RIVANCH

A top Facebook India official turned a blind eye to hate speech by a BJP leader and three other “Hindu nationalist individuals and groups” to avoid damaging the social media platform’s business prospects,  The Wall Street Journal   reported. The newspaper reported that citing business imperatives, Facebook’s top public policy executive in India, Ankhi Das, is “opposed applying hate-speech rules” to at least four individuals and groups linked with the BJP despite the fact that they were “flagged internally for promoting or participating in violence.” Das, the public policy director of Facebook’s India, South and Central Asia division since 2011, has the task of overseeing “a team that decides what content is allowed on the platform”, the WSJ reported in its article entitled Facebook's Hate-Speech Rules Collide With Indian Politics. The report referred to a hate speech — calling for violence against minorities — allegedly by Telangana BJP MLA T Raja Singh, a BJP MLA in the Telanga

Washington:  Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden asserted that if elected, his administration will stand with New Delhi in confronting the threats it faces and called for strengthening the "bond" between India and the US. Presidential elections in the US will held on 3 November and the 77-year-old is challenging the incumbent Donald Trump. "Fifteen years ago, I was leading the efforts to approve the historic civil nuclear deal with India. I said that if the US and India became closer friends and partners, then the world will be a safer place," Biden, who was vice-president in the Obama administration, said while addressing the Indian-American community on India's Independence Day. If elected president, Biden said, he will continue to believe this and also continue to stand with India against the threats it faces from its own region and along its borders. He said that he will work on expanding two-way trade between the two nations and take on big global

New Delhi:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart KP Sharma Oli held a telephonic conversation on Saturday, in the first high-level contact after bilateral ties came under severe strain following the issuance of a new political map by Nepal in May. Oli called up Modi and greeted the government and people of India on the country's 74th Independence Day, an official statement said in New Delhi. It said Oli also conveyed to Modi his congratulations for India's recent election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Modi offered India's continued support to Nepal in its fight against the pandemic and recalled the civilizational and cultural links that the two countries share, it said. "The leaders expressed mutual solidarity in the context of the efforts being made to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in both countries. Prime Minister offered India''s continued support to Nepal in this regard," the statement sai

A little over a week after a six-year-old was kidnapped and raped in Uttar Pradesh's Hapur, now a teenager has been raped and murdered in the state's Lakhimpur Kheri district, according to several media reports. Police said two men have been arrested. Police told  Indian Express   the teen was sexually assaulted and killed, her eyes gouged and tongue slit. Her body was found in a sugarcane field allegedly owned by one of the accused, as per the report. The incident occurred in a village close to the Nepal border when the girl went missing after leaving her home for some errands on Friday afternoon, Indian Express reported. NDTV   reported that police said the post-mortem confirmed rape and an FIR has been registered on charges of murder. The district police chief said that charges will also be filed under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to rape, POCSO Act and the stringent National Security Act, as per the NDTV report. Former Uttar Pradesh chief

09:00 (IST) Coronavirus in Russia LATEST Updates Russia produces first batch of virus vaccine, says health ministry Russia said Saturday that it has produced the first batch of its coronavirus vaccine, after President Vladimir Putin announced it had been first in the world to approve a vaccine, reports AFP. Putin's announcement on Tuesday about the vaccine was met with caution from scientists and the World Health Organization who said it still needed a rigorous safety review. "The first batch of the novel coronavirus vaccine developed by the Gamaleya research institute has been produced," the health ministry said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies. 08:55 (IST) Coronavirus in India LATEST Updates Health ID for all: PM promises ambitious National Digital Health Mission in I-Day speech Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday unveiled an ambitious National Digital Health Mission under which every Indian will get a health ID that will ease access to me

Bihar on Saturday became the eighth state in the country to have reported more than one lakh COVID-19 cases, marking a 10-fold rise in its tally within a period of a month and a half. The state's COVID-19 death toll rose to 515 after 15 people succumbed to the disease, a bulletin issued by the department said. With 3,536 fresh infections, the total caseload of Bihar has gone up to 1,01,906, it said. The state also conducted record 1.61 lakh sample tests in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are the other seven states that had reported more than one lakh coronavirus cases. Bihar had breached the 1,000-mark on 1 July and the number of positive cases has risen at an explosive rate since then. The health department, however, insisted that the spike has been, to a large extent, on account of a huge improvement in the testing rate during the period. The testing rate in Bihar used to be under 10,000 per day till a

