MA video posted on Facebook page âWe Support Narendra Modiâ shows pro-Modi slogans being raised at a rally addressed by Congress President Rahul Gandhi

The video is shared with a caption âModi-Modi chants at Rahulâs Ujjain rally.  So enjoyable! â.  The text on the 12-second long video reads âEven in Rahulâs rally, one can hear Modiâs nameâ.  The video shows âModi-Modiâ chants followed by Gandhi requesting crowd to let him speak.  The post has received more than 11 thousand shares so far.  Many other Facebook users shared the same post on their timeline.    TRUTHGandhi did not address any rally in Ujjain recently and nor were âModi-Modiâ slogans raised in his presence.  VERIFICATION AND METHODOLOGYUsing keywords âRahul Gandhi in Ujjainâ on Google, we were able to establish that the doctored clip is taken from a rally addressed by Gandhi scion while he was campaigning for Madhya Pradesh assembly elections in October 2018.  The Google search results led us to the official Facebook page of Gandhi, where his speech from the rally was shared live on October 29, 2018.  After listening to the entire video, we found that while Gandhi was attacking centre government over issues pertaining to crop insurance and minimum support price; someone from the crowd interjects, prompting Congress president to request him to let him complete.  At this point (31:58 on the video), Gandhi says âThehriye Bhaiyya, bolne dijiyeâ.  It should be noted that no âModi-Modiâ chants preceded this appeal from Gandhi.  Watch the entire video of Gandhiâs Ujjain sankalp rally here:


Former White House national security adviser John Bolton called President Donald Trump "naive and dangerous," in an interview that aired Sunday, adding that he hopes his former boss will be remembered as a one-term president. https://t.co/tt60E2kNVz

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


A video is being shared on social media claiming it as the 1956 Public service announcement, alerting the global citizens about the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.  This post claims it as the 65 years old recording that predicted the future plague that is going to originate from an Asian country.  Let’s verify the claim made in the post. Claim: A 1956 Public Service Announcement (PSA) predicting the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020. Fact: This video was created in Feb 2020 by Max Patrick Schlienger, a satirist who identifies himself as ‘Ramses the Pigeon’.  This video was created with a mash-up of old Hollywood short films.  Schlienger described this video as a ‘satirical piece’ that was created with an intention to lampoon the anti-science perspectives about the COVID-19 virus.  Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE. On reverse image search of the screenshots shared in the post, the extended version of this video was found published in ‘Ramses the Pigeon’ YouTube channel on 01 March 2020.  This video was published on YouTube with the title ‘1950’s PSA: “Avoiding the Future Plague”’.  The description of the video states “It’s hilarious to look back on what people from the 1950s thought the future would be like.  Archival and public domain footage were acquired from Archive. org.  Also, yes, I only threw this together because I wanted to have a video upload on February 29. ”.  ‘Ramses the Pigeon’ shared this video on his Twitter handle with a similar description. Max Patrick Schlienger, who identifies himself as ‘Ramses the Pigeon’, created this video in Feb 2020.  In a Reddit post, Schlienger explained this video as a ‘satirical piece’ that was created with an intention to lampoon the anti-science perspectives about the COVID-19 virus. In our further research, it is found out that a few clips in the footage were taken from old Hollywood short films.  A scene of a household Robot helping a woman to clean her home is taken from the 1940 film ‘Leave It to Roll-oh’.  Similarly, a few scenes in the footage found to exist in the film Tornado (1956).  From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the video shared in the post is a satirical video created with a mash-up of old Hollywood films. To sum it up, a satirical video created in February 2020 is being shared as a 65 years old PSA predicted the COVID-19 Pandemic.


The men charged in last year's killing of Ahmaud Arbery entered not guilty pleas on federal hate crime and attempted kidnapping charges https://t.co/IDQZYK0DRY

The men were arraigned in federal court in Brunswick, Georgia. Men charged in killing of Ahmaud Arbery plead not guilty to hate crime chargesThree white Georgia men already facing state murder charges for allegedly tracking down and fatally shooting Ahmaud Arbery as the 25-year-old Black man jogged through their neighborhood in 2020 all pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal hate crime charges. Gregory McMichael, his son Travis McMichael and their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan were arraigned in federal court in Brunswick, Georgia. The men appeared at the hearing without defense lawyers, and each asked to be represented by a public defender.  They are being held in custody without bond. During the Tuesday hearing, U. S.  Magistrate Judge Benjamin Cheesbro read the federal complaint against the three men, which alleges they “did willfully, by force and threat of force, injure, intimidate and interfere with Ahmaud Arbery, an African American man, because of his race and color. ”The three indicted suspects are charged with one count each of interference of rights and attempted kidnapping, while the McMichaels were also each charged with using, carrying and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. The McMichaels and Bryan are also awaiting a trial in October on state charges of felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal contempt to commit a felony in the death of Arbery.  The defendants have all pleaded not guilty to the state charges. The new indictment was handed down by a federal grand jury on April 28 and alleges that all three men chased Arbery "in an attempt to restrain [him], restrict his free movement, corral and detain him against his will and prevent his escape. "Arbery, 25, was killed while jogging in the neighborhood of Satilla Shores in Brunswick, Georgia, on Feb.  23, 2020. Gregory McMichael, 65, a retired investigator with the Brunswick District Attorney's Office who previously served as a Glynn County police officer, saw Arbery and assumed he was the person who committed "several break-ins" in their neighborhood, according to a police report.  He and his 35-year-old son grabbed their guns -- a . 357 Magnum and a shotgun, respectively -- jumped into a pickup truck and chased down Arbery, authorities said. Bryan, 51, is accused of using his pickup truck to help the McMichaels corral Arbery, and prosecutors allege he struck Arbery with his vehicle.  He also recorded cell phone video that captured Travis McMichael shooting Arbery with a shotgun during a struggle. The three men claimed they were exercising the state's Civil War-era citizen's arrest statute when they attempted to detain Arbery.  Travis McMichael has also claimed he shot Arbery three times in self-defense. During a preliminary hearing last June on the state charges, Richard Dial, a special agent for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, testified that Bryan told investigators he heard Travis McMichael yell a racial slur at Arbery as he lay dying on the ground. Minutes before the fatal encounter, Arbery was recorded on surveillance video entering a home that was under construction in the Satilla Shores neighborhood, looking around and leaving empty-handed.  Attorneys for Arbery's mother said he could have been searching for a water source when he entered the construction site. On Monday, Georgia Gov.  Brian Kemp signed a law repealing the state's citizen's arrest statute, banning private citizens from arresting people they suspect committed a crime.  Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, attended Kemp's signing ceremony. "After the tragic killing of Ahmaud Arbery," Kemp said, "we knew that action was needed to ensure an antiquated, Civil-War era statute could not be used to justify rogue vigilantism in the Peach State. "24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Delhi: Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank holds meeting via video conferencing with State Education Ministers to discussing issues of COVID19, mid-day meals and Samagra Shiksha program. https://t.co/pzDgc13vse

