Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a review meeting with top security brass in the wake of the killing of four JeM terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, and asserted that security forces have thwarted their efforts to wreak “major havoc and destruction”. Government sources said that the terrorists were planning “something big” on the anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. READ MORE
At a critical time when experts say the capital is going through the third wave of Covid-19, perhaps the most deadly one so far, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain speaks to CNN-News18 about the spurt in cases, the measures undertaken by his government, attacks by the opposition and criticism by courts. READ MORE
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday tore into the ‘love jihad’ controversy and accused the BJP of “manufacturing†the phrase to divide the nation along communal lines. He said marriages, including inter-faith unions, are a matter of personal liberty and any law to curb them would not stand in court. Gehlot’s comments come amid plans in four BJP-ruled states – Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka – to outlaw what the respective governments and the BJP call ‘love jihad’. READ MORE
Kerala-based scribe Siddique Kappan, arrested on his way to Hathras where a young Dalit woman had died after allegedly being gang-raped, was going there under the garb of journalism with a very determined design to create caste divide and disturb law and order situation, the Uttar Pradesh government said in the Supreme Court on Friday. READ MORE
Facebook Says Indian Govt Asked for Data of 57,294 Accounts in the First Half of 2020
Government requests for Facebook user data increased 23 percent globally in January-June 2020 with India occupying the second spot after the US in terms of such requests being made. According to Facebook’s latest transparency report, total 35,560 requests were made by India in the period for 57,294 users/accounts. Some data was produced in 50 percent cases, it added. READ MORE
Britain May Allow Christmas As Covid Cases Start To Flatten
Britain could ease its stringent COVID-19
lockdown to allow families to gather for Christmas because there are signs that coronavirus cases are starting to flatten as a result of current lockdowns, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Friday. READ MORE
Mumbai Schools Run by BMC to Remain Closed Till Dec 31 Amid Steady Rise in Covid Cases
As Covid-19 cases steadily rise in Mumbai, Mayor Kishore Pednekar on Friday announced that all schools within the jurisdiction of the BMC will remain shut till December 31. The announcement also comes amid a sense of reluctance in parents to send their children to schools as the pandemic situation continues to cause worry in the financial capital of India. READ MORE
Simpsons Writer Asks Fans to Stop Comparing Rudy Giuliani to Show’s Bungling Lawyer Lionel Hutz
Fans of the long-running animated series The Simpsons have found yet another similarity between the show and Donald Trump – his lawyer Rudy Giuliani. The United States President lawyer Rudy Giuliani was in for a rude shock on Thursday when his blah hair dye melted and stripped down the side of his face while he addressed the media. READ MORE