misleading caption that a man named Ajmal Khan had murdered a Hindu family after they refused to marry their daughter to him.  The viral video claims that the man Ajmal Khan had fallen in love with a Hindu girl and wanted to marry her.  He went to the girl’s house but the family did not agree with their relationship.  He later then killed the whole family.     The video has been up on various platforms with a caption – #क्या_खाक_DNA_एक_है!  #भागवतजी!  #DNA खबर राज्यस्थान में एक मुस्लिम अजमल खान एक हिन्दु परिवार की लड़की पर लट्टू हो गया और उसके बाप के पास घर रिश्ता ले के पंहुचा। बोला हम सबका DNA है। शादी करदो वरना… लड़की के बाप ने उसे धमका के भगा दिया कहा तुम मुस्लिम हो, हम हिन्दु है और हम ये गलत काम नहीं करेंगे।और फिर अजमल खान अगले दिन हथियार लेके गया और एक DNA वाले हिन्दु परिवार के सारे लोगो को मार डाला।और अड़ोसी पङोसी बस तमाशा देखते रहे फिर कुछ ने उस मुल्ले को पकड़ा और पुलिस के हवाले किया। पुलिस DNA जाँच कर पंचनामा के इतर क्या कर सकती है?  क्या हमारे भाई बहन बांधव यूँ ही मरते रहेंगे और सेकुलर राष्ट्रवादी तमाशा देखते रहेंगे!  तालिबानी खतरे को पहचानो हिन्दुओं!  सेकुलर नहीं, आर्य बनो, संगठित रहो, संघर्ष करो।   Translation: “Is the DNA the same?  #Bhagwat Ji!  #DNA News In Rajasthan.  Ajmal Khan, a Muslim, fell on a girl from a Hindu family and reached her father’s house with a relationship.  The girl’s father threatened her and drove her away, said you are a Muslim, we are Hindu, and we will not do this wrong thing.  Then Ajmal Khan went to the girl’s house the next day with a weapon and killed all the members of a Hindu family.  And the neighbors just kept watching the spectacle, then some caught the accused and handed him over to the police.  What can the police do beyond the Panchnama by doing a DNA test?  Will our brothers and sisters keep dying like this, and the secular nationalists will keep watching the spectacle!  Hindus recognize the Talibani threat!  Don’t be secular, be Aryan, stay united, fight. ”  We found out that the misleading video was available on various social media platforms with a communal angle between a Hindu girl and a Muslim man.   The video has been temporarily unavailable due to the graphic nature of the content.    source  source We also received the claim on our Whatsapp helpline number.   The video does not have any communal angle but is a domestic violence issue.   While searching about the video, we came across a few comments where many users claimed that the incident happened in Rajasthan.  To confirm the place of the incident, we ran a keyword search on google and found a news report by the Times of India on the same incident that happened in Rajasthan.     Rajasthan: Man kills two daughters, injures wife, self.  According to the report, a 30-year-old man stabbed his wife and his two daughters to death.  They were rushed to the hospital and both daughters Angel (5) & Sanju (7) were declared dead.  In the given report, the name of the man was mentioned as “Ajit Cheetah” and the name of the woman is mentioned as “Kavita (27)”.    With this clue, we searched for more reports on a similar incident on Patrika His hands did not tremble when he slit the throats of his two daughters!  Injuring his wife with a knife, he got injured.  According to the Patrika report, the incident happened in Kharwa town on 14th July.  The Beawar Sadar police reached the spot after the incident was reported.  Both, the accused and the victim are undergoing treatment.  The police are engaged in the investigation of the case.  The Beawar Sadar police station told Boom that the incident did not have a communal angle.  “The accused Ajit Cheeta was going through a financial crisis and the couple was having quarrels.  His wife had recently had a hysterectomy surgery and was bedridden and he was having quarrels with her over household chores.  On July 14, he attacked her and killed his daughters,” the police told BOOMlive.  “He is a Muslim from the Cheetah community, however, there is no communal angle to the incident.  He told us that he was going through a financial crisis as he was unemployed and after his wife’s operation, he had to also do the household chores and after a quarrel, in anger, he attacked his wife and children,” added the police.  You can see the same man from the video in the photo by Patrika News paper      Another report was recorded by Dainik Jagran on a similar incident Wife and herself were injured after killing two daughters in Ajmer.  The incident happened on the 14th of July 2021.  Zee Rajasthan reported the same incident on 14th July.  No media outlet reported a communal angle but a case of domestic violence.   #Ajmer– खरवा में बाप ने बेटी को उतारा मौत के घाट, पत्नी और बेटी घायल, गंभीर घायल बच्ची और पत्नी को लाया गया जेएलएन अस्पताल, आरोपी अजित ने किया था दो बेटियों और पत्नी पर चाकू से हमला, — ZEE Rajasthan (@zeerajasthan_) July 14, 2021  According to the various reports, the accused belongs to the Cheetah Mehrat community Rajasthan’s Cheetah Mehrat community The community comprises both Hindus and Muslims.  The police clarified that during the investigation, they found out that Ajit had Hindus in his family but he was identified as a Muslim.  Since he was depressed due to pandemics and unemployment, he got upset and stressed bout the whole situation and wanted a son but his wife had recently gotten a hysterectomy surgery that prevented him from having more kids.    Later, Ajmer police had put up a statement that said the incident occurred on July 14.  According to the statement, Kavita’s paternal family was informed of the attack but they refused to visit.  The family has been upset with Kavita for over 10 years since she decided to marry Ajit.     pic. twitter. com/wKVR0MNBEI — Ajmer Police (@AjmerpoliceR) July 14, 2021


A Hyderabad-based medical clinic practitioner’s video teaching tapping exercises and explaining the benefits of tapping exercises around various parts of the body is being circulated as a video that came out from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. In the 2minute 40 seconds video, the practitioner is seeing with a group of ladies that have come to perform and practice taping exercises. The lady is seeking to explain the benefits of exercise like headache, migraine problem, the focus of mind, and sinus problem. But the video has been claimed to be from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai and people are resharing it with a caption- “Tata Memorial Hospital. Request everyone to watch the above video without deleting it.”

A Hyderabad-based medical clinic practitioner’s video teaching tapping exercises and explaining the benefits of tapping exercises around various parts of the body is being circulated as a video that came out from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.  In the 2minute 40 seconds video, the practitioner is seeing with a group of ladies that have come to perform and practice taping exercises.  The lady is seeking to explain the benefits of exercise like headache, migraine problem, the focus of mind, and sinus problem.  But the video has been claimed to be from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai and people are resharing it with a caption- “Tata Memorial Hospital.  Request everyone to watch the above video without deleting it. ”    The video is from a Hyderabad-based medical clinic – Om Sairam Perfect Health Clinic and not from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.   While finding the truth about the video, we did a reverse google image search and found an alternative video posted by a page named- the perfect health Hyderabad on Facebook.  A similar video was uploaded by the said page on 2nd April.  The video was of a clinic named ” Om Sairam Perfect Health” in Hyderabad started by a consultant and dietician named Manishaa.   This page has more videos on acupressure therapy.  The practitioner talks about various acupressure points and explains them to the people that come there to the medical clinic for the therapy.  We searched more about the medical clinic on the website that was given by the page.  According to the website, the practitioner, Manishaa has laid down the foundation “Om Sairam Perfect Health” in 1995.  She happens to be a well-known dietician from Hyderabad.  She has learned about acupressure and diet therapy and is running the medical clinic.  Also, the clinic’s address according to the website is Hyderabad and not Tata Memorial Hospital.     Also, we found out more about Dr.  Manishaa and her foundation from where the video has been taken.   Additionally, there was no video or notice shared by the Tata Memorial Hospital advising people to watch the viral video.


