Tag: India

  • Twitter receives record number of govt requests to remove content, including India’s

    Twitter receives record number of govt requests to remove content, including India’s

    Twitter has revealed that a record number of requests have been made from several governments around the world to remove content from the social media platform between January and June 2021.

    According to the platform, 95 per cent of the demands came from five countries which include Japan, Russia, Turkey, India and South Korea.

    The company said that in July 2021, it had seen a surge in government demands to take down content posted by journalists and news outlets.

    In a report, they said that 43,387 legal demands for the removal of content from 196,878 accounts were made in the six months. It is the largest number of such requests in a reporting period since Twitter started releasing its transparency reports in 2012.

    Sinead McSweeney, Twitter’s vice president of global public policy and philanthropy, said, “We’re facing unprecedented challenges as governments around the world increasingly attempt to intervene and remove content. This threat to privacy and freedom of expression is a deeply worrying trend that requires our full attention.”

    Previously, Twitter faced high-profile tussles with governments from India to Nigeria over content moderation and regulation.

  • ‘Got a message from Pakistan PM to include Navjot Sidhu in Punjab cabinet’: Capt Amarinder Singh

    ‘Got a message from Pakistan PM to include Navjot Sidhu in Punjab cabinet’: Capt Amarinder Singh

    India’s former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh during a press conference said that during his tenure as CM, he received a message from Pakistan asking him to reinstate Navjot Singh Sidhu in the Punjab cabinet.

    Soon after dropping Sidhu from his cabinet, he had received a call from a mutual acquaintance from Pakistan, Amarinder told reporters.

    “I got a message that Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan has sent a request that if you can take Sidhu in your cabinet,” said Amarinder without taking names. “I will be grateful. He is an old friend of mine. If he does not work, you can remove him.”

    Navjot Singh Sidhu arrived in Pakistan to attend the oath-taking ceremony of PM Imran Khan in August 2018.

    Sidhu at the time said that he had come to Pakistan as a goodwill messenger and “with a message of love” to become a part of Khan’s happiness.

     Navjot Singh Sidhu again returned to Pakistan to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor in Nankana Sahib, in November 2018.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Amarinder was also present during the inauguration of the Karatpur Corridor.

  • Bride calls off marriage after groom slaps her for dancing with her male cousin

    Bride calls off marriage after groom slaps her for dancing with her male cousin

    A bride canceled her wedding after her husband-to-be slapped her for dancing with her male cousin during their wedding function in the Indian state, Tamil Nadu.

    The incident happened when the couple was dancing together and the bride’s cousin held their hands and joined them in the dance too.

    The groom was infuriated when her cousin put his hands on their shoulders during the dance. The groom pushed the bride away from her cousin.

    The family of the bride claimed that the groom slapped her in the presence of everyone when she was going up on the stage with the groom. The bride immediately called off her wedding over his intolerable attitude.

    Afterward, she got married to her relative who was present at the wedding function on the same scheduled date and time but at a different venue.

    However, the groom lodged the complaint against the bride’s family in Panruti all-women police station and demanded INR 700,000 as compensation which was spent on the wedding expenditures.

  • ‘Onus lies on India to take steps for constructive dialogue’: Pakistan

    ‘Onus lies on India to take steps for constructive dialogue’: Pakistan

    Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, during a weekly media briefing, said, “On multiple occasions, the prime minister and the foreign minister have expressed our position on this matter (dialogue). But India has vitiated the environment — the conditions are not there. We have repeatedly said that the onus lies on India to take necessary steps for an environment conducive for constructive dialogue.”

    Recently, Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane had said that India was not averse to the possible demilitarisation of the Siachen Glacier provided Pakistan accepted the 110-km Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) that separates the positions of both Pakistan and India.

    FO spokesperson was asked about Pakistan’s reaction to any possibility of India’s demilitarisation of the Siachin Glacier.

    “Pakistan has a policy, which is derived from the principle of a friendly neighbourhood. We want peace and friendship in our neighbourhood, good relations with all including India,” the FO spokesperson said.

    “But you have seen how the developments have unfolded in our region; you have witnessed the very hostile Indian attitude especially during the last couple of years and since the illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, in IIOJ&K, the situation has further deteriorated and in this context, we have to see how we can move forward,” he added.