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker was allegedly beaten to death in the Khanakul area of West Bengal's Hooghly district after clashes broke out between two groups over hoisting of the Tricolour on Independence Day, said reports. The BJP has alleged that the 40-year-old party worker, identified as Sudarshan Pramanik, was killed by members of the ruling Trinamool Congress Party (TMC). However, the TMC has denied these allegations and blamed in-fighting within the saffron party for Pramanik's death. According to a report in The Indian Express , there is heavy deployment of police in the area as the situation remains tense. The police have also detained eight persons in connection to the case. “A clash broke out between locals over hoisting the Indian flag at Khanakul in the morning. A man was killed when he was attacked with bamboo sticks. We have detained eight persons for interrogation,” the Hindustan Times  quoted Tathagata Basu, Superintendent of Police of Hooghly distr

Scientists are working hard on coronavirus vaccine and if their efforts bear fruit, COVID-19 warriors will be the first ones to get the dose, Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey said on Saturday. Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, he also hailed the National Digital Health Mission unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation. "This is a historic day for the country's health sector. On the auspicious occasion of our Independence Day, our PM announced this mission. This will bring widespread change in the field of health," Choubey said. Modi on Saturday unveiled the ambitious National Digital Health Mission under which every Indian will get a health ID that will ease access to medical services and he also announced that the country has made plans for mass-producing COVID-19 vaccine once scientists give a green signal. "Our scientists are working very hard on

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday unveiled an ambitious National Digital Health Mission under which every Indian will get a health ID that will ease access to medical services and also announced that the country has made plans for mass-producing COVID-19 vaccine once scientists give a green signal. In his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the prime minister said the health ID will store every individual's medical records and the Mission will herald a new revolution in the health sector. "From today, a major campaign is being launched in which technology will play a big role. The National Digital Health Mission is being launched today. This will bring a new revolution in India's health sector and it will help reduce problems in getting treatment with the help of technology," he said. "Every Indian will be given a health ID, which will work as each Indian's health account," Modi said, adding that it would ease problems f

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Saturday announced the Lieutenant Governor's gold medal for honesty, integrity and meritorious public service for the year 2020. The officers who have been awarded for the medal include Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Mohit Gera, Anti Corruption Bureau director Anand Jain, Finance Department special secretary Shamim Ahmad Wani, Geology and Mining director Vikas Sharma, Reasi Deputy Commissioner Indu Kanwal Chib, Director Sheep Husbandry, Kashmir, Abdul Salam Mir, and Director Horticulture, Jammu, Ram Savak. MY Itoo, director-general Budget, Finance Department; Rajeshwar Singh, senior superintendent of police; Dr Shashi Sudhan Sharma, HoD Department of Micro Biology, GMC, Jammu and Dr Anjum Farhana, HoD Department of Microbiology, GMC, Srinagar are the other nominees. The award carries a Gold Medal, Rs 51,000 cash, a citation and a certificate, an official spokesperson said. Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir administration also awarded

Jalna: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday expressed concern over the rise in COVID-19 in rural areas of the state due to the influx of migrants from Mumbai. Speaking at an Independence Day function at the Collectorate, the minister said despite the rise in infections, the recovery rate in the state was high. While the COVID-19 tally in Jalna had reached 3,000, more than 2,000 patients had recovered from the infection, said Tope, who is also the guardian minister of the district. The minister noted that the spike in cases in rural parts of the state due to the return of migrants from Mumbai is a cause for concern. Felicitating health and frontline workers on the occasion, Tope urged citizens to cooperate with doctors and the administration in the war against the pandemic. A liquid oxygen plant is being set up at the COVID-19 hospital in Jalna, he said, adding that the health department was providing proper facilities for the treatment of infected persons. Apart f

New Delhi: The condition of former president Pranab Mukherjee remained unchanged on Saturday and he continued to be on ventilator support, doctors attending on him said. They said his vital and clinical parameters are stable and are being closely monitored by a team of specialists. The 84-year-old former president was admitted to the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi Cantonment on Monday and was operated upon for the removal of a clot in the brain. He had also tested positive for COVID-19. "The condition of Hon'ble Shri Pranab Mukherjee remains unchanged this morning. He continues to be on ventilatory support. His vital and clinical parameters remain stable and are being closely monitored by a team of specialists," the hospital said in a statement. Mukherjee's office also posted pictures of the former president unfurling the national flag on Independence Day in the past and wishing fellow citizens on the day. On behalf of #CitizenMukherjee ,

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart KP Sharma Oli held a telephonic conversation on Saturday, in the first high-level contact after ties between the two countries came under severe strain following issuance of a new political map by the Himalayan nation in May. Oli called up Modi and greeted the government and people of India on the country's 74th Independence Day, an official statement said. It said Oli also conveyed to Modi his congratulations for India's recent election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Modi offered India's continued support to Nepal in its fight against the pandemic and recalled the civilizational and cultural links that the two countries share, it said. "The leaders expressed mutual solidarity in the context of the efforts being made to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in both countries. Prime Minister offered India's continued support to Nepal in this regard," the statement said.

The Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel "fought the whole night" and gave a befitting reply to the Chinese troops during the recent skirmishes in eastern Ladakh, the border force said on Friday. It said a total of 294 ITBP personnel have been awarded the Director General (DG) commendation for displaying bravery during these skirmishes. In its first official account of the standoff between the two militaries, the ITBP revealed how its troops "not only effectively used shield to protect themselves but also responded fiercely to the advancing PLA (People's Liberation Army) troops and brought the situation under control". The ITBP said its troops "fought the whole night" in the area and they received the minimum casualties, while gave a befitting reply to the stone-pelters of the PLA. "At places, they (ITBP) gave a determined standoff for about 17-20 hours throughout. Due to the high-altitude training and manoeuver experience of the force

Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Misri on Saturday said that 2020 has been a very unusual year for India as it had to face the "twin challenges" of COVID-19 as well as aggression on the country's borders. Addressing a large gathering of Beijing-based Indian community at the India House here on the country's 74th Independence Day, Misri talked about the problems faced by the Indian expatriates in China. Many family members of the expatriates are stranded in India due to visa-related issues following the COVD-19 pandemic and disruption of flights. After hoisting the national flag and reading of President Ram Nath Kovind's Friday's address to the nation, Misri touched upon the "aggression at the borders," in an apparent reference to the situation at the Sino-Indian borders in eastern Ladakh. "As you just heard from the President's address, 2020 has been a very unusual year, including for us here in China. We in India have had to face the tw

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced that elections would be held in Jammu and Kashmir as soon as the delimitation process in the union territory gets over. In his Independence Day address to the nation, the prime minister, who spoke on development in various parts of the country, noted that it has been a year since Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh got independence from Article 370. "This one year has been a very important milestone for the new development journey of these regions as it gave women and dalits of this region their basic rights besides dignity to the lives of our refugee brethren," Modi said. He also referred to the 'Back to Villages' initiative of the administration of the union territory administration and said it ensured the fruits of developments reach the villages and the poor. Under this scheme, all bureaucrats spent time in villages to address the problems of the people. "I thank the panches and sarpanches from the core of my h

Jaipur : Heavy rains in Rajasthan's capital Jaipur left three people dead, low-lying areas inundated, and brought the city to a standstill. Fifty families were moved to safer places from low-lying areas of the city, officials said. Three hours of excessive rain resulted in waterlogging in several parts of Jaipur. Scores of vehicles were submerged in water and left stranded on roads. Three people were killed and as many rescued after a jeep was swept away by strong water currents while crossing a bridge in Kanota area where a dam had overflowed, Station House Officer (SHO) Narendra Singh Khichad said. One person has been admitted to hospital for treatment, he said. The deceased were identified as Ramapratap, Paro Devi and Kanu, police said. Jaipur District Collector Antar Singh Nehra said 50 families have been evacuated from slums in Jawahar Nagar area. He said 15-20 teams of civil defence personnel and three teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deploye

New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that the government will not open schools unless it is "fully convinced" about the improved COVID-19 situation in the city. Delivering his Independence Day speech at Delhi Secretariat, Kejriwal said the COVID-19 situation in the National Capital is under control as compared to what it was two months back and thanked all the stakeholders, including the central government, 'corona warriors' and different organisations. The chief minister said the safety and the health of school children are very important to the AAP government. "I meet people and get messages from them asking not to open schools. I want to assure them that we care about their children as much as they do. Unless fully convinced, we are not going to open the schools," he said. Kejriwal said Delhi "gave the model" of home isolation and plasma therapy concept to the country in the fight against the virus. He said that

In a move aimed at busting the stigma and shame around menstruation, Indian food delivery giant Zomato announced a new ‘ period leave ’ policy on 8 August, swiftly reviving the long-running discourse around the polarising subject . Allowing up to 10 additional leaves a year for menstruating employees, including transgender persons, the policy was extolled — and denounced — on social media timelines, exacerbating the gulf between those on either side of the debate. I, for one, was on the celebratory end of the spectrum as memories of my teenage body writhing in pain and hot water bags held against my throbbing abdomen came flooding back. (Or of the day when, at 16, I had to be carried by a male teacher to the medical inspection room, after fainting from a loss of blood.) But I wasn't surprised by this seemingly irreparable divide on opinions about 'period leave'. Predictably, the pushback to Zomato’s seemingly progressive step typifies the usual response to most health ref