Curfew imposed in Ahmedabad extended till May 21, 6 am: Ahmedabad Police https://t.co/wUkzfmObVB

The Madhya Pradesh government has extended the 'corona curfew' in all 52 districts of the state for different durations, a senior official said on Tuesday. In the state capital Bhopal, the coronavirus-induced curfew has been extended till 6 am on May 24, while in the industrial hub of Indore, it will remain in force till May 29 night, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Dr Rajesh Rajora said in a release. After meetings of various district crisis management committees, it was decided to extend the corona curfew till 6 am on May 31 in 19 districts -- Ujjain, Gwalior, Shivpuri, Sagar, Morena, Neemuch, Shahdol, Umaria, Dewas, Agar-Malwa, Raisen, Bhind, Balaghat, Sheopur, Seoni, Sehore, Vidisha, Mandla and Damoh, he said. Besides, the curbs have been extended till 6 am on May 24 in 25 other districts -- Bhopal, Jabalpur, Rewa, Chhindwara, Hoshangabad, Singrauli, Satna, Sidhi, Ashoknagar, Dhar, Mandsaur, Rajgarh, Tikamgarh, Panna, Khargone, Guna, Barwani, Shajapur, Niwadi, Khandwa, Chhattarpur, Jhabua, Katni, Harda and Datia. In Alirajpur, Narsinghpur, Betul, Anuppur and Ratlam, the corona curfew will remain in force till 6 am on May 25, in Burhanpur till 6 am on May 20 and in Dindori till 7 am on May 27, the release said. On Monday, Madhya Pradesh reported 5,921 Covid-19 cases and 77 fatalities, taking the infection count to 7,37,306 and the death toll to 7,069, as per official data. The number of fresh coronavirus cases in the state fell below 6,000 on Monday for the first time after a gap of nearly five weeks.


Gujarat: 3 people have died and 30 were injured after a bus overturned near Trishuliya Ghat, Ambaji https://t.co/RdSrnuVlJ9

More than 20 people were killed and 55 injured when a bus their bus overturned near Trishulia ghat in outskirts of Ambaji town of Gujarat’s Banaskantha district during heavy rain on Monday evening, officials said. “Preliminary reports suggest 21 persons have died and 55 have been injured.  Some 35 persons have been critically injured and they have been shifted to nearby hospitals,” said Banaskantha collector Sandip Sagale. The victims were returning to Anklav in central Gujarat’s Anand district from Ambaji pilgrimage when the bus lost traction, went off the road and overturned.  It had been raining in the area for the past two days. “The private luxury bus, carrying around 70 passengers, overturned at Trishulia Ghat after the driver lost control of the vehicle due to heavy rain in the area,” said Banaskantha district SP Ajit Rajian according to PTI. Chief Minister Vijay Rupan told local officials to provide best treatment to injured, his office said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah took to Twitter to offer condolences.  “Devastating news from Banaskantha.  I am extremely pained by the loss of lives due to an accident.  In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families.  The local administration is providing all possible help to the injured.  May they recover soon,” Modi tweeted.   Devastating news from Banaskantha.  I am extremely pained by the loss of lives due to an accident.  In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families.  The local administration is providing all possible help to the injured.  May they recover soon. “Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to a tragic bus accident in Banaskantha, Gujarat.  Have spoken to the state and local authorities, they are doing everything possible to help the people in need.  My deepest condolences.  May the injured recover at the earliest,” said Shah in the tweet. This is the worst bus accident in Gujarat since February 2016 when a bus plunged off a bridge into Purna river in Navsari district of South Gujarat killing at least 37 people.


Suspect captured in killing of Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle, authorities say. https://t.co/JZgiS0QPVT https://t.co/fB0djcEyjN

    Eric Holder, the suspect in the fatal shooting of Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle, pleaded not guilty Thursday to one charge of murder and two counts of attempted murder, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.

    “Thank you to both our community for the heightened awareness/vigilance, and our partners at @LASDHQ,” police said in the tweet, which included the words “In custody” over Holder’s face.

    Nipsey and the man suspected of killing him knew each other, and the shooting appears to be the product of a personal dispute, Los Angeles police Chief Michel Moore told reporters Tuesday morning.

    Moore declined to elaborate on the feud between the two, saying he didn’t want to jeopardize any potential prosecution, but he said the suspect – who was identified via surveillance video and witnesses as Holder – approached Nipsey and others multiple times, engaging them in conversation.

Rapper was more movement than musician

    Though the rapper was a member of an arm of the Crips street gang and police believe Holder belongs to a gang as well, Moore declined to specify any gang affiliation and said the dispute between the two does not appear gang-related.

    The manhunt for Holder unfolded as surveillance video emerged showing the moment Nipsey and two others were shot Sunday afternoon.

    The Grammy-nominated artist was among four people standing between cars outside The Marathon Clothing store he owned in Los Angeles’ Hyde Park neighborhood, video from a surveillance camera trained on the parking lot shows.

    It is not clear which of the four is Hussle, but they appear to be casually talking as others mill about in front of the store.  A figure dressed in dark clothing appears to approach the four, and everyone scatters.

    Two of the people standing by the car don’t get far.  They fall to the ground.  One of them, wearing a white hat and shirt, tries to get back up but promptly collapses, the video, which has no sound, shows.

    It is not clear if the figure in dark clothing is Holder, who police say is wanted in the homicide.

    Late Monday, about 300 people gathered around a candlelight memorial in The Marathon Clothing parking lot, feet from where the rapper was shot, when a person with a gun spurred the mourners to take off in every direction, police said.

    There were initial reports of gunshots, but police quickly knocked down those reports.  Moore acknowledged that two women showed up at a hospital late Monday night saying they had been shot at the vigil, but he said one of his commanders was near the scene and heard no gunshots.

    “I’m lacking information that a shooting occurred,” the chief said.

    The crowd fled, he said, after someone at the vigil produced a handgun and another person tried to disarm the individual.  A stampede ensued.

    Los Angeles police spokeswoman Meghan Aguilar described it to CNN affiliate KCAL/KCBS as “absolutely chaotic, mass panic. ”

    “When we were watching it from footage from overhead, it was literally people scattered in all directions,” she said.

    The panic came about 8:15 p. m. , Moore said, and “as (the crowd) fled, we had a series of falls and trips and injuries. ” One individual was stabbed in the melee, but police have no suspect, he said.

    Video from KCAL/KCBS shows mourners abruptly running through and around the candle-and-balloon memorial and into the street.  Police with riot gear and batons begin forming containment lines.

    People carry away the injured as emergency responders tend to people on the ground, the affiliate video shows.

    Some present threw rocks and bottles at police officers, and an officer suffered a “serious cut” to his hand, requiring sutures, Moore said.  At least one person was detained for disorderly conduct, Aguilar said.
  We understand the community is mourning and we feel your loss.  We are asking for everyone to follow the officers directions and disperse from the immediate area.
    Nineteen people were transported to the hospital, most of them with trample injuries, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.  Two suffered critical injuries, and two more were hurt seriously.  One person was hit by a car, the department said.

    None of the injured people suffered gunshot wounds, Los Angeles police said.

    The grainy video of Nipsey’s shooting does not provide much in the way of detail, but police late Monday offered additional information about the shooting.

    At about 3:20 p. m.  Sunday, the suspect walked up to the men standing in the parking lot and opened fire, police said.  He then ran down an alley and jumped into the passenger side of a car driven by an unidentified woman, they said.
  Eric Holder is wanted for Homicide in the shooting of Nipsey Hussle.  He was last seen in a 2016 white 4 door Chevy Cruze CA license plate 7RJD742.  Anyone with information related to his whereabouts or this deadly shooting is urged to contact South Bureau Homicide at 323-786-5100 pic. twitter. com/3pX4fbezDs
    Two people were transported to the hospital; one refused treatment at the scene, and Nipsey died from gunshots to the head and torso, authorities said.