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on Tuesday evening.  The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) tweeted that the address will take place at 8 pm.  Shri @narendramodi will be addressing the nation at 8 PM this evening. This will be PM Modi’s third address to the nation on the Covid-19 lockdown.  He had first announced the lockdown in his televised address to the nation on March 24, then announced its extension on April 14.  Apart from this, the Prime Minister had also addressed the nation as he asked the country to observe one-day Janta Curfew in March to break the cycle of infection. Also Watch | PM Modi meets CMs to discuss lockdown exit plan: Top 5 takeaways The Prime Minister announced the 21-day nationwide coronavirus lockdown on March 25 to break the chain of Covid-19 infections in the country. The address comes a day after PM Modi held a video-conference with chief ministers on the Covid-19 situation.  The Prime Minister said in the meeting that states will have greater say in determining the extent of restrictions and relaxations after May 17, within a broad national framework while underlining that India faced two challenges - reducing the transmission rate of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and resuming public activity gradually. He also emphasised that social distancing remains the “biggest weapon” against the virus till a vaccine is found, and suggested that the lockdown may not be lifted entirely. PM Modi also said that India now had a good sense of the spread of the disease, and urged states to carefully examine specific geographical areas to come up with a road map for the next phase of lockdown. “I am of the firm view that the measures needed in the first phase of lockdown were not needed during the second phase and similarly the measures needed in the third phase are not needed in the fourth,” PM Modi said at the meeting, according to news agency ANI. The country is in the third phase of lockdown which will end on May 17. At the meeting with chief ministers, PM Modi highlighted the importance of green zones in restarting economic activity, underlined that the full resumption of rail travel would not be possible, pointed out that India will have to use technology in imparting education and, more broadly, spoke about how the pandemic will change the world, just as the world wars did.  He said that the new principle of life would be “jan se lekar jag tak” (from an individual to the whole of humanity).


Cyclone Tauktae hit coastal parts of Goa. Visuals from Panaji https://t.co/qPGI0CnUjS

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday said that the flow from the Tehri dam was stopped to facilitate the smooth passage of rising waters on Rishiganga and Alaknanda rivers in view of the Chamoli flood situation. "Flow from Tehri dam was stopped to facilitate the smooth passage of rising waters on RishiGanga and Alaknanda.  All the villages and low lying areas on the banks were vacated and water flow from Srinagar dam was increased to manage higher water flows due to disaster," Rawat tweeted. He further said that the water flow in the Alaknanda River has become normal past Nandprayag and the water level of the river is now 1 meter above normal but the flow is decreasing. Rishiganga Power Project has been damaged due breach of a glacier in the Tapovan area.  People living on the bank of the Alaknanda River are advised to move to safe places at the earliest by the Chamoli Police. 100-150 people are feared to be dead in the flash flood in Chamoli following an avalanche near a power project at Raini village in the Tapovan area, Uttarakhand Chief Secretary OM Prakash said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that Chief Minister has spoken to him regarding the natural disaster in Uttarakhand.  All officers concerned are working on a war footing to rescue people. Chamoli district magistrate has instructed officials to evacuate people living in villages on the bank of the Dhauliganga River.  The district magistrate and the superintendent of police have left for the spot.


CLAIM A viral photo on social media shows massive crowds gathered at the Bulandshahr Ijtema (congregation), which concluded on 3 December.  The photo was shared by Facebook pages to portray the crowds that had purportedly gathered at the Ijtema.  The Bulandshshr Ijtema was a three-day Islamic congregation held between 1 and 3 December, which saw over 10 lakh Muslims come into the town for the vent, according to media reports.  The congregation was also attended by several people from even the Gulf nations, including preachers and scholars.  TRUE OR FALSE?  The image is certainly not from India, a simple Google reverse search proved.  The complete photo shows that the picture has been taken in an African nation.  Further, closer inspection of the attire and caps worn by the men in the crowds indicate that it is from an African nation.  PHOTO VIRAL SINCE 2016 Further, the photo has been viral on social media since at least 2016.  A second reverse image search of this image threw up results of a 2017 news report from Derwaza, Kuwait-based organisation claiming that the photo was from Tanzania.  Incidentally, the photo was also used by BD True News in a report dated 26 February 2018 to show crowds at the Aurangabad Ijtema.  Hence, while we are not able to ascertain which African nation the photo was shot in, it clearly is not from the Bulandshahr Ijtema.  NOT THE FIRST TIME This is hardly the first time that misleading photos have been used to exaggerate crowds at an event, both religious and political.  Earlier, photos from the Maratha stir that rocked Maharashtra in 2017 were passed off as crowds at the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s ‘Dharam Sabha’ that was held in Ayodhya on 25 November.  Not just that, an old image from a UP police campaign dating to May 2018 was used by Hindu groups to show police purportedly helping out Ram bhakts who were senior citizens.  (Not convinced of a story you came across on social media and want it verified?  Send us the details at WebQoof@TheQuint. com and we'll fact-check it for you.  You can also read all our fact-checked stories here. ) (At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience.  Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member.  Because the truth is worth it. )


West Bengal: Social distancing norms being followed and sanitisation being done at metro stations in Kolkata.

The state govt ordered to resume metro services today for NEET 2020 examination aspirants & their parents. https://t.co/kYlfSRwohB

The wheels of Kolkata Metro started rolling again with passengers on Sunday after nearly six months with special services for NEET examinees and their guardians. Regular passenger services will commence on Monday with social distancing measures and other safety protocols in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Metro official said. NEET aspirants, many accompanied by their guardians, queued up in front of metro stations to reach their examination centres well before 10 am when the first trains started from both ends of the North-South line -- Noapara and Kavi Subhash. The examinees and their guardians were allowed inside the stations upon showing the admit cards to police personnel posted at the entry gates. The candidates and their guardians went through thermal checking and sanitised their hands before buying paper tickets at the counters. The special services will continue till 7 pm at intervals of 15 minutes, officials said. Regular passenger services on the North-South and the East-West lines will commence on Monday. Officials said that 110 trains will be operated on the North-South line every day, except Sundays when the services will be shut for sanitisation of rakes and stations. The East-West Metro will also recommence services from September 14 between Sector V and Yuva Bharati Krirangan stations with 36 trains in each direction, they said.


Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met newly-elected Rajya Sabha MPs of BJP today. https://t.co/7GoWf6eOy6

Biswajit Das, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator who met West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in her chamber at the state assembly on February 8, stoking speculations on his return to his old party, on Friday accused BJP Lok Sabha MP Shantanu Thakur of misleading the Dalit Matua community, which the latter belongs to, about the new citizenship law. Das also accused Thakur of "blackmailing the BJP" on the citizenship issue. The MLA made the statements at a press conference, a day after Union home minister Amit Shah announced during his visit to North 24 Parganas district’s Thakurnagar, the headquarters of the Matua community, that the Centre will enforce the citizenship law once Covid-19 vaccination across the country is over and the pandemic ends. The Centre is in the process of framing laws for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act which the Parliament passed last year.  It offers citizenship to non-Muslims who entered India from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh before 2015.  CM Banerjee figures among the law’s staunch critics who insist that it is discriminatory and unconstitutional as it leaves out Muslims and links citizenship to faith in a secular country. “Shantanu Thakur is misleading the Matua community and pressuring the BJP leadership to enforce the new law as early as possible.  Why this rush?  The Matuas are simple people.  This is unfair.  Thakur is mobilising them for his political goal.  He is blackmailing the party,” Das, who represents the Bongaon North assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas, said. Also read: ‘Very important business’ - BJP issues 3-line whip to Lok Sabha membersThakur is the Bongaon Lok Sabha MP and one of the heads of the Matua Mahasangha. “His statement clearly shows who is blackmailing whom.  I did not introduce the CAA.  It was done by the Union home minister and his ministry.  Das has insulted Shah as well with such remarks.  He possibly wants to return to the TMC.  It was the Matua Mahasangha that decided who would address Thursday’s rally.  If I tried to stop him from attending the event how could he appear on the dais? ” Thakur told the media. The BJP wrested the Bongaon Lok Sabha seat in 2019 by fielding Thakur against his aunt and then sitting TMC MP Mamata Bala Thakur.  There has been a split in Matua votes since then.  Although the BJP won 18 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats, Hindu backward class voters are now crucial for the saffron camp.  The Matuas are a part of the three million strong Hindu Namasudra (Dalit) community that can influence poll results in around 80 of the state’s 294 assembly seats.  The BJP aims to win at least 200. The Matuas, who support Thakur, have demanded immediate implementation of the citizenship law since these people came to West Bengal as refugees from East Pakistan in 1947 and after the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War to escape religious persecution. There is resentment among a section of Bengal BJP leaders over the manner in which the rally Shah addressed was organised by the Matua community.  There was no BJP flag at the venue and many BJP leaders, including Das, were not given the opportunity to address the crowd.  Only the triangular yellow flags of the community were seen at the event. Seeking support of the Matuas in the coming polls, Shah also announced sops which he said would be delivered if the BJP comes to power in Bengal. “Some people are disgruntled because they were not allowed to speak and there were no BJP flags at the event.  But one has to understand that it was organised by the Matuas and not our party.  They invited Shah and some leaders.  Das is not leaving the BJP.  People are leaving the TMC and not joining it,” said BJP Bengal unit president Dilip Ghosh while making an effort to play down the wrangling.


West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee holds 'padyatra'  from Khudiram More to Thakur Chawk in Nandigram.

Mamata Banerjee is contesting from Nandigram constituency for #WestBengalElections2021 https://t.co/2yz1Jv4Rkw

In view of a glacier burst in Uttarakhand, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Sunday requested his counterpart Trivendra Singh Rawat to ensure immediate help and rescue of pilgrims from Gujarat stranded in the northern state. A part of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off at Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Sunday, leading to a massive flood in the Dhauli Ganga river and causing a large-scale devastation in the upper reaches of the ecologically fragile Himalayas. Rupani has also instructed Gujarat chief secretary Anil Mukim to contact the Uttarakhand administration and take immediate action in this regard, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a release. "In a telephonic conversation with the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Vijay Rupani has requested for immediate help and relief and to ensure rescue of the pilgrims from Gujarat trapped in the natural calamity at Chamoli Tapovan in Uttarakhand.  He also sought help in arranging treatment for the injured," it said. Several pilgrims from Gujarat are reportedly stranded afterthe glacier broke off at Joshimath. A pilgrim from Rajkot, Krishnaben Pancholi, told a Gujarati news channel over phone that a group of 50 pilgrims from Gujarat was instructed to return to Dehradun from Haridwar, while they were on the way towards Tapovan in Uttarakhand when the calamity struck. "We are safe.  We were going towards Srinagar and Tapowan when we received instruction from the authorities that we should go back towards Dehradun, where we are headed, leaving some of our baggage in Haridwar.  There is a high alert in Haridwar and Rishikesh," she said.


"Everyone was in the loop."

Gordon Sondland delivered his opening statement in the impeachment inquiry, testifying that Rudy Giuliani attempted to arrange a "quid pro quo" with Ukraine, and that he was "expressing the desires of the President." https://t.co/cnae5ihro9 https://t.co/RtZD4Zjl2c

US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, in his opening statement, made clear that some of President Donald Trump’s senior-most aides were aware of a link between US aid to Ukraine and the country opening investigations that would benefit Trump politically.

  “Everyone was in the loop,” he said.  “It was no secret. ”

  Here is what he says these officials knew, and what they’ve said before Wednesday’s testimony about their involvement:

What Sondland says: The ambassador’s own efforts to pressure Ukraine into opening the investigations came at the “express direction of the President of the United States. ”

  “We followed the President’s orders,” Sondland said.

What Trump has said: Trump has been adamant in his self-defense, insisting over and over there was “no quid pro quo” in Ukraine.

What Trump says now: Departing the White House on Wednesday, Trump continued to insist he’d told Sondland there was no “quid pro quo” with Ukraine.

  Quoting Sondland in his testimony, Trump said he told Sondland, “I want nothing.  That’s what I want from Ukraine.  That’s what I said.  I want nothing.  I said it twice. ”

What Sondland says: He told Pence in early September that he was concerned US aid to Ukraine was being tied to investigations into Trump’s political rivals.

What Pence has said: Under repeated questioning, Pence has refused to say whether he knew there was a link between US aid and investigations.  He’s denied ever linking the issues in his own conversations with Zelensky, and told CBS last month: “I can only tell you what I know, and what I know is that the transcript of the President’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shows that there was no quid pro quo. ”

What Pence’s office says now: In a statement released as Sondland was testifying, Pence’s chief of staff Marc Short said the vice president “never had a conversation with Gordon Sondland about investigating the Bidens, Burisma, or the conditional release of financial aid to Ukraine based upon potential investigations. ”

  “This alleged discussion recalled by Ambassador Sondland never happened,” Short said.

What Sondland says: Pompeo was kept apprised on his efforts in Ukraine, and cites emails to the top diplomat showing he raised the issue of linking aid to Ukraine with investigations.  Sondland also says “based on my communications with Secretary Pompeo,” he felt comfortable raising concerns about the linkage to a top aide to Zelensky.

What Pompeo has said: Asked on ABC in October about claims the White House conditioned US aid on investigations, Pompeo said: “I never saw that in the decision-making process that I was a part of. ”

  “The conversation was always around, what were the strategic implications?  Would that money get to the right place? ” he said.

What Pompeo’s office says now: On Wednesday, the State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus released a statement denying some of Sondland’s claims.