On its 74th Independence Day, India stands under a blue sky and an open field, free to run and full of promise. But the shoes still hurt at a few places. Those optimistic about the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi see great strides in the last six years in the correcting endemic corruption, resurgence of civilisational values, rebuilding capacity in health, social security, national security and diplomacy, and now a push for self-sufficiency and Make in India under atmanirbhar Bharat. However, glaring gaps and injustices exist both in our mindset and at the level of action. Those who are persecuted on the basis of their birth, or have lost their job because of COVID-19 or the general economic downturn, or have been either denied justice for years, or have lost a dear one because the Indian State still doesn’t attach much value to human life cannot be expected to toast freedom today. Those Indians cannot afford the luxury called freedom. One can think of at least four suc

Jammu : Pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Vaishno Devi in the Trikuta Hills of Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district will resume from Sunday after remaining suspended for nearly five months in view of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said on Saturday. The yatra was suspended on 18 March. Ramesh Kumar, the Chief Executive Officer of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVSB) said the pilgrimage will resume from tomorrow, and in the first week there shall be a cap of 2,000 pilgrims each day of which 1,900 would be from Jammu and Kashmir and the remaining 100 from outside. The situation will be reviewed thereafter and decisions will be taken accordingly, he said. "People will be allowed to undertake the pilgrimage after registration only through online in order to avoid any assembly at the yatra registration counter." The pilgrims will be required to install Aarogya Setu App on their mobile phones. Wearing face masks and face cover is mandatory and they will have to und

New Delhi : The NIA arrested four more people for their alleged involvement in the Kerala gold smuggling case after their roles in the conspiracy and smuggling surfaced, an official said on Friday. The agency has so far arrested 20 people in the case of smuggling of gold through diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE consulate in Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram, an NIA spokesperson said. Mohamed Anwar TM, Hamzath Abdu Salam, Hamjad Ali, all residents of Malappuram, and Samju TM of Kozhikode were arrested by the NIA on Thursday, the official said. During the custodial interrogation of accused Jalal AM, Mohammad Shafi, Said Alavi and Abdu PT, it was revealed that Anwar, Salam, Samju and Hamjad provided funds for procuring and smuggling gold into India, the official of the premier investigation agency said. Searches were carried out at their residences in six locations in Malappuram and Kozhikode districts on Friday in which digital devices and incriminating documents were se

Giving his seventh Independence Day address from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday remphasised his call for an 'atmanirbhar' India as he touched upon issues ranging from a possible COVID-19 vaccine to the stand-off with China in Ladakh. Dressed in his customary kurta pyjama and safa, the prime minister, in his nearly 90-minute address, dwelt at length on his "atmanirbhar Bharat" campaign and gave a call for reducing imports and pushing exports of finished products in place raw material, saying the country will have to move forward with the mantra of ''Make in India'' as well as ''Make for World''. ''Atmanirbhar Bharat'' is no longer merely a word but has become a mantra and captured people's imagination, he said. Modi also touched upon the much-anticipated COVID-19 vaccine and said three vaccines are in various phases of trials in the country. He said that a roadmap is

New Delhi:  Congress leader Rahul Gandhi again criticised the government on the Ladakh situation on Friday, and claimed that the country will have to pay a "huge price". In a tweet, he said, "The government of India (GOI) is scared to face up to Chinese intentions in Ladakh. Evidence on the ground indicates that China is preparing and positioning itself," but did not elaborate. He also said lack of courage and the media's silence will result in India paying a "huge price". Rahul has been criticising the government and the prime minister on the border situation in Ladakh. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2PTJZMn Press Trust of India

New Delhi : India on Friday said that Pakistan has consistently failed to address core issues in the implementation of ICJ judgment in Kulbhushan Jadhav case. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said in a virtual media briefing that Pakistan has failed to provide unimpeded consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav in "letter and spirit". "These issues pertain to the provision of relevant documents as well as providing unimpeded consular access to Kulbhushan," he said. Earlier this month, Islamabad High Court (IHC) had formed a larger bench to hear the case of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is facing a death sentence in Pakistan.  Geo News had reported that the larger bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justices Amir Farooq and Mian Gull Hassan Aurangzeb, was formed on Friday and it will hear the case on 3 September. The decision came after India continued to pressurise Pakistan into allowing consular access to Jadhav.

On 15 August, 1947, the British Raj came to an end in India, ending 200 years of colonisation. Commemorating the nation's freedom from the British rule, the country is celebrating its 74th Independence Day on 15 August. However, celebrations this year are muted due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The event at Red Fort, unlike other years, saw a reduced list of dignitaries in attendance, police personnel in protective gear and no participation of school children. This is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's seventh Independence Day speech from the Red Fort. The ceremony included a guard of honour by the armed forces and Delhi Police to the PM, unfurling of the national flag, firing of the 21-gun salute and the singing of the national anthem, apart from the speech. The event concluded with the release of tri-coloured balloons. History of Independence Day The British East India Company first arrived in India in 1619, setting up trading posts in the port of Surat, Gujarat. It slowly esta