    “Anyone with information related to his whereabouts or this deadly shooting is urged to contact South Bureau Homicide at 323-786-5100. ”

Nipsey Hussle and Lauren London, a hip-hop fairy tale

    Two of his mixtapes – “Slauson Boy Vol.  1” and “Crenshaw” – took their names from the area.  The Marathon Clothing store sits near West Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard.  Though Nipsey released several mixtapes independently or through his All Money In record label, his studio debut, “Victory Lap,” dropped last year and was nominated for a Grammy.

    Before his death, Nipsey, a member of the Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips, had requested a meeting to discuss ways to mitigate gang violence, Los Angeles police Commissioner Steve Soboroff said Tuesday, sharing an email he received from the rapper and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.

    It said, “Our goal is to work with the department to help improve communication relationships, and work towards changing the culture and dialogue between LAPD and the inner city.  We want to hear about your new programs, your goals for the department, as well as how we can help stop gang violence and help you help kids. ”

    Though Nipsey released several mixtapes independently or through his All Money In record label, his studio debut, “Victory Lap,” dropped last year and was nominated for a Grammy.

  CNN’s Steve Almasy, Sarah Moon, Christina Maxouris and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


On social media, a video has gone viral in which a woman from the crowd accepted an open challenge from a professional wrestler and defended herself.  The captions claim that the woman in the video is a Pakistani ladies freestyle wrestler who abused and challenged a woman in a Salwar Kameez from the audience.  While some posts simply stated that a woman in the audience had been challenged, others claimed that the woman was a member of the Durga Vahini, the women’s wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s cultural arm (RSS) On both Twitter and Facebook, the post was shared along with the caption: Translation: “See the power of one Hindu woman and guess the rest of the Hindus.  In Mumbai, a Pakistani ladies freestyle wrestling woman stood in the ring and started abusing the Indian woman O, challenging her to enter the rig! ” Another version Translation: “See the power of one Hindu woman and guess the rest of the Hindus.  In Mumbai, a Pakistani ladies freestyle wrestling woman standing in the ring started abusing the Indian woman and started challenging her to come to the rig.  Accepting this challenge, a woman named Sandhya Phadke, a woman of Durga Vahini of RSS, came down in the ring.  What happened next, see for yourself in this video” You can view the video here.  एक हिंदू शेरनी की ताकत देखीये ओर बाकी हिन्दूओ का अंदाजा लगाईये।    मुम्बई मे एक पाकिस्तानी लेडीज फ्रीस्टाइल कुस्तीबाज महिला रिंग मे खडे हो कर भारतीय महिला ओ को गाली देते हुये रिग मे आने के लिये चैलेन्ज करने लगी!   भरतीय नारी सब पर भारी….  pic. twitter. com/zLiIlXmwWE — सनी जीतू कुशवाहा (@RoyalJituIndian) July 19, 2021  Archive एक हिंदू ओरत की ताकत देखीये ओर बाकी हिन्दूओ का अंदाजा लगाईये।   मुम्बई मे एक पाकिस्तानी लेडीज फ्रीस्टाइल कुस्तीबाज महिला रिंग मे खडे हो कर भारतीय महिला ओ को गाली देते हुये रिग मे आने के लिये चैलेन्ज करने लगी!  pic. twitter. com/nJtP9OdO3w — Vijay k dudhaiya (@Vijay69142277) July 18, 2021  Archive मुम्बई मे एक पाकिस्तानी लेडीज फ्रीस्टाइल कुस्तीबाज महिला रिंग मे खडे हो कर भारतीय महिला ओ को गाली देते हुये रिग मे आने के लिये चैलेन्ज करने लगी इसके चैलेन्ज को स्वीकार करते हुये RSS की दुर्गा वाहिनी की महिला संन्ध्या फडके नाम की महिला रिंग मे उतर कर आई आगे क्या हुआ जय भवानी 🙏🏻🚩 pic. twitter. com/rwGonV4ebf — रोहन तिवारी (@rohantiwari011) July 19, 2021  Archive एक हिंदू ओरत की ताकत देखीये ओर बाकी हिन्दूओ का अंदाजा लगाईये।   मुम्बई मे एक पाकिस्तानी लेडीज फ्रीस्टाइल कुस्तीबाज महिला रिंग मे खडे हो कर भारतीय महिला ओ को गाली देते हुये रिग मे आने के लिये चैलेन्ज करने लगी!  pic. twitter. com/hnSW1tS9QF — सी बी पंजाबी (@cbpunjabi) July 18, 2021  Archive एक हिंदू ओरत की ताकत देखीये ओर बाकी हिन्दूओ का अंदाजा लगाईये।   मुम्बई मे एक पाकिस्तानी लेडीज फ्रीस्टाइल कुस्तीबाज महिला रिंग मे खडे हो कर भारतीय महिला ओ को गाली देते हुये रिग मे आने के लिये चैलेन्ज करने लगी इसके चैलेन्ज को स्वीकार करते हुये RSS  की दुर्गा वाहिनी की महिला 👇 pic. twitter. com/uCYgzww5Ui — सौरभ श्रीवास्तव 🚩हिंदी🚩 हिंदू 🚩हिन्दुस्थान (@Sourabh3507) July 17, 2021  Archive On January 21, 2020, Jawahar Yadav, a former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Haryana’s Chief Minister, also shared this video on his Facebook page with the caption Translation: “See the power of one Hindu woman and guess the rest of the Hindus.  In Mumbai, a Pakistani ladies freestyle wrestling woman standing in the ring started abusing the Indian woman and started challenging her to come to the rig.  Accepting this challenge, a woman named Sandhya Phadke, a woman of Durga Vahini of RSS, came down in the ring.  What happened next, see for yourself in this video” The aforementioned Facebook post has received over 5. 5 million views since January 21, 2020.      This video was uploaded on social media in 2016 and has been making the rounds on the internet ever since with this allegation.  A screenshot of more posts with the same video made on Facebook since 2018 is included below.   Both are Indians and professional wrestlers, the viral claim is false.
 This fake news has been viral for more than 5 years i. e.  2016 and we debunked then too.  The woman in the video who is challenging members of the audience is BB Bull Bull, India’s first professional female wrestler, not a Pakistani female freestyle wrestler.  The woman who accepted the challenge and entered the ring dressed in a Salwar Kameez is Kavita, a former Haryana police officer who is a power-lifting and MMA champion.  To top things off, the video was shot in Jalandhar in 2016 and not Mumbai, as the viral posts claimed.  The letters “CWE” are printed on the video’s banners, and a google search for CWE reveals that it stands for Continental Wrestling Entertainment, an Indian professional wrestling promotion and training academy founded in 2015 in Jalandhar by Dalip Singh Rana a. k. a.  The Great Khali.  We were able to extract several keyframes from the viral video by using InVid to conduct a reverse image search on it, which led us to the original video posted on the CWE (Continental Wrestling Entertainment) YouTube channel on June 13, 2016.  We can say that no abusive language was spoken towards the woman in this video clip since the audio in the YouTube video is clear.   The same video was also uploaded on June 13, 2016 on the Official Facebook page of Dalip Singh a. k. a.  The Great Khali and was captioned “Continental Wrestling Entertainment.
Former #Haryana police officer, and power- lifting and #MMA champion #KAVITA accepted the open challenge of BB Bull Bull.  Watch as the crowd erupts while chaos takes place before the General Manager #Heymant Singh issues next week’s MIXED TAG-TEAM MATCH!  #CWE #Jalandhar #TheGreatKhali” Upon further investigation, we found articles on several news media websites about the 2016 feud between BB Bull Bull and Kavita.    DNA Published on : June 16, 2016.       The Indian Express  Published on : June 16, 2016.      Zee News Hindi  Published on : June 20, 2016.    We debunked this fake news in –