  “Gordon Sondland never told Secretary Pompeo that he believed the President was linking aid to investigations of political opponents,” she said as Pompeo was traveling in Brussels.  “Any suggestions to the contrary is flat out false. ”

What Sondland says: An email to Mulvaney on July 19 to set up a phone call between Trump and Zelensky made the alleged exchange clear.  Mulvaney responded that he was asking the National Security Council to arrange the call for the next day.

What Mulvaney has said: In a now-infamous news conference, Mulvaney confirmed there was a quid pro quo but downplayed its significance.  He later denied he said that.  He’s refused to be interviewed by congressional investigators.

What Sondland says: Perry was directly involved in carrying out the wishes of the President by working with Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani secure the investigations.

What Perry has said: Perry has denied any quid pro quo, including in an October 18 interview with Fox: “There was no quid pro quo in the sense of what those folks out there would like for it to be … I never heard that said anywhere, anytime in any conversation. ”

  He’s also refused to cooperate with the investigation.

What Perry’s office says now: Energy Department press secretary Shaylyn Hynes issued a statement Wednesday in response to Sondland’s testimony, saying the ambassador “misrepresented both Secretary Perry’s interaction with Rudy Giuliani and direction the Secretary received from President Trump. ”

What Sondland says: Like other witnesses, Sondland recalls a meeting in Bolton’s office on July 10 where he linked the investigations and a White House meeting for Ukraine’s Zelensky.  Sondland also says Bolton’s office requested Giuliani’s contact info before a visit to Kiev.

What Bolton has said: Bolton has remained silent as the impeachment proceeding advances.  He has refused congressional requests for an interview, and wants a judge to decide whether he should cooperate with investigators or follow the White House guidance not to comply.

  CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect Bolton has denied congressional interview requests but has not yet been subpoenaed for testimony.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


In Assam, BJP and ally AGP likely to leave own seats for other to retain power

(reports @utpal_parashar)

https://t.co/pv3V0Yz2kd https://t.co/DnALN6y66s

Faced with contests from two different fronts, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in Assam are trying to get their seat-sharing arithmetic right to retain power in the coming assembly polls to be held in April-May. A part of its announced plan to win 100 plus seats in the 126-member assembly, the alliance partners are engaged in talks and are likely to leave seats occupied by one to candidates from the other party in this election to increase chances of retaining them. In 2016, BJP had contested from 84 seats and won 60 them while AGP had fielded candidates in 24 seats and won 14 seats.  Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) which was part of the alliance had contested from 16 seats and won 12. Recently, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, senior minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP state president Ranjeet Kumar Dass and other office bearers met AGP president Atul Bora and working president Keshab Mahanta to discuss seat sharing for the polls. The plan to leave occupied seats for the alliance partner was reportedly devised at that meeting.  While the number of such seats has not been finalized yet, sources in both parties said it could be anywhere between 5 to 10 seats. Leaders from both parties said on condition of anonymity that some of the seats where this formula could be executed are Hajo, Palashbari, Raha, Batadraba, Biswanath (all with BJP) and Tezpur, Kamalpur, Barhampur, Naharkati etc.  (all held by AGP). “We have been organising rallies and meeting voters.  The response has been very encouraging even in seats where we don’t have any MLAs.  Based on our calculations, we should win more seats than 2016,” AGP president Atul Bora had said during an informal interaction few days ago. Based on their assessment AGP is reported to be seeking 40 seats this time, an increase of 16 seats from 2016. “Every party in the alliance can seek what they assume is right for them.  But we have to take several factors into account before allocation of seats.  Performance of AGP in the ‘panchayat’ polls and in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in the seats sought by them will be taken into account,” BJP national general secretary Dilip Saikia told journalists recently. The BJP-led alliance will face the ‘grand alliance’ of Congress, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Anchalik Gana Morcha and three Left parties as well as the newly formed front of Assam Jatiya Parishad and Raijor Dal. Since parting ways with BPF, the party is likely to join hands with United Peoples Party Liberal (UPPL), which is heading the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), for seat-sharing arrangement in the Bodo tribe dominated areas in Lower Assam.


While the telltale symptoms of coronavirus, including fever, dry cough and shortness of breath, have been well-publicized, there's been less information about the long-term health of people who contract COVID-19 and recover. https://t.co/4oUw8u3iDl

By Sandee LaMotte, CNNUpdated 7:58 AM ET, Tue March 31, 2020  (CNN)What are the telling signs that you may have the novel coronavirus which causes Covid-19?  Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr.  Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team. CNN's Jacqueline Howard contributed to this story.


CNN PROJECTION: Donald Trump wins Kansas, Utah, Louisiana and at least 3 of 5 electoral votes in Nebraska.

Joe Biden wins New Hampshire https://t.co/nEYXGlCG3R #CNNElection https://t.co/smVtz1tfjw

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


#LokSabhaElections2019 | BJP president @AmitShah's roadshow begins in North Kolkata