    Talking about law firm Stoke White submitting a report based on over 2,000 testimonies taken between 2020 and 2021, providing extensive evidence to the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Unit documenting how Indian military and civil leadership were responsible for the torture, kidnapping, and killing of activists, journalists and civilians, he added: “It is self-evident that India can no longer escape international and legal censure for its rampant human rights violations in IIOJ&K, and we call upon the international community, particularly the United Nations and international human rights and humanitarian organisations to hold India accountable.”

  • Watch: PM Modi’s slip of tongue of ‘beti patao’ makes him a Twitter meme

    Watch: PM Modi’s slip of tongue of ‘beti patao’ makes him a Twitter meme

    Addressing the World Economic Forum (WEF), Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi landed himself in some trouble. His slip of tongue moment went viral on social media, where he could be heard saying ‘beti patao’ instead of ‘beti padhao’.

    Modi ideally wanted to address the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao‘ initiative being adopted in India, but his faltered speech changed the entire meaning of the word and idea communicated.

    https://twitter.com/suryapsingh_IAS/status/1484051506932633601

    ‘Patao’ primarily is translated as ‘dating or flirting’ while the actual term ‘padhao’ means ‘educating or teaching’.

    Twitter is all pumped up as the recent subject of the meme world is Narendra Modi for his beti patao gaffe.

    https://twitter.com/AseemAn33925929/status/1484113301965803526

    https://twitter.com/ImOdd_MF/status/1484252506926743552
  • Man brushes teeth, shaves during viral court hearing

    Man brushes teeth, shaves during viral court hearing

    In an incident at the Kerala High Court, a person was seen either brushing his teeth or shaving, during the proceedings before Justice VG Arun, on Monday, January 17.

    Following the surge in covid-19 cases in the state, the Kerala High Court had decided to conduct virtual hearings. A man who entered the virtual session was seen brushing his teeth or shaving, mostly facing the camera. While it appeared that the judge did not notice the incident, a video of the man was shared across social media.

    The man, in the video, appears to have just woken up and is seen walking back and forth in a room that appears to be a washroom. It appeared that he was either shaving his beard or brushing his teeth during the proceedings and was seen doing so by other attendees.

    As covid-19 cases in India continue to surge, several High Courts have reverted to conducting virtual hearings again. In the first and second waves of the pandemic, many judges had complained about decorum in the virtual courtroom, as people appeared to be carrying out personal activities during the proceedings.

  • UK asked to probe Indian army chief, home minister over alleged war crimes in occupied Kashmir

    UK asked to probe Indian army chief, home minister over alleged war crimes in occupied Kashmir

    A London-based law firm has filed an application with the British police seeking the arrest of India’s army chief and a senior Indian government official over their alleged roles in war crimes in Indian-Occupied Kashmir, reports TRT World.

    Law firm Stoke White said on Tuesday it submitted extensive evidence to the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Unit documenting how Indian troops headed by General Manoj Mukund Naravane and Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah were responsible for the torture, kidnapping, and killing of activists, journalists, and civilians.

    The law firm’s report was based on over 2,000 testimonies taken between 2020 and 2021. It also accused eight unnamed senior Indian military officials of direct involvement in war crimes and torture in Occupied Kashmir.

    “There is strong reason to believe that Indian authorities are conducting war crimes and other violence against civilians in [Indian-Occupied] Jammu and Kashmir,” the report stated.

    Hakan Camuz, director of international law at Stoke White, said he hoped the report would convince the British police to open an investigation and ultimately arrest the officials when they set foot in the United Kingdom (UK). Some of the Indian officials have financial assets and other links to Britain.

    “We are asking the UK government to do their duty and investigate and arrest them for what they did based on the evidence we supplied to them. We want them to be held accountable,” Camuz said.

    The police application was made on behalf of the family of Zia Mustafa, a jailed rebel fighter whom Camuz said was the victim of an extrajudicial killing by Indian authorities in 2021, and on behalf of human rights campaigner Muhammad Ahsan Untoo, who was allegedly tortured before his arrest last week.

    Human rights lawyers have increasingly used the universal jurisdiction principle to seek justice for people who were unable to file criminal complaints in their home countries or with the International Criminal Court, located in The Hague.

    Last week, a German court convicted a former Syrian secret police officer of crimes against humanity for overseeing the abuse of thousands of detainees at a jail near Damascus a decade ago.