Tamil Nadu crosses 50,000 mark with 2,174 new #COVID19 cases today, taking the total number of cases to 50,193. Death toll rises to 576 after 48 deaths were reported today: State Health Department https://t.co/IGSnY1cm1K

Gujarat saw its highest spike in daily new Covid-19 cases on Saturday since May 16, with 510 new cases, which took the number of positive cases in the state to 19,617.  Over the past 24 hours, the state reported 35 deaths, taking the disease’s death toll in the state to 1,219. Gujarat health secretary, Jayanti Ravi, principal secretary (health), said 239,911 Covid-19 tests have been conducted in the state. “A total of 35 deaths reported today include 30 from Ahmedabad, two from Surat, and one each from Anand, Bhavnagar and Surendranagar.  Also, a total of 221,149 people have been quarantined in various districts of the state, out of whom 213,717 are in home quarantine and 7,432 in facility quarantine,” Ravi said.  Gujarat has the fourth-highest number of Covid-19 cases in the country.  Maharashtra has the highest count, followed by Tamil Nadu and Delhi. In an unrelated development, the state government announced it would extend the validity of caste certificates for students of socially and economically backward classes (SEBC) classes for another one-year.  The caste certificates issued had, as per the previous rules, expired on March 31, 2020.  Ashwani Kumar, secretary to chief minister said the government has decided that the validity of income “certificates being issued by the state government, which expired on March 31, 2020, has also been extended up to March 31, 2021.  The validity of the income certificate for non-creamy layer of SEBC is of three-years.  To extend the validity period of the certificate, the holders need not require to visit the Mamlatdar office, or to make online application,” Kumar said.  He added that the two decisions would impact nearly 1,700,000 people in the state.  Of them, 1,392,000 are beneficiaries of income certificates and 298,000 are beneficiaries of non-creamy layer certificates.  “Such certificates obtained from competent authorities by holders are valid without any time limit,” Kumar said.


BREAKING: House Judiciary Committee votes to recommend two articles of impeachment to the full House of Representatives. https://t.co/QycemgbAjo

By Meg Wagner, Mike Hayes, Zoe Sottile and Veronica Rocha, CNNOur live coverage of the impeachment inquiry has ended for the day.  Read up on the latest news below. Minutes ago, members of the House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach President Donald Trump on two articles of impeachment, abuse of power and obstruction of congress.  Like her other Democratic colleagues, Rep.  Pramila Jayapal voted yes — but she made her vote stand out by holding up a copy of the Constitution as she spoke. The congresswoman has been a strong critic of Trump and pushed for impeachment. Watch the moment: Moments ago, 23 Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee voted to approve the articles of impeachment against President Trump. But the party was missing one of its members: Ted Lieu, from California.  He's out this week as he recovers from a heart procedure, his office said in a statement. All 17 Republicans on the committee voted against the articles. Watch more: The House Judiciary Committee just approved two articles of impeachment against President Trump. Remember: This was just a committee vote.  The full House needs to approve the articles in order to officially impeach the President. Now, the articles will head to the House floor.  The House has not yet set a specific date for when it could take up and vote on the articles, but two Democratic leadership aides said it could happen on Wednesday. If the full House approves the articles, Trump will become the third president in US history to be impeached.  The Senate will then hold a trial to decide if President Trump should be removed from office. The House Judiciary Committee just approved two articles of impeachment against President Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Read the complete articles here.  The House Judiciary Committee just approved the second of two articles of impeachment, which accuses President Trump of obstruction of Congress. Moments ago, they approved the first, for abuse of power. The vote was 23-17, along party lines. The House Judiciary Committee just voted to approve the first article of impeachment against President Trump, which accuses the President of abusing his power. It passed along party lines, 23-17. Next, members will vote on the second article, obstruction of Congress. House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler just gaveled in today's session. The committee is expected to vote on the articles of impeachment against President Trump. The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to meet at 10 a. m.  ET this morning to vote on the articles of impeachment against President Trump. The panel met yesterday and debated amendments to the articles.  They were expected to vote by the end of the day, but Chair Jerry Nadler abruptly ended the session just before midnight, after 14 hours of debate. We will see President Trump this morning when he welcomes the President of Paraguay to the White House at 11 a. m.  ET.  The two leaders will have a meeting in the Oval Office. It's not clear if President Trump will mention impeachment during the meeting. Meanwhile, the House Judiciary Committee will meet at 10 a. m.  ET to vote on the articles of impeachment. Please enable JavaScript for a better experience.


While in Assam, PM Narendra Modi reviewed situation in Uttarakhand. He spoke to CM Trivendra Singh Rawat & other top officials. He took stock of rescue & relief work underway. Authorities are working to provide all possible support to affected:Prime Minister's Office (File photo) https://t.co/YmX1DspoRK

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took stock of the search and rescue operations at the flood site in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district and also spoke to Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.  "While in Assam, PM Narendra Modi reviewed situation in Uttarakhand.  He spoke to CM Trivendra Singh Rawat & other top officials.  He took stock of rescue & relief work underway.  Authorities are working to provide all possible support to affected,” the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) tweeted. While in Assam, PM @narendramodi reviewed the situation in Uttarakhand.  He spoke to CM @tsrawatbjp and other top officials.  He took stock of the rescue and relief work underway.  Authorities are working to provide all possible support to the affected. “Am constantly monitoring the unfortunate situation in Uttarakhand.  India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone’s safety there.  Have been continuously speaking to senior authorities and getting updates on NDRF deployment, rescue work and relief operations,” the PM also tweeted. Am constantly monitoring the unfortunate situation in Uttarakhand.  India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone’s safety there.  Have been continuously speaking to senior authorities and getting updates on NDRF deployment, rescue work and relief operations. A massive flood was reported in Chamoli district, where the water level in the Dhauliganga river suddenly rose due to an avalanche near the Rishiganga Power Project at Raini village.  About 100 to 150 people are feared to have been killed in the flash flood, news agency ANI reported citing Uttarkhand's chief secretary Om Prakash.  Hundreds of other labourers, who were working at power project, are also said to be missing, he added. Glacial burst near power project leads to massive flood in Uttarakhand’s ChamoliThe Chamoli district magistrate instructed officials to evacuate people living in villages on the bank of the Dhauliganga river, news agency ANI reported.  "A disaster has been reported from Chamoli district.  The district administration, police and disaster management departments have been directed to deal with the situation.  Do not pay attention to any kind of rumours.  Govt is taking all necessary steps,” Uttarakhand chief minister Rawat tweeted. Rawat has also shared helpline numbers for people stuck in the affected area.  "If you are stuck in the affected area, if you need any kind of help, please contact Disaster Operations Center number 1070 or 9557444486," the Uttarakhand CM tweeted. अगर आप प्रभावित क्षेत्र में फंसे हैं, आपको किसी तरह की मदद की जरूरत है तो कृपया आपदा परिचालन केंद्र के नम्बर 1070 या 9557444486 पर संपर्क करें। कृपया घटना के बारे में पुराने वीडियो से अफवाह न फैलाएं।