Follow LIVE updates here: https://t.co/7qk7wqTvPl

(Pictures: @BJP4India) https://t.co/FDjjTeF6Y0

In the run-up to the seventh and final phase of polling of Lok Sabha elections 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will address multiple rallies on Tuesday.  PM Modi will hold public meetings at Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, Buxar and Sasaram in Bihar, and Chandigarh in Punjab, all of which will witness polling in the last phase of elections on May 19.  Meanwhile, Gandhi will be speaking at election meetings in Neemuch, Khandwa and Tarana districts of Madhya Pradesh.  Polling in these regions will also be held in the final phase.  BJP national chief Amit Shah is also scheduled to hold roadshow in West Bengal.  As campaigning for Lok Sabha polls has entered its last leg, political parties have stepped up their attack against each other in a bid to outdo one another.  : PM Modi says, ‘Congress has insulted the middle class of the country. ’PM Modi in Chandigarh, says Congress believes that the middle class of this country is greedy.  A two-wheeler was set on fire right at the gates of Vidyasagar College about a km from Calcutta University. No policemen were seen in front of Vidyasagar College when the motorbike was set ablaze.  Later cops rushed to the scene to bring the situation under control. PM Modi attacks Mani Shankar Aiyar and Sam PitrodaPM tells the public in Chandigarh that ousting of Aiyar was farcical.  Meanwhile, scuffle breaks out during BJP Chief Shah’s rally in KolkataDozens of supporters who gathered to cheer for Shah, tried to move through the guardrails manned by cops in a bid to erect a shield between them and Trinamool Congress Chattra Parishad (TMCP) supporters, who stood on the other side of the road waving black flags and shouting “Go back Amit Shah” and “Chowkidar Chor Hai” slogans. ‘Congress is annoyed that a ‘chaiwala’ is bringing reforms’: PM Modi in ChandigarhPM Modi says International Solar alliance, one mobility card are his tools to bring about transparency in governance.  PM Modi lauds RuPay Card and BHIM App in ChandigarhPM says, India has become a destination for digital business.  PM Modi coins the term JAM - Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhar Number, and Mobile Number, the three pillars of India’s growing digital story. PM Modi starts his public address in ChandigarhPM says it is an amalgamation of ‘kisan’ and ‘jawan’ at the gathering.  People holding Jai Maa Kali, Jai Shree Ram placards line up along side the moving rally. Pictures of RSS Leader Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Swami Vivekananda can be seen on a few other trucks.  Modi chants intensify as the roadshow marches ahead.  BJP Chief Amit Shah being led by a sea of supporters clad in BJP coloursAmit Shah pumps his fist, crowds chant ‘PM kaisa ho, Modi jaisa ho’ in synchrony with Shah’s fist bumps. Rahul to PM Modi, ‘I’m ready to come to your home to question you on Rafale.  In Parliament, he couldn’t look me in the eye when I had raised the issue. ’Rahul Gandhi says, that he is a soldier of Congress.  He reiterates that he will reciprocate the PM’s hatred with love. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi and CM Kamal Nath claim former CM Shivraj Singh’s kin benefitted from farm loan waivers launched by MP GovtRahul Gandhi said, that Congress Govt has paid of debts that farmers accumulated during Shivraj’s tenure.  He holds up a paper to the audience with names of the people who have benefitted from the farm loan waivers. People dressed as Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman at Amit Shah’s rallyTableaux highlighting the culture of various parts of the state and country were seen moving ahead of the convoy.  People dressed as Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman were also seen in the rally. Rally from Esplanade area to North KolkataThe rally started at around 4. 30 p m from Esplande area in central Kolkata to Swami Vivekananda’s house in north Kolkata.  Shah stood atop a decorated truck along with BJP’s Kolkata north and Kolkata south candidates Rahul Sinha and Chandra Kumar Bose respectively and was seen waving at the crowds. Hundreds gather for Amit Shah’s roadshow in KolkataAmit Shah begins his road show in Kolkata West Bengal: More #visuals from BJP President Amit Shah's roadshow in Kolkata pic. twitter. com/wvD9TRGOUaPriyanka Gandhi’s Himachal rally cancelled due to bad weather“Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s public rally in Himachal Pradesh’s Sundernagar has been cancelled as her chopper could not take off from Kangra airport as IMD had forecast bad weather between Kangra-Sundernagar, the pilot has also filed a report, said Congress’s Anand Sharma.  Congress, RJD want to keep the nation in dark: PM Modi“Be it Congress or RJD, there’s a problem with their thinking.  They just want to keep the nation in the dark,” said PM Modi in Bihar‘Mahamilawat won’t win, only venting out anger by abusing’: PM Modi“The Mahamilawat won’t win anyway, they are only trying to vent out their anger by abusing,” said PM Narendra Modi while addressing a poll rally in Bihar’s Buxar.  PM Modi addresses poll rally in Bihar’s BuxarPrime Minister Narendra Modi is currently addressing a rally in Bihar’s Buxar .  ‘When it rains in India, do all aircraft disappear’: Rahul Gandhi“Narendra Modi says that he told officers and Air Chief of Air Force that It’ll (Balakot strike despite cloud cover) be beneficial, as the radar won’t be able to track aircraft in bad weather.  Narendra Modi ji, whenever it rains in India, do all the aircraft disappear from the radar,” said Congress chief Rahul Gandhi while addressing a public meeting in Madhya Pradesh’s Neemuch.  Rahul Gandhi slams PM over his ‘cloud benefit’ remark on IAF strikeCongress national president Rahul Gandhi mocked PM Modi who had Saturday outlined in a television interview how the government had decided to go ahead with the strike at Jaish-e-Mohammed’s biggest terror training camp despite a cloud cover. “The weather suddenly turned bad.  There was a doubt about whether we can strike in bad weather.  During a review (of the Balakot plan), experts said what if we change the date.  I had two issues in mind.  One was secrecy. . .  second, I said I have a raw vision, the clouds can benefit us too.  We can escape the radar.  Everyone was confused.  Ultimately I said there are clouds. . .  let’s proceed,” the Prime Minister had told News Nation on Saturday. Terrorists now hiding and praying to get Modi removed: PM“The terrorists who would earlier proudly roam about displaying their weapons in Pakistan, they are now hiding and are praying to get Modi removed,” said PM Modi while addressing a poll rally in UP’s Ballia.  Don’t want children to inherit backwardness or poverty: PM Modi“I don’t want your children to inherit backwardness or poverty,” said PM Narendra Modi in Ballia.  I don’t ask for any votes in the name of caste: PM Modi“I don’t ask for votes in the name of caste,” said PM Narendra Modi while addressing a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia.  ‘Modi vs who in 2019’ asks Rajnath Singh“Unlike 2014, Modi vs who in 2019”, asked Union home minister Rajnath Singh while addressing a press conference.  Not a single person from BJP will join any other party: BS Yeddyurappa“Not a single person from BJP will join any other party.  After May 23, more than 20 Congress MLAs who are not happy with HD Kumaraswamy will not continue in the party,” said BJP’s BS Yeddyurappa on Congress leader KC Venugopal’s statement that many BJP MLAs in Karnataka would join Congress after May 23, reported news agency ANI.  PM Modi to shortly address rally in UP’s BalliaIn last phase of campaigning for Lok Sabha polls 2019, PM Narendra Modi will shortly address a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia.  ‘PM’s boat is sinking’: MayawatiBahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, keeping up her attack on Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday said, “Modi government’s boat is sinking,” as the Lok Sabha elections 2019 entered the last lap with phase 7 voting scheduled on May 19. “PM Modi government’s boat is sinking, it appears that even RSS has stopped supporting them.  In view of unfulfilled election promises and the public agitation, their swayamsevaks are not being seen putting in the work, it has made Shri Modi nervous,” the BSP chief tweeted. This comes a day after the two leaders sparred over alleged atrocities on Dalits. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit out at Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, accusing her of “shedding crocodile tears” over an alleged gang rape in Rajasthan’s Alwar and dared her party to withdraw support from the Congress government in that state.


The full list of 2019 #Oscars winners: https://t.co/rGTRzI650K https://t.co/sF0SiT9twR

By Chloe Melas, CNNUpdated 0909 GMT (1709 HKT) February 25, 2019  (CNN)The 91st Academy Awards was a night marked by historic firsts, inclusiveness and a final twist.