    Camuz said he hoped the request to the British police seeking the arrest of Indian officials will be followed by other legal actions also focusing on Kashmir.

    “We are sure this is not going to be the last one, there will probably be many more applications,” he said.

  • Shahid Afridi comments on Virat Kohli’s decision of resigning as Test captain

    Shahid Afridi comments on Virat Kohli’s decision of resigning as Test captain

    A day after India’s 2-1 Test series defeat against South Africa, Virat Kohli took to social media platforms and announced his resignation as Test captain. Many believe that Kohli still could have continued at the position for few more years. However, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi does not agree. According to him, Kohli made the right decision as an individual is not able to cope up with much pressure after a certain stage.

    Read More – Anushka’s love message for Virat after Test captaincy resignation, Bollywood stars react

    Afridi believes Kohli has made a good decision to step down from the captaincy as it provides an opportunity for him to focus on his batting. Kohli had been struggling to perform up to his usual standards over the past couple of years.

    “It’s fine in my opinion. Virat has played enough cricket and led the team well. And I believe this is the correct decision. There comes a stage where you can’t handle pressure, and because of it, your own performances get affected. So, I think he has captained for a long time and at a great level. As a batsman, it’s time he enjoys his cricket,” Afridi said on Samaa Tv.

    The incredible batter has been unable to score an international century since 2019.

    The 33-year-old cricketer will be seen in action against South Africa in the upcoming ODI series. The batter was rumored to miss the ODI series but he later confirmed his availability for the series.

  • Hindutva leader arrested for provoking ‘genocide’ of Muslims

    Hindutva leader arrested for provoking ‘genocide’ of Muslims

    Hindutva leader, Yati Narsinghanand Giri who incited hatred and called for ‘genocide’ of Muslims in a seminar, labelled by Indian media as “hate speech conclave”, was arrested by the police.

    Senior Police Officer, Swatantra Kumar said that the Yati Narsinghanand Giri, a far right-right nationalist was initially arrested on Saturday on allegations of making derogatory remarks against Muslims and women during a meeting. He appeared in front of the court the next day and remained in custody for hate speech.

    Kumar claimed that Yati Narsinghanand Giri is a repeated offender and was officially charged on Monday with promoting hatred between Hindus and Muslims based on religion. The charge can carry a five-year jail term.

    In December, the three-day meeting “hate speech conclave” was organised by Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand in Uttarakhand’s pilgrimage city of Haridwar, India, where multiple calls to kill minorities and attack their religious spaces were made.

    The gathering had speakers like Annapurna Maa, Dharamdas Maharaj from Bihar, Anand Swaroop Maharaj, Sagar Sindhuraj Maharaj, Swami Premanand Maharaj, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashwini Upadhyay.

    “If you want to finish them off, then kill them… We need 100 soldiers who can kill 20 lakh of them to win this,” said Annapurna Maa.

    “If the governments do not listen to our demand [the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra through violence against minorities], we will wage a war far scarier than the 1857 revolt,” said Anand Swaroop Maharaj.

    Recently, hate crimes against religious minorities including Muslims and Christians are increased in India with the alleged support of the ruling party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Several Indian celebrities raised their voices against hate crimes against certain communities based on the grounds of religion.

  • PM Khan launches first-ever National Security Policy, original document remains classified

    PM Khan launches first-ever National Security Policy, original document remains classified

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan launched the public version of the country’s first-ever National Security Policy (NSP) which aimed at addressing the external imbalance, socio-economic inequalities, and geographic disparities, reports Radio Pakistan.

    It is reported that the original version of the policy will remain classified.

    According to PM Khan, the nation is now headed in the right direction and added that national security was defined “in the right manner” in the new policy.

    Speaking about the International Monetary Fund (IMF), PM said, “We approach IMF under duress as in the end, only IMF is ready to help us and provide the cheapest loans. We have to abide by their conditions, and as a result, impose a burden on the people.”

    National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Moeed Yusuf also addressed the launching ceremony.

    He said, “We are not seeking hostility with India for the next 100 years. The new policy seeks peace with immediate neighbours.”

    The NSP will mainly secure Pakistan’s interest and position globally. Moreover, the document would provide for pursuing youth-focused policies, guaranteeing food security, improving preventive healthcare, and mainstreaming climate adaptation.