The government of Delhi on April 20th issued an order stating accommodation would be provided to all doctors and hospital staff dealing with Covid-19 patients so as to keep their families safe.  Not so later a video went viral in which a woman wearing a mask claimed that she works at the Rao Tularam Memorial Hospital in Delhi and that the government withdrew from the promise they made.  The woman in the video says that she has been posted for Covid duty since the 16th and now the government has issued a new order and asked them to pay their own hotel bills which the government promised they would.  The woman expresses her concern regarding her stay and the safety of her family.  The video is going viral with the following caption- “केजरीवाल का नया आदेश कोरोना की ड्यूटी में लगे डाक्टर खुद करे अपने होटल का भुगतान, पलट गया पलटूराम फिर से… इसके पास मोलवियो सेलरी देने के लिए पैसा है?  इनकी भी सुनिये” Translation- Kejriwal’s new order- Doctors on duty dealing with Corona patients to pay their own hotel bills.  He went back on his words again…He has money to give Salary to Maulvis?  Listen to what he says The post went viral on both Facebook and Twitter but was widely shared on Facebook.  This particular video is being shared from past one week.  archive This post was shared by ‘DrRajeev Adhana’ on 22nd April and garnered 719k views and 61k shares.    archive This video was uploaded by ‘अरबिन्द कुमार गुप्ता (Arbind Kumar Gupta)’ on 24th April and has over 3. 7k views and 271 shares.  archive This post was shared by ‘Tejinder Singh Sahni’ on April 26th and garnered 1. 4k and 143 shares.   The following video was also shared on twitter केजरीवाल का नया आदेश कोरोना की ड्यूटी में लगे डाक्टर खुद करे अपने होटल का भुगतान, पलट गया पलटूराम फिर से…इसके पास मोलवियो सेलरी देने के लिए पैसा है? इनकी भी सुनिये. @narendramodi @AmitShah @ManojTiwariMP @AMISHDEVGAN @anjanaomkashyap @HMOIndia@sudhirchaudhary@RubikaLiyaquat pic. twitter. com/nj4Z9daWoa — कट्टर हिन्दू अरविंद मिश्रा #IndiaSupportCAA (@ArvindM33544475) April 25, 2020  archive This post went viral on April 25th with over 209 views and 44 retweets.   This video was also uploaded on Youtube on 19th April 2020 by a channel named ‘Book Palace’  archive She is not in Corona Duty as the hospital she works for is not designated as Corona Hospital The Claim is false.  Rao Tularam Memorial hospital, the hospital which the woman in the video claimed to be posted at, doesn’t fall under the designated Covid hospital and hence treats no covid patients.  An order dated 31st March only had five government hospital designated as Covid hospital and Rao Tularam Memorial hospital is not on the list.  The link to the government order is here  Later the number of designated hospitals were increased to nine.  Here is the link to the new government list.   When this video went viral, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain’s advisor Shaleen Mitra tweeted about this video saying it’s not true and that Rao Tularam Memorial Hospital is not a designated hospital for Covid and hence cannot accept covid patients.  Rao Tula Raam hospital is neither a COVID hospital nor a quarantine centre and No Doctor/Staff of the hospital is on COVID Duty.  Hence this doesn't seem to be a genuine complaint.  https://t. co/azy94AYqYx — Shaleen (@ShaleenMitra) April 24, 2020  archive SMHoaxSlayer reached out to the Senior Medical Officer, at Rao Tularam Memorial Hospital, Dr.  Dinesh Chawla who clarified that no such notice was issued by the government.  “When the news went viral few days ago, we contacted the concerned officers who clarified that no such action will take place.  The staff is safely quarantined at the allotted accommodation till date. ” Dr.  Dinesh also clarified that they are not accepting any covid patients.  Any patient with plausible symptoms who visits the hospital is directly sent to the nearest designated hospital through their Covid special Ambulance.  The woman in the video couldn’t be recognized as her face is covered with the mask.  This news was also debunked by India Today The Delhi Government continues to pay bills for accommodation of doctors and hospital staff, this claim is completely false.


Authorities in Bangladesh have started sending a first group of more than 1,500 Rohingya refugees to an isolated island despite calls by human rights groups for a halt to the process. https://t.co/k7xpry2Utz

By Helen Regan and Rebecca Wright, CNNUpdated 2:48 AM ET, Tue December 8, 2020  (CNN)Hundreds of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are being relocated to a controversial island facility in the Bay of Bengal today amid fears that some could be coerced to move there and held indefinitely.


#Visual: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthman at a hospital in Delhi today. https://t.co/WD927TQHOV

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday met IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who was released by Pakistan last night, in a Delhi hospital.  Wing Commander Abhinandan arrived in the national capital around 11. 45 pm last night, nearly two-and-a-half hours after he crossed Wagah-Attari border in Punjab. During her interaction with the wing commander, Sitharaman enquired about his health.  The officer was in high spirit and was happy to meet the defence minister.  Sitharaman conveyed to Wing Commander Abhinandan that the whole country is proud of his courage and determination, the news agency reported quoting unnamed officials.  During the meeting that took place at a medical facility of the Indian Air Force, the IAF pilot is understood to have explained to Sitharaman details about his time in custody of the Pakistan Army. Abinandan is undergoing thorough medical check-up following his return from Pakistan, where he was in custody of the army for more than 55 hours. The IAF pilot had landed on the other side of the Line of Control during the aerial dogfight between the air forces of India and Pakistan on Wednesday morning.  The Pakistan Air Force had breached Indian airspace and attempted to target military installations.  Wing Commander Abhinandan was part of the Indian Air Force that foiled the PAF attempt and chased a large package of fighter jets away from the Indian airspace.  In the aerial combat that ensued IAF pilot Abhinandan shot down an F-16 PAF fighter jet.  His MiG 21 Bison was also shot down.  He ejected the aircraft but his parachute drifted towards Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where he was arrested by the Pakistan Army.  He was released by Pakistan amid mounting international pressure to de-escalate tension between the two countries.


Sri Lankan Muslims convert to Hinduism after destroying mosques

A set of two images from Sri Lanka of a mosque being demolished is viral  on Facebook with a misleading claim that Muslims in the country are destroying mosques and embracing Hinduism.   The posts have been captioned in Hindi as, “Sri Lanka's Muslims are destroying mosques with their own hands.  And they are embracing Hinduism.  Muslims (there) are saying that they have realised how dirty and hateful Islam is. ” ( श्री लंका में मुसलमान अपने ही हाथो से तोड़ रहे हैं मस्जिद और अपना रहे हैं हिन्दू धर्म. 👇 मुस्लिम बोलते हैं कि हमें अब इस्लाम धर्म की घिनौनी और नफ़रत से भरी असलियत समझ आ गयी. ! !  ) The images are being shared with a similar caption in Bengali.  BOOM ran a reverse image search and found that the images are from an incident in Sri Lanka's Kekirawa, where devotees demolished a mosque that was used by the National Tawheed Jamaat (NTJ) a terror outfit.   The Sri Lankan government identified NTJ as the main accused in the April 21, Easter Sunday church bombings, considered one of the worst terror attacks in the country.  The blasts left nearly 258 people dead and more than 500 injured.  The Sri Lankan government identified NTJ as the main accused in the April 21, Easter Sunday church bombings, considered one of the worst terror attacks in the country.  The blasts left nearly 258 people dead and more than 500 injured.  BOOM found news stories published in Sri Lankan media outlets on May 29 using the same images as the viral posts.  A Sri Lankan newspaper, Dailymirror published the photos with an article titled, "NTJ Mosque in Kekirawa demolished by Muslims. '.  The article quoted the trustee of the mosque M. H. M.  Akbar Khan who explained why the mosques were demolished as, "The mosque used by the NTJ was built with the funds of an organization based in a foreign country. " News articles about the mosque demolition can be read here and here.   None of the media reports mention any Muslims who participated in the demolition of the mosques, converting to Hinduism.  BOOM spoke to a Sri Lanka-based reporter who corroborated the events, but couldn’t confirm if the Muslims who demolished the mosque embraced Hinduism.   Furthermore, AFP Fact Check spoke to Kekirawa Police Officer-In-Charge Thilak Bandara Ganegoda who was quoted as saying, “No religious conversions took place.  The land was previously allocated to construct a children's library and was handed over to its rightful owner. ”