"I want to assure the entire northeast on the statehood day of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram that no one can remove Article 371," @AmitShah said

https://t.co/tKejyhfqLb

Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that the Centre will not scrap Article 371 of the Constitution, which accords special provision to most states in northeast to preserve their tribal culture. “Following revocation of Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir in August last year, some people spread rumours that Article 371 would also be scrapped.  Today I want to assure the entire northeast on the statehood day of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram that no one can remove Article 371 and there’s no such thought on it,” he said at a public meeting at Indira Gandhi Park in state capital Itanagar. Shah had given the same assurance during his visit to Guwahati in September last year where he took part in a meeting of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the BJP-led anti-Congress front in the region. Watch | ‘Article 371 won’t be removed’: Amit Shah assures Arunachal Pradesh Thursday’s event was attended by Governor BD Mishra, union minister for Development of Northeast Region (DONER) Jitendra Singh, union minister for sports Kiren Rijiju, chief minister Pema Khandu, deputy CM Chowna Mein and convenor of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) Himanta Biswa Sarma. “In the last 6 years, development in Arunachal Pradesh has seen fast pace due to collaborative efforts of the government at Centre led by Narendra Modi and the state government headed by Pema Khandu,” Shah said.  Shah launched the state’s new industrial policy, inaugurated the Joram-Koloriang road constructed by Border Roads Organisation, laid foundation stones of the new police headquarters, housing complex for senior officers, a new truck terminal and flagged off sanitation vehicles. The union home minister listed the development projects initiated by the Centre in northeast and specifically in Arunachal Pradesh in the past five years.  He also listed the steps taken by the Khandu-led government. “Our government has sanctioned road construction projects worth more than Rs 50,000 crore in Arunachal Pradesh.  An IIT campus in the state worth Rs 430 crores has also been sanctioned,” Shah said. Though it was the home minister’s first visit to the state after protests against the amended citizenship law started in Assam and other states of the region in December last year, he did not say anything on the issue. In his speech, CM Khandu thanked Shah for approving the Hollongi airport — foundation stone of which was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year — and keeping the state outside the purview of Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). “Despite completing 33 years of statehood, Arunachal Pradesh doesn’t have a separate cadre for IAS and IPS.  We need a dedicated team of bureaucrats as ours is a state full of challenges as well as potential,” Khandu said. Arunachal Pradesh became a full-fledged state on February 20, 1987.  Till 1972, it was known as the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA).  In 1972, it became a union territory and was named Arunachal Pradesh.  Mizoram, another northeastern state, also gained statehood on the same day 34 years ago.


Jammu & Kashmir: Pakistan violates ceasefire along the LoC in Nowshera sector, Rajouri. Indian Army retaliating. https://t.co/FDOUVfyKwi

Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, prompting retaliation by the Indian Army, officials said. “At about 9. 00 pm Friday, Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation starting with firing of small arms followed by shelling with mortar along the LoC in Nowshera sector,” a Public Relation Officer (Defence) said. There was no loss of life or injury to anyone in the firing and shelling, he said. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.  Only the headline has been changed. )


BJP may soon begin seat-sharing talks with allies in Bihar

(reports @swaroop_vijay)

https://t.co/Oagrbno4v1 https://t.co/S8rbj1Ygdf

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may begin seat-sharing talks with allies in poll-bound Bihar after its two-day state executive committee meeting that begins on Saturday.  J P Nadda, the party chief, and BJP’s Bihar election in-charge, Devendra Fadnavis, and state in-charge Bhupendra Yadav will hold talks with chief minister Nitish Kumar and other top leaders of his Janata Dal (United), or JDU, in Patna next week. A BJP leader said with elections likely to be announced in mid-September, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will have to sort out the alliance issues and decide the seats to be contested by each party as soon as possible.  He said it was particularly important because of disagreements between the JD (U) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), the other NDA constituent. The seat-sharing will be discussed at the state executive committee meeting.  “This is an important meeting which will begin with the address of Fadnavis.  A political resolution will be passed on the first day and party national president [Nadda] will address the meeting on the concluding day,” said state BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal.  “The meeting will plan the strategy for the assembly polls besides expanding the party’s organization. ”People aware of the matter said two to three formulas were under consideration.  BJP leaders believe that after distributing seats among allies, the BJP and JD (U) should get theirs on the 50-50 basis as was the case during the 2019 national polls.  “HAM-S [Hindustani Awam Morcha], which is likely to align with the JD (U), is likely to get seven seats… it will leave 115 seats for the JD (U).  The BJP has been asked to adjust LJP from its quota and it is demanding no less than 42 seats,” said a person on condition of anonymity. The assembly elections in Bihar are due in October-November. The Election Commission on Friday released a set of broad guidelines for holding elections amid the Covid-19 pandemic.  HT reported on Wednesday that the poll watchdog was finalising the guidelines to hold the first set of elections, especially in Bihar, after the pandemic disrupted electoral processes. The elections in Bihar are crucial to the BJP after it lost power in Maharashtra, and Jharkhand last year despite forming the government at the Centre with a bigger majority.


President Trump, still seething over a major firefighter's union's endorsement of Joe Biden, launched nearly 60 retweets by 6:30 a.m. ET today to emphasize that he believes he's the champion of blue-collar workers https://t.co/o4VPNTqxgf https://t.co/mXjkbqo18T

It's the latest development in the confrontational Trump-Biden relationship. Trump takes aim at 2020 democratic frontrunnersPresident Donald Trump went on a Twitter spree Wednesday morning in attempt to show that he has support from firefighters after former Vice President Joe Biden, the newest 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, netted an endorsement from one of the nation's largest firefighter unions last week. The International Association of Fire Fighters, a union that represents more than 300,000 firefighters, endorsed Biden last week.  The endorsement was a loss for Trump and a sign that Biden may put up a strong fight for middle class voters who propelled Trump to his 2016 victory. To push back on the endorsement, Trump retweeted about 60 Twitter users in less than an hour who said they supported him over Biden.  Each of the users the president retweeted were responding to a tweet in support of Trump from a conservative radio host. But it was unclear if each response from the nearly 60 strangers that were retweeted to Trump's 59. 9 million followers were legitimate accounts or not -- a continuous question as another presidential election nears and the magnitude of social media disinformation grows. Whom did the president retweet? Of the users Trump retweeted Wednesday morning, one account clearly used "very carefully crafted verbatim content" directed at particular users and frequently used by coordinated disinformation campaigns, according to an analysis by Darren Linvill, an associate professor at Clemson University who researches social media and disinformation coordination, including the Russian Internet Research Agency. Another user Trump retweeted was determined to likely be a bot, according to a tool developed by students at the University of California at Berkeley that tracks patterns of political bots. A third user concerned Linvill for a different reason.  Four days before her account was retweeted by the president, a Twitter user named Kimberly tweeted at Customs and Border Patrol that its agents should take two MS-13 gang members apprehended at the Southern border "outback" and "eliminate them for their own good. ""Even if they are not disinformation, even if each of these is an individual person, a lot of them are still really questionable as to why the president would elevate their perspective," Linvill said.  "It's concerning to me that the president of the United States would retweet someone without having any knowledge of who they are because like it or not, a retweet can be perceived as an endorsement. "For Linvill and his team, the president's engagement with potential bots or accounts spreading disinformation is just a portion of a problem that is going to be "orders of magnitude worse than it was in 2016. " For example, Linvill and his partner at Clemson, associate professor of economics Patrick Warren, recently flagged the most popular tweet from an IRA-run account that they'd seen to date, after analyzing roughly 3 million English language tweets known to be affiliated with the Russian agency.  The tweet had 400,000 likes.  On average, the tweets the president retweeted on Wednesday morning were liked by less than 10,000 users. “It shows how organic coordination disinformation can appear and how really, really good they are.  If they can fool educated, intelligent, media savy individuals then they can certainly fool my grandma, my children and me for that matter,” Linvill said. On the road to 2020, Twitter is a frequent arena for Trump and BidenAt a campaign event in Iowa Wednesday afternoon, Biden said he'd been made aware of the tweets. "I understand the president has been tweeting about me.  Wonder what the hell that is about," Biden said.  A supporter in the crowd yelled that it was because Trump "doesn't have anything else to do," prompting laughter from Biden. Trump's comments on the firefighter's union endorsement Wednesday, when he said he had done more for firefighters than the "dues sucking union" and gets paid "ZERO," followed a back-and-forth with Biden on the endorsement last week. The IAFF chose not to endorse a candidate for president in 2016 but endorsed former President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.  A a union survey in 2016 showed support for Trump from IAFF union members. IAFF president Harold Schaitberger stood behind the union's endorsement of Biden despite membership support for Trump in an interview with ABC News last week. In 2016, “Biden wasn’t in the ballot," Schaitberger said. "That’s a big distinction from then and now.  He has 40 years of supporting firefighters in every single way, whether it is jobs money to protect their jobs during the Great Recession, or whether it's providing support for their families with the public officers death benefit bill," he said. "He also has an accomplishment of leadership and experience," Schaitberger added.  "This is about a track record of service and delivery for the American people and for workers – and those workers will be voting in the states that matter: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan.  Joe Biden will connect. "Trump first went on the attack a few hours after Schaitberger announced the union's support for Biden, calling Schaitberger "the Dues Sucking firefighters leadership" and saying union support will always go to Democrats, "even though the membership wants me. "Biden responded to Trump's attack tweeting "I'm sick of this President badmouthing unions.  Labor built the middle class in this country.  Minimum wage, overtime pay, the 40-hour week: they exist for all of us because unions fought for those rights. "He added, "We need a president who honors them and their work. "ABC News' Devin Dwyer contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


