From labelling him an atheist who has no respect for Hindu gods to claiming he kick-started casteist politics in Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar is under attack from all corners. The attacks aren’t only from political parties — there have been death threats, comments on his illness and age, and some have even wished him hell. The veteran Maharashtra politician, who was instrumental in setting up the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ruling alliance, and from whom Prime Minister Narendra Modi once used to take advice, is facing a well-coordinated attack, both online and offline, from Right wing sympathisers. Last week, the Maharashtra BJP’s Twitter handle posted an edited video of Mr. Pawar’s public rally in Satara, where he recited a poem by Jawahar Rathod, in which the poet talks about atrocities committed on people from lower castes. The tweet said that “atheist Sharad Pawar always hated Hindu gods”. An army of social media trolls picked up the … [Read more...] about Sharad Pawar faces a concerted offensive from the Right, online and offline
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Revenge porn victims could be granted anonymity in review of online abuse laws
Revenge porn victims could be granted anonymity as part of a review of the laws around online abuse. MPs and campaigners have been calling for victims to be protected from further harassment after the sharing of private or sexual images or videos of a person without their consent was made a criminal offence in 2015. Survivor Lena Chen previously told The Independent how she had to leave the US and change her name when she was harassed for years after her ex-boyfriend’s posted of intimate photos online. The Law Commission is to consider the case for granting revenge porn victims automatic anonymity, which is currently standard for sexual offences, as part of a wide-ranging review. The independent body will also look at whether current laws are sufficient to tackle the emerging offence of “cyberflashing ”, where victims are sent unsolicited sexual photos and “deepfake” pornography that sees victims’ faces added to explicit videos. UK news in pictures … [Read more...] about Revenge porn victims could be granted anonymity in review of online abuse laws
Megan Thee Stallion, Lauryn Hill Saddle Up to Perform at Preakness Stakes
Click here to read the full article. If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. It isn’t just the stacked thoroughbred field that will be garnering attention at this weekend’s Preakness Stakes, fans will also get to see a stacked musical lineup as part of “Preakness LIVE,” a food, music and art festival taking place in conjunction with the 147th running of the marquee horse racing event. More from Rolling Stone How to Watch the NBA Playoffs Online: Live Stream Basketball Without Cable How to Watch the NHL Playoffs Online: Live Stream Hockey Without Cable Moke America Reintroduces Classic Cruiser for 60th Anniversary of James Bond Films Preakness LIVE will feature performances from Grammy winners Lauryn Hill and Megan Thee Stallion and NAACP Image Award winner D-Nice, along with Baltimore-bred singer Brittney Spencer and Darin Atwater & The Soulful … [Read more...] about Megan Thee Stallion, Lauryn Hill Saddle Up to Perform at Preakness Stakes
About Time!: Bloomberg Wakes Up to the Dangers of Google’s Surveillance Capitalism
Corporate media juggernaut Bloomberg is finally waking up to the dangers of surveillance capitalism, the prevalent business model the Masters of the Universe, but practiced more aggressively and successfully by Google than any other player on today’s web. Writing in a Bloomberg article titled : “Google Is Sharing Our Data at a Startling Scale” which was also published by the Washington Post, Parmy Olsen the troubling deluge of advertising enabled by Google’s real-time bidding business practice exposes us to the ad market an astonishing 747 times each day. And that is only from Google — it doesn’t include advertising powerhouse Facebook or up and comer Amazon. Sabo mocks Google CEO Sundar Pichai (unsavoryagents.com) It is hard for humans to conceptualize such numbers, even if machines calculate them comfortably everyday — but if the exhaust of our personal data could be seen in the same way pollution can, we’d be surrounded by an almost impenetrable haze that gets … [Read more...] about About Time!: Bloomberg Wakes Up to the Dangers of Google’s Surveillance Capitalism
Chief Minister wants his tenure to be a golden era for higher education
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday said his government was taking several measures to improve the employability of youngsters. Delivering his address at the 164th convocation of the University of Madras, he said many industrialists were of the opinion that it was difficult to find employable youngsters. “The government wanted to ensure that no youngster is without a job, and industries are able to find the right talent. The Naan Mudhalvan scheme is one such initiative,” he said. Noting that the Chief Ministership of K. Kamaraj was a golden era for school education, and that of M. Karunanidhi was a golden era for colleges, he said his government was planning initiatives to make the current dispensation’s tenure the golden era for higher education. Delivering the presidential address, Governor R.N. Ravi urged the Chief Minister to take measures to set up Chairs for Tamil language at universities in other States. There should be an endeavour to see to it that Tamil is introduced … [Read more...] about Chief Minister wants his tenure to be a golden era for higher education
Pro-Trump pastor slams GOP for Rittenhouse sympathy amid Buffalo shooting