Ahmedabad: BJP President Amit Shah pays tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, he will file his nomination for Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency today. #Gujarat https://t.co/HL1a0fupMx

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


Karnataka government imposes night curfew (between 10 pm & 6 am) in the state, starting today; the curfew to remain in place till January 2: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa (file photo) https://t.co/OLjqe9QLyN

The BS Yediyurappa-led BJP government in Karnataka has decided to reimpose night curfew in the state starting Thursday (24 December) till 5 am on January 2.  The curfew will be in force from 11 pm to 5 am.  All movement except essential services will be barred.  However, the CM clarified that there would be no hindrance to any religious celebrations planned in churches on Christmas eve on December 24 night ahead of the festival. The decision to reimpose the curfew was taken by a high power committee in the state after concern was expressed over a new strain of coronavirus disease that was recently detected in the UK. Medical education minister Dr K Sudhakar said the decision was also taken concerning the fact that there might be a congregation of people ahead of year-end celebrations though authorities have already put restrictions on the number of people who can assemble at any single place. Also read: Tamil Nadu allows Jallikattu with Covid-19 restrictions, PETA cries foulAs part of the fresh regulation, all incoming international passengers need to carry a certificate of Covid negative with the test having been conducted within a 72-hour window before their arrival.  However, Yediyurappa clarified that, as of now, the state was going ahead with its plan to reopen schools from January 1. Deputy chief minister Lakshman Savadi, who also holds the transport portfolio, said that state-run bus corporations have put in place an action plan to ensure that they don’t violate the night curfew.


West Bengal: Former Chairman of Haldia Municipality, Shyamal Kumar Adak, TMC Councillors Swapan Das & Supriya Maity, and others join Bhartiya Janta Party in presence of BJP leader Mukul Roy in Kolkata, today.

#WestBengalElections https://t.co/2FWdZWoFZY

BJP national vice president Mukul Roy's security cover has been upgraded from the 'Y+' to the 'Z' category, news agency ANI reported on Wednesday.  The development comes ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal, where Roy will contest from the Krishnanagar Uttar constituency. Roy had been provided with the 'Y+' security cover back in 2017, a day after he formally joined the BJP severing his 19-year association with the Trinamool Congress (TMC).  Under his erstwhile 'Y+' detail, Roy was assigned two personal security officers (PSOs), a static guard at his residence, and a total of 11 personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). With his security detail upgraded to the 'Z' category, the BJP leader will now have as many as 22 CRPF personnel guarding him, in addition to 4-5 National Security Guard (NSG) commandos, who specialise in providing securities to high-profile individuals in India. Also Read: What is X, Y and Z security category? In the upcoming elections, Mukul Roy will be facing off against TMC candidate Kaushani Mukherjee at the Krishnanagar Uttar constituency. A founding member of the TMC, Roy was once considered a close aide of party supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, before his name came up in the Saradha Ponzi scam as well as in the Narada sting operation.  Roy had a fall out with Banerjee, and the veteran leader was suspended from the party for six years. Now a national vice president of the BJP, Roy holds considerable influence in West Bengal and is considered by many political commentators to have played a key role in expanding the saffron camp's core organisational affairs in the state.


NEW: Michael Cohen, Pres. Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer, intends to tell the House Oversight Committee today that Pres. Trump is "a racist," "a conman" and "a cheat." https://t.co/LwA3E8QR9k https://t.co/QpdTRHaZjo

  Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen presented to a House panel a check to support his testimony.  It is dated August 1, 2017 for the amount of $35,000.  While the image does not show what the payment was for, Cohen said in his testimony the check was signed by the President and was part of the reimbursement for “illegal hush money I paid on his behalf. ”

  See the check below:

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The Pentagon has officially released three short videos showing "unidentified aerial phenomena" that had previously been released by a private company https://t.co/ricgLNbLoM

The Navy videos have been leaked in recent years. Pentagon declassifies 3 ‘UFO’ videosThe Pentagon has declassified three previously leaked top secret U. S.  Navy videos that show "unexplained aerial phenomena"  and that some believe could show Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) in an effort "to clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real or whether or not there is more to the videos," said a Pentagon spokesperson. "The aerial phenomena observed in the videos remain characterized as 'unidentified'", the spokesperson added. The videos, previously acknowledged by the Navy as being real, captured what Navy fighter pilots saw on their video sensors during training flights in 2004 and 2015.  They were published by the New York Times in 2017. "The Department of Defense has authorized the release of three unclassified Navy videos, one taken in November 2004 and the other two in January 2015, which have been circulating in the public domain after unauthorized releases in 2007 and 2017," said Susan Gough, a Defense Department spokesperson in a statement released Monday. "After a thorough review, the department has determined that the authorized release of these unclassified videos does not reveal any sensitive capabilities or systems, and does not impinge on any subsequent investigations of military air space incursions by unidentified aerial phenomena," said Gough. Two of the videos were included in a December 2017 New York Times article that explained how the U. S.  government ran a program for investigating reports of unidentified flying objects until 2012. The third video was released in March 2018 by To the Stars Academy of Arts and Science, a private scientific research and media group. The releases triggered renewed interest in what the U. S.  military may have learned from the videos and whether they were proof of the existence of UFOs. "I can tell you, I think it was not from this world," retired Cmdr.  David Fravor told ABC News in 2017 of what he saw during a routine training mission on Nov.  14, 2004 off the coast of California. "I'm not crazy, haven't been drinking.  It was -- after 18 years of flying, I've seen pretty much about everything that I can see in that realm, and this was nothing close. ""I have never seen anything in my life, in my history of flying that has the performance, the acceleration -- keep in mind this thing had no wings," Fravor said. In April, 2019 the Navy acknowledged that the release of the videos had prompted the development of new guidelines for how pilots should report sightings of "unauthorized and/or unidentified aircraft. "This report was featured in the Tuesday, April 28, 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


Here's what you need to know about the Wuhan virus and coronaviruses like MERS and SARS - from what they are, to how you can treat them. https://t.co/eyRZoqJBQ1 https://t.co/oFwu4AOvZD