The move came against the backdrop of a tense standoff between Indian and Chinese border troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

(reports  @JayaswalRajeev)

https://t.co/dmQHErHyFK

The sale of Chinese goods on the dedicated online trading platform for state-run agencies – Government e-Marketplace (GeM) – will now be difficult as the government has made it mandatory for sellers to mention the country of origin of products, officials said on Tuesday.  According to the officials, who requested anonymity, the new feature was added to the online marketplace so buyers can make informed decisions and avoid Chinese products. The move came against the backdrop of a tense standoff between Indian and Chinese border troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).  Calls for the boycott of Chinese goods and services have increased since 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent face-off with Chinese troops on June 15. While registration of new sellers is applicable with immediate effect, a specific mention of the country of origin will be mandatory for existing users. A commerce ministry statement said: “Sellers, who had already uploaded their products before the introduction of this new feature on GeM, are being reminded regularly to update the Country of Origin, with a warning that their products shall be removed from GeM if they fail to update the same. ”GeM, a special purpose vehicle under the commerce ministry, has taken this significant step to promote the Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat schemes, it said. The platform has also enabled a provision for indicating the percentage of local content in products in order to promote local goods, it added. “With this new feature, now, the Country of Origin as well as the local content percentage are visible in the marketplace for all items.  More importantly, the ‘Make in India’ filter has now been enabled on the portal.  Buyers can choose to buy only those products that meet the minimum 50% local content criteria,” the statement said. GeM is dedicated to promote the Make in India initiative.  The marketplace has facilitated the entry of small local sellers in public procurement. “GeM is enabling quick, efficient, transparent and cost-effective procurement, especially in this hour of need when government organisations require products and services urgently to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic,” it said. Purchases through GeM by government users have been authorised and made mandatory by the finance ministry in 2017. The e-market for different goods and services is a dedicated procurement portal for government organisations and public sector companies.  It aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.  It provides tools such as e-bidding, reverse e-auction and demand aggregation to facilitate government users achieve the best value for their money.


CLAIM A viral post claims that 68 journalists, writers and bureaucrats are given two to five lakhs per month to write against Prime Minister Narendra Modi through data analytics company Cambridge Analytica.  The message is being attributed to an article published on fake news website Postcard News.  Though the article does not reveal the names of the 68 journalists, the viral message accompanying the article carries a list of names.  Several social media users have shared the aforementioned article on Twitter and Facebook.  TRUE OR FALSE?  The claims made in this viral post are totally false.  The Quint reached out to some of the journalists who feature in the list.  Siddharth Varadarajan, Founding Editor, The Wire and Ravish Kumar, Senior Executive Editor at NDTV India flatly denied the claim and termed it fake news.  Harsh Mander, a social activist, also featured in the list, opined on how people are not able to take dissent and termed such messages as nothing but “futile imagination. ” Aakar Patel, a writer and columnist based in Bengaluru who is also the executive director at Amnesty India is another one among the list of 68 journalists.  He questioned the individuals who are spreading these names.  A closer look at the list also showed that the names of the people mentioned in the list are spelt wrong.  For instance, it is Shekhar Gupta and not ‘Sekhar Gupta’; Ravish Kumar and not ‘Rabies Kumar,’ among others.  Fake news debunker BOOM had on 28 May 2018 busted the news but the names of the journalists had not been revealed then.  (Not convinced of a story you came across on social media and want it verified?  Send us the details at WebQoof@TheQuint. com and we'll fact-check it for you.  You can also read all our fact-checked stories here. ) (At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience.  Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member.  Because the truth is worth it. )


Punjab: Few Pakistani nationals who were stuck in India due to #COVID19 lockdown crossed over to Pakistan via Attari-Wagah border today.

"I came in March & got stuck here due to lockdown. I thank MEA & Pakistan High Commission for helping me," says a Karachi resident. https://t.co/X4oINuIP79

Several Pakistani nationals, who were stranded in India due to the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown, crossed over to the neighbouring country through the Attari-Wagah border on Thursday. One of the Karachi residents, Salma Chaudhary, who was stranded in India said that she faced a lot of problems due to the pandemic and lockdown but thanked the Ministry of External Affairs and Pakistan High Commission for helping her. “I came on March for 15 days for the renewal of my passport and got stuck here due to lockdown.  I also faced some problems, but finally, I am going home today.  I thank MEA and Pakistan High Commission for helping me,” Chaudhary told ANI here. The Karachi resident said that she is an Indian married to a Pakistani national. “My family, including my husband and seven-year-old son, lives in Pakistan.  I am feeling quite excited as I am going back home after months and am going to meet them,” she added.