Republican reactions to the Buffalo mass shooting on Saturday have drawn harsh criticism from an unlikely source: a notably pro-Trump religious leader. Dr. Darrell Scott, an Ohio pastor and one of the earliest Evangelical Christian leaders to back former President Donald Trump 's 2016 campaign, released a statement Monday on Twitter , slamming the lack of sympathy that GOP lawmakers have shown for the victims of the Buffalo shooting. Scott also called out the positive reactions that Kyle Rittenhouse and Nicholas Sandman received on the Right. "The lack of expressions of sympathy for 10 dead AMERICAN victims of a mass shooting by the 'Leaders' of the Right is bad," Scott wrote on Twitter. "They expressed more sympathy for Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed 3 people, and Nicolas Sandmann, who got stared at, than for the 10 dead innocents in Buffalo." Scott co-founded the New Spirit Revival Center in Cleveland and later served as an advisor for Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. … [Read more...] about Pro-Trump pastor slams GOP for Rittenhouse sympathy amid Buffalo shooting
Step taken to curb fake lotteries, says Minister
The State government and the police's cyber wing are looking out for fake lotteries that are illegally marketed online under the Kerala State Lotteries brand, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal has said. The government was also taking steps to upgrade the Lotteries department technologically to combat such trends, Mr. Balagopal said on Monday, launching the new 'Fifty-Fifty' Sunday lottery that carried ₹ 1 crore as the first prize. Contrary to popular perception, the State government scarcely made a huge profit from the lotteries, Mr. Balagopal said. The profit was actually small once the operational expenses and prize money liabilities were met, according to him. At the same time, the livelihood of over one lakh families were dependent on the State Lotteries, he said. Course for lottery winners The Finance Minister reiterated the department's plans to offer a brief course in finance management for lottery winners that focussed on to invest their prize money wisely. The … [Read more...] about Step taken to curb fake lotteries, says Minister
India grants e-visas for Chinese nationals
To the cheers from the audience of students at Tsinghua University here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday that India has decided to “extend electronic tourist visas to Chinese nationals.” The announcement was anticipated for some weeks, and The Hindu had reported last month on the Chinese government’s repeated requests to India to cut some of the security and visa regulations for Chinese businessmen and tourists. The Prime Minister said it was part of a concerted effort by his government to bring the “world’s two largest populations in closer contact.” “Thirty-three per cent of the world is either Indian or Chinese, and yet we know so little about each other,” he said. The e-visa facility would enable Chinese applicants to apply for visas online a few days before they travel. Accent on people-to-people Shortly before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on Friday of the extension of e-visa facility for Chinese nationals, Foreign Secretary S. … [Read more...] about India grants e-visas for Chinese nationals
Donald Trump’s enemies flock to Brian Kemp in bid to thwart MAGA surge
Former President George W. Bush is reported to be attending a fundraiser in support of Georgia governor Brian Kemp in another example of recent and longtime enemies of Donald Trump publicly rallying against the MAGA president's endorsed candidate, David Perdue . Bush is scheduled to appear at a Texas fundraiser on Monday for Kemp at the home of real estate developer Harlan Crow, according to Politico. It was previously confirmed that former Vice President Mike Pence , whose relationship with Trump fell apart after the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot, would be supporting Kemp as the Republican candidate during a rally held one day before the May 24 primary. Charles Bullock, a professor of political science at the University of Georgia, said that with Kemp being "target number one" for Trump, Republicans who do not support the former president and his vision have seen that "the biggest blow they could deliver to begin freeing the GOP of Trumpism" would be to beat his candidate … [Read more...] about Donald Trump’s enemies flock to Brian Kemp in bid to thwart MAGA surge
Why Democrat Chris Murphy remains optimistic, but isn’t holding his breath for increasing background checks on gun sales
The chances that new background check measures for purchasing firearms will pass Congress are "less than 50-50," Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said Friday. However, it's legislation he's still trying to lead to fruition through conversations with White House officials, including President Donald Trump. This despite Trump's public stance on gun control measures, such as increased background checks, changing nearly every day as lawmakers discuss what steps will be taken to address gun violence once they return from August recess in two and a half weeks. "I am skeptical that these efforts are going to bear fruit. It's very hard to negotiate with this White House when the president's public positions seem to change by the day," the Connecticut senator told reporters in his home state. "I'm sure there will be some people who will say I'm naive to think that we're going to end up getting a proposal through that will significantly expand background checks and be able to get 60 votes in … [Read more...] about Why Democrat Chris Murphy remains optimistic, but isn’t holding his breath for increasing background checks on gun sales