France confirmed two patients have the coronavirus. Race to stop spread of coronavirus expands across US France on Friday confirmed three patients there had contracted the new coronavirus -- the first cases reported on that continent -- after a second U. S.  case was reported in Chicago earlier in the day. The Chicago resident, a woman in her 60s, had traveled to Wuhan, China, in late December.  She was admitted to the hospital and was last in stable condition, according to Illinois health officials. The patient called her doctor before seeking treatment and had not taken public transportation or attended any large gatherings, Dr.  Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said Friday. "This is a single travel-associated case -- not a local emergency," Arwady said.  "There is no need for the general public to change their behavior in any way based on this news. ""We understand that some people are worried about this virus and how it may impact Americans," Dr.  Nancy Messonnier, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said at a Friday news briefing.  "The immediate risk to the U. S.  public is low at this time. "In 22 states, 63 people are being evaluated to determine whether they have coronavirus.  Among those, 11 have tested negative and two have tested positive.  In New York State, four people are being tested for coronavirus, Gov.  Andrew Cuomo said at a news briefing Friday.  Of those four, one tested negative for the virus and three others are waiting for their results. Patient samples are being tested at the CDC in Atlanta, and health officials are working to provide those tests to states, which would speed diagnosis times. As of Jan.  23, roughly 2,000 passengers entering the U. S.  had been screened at airports.  No cases of coronavirus have been detected from the airport screenings so far. Health officials reported the first U. S.  case of the coronavirus Jan.  21, when it was diagnosed in a Washington state man in his 30s who'd recently traveled to Wuhan. More than 900 cases of the coronavirus have been reported so far worldwide.  Additionally, China's National Health Commission reported that three cases have been confirmed in Thailand, two in Vietnam, and one case each in Japan, Singapore and South Korea. Hospitals in China are scrambling to treat the large influx of patients seeking treatment. "Shortage of medical supplies, request help! " Wuhan's Children's Hospital posted on Weibo, a Chinese social network, asking for items including surgical masks, disposable clothing, gloves and goggles.  Several other hospitals have posted similar requests. In the meantime, Wuhan broke ground on a brand new, 1,000-bed hospital to address the outbreak, expected to be completed by Feb.  3.  The city is following in the footsteps of Beijing, where a similar fast-tracked hospital was built to address the 2003 SARS outbreak. This announcement comes as the U. S.  State Department has warned Americans not to enter China's Hubei province due to the coronavirus, as Chinese authorities announced that the death toll from the virus has increased to 41. The U. S.  is also pulling out most of its diplomats and their families from the consulate general in Wuhan, the city of 11 million in which cases of the new virus first were discovered. The State Department issued a new travel advisory late Thursday, declaring the Hubei region Level 4, Do Not Travel, the strongest of the four travel warning levels issued by the U. S.  government.  That puts it on par with hot spots and war zones like North Korea, Syria and Iran. The first report of a person in China outside Hubei province dying from the new virus is that of an 80-year-old man in the northern province of Hebei, who'd returned from a two-month stay in Wuhan, according to The Associated Press. In response to the virus, officials at Shanghai Disneyland said that the giant theme park would close until further notice "in order to ensure the health and safety of our guests. " The move comes during one of the park's busiest weeks of the year.  The park is about a two-hour flight from Wuhan. The U. S.  State Department says China itself remains on travel advisory Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, because of arbitrary detentions and law enforcement concerns, including the so-called exit bans where U. S.  citizens are prevented from leaving the country, often for the government to gain leverage over relatives that it is after. A senior State Department official said the U. S.  had seen "positive signs" in China’s response to stem the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, but added that China has lacked transparency in the past and has shown it can be more preoccupied with saving face publicly than admitting and treating the problem. "We’re concerned, but cautiously optimistic," the official said. The Walt Disney Co.  is the parent company of ABC News. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Tripura CM in home quarantine after two family members test Covid positive

(reports @PriyankaDebBarm)

https://t.co/Tac9ChmMJf https://t.co/YFlT5Vmwjn

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb tested coronavirus disease (Coviid-19) negative, but has quarantined himself at home for a week after two of his family members were found to have contracted SARS-CoV-2, which causes the viral disease.  “My Covid-19 test results have come negative.  However, for the next seven days, I am quarantined at home and follow other guidelines.  I shall work from home for these seven days.  I thank the beloved people of Tripura for your wishes and prayers.  The fight against Covid-19 will continue and together we shall win,” Deb tweeted on Tuesday morning.  Deb stays with his mother Mina, wife Niti and their two children at his official residence in Agartala.  Earlier, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Rampada Jamatia and the BJP’s alliance partner Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura’s (IPFT) legislator Dhananjoy Tripura had tested Covid-19 positive.  Jamatia was released from the hospital recently.  Tripura has reported 5,392 Covid-19 cases, including 3,675 patients have recovered from their viral infection.  So far, 28 people have died due to the viral infection in the north-eastern border state and two Covid-19 patients also died by suicide.


Rep. Justin Amash: "What is the truth that you know President Trump fears most?"

"That's a tough question, sir," Michael Cohen says. "I don't have an answer for that one." https://t.co/55qPzPJjvk https://t.co/DlMpwX3Jyf

  The Florida Bar is investigating Republican Rep.  Matt Gaetz after his threatening tweet last night about President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen.

  Francine Andía Walker, the group’s director of communications, said the Florida Bar received a number of calls and emails regarding the tweet after it posted.

  According to disciplinary guidelines for the group, which is the organization of all lawyers licensed by the Supreme Court of Florida to practice law in the state, the state bar’s lawyer regulation arm must determine that an allegation against a bar member “would constitute a violation of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar” before a probe is opened.

  On Tuesday night, just hours ahead of Cohen’s public testimony before the House Oversight Committee, Gaetz – a Trump ally – tweeted at Cohen, “Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends?  Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat.  I wonder if she’ll remain faithful when you’re in prison.  She’s about to learn a lot…”

RELATED: Democratic lawmaker asks for ethics investigation into GOP lawmaker’s Michael Cohen tweet

  Gaetz later deleted his tweet and issued an apology.

  He tweeted on Wednesday night, “I’ve personally apologized to @MichaelCohen212 4 referencing his private family in the public square.  Regardless of disagreements, family members should be off-limits from attacks from representatives, senators & presidents, including myself.  Let’s leave the Cohen family alone. ”

  As part of their investigation, Walker said the Florida Bar on Wednesday would send Gaetz a letter outlining the allegation against him.  Gaetz will have 15 days to respond.

  The Daily Beast first reported the investigation Wednesday.

  “It seems that the Florida Bar, by its rules, is required to investigate even the most frivolous of complaints,” said Jillian Lane Wyant, a spokeswoman for Gaetz, when asked for a response to the investigation.

  A state bar investigation is not a criminal probe, and in Florida, there are further layers of investigation that the probe will go through before any potential disciplinary action is brought down by the Florida Supreme Court.

  Rules regulating the Florida Bar say that “a lawyer’s conduct should conform to the requirements of the law, both in professional service to clients and in the lawyer’s business and personal affairs.  A lawyer should use the law’s procedures only for legitimate purposes and not to harass or intimidate others. ”

  CNN’s Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.
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White House press sec. Kayleigh McEnany waits with others as Pres. Trump prepares to leave the White House to go to Walter Reed Medical Center after he tested positive for COVID-19. https://t.co/4fUBzoe08c https://t.co/46zJ7qu64l

By Kevin Liptak, CNNUpdated 1:19 AM ET, Sat October 3, 2020  (CNN)President Donald Trump is being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for Covid-19 and has begun receiving an anti-viral drug, his doctor announced Friday night.  CNN's Jim Acosta and Vivian Salama contributed to this report.


Governor Banwarilal Purohit appointed DMK President MK Stalin (file photo) as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and invited him to form the Ministry and to have swearing-in-ceremony on 7th May 2021 at 9.00 a.m in Raj Bhavan, Chennai. https://t.co/KwhUmPedlk

Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit has appointed Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief MK Stalin as the chief minister of the southern state, the Raj Bhavan announced on Wednesday. “Thiru MK Stalin called in the honourable governor of Tamil Nadu today at Raj Bhavan and submitted a letter intimating his election as the leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Legislature Party,” the Raj Bhavan noted in a press release.  “The honourable governor of Tamil Nadu appointed him as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu and invited him to form the ministry and to have a swearing-in ceremony on May 7, 2021, at 9am at Raj Bhavan, Chennai,” it further said. Also Read | DMK's Stalin stakes claim to form government in Tamil NaduEarlier in the day, Stalin, who is now officially the Tamil Nadu chief minister-designate, met governor Purohit to stake claim to form the government after leading the DMK-led coalition to a comprehensive win in the recently held assembly elections in the state, which took place in a single phase on April 6.  The counting of votes for all 234 assembly constituencies took place on May 2, with the DMK-led alliance winning 159 seats, well ahead of the majority mark of 118.  The party alone won 133 seats, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI) website. Also Read | Tamil Nadu polls: DMK sun rises againStalin, a former deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu, will become its eighth chief minister, once he is sworn-in on Friday.  The 68-year-old is the son of former five-term chief minister, the late M Karunanidhi, and succeeded Karunanidhi as only the second president of the DMK after his demise in August 2018. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to be a low-key event due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.  In a statement after the DMK’s win, Stalin thanked people for the decisive mandate.  “I’d be truthful for you; I’d work for you.  My thoughts and deeds for the people of Tamil Nadu,” he said, calling the party’s win a “reward for 50 years of work. ”In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Stalin led the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), of which the DMK is a constituent, to victory in 38 out of 39 parliamentary seats in Tamil Nadu.