CNN PROJECTION: Donald Trump wins Montana https://t.co/jM822pHkzK #CNNElection https://t.co/U3UpH1R7gb


110-yrs-old Kalitara Mandal, the oldest voter of Delhi, casts her vote for #DelhiElections2020, at SDMC Primary School, Chittaranjan Park in Greater Kailash assembly constituency https://t.co/AVBeQmkrpc https://t.co/sqGFT1kyHy

Kalitara Mandal, the oldest voter of Delhi at 110, cast her ballot on Saturday in Greater Kailash assembly constituency of Delhi, where elections are being held to elect the 70-member house. Mandal, who voted at SDMC Primary School in Chittaranjan Park, was welcomed by poll officials with flowers as they picked her up from her home.  She will also be dropped back, officials said. Mandal, who hails from Barishal which is now in south-central Bangladesh, has said she remembered voting in pre-Independence India and in the Lok Sabha elections held last year. She is among the more than 130 centenarian voters eligible to exercise their franchise in the Delhi assembly election on Saturday. “I will vote till I am alive.  I had first voted before the Partition while I still lived in Barishal,” said Mandal. Mandal has said she did not remember whom she voted for before the Partition, but she recalled voting for former prime minister Indira Gandhi after Independence. “After the Partition, we lived in a refugee camp for a long time.  We were then given a place in Chhattisgarh and we moved there.  I remember the hand (Congress’ party symbol) party coming to the doorsteps of the people who had just moved,” she said in an interview with HT. Mandal came to Delhi when her eldest son moved here in 1978 and became a permanent resident after her second son moved here and set up a business in 1984. When asked if she knows the current political leaders in Delhi, she said she only knows “hath” or hand and “phool” or flower - the election symbols of two political parties. The office of the Delhi chief electoral officer (CEO) had identified 150 centenarian voters but the number was revised after physical verification was revised to 132–68 men and 64 women. The highest number of centenarians, 21, was found in West Delhi district and the lowest, seven, in New Delhi district, the official said.  Bachchan Singh, 111, the oldest voter in the 2019 elections in the city who lived in Tilak Nagar, died last December. Delhi poll officials had identified 96 centenarian voters in the city, and women had outnumbered men in that category, in the last parliamentary elections.


Celebrating #InternationalYogaDay, Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel (@ITBP_official) perform yoga at an altitude of 18,000 feet in northern Ladakh in minus 20 Degrees Celsius temperature.

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

📸: ANI

#YogaDay2019
#InternationalDayofYoga https://t.co/DWKQgTC25y

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


Claim: “Once in a while you come across such pictures and realise just how privileged you are, we are. Aftermath of cyclone Amphan, Bengal.”

Claim: “Once in a while you come across such pictures and realise just how privileged you are, we are.  Aftermath of cyclone Amphan, Bengal. ” A photo of a child taking food while drowned in water around is going viral on social media with people claiming it to be from the recent Cyclone Amphan.  The particular post has over 2500 shares, captioned, “Once in a while you come across such pictures and realise just how privileged you are, we are.  Aftermath of cyclone Amphan, Bengal”   The words, “Aftermath of cyclone Amphan, Bengal. ” have been removed by the user, but the archive can be seen for the original post.    Archive Archive Even after seeing this, if you feel like indulging in dirty politics, that's on you.  But if you think humanity supercedes everything, then a request from Bengal to all the leaders.  Stand by Bengal.  Support & encourage our CM @MamataOfficial It's time for empathy & compassion.  pic. twitter. com/65Bb3Y3FMQ — Raj chakraborty (@iamrajchoco) May 23, 2020  #Secular India*#Brand West Bengal*#Amphan When all quiet on the 'politics' front,they always submissive and get ready for next ploy to divert attention for anything else than to solve the burning problems. When Modi & Mamata Banerjee r clapping to each other,people is in agony.  pic. twitter. com/Yskton8E7Y — SUNDAR DUTTA (@SUNDARmyth) May 22, 2020  Archive Lives, homes, livelihoods destroyed by #CycloneAmphan pic. twitter. com/O3aFeQyepx — Shomik sengupta (@shomik_s) May 22, 2020  Archive


A Facebook user who goes by the name 'Tiku Sahu' posted a photo of a man donning what looks like a suicide vest with a long caption in Hindi that closely translates to, "It's not for nothing that Doval was exploring lanes and bylanes when you and I were sleeping

Yesterday, National Investigation Agency (NIA), with the help of Delhi Police and Uttar Pradesh Police, raided Delhi's Seelampur and UP's Amroha and arrested 16 people.  One among them was an engineering student, some were welders, and some auto-rickshaw drivers.  In the raid, a rocket launcher was recovered from Seelampur, and from other regions, some 25 kilo of explosives, 150 phones, 300 SIM cards, 200 alarm clocks, iron pipes, along with Rs 8 lakh in cash were recovered.  Big welding machines were being used to make pipe bombs.  Suicide vests and time bombs were also found.  Auto drivers were delivering these raw materials.  The gang's leader said their handler is in Dubai.  If you consider these 'just riots', you are very naive.  This is war! " Here is the Facebook post that has already been shared over a thousand times.  The post was made on March 2, 2020.  The caption places the photo of the suicide bomber and a raid conducted by NIA with the help of Delhi Police and UP Police in the context of the violence that ensued in northeast Delhi from February 23, 2020.  The photo is being widely shared on WhatsApp as well, along with the same claim.  TRUTHThe photo and the claim made in the caption that is being shared with it have nothing to do with the violence that happened in northeast Delhi in February, 2020.  The photo of the suicide bomber has been on the internet from 2010.  The incident mentioned in the claim is partially correct but is from 2018.  VERIFICATION AND METHODOLOGYWe ran reverse-image search on the photo on different search engines.  While Google reverse-image search led us to an article published on a website called avapress. com, titled '6 suicide attackers detained in Paktika', that carried a cropped version of the photo in question, TinEye reverse-image search showed a link to an article with the photo, published on November 7, 2010.  As per the website, the photo is of a Taliban suicide bomber, arrested in Afghanistan.  It is clear that the photo used in the context of Delhi violence is an old image available on the internet.  Times Fact Check then ran searches on Google using relevant keywords identified from the caption that is being shared along with the photo and found reports from 2018 about a raid conducted by NIA, in collaboration with Delhi and UP Police, in 17 places in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.  An India Today report titled '5 arrested, 10 detained in NIA raids across Delhi, UP to bust new IS terror module', published on December 26, 2018, said NIA arrested five people and detained 10 after raiding 16 locations in Delhi and UP to bust a new Islamic State module called 'Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam'.  A BBC Hindi report we found about the same raid, published on December 27, 2018, said, NIA raided 17 places in Delhi and UP, arrested 10 people and detained another six.  While the BBC report said NIA recovered a rocket launcher, over 100 mobile phones and some seven lakh rupees in cash, India Today report said pistols, ammonium nitrate and material used to make Improvised Explosive Device (IED) were recovered by NIA.  It is clear that the incident mentioned in the claim is hence partially true, but is one from 2018, and has nothing to do with Delhi violence.