TODAY: Michael Cohen is expected to give dramatic testimony before Congress starting at 10:00 a.m. ET.

@ABC News will have complete live coverage on https://t.co/Y0tL8hjehF and all your favorite streaming devices. https://t.co/4L5SPjTrXs https://t.co/2h3tIBRtoj

  Michael Cohen told lawmakers Wednesday that President Donald Trump suggested during a 2017 White House meeting that he hide from Congress how plans to build a Trump Tower in Moscow continued through much of the 2016 campaign.

  Cohen also made new allegations about how Trump’s personal lawyers reviewed his now-fraudulent congressional testimony about the proposed Trump Tower in Moscow and made “changes” to it before he testified, but he did not identify what those changes were.

  “There were changes made, additions – Jay Sekulow, for one,” Cohen said Wednesday, referring to one of the President’s personal attorneys.  “There were several changes that were made including how we were going to handle that message, which was – the message of course being – the length of time that the Trump Tower Moscow project stayed and remained alive. ”

The 29 most consequential lines from Michael Cohen's congressional testimony

  Cohen did not elaborate about the changes, who made them, or if they changed what Cohen admitted was already false testimony.

  Sekulow responded to Cohen’s claim in a statement to CNN, saying, “Today’s testimony by Michael Cohen that attorneys for the President edited or changed his statement to Congress to alter the duration of the Trump Tower Moscow negotiations is completely false. ”

  In wide-ranging testimony before the House Oversight Committee, Cohen described a meeting at the White House in May 2017, as he was preparing his now-false congressional testimony with Trump and Sekulow.  Cohen said Trump made clear at that meeting what he wanted him to say.

  “He doesn’t tell you what he wants.  What he does is again, ‘Michael, there’s no Russia, there’s no collusion, there’s no involvement, there’s no interference. ’ I know what he means because I’ve been around him for so long,” Cohen testified.  “That’s the message that he wanted to reinforce,” he said.

Jim Jordan dominates GOP questioning of Cohen

  Cohen added that his 2017 testimony was circulated among lawyers pursuant to a joint defense agreement to make sure attorney-client privilege was protected, which would be a normal part of the process, according to multiple sources.

  Cohen said he created the document with his attorney at the time, Stephen Ryan, and circulated to other attorneys including Abbe Lowell, an attorney for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the President’s daughter and son-in-law who are both White House advisers.

  Cohen’s now-former lawyer, Guy Petrillo, first raised the idea that others were involved in Cohen’s testimony.  In a court filing he wrote, Cohen “remained in close and regular contact with White House-based staff and legal counsel to (Trump)” while he prepared his false testimony.  The court filing didn’t identify any of the individuals.  None of the sources who spoke to CNN on Friday could say if “White House-based staff” were consulted.

Cohen testifies to Trump's involvement in hush-money payments in fiery hearing

  Rep.  John Sarbanes, D-Maryland, later sought to clarify with Cohen who at the White House reviewed his testimony and Cohen said he didn’t know.  When asked what edits were made, Cohen answered he would need to look at the document to recall how it was edited.  Asked if he reacted to the false testimony at the time, Cohen said, “No, sir because the goal was to stay on message.  It’s just limit the relationship whatsoever with Russia, it was short, there’s no Russian contacts, there’s no Russian collusion, there’s no Russian deals.  That’s the message.  That’s the same message that existed well before my need to come and testify. ”

  Cohen also drew a link between his 2017 false testimony and the review by Trump’s attorneys in his written prepared remarks.

  “Mr.  Trump knew of and directed the Trump Moscow negotiations throughout the campaign and lied about it.  And so I lied about it too – because Mr.  Trump had made clear to him through his personal statements to me that we both knew were false and through his lies to the country, that he wanted me to lie.  And he made it clear to me because his personal attorneys reviewed my statement before I gave it to Congress,” Cohen said.

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  Cohen pleaded guilty last year to lying to Congress about the duration of talks to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, saying they did not end in January 2016 before the Iowa caucus as he previously said but instead continued until June 2016 as Trump clinched the Republican nomination.

  Several court filings relating to Cohen’s guilty plea indicated that White House-based staff and a lawyer for Trump were aware of Cohen’s testimony before he delivered it.  In a filing made by special counsel Robert Mueller’s office, the lawyers wrote that Cohen “described the circumstances of preparing and circulating his response to the congressional inquiries,” suggesting there was some significance to the involvement.  But none of the filings named any of the parties.

  CNN has learned that the group of lawyers consulted in the preparation of Cohen’s written congressional testimony included attorneys representing the President, members of his family and the Trump Organization.

Michael Cohen denies claim he wanted White House job

  Two of the sources familiar with the preparation, including one close to the Trump Organization and one close to the President’s legal team, said the lawyers had no indication that any of the information in the testimony of Trump’s now-former longtime attorney and fixer was inaccurate.

  The lawyers who saw the draft testimony included: Alan Garten and Alan Futerfas, attorneys for the Trump Organization and its executive vice president, Donald Trump Jr. ; Sekulow; and Lowell.

  Mueller’s team said in a court filing that Cohen provided “relevant and useful information” for their investigation and that Cohen “described the circumstances of preparing and circulating his response to the congressional inquiries. ”

  CNN’s Marshall Cohen and Gloria Borger contributed to this report.
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'Tragedy unfolding today in country,' says Rahul Gandhi on protest over #FarmLaws

https://t.co/Y1mQnA7Bi6 https://t.co/d8gsdPxQtB

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of monopolising the agriculture sector as he renewed his attack against the Centre over the contentious farm laws.  Gandhi on Tuesday released a booklet to highlight the pitfalls of the legislation enacted in September last year.  "There is a tragedy unfolding today in the country, govt wants to ignore the issue and misinform the country," he said while addressing a conference after the release.  "I am not going to speak about farmers alone as it is only part of the tragedy.  It is important for youngsters.  This is not about present but about your future," he added. "Today, every industry is under a monopoly of three to five people.  Be it airport, telecom or power.  Modi government wants to give the agriculture sector as well to those four to five industrialists," he added. The Congress leader also said that the new farm reforms are designed to destroy India's agriculture sector.  "The biggest business in this country is agriculture.  Sixty per cent of our people are engaged in agriculture and in terms of value, agriculture is by far the biggest hit.  Now we are seeing is that the last bastion which was protected from monopoly is now being overrun.  Three new laws have been passed.  They are designed to destroy agriculture by destroying the mandi, Essential Commodities Act, and by making sure that no Indian farmer can go to court to protect himself," he added. "We were a preeminent economy, now we are a laughing stock," Gandhi also said. Farmers are agitating against the farm laws for over 50 days now and the government has held nine round of talks so far.  However, it has failed to bring any resolution to the matter.  The farmers are adamant on the demand to repeal the laws which the government has refused and is firm on their offer to amend the legislation. In the last meeting, the Centre had suggested that the unions constitute their own informal group to prepare a concrete proposal on the three farm laws for further discussion at their next meeting.  Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar has also assured that the government will hear the proposal with an "open mind. "The Centre on Monday postponed the tenth round of talks scheduled to be held on Tuesday with the farmers.  The meeting will now take place on January 20. Farmers are agitating against Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.